Europe

The trip overall was very busy. We traveled a lot and were constantly on the move. A lot of the places we went were very touristy which means they were crazy crowded. A lot of the time I felt exhausted. Keeping track of a group of 25 people was also a bit daunting at times. That is all the negative. With that said, the trip was amazing!

We had fantastic parents and students. They were very patient and positive. I was surprised by the students. They were away from home, they were jet lagged, they were spending so much time together and there was no cattiness or drama. There were three times small groups got separated from the main group but each time they weren't lost too long. Luckily there was always an adult as part of the lost group and they were able to make their way to the hotel or to our next meeting spot.

                                                             Traveling to London

We started with a couple days of travel and a sleepless night on the plain. Our first destination was London. We met our group leader, Alex, who was a very spunky and experienced British guy. I was crazy because Trump came to visit the UK while we were there and there were a lot of rallies, some pro and some anti trump. London was a very fun city. I'd say they people were the friendliest to us out of all the places we went. I was surprised by how dirty the city was. Our hotel was right in the heart of London and even in a couple days we got pretty familiar with navagating it so students liked being able to shop. We got a lot of experience navagating the "tubes." (The underground system in London.)

Walking throuh London we passed a lot of theatres. We had a delicious fish and chips dinner. We did some shopping in Picadilly Circus.








We went to Wesminster Abbey and watched the guard march and play.

I loved going to the National Gallery. It was great to see Van Gogh in person and to see a few of my students reactions to the art as well.

Our last night in London we split off into a smaller group and we had a lovely walk over tower Bridge and around the tower of London.

The next morning we took a chunnel that took us under the sea to Paris. When we first arrived we saw Notre Dame and it was stunning! The first night we were in Paris they won the World Cup and it was CRAZY! The streets were full of people that were screaming, chanting, lighting fireworks. We had a dinner with the best bagettes I've ever had (and charged us 12 dollars for water!) and then retired for an early night before the streets got even more crazy.

The next morning we took a bus (a "coach" as our tour guide, Alex, would say). We saw the Arc de Triumph and then we took a corner and there it was: THE EIFFEL TOWER! It truly was breathtaking to see in person! It was just so big! (Duh, but in person it surprised us.)

We went to the Louvre, which of course was amazing. It was also hot, crowded and a bit overwhelming. The things we saw were so amazing it was more than worth it.

        This is the crowd trying to see the Mona Lisa. To get close you've really got to push up there.

                                             A bit anti-climatic..but...it IS the Mona Lisa.

                   The next morning before we left Paris we saw the Eiffel Tower more close up.

 We then took an overnight train to Florence. It was not the best night sleep ever, but I've had worse.

         Beautiful cathedral in Florence. I love the Gothic mixed with the Italian. Very cool.
 After a day in Florence we stopped in a city called Assisi. We were only there a short time, but we loved it. Maybe because it was quiet and pretty and not as tourist-y.

                       We then traveled to Rome. The first night there we saw the Trevi fountain.
                           The next morning we went to the Colosseum. It was amazing to see.

I was surprised that the Sistine Chapel is lots and lots of rooms and wings. There's way more than just the Michaelangelo room. You can talk and take pictures in all the rooms except that one. They crowd you in that room and there's someone who keeps saying "SILENCIO" periodically over a loud speaker. There are guards telling you where you can not stand still and making sure you don't take photographs. Despite all that, looking up and seeing the "Creation of Adam" on the ceiling is amazing! I will not forget that. It is so beautiful in real life! I also didn't realize that St. Peter's Basillica is part of the same complex as the Sistine Chapel. The highlight for me was seeing the Pieta by Michelangelo. He created it when he was 23! Just breathtaking.

The travel home was killer. We traveled for twenty seven hours straight. No sleep, lots of flights. I felt physically sick. Christian said as I was watching movies on the plane, my mouth was hanging open. He tried to snap a couple pics but I caught him. They did however catch how utterly exhausted we were. 

Overall, the trip was great. I loved bonding with my students. I loved knowing what an incredible experience this was for my students. I was so grateful Christian was there to emotional support me to experience with me and for the many ways he helped me. I was so grateful for his navagational skills with a map and navagating the "tubes." We had a fantastic, funny, experienced tour guide. And the parents and students truly were impressive in their attitudes. I'm grateful it all went smoothly.