Pompeii with Mount Vesuvius Looming in the Background (Above)

Europe 2009! Blog

France, Switzerland, and Italy

(Photos appear after the Blog below.)

Friday, June 12 (Departure from the United States)

Saturday, June 13 (Overnight in Paris)

After a delayed flight we finally made it into Paris by about 1 pm today.  Because of the late flight, we made an adjustment to our schedule which eventually allowed us to do more than we had planned for the day.  We  enoyed some time this afternoon around the old Opera House.  Some of the group walked over to the Galleries Lafayette for some first-time-in-Paris shopping!  Others in our group sat on the steps of the Opera House and listened to a band.  It was a beautiful afternoon to be outside.

After dinner in a restaurant near the hotel, we hopped on le Metro and made our way over to the Eiffel Tower.  It was beautiful at night and most of the group went up.  Some of the guys even walked......all the way to the top.  I have a new respect for Rick Arnold and those boys.  We arrived back at the hotel around midnight.  It was a great first day!

Sunday, June 14 (Overnight in Paris)

Everyone was bright-eyed (amazingly) this morning as we left the hotel.  We took a city tour by bus and saw many sights such as the Champs Elysees, the Arch of Triumph and  le Invalides; Napoleon's tomb.

Later in the morning we visited Notre Dame Cathedral.  During our visit was the regular Sunday morning service.  It was interesting to see this and to hear the beautiful organ.

After Notre Dame, we headed to the Louvre Museum.  Everyone saw the Venus de Milo; the Winged Victory, and the Mona Lisa.  After seeing these main pieces; everyone walked around in small groups to marvel at the famous works of art.

After dinner tonight; we're off to Monmartre and the beautiful Sacre Cour!  We have an early train to Switzerland in the morning!

Monday, June 15 (Over night in Lucerne)

We had a very early start this morning in order to catch the TGV.  We arrived in Lucerne this morning.  Our first stop was the Lion monument....very impressive.  After this photo opt we took some time for a quick lunch and some shopping time.

There are lots of interesting shops.  Don't be suprised if a Swiss army knife or a new watch comes up with your loved one.

At the moment we're having some free time.  We have been going full blast for the last two days.  It's a beautiful day down by the lake with the Swiss Alps in the background.  Later we plan to see the Jesuit Church, walk across the old bridges here in town, and enjoy some more free time.  Tomorrow is a long drive day to the outskirts of Venice. 

The hotel in Switzerland has been wonderful.  We all slept like rocks last night under the down comforters.!

Everyone is having a good time. 

Tuesday, June 16 (Overnight in Venice)

We crossed over into Italy today.  It has rained some but always while we are in transit.  I suppose we're lucky. 

We stopped for a few hours in Shakespeare's Verona.  The Italian sun was out and it got quite warm as we walked around exploring the narrow streets of this old Italian walled city.  We enjoyed the views of the arena in Verona.  This arena is actually older than the colleseum in Rome!

Later we visited the courtyard where Juliet's balcony can be seen...along with the statute of Juliet.  It was a fun, lighthearted stop...especially for the boys.

We arrived at our hotel on the outskirts of Venice and enjoyed a good Italian dinner.  It was a fun day!

Wednesday, June 17 (Overnight in Florence)

We left our hotel early this morning so that we could catch our vaporetto to Venice.  Usually, Venice is very hot but today there was some cloud cover so it was especially nice.

We walked through St. Mark's Square and by the Doges Palace.  Our local guide told everyone the story of the Bridge of Sighs.  Afterwards, we walked through St. Marks Basilica.  The beautiful gold and precisous stone mosaics are amazing here.

The glass factor tour was very interesting.  A master of glass-blowing gave us a demonstration.  It's hard to imagine how he does this.  Later we also took a tour of a lace factory...the oldest in Venice.

Toward the end of our day, everyone took a gondola ride through the canals of this beautiful city.

As if Venice weren't enough, we arrived at our Florence hotel Wednesday night, had dinner and headed into the city.  We started at the Ponte Vecchio, walked all through the city and eventually ended up at the Piazza della Republica.  It was a wonderful, fun night in Florence!

Thursday, June 18 (Overnight in Florence)

Our day started with a sightseeing tour of Florence, Italy...talk about a beautiful city...so full of history and art!  We saw the Bell Tower, The Duomo, and the Church of Sante Croce.  Inside the church we visited the tomb of Galileo. 

This morning also brought us to the Academia to see several works of Michelangelo, including the awesome David.  Pictures do not do this work justice.

After lunch we met up with former Italian AFS exchange student, Gian Marco Tamburi.  A group of us walked around the city with Gian Marco and his friend.  It was good to see them both! 

In the late afternoon we took our bus up to the Piazzale Michelangelo for a breathtaking view of Florence.  Afterwards we walked up to San Miniato Basilica for the Gregorian chants.  It is amazing to think that the monks of this basilica have been doing these chants for hundreds of years...in the same building! 

The history here is simply overwhelming.  One has to see it...to experience it, to believe it!  In the morning, we're off to Rome! 

Friday, June 19 (Overnight in Rome)

We left Florence this morning and decided to do an excursion to the beautiful Tuscany hillside town of San Gimignano.  We arrived before lunch and explored the small streets that wind through the town, enjoying some breathtaking overlooks.

Everyone found something good to eat...and most found some gelato, too!  Those that wanted explored the torture museum in town, yep, the torture museum.  I hear that it was pretty interesting.

Tonight, those who still had some energy left went with me on a walking tour of the city.  We hit the major highlights on our walk-about including the Colleseum, the Pantheon, the Spanish Steps, Piazza Navona, and the Trevi Fountain.  Wehad a breathtaking view of the Roman Forum from on top of the Capitoline Hill.  It was well after midnight before we finally got back to the hotel.....can't waste a minute!

Tomorrow we have a guided tour of Rome and visit the smallest independent nation in the world: the Vatican state!

Saturday, June 20 (Overnight in Rome)

Our morning started with an early visit to the Vatican Museums.  All of the artwork, tapestries, and marble is amazing.  The highlight of the day was a visit to the Sistine Chapel.  It was awe-inspiring!

After leaving the Vatican Museums we walked over to St. Peter's Basilica.  We lucked up again as we visited during a service....awesome!

We left the Vatican state and took our bus tour.  We saw the Circus Maximus, the Arch of Constantine, the Forum, and other major sights.  We stopped at the Colleseum for a tour inside.  The weather was nice...not too hot.  After a wonderful pasta lunch we took the subway over to the Via Veneto where we visited the "Church of the Bones," the American Embassy, and the Hard Rock Cafe.  Later we strolled along the Via Condotti for another sweep by the Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon.  The Pantheon was even more interesting today in the daylight primarily because we got to go inside. 

It's been a busy couple of days so we're calling it an early night.  Tomorrow morning we drop some of the other groups at the airport before we head south of Rome to Pompeii and Sorrento.  The next couple of days will be the icing on the cake of this wonderful trip!

Sunday, June 21 (Overnight in Sorrento)

Today we moved south of Rome to ancient Pompeii.  Pompeii sits at the foot of Mount Vesuvius which erupted in 79 AD, covering the town.  We met our local guide who did a great job giving us the history of Pompeii.  He showed us through this "outdoor museum" pointing out the pipes that ran water to the homes.  He also showed us some paintings inside the homes that still exhibited wonderful clarity and colors.

It was a beautiful day...not too hot!  After our tour of Pompeii we boarded the bus for the final leg of our trip, Sorrento.  Everyone found something that they wanted to do this evening in this seaside resort town.  Some of us took a public bus ride down the Amalfi coast to Positano.  The ride down the Amalfi coast was amazing.  There were tight turns and high cliffs.  You'd have to see the views to believe!  As we left Positano, we could see a fireworks display.  We were late (about 1:30 am) getting back to the hotel.  It seems "Italian time" is not the same as our time....much more relaxed bus schedules!

Monday, June 22 (Overnight in Rome)

Our final day in Italy was well worth the wait.  After breakfast we walked down to the water and boarded our boat for the Isle of Capri.  It was an absolultely gorgeous day full of sunshine and blue sky.

We decided to hire a boat on Capri and take a tour around the island.  We went out to the Faraglioni rock formation....talk about a view!  This had to be one of the highlights of the trip.  I had never done it before and I was so glad that we did.  Ask your kids for some of the photos from this boatride.

After this tour we took the funicular up to the top of Capri town.  We had spectacular views of the Tyrrhenian Sea from the public gardens high above the water.  The water is so clear and blue.  We had a nice pizza lunch as we celebrated our final day in Europe.

After leaving Capri, we headed back to Rome.  We have a long travel day on Tuesday. 

I have really enjoyed this group.  I have been impressed with the interest exhibited in all of the history and museum visits over the past 12 days.  It's a little sad to be leaving such a wonderful place with such a sharp group.  I hope that each person will return to the United States with a greater appreciation for the things that we have...and a greater understanding of people and cultures in a very different part of the world.  It is also my hope that each person has developed a greater love for travel and that he/she will continue to explore new places!

We are looking forward to seeing you all Tuesday night.  For now, Ciao!

Tuesday, June 23 (Departure for the United States)