Dubrovnik
Yesterday morning, just after 4am, the teachers, staff and 120 or so children met at school. Every single person who had planned to be there showed up. No one slept through their alarm clocks or ran late, even at such an unheard of hour. I was thoroughly impressed, but that was only the beginning of my day of awe!
We arrived at Birmingham Airport (no, I didn't take a wrong turn, that is Birminghum not ham) and were greeted on our coaches by Monarch Air employees. They checked each of the kids in on the bus and gave them their boarding passes. We were then ushered through the security checkpoint and onto our private plane.
I must admit that I was very anxious about keeping up with the ten children that were in my care. I'm always anxious on a field trip, but going through an airport and flying internationally with a group of kids could have been an absolute nightmare. I greeted the ten children yesterday morning early, only knowing a few of them. It did not take long for me to realize how amazing this group of kids was. They stayed right with me throughout the airport, never rushing ahead nor lagging behind. They were calm, cool and collected, not anxious or over excited. They were so much fun that when I told these 11 to 13 year olds my idea of wearing neon green strings on our wrist and coming up with a cool name, they were all for it. We became the "Green Giants." When it came time to call my group together, I could raise my wrist and they in turn would raise their matching neon-green-tied wrists. Or, I could call "Green Giants" and would frequently be answered with the end of the advertisement jingle "yum." I cannot brag on them enough. They were curious, cautious, kind and appreciative. I am truly thankful that I got to spend the day with this bunch of kids! And yes, I got really good at counting to ten! :)
I was unsure of how the flight attendants would act as the whole aircraft was taken over by energetic preteens. They, too, were fabulous! As the whole aircraft was just for us, they let the kids sit anywhere they wanted. They allowed the kids to roam about when we were at a safe cruising altitude; they served the kids breakfast and later dinner with smiles on their faces and genuine joy; they let some of the kids try on their funny hats and, on our return flight, they even let one of the teachers help to demonstrate all of the safety procedures. What a pleasure it was! During our flight two actors entertained the kids with a little quiz about Croatia. We all failed quite miserably, but it was still good fun.
After going through customs, we boarded a bus and made the short trip into the city. The drive into the city was lovely. The mountains leading straight into the sea, the tropical blue waters and the red tiled roofs seemed so very foreign from where we had taken off just a few hours before. Then, we saw the city of Dubrovnik. It is like a fort, a true walled city on a point at the edge of land.
A stroll through the pristine old streets was a treat! It felt like being in Italy or perhaps Greece. The narrow side roads, the lack of cars, the beautiful people and the warm sunshine made the small city glimmer with beauty. We visited a small aquarium where the kids enjoyed seeing a sting ray, a sea turtle, an octopus, eel and many colorful fish before being seated outside to enjoy our three course lunch of salad, chicken and ice cream. We sat in the warmth of a lovely spring day and enjoyed our meal under orange trees and canopies.
Our next stop was a 3D movie theater about the history of the city. It was dark and quiet in there, so I must admit that I missed a bit of the film... But it seems there has been a settlement there for well over one thousand years. It was a hub for trading for a while, in between Turkey and Rome, but then again that also made it vulnerable to powerful empires on either side. The city, too, suffered from a catastrophic earthquake which destroyed much of it in the 1600s.
We climbed some steep stairs to get to the top of the wall where we had a guided tour around the mile and a half or so of the city. The city walls gave a gorgeous view of the red-tiled buildings and steeples with bells along with the blue waters around. I had heard what a beautiful city it was, but I was truly blown away by it and so very thrilled for the way that it reminded me of the Italy that I love so dearly.
Although it was a very long day, it was one of the greatest days I can remember! The people who made the day possible were wonderful, as were my friends and colleagues, and the pupils we escorted. The city was gorgeous and the weather divine! Monarch Air had advertised it as the "Day Trip of a Lifetime" and I have no doubt that it will be a day I will never forget!
We arrived at Birmingham Airport (no, I didn't take a wrong turn, that is Birminghum not ham) and were greeted on our coaches by Monarch Air employees. They checked each of the kids in on the bus and gave them their boarding passes. We were then ushered through the security checkpoint and onto our private plane.
I must admit that I was very anxious about keeping up with the ten children that were in my care. I'm always anxious on a field trip, but going through an airport and flying internationally with a group of kids could have been an absolute nightmare. I greeted the ten children yesterday morning early, only knowing a few of them. It did not take long for me to realize how amazing this group of kids was. They stayed right with me throughout the airport, never rushing ahead nor lagging behind. They were calm, cool and collected, not anxious or over excited. They were so much fun that when I told these 11 to 13 year olds my idea of wearing neon green strings on our wrist and coming up with a cool name, they were all for it. We became the "Green Giants." When it came time to call my group together, I could raise my wrist and they in turn would raise their matching neon-green-tied wrists. Or, I could call "Green Giants" and would frequently be answered with the end of the advertisement jingle "yum." I cannot brag on them enough. They were curious, cautious, kind and appreciative. I am truly thankful that I got to spend the day with this bunch of kids! And yes, I got really good at counting to ten! :)
After going through customs, we boarded a bus and made the short trip into the city. The drive into the city was lovely. The mountains leading straight into the sea, the tropical blue waters and the red tiled roofs seemed so very foreign from where we had taken off just a few hours before. Then, we saw the city of Dubrovnik. It is like a fort, a true walled city on a point at the edge of land.
A stroll through the pristine old streets was a treat! It felt like being in Italy or perhaps Greece. The narrow side roads, the lack of cars, the beautiful people and the warm sunshine made the small city glimmer with beauty. We visited a small aquarium where the kids enjoyed seeing a sting ray, a sea turtle, an octopus, eel and many colorful fish before being seated outside to enjoy our three course lunch of salad, chicken and ice cream. We sat in the warmth of a lovely spring day and enjoyed our meal under orange trees and canopies. Our next stop was a 3D movie theater about the history of the city. It was dark and quiet in there, so I must admit that I missed a bit of the film... But it seems there has been a settlement there for well over one thousand years. It was a hub for trading for a while, in between Turkey and Rome, but then again that also made it vulnerable to powerful empires on either side. The city, too, suffered from a catastrophic earthquake which destroyed much of it in the 1600s.
We climbed some steep stairs to get to the top of the wall where we had a guided tour around the mile and a half or so of the city. The city walls gave a gorgeous view of the red-tiled buildings and steeples with bells along with the blue waters around. I had heard what a beautiful city it was, but I was truly blown away by it and so very thrilled for the way that it reminded me of the Italy that I love so dearly.
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| The actors that accompanied us - we just called them the pirates! :) |
Although it was a very long day, it was one of the greatest days I can remember! The people who made the day possible were wonderful, as were my friends and colleagues, and the pupils we escorted. The city was gorgeous and the weather divine! Monarch Air had advertised it as the "Day Trip of a Lifetime" and I have no doubt that it will be a day I will never forget!
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| Dubrovnik from the air |
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