We got up really early today to get to Pier 33, where we needed to catch a ferry ride to Alcatraz Island. Alcatraz is located a mile and a half from the mainland and used to be a prison for some of America's most dangerous criminals until it closed in 1963. The island requests that students travel in groups of no larger than seven, so we had a few additional chaperones join some of the groups for our tour.
On the ferry ride over, many of us took pictures as we approached the island. After our orientation on the island, we started an audio tour through the prison. The audio tour had voices from actual ex-prisoners and officers who used to work at the prison and sound effects to make it feel like you were really there at the prime of the prison's functioning time. Following the audio tour, some students watched a short movie about the history of Alcatraz.
When we were done exploring the island, we took the ferry boat back to Pier 33 and then headed down to Pier 39 for lunch and one last shopping trip. Many of us tried the traditional San Francisco dish, clam chowder and sourdough bread and stocked up on souvenirs! After Pier 39, we drove to the Golden Gate Bridge, the iconic red bridge in San Francisco. We had many opportunities to take photographs and see the beautiful city from a distance as we walked across it. It felt like we had hopped inside of a postcard! Even though we were a little chilly and wind-blown after our walk, we took one last group picture with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background.
After that, we drove back to our hotel for some time to rest and pack. We met up again for our last meal together as a whole group in one of the ballrooms at the hotel. We shared laughter and memories from the trip and the "superlatives" were revealed. A DJ played music for us after dinner, so we had an awesome dance party! The DJ organized games and contests, including limbo, hula hoop, and the Gangnam style dance. People who won received CDs and glow sticks. When the dance wrapped up, we all hugged and said our good-byes. It was so sad to say farewell to the new friends we have made these past two weeks!
We are so glad to have made friendships for life with students from all over the world on our west coast trip. This trip has opened our eyes to the history and many different cultures that exist in each unique city we visited. It had truly been an experience that we will never forget!
Jenny - Germany, Larissa - Germany & Rebecca - Norway
PICTURES WILL BE POSTED AS SOON ASPOSSIBLE
No comments:
Post a Comment