The wheels of our luggage rolled across the smooth, polished floors of the airport. In July of this past summer, my dream of traveling the world with my friends became a reality. After winning the Glocal Challenge last year, an innovative project for students at my high school to design local solutions to common global issues, my team had the honor of attending the Global Leadership Summit in Milan, Italy.

We started off in the south of Italy and traveled our way north. The 10 day trip was filled with laughter, fun, and amazing food. In Sorrento, the coastal line allowed for beautiful beaches with clear, blue water. Our chaperones didn’t tell us we were going to the beach that day but because we didn’t want to miss out on the opportunity, we all swam fully clothed. The next few days were spent in Rome, where we went to the Colosseum, and Naples, the city that was destroyed with ashes from the famous volcanic eruption of Pompeii. Florence was followed by Naples and we visited many beautiful cathedrals.

From lemon groves to butcher shops, the importance of quality food was stressed during my visit. In America, we take our food for granted and often times, quantity is more important than quality. However, in Italy, the local family businesses would rather produce better food than distribute more food.

After my trip to Italy was over, I went to Paris for 24 hours and visited the Eiffel tower during daylight and in the dark. Paris was beautiful but the chocolate croissants were even more so. The last stop on the trip was London, where I visited family and Big Ben. I was lucky because I got to see Big Ben before it closed for renovation, which are estimated to take 4 years to complete.

After visiting 3 countries in Europe, I would definitely recommend everyone to go, especially with friends because the more, the merrier!