Last night, something drove me to Google Map Paris. More specifically, Ile Saint-Louis. It was a sudden need to have a street view of Rue Saint-Louis en I’lle so I could “check out” Berthillon simply because I wanted to reminisce about an ice-cream so divine, it was fitting that it can only be found in Paris. I can still taste the rich and luscious caramel au beurre sale (caramel with salted butter) that was so extravagant and exquisite that no other ice cream can now satisfy me in quite the same way.

I’d fly back to Paris in a heartbeat just for the ice cream and the food. Granted, we managed to sample a good number of restaurants/cafes that came recommended by others, we still need to go back for a real gastronomical experience. It’s true what people say about Paris y’know? There really is a wealth of good food. And this is not limited to fine cuisine. Even the most random cafes that we chanced upon on one of our nights about the city had better food than most back home. So the next time I go back to Paris – and you bet I will – I’m going on an empty stomach.

Last year, I blogged about going to Germany with some students as part of a Humanities Learning Journey. Then, H1N1 came along and ruined all our plans. Unfortunately, most of the kids whom we selected to go last year can’t come along with us this year (they’re graduating, and the school believes it will disrupt their final-year studies) so as we went about woefully breaking about 16 teenage hearts, we also had to select a new group of 15-year-olds to come along with us.

The kids we interviewed this year brought something really different to the mix. They were confident, articulate and somewhat worldly of sorts. Some were real standouts and we honestly couldn’t stop marvelling at their responses during our interview. And I have taught/am teaching most of these kids; I never knew they had such wit in them! Teens. I guess we should never pigeonhole them, huh? Anyway, we’re going through the last stage of the selection process now, and I must admit that it’s slightly more difficult selecting the participants this year, mostly because we have a smaller pool to choose from. Apparently, we didn’t have enough sign-ups cos many felt that 9 days was too short a time for them to fully enjoy Germany. Perhaps we didn’t quite emphasise enough that it’s a LEARNING trip?

Students aside, we’ve more or less gotten our itinerary finalised. As it’s a Humanities trip, the main focus will be on the rise and fall of Hitler. We’ll be flying into Munich for a guided City Tour and the Third Reich walking tour, then we’ll head up to Dachau to visit the Concentration Camp and possibly a tour of the BMW Museum. Following that, we’ll stop by Nuremberg, and take a side trip to Prague (yay!) so students can see the developmental difference between new Europe (Germany) and old Europe (Czech Republic). Then it’s off to Dresden, I think so we can visit the VW factory? I’m not quite sure about this, but I’m guessing we won’t be visiting two automobile makers in one trip. It’s probably one or the other. Anyway. Berlin is our last stop and that’s where we’ll get to visit famous landmarks such as Checkpoint Charlie, the Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag, and a Jewish Memorial.

Blame it on the fact that I love planning itineraries, I feel somewhat invalidated about leaving all the work to the agent. I’m sure they’ll do a much better job (they are the professionals after all) but I’m just not completely comfortable with the idea that I don’t have to do any research of my own this time round. I mean, it’s Europe! For every time my friends and I have been there, we’ve always done heaps of research that I’ve actually come to love the whole process. Besides, it’s extremely satisfying being able to navigate the streets of Europe entirely by ourselves, and asking locals for directions. Now, I’ll simply be one of those people, travelling in a pack. *pouts* Well, I do have students to account for now…

I’ll definitely wanna go back to Germany with my friends. While I know I’ll never get to learn about the history of a place quite like this, I still prefer immersing myself into the culture of a city with my girls. There’s just nothing like travelling with your closest friends and enjoying the sights that are of real interest to us. And quite unabashedly, I’m a teeny bit upset I won’t be able to sample any German beer with students around me 24/7! ;p

Brandenburg Gate, originally uploaded by Wolfgang Staudt.

Yesterday, we met up with another agent who is probably one of the most infectious people I’ll ever meet. I must admit, five minutes into the meeting, I was thinking LOUD! LOUD! LOUD! But as time went by, I couldn’t help but enjoy her dynamism and marvel at the spirit that she carried. It was as though Elmo and Zoe had a daughter who’s all grown up. However, the problem with such personalities is that you can’t help wondering if they’re selling themselves, or the product. Fine line there.

Anyhow, this agent worked out a reverse tour of the other offer, with us starting in Berlin and wrapping it up in Munich. No Prague here (aww), but sanity argued that this itinerary would be much more manageable, for both the students and the teachers. Already, it’s gonna be tough having to look after 20 wide-eyed, overly stimulated teenagers. The extra travelling would certainly make the whole trip more laborious. Also, the company offered us a 3-night homestay in Munich, which is awesome because it’ll be an extremely enriching cultural experience and we get to save on accommodation.

I really liked the previous agent (his itinerary was extremely comprehensive and he seemed so earnest and dependable!), but I think I’m leaning towards this one mostly because (1) they’re able to work within our budget, (2) there’s a lot less travelling, and (3) hello – homestay! Of course, secret reason #4 is that we’ll get to travel via Emirates on this itinerary. After SQ, Emirates is my carrier of choice, so yeah, this agent has my vote. But only barely.

Next on the agenda – shortlisting the applicants. We’ve already come up with the interview questions (some seemingly off-topic, such as “How many burgers do you think a teenage male eats in his lifetime?” but trust me – they’re all totally relevant to our objectives) and the students have been asked to select their preferences. We’re anticipating a slightly overwhelming response but we’ve got an idea of the type of kids we want, so I’m hoping it wouldn’t be too difficult. *fingers crossed*