HOME!

Travel home went smoothly. We heard rumors about a problem at JFK but it didn't affect us at all. It was so great to see everyone at the airport. Thanks so much for the warm welcome home! Thanks also for all the support over the past year. We had a great time and the kids were fantastic. Now we look forward to a 'reunion' sometime in the near future!

The Last Day....

We met at 9am to get everyone on the same page before we all took off to do our own thing. The kids had a great time exploring and finishing up their shopping. Many wished we had one more day in London. In a way I agree. There is so much to see and do in this city. As much as I've loved traveling with this group however, I'm ready to come home.

As we met for dinner we all had a good laugh. The guys had obviously shopped with a plan today and all came dressed in matching outfits. They got lots of comments though the course of the evening. At dinner we took a minute to thank our tour director, Arnoud. He has done such a great job for us. The kids will never know how many problems he solved before they ever knew they existed. Arnoud deserves a medal!

After dinner we went to see Wicked. Some were very familiar with the story and for others it was their first time seeing the play. It was a great production, well cast and performed. Elphaba was fantastic!

We're all back safely in the hotel trying to figure out how to get everything home. We are up and headed to the airport first thing tomorrow!

It's always rainy in london!

This morning was our city tour with a blue badge guide. It turned out to be a tricky proposition since the London 10K was being run and many of the streets we needed to travel were closed. Our guide, Richard, did a great job of navigating around to some different sites and had lots of interesting facts about seemingly everything we drove past. We took a group photo near the Albert memorial and then we dropped about half the group off in the area so they could go to church. The rest continued on to the British museum where we concluded our tour.

The museum had the medals for the upcoming Olympics on display along with the usual outstanding exhibits. This museum is the home of the Rosetta Stone, one of the largest mummy collections outside of Egypt and the 'Elgin' marbles. These are the carvings that were on top of the Parthenon and brought to England. It's interesting to think we've come full circle - from the ruins of Greece to the ruins of Greece.

After the tour was free time. Some went out to Wimbledon, others chose another museum and again with the shopping. We met early for dinner and had a very traditional 'bangers and mash' sausages and mashed potatoes in a pub while we watched the men's tennis finals at Wimbledon. The locals were very invested since a Brit was playing. It's always fun to be part of the local culture.

Where Are the Fish?

Off to London. It was definitely a "Murphy's Law" day. We had to leave by 6:15 to catch our train. At 6:30 we are still waiting to load the bus. Two busses in front of the hotel, no clue which is ours, no tour director. Arnoud did not receive his wake up call from the front desk. Neither, we discover, did Clara and Sarah P. Those girls are amazing packed up and down to the bus in 5 minutes. Unfortunatly that led to the next trauma. Art left at the hotel. The bus driver was a magician, got us back to the hotel and to the station just in time.

The Eurostar is an interesting train. You'd never know you're going as fast as you are. Almost 200 MPH! The scenery flies by but is still pretty, you just learn to look to the distance so you can focus. The chunnel is just a dark tunnel and most of the kids were asleep so no one really noticed. We did have a discussion with a few however, that they should paint fish on the sides of the tube to make it look like you're traveling under water.

There was a weird unsheduled stop while on the train and then another mix up with the bus so we missed our guided tour of Westminster Abbey but we'll try to reschedule for Monday. We went to the Tower of London and turned the kids loose. It's always been a great site to visit but it was all cleaned up and had new exhibits in honor of the Queen's Jubilee (and for the Olympic crowd.

Then it was off to the Marlbarough Pub for fish and chips. Even some of the kids who swear they hate fish ate & enjoyed. A few took off for Phantom of the Opera and the rest took to the town. All are home safe and sound.

Free Day

Internet wasn't working very well last night and we're off in a few to London so this post has to be fast.

It was our free day today. Most of the kids made lots of really good plans. First thing we met, wished Whitney W. a happy birthday and got our meeting time and place for dinner. Then the kids took off. Places to visit foday were Fragonards perfume factory, the d'Orsay Museum, the Pompidou, Tullieries, and of course shopping.

We met at the base of the Sacre Cour and as we were waiting for the entire group to arrive the rain hit. Whoever said Paris in the rain is romantic was crazy. It was a deluge. The kids were drenched.

After dinner about half the group came home and the other half to the carnival in the Tullieries. They chose not to do EuroDisney so wanted to go on a few of the rides. Off to Lond

on!

Louvre

This morning's excursion was to the Louvre. It was also our first excursion all together on the metro. It's an interesting process to try and get 40 people on the same car going the same way on a busy Paris line but we made it.

Everyone went to see the Mona Lisa and some of the other significant pieces but then took their own path and own time through the museum. Some were finished quickly and others spent hours there. Then everyone had free time and did their own thing. Many went to the Musee d'Orsay, some to Notre Dame, other interesting spots and of course shopping.

It started raining in the afternoon so we had to change our plans a bit for the evening. The original idea was Mont Martre to see the street artists but they wouldn't have been out in the weather so we walked the Champs Elysee and then did an evening Seine River cruise. Its a beautiful city with all the lights.

Remember - Arnoud also posts pictures everyday we have internet. Check them out at http://www.explorica.com/Tour-Diaries/Tour-Diary.aspx?code=YDAvo1jBlFrmqD20AbMdfw%3d%3d&diaryDate=07/02/2012&imageNum=2

Sun King and Crepes!

Its a beautiful day in Paris! We headed out early, by bus, to Versailles Palace. Two great tour guides took us through the palace's main rooms to see the King and Queen's apartments, the incredible Hall of Mirrors and the gigantic ceiling and wall paintings. In the last two years they have re-guilded the front gates which practically make it glow like the "Sun King"'s palace should! After the tour we headed out the the gardens for free time until dinner back in Paris. The kids split up to various activities including rowing on the Grand Canal, biking through the gardens or visiting Marie Antoinette's hamlet.

Different groups returned from Versailles via the RER train, at various times to see Notre Dame, and wander the streets of Paris. Our meeting place for dinner was in front of Notre Dame. It was great to have everyone together to share their afternoon experiences. Dinner took us to a delicious creperie. We had savory crepes for dinner and dark chocolate crepes for dessert.

Dinner ended at about 7:30pm -- dinner is always early in Paris! So that makes for a great free night in Paris!

To Paris!

Sorry, we had a super long day. Left the hotel at 8 am and got into the hotel at 11pm. I'll do a super brief blog now so you know we're OK and come back and edit later. We drove to Paris and dropped our bags in a locked room at the hotel then headed into the city. Our city guide, Janice, was a comedian - so funny! She did a great job and taught us so much about the city. After dinner we went to the Eiffel Tower and those that wanted to take the lift stood in line forever. The smart ones took the stairs. We're off this morning for Versailles. I'll update you all later!

Where are we Today?

This series of travel, tour, hotel, then rise and repeat has been a bit difficult. It's getting hard remember room numbers night after night. We're looking forward to the next two cities when we have time to settle a little bit.

We had the best breakfast today, they even had a waffle maker! It was nice to start a little later with happy tummies. The drive to Brussels only took about 2 hours and we were happy to get off the bus so soon. We walked to the main square Grande Place surrounded by the guild halls which were leafed in gold. It was beautiful! After that we headed to the most famous place in Brussels, the statue Mannekin Pis, which is basically a little boy peeing. Most people fail to see why it is so famous but many, many people always surround it (often dressing the statue in little outfits).

Following this everyone had free time for about five hours to wander the city and find lace and chocolate. Belgium is famous for its awesome waffles -- and many of us indulged in hot waffles covered with cream, sugar, Nutella, bananas, strawberries....YUM! After free time we went to dinner at a restaurant outside the city and finally to the hotel right across the street from the Atominum (a cool structure built for the World Expo in the 1950s).

Another day has flown past! We are off to Paris tomorrow!!

Cruisin' on a Sunday Afternoon

Well, it was actually cruisin' on a Sunday morning. We left our hotel a little late. The fuse that works the compressor that unlocks the cargo hold on the bus was not working so we had to figure out an alternate plan today. We ended up loading all the luggage on the last few rows of seats on the bus and then crammed everyone in on the remaining seats. It' a good thing we aren't driving all the way to Koln today. (Good thing Stephen took off today to hit the race track, on less body to fit!)

The cruise up the Rhine River was really pleasant. The scenery was spectacular. Green valleys and mountains. Vineyards all along the way. All the castles sitting up on the hills. It was also nice to be able to get up and walk around as we traveled. The kids also used the time to catch up on journaling, playing cards, and for Wil N. staging a food war between two plates of leftovers. They can entertain themselves with anything!

Next we headed to Koln (or Cologne) and visited the 5th largest cathedral in Europe. The cathedral is the largest Gothic church in Northern Europe and has the second-tallest spires and largest facade of any church in the world. It is spectacular. There are also bits of old Roman ruins all over the city center. A few kids met up with some of our exchange students for a bit as well.

We had our most traditional German dinner yet. Appropriate for our last night in the country. Potato salad, schnitzel, and apple strudel We are now checked in to the hotel and a few kids are taking advantage of the spa while others are watching the Euro Cup finals, Italy vs. Spain.