Thursday December 27, 2007

We are on our way! 

We are on our way!  We left Omaha early this morning in heavy freezing fog - about 30 minutes late, and are now in Cincinnati.  We have a 3 hour layover, waiting for our next leg to New York, where we will board our flight for Rome. 

We are all excited - and bleary-eyed!  We don't get to Rome until tomorrow morning!  

We'll give you more updates soon!

Sunday December 30, 2007

In Rome! 

Here we are in Rome. After a long trans-Atlantic flight to Rome from New York, we got settled in our hotel near the Villa Borghese in the residential area of north Rome.  We set out right away to see some sights - including Spagna (the famous Spanish Steps), the Trevi Fountain (where you have to toss in a coin if you wish to return to Rome), the Pantheon (huge first century dome), the Roman Forum (bigger than BV"s Forum), and the Coliseum. 

Then yesterday we went to Pompeii.  Always amazing, Pompeii was covered by ash by the infamous Mt. Vesuvius eruption in 79CE.  The city was frozen in time, and was excavated beginning in the 20th century.  We had a wonderful tour guide, Antonio Somma (who has been our guide many times before), and saw the sights of the ancient city. 

Today it is off to the Vatican for Mass, a Papal blessing, the Vatican Museum, and the Sistene Chapel.  And tonight we go to a beach on the Mediterrean Sea where we can watch the sunset over the water!

I will keep posting as we continue our journey, and as we are able to find internet access!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! 

Monday December 31, 2007

Audience with the Pope! 

 We had an audience with Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday - along with 30,000 others in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican. In his weekly blessing to the crowd, the Pope wished everyone a very happy NewYear - in Latin, Italian, German, Spanish, and English. 

We also got to participate in Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Basilica - with some of our students even taking communion! 

Then we continued our day with a tour of the Coliseum -the first century stadium that seated as many as 90,000 fans!  We also walked through the Roman Forum.

We took a short train ride to Lido - a resort town on the Mediterannean Sea. We all took off our shoes, and dipped our toes in the cold sea water!  We arrived at sunset, but unfortunately, it was mostly cloudy, and not a particularly spectacular sunset. 

Today it is off to the Vatican Museum and the Sistene Chapel.  More soon as our journey continues! 

Tuesday January 01, 2008 

Happy New Year!!!

New Year's Eve in Rome was WILD!  Tens of thousands crammed the area around the Coliseum and the Forum - for a live concert, fireworks, and New Year's fun.  Our students played hard, too - at the Coliseum concert, at the Spanish Steps, and at Popollo Square. The noise from the fireworks, the firecrackers going off all over the place, and the champagne made for a hell of a night in Rome! 

Today we are in Florence - resting from last night.  Tomorrow we will see Michalangelo's David and the famous Ufizzi Museum. 

Happy New Year 2008!!

Wednesday January 02, 2008

Michaelangelo's David

The highlight of our day in Florence today was Michaelangelo's David!  At 12+ feet tall, he is impressive indeed!  We also did some shopping today - they'll have to tell you about all their purchases!  We also saw the famous Duomo - the Dome of Florence. Impressive!  Tomorrow it's off to the Leaning Tower of Pisa!! 

Saturday January 05, 2008

Venice and Munich

The adventure continues!  After our wonderful day in Pisa, we departed from Florence early in the morning for Venice.  The two and a half hour train ride was a good time for napping.  We had only 12 hours in Venice - just NOT enough time for one of the most charming cities in the world!  The train station opens out onto the Grand Canal - there are no cars in the city at all!  We purchased 12 hour canal bus/boat tickets - so we could hop on and off anytime during the day.  We took the boat to Piazza San Marco - one of Venice's most famous attractions.  The basilica at San Marco is so very unique - with 4 or 5 domes, and the ceilings inside are amazing.  Tiny pieces of mosaic cover the entire ceiling - mostly gold - revealing fantastic frescos of biblical iconography.  It shines inside!  

Anyway, then we went to Murano - another island of Venice - where glassblowing is famous.  We got a glassblowing demonstration, which was very interesting.   

Then we rode around on the canals some more - waiting for our overnight train departure to Munich.  The train only left at 11pm.  We got settled in our couchettes - with six people per couchette cabin.  Six foot-eight inch tall Jacob did not fit - he was sore in the morning....   ;-( 

We arrived in Munich before 7am, and after breakfast, walked to our nearby hotel.  We then went to Marienplatz - the plaza with city hall.  On the tower of the city hall is a famous glockenspiel, whose characters dance every hour on the hour.  Every hour, tourists gather to see the spectacle.  We did, too. 

Munich has three famous art museums - called 'pinakoteks'.  There is an old one (14th to 18th centuries), new one (19th century), and modern (20th century).  We selected the Moderne Pinakotek. 

Our final adventure for the day was a visit out to the Olympic Park, site of the 1972 Olympics.  The Olympic Tower provides a great view of the whole city - as well as the Alps on the border between Germany and Austria.  Breathtaking views....

Today it is off to Dachau to see the Holocaust site there.....

Stay with us!! 

Wednesday January 09, 2008

Neushwanstein Castle and Paris

We had a delightful trip to Neuschwanstein - a fairy-tale castle built by King Ludwig II of Bavaria in the late 19th century.  It has a sweeping view of the Bavarian countryside - a beautiful setting for this Disney-like place!

 Off to Paris on the overnight train.  We arrived in Paris very early in the morning - and then did a tour of the major sights - including Saint Chappelle, Notre Dame, the Arc de Triumph, the Eiffel Tower, and the Louvre. 

Today we took a one hour train ride to Chartres, to visit the most well-preserved Gothic cathedral there, begun in the 11th century!

We wish you were here with us!  Tomorrow it's a serious tour of the Louvre and the Musee D'Orsay!