Madrid

We were met this morning by our city guide Martha. Only you need to say Marta and roll that 'R'! She was great. We drove around the city a bit and stopped at Plaza de Espana with it's statue of Don Quixote. We were then were dropped at the Palacio Real de Madrid. This is the palace of the Spanish royal family but they do not live here. With over 2000 rooms it is too large and used only for government functions. Versailles was the model for it's design so I was glad the kids got to see this.

After the palace visit we hopped back on the bus and Martha showed us lots of other great spots in
the city. Someone must have told her how much these kids like to shop because much of what she indicated was where the best stores and shopping areas are. She also showed us the location of the Prado museum and took us to the bull fighting arena.

After the tour EF treated us to a local specialty - chocolate churros. We went to and establishment that has been serving this dish for 125 years. It was quite a site to have the pots of chocolate and then huge plates of churros delivered to our tables.

The kids then had free time. Most shopped but a couple went with me to the Prado museum. It is packed full of Rubens, Rembrandts, Goyas, Titians, a second Mona Lisa and many other famous pieces of art. It was a good afternoon.

Dinner was paella. A local dish that consists of rice, chicken, shrimp and mussels. The shrimp are in full form so it was a bit startling to some. Many of the kids were to timid to try but others dug right in. Then back to the hotel, there was an important football (soccer) game to watch!

Ciao Italia

Not much to say about today. We were up and off for the airport first thing. The kids were great - on time for the coach, loaded up, loaded off, through ticketing, security and to the departure gate with no problems. Our flight was delayed and they explored the airport for snacks and lunch food.

The flight was relatively uneventful and then we were in Madrid! It was hot, hot today but at least we arrived in the afternoon so the temperature will be on its way down. After checking into our hotel (one of the nicest so far...) we cleaned up and got ready for the evening.

Dinner was good but the highlight was celebrating Olivia's 16th birthday. Then we were off to a Flamenco show. This style of music and dance originates in the Andalusian area of Spain. It is highly technical and requires years of training. The kids were good during the performance, even if it wasn't 'their thing.'

Holy Roman Empire

Plans shifted a bit today. We were notified that there was a major happening at St. Peter's Basilica so it would be closed to visitors in the afternoon. The chaperones decided to leave early in the morning to make sure we got to visit before it closed. All the travelers were invited to join us. Holly and Lucas B. took advantage. We were very fortunate. The Pope passed about 10 feet in front of us as we visited! The rest of the group stayed with Francois and left later to walk a bit around Rome and visit the Trevi Fountain. Then they were turned loose for some free time.

We met up in the afternoon for a visit to the Vatican Museum. Vatican City is the richest 'nation' in the world because of all the precious works of art housed here. Our guide was very good - knowledgeable, upbeat personality, very light accent. We made it through the museum in good time and had plenty of time to appreciate the Sistine Chapel at the end.

Then we went to another St. Peter's. San Pietro in Vincoli (St. Peter in chains) is a little gem of a church. No architecture of note and not much there but what they do have is impressive. There is an alter displaying what are said to be the chains that were used on the apostle Peter while he was imprisoned in Rome. The main attraction however is the sculpture of Moses by Michelangelo. The kids were challenged to find the self portrait he carved while creating this masterpiece.

Free time in Piazza Navona (the early morning crew trekked to the Trevi), a pizza dinner and then back to the hotel to pack for Madrid. 

Ancient Rome

The colosseum was the first stop of the day. Our guide was an archeologist so had a ton of facts about this enormous structure and its functions throughout the past 2000 years. She then took us on a walk through the forum. This is the ancient city center with its markets and temples. The tomb of Caesar is here as well as the old senate. 

After lunch we headed to the Borghese gardens for a bike tour. It was fun to be out and active. Today was warm but there was plenty of breeze and shade in the gardens.

All Roads Lead to Rome

It was our last long day on the bus! First stop was at the American Cemetery just outside of Florence. I hope the kids got a sense of the sacrifice that has been made so they can enjoy the nice, comfortable, and safe life they have. It is a moving place with almost 4000 fallen soldiers buried here. There are another 1000+ on a memorial wall to honor those that fell but were never recovered.

Next stop was Assisi. Yes, as in St. Francis of Assisi. This is a charming medieval town with several huge churches. We wandered the narrow streets (used to film a scene in one of the Twilight movies) and ate lunch. Sitting high on a hill the views from this town are incredible. Then we had a guided tour of the San Francesco basilica. It is an amazing structure. One building sitting on top of another. The lower is the monument and chapel to St Francis, he is buried here. Old Romanesque architecture. The top structure is more gothic and is used more for the daily worship services.

Finally we head into Rome. There was only time for a quick dinner then check in to the hotel. Tomorrow we tour the ancient part of the city!.

Firenze

Today was a walking tour of the city. We met our guide at the Maria del Fiore and she talked to us about the massive Duomo. This is the forth largest church in Europe. Made of beautiful white, green and pink marble it truly does bring to mind flowers in a field. We then walked through the markets, saw Ponte Vecchio and the Piazza Signoria.

After the tour was more free time. Some went in to the Duomo and others up to the Santa Croce. Most ran around and shopped or did laundry. It is fabulous to have a hotel in the center of town where we can go in and out and get things done!

City of the Renaissance

Our day started to the sound of drums. Today is the Patron Saint day of Florence. Men dressed in medieval costume were marching through the old city to the beat of drums carrying flags of the city. We then hustled to the Accademia where there is amazing art - sculpture and religious icon panels to mention a few. The David is stunning in person. There is no way photos can do justice to any of the art or scenery we have seen so far.

Then it was a quick walk to the Uffizi Gallery which houses some of the worlds most famous pieces of art. Two of the most famous works by Botticelli, Primavera and Birth of Venus are here. There are also exceptional pieces by DaVinci, Raphael, Michaelangelo, and Carravaggio to name a few more.

It was disappointing today to see how many of the kids just sat looking at their phones at the Accademia and skipped the Uffizi all together. A waste of time and money. After the museums the kids had 6 hours of free time to do as they chose. They didn't need the extra hour added to that by skipping to do anything else worthwhile.

The parade continued around the city for most of the day. It seemed to collect more medieval costumed participants as it went and at the end had huge crowds of people dressed in medieval 'sports wear.' At dinner we turned on the TV to watch a tournament that is held called Florentine Football. It is a combination of soccer, rugby, football, boxing and wrestling all wrapped in to one. Crazy, crazy game.

After dinner Francois put together an Amazing Race game for the kids to play. He gave them clues to decipher about some of the famous sites in the city. They had to use what they have learned so far and their maps to figure out where to go. They then had to have a local take a picture of their group/team at that site. It was a blast.

On the Road Again

We had another long day scheduled on the bus. This time was much better. The kids were on time and everything went according to the plan, saving us make-up time, stress and aggravation.

Our first stop on our way into Florence was the Piazza Michelangelo. This is a beautiful square at the top of the city with an amazing overlook. There is also a huge bronze replica of the statue of David.

We checked into our hotel with plenty of time to spare. It is a traditional old place with super high ceilings and crazy bathrooms.

We then headed to dinner and enjoyed a huge salad, seasoned potatoes and herbed chicken. We followed that with a leisurely stroll along the Arno. It was beautiful to be walking as the sun set reflecting on the water. Final stop was gelato, finally!

Lucerne

It was a good day. We headed into the city of Lucerne and first visited the Lion Monument. This is dedicated to the Swiss soldiers that gave their lives in defense of France during the revolution. It is beautiful and peaceful and moving.

I hate to say it but the great find here were the public bathrooms. I wish I had taken a picture. Something out of the space age future - all stainless steel, and everything in a single unit. Toilet, soap, sink, hand dryer - amazing.

Next Francois took us on a walking tour of the city. We saw some fabulous painted stucco buildings dating back to the 1500's, all kinds of fun shops, the Jesuit church and The Chapel Bridge. I am glad that the city decided to reconstruct this ancient bridge after it was mostly destroyed by fire.

We then hopped our bus for a short ride to the gondolas that would take us to the top of Mt. Pilatus. Most of the kids were surprised as we just kept going up and up and up. The final height is 7000 feet. In comparison to Brighton or Alta it doesn't seem like much but when you consider the base height is almost 3000 feet lower than SLC it gives perspective to the steep incline of the Alps. -

We took the oldest and steepest working cog wheel train down the mountain, in operation for 130 years. Then we jumped on a boat that took us across Lake Lucerne. It was a lovely cruise.

Back in Lucerne for some free time. I'm a little worried at the amount of chocolate that was purchased. I hope most of it is going home and not consumed on the bus to make hyper travelers.

After dinner everyone headed to the lake for a swim. They had a blast. It was so fun to hear them laughing. The best thing about this group is how nice they are to each other.

The Bus

Today started off on the wrong foot and got more difficult from there. We met our driver Salvatore and loaded up. A few kids were missing so we got on the road much later than planned. This put us in the heart of rush hour which delayed us further. Once we got out of Paris it was nothing but beautiful countryside. The kids took good advantage of the down time and caught up on their sleep. After a few more glitches  and delays waiting for latecomers we finally arrived at the hotel for a late night dinner and a stroll in the rain along Lake Lucerne. 

Art and Architecture

The day started out with a visit to the Louvre. With twelve miles of corridors loaded with paintings and sculpture it is impossible to take it all in. The kids were great about finding the things we had talked about in meetings, the notable pieces of art and a few of their favorites.

After lunch we headed to the Montmartre area and enjoyed free time there. It was a chance to see artists in action, perhaps get a portrait or painting done, visit the Sacre Coeur, and make a serious dent in our souvenir shopping.

We had a fabulous dinner and then made our way to the Trocadero area. Here we caught a boat to take us on a cruise of the Seine. It was perfect timing. The sun was setting as we saw all the famous sites from the river. Beautiful and fun to see all the people on the banks enjoying the Paris evening. The boat returned to the dock just as the Eiffel Tower was glittering the 11 o'clock hour. Perfect! A late night but well worth it.

What can go wrong will.....

It was a bit of a day of disappointments. We hopped on the bus and headed to Versailles. The workers there had decided to strike and the Palace was closed. We got EF on the phone and they started searching for alternatives but not much luck. In the mean time Versailles decided to open the gardens so we spent a lovely 1 1/2 hours wandering the park-like area.

The strike delay put the rest of the schedule into chaos. We headed to the St. Michel area and gave the kids some time for lunch and to explore. Then to Notre Dame with it's extraordinary gothic architecture and stained glass windows.

Dinner tonight was flammekuche. It's a French dish from the Alsatian region. It's a very thin bread crust with a  fromage blanc sauce and toppings. Kind of like a French pizza. Some kids ate it up and others couldn't take the change.....

Final stop was Montparnasse. It is the tallest structure in Paris and a quick elevator ride to the top provides amazing views of the city. It was a late night but worth it!

Tale of Two Cities

Today started early! We were out of the hotel at 5 (almost) and on our way to catch the Eurostar and leave London. The kids learned that their assumption that the entire ride would be in the chunnel was wrong. Only 30 minutes of the 2 1/2 hours is under the water. The remainder is through the English and then the French countryside. My favorite was a huge purple field of French lavender.

We made a quick stop to drop the bags at the hotel and then picked up a city guide. She was very knowledgeable and very sweet. We went by the Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower, Invalides, Notre Dame, and down Champs Elysees. We got a view not many have. The flag was flying in the center of the Arc today, a rare occurrence.

After dinner the kids chose to go back to the hotel instead of spending more time exploring the city. It made sense - today was a long day. We will however, have to work on our hotel behavior!