Travel Day - UPDATED 8/1

Monday July 27 - Day 10

Today shall be known as "Travel and Recuperation Day." We slept in until 8:45 a.m. today - thank goodness! We packed up all of our gear, loaded the bus, and were on our way to Rouen (pronounced roo-on). Michelle (our Delegation manager from London) let us sleep for a couple of hours, then had some trivia games for us to play. She is such a blast - and very creative!

Our driver took us through the beautiful French countryside from Paris into the small town of Rouen. The skies were dark and it was a bit chilly. Our walking tour took us to two of the numerous cathedrals in the historic town. Most of Rouen was destroyed by the bombings that took place during World War II and it was a humbling experience being in a such a beautiful place, once ravaged by war. We strolled through the (almost) empty, quiet streets and meandered through the Notre Dame Cathedral of Rouen. It was absolutely stunning! (No wonder it took 400 years to complete.) We also saw where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake.

Our lunch was fabulous and a great opportunity to chat about what we've learned so far as Student Ambassadors. We had free time after lunch to explore on our own (always staying in groups of 3 or more, of course!) And enjoyed the cooler, but a little rainy weather. At least we had the glorious sunshine for our last two days in Paris!

Ask your delegate about the clock in the center of town - what was unique about it?

Once we were back on the bus, we worked on our journals and reflected back on our intentions for the trip. What does it mean to be a student ambassador? How do I SHOW that I am an ambassador? Our ride continued through the countryside and we arrived in Caen for an early dinner. A bunch of us played cards and even a bit of Twister in the hotel lounge until it was time for bed at 10:30.


~~~~~~

Did I mention that we were on the Champ Elysees for the Tour de France final stage? OK, we weren't there when the cyclists finished (we were on top of Mont Martre at Sacré Coure (sp?) but we were there in the early afternoon with tons of fans in the midst of all the exuberant hoopla!

Anyhow, we are now in Caen getting a GOOD night's sleep while Christine tries to type out our blog on a french keyboard. The a, q, w, m, and the punctuation marks are located in slightly different spots making it a challenge!

Tomorrow we are off to the beaches of Normandy - for some of us it may be a bit tough / sobering / emotional, but our friendships are strong and we shall make sure everyone stays focused on the sacrifices made at that location so many years ago. Tomorrow night we will be traveling to London on an overnight ferry so I doubt there will be a blog. Please keep us in your thoughts and know we are all having an educational, beautiful, amazing time and realize how lucky we all are to be in this beautiful country!

Bon Soir (good night!)

Jam Packed Day!! - UPDATED 8/1

Updated!!! (8/1)

Sunday July 26

WOW! What a day this has been. We have been all over Paris and seen some amazing sights. We began at the Eiffel Tower at 9 a.m. It did not get busy / crowed / over run with tourists until about 10 a.m. so we were able to get an unobstructed view of Paris from the upper level. What a magnificent day. The temperature was comfortable, the sun was out, and the sky was blue. We took lots and lots of pictures - just to show EVERYONE all of the amazing sights we’ve seen!

We all rode the elevators (the first one rose diagonally) to the very top of the Eiffel tower and immediately met another delegation of People to People! There were tons of us in Paris and we kept crossing paths - crazy, but always amusing.

We were scheduled to go to lunch across town near the Arc de Triomphe, but there was QUITE a bit of traffic around town and it took what seemed like forever to get there. You see, The Arc de Triomphe is situated on the Champs Elysees at a busy round about. Now I know what you are thinking, well of course there is traffic at the Arc de Triomphe round about - why wouldn’t there be? WELL, the round about was closed! Why? Because today was stage 21 of the Tour de France - the final stage - the finish line - the grande finale of French finales AND we were there! OK, so we weren’t there for the actual finish… We had other important places to be at that time… but we were there around noon when all the fans were busily claiming their spaces on the sidewalk all along the Champs Elysees. It was thrilling to be in such an auspicious space for a little while. We crossed underneath the street to get to the Arc de Triomphe and spend some quality time with this gigantic monument. A few of us even climbed / raced to the top of the monument to get a view of the city from there.

Well, we finally made it to lunch and took a break from all the hoopla. Before we knew it we were being whisked away by our coach, away from the Champs Elysees and over to Montmartre and Sacre-Coeur. We climbed the 300 meter hill to the top and were at the foot of the beautiful Sacre-Coeur Basilica. After a leisurely walk through the church as a group, we met and made a plan for the rest of our afternoon. The area surrounding Sacre Coeur is a mecca for artists and creative endeavors and we were given some free time to explore the streets behind Sacre Coeur. Many of us bought delicious ice cream! It was relaxing to have time to stroll around the cobblestone streets and little shops with new friends and search for trinkets and treasures to bring home to old friends and family. Again, the weather was simply marvelous and time flew right on by. We met at the bottom of Montmartre and discovered it was time for… DINNER!

So, we’ve been eating lots of chicken and fries as of late and were getting a little tired of the monotony. Luckily, our dinner tonight would be tremendously different. We had the opportunity to sample escargot AND frog’s legs! All of us (well, almost all of us) bravely sampled each delicacy and… survived! Just wait until you see some of the before and after pictures from this dinner!

And off we went to our hotel… and… to.. Bed? Au contraire, mon frere. Non non non, messieur! We had an EXTRA special adventure planned for our last night in Paris. We were able to arrange a night-time visit back to the Eiffel Tower. We changed and took some time to assemble ourselves in the lobby for an 8:30 pm departure. We took the Metro to the plaza above the tower and marveled at the sight. We arrived just before 10 p.m. and it was finally dark. At exactly 10 p.m. the Eiffel Tower erupted in lights - just like the twinkling lights on a Christmas tree.. But 1,000 times more magnificent! This continued for a full 5 minutes. We walked down to the tower, took some pictures and had about a half hour of free time before meeting up again at 10:50 for our walk back up to the plaza and the Metro. We had great timing, too, because, just as we reached the plaza, it was 11 p.m. and the tower lights went off again! Amazing!

Sunshine, The Louvre, and Notre Dame

We began our beautiful morning (after breakfast) with a quick drive from our hotel to The Louvre. On the way, our driver circled the Arc de Triomphe. We are planning on visiting there on foot tomorrow, but with the Tour de France3 taking up the Champs Elysees for its finishing area, it may be JUST a bit tricky! It will be great to say we were in Paris for the finish, even though we probably will not actually see it. Ah, c'est la vie, non?

We arrived early at the Louvre and split ourselves into four groups for a bit of a "scavenger hunt" through the Louvre. The teams were: Apollo, Venus de Milo, Napoleon, and Liberty. We saw the top 6 works of art, even though our groups took different routes. We began at the statue, The Winged Victory of Samothrace." Ask your delegate what this statue has to do with a popular modern day athletic shoe company and what he or she thinks Victory was holding in her hand. Our groups broke off into different parts of the galleries from here.

We saw the Mona Lisa and discussed the following questions: is she happy or sad? why are her clothes so drab? and how long did it take for Leonardo da Vinci to paint her?

We viewed the paintings, "The Consecration of the Emperor Napoleon and the Coronation of the Empress Josaphine on December 2, 1804," and "July 28: Liberty Leading the People."

And we, of course, saw the Venus de Milo. We compared her more realistic figure to those of the super skinny models of the late 1990's and early 2000's, and discussed how we knew she had been created as a statue with arms.

Before we knew it, we were headed to lunch at a place called Flunch. Fish, chips, veggies, and four different european cakes. After lunch it was back to the coach for a city tour. We had a local guide, Isabelle, describe in detail the history and significance of a ton of sights around Paris. We circled the Arc de Triomphe, had a stop at Trocadero Plaza to take pictures of the Eiffel Tower, drove down the Champs Elysees, saw Les Invalides, Le Sorbonne, the Opera House... SO much information! We had another stop at the Jardin du Luxembourg and had a walk around the gardens, see where their bees are kept of making honey, and finished up at Luxembourg Palace.

Next? Notre Dame - W-O-W! We all took LOTS of pictures inside (no flash), and another group photo in front.

yawn - tired - nighty night - time....

Bon Soir! A tout a l'heure.
Dinner was at a restaurant named, "Auberge du Pere Louis" and it was fan-tastic!

Ahhhh... Paris!

Bon Soir! (Good Evening) We have arrived!

After a good breakfast at the hotel, we checked out of our rooms and headed for the coach. Our bags were loaded (they seem to be getting heavier... I wonder why) and we set off on a beautiful scenic drive from Brussels to Paris.

Our first stop was at Compiegne. It was interesting to see how different things were before modern technology. Treaties and agreements were signed with everyone present and in a neutral location.

And now, on to the magnificent Chateau de Versailles. This part of our trip was a bit more tricky, as Mother Nature came calling. There we stood, defenseless, in the middle of the plaza / entryway to the palace when it began pouring rain. We tried to be strong, but it just kept a-coming down. We raced back to the coach and took cover there for a few minutes. Luckily, our Versailles guide was willing to come onto the bus and present her information to us as we sat in the dry bus. The rain stopped and we headed out to the gardens first. After our guide completed her history lesson, we were given time to explore the grounds and the palace in our small groups. Most of us were able to see not only the amazing gardens, but also the King's and Queen's chambers. (I never realized anyone NEEDED two bedrooms... One for sleeping and getting ready to be seen in the morning, and a second to use for a "public" wake-up.)

Dinner was at a cozy restaurant next to Versailles and we were glad to get to the hotel in the evening to change out of our still damp clothes and shoes.

My apologies for such a short blog... More to come!

A Rainy Day In Brussels...

Note: To use the internet at the Brussels hotel, it would have cost 10 euros… This blog was composed at the end of our day, but posted late due to the cost.

This morning, after an early breakfast, we all checked out of our Amsterdam hotel and rode our coach into the heart of Belgium, BRUSSELS! To help pass the time during our 3 hour drive, we were treated to the movie, Saving Private Ryan, to remind us of the actions at Normandy and recall just how devastating WWII was not only for our soldiers, but for civilians in each country.

Once we arrived in Brussels we left our coach with cameras, a few euros, and a rain jacket. We passed a beautiful gothic style cathedral, and visited Manneken Pis the “peeing mannequin.” Ask your delegate if he or she remembers any of the stories associated with this small fountain statue. Evidently it is quite a treasure… on par with the USA’s Statue of Liberty.

LUNCH time!!! We had a leisurely lunch (or petite dejeuner as the french say) of steak and frittes (french fries) at a nice restaurant, european style cheesecake and LOTS of water. Next on our itinerary? A Belgian Chocolate factory – oh yes!

We sat down in a viewing room at Planet Chocolat for a 30 minute video presentation of the history of chocolate. One of the factory's chocolatiers offered us some samples and taught us all about the process of making chocolate (from beans to bars) AND the its historical highlights. Ask your delegate what the difference is in the ingredients that make up dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and white chocolate. Your delegate may have a strong opinion about white chocolate… Is it REALLY chocolate? Another great piece of information was an explanation of WHY Belgian chocolate is SO much tastier than in other countries (hint: there are 2 things that make Belgian chocolate superior to others).

Of course the factory was conveniently attached to a shop where we could purchase chocolate to take home. How thoughtful of them to think of us and make these treats so readily accessible! Ask your delegate about the different figures the chocolate was molded into… There were some interesting examples in the store.

Lunch? CHECK!

Chocolate? CHECK!

What is next? Free time! We were able to search out sites in groups of three or more around La Grande Place (the big square), considered by many to be the most beautiful square in all of the European Union. While many delegates took in the architecture and beauty of the square and its buildings, many others ventured out to the nearby shops. A great deal of bonding has taken place amongst the delegates as they discussed their interest in the sights around them and what they love about the places we have gone so far. The delegates met in the center of the square at 4:45 so we could have an early dinner. They looked like one big happy family, all chatting and laughing about their day.

Dinner was wonderful! Meatballs, sauce, and potatoes followed by…

For desert… can you guess? (Hint: we are in the country of Belgium)

That is correct! We had Belgian waffles with powdered sugar for desert – excellent!

Because we have SUCH an early day tomorrow, we set out for the hotel (from dinner) at 6:30 p.m. We checked into our tiny rooms, got settled and met downstairs for a huge game of cards and even few rounds of Twister. Bed Checks were at 10:30 and lights out was 11 p.m.

So far, so good! Tomorrow we are heading to Paris (ooh la la)… Bon Soir!

Fun in Amsterdam... *** CLICK ON THE PICTURE TO SEE IT LARGER ***

It is now 10:38 p.m. on Wednesday and we just returned to our rooms after an insightful discussion reflecting on our visit to the Anne Frank house this evening.

SO - Our morning began at 6:15 with our wake up calls... Most of us got in a full 9 to 10 hours of well deserved sleep - Thank Goodness! We all had a lot of options for breakfast food... eggs, beans, sausage, fruits, cereal, muffins, bread, cheese, cold cuts... the list goes on, and we were ready to MOVE by 8:15 a.m. We boarded the coach and drove into the heart of Amsterdam. Ask your delegate if he or she remembers our first "morning song". (If he or she needs a hint, you can ask if it was by (a) the Rolling Stones, (b) the Beatles, or (c) Queen.)

The first stop on our walking tour was at Dam Square and the Dutch Royal Palace. It was nice and quiet at 9:15... We continued along and found the floating flower market (the only one of its kind in the world). We had some free time and set off in groups of three to check out the shops! On one side of the street there were shops with Amsterdam t-shirts, Amsterdam mugs, Amsterdam pens, Amsterdam earrings, Amsterdam postcards, Amsterdam stickers, Amsterdam hats, Amsterdam shorts, Amsterdam scarves, and MORE! On the other side was the floating flower market, filled with beautiful flowers and plants. It sounded a bit tricky getting flower bulbs into the U.S. so most of us just took pictures.

Although it was difficult to leave the flower market, we set out around 10 a.m. for our next adventure. We took a 30 minute walk across a number of canals, dodging cars, and bicyclists along the way. Are we there yet? YES! We are the start of our Canal Tour. We boarded our boat, along with other tourists from all over the world. As we cruised the canals we learned about the city of Amsterdam, the slanted / leaning buildings with hooks outside their top window, the Western Church, the Anne Frank house, and SO much more! It was nice to sit for a bit and listen... The information was repeated in 5 languages (Dutch, English, French, Spanish and either Chinese or Japanese). Whew!

Guess what restaurant we ate at for lunch ?!? The Hard Rock Cafe, Amsterdam! It was GREAT. We all had some fabulous food and kept our waiters, Andrea and "Sir" Paul on their toes. We finished off with home made vanilla ice cream and walked over to the Diamond Museum. We learned about the 4 categories that add value to a diamond, got to watch people cutting and setting diamonds, and actually got to try on some fun diamond jewelry. Our group was escorted by a guide into a room (with a door that locked behind us) where she showed us examples of very small, high quality diamonds along with larger diamonds with lower clarity. They all looked pretty sparkly to me! Then she took out about a dozen trays with rings, earrings, necklaces, and watches made at their location so we could try them on or take pictures. Once everyone was finished we made our way down to the showroom and saw many other amazing examples of how diamonds are used as jewelry (this time everything was behind glass, though). I overheard a few young ladies discussing their plans to bring their future fiances back to Amsterdam because they had already selected a ring from the store.

So... Back to reality... Let's go to some shops where we can actually afford to purchase things!

A short walk brought us back to the Dam Square and the Royal Palace. What a difference a few hours makes! The square was filled with street performers, people dressed up in costumes (willing to pose with tourists for a nominal fee), and LOTS of hungry pigeons. We had another hour to browse the main street shops, sit down and have a beverage, or feed said pigeons and take pictures with said street performers.

Believe it or not, it was already time to eat dinner! We made our way to a restaurant called Haesje Claes and sat down for a traditional dish called, "Dutch Hot Spot." Ask your delegate if he or she liked this meal and the beverage service compared to that of the Hard Rock Cafe.

By 6:30 p.m. we were inside the Anne Frank House. It was nice to have a group reservation because the line to get in for the "regular" tourists went around the block! There was an abundance of information to read and see and hear and experience inside the building where Anne Frank and her family hid during World War II. Everyone was intent on examining the differnt areas of the house up close.

Once we returned to the hotel we all retrieved our journals and met in the lobby. As a group we discussed specifically how our visit to the Anne Frank house had made an impact on each of us - and how we deal with similar issues in our own lives. We spent time writing in our journals and headed off to bed. Lights out is at 11 p.m. Just enough time to get cleaned up and ready for tomorrow...

Good Night!

We have arrived!

It is now 7p.m. Tuesday, July 21 and we are all EXHAUSTED!

We arrived in the Amsterdam airport at 7 a.m., went through customs, met our delegation manager, Michelle, and had about an hour an a half to get situated. We exchanged money, called home, started the phone tree, found Starbucks (yes!) and used the toilets. The additional 7 delegates and their leader from Arkansas arrived at 8:30 a.m., so we quickly hopped on our "coach" and were on our way.

After a 30 minute drive through the country, we arrived at Claire Marie farm. We spent a half hour in the hay barn, swinging around and relaxing. Our tour began at 11 a.m. We were greeted by Kees (Case), the farmer who owns and runs the farm. He showed us how to make wooden shoes, and even had Adrienne help him.

Shortly after the wooden shoe demonstration, we moved into the next room where Kees' wife described in detail how they make all their different cheeses. Make sure to quiz your delegate on this when he or she returns... Ask if he or she remembers what curds and whey are...

Now I know you are all wondering... and the answer is YES, they have already begun spending your money! Some students bought cheese, some bought wooden shoes (very useful and a great style statement for the first day back at school), and others found little trinkets to bring back. All the students were very excited about finding treasures for their friends and families. It was quite touching.

The three leaders are off to a quick meeting now... more to come!

Please allow me to introduce myself...

Dear Parents and Ambassadors,

Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Christine Berube and I will be traveling with you on your European adventure next week! I know I have missed your entire introduction and meetings for this trip, but I look forward to meeting you all at the airport next Monday morning (bright and early).

I spoke with Dianne at length and I am exited to travel with what sounds like and amazing group of young adults. I will be updating the blog at

http://peopletopeopleeurope.blogspot.com/

and taking tons of pictures to share with you after we return. I have included my People To People Biography below to give you a bit of information about myself. You can email me at coach.b@sbcglobal.net if you have any questions (especially about the blog) before we meet on Monday August 20th at 5 a.m. (not 4 a.m.)

Christine Berube


My Experience as a Teacher

In the fall of 2009 I will begin my 12th year of teaching in the Bay Area. I have taught beginning and intermediate Algebra, Physical Education at the junior high and high school levels. The 2009-2010 school year will mark my fifth year teaching 9th grade Health Education at Prospect High School in Saratoga, CA, a subject I absolutely love!

My Travel Experience

I have been lucky to travel to many exciting places. When I was 13 years old, my parents took a family trip to China. I have vivid memories of the heat, the different customs and foods, and the attention I attracted as one of the first "tourists" to visit the emerging country. More recently I traveled with a friend through Italy (Rome, Florence, and Venice) during the Holiday season. It was absolutely wonderful seeing all of the beautiful scenery and learning more about customs and traditions of Italy.

In February of 2008, I traveled to Paris with a small group of teachers and had a splendid time. Then, in April of 2008, I explored the Greek Islands with some teachers and students from a neighboring school. I remember feeling a tremendous feeling of pride in my students, seeing how much respect they showed for the people and places we visited. Their curiosity and desire to learn was such an inspiration to me.

And finally, in July of 2008, I was able to travel to Holland with a People to People delegation from the Bay Area. Once we arrived in Holland I took on the role of Team Leader for the Junior High Volleyball players as they trained and competed in the Youth Friendship Games. Again, I was amazed by the maturity level and exuberance of the young ladies I had the pleasure of working with.

My Hobbies and Interests

My number one interest is in health and fitness. I am a UCSB certified Aerobics and Group Fitness Instructor and National Academy of Sports Medicine certified Personal Trainer. I am a former employee of Gold's Gym in Santa Barbara, CA, and still teach the occasional aerobics class in San Jose when needed. I recently became SCUBA certified and have had a great time exploring life underwater. I have made a number of good friends through my trips and diving adventures. I just wish the water in my area was 10 - 20 degrees warmer. Monterey is cold! Another passion of mine is photography. I was a Studio Art major at UCSB and, while I did not pursue a career in photography, I still have a love for the art. I carry a small camera everywhere I go... just in case!

My Favorite People to People Moment

There were so many adventures on my first People to People trip that I absolutely loved. I had an opportunity to learn a great deal about the history of the Netherlands and actually experience the unique aspects of their culture. We went on a bike ride following the canals in the countryside, visited a cheese-making factory and a wooden shoe making store. We even went and visited the Anne Frank Museum in Amsterdam. I am so glad I had an opportunity to visit and learn about such a beautiful country. What made it especially meaningful was being able to do so with a group of intelligent, well-mannered, and intellectually curious group of young adults.

Again, I look forward to meeting you and traveling through Europe with you. See you soon!

IMPORTANT UPDATE

IMPORTANT UPDATE FOR

Ambassadors and Parents,

Our flight leaves SFO United domestic at 7:58 AM

on Monday July 20th
PLEASE be at the terminal at

5:00 AM

(not at 4 a.m.)

Tell your parents, friends, neighbors and relatives
to log in here each night to see what our group has been doing each day.

Cheers,
Dianne and Kristin