While many tourists were heading to Hawaii for spring break, 23 Priory students and four teachers headed to Europe for two weeks for the experience of a lifetime. They visited France and Spain, learned about the culture and history of those two countries, and got to practice their language skills.

Sara Middendorf, a Priory sophomore who has been on every Priory spring break trip for the past four years, said the 2009 Europe trip was the best ever.

The Priory girls first stopped in Spain. They started in Madrid, where they visited the Royal Palace. Then they went to Saragosa, where they visited a castle featuring a beautiful view of Spain. Lastly, they visited Barcelona where they saw Sagrada Familia, the Holy Family Church.

After visiting Spain, they girls were off to France. There they visited Carcassonne and Paris, exploring as much as they could of what the cities had to offer. Most of the girls agreed Paris was one of the most impressive cities they had ever visited. They visited Notre Dame and were mesmerized by the church's stained glass windows, beautiful architecture and deep history. That night they took a boat ride down the Seine River to explore Paris under the beautiful city lights.

Sophomore Lydia Hathaway said, “;The best part about the boat ride was when we turned a corner, and the giant lit-up Eiffel Tower was standing right in front of us. It was magical.”;

The next day the girls explored the city some more. Many went to the Galleries Lafayette to go shopping, and a few lucky girls got to see American movie star Zac Efron at a movie premier. Later, the students visited the Louvre. They loved the many exhibits, statues, and beautiful pieces. Of course, the Mona Lisa was the biggest attraction. However, many girls were surprised at how small it was in real life!

After the Louvre, they visited le Arc de Triumph, Napoleon's grave and more French landmarks. To finish the trip, the group visited the Eiffel Tower, where they stood at the top and could see all of Paris.

After two weeks the girls were still not ready to go back, but spring break was over and it was time to head back to Hawaii. The trip was over, but the girls say the memories and amazing experiences they had on the trip will last them a lifetime.