With two nights, each in four different cities, the AP European History class had the opportunity to experience hands-on learning with a 10-day trip to Europe.

The idea of the trip, coined by AP European History teacher Mark Cowherd, has been around for years, however, his 2013-14 AP European History class was the first to embark on this journey last year. From Budapest to Vienna and Prague to Munich, 21 of 31 AP Euro students participated in the trip over February break.

When planning their itinerary, Cowherd purposefully chose cities that most students had never been to before.

“I picked tours that have central or eastern European historical cities versus places where they’ve been to such as Britain or France,” Cowherd said.

By traveling to these cities, students get to experience the culture of a foreign city and make connections to what they are studying in class.

“It really made what we are studying more interesting and relevant,” senior Luke Smith said.

The enhancement of learning not only helps the AP Euro students become increasingly interested in what they have studied, but it is also seen as a reward.

“We had spent so much time learning about the [Hapsburg] empire’s rulers, like Maria Theresa,” senior Abby Hansen said. “It was so cool to be able to see where they lived and how they lived.”

When walking the streets of Vienna or visiting the Imperial and Schönbrunn Palace, once residences of the Hapsburg Dynasty, students not only put themselves in the shoes of past characters in history, but also in the pages of their textbooks.

“Some of the kids saw artwork we analyzed in class. It’s one thing to look at it on LCD, but then to stand right there at the wall and go, ‘Wait, this is what we did in class,’” Cowherd said.

While bridges between classwork and cities are formed, emotions and personal connections are also tied into these tangible experiences.

“This year we went to Dachau. Visiting a death camp brings the second world war and the Holocaust to a different level,” Cowherd said. “You can read about it and watch movies about it, but going there, you can feel the sadness in the air.”

The emotional aspect derived from seeing and feeling class material exceeds the power of reading a textbook or watching a movie.

“You can only read and watch so much. But being around it and hearing the languages, you can’t really replicate that,” Cowherd said.