427 Days until Europe!

With Spring Break quickly approaching and summer break not far behind, it seems like we are getting close to our one year mark before we leave! Next summer we will be in Europe!! My nephew, Michael (8 years old), absolutely loves maps. He lives in Virginia and we love playing games online. He just sent me a map game. I'm not going to lie -- I was a little embarassed at my score -- I thought I was better with geography! Anyway, give it a try! The link is http://www.yourchildlearns.com/mappuzzle/europe-puzzle.html

What are we watching?

There's the craziest movie on right now titled "If It's Tuesday, This Must Be..." It's set in the '60's and all about a tour group traveling through Europe. I'm laughing as the clepto character tries to stuff a stolen ash try into a suitcase already too full of contraband. Then the group complains because they only get burgers when travelers from another tour get salad with their meal. Next the traveler that knows everything and another that thinks the most amazing sites are boring. Then the girl who's sure she's in love with a foreigner she's met Switzerland and the guy who thinks if he just speaks louder the locals will understand him. Now the tour is in Venice and a traveler is meeting his family roots. They've got a young daughter and even though no one speaks English it's obvious a wedding is afoot. I'm laughing hysterically recognizing so many scenarios from my own tours (except the wedding of course). There are so many great things when visiting and learning about new cultures, but its the stories and memories we create along the way that make the trip amazing. I'm still so excited about the group & can't wait to leave! 438 days to go....

Can You Say Great Group?

I got the travelers together for a short meeting today. Some things happened over the weekend that had me worried and I was hearing that some of the travelers may not have the best intentions for the trip. Seeing the kids together eased my concerns. They are so cute & I think we are going to have a fabulous time. Having the entire bunch in one place at the same time made me want to pack them all up and leave today but I know they're not ready yet. Katie & I talked about starting travelers meetings before this year is out instead of waiting for the next school year to begin. It'll be fun!
P.S. 463 days and counting!

STATE!

Okay, this blog is supposed to be about traveling but how can the events of this weekend go without notice? The Highland boys took the 4A basketball title last night. It was actually a bit anti-climatic. After the nail biter against Lehi Friday, the Bountiful game was pretty calm. Bountiful had a lead 2-3 the first few minutes and then HHS led the rest of the way. Special congrats to Matt & Max, 2 travelers on the team and also to the many cheerleaders and fans that made Highland look good all the way!

Estrogen

The first early registration deadline has passed and two dozen travelers are signed up! It's a bit unbalanced right now with girls outnumbering boys 3:1. There are however, some really great guys that told me they were coming that aren't on the list yet so I'll start working on them. I'm sure the guys already on the tour don't mind these odds but there tends to be less drama if there is a bit more balance either way.

The Excitement Begins

The response to the trip has been amazing! Kids are getting registered right and left. It's looking like a great group so far and Katie & I are already excited. After Parent-Teacher conferences we were ready to go - now!

2012

Starting up with a new group makes me excited and nervous at the same time. Will there be enough that sign up? Will they be a good, trouble free group? Oh, look there's one of my favorite students... Thanks to all those that came to the first meeting last night. It helps allivate some of my concerns. It looks like there is more than enough interest and fun kids. Hopefully the website is up and running on Tuesday.

And the Winner Is....

Bids are in! Looks like we'll be traveling with Explorica the summer of 2012. They came in with the most competitive bid and then added London as a bonus. I was thinking to avoid London that close to the Olympics but how can you resist when it's thrown in practically for free?

Waiting....

Wow, the travel agencies are slower than expected! They seem to be stumped by a custom itinerary. I'll be sending out interest cards tomorrow. No sense waiting for the companies before I start building our travel group!

Merry Christmas!

The itinerary went to the travel agencies a few weeks ago. Now its an anxious wait for the bids to come in. Hopefully they are reasonable and won't require much negotiation. Then its time to start notifiing and recruiting a new crew of travelers. Yay!

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!