Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Heading Home

This has been an amazing trip with an amazing bunch of young women!  I am so proud of how they presented themselves on this trip. I am thankful that I had the opportunity to go on this  European adventure with them. I am also thankful for all of the hard work Mrs. Mayer put into preparing this trip and preparing the girls for it. We have all learned so much and have had the experiences of a lifetime. 

Look out world!  These small-town girls are ready to take you on!  

Julie Lake


Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Last Day of Our Amazing Trip

Today was an amazing day to end our trip around Europe! We started off with a good breakfast that would help us jump start our day. After breakfast, we discussed what everyone would like to do and we figured out the maps for the city and the metro to go where we needed to go. 
We split into two groups because we wanted to do different things. One group of us started off our day with a wonderful 3 hour biking tour around London. We got to see many famous & not so famous sights of the city which was very cool because we learned a lot about the city that many people wouldn't normally know. Many memories would made on that trip that's for sure! After that we had crepes at a little crepe cafe and they were super good! We then headed on our way to The London Bridge and The Tower of London. It was really neat to walk across the London Bridge and look across to see The Tower Bridge! 
At the Tower of London, we got a guided tour of all the buildings and learned a lot of interesting facts. We also got to see The Crown Jewels! Which by the way are very, very beautiful! 
We then made our way back to our hotel via The Tube one last time. We bought some snacks for dinner because we had such a big & tasty lunch. Some of us also went in to Kensington Park to enjoy the scenery and caught up on some reading.
Mikenna



London

Today was our first full day in London! Our first stop was Big Ben and the House of Parliament.  We heard Big Ben toll which was really cool. Then we went to see the Changing of the Guard, but it was called off because of rain. On our way to the next stop, we ended up at King's Cross Station where we saw Platform 9 3/4 from the Harry Potter movies. It was here where I made my big purchase of the trip and bought the Harry Potter books in a box set! After that we went to the British Library and saw original compositions by Jane Austen, Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, the Beatles, DaVinci, and so much more. Then we went to the British Museum and saw the Rosetta Stone. Next we split ways and some went to the National Gallery and others to Foyles bookshop. The National Gallery had beautiful artwork by Van Gogh, Monet, and a lot of others. Then some of us headed in for the night while others went on the London Eye. Needless to say we all slept really well last night. I can't wait to see what our second full day in London has to offer!
Miriam



Sunday, June 21, 2015

Traveling to London

Today we mastered the London tubes with our luggage! They aren't much different than the metro in Paris, but all of the signs are in English. That's pretty helpful. Once arriving in London, we had a kick back relaxing afternoon. We checked into our hotel and are all roomed cozily in two rooms. After that, our evening consisted on one group going souvenir shopping with Mrs. Mayer and another group going off to find the Hard Rock Cafe with Jody and my mom. I was with the latter of the groups and I must say that it was fun. We walked the streets trying to find which one we had to be on and we got to hear many British accents. The Hard Rock was great too. Sitting down and listening to music while we ate, was a great way to start off our stay in the UK. We also went to the Hard Rock shop to get some nice souvenirs. More to come tomorrow!
                                   -Sierra Lake


   
                         

Saturday, June 20, 2015

Palace of Versailles


We started out our day by saying goodbye to our amazing tour director, Bea, as we headed out on our own.  Then, we successfully concurred the metro system with our luggage. I thought that was a huge accomplishment and it was actually pretty fun. At first I didn't like them, but after using them, the metros are pretty easy to navigate and it's fun figuring out where you have to go, what lines you have to take, and which direction you have to travel.  We made it safely to our new hotel and went out to the Palace of Versailles.  It was really crowded in there, but the different rooms looked really cool. I especially liked the Hall of Mirrors. To end our day, we came back to the hotel early. Now we can get a good night's sleep and be ready for tomorrow!
Sierra





Day 11-First Day in Paris! :D

In the morning, we got up bright and early and went to the train station in Nice. Once there, we boarded the train for Paris! After a pleasant 4-5 hour train ride through the countryside of France, we arrived. Everyone was very excited. First, we dropped off our luggage at the hotel, which had really nice, large rooms. In our first hour in Paris, we had already caught glimpses from the bus of the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, the Egyptian obelisk in Place de la Concorde, Les Invalides, and the Seine, which is the river running through Paris. Anyway, after dropping off our luggage, we ate dinner on the Champs Elysees. Then, it was time for our evening boat cruise of the River Seine. It was really just beautiful, and, at the end, we saw the Eiffel Tower sparkle. It was a great way to spend our first evening in Paris.

Hope all is well with you. 

Katie :)

P.s. Thanks for reading our blog!











Day 12-Second Day of Paris

We left our hotel this morning bright and early to go on a bus tour of Paris. We first saw the Arc of Triumph and then the Eiffel Tower where we got a group picture which is placed below. Next we stopped at the place of Napoleon's tomb. We didn't get to go inside to see it, but it's exciting regardless. Next we got free time around Notre Dame, and I ate a Nutella Banana Crepe! Also, the inside of Notre Dame was gorgeous and one of my favorites so far. 
After lunch we finally went to the Louvre! I walked with Miriam and Aubrey and we saw all the great pieces of work including the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo! Then went to the Opera house and sat on the steps listening to a man sing and play guitar which was very relaxing, and we had a good talk with our tour guide, Beate. We are all pretty bummed about not having her around for the rest of the trip.
And last but not least, we went to the Eiffel Tower and got to go all the way to the top! We had more crepes and saw it sparkle! It was a great ending to a great day!
-Carli


Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Monaco

We spent today in Monaco and Nice. We went to see the royal palace of Prince Albert, son of Prince Rainier and Princess Grace Kelly.  We watched the changing of the Royal Guard at the palace. We had some free time after that, and some of us went to the church where Princess Grace Kelly is buried next to her husband, and some other Princes before them. We had a great view of the sea from the town above. We all had a great time and so did two seagulls that stole Sierra and Mrs. Mayer's sandwiches right out of their hands. They weren't too happy about that. We also had a quick tour of a perfume factory. It smelled nice, but was too strong for Emma and me. Once it was done we chilled out with Luigi on the bus. Some the others made some purchases. Next we went to the beach which was extremely rocky. We got our feet wet in the water. All we did was stand on the bank and let the waves hit us. Some of us walked around town and found flash drives so we could get some of Luigi's music. Others went to the Hard Rock Cafe to get free Wi-Fi.  I went for the AC and the restrooms. They played American music in the cafe. Now we're going to get a good night's rest so we can catch the train to Paris tomorrow. That's all for now from Nice, France. We all are doing great!
Cassy



Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Day 9- Pisa

Today we did a lot of driving but took a break in the morning to go to Pisa. Most people associate Pisa with the leaning tower, and even though that was awesome to see, it is not the only attraction. Pisa is actually a town surrounded by walls. Right when you walk into the town you see a huge church and baptistery. Back in the day, a person had to be baptized to enter the church, which is why the baptistery is conviently right across the street from the church. We were able to go into the baptistery and hear a brief demonstration of how well the inside of the building echoes. Then, we went next door to the church to look around. The church was very beautiful inside, with high ceilings and realistic paintings. After the church, the group went to take a photo with the leaning tower (it's not as heavy as it looks!) and get gelato. After doing some shopping, we met up with the rest of
our group and headed back to the bus for a long bus ride to Nice. On the bus ride we saw some beautiful views of the mountains and Mediterranean Sea. Hopefully we will get some time on the beach tonight... And not get stung by any jellyfish!!!!
Xoxoxo
Emma






Rome


Today we went to Rome.  A local guide led us through the Colosseum, and it was amazing.  You could really tell that she enjoyed her job and that she loved Rome.  It is the biggest amphitheatre ever built.  It's very unfortunate that during one period in history, it was
Used as a quarry for the locals.  It was very hot again today, but we all powered through.  After the Colosseum we went to the Roman Forum.  It is mostly in ruins, but it was still very beautiful and interesting.  Next we went to the Spanish Steps and had some free time in the area.  To finish up the day we had a bus tour of Rome by night.  Everything looked so different lit up by night.  The fountains and buildings were beautiful.  It was another fabulous day.

            -Aubrey





Day 8-Vatican City and Florence

Yesterday morning, we got up bright and early to go to back to the Vatican. A local guide brought us through the Vatican Museum, the Sistene Chapel, and St. Peter's Basilica. We didn't get too much time in the museum, but we still got to see some very famous art (the school of Athens, for example). Next, the Sistene Chapel. Michelangelo's frescoed ceiling was very large and colorful, and it's incredible to think that somebody painted something that large. Every scroll, every cloud, every lock of hair. After that, we entered St. Peter's Basilica. I don't know about anybody else, but it really surpassed my expectations. It's grand and enormous. Also, the pieta is housed in the basilica (pictured below). The basilica was built on the grave on the first pope (St. Peter). Only the finest craftspeople were hired, and only the finest materials were used. The money used to build the basilica was raised by the Catholics by selling indulgences (granting people forgiveness for money), which was is one of the reasons that Martin Luther called for reform of the church. Nevertheless, it's truly grand, and I think that everyone can appreciate it now. After that, we rode the bus to Florence. Unfortunately, we didn't get to spend much time there, but we made the most of the time that we had. We had a guided tour of some of the major points of the city. For example, the Duomo, which is the nickname of a magnificent cathedral dating back to the 1400's. We also walked on the oldest bridge in the city, which is the only one in Florence that was not bombed by the nazis during WWII. One of the nazis in charge there appreciated the architecture and history of it and did not allow for it to be destroyed. We saw Michelangelo's David, which is a very well known statue. If you don't recognize the name, I'm sure you'll know it when you see it (pictured below). Michelangelo was just 19 years old when he sculpted it. We also saw the baptistery with the famed "doors of heaven," the old Medici castle, the church of Dante (the "inventor" of the Italian language), and many other beautiful buildings and streets. We walked out of the city along a river, and if you turned around, the scene was really just wonderful. You could see the old bridge reflected in the water, there were so many colorful houses and buildings, and there was this haze over everything. Let's just say that I will be coming back to Florence some day. 

Everyone's enjoying themselves and learning lots, and we can't wait to tell everyone all about it! I hope everything's going well at home and you don't miss us tooo much :) hahaha we might want to stay.

Katie :D

P.s. I just saw the Mediterranean Sea for the first time in my life 30 seconds ago!!

P.p.s. Sorry that we don't post on the blog every day. We really try to, but sometimes there are troubles with wifi. Thank you for understanding!

:)












Saturday, June 13, 2015

San Gimignano, Italy

Today we took a four hour bus ride to San Gimignano! This city is has several buildings that are still from the Middle Ages. When we got there, Bea, our tour guide, took us into the center of the center of the city. After that we were allowed to just venture around that city.    
We were also told that this city has the best gelato in all the world so we decided we had to try our this gelato! It was so amazing!  
Anyway, this city had many little shops to buy great souvenirs for friends and family.  I think we can all say it is a gorgeous city and we had a wonderful time. 
After that, we took a three hour bus ride to our hotel on Rome and had a wonderful dinner. Today is Mac's (one of the kids from another group) birthday so got to have this really good cake for dessert! 
Overall we are having a fabulous time and we are all doing great! 

Mikenna Hartmann 

Friday, June 12, 2015

Venice

We took the bus to the ferry so we could go to Venice. We saw a glass blower make a flower vase and a horse. They were beautiful. Then we had a walking tour of Venice with a local guide. That was great because we learned so much. It was a very hot day but we all made it though. Our wonderful tour guide Bea is so amazing!  The gondolas were incredible to be on and a lot of fun.  We got to see the old jail, and it was fun to see and explore on our free time thanks to Bea, our tour guide.  Some of us went swimming in the Adriatic Sea. That is all I know for now from Italy. 
Cassy



Thursday, June 11, 2015

Lake Como and Verona

We started off today with about a 4 hour bus ride to Lake Como.  There we had a short time to walk around and find something to eat.  Then, we got on a boat and toured the lake.  After we arrived back on shore, we purchased gelato and watched a street performer play popular songs with his saxophone.  From Lake Como, we took the bus to Verona.  In Verona, we got to see the arena, where tonight or some time soon KISS would perform.  We also got to see Juliet's balcony.  I found that extremely fun because I got to write mine and my boyfriend's name on the wall of the tunnel leading to the balcony.  Also, the balcony was close to a street market where I purchased a few of my souvenirs.  As a group, we all bought gelato again. So far mint is my favorite.  We did not get to our hotel until after 9.  I'm expecting that is because Italians eat so late to compensate for a small breakfast.  I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!
                                         -Sierra Lake


Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Day 3: Lucerne

Today we took a walking tour of Lucerne. We saw the Chapel Bridge which is the oldest wooden bridge in Europe. We got to walk all around the city and learn about the different guilds of Lucerne which are similar to labor unions but for the business owners. We also saw the Lion's Monument which commemorates the Swiss Guard members that were killed protecting King Louis the XVI during the French Revolution. We finished off our day by going up Mt. Pilatus and experiencing the breathtaking Alps. We rode the steepest cogwheel train in the world down and travelled back to Lucerne by boat. All in all it was a wonderful day, and I can't wait to see what the rest of the trip brings us! 
Miriam 


Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Switzerland

Today we flew into Zurich and spent most of our day there. It is a beautiful city! Below are some pictures from our flight and in Zurich. My favorite part of the day was paying 2 Francs to walk up 187 steps into the top church towers to look over the whole city, and in that church was an amazing organ that somebody was playing. It was beautiful! (Tyler if you are reading this from home, you should be jealous. You would have loved it.) 
Now we are in Lucerne, and we had our supper at our cute, little hotel. Tomorrow we will be touring more of Lucerne. For now, we are all going to bed! (Except for Katie, Cassy, and Emma. They're going to run a couple miles. Yikes!) 
-Carli