Versaille and Fondue! What a great day!

Day Two.. Musee D'Orsay, Champs-Elysee, Arc de Triomphe and Batman!

Today we visited the famous Musee D’Orsay located in the center of Paris. The museum is home to several famous works of art including paintings by Van Gogh, Monet, Tissot, Cézanne, Renoir, Manet, Degas and many more. After the museum, we walked to the Champs-Elysee where students enjoyed free time and had the opportunity to walk up the Arc de Triomphe, commissioned by Napoleon to honor those lost in the French Revolutionary War. After a wonderful group dinner, we made out way to the movie theatre and watched "The Dark Knight Rises".. Then off to bed for a good-nights sleep before Versailles tomorrow!

Paris day one.. Sainte-Chapelle, Notre Dame, Boat tour and the Eiffel Tower!

We started our first full day in Paris with a walk to Sainte-Chapelle (the Holy Chapel) unique and famous for its stained glass windows. We then made our way to Notre Dame. Students had time to grab some lunch and explore the well-known Latin Quarter, home to the oldest bookstore in Paris, Shakespeare and Company. After lunch we regrouped at Notre Dame and took a tour inside and up into the bell towers.  After our visit we walked along the river Seine to the famous Pont-Neuf Bridge where we began our boat tour of Paris! For dinner, we watched the moon rise with a picnic  in front of the Eiffel Tower!

Enchanté Paris!

We arrived safe and sound this morning in Paris and went straight to our hotel to check in. After lunch we had a few hours to relax and refresh ourselves, then we made our way to Sacre Coeur located at the top of Montmartre. For dinner, students feasted on a variety of freshly made dinner and dessert crepes and enjoyed a beautiful view of the city!.

Arividerchi Firenze!

 For our last day in Florence, the staff planned a surprise beach day for the students. We went to a beach called Viareggio which is about an hour away from Florence. After a few relaxing hours at the beach, we stopped at Pisa on the way back home. We saw the famous leaning tower of Pisa and took a tour of the city’s Cathedral and its baptistery. After returning to Florence we got into cooking groups for dinner and the students made gnocchi alla Sorrentina!  After dinner we walked to Ponte Vecchio and listened to music on the bridge, then made our way around Florence on a gelato tasting tour, and finished the night with a Florence scavenger hunt.   Team  "2+2= 4" won for a second time!  

Day Trip to Siena!

Today was our full day excursion to Siena! Siena is an Mid evil Tuscan city that is known for its horse race called the Palio.  The city is broken up into 17 different neighbourhoods, each with its own flag, motto and horse that races in the palio.   We started our day in Siena with a visit to the Basilica of San Domencio where there are relics of Saint Catherine, a patron saint of Italy including her head and finger. We then walked to Piazza del Campo where students were given free time to explore the streets of Siena and grab some lunch. We then visited the Cathedral of Siena. The floor of the cathedral is decorated with marble mosaic artworks. After the Cathedral students had the opportunity to climb up the unfinished portion of the original transept to see the city's best aerial view possible.

Following the tradition of Siena, the kids got into their scavenger hunt groups and designed their own flags, motto, and the values that their group stands for then each group presented their flags.  We have some VERY CREATIVE students!! 

Welcome to Florence!!

We arrived in Florence 3 days ago and have already done A LOT.  Our first day included a trip to the Accademia to see Michalangelo's statue of David, then we had a group dinner, took a tour of the city, and made our way to see  a reading of Dante's Inferno in Piazza Santa Croce! After ward we had a gelato before heading home.

   
 We started off our first full day in Florence with a visit to the Uffizi Gallery. Completed in 1581, the Uffizi Gallery is one of the most popular tourist sites in Florence. Adjacent to the Medici Palace, the museum is home numerous collections of paintings and statues including works by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Sandro Botticelli, Caravaggio, Raphael and many other celebrated artists.


 After an afternoon of free time, we walked to the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, the cathedral of Florence. The cathedral (Duomo) is the world’s third largest church. We walked up 463 steps to the top of the Duomo for the best aerial view of Florence. For dinner, we tested our skills in the kitchen, as tonight was our first night of cooking groups!