We have done so much in London! First we went to our hotel, the British version of Day's Inn. It is very nice and centrally located to the London Eye and the water front. Francy, our director, took us on a long walk to see all the sights - Parliament, Big Ben, Westminister Cathedrale, 10 Downing Street, Buckingham Palace, St. James Palace, Trafalgar Square, St. Martin in the Fields church and the Tower Bridge. We also took a bus tour and our bus guide was very funny as he explained what we were seeing.
Yesterday we shopped a bit and ate in Covent Gardens. Then the EF groups split up. My group, the TPS students were low on money, so we decided to see the free museum of Albert and Victoria. We took two double decker busses to get there. Keziah is quite good with a map, a compass and directions. We walked around the museum. I am pleased with how the girls budgeted their money and spent it carefully.
We took the Underground subway to St. Paul's Cathedrale to meet the rest of the group. Then we walked across the Millenium Bridge and had dinner in an English pub. We had fish & chips, followed by apple pie and custard. All very British!
I received many compliments on our TPS students. They are polite, kind and patient. They did not complain when they were tired or exhausted from walking. They didn't turn up their noses at the food. They got along in tight quarters and showed a gracious spirit. They co-operated with the program and me. The other teenagers' commented on this and said, "Homeschoolers are so much more mature".
It has been a pleasure to take homeschooled students to Europe and I hope to continue to do so.
Today we are flying home and looking forward to our own beds! See you soon
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Mardi, le 20 juilllet
For our last day in Paris, we got up at 5 am and headed out by bus to the Gare du Nord. Our train was waiting for us so we loaded all our luggage ( 50 large suitcases and lots of backpacks and handbags). We had a smooth 2 and 1/2 hour ride from Paris, under the English Channel to London.
We pulled into St. Pancras station and unloaded all our bags. At that point we said good-by to Mamie and Anna Maria. They met their friends and will be staying with them until Saturday. We miss them!
A bus took us immediately on a tour of London. The guide was funny and personable. He explained much of the history of the city. Why is it so modern with large glass buildings? Because of the burning and the bombings. ( Your students can explain).
We were quite glad to get to our hotel - the English version of Days Inn. It is very centrally located and it was easy to find lunch nearby. Francy took us on a long walk which included 2 stops on the Underground until we got to dinner. After dinner we were so tired that most of us came back to the hotel for a good night's sleep. Doug and Emily went to the London Eye. We'll find out tomorrow how that went.
G'night, mates!
We pulled into St. Pancras station and unloaded all our bags. At that point we said good-by to Mamie and Anna Maria. They met their friends and will be staying with them until Saturday. We miss them!
A bus took us immediately on a tour of London. The guide was funny and personable. He explained much of the history of the city. Why is it so modern with large glass buildings? Because of the burning and the bombings. ( Your students can explain).
We were quite glad to get to our hotel - the English version of Days Inn. It is very centrally located and it was easy to find lunch nearby. Francy took us on a long walk which included 2 stops on the Underground until we got to dinner. After dinner we were so tired that most of us came back to the hotel for a good night's sleep. Doug and Emily went to the London Eye. We'll find out tomorrow how that went.
G'night, mates!
Monday, July 19, 2010
Lundi le 19 juillet
Bonjour! We got up at 6 am this morning to make our way back to Paris. Our bus
brought us smoothly and safely to the Novotel on the outskirts of Paris. Most of us slept on the journey!
Once here, we put our bags in our rooms and then took the metro to the Louvre. It was crowded, but we saw the Mona Lisa, the Winged Victory of Samothrace (carved by the Greeks) and le Vénus de Milo ( also carved by the Greeks). After that, we wandered through gallery after gallery.
At a pre-arranged time we met to take the metro to dinner. We ate Alsatian pizza. It was a light meal and early for us ( 5 pm) because we had a date with the Iron Lady. A private coach took us to the Eiffel Tower. It also was crowded and busy. We had group reservations to go up to the top and then take a Seine boat ride. It's a beautiful warm summer evening - perfect for picture taking. This celebrates our last night in Paris.
Tomorrow - very early - we board the train to London. Au revoir la France!
brought us smoothly and safely to the Novotel on the outskirts of Paris. Most of us slept on the journey!
Once here, we put our bags in our rooms and then took the metro to the Louvre. It was crowded, but we saw the Mona Lisa, the Winged Victory of Samothrace (carved by the Greeks) and le Vénus de Milo ( also carved by the Greeks). After that, we wandered through gallery after gallery.
At a pre-arranged time we met to take the metro to dinner. We ate Alsatian pizza. It was a light meal and early for us ( 5 pm) because we had a date with the Iron Lady. A private coach took us to the Eiffel Tower. It also was crowded and busy. We had group reservations to go up to the top and then take a Seine boat ride. It's a beautiful warm summer evening - perfect for picture taking. This celebrates our last night in Paris.
Tomorrow - very early - we board the train to London. Au revoir la France!
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Dimanche, le 18 juillet
Our days are so full! It is hard to remember back to this morning. We stayed in a nice hotel in the countryside of Bretagne. The chain is called Campanile and it was very peaceful Amber looked out the window of her room at the cornfield and felt she was at home in Ohio!
Gilbert, our bus driver, drove us to St. Malo where we met our tour guide, Coco. She told us the history of St. Malo and walked us around the walls. We all agreed we 'd like to live in this fortified city on the coast! We had free time for lunch so several of us bought sandwiches and went down to the beach. The tides here are the strongest in Europe. We ate our lunch, had a short prayer time and realized that the water was lapping at our toes. Time to move to higher ground! Several of the students went in to swim or at least get their feet wet. It was cold, but the bright sun made it inviting.
The rest of the time we walked on the ramparts and explored the city. There were so many cute little shops and outdoor cafes!
In the afternoon we drove to Mt. St. Michel - pictured on our French 2 textbook. We walked up the narrow road to the top and toured the Abbaye. A singing group happened to be giving a small concert when we were in the church. The acoustics were terrific. Then we walked through the cloisters, the refectoire, the scriptorium and the place where the monks used to receive pilgrims. It was a long way down to the bottom of the hill for the bathrooms ( and you had to pay!) The bus was parked out near the sand. We were warned about the dangerous tides and quicksand that surrounds the island.
I have begun uploading my pictures to Facebook. Doug Morris has taken many photos of the group. We hope to all exchange pictures later.
Gilbert, our bus driver, drove us to St. Malo where we met our tour guide, Coco. She told us the history of St. Malo and walked us around the walls. We all agreed we 'd like to live in this fortified city on the coast! We had free time for lunch so several of us bought sandwiches and went down to the beach. The tides here are the strongest in Europe. We ate our lunch, had a short prayer time and realized that the water was lapping at our toes. Time to move to higher ground! Several of the students went in to swim or at least get their feet wet. It was cold, but the bright sun made it inviting.
The rest of the time we walked on the ramparts and explored the city. There were so many cute little shops and outdoor cafes!
In the afternoon we drove to Mt. St. Michel - pictured on our French 2 textbook. We walked up the narrow road to the top and toured the Abbaye. A singing group happened to be giving a small concert when we were in the church. The acoustics were terrific. Then we walked through the cloisters, the refectoire, the scriptorium and the place where the monks used to receive pilgrims. It was a long way down to the bottom of the hill for the bathrooms ( and you had to pay!) The bus was parked out near the sand. We were warned about the dangerous tides and quicksand that surrounds the island.
I have begun uploading my pictures to Facebook. Doug Morris has taken many photos of the group. We hope to all exchange pictures later.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Samedi - le 17 juillet
Where are we? La Bretagne! How did we get here? It's been a long day and a lot of driving. We were in Rouen, which is in Normandie and we drove to the Caen Memorial. This explains the World Wars that France has had.
We started the day by driving to the Caen Memorial. We learned about the wars in France, starting with a movie. It was real footage of D-day and showed the invasion and re-taking of France by the Allies. Then we wandered around the museum and looked at memorabilia about the wars. There were staggering statistics and sobering pictures of the Holocaust.
Another TPS family - the Davises- who live in Belgium are on holiday in Normandie. So, we met up and had lunch in Arrovanches. Then we visited the American cemetery and le Pointe du Hoc where the Allies bombed the German bunkers. The students learned so much and took many pictures.
Dinner was in an old Abbaye and now we are in a Campanile hotel. Nous sommes fatigués!! It has been an emotional day.
We started the day by driving to the Caen Memorial. We learned about the wars in France, starting with a movie. It was real footage of D-day and showed the invasion and re-taking of France by the Allies. Then we wandered around the museum and looked at memorabilia about the wars. There were staggering statistics and sobering pictures of the Holocaust.
Another TPS family - the Davises- who live in Belgium are on holiday in Normandie. So, we met up and had lunch in Arrovanches. Then we visited the American cemetery and le Pointe du Hoc where the Allies bombed the German bunkers. The students learned so much and took many pictures.
Dinner was in an old Abbaye and now we are in a Campanile hotel. Nous sommes fatigués!! It has been an emotional day.
Friday, July 16, 2010
July 16
These are long days and we are losing track of the dates and days of the week.
Today we got on the bus and headed for the coast of Normandy. We stopped at Honfleur to visit this adorable seaside village. Doug, Emily, Barbara, Colette , Keziah and I had lunch in a café by the port. I have moules-frites which is the speciality of the region. I was very happy with it, but nobody else really wanted to help me eat the mussles!
In the afternoon we drove to Une Fromagerie and learned how to make goat's cheese. At the end a few of us tried the chocolate made from goat's milk. We made a quick stop at Etretat to see the beach. It is very stoney, but the girls wanted to go in the water anyway. It was cold and the surf as crashing on the shore. They had a ball in the waves and we got some good pictures. Keziah had done a report on the cliffs and most of the students remembered this beach mentioned in a BJU test. So it was cool to see it.
We drove back to Rouen for another night at this hotel. It is our favorite so far - the church bells across the square wake us up. Dinner was at a restaurant with food from Chili - different!
Be sure to ask Mamie about:
1. The bus leaving while she was in the bathroom
2. Her new makeup of cheese fungi
Be sure to ask Amber about:
1.how the showers work in Rouen
2. the interesting toilet in Honfleur
Today we got on the bus and headed for the coast of Normandy. We stopped at Honfleur to visit this adorable seaside village. Doug, Emily, Barbara, Colette , Keziah and I had lunch in a café by the port. I have moules-frites which is the speciality of the region. I was very happy with it, but nobody else really wanted to help me eat the mussles!
In the afternoon we drove to Une Fromagerie and learned how to make goat's cheese. At the end a few of us tried the chocolate made from goat's milk. We made a quick stop at Etretat to see the beach. It is very stoney, but the girls wanted to go in the water anyway. It was cold and the surf as crashing on the shore. They had a ball in the waves and we got some good pictures. Keziah had done a report on the cliffs and most of the students remembered this beach mentioned in a BJU test. So it was cool to see it.
We drove back to Rouen for another night at this hotel. It is our favorite so far - the church bells across the square wake us up. Dinner was at a restaurant with food from Chili - different!
Be sure to ask Mamie about:
1. The bus leaving while she was in the bathroom
2. Her new makeup of cheese fungi
Be sure to ask Amber about:
1.how the showers work in Rouen
2. the interesting toilet in Honfleur
Thursday, July 15, 2010
le 15 juillet
This morning we left the Campanile Hotel in Paris and headed for la Normandie. There was a lot of traffic as the French are headed on vacation. Our first stop was Giverny. We saw the home of Claude Monet. The bright colors in each room were delightful. His gardens and the lily pond were beautiful.We had lunch on the terrace.
Continuing on in Normandie, we came to the capital - Rouen. It is a delightful city with so much history. Our guide, Stephanie, gave us a tour of the cathedrale. Monet painted this facade in several different ways at different times of the day. Inside were beautiful stain glass windows and the sarcophagi of Roland, Duke of Normandy and Richard the Lionhearted. ( His heart is supposed to be in there also).Then she took us on a walking tour. The half-timbered houses took us back to the Middle Ages. Some are severely leaning to one side!
Some interesting stories for later-
1.Ask Anna Maria about briefly getting separated from our group.
2.Ask Mamie about thinking the TV remote was the phone.
3.Ask Maddie about trying to find the wake-up call.
For dinner we ate in a modern restaurant of Rouen. We sang to Maddie because it is her birthday. Joyeux anniversaire! She turned 13 today.
Continuing on in Normandie, we came to the capital - Rouen. It is a delightful city with so much history. Our guide, Stephanie, gave us a tour of the cathedrale. Monet painted this facade in several different ways at different times of the day. Inside were beautiful stain glass windows and the sarcophagi of Roland, Duke of Normandy and Richard the Lionhearted. ( His heart is supposed to be in there also).Then she took us on a walking tour. The half-timbered houses took us back to the Middle Ages. Some are severely leaning to one side!
Some interesting stories for later-
1.Ask Anna Maria about briefly getting separated from our group.
2.Ask Mamie about thinking the TV remote was the phone.
3.Ask Maddie about trying to find the wake-up call.
For dinner we ate in a modern restaurant of Rouen. We sang to Maddie because it is her birthday. Joyeux anniversaire! She turned 13 today.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
July 14- Happy Bastille Day
Today is the French National Holiday. In 1789 a group of peasants stormed the king's prison ( la Bastille) and broke it down. There were only 7 prisoners at the time, but it started the French Revolution.
So today in Paris there was a military parade. We missed it because we got on a bus and headed out to Versailles. We had paid ahead of time for tickets, so we went through a special group door and had a guided tour. Fredéricke gave us lots of information about the palace. We saw the various salons, la Galérie des Glaces, the king's bedroom and the queen's bedroom. We would have liked to see the gardens, but it was raining hard. We found a café just a block away and had lunch. The rain had not let up, but it was time to make a run for the bus. We had ponchos and umbrellas back at the hotel.....not much help at the time!
Our bus took us around Paris and we saw many famous buildings and land marks. I am very proud that my students recognized so much having done reports for my class. We got out at the Louvre, but found they were not accepting any more people. Because today it a holiday and it's rainy, everyone else in Paris decided to visit the Louvre also! So, we will go next week.
We got back on the metro and now the students know how to use it. Anna-Maria got us home safely. We are taking a break before going out back out to dinner.
So today in Paris there was a military parade. We missed it because we got on a bus and headed out to Versailles. We had paid ahead of time for tickets, so we went through a special group door and had a guided tour. Fredéricke gave us lots of information about the palace. We saw the various salons, la Galérie des Glaces, the king's bedroom and the queen's bedroom. We would have liked to see the gardens, but it was raining hard. We found a café just a block away and had lunch. The rain had not let up, but it was time to make a run for the bus. We had ponchos and umbrellas back at the hotel.....not much help at the time!
Our bus took us around Paris and we saw many famous buildings and land marks. I am very proud that my students recognized so much having done reports for my class. We got out at the Louvre, but found they were not accepting any more people. Because today it a holiday and it's rainy, everyone else in Paris decided to visit the Louvre also! So, we will go next week.
We got back on the metro and now the students know how to use it. Anna-Maria got us home safely. We are taking a break before going out back out to dinner.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
July 13 - We have arrived
We had a great day as our first day here in Paris. Our flights came in and we were met at the airport by EF tours. Then we gathered for a meeting at noon with our tour director, Francy. He is a Frenchman that has been leading tours for 10 years. He took us on the metro to l'Opéra where we took lots of pictures. Then we walked to les Galeries Lafayette for lunch. It is an elegant department store with a beautiful view from the top terrace. But there is also a cafeteria, so we ordered the food we wanted. I am so proud of the girls and how they are trying to speak French!
After lunch we visited a perfume museum and then walked around Paris. That is the best way to see the city ( and keep awake after 30 hours of traveling!!). We took the metro sometimes and the girls are becoming experts at putting their ticket in the slot and then passing through the gate and jumping on the metro.
We took pictures of Notre Dame and then went inside. There were a lot of tourists, but the stain glass windows were magnificent. We continued walking through various neighbors and had dinner in the area of Clichy. Then we walked toward Place Pigalle and saw the Moulin Rouge.
It was 8 pm and time to head back to the hotel. Everyone was very glad to take a shower and go to bed. I took lots of pictures but can not get them to upload from here.
After lunch we visited a perfume museum and then walked around Paris. That is the best way to see the city ( and keep awake after 30 hours of traveling!!). We took the metro sometimes and the girls are becoming experts at putting their ticket in the slot and then passing through the gate and jumping on the metro.
We took pictures of Notre Dame and then went inside. There were a lot of tourists, but the stain glass windows were magnificent. We continued walking through various neighbors and had dinner in the area of Clichy. Then we walked toward Place Pigalle and saw the Moulin Rouge.
It was 8 pm and time to head back to the hotel. Everyone was very glad to take a shower and go to bed. I took lots of pictures but can not get them to upload from here.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Saturday, June 5, 2010
37 days to go!
We are so excited and ready for this trip! The euro is coming down and we have our backpacks. July 13th we will all meet in Paris.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Meet Louis L'Ours
Meet Louis l'Ours. He is our mascot on the trip and wants to be your new traveling companion!
New Itinerary
Our group is consolidating with some others to see Paris, Normandy & Brittany.
Day 1-
Fly overnight to France
Day 2 -
Arrive in
Take a walking tour of
· Opéra district
· Place Vendôme
·
· Tuileries
Visit the Louvre
Day 3 -
Take a guided tour of
· Place de la Concorde
· Champs-Élysées
· Arc de Triomphe
· Les Invalides
·
Visit Notre Dame Cathedral
Optional:
Day 4 -
Travel to
Take a guided tour of
· Tour de Beurre
Visit the
Continue on to
Day 5 -
Take a tour of Etretat
Take a tour of Honfleur
· Old Clock
· St. Catherine Church
Visit a cheese factory
Day 6 -
Visit the D-Day beaches of
·
Visit the
Continue on to St. Malo
Day 7 -
St. Malo
Take a guided tour of St. Malo
Visit Mont St. Michel
Day 8 -
Travel to
Visit
Continue on to
Sunday, March 28, 2010
108 days to go
This is the group so far:
Colette Anasovich- French 5
Amber Cassill- French 4
Anna Maria Russo- French 3
Mamie Lane - French 3
Keziah Johnson - French 2
Emily Morris - French 1
Madison Graham - JH French 1
Dads:
Grand-père Fred
Doug Morris
Aunt:
Barbara Jacobsen
Moi
We come from all the USA and we trust God to draw us together as a group to be a testimony for him in France
Colette Anasovich- French 5
Amber Cassill- French 4
Anna Maria Russo- French 3
Mamie Lane - French 3
Keziah Johnson - French 2
Emily Morris - French 1
Madison Graham - JH French 1
Dads:
Grand-père Fred
Doug Morris
Aunt:
Barbara Jacobsen
Moi
We come from all the USA and we trust God to draw us together as a group to be a testimony for him in France
Saturday, March 13, 2010
FInal monies due soon!
Keep your eye on March 26th. That is when all the program fee monies are due. There will be big cancellation charges after that. There will still be some fees due after that because airports and departure costs change.
You will need spending money to buy your own lunches and souvenirs.
This is going to be an exciting trip!
You will need spending money to buy your own lunches and souvenirs.
This is going to be an exciting trip!
Meet 2 of the girls
While I was visiting New Orleans, Anna-Maria and Mamie invited me over for dinner. We had delicious cajun food. They have grown up with French signs and cajun culture. Now they are going to take the big leap over the ocean to France!
Sunday, February 14, 2010
France, Spain & Italy
There are 8 of us planning to come from 3 different states. We will meet up in Paris and go from there. This is a dream come true for my students. I am looking forward to meeting several from my on-line classes.
150 days to go....
150 days to go....
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