Sitka, Alaska

Small Town Sitka We arrived in Sitka early on June 19th with was a misty reception. Many of us were present above decks to witness the ship drop anchor. There wasn’t really much to the town itself, but it exists amid a dramatic natural backdrop. Navigating through the protection islands to approach the harbor, a …

Vancouver, Canada

Origination Our circuit around the Pacific on Semester at Sea began in Vancouver Canada. We flew to the city on June 12, 2003 with giant duffle bags packed with all the personal belongings we’d need for the next three months. My parents and I arrived in Vancouver a few days before the rest of the …

Toledo, Spain

An Ancient City After our strange and tumultuous evening in Madrid, we took a bus trip to the nearby city of Toledo. This city has a very classic Italian feel to me, not that I knew it at the time. Its age and position on a hill over a river, just seems to afford it so …

Madrid, Spain

My visit to Madrid was, quite frankly, inadequate. We flew in from Palma and after getting settled into the hotel for a bit, we learned that our teacher (and group leader) was ill and unable to guide us for the day. There was quite a lot of consternation between 8th graders about leaving her behind …

Palma de Majorca, Spain

Now we’re on vacation! The second destination on my 8th grade Spanish class trip to Spain, Palma de Majorca, is a European vacation destination and it really shone. The crystal clear waters and beautiful scenery were lasting impressions. After transiting through the night aboard a ferry, we arrived and were shuttled to our hotel, the …

Barcelona, Spain

We arrived in Barcelona and were taken to… somewhere in the City. I only recently located Carrer de Saragossa in the north-west as our insertion point. The bus couldn’t or wouldn’t drop us off any closer to the hotel, so we walked with our bags a couple blocks maybe to our first home-away in Spain. …