London Calling.....

Hi Everyone, I know it has been a while since I have posted but internet is bloody expensive and the past two nights we have either been on a ferry from Caen, France to Portsmouth, England or at Warwick Castle sleeping in tents!! So below is a some pictures from the past few days. These really should say it all! Leave comments to let us know how things are back home. Tomorrow we are off to Buckingham Palace and some other sites in London then tomorrow night we are going to the Lord of the Rings in the West End!

Viva la Paris!!!

Today we took a four hour ride from Brussels to the great city of Paris. Many of the delegates we sad that we only got to spend one day in Brussells but were eager to see the many great sits of Paris.

Once we arrived in France, we went to Compeigne, which was the site of the signing of the treaty that ended World War I in 1918, then was the site of the armistice between France and Germany during World War II in which France surrendered. There were many connections that the students saw during their visit here between the two historic dates and they viewed many primary source documents that helped them learn more about their significant events.

After a fantastic lunch at a small restaurant near Compeigne, we took another hour bus ride to the town of Versailles which is just north of Paris. While driving, the students got their first looks at the Eiffel Tower but that will come more on Sunday. Once at Versailles, our tour guide took us amongst the grand gardens that lay on the grounds of the Palace of Versailles. It was built by Louis XIV and housed Luis XIV,XV and XVI. Once through the gardens, the delegates broke into groups and took off into the palace to view some amazing artwork!


Next was dinner at a small restaurant in Versailles then it was off to the hotel for some well-needed rest and relaxation. It is going to be a long day tomorrow as we are taking a guided tour of Paris and seeing the Louvre and hopefully the Mona Lisa!!! Until then, enjoy!!

"Ever think in a million years you would go to Brussels, Belgium?"

That was the question I asked one of the delegates, Meghan Kaliff. Brussels, Belgium was the scene of the next stop for the People to People crew. After an early morning rise and breakfast, we counted off and made our way onto the bus where we traveled for roughly 3 hours to Brussels. Most of us on the bus caught up on sleep but some took in the sites of the countryside on this rainy day.
Once we arrived in Brussels, our Delegation Manager, Suzanna Doyle, took us on a great walking tour of central Brussels. Although it was raining, everyone seemed to enjoy the different sites and smells of Brussels. All throughout the air, the smell of chocolate and waffles filled the square. The architecture kept the delegates in awe and we all marveled at the different sites we took in. We also saw the famous statue of Manneken Pis. While in his "glory" students took pictures of this very famous statue which depicts a statue of a little boy "doing his business" into a fountain.
Next, we took in lunch at a traditional Belgian restaurant and feasted on what could be described as Belgian lasagna with ham. After we finished our fruit cups for dessert (which many of us did not finish because we wanted chocolate) the delegation took about 2 and a half hours for shopping and taking in the sites. The delegation leaders sat at a small cafe in central square and had a tremendous helping of waffles with chocolate and ice cream! DELICIOUS!!!! I don't think Ego can even come close!
Once everyone was rounded up, we made our way to "Planete Chocolate" where we learned the art of chocolate making and even sampled some of the great samples.
After dinner, we made our way back to the hotel where we turned in early (except me. As I write this, it is 11:45pm) due to a very early rise tomorrow for our long journey to Paris!! Hope all is well at home!! More to come soon!

Flight from Newark and Amsterdam

Hello parents.
I apologize for the lack of news but we have been running around like crazy and the internet in the hotels are very expensive. After a long journey to the Netherlands filled with flight delays, missed connections and lost luggage, we made it. Due to many of our delays, we were unable to complete our itinerary for Tuesday but since many of the delegates and leaders were tired, it was nice to be able to sleep at our hotel.
Wednesday was started with a delicious breakfast, an early workout by some of the boys and then heading off to Amsterdam from our hotel in Rotterdam. While there, we went on a beautiful tour by boat along the canals of Amsterdam. We saw many sites such as the Anne Frank house and many historic buildings. It was a nice way to start the day as the delgates got to sit and have their cameras ready for the ideal photos.
After an interesting yet tasty lunch called Hodgepodge, which is comprised of a meatball, mashed potatos and carrots, we made our way over to the Diamond Museum where the delgates learned how diamonds are made and then even got to try on some expensive diamonds; some worth hudreds of thousands of dollars!!!!!!!! The girls were in their elements trying on the rings!
Next, we went to Anne Franks house for a very sobering and retrospective look at her time in hiding with her family from the Nazis. The delegation leaders and staff of the museum were all very impressed with how mature the students acted during their walk through the house. While waiting for the other groups to finish their tour, I got to talk to many of the students about how the felt while walking through and experiencing what Anne and her family went through. The words chilling, haunting, and sad were mentioned but also the words brave and courgeous were uttered as well. Our delegates showed amazing compassion and sympathy during such a moving experience.
After a babecue dinner where the students got to cook their own meals (dont worry no one got injured) we headed back for some free time and early bed time since we must leave the hotel early to head to Brussels. More to come as well as some great pictures!!!