By Scott Shephard

I have been looking at this photo now for over twenty minutes with a blank text box staring back at me. This picture, taken on my first trip to Europe, has profound meaning to me, but I’m not sure I know how to put that meaning into words that would have any value to someone other than those pictured. It is perhaps one of those “you had to be there” photos. When you have to say that about a photo, it’s generally a failure. Good photos don’t need explanations but I’ll explain anyway.

Take eleven Watertown High School students, get them to Minneapolis and then on an airplane that flies overnight to Milan, Italy. From there put them on a tour bus that drops them off a few hours later at a hotel in Florence. By the time they had found their rooms, eaten dinner and gathered in the hotel foyer, they were tired in a way that they had never been before. And their wide eyed leader (me) said, “Let’s take a walk.”

And so we wandered towards the historic center of Florence, past ancient buildings and famous monuments. We were walking where Michelangelo, da Vinci and Galileo, among others, had walked.

I don’t remember much about that evening but I do remember one thing vividly. As we turned on to the narrow pedestrian avenue that heads away from the Piazza della Signoria (the town square) past the famous Uffizi Art Gallery, I heard the sound of a street performer’s violin. The sound was pure and perfect. I can’t tell you the name of the song, but that violinist’s music is now part of me - I can close my eyes and hear it wafting up into that amazing Florentine night.

We came to the main road that paralleled the Arno River and began walking back to our hotel. I said, “Let me get a photo of you guys.” John Egge, my room mate on this trip, said, “I’ll take the photo.” And so here we are - weary beyond weary but high on life and excited to be taking the first big step towards becoming citizens of the world.

Camera unknown