Planning

Wow, It's hard to believe we've been home 3 months. I miss the travelers from the 2010 tour a lot but am excited to see all the great things they're doing. The college kids have all made the transition successfully, the high school kids are having a great time and congrats to the boys that have received their mission calls!

The big news is that Katie & I have started planning the itinerary for the 2012 trip. We're trying to shake things up a bit. The thoughts - hit a bit of eastern Europe and maybe stay out of the UK because of Olympics craziness. The plan will be ready by the end of November and sent to travel companies for bids. Stay tuned!

HOME!

It was a bit of a crazy flight. The Atlanta airport was closed for a while due to a severe weather. As anxious as we were to get home I'm glad they didn't fly us through the lightning. The storm finally calmed enough for us to land & we made our connection to SLC. That flight was held at the gate in Atlanta because the pilot for our plane was stuck on his flight in due to the same weather problems. We finally took off & were only 45 minutes late landing in SLC. Great to be home! Now all we need is Will B back from Norway & all will be home safe & sound.

Halfway Home...

We slept in a bit today then packed up the car and started to make our way back to London. The half-way point is Leeds so that's where we'll sleep tonight. The drive was again spectacular. For a family from the desert everything is so green. Everyone here is talking heat wave in southern UK - it's 75 degrees and hasn't been this 'dry' during the spring/summer for the past 30 years or so. For us it rained all the way from Edinburgh. The rain is weird however, it is really just a good mist rather than the raindrops we're used to. I love it here. On the drive we even found my house. I'm no longer remodeling but packing up the clan & moving to an estate in Coulter. It's only about 20 minutes outside of Edinburgh. Everyone is welcome to visit!

Duh! Edinburgh Day 2

I went to the National Gallery of Scotland today for the 5th time. You'd think by now I wouldn't be surprised by Rembrandt, VanGogh, Titan, daVinci, Monet, El Greco, Rubens, Raphel, Cezanne, etc. I always go through & say 'Duh, I forgot that was here." Great museum.

Next we went to the Edinburgh Zoo. For a small zoo it packs a lot in. The setting is spectacular and the animal exhibits let you get really close for a good look. We've been pushing hard for the last 4 weeks - I think for dinner we'll order a pizza in to the hotel!

The UK

So, I can't get past needing to blog. No one is reading anymore because you're all home but I'm blogging anyway. The boys & I dropped the group at the Delta check in and then Will at British Airways. We rented a cool Volvo station wagon and hit the road. It didn't take long to adjust to the 'wrong' side of the road and not much longer until we crossed the Second Severn/Wye Bridge (spectacular) into Wales. Next day we did the laundry and toured Cardiff Castle. Not the greatest but still interesting. The following day was spent at the National Museum of Welsh Life. Great for me - my family ancestry is Welsh. We then drove to Chester. A great old town established during Roman times that reached itsheyday during the Tudor period. Next morning we backtracked just a bit and toured the town of Hawarden, hometown of the Bennion family. Then off to Edinburgh. It was a beautiful drive through 3 countries!

Home Safe!

We all made it home safe (except Wendy and her two boys who stayed an extra week). The trip was a blast! We'll have to get together for a reunion and trade pics! Thanks to all the great travelers and all of their great supporters!

What You Don't Know Won't Scare You! Day 18

So, now that the group (sans Will, Wendy, Stephen & David) are safely on the plane and flying home we thought we'd share some of the things that happened along the way the way that may have given some parents concern......

Someone(s):
clothes were held hostage by a washing machine...
became members of a British protest group...
got up close and personal with Will B's undies...
stripped on the Grand Canal...
got lost in Egypt.....
nearly lost appendages from an Italian butcher...
got trapped in an elevator...
got trapped in an elevator...
got trapped in an elevator...
got trapped in an elevator...
kissed at the top of the Eiffel Tower...
walked pantless through Switzerland...
got detained/arrested at the UK border...
pulled a Houdini in the Underground...
got hit by a car...

The kids should be home around 11:30. They're excited to come home!

Freedom! London Day 3

This was a completely free day for the travelers. Some got up & out the door by 5:30 this morning to make an excursion to Wimbledon. They all got on to the grounds and some even got into the Men's doubles final match. Other events today - Kings Cross Station 9 & 3/4 for our Harry Potter fans, Tower of London, Tate Modern Museum, Phantom of the Opera or We Will Rock You, Portobello road, Covent Gardens, Oxford Street (the last 3 are shopping havens), and packing! We spent a lot of time discussing great memories of the trip, amazed that its over and trying to figure out the best way to survive as individuals again. I have been so pleased with how well all the kids in this group have gotten along. I truly believe they will stay great friends. It has been a pleasure to spend the last 3 weeks with such amazing young people. Now, I know you think this is all over but keep checking the blog. I think we may have a few more things to say!

Wicked - London Day 2

Sorry no group photo. We have a good one from Buckingham Palace. After posting the shots from Wicked the blog suddenly started freezing me out of attaching photos. I'll try again later...

We started with a great breakfast at the hotel. People tend to complain about English food but when they do it's never about their breakfasts. We jumped on the coach and met our blue badge guide Sarah. She was an expert about London and took us all around looking at some of the amazing things in the city. She then took us into Westminster Abbey and showed us some of the amaxing history associated with all the famous honored or buried there. Next was the changing of the guard. It's crazy that the tradition has been going on so long but it would be sad if they ever eliminated it. We had an interesting chat about the future of the monarchy.

After the tour the kids were left to their own devices. They are really tired and some are getting what I'm calling a kennel cough but none opted to go back to the hotel. They are wringing every opportunity out of this trip! Some went to the Tower of London, some to the National Gallery, some to the British Museum. Katie & I shopped!

I think the highlight of the day was the Wicked performance. We made it to the theatre in good time and settled into our seats. The perfo rmance was spectacular. Excellent leads, really great supporting actors and a very talented orchestra playing gorgeous. Everyone left the theatre with huge smiles on their faces. A good production is a great PR tactic - don't be surprised to see some of the most unlikely travelers sporting Wicked t-shirts!

We'll be flying home Sunday 7/4. Here is the flight information...
Depart London Heathrow on Delta flight DL 9 @ 1:20pm
Arrive Atlanta Hartsfield JAC @ 6pm
Depart Atlanta JAC on Delta flight DL 1835 @ 9:30pm
Arrive Salt Lake SLC @ 11:35pm
The kids can't wait to be home!

Can You Speak English? London Day 1

We left the hotel bright and early and headed for the train station. After a bit of trouble at customs we got all the kids on the Eurostar and headed for the chunnel. It only took 2 1/2 hours to get to London. All the kids were so excited to be in a place where they understood everything that was being said.

We headed for Windor and the oldest castle still used as a residence. It was spectacular! It certainly shows us how powerful the monarchy has been and still is. We were impressed by the grand staircase, the gold tiger's head and the room with all the crests for the Knights of the Order of the Garter. It was amazing to see all the restoration that has been done since the fire destroyed a major section of both the state and residential wings. My favorite part is always St. George's chapel. It is such a beautiful example of the Tudor gothic style. Inside are many famous people (dead of course) including King Henry VIII!

We then had some free time before dinner, a very loooong dinner and then free time again after dinner. It was fun to walk along the Thames and see the Houses of Parliament and the clock tower all lighted. The hotel is just across the river and down a block or so. Speaking of the hotel we are ending it posh. We're in a pretty swanky place!

Last Day in Paris

We started off the morning going to Notre Dame Cathedral. Before we entered the church we stopped for a brief group photo and and explaination by Marc of how flying buttresses worked. He also talked to us about the gargoyles, symbolism and the stained-glass windows.

The church was beautiful and everyone took lots of pictures of the famous rose window. As we came out of the church, some chose to walk around the outside to look at the architecture. The kids found a playground behind Notre Dame and spent a few minutes on the preschool toys!

After Notre Dame, we headed for the Louvre. We entered a courtyard and Marc explained the assignment for the day. Everyone was to look at the picture opposite the Mona Lisa (it turned out to be "The Feast at Cana") and try and analyze what was happening. Also, they were to notice particular details that they thought were interesting for later discussion. A further assignment was to pick a picture in the Denon wing of the museum and spend time looking at it so they could explain it to the group.

The Louvre was more crowded than we had ever seen it but everyone had an enjoyable time going through at their own pace. Many commented on how much they loved seeing things like: Winged Victory, the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, and the Egyptian exhibit. After the Louvre the kids had free time. They used their metro savvy to travel to various places throughout the city.

We met for dinner together and then headed off to the Bateaux Mouche cruise. We left just as the sun was setting so everyone got great pictures of the major monuments. The cruise was a pleasant ending to our last day in Paris.

Tomorrow we are off early to London!

Seize the Chateau! Paris day 2

This morning we headed to Versailles to tour the palace and gardens. On the way Mark discussed a few key points and then assigned each traveler a role. We had King Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, the nobility, the clergy, the bourgeoisies, the Parisian poor tne the peasents. When we arrived at the palace we each received an MP3 player with palace information to listen to on the tour. First we would all hear from King Louis XIV in each room, then someone that was in 'our' social class. Once we finished we had an hour of free time in the gardens. Katie and I found a new fountain that 'danced' to classical music being piped through the park. Some of the kids rode bikes and others rented boats across the pond. It was fun!

The final event of the morning was the Palace Players workshop. Eac person had to act their role - it was hysterical. You all have such clever and creative kids! By the time the event was finished - Will and Adam had taken over the monarchy and Stephen had lost his head!

We enjoyed lunch together in the town of Versailles and then headed back to the center of Paris for a few hours of free time. Some caught up kids visited the Pompidou, some the D'Orsay, and many did some souvenir shopping. We watched the view of the sun setting from the top of MontMartre. Paris really is beautiful!

How fast can you go? Paris -- Day 1

The morning started very early. We were to leave the hotel at 5:30am with a wake-up call at 4:45am, however, a couple of the rooms did not get a wake up call and therefore were awoken by pounding on thier door at 5:25am. But the kids were champs once again and made it out the door and on the bus in only 10 minutes! After an hour drive, we arrived at the train station in Basel to take the TGV (high speed train) to Paris. In a morning full of challenges, we had to load all of us and our luggage on the train in seven minutes! Of course, with our phenomenal group, we made it and took our 3 1/2 hour train ride.

We arrived in Paris and took a bus tour of the city which took us to the major sites including a great view of the Eiffel Tower (where some had their first crepe). The tour ended at the hotel where the kids now have a couple of hours to rest before dinner.

Dinner was duck - a different experience for many of the travelers. Most found it tasty but again found dessert to be the best part of the meal. We then made our way to the top of the Eiffel Tower. The views were spectacular. We hit it at just the right time and got to watch the sunset from there. Then the lights came on and the tower looked even better!

Futbol and Chocolate in Lucerne

Today we got up early and left Munich, Germany for Lucerne, Switzerland. The long bus ride was broken up with lunch spent in Lichtenstein. The kids had a great time in the little country but learned just how expensive it can be to eat in a country that is based on fianance an tourism.

After our break, we took a short bus ride to arrive in Lucerne. We had a short walking tour through the city and then the kids had free time. Annie and George met up with their uncle who lives in Lucerne and the rest of the kids shopped (for chocolate) and looked around. Lucerne is mostly a beautiful and peaceful place...however today was special. Today was the soccer game -- Germany v. England. As Germany crushed England, we could hear every goal (and attempted goal) throughout the city. It was an awesome environment in which to watch the game. The streets of Lucerne were full of celebrators all evening!

We are all headed to bed (hopefully at a reasonable time -- although the Mexico v. Argentina game is on). Tomorrow we leave REALLY early to catch the train to Paris!

Remembering the Past - Munich Day 2

We spent the morning visiting Dachau - the first Nazi concentration camp. The site is an awful reminder of the atrocities that took place just a generation ago. The kids were very attentive, interested and moved. Adam made the comment, "It's weird, reverent and sad at the same time." We entered through the same gate as thousands of prisoners before reading the promise "Work will make you free."

Then we saw the horrible living conditions. By the end of the war two thousand were living in quarters designed for 200.

Finally the gas chamber and creamatorium. Near the end there was no more fuel so the Nazi's resorted to execution by firing squad and burials in mass graves. If is impossible not to be touched when you see the wall with pock marks from bullets or the large body sized ovens. Hopefully the travelers take to heart the quote left by one of the survivors, "Never again."

In the afternoon we took a guided tour of the city culminating at BMW world. This is the place you can design a made to order car. It was a favorite. Then we had free time in the city before a traditional Bavarian dinner. Now we are all anxiously watching the USA vs. Ghana soccer game. GO USA!

When the Gods Conspire - Munich Day 1

Things looked really good as we started out this morning. The kids had to get up super early to catch the vaparetto that would take us to the Roma stop where our bus was waiting to take us to Munich. The suitcases had to be shuttled on a special transport to meet us there. We arrived on time but the transport got caught in a traffic jam on the Grand Canal. We lost about 30 minutes waiting for that to get cleared up.

Our director Mark suggested that we skip our regularly scheduled break and go to a town called Villbach. Great place for lunch and by skipping the pit stop we could spend an entire hour eating & exploring the town. We all said 'Let's do it!" We had to stop at the Italy/Austria border to pay some kind of fee and our new driver, Claudio, went in to take care of that then we were on our way. About 5-10 minutes down the road Claudio asks Mark "Where's my mobile phone?" Mark didn't have it. We didn't have it. Bad news..... We go to the town and we're running a bit late because of construction. We enjoyed Villbach but all meet at the designated spot right on time. No Claudio... no Claudio... no Claudio. Half an hour late he pulls in. He had gone back to the check point for his phone then on the way back was stopped by police that were checking to make sure he had paid the fee. Another 1/2 hour late.

Next was the salt mines. The kids loved it! We rode a train into the mine then walked and slid down to lower levels and learned a lot about the process. Then we crossed an underground brine lake that was playing music and a light show as we went. So cool! Up a funicular and back on the train to the outside. The tour took another 1/2 hour longer than planned and we had a reservation for the Hofbrauhaus tonight!

The final straw was finding the hotel. Mark is German, Claudio Italian. Mark pulls out his map of Munich and begins to instruct Claudio on how to get to the hotel. It is very different than what Claudio's GPS is telling him. He is very patient and follows Mark's instructions. First comes the bridge that is too low for our big bus to fit under. Then comes the construction traffic jam. Then more instructions that conflict with the GPS. Another 1/2 late. That is 2 hours total & Germans are famous for their rigid punctuality.

We check in fast, throw our bags in our rooms and run to the Metro. The train is just pulling in as we approach. Everybody gets on. (You have no idea how tricky that actually is with a group of 26!) Two stops later off & power walk to the Hofbrau. The check in is closed but Mark finds someone and gets us in even though we missed our reservation. The kids love the all you can eat buffet. William A. described it as Chuck-A-Rama meets Munich. SO GOOD! There was Bavarian music and dancing while we ate. After a leisurely walk back to the hotel all the kids are tucked in safe and sound.

Sorry no picture again. I'll try to edit & post tomorrow so be sure to re-check the last two blogs.

Glass Doesn't Break

We went to the island of Murano and watched a glass blowing demonstration. I've been to one before but this was impressive! We watched a glass master, Georgio, make first a vase and then a horse. Then we all went into the shop and spent obscene amount of money but everything we bought was pretty! Then we went to a museum of glass. It showed the progress of glass making over the centuries. Some interesting things we learned today.... 1) Glass making was moved to the island of Murano because of the extreme fear of fire. Most structures were made of wood and the leaders of Venice were afraid a wayward spark from a glass furnace would destroy the entire city. 2) As the new & improved techniques for glass making were invented (900 years ago) the Venetians were very possessive of these secrets. Once someone went to Murano and learned to become a glass maker they could never leave the island again. It has been described in literature as the most beautiful prison on earth.

Some of the group also went to a lace making explaination. Some went to find art they were interested in or churches they had heard of. Everyone went exploring and got lost. We were given an assignment to find a great 'post card' photo and to take a picture of a beautiful window. It was an interesting project and the kids came up with the most interesting things!

Florence to Venice

Since we were not able to post pictures yeaterday, here are a couple from Florence. The first is from the Piazza Michelangelo at sunset and the second is from the stairs off the Piazza Navona.

We left Florence early this morning to travel to Venice. The bus trip was about four hours long but the kids were entertained by Mark (our tour guide)'s game about the art they had seen. It was definitely a thinking person's game, since they were given six images of painitings and were asked to put them in chronological order. They worked in groups and used the information they have learned, including: the transition for two-dimensional art to three-dimenstional art, the use of light, color, landscape, realism and background. They did an excellent job! They are definitely learning a lot!

After arriving at the port, our fabulous driver (Angelo) drove the bus onto the ferry. Some of the kids were nervous about the concept of being on a bus on a ferry but their nervousness soon faded at the sight of the beautiful buildings of Venice. We quickly dropped our bags at the hotel and took the vaperetto (water bus) to the Piazza San Marco. Everyone had a couple of hours of free time to venture out for a little lunch.

We met back at the Lion Column in San Marco Piazza and met our guide for the city walk. A native Venetian, Fiona, took us through San Marco's cathedral and the Doge's Palace. She was a great storyteller and was fabulous at answering questions!

At the conclusiuon of the tour, we took the vaparetto back to the Lido (where our hotel is) and went to dinner. The evening ended with more free time to explore the Lido, watch the Germany v. Ghana soccer game or eat gelato!

Where are the children? Florence Day 2

There isn't internet service at the hotel so I'm blogging at an internet cafè today. Unfortunately that means no pictures today. I'll try to post extra tomorrow. We had the ususal for breakfast - rolls, jam, cheese & meats, yogurt, cereal (cornflakes) with warm milk. There was also some great extras - a machine that made all kinds of hot drinks (the kids learned hot chocolate is not the same everywhere) and watermelon. It was great.

We headed to the Accademia and saw Michelangelo's David. It is again amazing how spectacular the art is up close and personal. There were several other amazing pieces in the museum. Then we gave the kids the rest of the day as 'free' time. All the kids opted to go to the Uffizi. This houses important works such as Bottecelli's Birth of Venus and Primavera, De Vinci's Madonna of the Stairs and pieces by Titian and Tintoretto to name a few. I was so amazed that every single kid chose to go. This is such a great group - making the most of this opportunity.

Katie & I did our own thing (Santa Croce, laundry, the real market...) but ran into kids from time to time. Some climbed to the top of the Dome, some walked along the river, some found other museums and all shopped at the vendor's markets. They seemed to be getting a lot of souvenir shopping done. Be prepared for some great gifts but you may want to check their bank accounts. No seriously, we watched them learn the fine art of bartering.

We are meeting for dinner in a few minutes then we are heading up to the Piazelle Michelangelo. This is a hill at the edge of the old city with a copy of the statue of David. It has great views of the Arno river and overlooks the town. Its spectacular!

Florence Day 1

This morning we left Rome early and headed off to Florence via San Gimignano. It rained most of the bus ride but when we arrived at the Tuscan Farm for our lunch the rain had stopped. We spent about a half hour on the Tunscan countryside touring the farm and vineyards. We were all particularly fascinated with the bottling machine used in the winery. After the tour, we headed up to the farm house where we ate a delicious lunch and enjoyed a picturesque view.

After a short bus ride, we arrived at our hotel in Florence. We immediately walked to the city center for a walking tour. The kids are great! They have good attitudes and are open to learning about other cultures. After the tour, the kids had free time for the evening.