Survey

I forgot to remind you all to go to this site to fill out a post-tour survey. You'll need to have your account number, which you can get from eftours.com. By filling out the survey, you'll be registered to win a free digital camera.

I am still editing all the tour photos, and will try to have the on-line photo albums up in a week or so.

More to follow.

JVH

Thank you

We hope your first night back at home was a good one. Thank you very much to everyone who joined us on the trip and those back at home who helped make it possible. We had a terrific time being with the students (and adults too)! We were very impressed by the positive behavior, attitudes, and energy of the group.

I will be working on a web album which will include all of the photos Jill and I have taken (over 1000). Once they are all uploaded I will post directions on how to access the folder.

Thanks again,

JVH

Madrid - muy caliente!

Our last day was a hot one, filled with fun, great sites, and great food. The day began with a guided bus tour. We stopped for photos at the monument to Cervantes, which featured a bronze statue of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza. Then we continued on to the Royal Palace. The courtyard was beautiful, as the photos show, but the opulence and splendor of the interior is impossible to describe - too bad no photos were allowed. The palace is the largest in Europe, with over 2000 rooms. Each room was decorated by a different famous artist, and each had its own purpose. We saw the dining room with portraits by Goya, the bedroom draped in gold-embroidered silk, the throne room with deep red velvets and brilliant gold leaf, the dinner room decorated all in porcelain, and the grand feast hall, with a single table that holds 145 people.

After the palace, we drove to the modern city center to see the unique architecture and the skyscrapers. Then we returned to the hotel for free time. Many people visited the Reina Sophia museum of modern art, which houses Picasso's famous Guernica. It was a popular stop, as the hotel is about a 30 second walk from the museum. Others used the time to shop or to take a siesta - a good way to deal with the near 100 degree temperatures. At 5 p.m. about 20 of us walked with our guide to a large park behind the Prado. There we saw a rose garden, a man-made lake, a palace made entirely of crystal, and a memorial garden for the Atocha Train Station terrorist bombings (dozens of trees were planted, each representing one of the victims). From there we walked to dinner, near the Plaza del Sol. For dessert we walked to a Chocolateria, where we dipped fried churros in cups of steaming, melted dark chocolate.

Now we are saying our good-byes to our new friends from Kansas (they need to check out at 5:30 tomorrow morning), with whom we have traveled the whole tour. We'll be packed and checked out by 9:30 a.m. and will bus to the Madrid airport to catch our 12:45 flight to Frankfurt (LH flight #4411). There we will have a 2.5 hour layover before we catch our 5:35 flight to Detroit (LH #486). We are scheduled to land at 8:30 p.m. Detroit time. Once we get our bags and clear customs, we will find the bus that will drive us to DeWitt High School. Once we are on the bus, I will pass around a cell phone to have your kids call you and give you an ETA. I expect to arrive some time around 11 p.m.

JVH

Barcelona

After disembarking the ferry, some travelers chose to take the metro into the heart of the city with our tour director. They walked along Las Ramblas, the city's main shopping avenue. The rest of the group chose to remain in the vicinity of the hotel where they visited a large department store, El Corte Inglese.

We began a bus tour the next morning starting out in Park Guell. Here we viewed works by Barcelona's famous architect, Antonio Gaudi. He tried to infuse elements of nature in his architectural designs so there are many curved surfaces and few straight lines. After a stroll through the park, we drove to another Gaudi masterpiece, Sagrada Familia. This unfinished basilica has been under construction since 1889. In the end it will contain 12 spires, the largest of which has yet to be built. The church is designed to hold over 5,000 people, a choir of 1,500, and seven organs. Our bus tour concluded with a trip to the top of Montjuic, the highest hill in the city. The view from here was spectacular.

After the tour we split up for free time activities. Some travelers chose to hang out on the beach and swim in the Mediterranean Sea. Others visited the Picasso museum, Las Ramblas, and the Barcelona cathedral.

We met back up for a buffet dinner that included pasta and paella. A group of us chose to view a fabulous Flamenco show after dining while others remained in the city to shop and stroll.

We ended the day tired, and with an early wake up call to follow. We had to be sure we wouldn't miss our ride on the 185 mph train to Madrid.

By the way, I added a few more photos to the Pisa slide show, so you might want to check that out again.

JVH

Pisa, Genoa, and ferry ride

Hola from Barcelona! This is a beautiful city with a fantastic mix of Gothic and Modern styles. The people are friendly and easy going and our hotel (in a suburb called Sabadell) is very comfortable.

Before we got here though, we said goodbye to Italy with a drive through Tuscany and Liguria. First we stopped at Pisa, where we saw the famous Leaning Tower. The architecture was stunning. We were reminded by our tour guide Urano (named for the planet, Uranus) that the main building in Pisa was never intended to be the tower. Poor planning by the building's first architect caused it to sink into the soft soil as it got taller. Later architects corrected that mistake, saving the building from total collapse and causing the non-uniform slope. But, because of that first mistake, Pisa became famous, so all the locals are thankful for the soft soil they walk on every day.

The central buildings in Pisa's main square include a baptistery (with the red tile roof) and the cathedral (famous for it's moorish-influenced striped marble and pointed arches), and of course, the bell tower. After a tour of all three, we had some free time to see the city and to eat lunch.

When we left Pisa, we drove through Tuscany to the coast. On the way we passed the Carrara marble quarry, the place where all of the marble in Michelangelo's statues came from. After a few hours driving trough the mountains, we arrived in Genoa. It's a city with a real maritime feel, full of contrasting styles and an edgy street scene. It also has a world-famous aquarium, that many of the students chose to visit before we boarded the ferry.

We all stopped in a grocery store to stock up on chocolate and salami before we got on board. The ferry ride was fantastic. Most of the kids danced in the lounge for a few hours before sleeping. Once we arrived in Barcelona, we had some time to get used to the hotel. A few of us went by subway into the city center for a short walk. Tomorrow will be a big day: Bus tour in the morning, then hours of free time (beaches, Picasso Museum, shopping, etc...), then dinner, then either a Flamenco dance show or a stroll on Las Ramblas.

The Internet connection is very slow tonight, so I'll only post five photos (it's already 1 a.m. and I have waited over an hour for the first 5 to upload). I will post more once I get a faster connection.

JVH

A few Florence photos

Florence

Our journey today began with a bus ride to the city. We were led through the city by a local tour guide who showed us the Florence highlights like the Uffizi gallery, Plaza de Signora, and the famous Duomo. After the tour we enjoyed a short leather-making demonstration. We ate a lunch of pot roast and potatoes together and then split for an afternoon of free choice activities.

Many chose to climb the 462 to the top of the Dome to enjoy the spectacular view. Other activities included shopping and browsing on the Ponte Vechio, visiting the Santa Croce church, wondering through the Boboli gardens, and viewing Michelangelo’s magnificent David at the Academia gallery. We met back together to enjoy a pasta and chicken dinner. Afterwards we made a picture stop at Piazza Michelangelo as the sun set over the city.

Tomorrow we go to Pisa, Genoa, and then board the over-night ferry for Barcelona. My guess is that there will be no communication with the states while we're on the Mediterranean. We will arrive in Barcelona at about 3 p.m. local time - that's 9 a.m. on Thursday for you in Michigan.

FYI: Our Barcelona hotel location has been changed. The new info: Gran Hotel Verdi – Sabadell
Avenida Francesc Macia 62
08206 Barcelona
+34 93 72 311 11

photos from the Vatican and Assisi

Day 4

After an early breakfast, we went straight to the Vatican. The Pope wasn’t home (he’s in Australia), but there were plenty of other things to see. Our tour guide led us through some of the Vatican Museums, where we saw statues, frescoes, tapestries, and paintings of unimaginable beauty. The Museum tour ended in the Sistine Chapel, which has just been newly restored. The colors and figures were stunning (sorry, no photos allowed). Then we went inside the largest church in the world: St. Peter’s Church. Then we spent a while shopping near the Vatican before boarding the bus to Assisi.

The ride to Assisi was beautiful – the hills and villages of Umbria are just what we imagined. We stopped before we got there at a ceramics factory, where we saw a short demonstration of how ceramics are made and had a chance to peruse the store. Once we got to Assisi, we had 2 hours or so to tour the Basilica and its surrounding town. It’s a charming location – so much so that four of our girls got a photo with some of the local boys!

Finally, it was on to Florence, where we’re resting after dinner for a long day of sight-seeing and shopping.

I ran out of time to post today's photos, so look for them in the coming days. Also, I'll have the full photo album open to all members of this e-mail list once the trip is over (it currently has over 400 photos!)

JVH

DAy 2-3 With Photos!!

The morning began at about 7:30 with breakfast in the hotel. Then we went to the Colosseum. We had a fantastic guide, and were amazed at the thousands of years of history. The views were fantastic. From there, bussed to the Trevi fountain. It was very crowded, but we were all still able to toss in a coin – we’ll all be back in Rome some day!

Then we walked to the Pantheon, the oldest still-functional building in the world (over 1850 years!). There was a bit of a delay before we could enter because the church service was still in session (the priest had slept in) so we walked a block to another Basilica in Piazza Minerva. Not many people ever go there, which as nice because we had a great chance to admire the gothic architecture and “The Virgin Holding the Baby” by some artist we’ve never heard of – Michelangelo.

Once we got back to the Pantheon, we took in the amazing view of one of the largest domes ever built and the tomb of Raphael. Then we split up for a bit of free time. Some had gelato, some shopped, some just listened to the accordion in the square and watched Rome wake up. Then most of the group drove to the catacombs, while others continued shopping. We had more free time, then dinner, then a bus tour of Rome by night. What a day! It was bed by midnight, for a 6 a.m. wakeup call. Whew!

Day 2, morning

We had a good night of rest here in Rome and are now all set to head out to the Colosseum after breakfast. The plan for the day is to have a guided tour of the Colosseum, the Trevi Fountain, and the Pantheon. After that we will split up. Some will go to the Catacombs, some will spend free time shopping and seeing more sights. Tonight, most of us will head out on a Rome by night guided tour.

There are still a few first day jitters that we are working out. The banks are closed since it is a Sunday, so we cannot exchange US currency yet, but we will get to that tomorrow. Some of us had a hard time figuring our the calling cards, but we are getting the kinks worked out and will be able to call home this evening.

The web connection is still hard to find. I am posting this from a public computer in the hotel lobby, so I cannot get the photos linked up. Once I find a wifi hot spot I will post photos of out activities. Until then, know that we are all safe and enjoying ourselves. The line behind me is growing, so for now I will sign off. More to come.

More Grand Rapids Photos

1st tour post

 

Here we are, ready to get on our first flight to Detroit! More posts to follow!

JVH

Crunch time!

Hey travelers! Time to make those final preparations.

I've been in touch with our tour director, Katia DiLodovico. She sent me this little blurb about herself:

About myself: I'm italian, I grew up in a town called Pescara, on the Adriatic Coast of Italy, but now I live in Rome where I moved for college several years ago to study foreign languages and literatures; I love travelling and being in good company, that's why I started working for EF in the "last century", it was 1999, and I still love it!!!

Katia also reminded me of the dress codes in the churches we'll visit: The dress code applies to all churches: no shorts allowed at all, no short skirts and no sleeveless tops, basically shoulders, stomach and knees need to be covered; at the Vatican they're stricter: men need to wear long pants to cover their ankles too, but you can wear casual, or jeans.

Please be sure to pack accordingly.

Finally, one last minor tweak to the itinerary. Katia would rather not break up both our days in Florence, so we'll be going to Pisa on the 16th, not on the 15th as originally planned.

Please feel free to call or e-mail with any last minute questions.

Remember to meet at the Grand Rapids Airport at 3 p.m. tomorrow. Wear your tour shirt!.

Thanks,

JVH

5 days left!

We'll be taking off in five days. A week from today we'll be standing in front of the Colosseum.

On Friday, July 11, we'll meet at 3 p.m. at the Starbucks in the Grand Rapids airport. Directions to the airport are below. You can choose to use the curb-side drop off, or pay to park in short-term parking ($2 for the first hour, $1 for each additional 30 minutes). Once we are all present, we'll say our good-byes and check in as a group. Be sure you have your passport, and please read the regulations for both Northwest and Lufthansa.

We will have layovers in Detroit (where you'll want to eat dinner) and Frankfurt (where you might want lunch). Lufthansa will provide an in-flight meal (probably breakfast). Plan on sleeping during the flight from Detroit to Frankfurt.

We'll get to our hotel in Rome in the evening on Saturday (EF will provide dinner), so there probably won't be much sight-seeing on the first day. This is nice because it gives us a chance to recover from the long flight and acclimate to the local time. On the last trip I led, we arrived in the afternoon and everyone was such a zombie all they wanted to do was go to the hotel anyway.

Directions to GRR:

driving directions - Upload a Document to Scribd

Read this document on Scribd: driving directions

Parking map for GRR:

GRR parking - Upload a Document to Scribd

Read this document on Scribd: GRR parking

10 days to go!

Just ten days until we depart. Here's a few updates.

1) There's a slight change to our itinerary. Our first full day in Rome will be on a Sunday. We'll be able to do all the main things listed on the EF itinerary, but the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel are closed on Sundays. I wanted to be sure that we'd see those sights too, so EF tweaked the schedule just a bit. Before we leave Rome on Monday, we'll stop by the Vatican again to see the sights that were closed on Sunday. From there, we'll head to Assisi.

2) We delivered your shirts along with a packet of important trip information, so check your front porches if you haven't already gotten them. Please read all the info, and have your parents do the same.

3) You'll be getting another packet of info when we meet up at the Grand Rapids airport. That will contain some background for tour-related sites and some travel tips -- good reading for the lay-overs.

4) Southern Europe is in the midst of a heat wave, and it doesn't show any signs of breaking. Yesterday, high temps in Rome, Florence, and Madrid were near 90 and Barcelona was in the mid 80s. The 10-day forecasts for all four of our main destination cities show more of the same - hot and dry in Rome and Madrid, hot and humid in Florence and Barcelona. Here are some tips for traveling in European summers.
* from the BBC: "Wear a hat. Floppy cotton ones with brims are the most practical, and if it's all becoming too much you can just run it under a tap or dip it in a stream before putting it back on your head. Not only does the cool water give instant relief, but as it evaporates from the top it'll act like a tiny refrigerator."

* from Italy Heaven: 1. Carry a fan (if you're male and this would embarrass you, try to find a suitably sized and rigid booklet or piece of card). These are especially useful on public transport where air conditioning is inadequate and Italians don't like to open windows.

2. Always carry some water, ideally in a bottle that you can refill at the public drinking water fountains you'll find throughout Italy. These are perfectly safe to drink from, and are life-savers on baking summer days.

3. Keep some suntan lotion in your bag in the daytime for frequent re-application, and insect repellent in the late afternoon or evening.

4. A pale-coloured umbrella can double as a parasol when the sun gets really hot, and is a useful thing to pack in your suitcase.