Our Monday began at 8:00 AM in the morning, the time we left Nice, France for Florence, Italy. Nice is a beautiful city on the Mediterranean Sea and we had a lot of fun walking and sitting on the beach. 

The famous Umbrella Pines of the Mediterranean. 

The view of Nice from the mountain we climbed.

Old Town in Nice where we ate dinner. 

In the morning we walked to the train station and then spent almost 8 hours on the train, passing by Milano where we had a short lunch in the afternoon. It was almost 5:00 PM in the afternoon when we arrived at our "Hotel Paris" in Florence.

After check-in and refreshing ourselves, we roamed the darkening streets around the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, which was the most famous and main Duomo in Florence, AND had a visit from Proctor alum and European Art Classroom alum, Max Barrett '16, who is studying abroad in Italy from Dickinson College.

We spent our whole Tuesday in Siena, a historical town which was also famous for its horse races held twice a year. Duomo di Siena can be considered one of the most beautiful Duomos in Italy.

Siena has its own special history: Romulus was the founder of Rome, and he killed his twin brother Remus in violent conflict; two sons of Remus fled to Siena and took over the power in Siena for years. The She-wolf (mother of Remus and Romulus) became the symbol of Siena.

Wednesday was a busy day. The Uffizi "Gallery" (Museum), is one of the most famous museums in the world; The birth of Venus and Primavera by Sandro Botticelli are two paintings I love. Standing in front of those masterpieces is a totally different experience than seeing the pictures online.

Street chalk art was pretty cool, too. 

After some free time and lunch, we visited the Church: Santa Croce and a very old traditional leather atelier studio. It's a place where there are master leather workers, with journeymen beneath them and a lot of apprentices. I made a small invention in the leather school: I poked two holes on a small box and linked them together with a chain. In that way, I could carry it as a mini purse! In the evening, our group divided into two small groups. One went to a soccer match with Dave, and one went to opera with Jen.

The Academia del Arte was the place we visited in the morning on Thursday. Staring at the statue of David made me think Michelangelo was the God. There are many unfinished Michelangelo sculptures as well.

The house of the God Michelangelo. 

In the late 1400's this was the workshop of Andrea del Verroccio - teacher to the young Leonardo da Vinci.

In the afternoon, we hiked a little bit and climbed up to Piazzale Michelangelo, where we had a view of the whole of Florence.

Friday was our last day. Checking out and leaving the hotel at 10:10 AM, we took the train and went back to Nice (Via Milan). During the two-hour stop in Milan, we went to the Duomo in Milan, which is the most beautiful and amazing Duomo in Italy. Luckily, we got a reunion with Alessandro Mini '18 in Milan!

Thanks for reading and please enjoy some reflection thoughts from my friends on Euro Winter 2019! - Sydney '19

Wow, what a trip (sorry Dave, *Educational Experience). I’d been looking forward to going on Euro since before I was even a student at Proctor, and it did not disappoint. From the places we visited to the art we saw to the food we ate, everything was absolutely amazing. I learned so much on Euro, about art, about language and history, and I had an fantastic group to experience it all with. We walked through the streets of Paris, Madrid, and Florence together, listening to street performers, grabbing crêpes or gelato, and sharing the art that we’d seen and the art we created. There are no words to properly describe all the feelings and experiences associated with this program. Part of me is excited to be home again with my friends and family, but I’m never going to forget what I saw on Euro. It was truly the experience of a lifetime, and I’m interested to see how it will impact me even after its end. - Britta '19

These two months in Europe have been my best time at Proctor, and I really appreciate the opportunity to be abroad, learning about art, and living the dream life. Many behind the scene stories of famous artists and artworks intrigued me and I learned a lot about art that I did not know before. I’ve learned to appreciate different cultures, food, ways of living, and languages, and I’m also extremely thankful to our awesome group. I’m going to miss both Jen and Dave and will be missing these two months for the rest of my life.  - Matilda '19

This program has been an unbelievable experience that has changed the way I view art, culture and even people. I walk away from this term with a heightened appreciation for the history of the arts, a better understanding of other cultures and an amazing group of friends that I have gained in my time here. This has been one of the most memorable times of my life and I will never forget it. I would love to thank all my family for making this possible, in particular my parents and grandparents. Also a massive thank you to Jill, Jen and Dave as well as my group for making this experience something I will never forget. - Patrick '19

This past term has been filled with so many new things, I wouldn’t be able to count them all. This has been an incredible experience, and will be hard for anything to top in the future. After going on Ocean Classroom this feels like almost a complete 180. We’re living the life of luxury almost 24/7 from painting for hours to extensive picnics and naps. When I came on the program my knowledge of art was very limited. But I feel like after these 2 months I have learned so much that when I look at a painting I can identify the style and different techniques used, it’s a skill I will treasure greatly. I want to thank all of my classmates for making this experience unforgettable and Jen and Dave for showing me the wonders of art and Europe.  - Annie '19

European Art Classroom was a term that I will never forget. Although I knew I would be doing a lot of painting, I was not exactly positive what else the program consisted of. The program is so diverse with activities whether it be trying new food, hiking, learning multiple languages or visiting monuments that I have only seen in photos, I am learning new things constantly. One of my favorite aspects of Euro is the traveling. We got the opportunity to travel to Paris, Madrid, and Florence all of which had amazing sights to offer. I am thankful for the opportunity to partake in such a program. - Caitlyn '19

I came into European Art Classroom as an amateur artist who had only taken part in one term of Studio Art sophomore year. I was prepared to produce some embarrassing paintings when we kicked off the winter term but I was confident I would improve as the term progressed. Now that the term is over, I have created some paintings that I never would have imagined myself painting. I had the opportunity to develop my plein air skills on every group excursion we went on. Our explorations around Europe exposed new artists and styles which helped me discover what type of artist I was. Personally, our visit to Madrid intrigued me most because of all of the Sorolla’s that we got to see. His paintings of boats in particular caught my eye which inspired me to start a boat oil painting series of my own. I am proud of the work that I created during Euro and I hope to find the time in the future to continue producing my own paintings in my free time. - Lucas '19

European art classroom as a whole was a great experience and that flamenco dance was straight bomber! I’m so glad that I was given the opportunity to come to France, study art and go to Spain to watch flamenco. I recommend that everyone sees one flamenco during their lifetime if possible. Thanks to my parents and everyone else who helped get me here it’s been amazing! - Ian '19