Banas Family Europe Trip - Summer 2007

Our last full day in Europe - Saturday, August 4

2007-08-07T11:49:00.000-04:00

Today was our last day in Europe and we took it easy. We slept in and relaxed. We also packed up. We were invited to a neighbors' house - Clemens and Astrid - for afternoon tea. Their property is just across the street from the farm and they have a great view of the nearby lakes and mountains. After, we went into Eggstatt for dinner. There was a local festival going on - called Eggstatt Dorffest 2007. There were many bands and lots of food - both Bavarian and non-Bavarian (Italian). The girls rode horses and played games (like tug-o-war) and we had a great time.

In one of the pictures you'll see a Maypole. Most towns have one. They are made by cutting down a pine tree from the forest and then decorating it with symbols and pictures of what the people from that town/village do for a livelihood.

Friday in Bavaria

2007-08-04T06:45:00.001-04:00

On Friday we went back to the Berchtesgaden area. We got tickets for the Salzbergwerk Salt Mines and then walked around the town until it was time for our salt mine tour.

We saw some historic areas of Berchtesgaden (some made famous by pictures of U.S. soldiers coming into the town in 1945).

We had a nice lunch and then we went to the salt mine. We dressed in "protective gear" and then took a train 1/2 mile into the mountain. We rode wooden slides from level to another and took a boat across an underground salt lake. The kids enjoyed it. We thought it was a little cheesy. They tried to make the extraction more exciting than it is in real life.

We drove into Salzberg afterwards for dinner and met a friend, Allen Rudolph. Alan and I were in the same group of 20 teachers last year in Japan. We had dinner with him and his girlfriend, Kim. He bought a BMW with European delivery and is traveling around for two weeks. It was great to see him again.

Berchtesgadener Land

2007-08-04T06:26:00.000-04:00

We drove to Berchtesgaden and Obersalzberg on Thursday. We got a late start (hey, it's a vacation - we should be able to sleep in - right?) and also ran into a traffic jam on the autobahn caused by a motorcycle-car accident. We went to the Berchtesgaden visitor center and then drove to Obersalzberg to head up to the Kehlsteinhaus (Eagle's Nest). The Eagle's Nest is located on top of the Kehlstein Mountain at a height of 6,017 feet. It was the idea of Martin Bormann to build it as a gift for Hitler's 50th birthday. Six people died building the road up to Eagle's Nest. It took 13 months to build and goes up 2,300 feet in four miles.

We took the dizzying ride up to Eagle's Nest, took some pictures, and then road the brass elevator up another 406 feet to the actual building. Because the road is too dangerous to drive in the winter, Eagle's Nest is only open from mid-May through the end of October.

Hitler only visited Eagle's Nest just over a dozen times. The views were impressive. While we were up there, a thunderstorm rolled in, visibility quickly dropped, and it started POURING! We left and went to the Hotel Zum Turken (see below).

Obersalzberg was a little village at the base of the Kehlstein Mountain where Hitler's Berghof was located. Hitler started visiting the area in 1923 (before he was imprisoned after his failed coup). After he was released, he started renting a house there and wrote a lot of Mein Kampf there. In 1933 he stopped renting and bought a house in Obersalzberg (which became the Berghof). Reichsmarschall Hermann Goring and Hitler's deputy chief of staff, Martin Bormann.

On April 25, 1945 the RAF bombed Obersalzberg. 318 bombers spent an hour and a half pulverizing the area. Eagle's Nest was the only building that wasn't touched. There were a few other buildings that were not completely destroyed. From the 1950s until the mid-1990s, Obersalzberg became a resort for the US army. A few of the buildings not horribly damaged were fixed and used. The only privately owned building that survived (and still survives today) is the Hotel Zum Turken.

We visited the underground bunkers underneath the hotel. Hitler and other Nazi leaders had them built. They are dark, damp, and dank now. Then, they were warm and nicely furnished.

It was a pretty amazing day for two history buffs and their kids.

We drove around and found a little restaurant and hotel in the middle of nowhere. We decided to stop for dinner. It was all locals and no one spoke English. The food was fantastic.

(* Addendum - just found out today (August 7) that the restaurant we went to - Alpenwirtschaft Vorderbrand - was where Adolf Hitler's sister - Paula Wolf - lived after the war. She was interviewed there about their childhood in 1946. Freaky that we found this place on our own without knowing the connection.)

Wednesday in Bavaria

2007-08-02T05:26:00.000-04:00

On Wednesday we drove to Neuschwanstein Castle (about 2 1/2 hours drive) for a tour I had booked in advance. It was a long drive, but the castle was worth it. It was very cool to see with my own eyes a castle I've seen in pictures hundreds of times. After, we went to the Tegelbergbahn - a metal luge course near the castle where our sleds were pulled up on chains and then we flew down on them - twisting and turning - to the bottom of the hill.

Tuesday in Bavaria

2007-08-02T05:14:00.000-04:00

On Tuesday we went to Salzburg and saw many of the sites where the Sound of Music was filmed. The Salzburg Music Festival also was going on and music was playing throughout the city. We went up to the fortress overlooking the city and we also saw Mozart's birthplace as well. We struck up a nice conversation with Daniel Stenway, an excellent piano player whose CD we purchased. While talking to him, we ran into a woman named Elizabeth who helped clean up the Salzburg Cathedral after it was bombed (by accident) during World War II. She told us some very interesting stories about what happened to her and her family during the war. She is also very concerned about the rise of neo-Nazism in Germany and Europe.

The Fischer Farm

2007-07-31T04:48:00.001-04:00

Here are a few pictures of the farm house and some of its inhabitants. One picture shows the view from our balcony.

Monday in Bavaria

2007-07-30T15:12:00.001-04:00

We slept in and relaxed on Monday in our lovely apartment at the Fisher farm (Wolfeicherhof). The Fishers are lovely. We gather that most guests are Germans and Austrians getting away from the city, so no one speaks much English. The Fishers have neighbors that speak English quite well and have been very helpful in helping us communicate with each other.

This is a working farm with "farm holiday apartments" added on to the property to supplement their farm income. Many farmers around this area have done the same thing. They have about 20 milking cows, pigs, horses, rabbits, a guinea pig, nine cats, etc.... It's also a great location - right in between Munich and Salzburg.

We are staying right near a large body of water known as the "Bavarian Sea." It's called the Chiemsee. There are several islands in the lake. One of them is called Herrenchiemsee and we took a ferry there this afternoon. King Ludwig II of Bavaria acquired the land in 1873 and built a palace modelled on Versailles. The palace was still incomplete when he died in 1886 and he only stayed in it ten days.

Having been to Versailles, it's pretty impressive to see what Ludwig built. He built all of his castles with his family's money (not Bavaria's) and pretty much ruined his family. He was enamored with Louis XIV - The Sun King - and built the Royal Palace of Herrenchiemsee as a homage to him (two hundred years after he died). It's such a good copy that people from Versailles visited often after the French Revolution to make sure the rebuilding they did was correct.

Another cool thing about the island is that the Constitutional Assembly met there in 1948 in the former monastery (Old Palace) to prepare the constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany).

We saw a giant banana slug as we walked up to the palace.

After our tour, we ate dinner at a nice restaurant on the island.

Sunday - travel day

2007-07-30T06:00:00.000-04:00

We left Venice in the early afternoon. We attended mass (in English) at the church right next door before we departed. It was VERY hot as we left. We drove to Eggstatt, Germany and arrived in the evening.

As we drove from Italy, through Austria, and into Germany, it rained. We went through the mountains as it did this and then a rainbow appeared. It was beautiful.

It's much cooler here than in Italy (high 60s). So, we've had to break out the long shirts and pants.

Saturday in Venice

2007-07-30T05:51:00.001-04:00

We woke up early Saturday morning and went to the Rialto Market. They sell fresh fruit and vegetables, fish, meats, etc.... It was very neat to walk around Venice before the other tourists were out and about. All of the shopkeepers were getting ready for the day. Delivery boats were bringing supplies to waiting restaurant workers.

The fish market reminded me of the market last year in Kesennuma. It wasn't nearly as big (and almost all of the sea life were already dead), but it brought back a wave of memories from last year.

As we walked back to the apartment, we saw restaurant workers wheeling back big carts of seafood from the fish market to their restaurants. I haven't seen an obese Venetian yet. I don't they can exist given there are no cars and everything must be physically pushed/pulled from the canals to the interior areas of Venice.

In the early afternoon we went to Burano, the island of lace. It takes anywhere from 40 minutes to 70 minutes to get to Burano via vaporetto from the main island. The main church's tower is leaning (we saw another like this on Venice proper). The pilings under the islands are settling unevenly - leading to buildings and towers leaning in strange ways. Burano is a beautiful island with very brightly painted houses. They were originally painted so brightly by women so their fisherman husbands could recognize them from afar when returning to shore. It is a very cute, small island and we enjoyed a nice, inexpensive lunch at a little restaurant. We struck up two interesting conversations - one with a couple from Louisville, Kentucky and another with a female author from San Diego.

After Burano, the girls were pooped and I took them back to our apartment. Bill wanted to continue to explore and took another vaporetto to Torcello, an almost abandoned island near Burano. In the 10th century, it was more important than Burano or Murano, but the course of two rivers was changed and the area became swampy and malaria ridden. By 1680 it was almost deserted and only 30 or so people live there now.

Friday in Venice

2007-07-27T08:49:00.001-04:00

On Friday we went to the Ducal Palace (Palace of the Doges) where we saw the largest canvas painting in the world painted by Tintoretto. It is called Paradise and shows Christ and Mary surrounded by 500 saints.

A Romantic Find....

2007-07-27T08:42:00.001-04:00

We also found the spot where Bill and I (and others from the tour group we were with) sat and ate panini while we "lost" ourselves in Venice in 1991. It was pretty neat to find that same spot again (kudos to Bill for his "mission" to find it again).

Later on Thursday

2007-07-27T08:37:00.001-04:00

Later, we went to Dosoduro area of Venice and saw the Basilica of the Frari. It was started by the Franciscan Order of the Minor Friars in 1330. The church was completed in 1443. It contains the only work of Donatello in Venice - a wooden statue of John the Baptist. It also contains major works by Titian and G. Bellini. The work of the Cozzi family, wood carvers of Vicenza, the choir has 124 stalls and some of the most beautiful woodcarving in Venice.

Thursday in Venice

2007-07-26T15:46:00.000-04:00

We got in line on Thursday to go to into St. Mark's Basilica. We only had to wait 20 or so minutes. We pretty much explored every nook and cranny of the church. It's pretty amazing. We lit candles to pray for the health of our friends and family at the alter of the Madonna di Nicopeia. It is a Byzantine icon looted from Constantinople in 1204. It's one of the most revered images in Venice. We saw the original Horses of St. Mark (the ones you can see on the Basilica are copies) inside the rooftop museum and walked around the roof of the Basilica. They are the oldest items in the church and have been dated anywhere from 4 B.C. to A.D. 3.

Wednesday in Venice

2007-07-26T15:43:00.001-04:00

The girls wanted to feed the pigeons, so we did. Then our family took a traghetto (a gondola that goes across the Grand Canal) and explored the Basilica of Santa Maria Della Salute on Wednesday. A plague hit Venice in 1630 and the doge of the time pledged to build a magnificent church dedicated to the Madonna. It did and he did. Over one million piers are used for the foundation of the church and it opened in 1687. We continued on and walked around the Zattere (a promenade along the Guidecca canale. We saw the San Trovaso boat and gondola builders yard. Boats and gondolas are still built and repaired here. The houses are a very different from the rest of Venice and mimic the style popular in the Dolomite mountains where the boat builders originated.

We had a great meal that night for dinner and met a lovely family from London.

Tuesday in Venice

2007-07-25T05:41:00.001-04:00

Bill got his haircut on Tuesday and then we went to Murano (or as the girls call it - "Glass Island"). We wandered around the shops and the girls got a few pieces of jewelry. We went to a great workshop/furnace where we saw a bunch of men hard at work making different pieces of glass. It was very cool. They liked the girls and gave them little, beautiful, flower, glass beads. We spent quite a while watching all the different parts of the process. We watched the factory "master" make flowers for chandeliers. It was pretty darn amazing.

After, we went to the top of the Campanile (no line at 6:30 p.m.) and we all enjoyed beautiful views of Venice and the surrounding islands.

Monday in Venice

2007-07-25T05:40:00.000-04:00

We wandered around Venice on Monday, buying gelato, purchasing fruit at the Rialto market, riding the vaparetto around Venice, and just enjoying the atmosphere of the city.

We also saw delivery boats (see DHL picture), garbage boats, construction boats, ambulance boats, etc.... Pretty cool!

Venice

2007-07-23T06:08:00.000-04:00

We arrived in Venice Sunday evening (July 22). The apartment is three blocks from Saint Mark's square and we can see the bell tower from it.

Pisa

2007-07-23T05:55:00.000-04:00

We stopped in Pisa to take Hillary and Eliza to the airport. The girls were very sad to part, but we had a great week together and it's something they'll remember for a life time.

Lucca and San Terenzo

2007-07-20T07:11:00.001-04:00

Lucca was also a former Roman colony founded in 180 B.C. In the 16th and 17th centuries, huge ramparts were built around the entire city. They still exist today (and we ate our picnic lunch up on part of them). Puccini lived in Lucca and the house were he composed La Bohéme can be visited. The streets of Lucca still follow the plan laid out by the Romans over 2000 years ago. I liked Lucca for a variety of reasons. First, it's a great old city with small, narrow streets to explore. Second, it has a beautiful cathedral (named San Michele in Foro) with an amazing facade (located where the old Roman forum existed - hence "Foro"). Third, Napolean's sister, Elisa Baciocchi ruled Lucca from 1805 to 1815. There are many things named after her. We took lots of pictures with me (my name is Elissa - pronounced the same way as Elisa) and the things named after her - as you can see.

We left Lucca and came back to Solaro around 6 p.m. Megan McCaffrey-Guerrera, the woman who helped me find the house we're staying in, invited us over for drinks and appetizers before dinner. We had a great time hanging out with her, her husband Luigi, and some friends of theirs. After, we went to a little, local restaurant for a late dinner. Megan's been extremely helpful. She also helps set up tours for travelers as well as cooking classes.

If you'd like to come to this area of the world, you can contact Megan at:
BELLA VITA ITALIA, llc
"Your Personal Concierge for Italy..."
www.bellavitaitalia.com

On Friday we relaxed and went to the "secret beach" at San Teranzo (it's much less crowded and around the bend from the big beach everyone else goes to around here). Hillary bought the girls bikinis (very few girls/women where one pieces. In fact, most little girls where only their bikini bottoms). We met them at the beach (after buying a beach umbrella) and hung out for the afternoon. Later, we cooked another great meal at the house with buffalo mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil; carpaccio; olive tapenade; mushroom brie; and gnocchi.

Luni

2007-07-20T07:10:00.002-04:00

Thursday found us going to Luni and Lucca. The city of Luni was located at the mouth of the Magra River. When it was founded in 177 B.C. it was very near the coast. It is now over two kilometers from the sea - the water receded. It was an extremely important city as it lay on the via Aurelia and was on the main Roman north-south route which eventually led down to the Middle East. Pilgrims in the early days of the Christian church would go through Luni on their way to the Holy Land. Because the water receded, the city died. Therefore, all that are left are ruins. They are just a bit older than the Roman remains in Arles. However, Arles has been continually used hence the reason for the remains (like the amphitheatre) being in such good shape. Luni wasn't as fortunate.

We also drove right by Carrara and its famous marble mines on the way from Luni to Lucca. Michelangelo came to Carrara frequently to personally choose marble for his masterpieces (David being one of them).

Portovenere

2007-07-20T07:10:00.001-04:00

On Wednesday, Bill and I ran errands (including buying a new camera because the other one died) while Hillary took Allie, Kate, and Eliza to Portovenere to hang out on the beach. They took the ferry over and we met them there later with the car. We walked around the old castle and one of the old churches. It is a very neat, little town. Bill bought some pesto to go with the other food we bought earlier in the week and we made a great meal when we got home.

Cinque Terre

2007-07-18T09:34:00.001-04:00

On Tuesday, we took the ferry to Cinque Terre. We got off at Riomaggiore, checked out the town, and then hiked to the next village - Manorla. We checked out that village, had lunch, and then continued to Corniglia on another hike. Kate was a real trooper, but she had had enough by then. We relaxed, the girls played in the ocean, and then we hopped the train to Vernazza. We ate dinner at Vernazza and then took the train to La Spezia. From there, we took a taxi to our car.

San Terenzo

2007-07-18T09:30:00.001-04:00

On Monday we relaxed at the beach in San Terenzo. Shelley (the poet) lived in this village for his final four years of life and actually drowned in 1822 when he was shipwrecked while on his way to another village. We did not hear a word of English on the beach. Even so, I was able to buy a bikini with no problem (and at a great price - see picture).

Solaro

2007-07-18T09:25:00.000-04:00

We arrived in Solaro (a borgo of Lerici) around 8:45 p.m. It took longer than expected because we were stuck in traffic for about an hour or so on the freeway before Genoa. Allie's best friend, Eliza, and her mom, Hillary, beat us to the house. They flew into Pisa earlier in the day and we're staying together for the week in Solaro.

Allie (and Kate) were very excited to see Eliza. The house we're renting is a B&B called Casa del Sole and it's gorgeous. The owner actually went on vacation and rented us the whole house. Here are some views from the porch and pictures from inside the B&B. There are also pictures of the Borgo from Lerici. One is a close up and one shows it from across the bay.

There is no internet access anywhere close to our house, so these posts may be spotty until Venice (who knows what we'll find there).

Old Nice and the drive to Italy

2007-07-18T09:21:00.000-04:00

The next day we checked out (paid a reduced rate) and walked around Old Nice for a few hours. Kate went on a trampoline before we left. We then hopped in the car and headed toward Lerici, Italy. We drove through Monaco on the way (using the high and middle Corniches - roads that wind high above the coastal towns). A picture of the Casino is included with this post. It was a little scary driving right next to sheer cliffs.

Arles to Nice

2007-07-18T09:18:00.000-04:00

We checked our of our house in Arles Saturday morning and walked around Arles for a couple of hours before we headed off to Nice. Milou and Yann headed back to Toulouse and we were sorry to see them go. We arrived in Nice around 6:00 p.m., parked and trudged our luggage to the hotel I had booked back in September. We arrived only to find out our reservation had been transferred to another hotel. So, we trudged over there. They told us we were not booked at that hotel, but a third hotel. The third hotel was a 10 minute walk with all of our luggage. It was very frustrating. The hotel was a one star instead of a two star and I was not at all happy. We wasted hours of our time going from hotel to hotel trying to figure out where we were staying.

We finally got out onto the streets of Nice around 9 p.m. and walked around for awhile. The fireworks started (July 14 is Bastille Day in France) at 10 p.m. and the girls were very happy to see the fireworks since we missed July 4 at home.

Off to Nice

2007-07-14T06:20:00.001-04:00

Today, we are leaving Arles for Nice. Our friend, Yann, must leave us to go back to work in Toulouse. He had planned on spending another week with us, but his Ph.D. advisor is acting decidedly "unFrench" and making him come back. Yann even gave notice over a year ago. His girlfriend, Milou spent yesterday with us at Le Pont du Gard and is taking Yann back to Toulouse.

I don't know what kind of internet access we'll have in Nice. On Sunday, we head to Lerici - I also don't know what access we'll have there.

Take care for now!

Le Pont du Gard

2007-07-14T06:18:00.000-04:00

On Friday we went to Le Pont du Gard. It is a Roman aqueduct and it is the tallest of them all at 158 ft. The Romans started to build between 50 - 19 B.C. and it transported water from Uzess to Nimes. It was a 30 mile canal that dropped one inch every 350 feet and supplied nine million gallons of water per day (100 gallons per second) to one of ancient Europe’s largest cities (Nimes).

We canoed five miles down the river – right under Le Pont du Gard.

Family Picture and....

2007-07-13T04:31:00.001-04:00

I've added a few pictures to the blog, so check out the whole thing. Here's a family picture from Avignon on the "Pont" with the Palace of the Popes in the background.

Glanum and St. Remy

2007-07-13T04:22:00.000-04:00

After that, we drove to Glanum. Glanum is the site of an ancient GREEK (yes Greek, not Roman) settlement. It was settled by the Greeks in the 2nd century B.C. The Romans took over the Greek settlement around the beginning of the 1st century A.D. when they conquered this area.

Finally, we drove to St. Remy de Provence where Nostradamus was born (see bust on top of the fountain) and where van Gogh was cared for after he cut off his ear. The kids rode on a merry-go-round (again) and then we had a fantastic dinner before heading back to our house in Arles.

Les Baux

2007-07-13T04:18:00.001-04:00

Thursday we drove to Les Baux, the site of a medieval fortress hewn from the rock itself. There were amazing views of the surrounding area as well as remakes of medieval siege weapons like catapults, trebuchets, and battering rams. There were also drawings of what the castle had looked like before Louis XIII destroyed it in 1632. There was even a lovely rendition of a man throwing another man off the cliff (see picture).

Chateauneuf du pape and the Camargue

2007-07-13T04:14:00.000-04:00

On Tuesday we drove around Chateauneuf du pape and went to some wine tastings. We finished with a picnic in a valley near there.

We started the day Wednesday with a trip to the market where Yann bought ingredients to cook us a French dinner. We also traveled to the Camargue – an area south of Arles that is a protected nature area. We felt like we had left Provence and entered Florida. There were swamps and flamingos and the architecture of the buildings was much more like Florida than Provence. We saw the white horses that the riders ride to herd the local bull population. We went back to Arles and watched those bulls in the “Courses Camarguaises.” They are bull races that take place in the 2000 year old Roman amphitheatre. Fifteen men try to grab ribbons off the horns of a bull. The bull is not harmed. One of the bulls jumped over the wall and into the outer ring – two times!

Avignon

2007-07-11T16:45:00.001-04:00

On Monday, we went to Avignon where the largest Gothic Palace in the world resides. It is the Pope’s Palace and was the seat of the Christian world in the 14th century. We also walked on “Le Pont Saint-Bénezet” also known as “Le Pont d’Avignon.” This is the bridge of the famous French children’s song. It was built in the 12th century and was abandoned in the 17th century after it was damaged again and again by the flood waters of the Rhone river.

Arles

2007-07-11T16:40:00.000-04:00

So, we are in Arles, Provence. Provence is located in the southern part of France and is known for it lavender and wonderful selections of wines.

Arles was settled by the Romans over 2000 years ago. There are still many remains of the Roman settlement. In fact, they still hold bullfights and bull races at the Roman amphitheatre here and theatre is still performed at the Roman theatre antique. We spent the day Sunday, July 8 exploring Arles.

The "Banasclan" is leaving Toulouse for Arles

2007-07-07T08:23:00.001-04:00

We've spent two nights in Toulouse. We drove over the Pyrenees to get to Toulouse from Barcelona. We stopped in the medieval town of Girona on the way. The roads were very twisty and a little nerve wracking. We were up 1800 meters (about 6000 feet).

Now, we're heading to Arles where we will spend a week doing day trips around Provence.

I'm attaching some pictures of Girona.

Safe and sound!

2007-07-07T08:21:00.000-04:00

I was glad to hear from Mr. Medina and Mrs. Holden that everyone made it back safe and sound. They said the students behaved very well - THANK YOU!

Mrs. Holden has put up a picture of a centaur from the 2-3rd century on the City Honors website. Check it out at: cityhonors.org

On their way home....

2007-07-05T04:58:00.001-04:00

Mrs. Holden and Mr. Medina are guiding the students back home to Buffalo as I write. As you know, I have stayed behind with my family. The Sansone family has also stayed behind for an additional five days.

Thank you for entrusting your children to me, Mr. Medina, Mrs. Holden, and Mr. Sansone. The kids were fantastic and there were no MAJOR problems. There were a few minor ones, but that’s to be expected on a trip of this magnitude.

The chaperones and I did no more and no less than we promised. The kids were given free time, but not in huge blocks of time. Participants were firmly discouraged from drinking alcohol and knew the consequences if that occurred and one of us found out. Curfews were enforced and adjusted when necessary.

I will be here in Europe until August 5th. I will be checking my email regularly if you have any post trip questions.

My plan is also to continue to blog about the rest of my trip, so feel free to check back.

Thank you again for allowing your children to experience a different culture. I guarantee this experience will change them in positive ways. I also warn you that now that they have been given a taste, they’re going to want to come back again….

Barcelona is beautiful!

2007-07-03T17:31:00.001-04:00

We arrived around 3 p.m. at the port of Barcelona. We were taken to our hotel in Sabadell, a suburb of Barcelona. Once we dropped off our luggage, we headed out on the RENFE (regional train) to the center of the city and participated in a quick walking tour.

Everyone is well and cannot believe how fast the trip has gone. Tomorrow is our last day in Europe. On Thursday, we're going to have to wake up very early to head to the airport.

Mrs. Holden and Mr. Medina will be taking the students back to the USA.

Rome Pics and we are on the ferry!

2007-07-02T17:14:00.000-04:00

Just a very quick update to let you know we are great and on the ferry to Barcelona. Check out the Explorica website for pictures up to yesterday.

Here are a few pictures of Rome - St. Peters, the Forum, and the Colosseum.

Chow!

The other groups are here!

2007-06-29T08:22:00.001-04:00

The five students got lost in the airport and didn't make their flight. All of them flew over together and they are all ok. They didn't get in until 3:30 a.m. our time!

We took a great tour today of Florence. The kids have free time now and we're meeting back to see how everyone is doing before we let them loose again for another few hours (before dinner).

Everyone is doing well and having a great time!

They all arrived.

2007-06-29T08:22:00.000-04:00

A very long day

2007-06-28T14:05:00.000-04:00

Well, most of us have been up over 36 hours at this point. The four hour bus drive (buses go much slower than cars) was a welcome break from the airplanes and many of us were able to take naps.

We've done an introductory tour in Florence and we're just about to all go eat dinner together.

Thank goodness, there are no major incidents to report.

The groups from San Diego are not so fortunate. One person from the 12 person group from San Diege did not have their passport and they're not on the trip.

The other group from San Diego was separated due to problems with boarding passes. Five girls went off to fly to Paris and the chaperone stayed behind with the other two students having problems. No one can find the five students. They did not arrive in Paris as planned. What a nightmare. I thank my lucky stars I have three excellent chaperones to deal with any situation that may arise.

None of the students from San Diego are even here yet. They won't arrive in Florence until after 11 p.m. our time.

Pictures, later.... Check the Explorica website for pictures which were just posted.

Explorica Website

2007-06-25T21:56:00.000-04:00

My plan is to blog when possible on the student tour and continue when I'm with my family. Explorica has its own tour diary. You can follow this link to view their tour diary of our trip:

http://www.myexplorica.com/TourCenter.aspx?mode=tourdiarysubscribers&username=&tourCenterCode=banas-6045&languageId=11&campaignId=&channelId=

When you get to the link, just click "View Tour Diary."