As many seniors headed to the beach for Senior Week this summer, Joey Reese and Fernando Porras were heading across the globe to the land of the gods.  In the adventure of a lifetime, the duo spent 21 days backpacking across Europe, starting in Greece and ending in Madrid, Spain.  “The idea came about when Fernando was telling me about a trip to Japan he was planning for the summer,” said Reese. As the two discussed the possibility of attending Senior Week at the beach, they decided they wanted to do something different from everyone else.  The plan evolved into the 21-day journey and the rest, as they say, is remarkable history.

 

“In Greece, we visited Athens and Santorini,” said Reese. “After the long trip, we just relaxed in Santorini. It was so beautiful there. In Athens, we were able to see the famous ancient ruins, including the Parthenon.”  The duo stayed in hostels for the most part, but were able to stay with Porras’ family friends in Paris and Barcelona.  The next stop was Rome, where they visited the Coliseum, the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, and St. Peter’s Bastille.  They also visited the Vatican before heading North to Venice.  “Venice was absolutely gorgeous! We went to some art museums and walked around the streets just taking it all in.”

 

From Italy, they arrived in Paris just in time for their 100-year celebration of their day of freedom.  “The fireworks over the Eiffel Tower were incredible! There were nearly half a million people there.  We visited the Louvre, Notre Dame and the “Love Lock Bridge”.  Once in Barcelona, they got to see the outside of Camp Nou, Barcelona’s Football Club (soccer). “My favorite thing we did was in Spain,” said Reese.  “We were able to take the tour of the Read Madrid stadium.  Being soccer players, we were both really excited to see the professional stadium behind the scenes.  When we walked in, there were touch screen televisions everywhere that played highlights from different decades.  The trophy room had over 100 trophies on display and then they showed us the individual awards. Lastly, we got to see last year’s Copa Del Ray trophy that they won.  The whole thing gave me chills and I will never forget it,” said Reese, who will be playing soccer this year at Seton Hill University.

 

As far as cultural adjustments, it was noted that Europeans dress a little different than Americans.  “There were no athletic shorts on anyone.” Another notable difference was the lack of suburbs.  There were large cities or countrysides, no in-between. Reese and Porras also learned about some life lessons.  “We learned to manage our money really well,” said Reese.  “We knew we were on a budget, so we had to plan and adjust it several times.  In the end, we were able to loosen up a little and bring back some gifts for our families.”  The experience left them with scrapbooks full of memories to take to college for their next big adventure.