Lunch In Nuremberg

We had a short stop for lunch in Nuremberg. When we arrived it was raining lightly so Stephanie suggested we reconvene in 90 minutes and see what the weather was like and if we needed more time. We walked from the train station to the Old Town Square. The streets were lined with stores and restaurants as well as fresh fruit and vegetable stalls. Some of the group chose fast food for lunch and others sampled the small bratwurst sausages that Nuremberg is famous for.After lunch we had an opportunity to visit the beautiful old churches, stroll the cobblestone streets, and see the castle in the distance. There was also time to purchase souvenirs and snacks before we headed back to the bus.

Prague: We Came, We Saw, We Shopped

We arrived and checked into the Hotel Olsanka just before dinner. The students were in groups of 3 or 4 and often their rooms had 2 bedrooms. The meals were served in a cafeteria style room. Richard and Jeff greeted some of our students and played the first of many pranks on them...and me!!! The green "X" on our hands took a few days to wash off!! Overall, the meals were very plain and the least favorite of the group. We are not used to being served cabbage and potatoes for breakfast.After dinner we went for a walk around the neighborhood. It was more of a residential neighborhood so most of the businesses were closed but we stopped at a pub across the street from the hotel. The group sampled Czech beer and some ordered a snack.The next morning our bus driver Marco took us to Prague Castle. We were met by our city guide and she led us to the the castle gates. Our first stop was St. Vitus Cathedral. We had an opportunity to tour the cathedral which contained beautiful stained glass windows and religious artifacts. We also had a demonstration about the benefits of building cathedrals with flying buttresses.

Then we were led to the Golden Lane and the group had an hour of free time. There were opportunities to shoot a crossbow, do some shopping and buy a snack. We walked down from the castle and crossed the Charles Bridge. Our tour ended at the Astronomical Clock in Stare Mesto.

What a great surprise it was to find the outdoor markets set up in the Old Town Square. The Easter Markets in Prague run daily from late March until April 15. Wooden huts offer a variety of handcrafted products, such as crystal and glass-ware, jewellery, metal-ware, candles, wooden toys, embroidered cloth, and beautifully dressed puppets and dolls. The most common sight is brightly coloured, hand-painted Easter eggs.The Prague Easter markets are also full of food stands selling roast ham, potato dishes,barbecued sausages, Czech style french fries and a variety of traditional Czech sweets like 'Trdelnik', a hot sugary coated pastry. There is also an outdoor stage where folk groups and dancers, who travel from all over the Czech Republic (and other European countries) perform. Our group had free time in the afternoon and everyone enjoyed the shopping experience in Prague. Stephanie led us on a walking tour of the Jewish Quarter before dinner. We saw the Old New Synagogue and homes and shops in this area of the old town.

After dinner we walked to Wenceslas Square to see a Black Light Theatre production called WOW. WOW is the biggest and most modern of all of the Black Light Theatre productions in Prague. Everyone enjoyed the production, even those who were surprised when the spiders startled them as they crawled over the seats and interacted with the audience.After the show we took a tram to U Fleku, a Czech beer hall. Unfortunately they were full, so we found a small neighborhood pub and restaurant where we stopped for a snack. The tram ride back to the hotel proved to be quite an eye-opener for our group.

Dresden: Cake, VW's and Lots of Fun

On our way to Prague we stopped at Dresden. Our visit began with a guided tour through the reconstructed old town. We saw Zwinger palace, Semper Oper and the very beautiful Katholische and Frauenkirche churches. The old town is very pedestrian friendly. In the afternoon, the boys and Doug, Jeff, Richard, Rob and Trisha went on a tour of the new Volkswagon Plant in Dresden. It is the final assembly plant for one car, the Phaeton, which is a full size luxury car. The car is priced between 70,000 and 140,000 Euro. It was an excellent tour and enjoyed by all.

Yvette and I took the girls to the New Green Vault. It is a unique historic museum that contains the largest collection of treasures in Europe. We saw a cherry stone with 185 faces carved in it and the famous 41 carot green diamond. Our next stop was a bakery and ice cream shop. Everyone tried a different flavor of cake or ice cream and there was lots of sharing of flavors!!After everyone was stuffed we walked to the Frauenkirche. This church was built between 1726 and 1743 and was totally destroyed by the firebombing of Dresden in 1945. The church was reconstructed using some of original stones. The girls decided to climb to the top of the dome and what an adventure they had. They sure wore off all that cake they had just eaten!!

The Marengo boys took a ride in a horse drawn carriage and a pedal type cab. I am sure the driver on the pedal cab worked was well entertained!!The stop in Dresden was a highlight of our trip so far, there were lots of smiles when we boarded the bus to Prague. The bus ride to Prague was very quiet as the group rested up for their first evening in Prague.

A Day In Berlin

We had an 7:30 wake up call on Sunday morning. After a delicious breakfast in the hotel we boarded a bus for a tour of Berlin. Our tour guide, Kevin, gave a very informative and entertaining commentary as we drove past various sites. There was a photo stop at the Olympic Park, home of the 1936 Olympic Games. We had an hour stop at Checkpoint Charlie Museum. Our tour ended near the Flea Market at Prenzlauer Berg. This was an opportunity for our group to see how the locals spend their Sunday afternoons. There were many stalls selling new, but mostly used items, as well as numerous food stalls. Some of our group had creeps, others ate donairs or bratwurst on a bun. There were musicians playing in the park and we enjoyed listening to 3 different groups.
When we left the park we walked through the Jewish quarter and stopped at Hackescher Markt for a break. Then Stephanie, our tour director, took us on a walking tour past Museum Island, to the War Memorial and we had a short stop at Alexanderplatz where some people did some shopping.
We had an early dinner at a restaurant near a section of the old city wall. We were served soup, roast pork and vegetables and "Berliner" donuts for dessert.
Stephanie had made arrangements for our group to go up to the dome at the Reichstag. There was heavy security and everyone needed to show passports before being allowed to enter. There was a fabulous view of the city from the dome.
Our last stop for the day was the Holocaust Memorial. Everyone was left with time to think and reflect on what they had seen while in Berlin.
We finished our day with a walk through Old town Spandeau and a stop at a local bier haus.

Leaving on a Jet Plane

Our group of 16 students and 7 adults started our European adventure in Calgary. The first leg of our journey was to Ottawa where we had time to stretch our legs and grab a bite to eat. Then we boarded the plane for our overnight flight to Frankfurt. Some of the group were able to sleep during the flight while others watched movies and visited. The airport attendants were very helpful in Frankfurt and they had a bus waiting for us. We went through passport control, security and got our final bounding pass with about 5 minutes to spare. The flight from Frankfurt to Berlin was a quick one .
We were met by our tour director Stephanie after we picked up our luggage and then loaded the bus and went to our hotel, the Ibis Spandeau.
After a quick stop in our rooms to freshen up we jumped on the Ubahn and went to the center of the city. We ate (again) and then walked to Brandenburg Gate to watch a giant pillow fight. It was quite windy and cool so we went to the German History Museum. Then we went to the Berliner Dom and had a quick tour of the cathedral.
Today was a great learning experience for our group. They discovered what to do when they don't all get on the subway and the door closes and leaves some behind. (Don't worry, they had an adult with them and met us at our next stop!) They showed great patience and were well mannered during the long wait for dinner! All in all it has been a great first day!

Is Your Suitcase Packed?

With less than a week until we leave, I'm sure many of you have started packing or at the very least, started thinking about what you are going to take. I've been watching the weather network and checking the long range forecast for the four cities we will be visiting. I think we will need to be prepared for rain showers, so don't forget your umbrella and rain proof jacket. Also plan to dress in layers because we won't be going back to our hotel during the day. An extra hoodie or long sleeved shirt can save the day if you get caught in an unexpected downpour, or rolled and stuffed in your backpack when you get too warm!
Have you packed a comfortable pair of shoes? We will be doing lots of walking on our tour and most of the streets will be cobblestone. flip flops are great when you are at the hotel, but aren't practical for our daily tours.
I hope everyone kept the packing list we gave you at our meetings in January. If you can't find it, just send us an email and we can send you another copy. Be sure to use the backpack as your carry on luggage. Anything you might want during the flight should be packed in your backpack. If you usually wear contacts, you will probably want to also have your glasses for the overnight flight. Liquids must fit into a small ziplock bag (no more than 3 ounces per bottle) if you are going to carry them in your backpack. This includes items such as liquid makeup, mascara, lip gloss, toothpaste lotions etc. if you are not sure about the size or item, it might be best to put them in your checked luggage and avoid having them confiscated at check-in. Any medication you need should be put in your carry on, in case your luggage is lost on the way.
And remember my words of advice......after your suitcase is packed, carry it up and down a few flights of stairs. Is it too heavy? Then it's time to reconsider what you have packed. Don't forget to leave room for the souvenirs you will be shopping for along the way.

Paris: City of Lights

When we leave Lucerne we will head to Zurich Switzerland where we will board the TGV train to Paris. TGV trains are high-speed bullet trains and the trip from Zurich to Paris will take approximately 5 hours. TGV trains travel at speeds up to 186 MPH.

Paris is the cosmopolitan capital of France, and one of the largest cities in Europe. There are 2.2 million people living in the dense central city and almost 12 million people living in the whole metropolitan area. Located on the River Seine, Paris has the reputation of being the most beautiful and romantic of all cities, full of history and very influential in the realms of culture, art, fashion, food and design. Paris is called the City of Light and Capital of Fashion and is home to the world's finest and most luxurious fashion designers and cosmetics, such as Chanel, Christian Dior, Yves Saint-Laurent, and others.

The city of Paris is officially divided into 20 districts called arrondissements, numbered from 1 to 20 in a clockwise spiral from the centre of the city (which is known as Kilometre Zero and is located at the front of Notre Dame). Arrondissements are named according to their number. You might, for example, stay in the "5th", which would be written as 5e in French. Each arrondissement has its own unique character and selection of attractions for the traveler.

Paris is one of the world's great gastronomic capitals and no visit to the City of Light is complete without sampling some of the wonderful culinary pleasures offered in the city. Crepes are "street food" and available at many vendors. Make sure you choose from a vendor who is making the thin pancakes fresh as you watch. They are a perfect envelope for sweet fillings—chestnut, lemon, nutella and banana—or salty— cheese, mushrooms, or ham. The French cafes and bakeries always have a display of fresh baked good that make your mouth water. There are many options, including fresh tarts and croissants filled with chocolate. Macarons are sweet meringue type cookies often sandwiched together with a cream filling. They melt in your mouth and its hard to stop at just one!!

Some of the places we will visit and see in Paris include:

1. Arc de Triomphe



2. Eiffel Tower



3. Sacre Coeur Basilica



4, Notre Dame Cathedral



5. Les Invalides



6. The Louvre



7. Versailles



Check out this video of Paris: