Pisa, a Drive through Tuscany and, Florence!!

Good morning! A moment of possible wifi... Here we go...

I've asked each student to write today's blog and they agreed to do it! I gave no direction other than to write a 2-3 paragraphs that would go directly onto our blog. They passed around my iPad while we drove to Pisa. I'm impressed with their thoughts and happy to see how much they're enjoying themselves and each other. They get closer to each other every day. No problems anywhere or with anyone, but I'm not surprised! Here is a view of the trip directly from you're child. By the way, this is completely unedited by me. I'm just the blog poster! (and remember that it takes some time to get accustomed to writing long texts on the iPad, plus we were driving on a big bus.). Enjoy!

FROM HUNTER NORTMAN:

Day 1I was so tired after the flights. The only thing I wanted to do was eat some good food and go to bed. We meet up with the other groups and waited for the last group. I was hungry so I want to a small expresso store. I ordered some toast but it had meat in it. It was good because I needed some protein. After the last group ate we all left for the bus. I don't remember a lot about the bus because I fell asleep. David woke me up because we went to our first stop,Verona. At Verona it was very quiet and peaceful. We went on a tour around the arena then had free time to get lunch. We had gelato for lunch, yum!!! We after about 2 hours of walking around and seeing Juliet's balcony we meet up at the arena to go to the bus. We all got into the bus and were heading o the hotel. At the hotel we had dinner, salad, bread, and pasta When we (Drew, Connor, David and I) got our room we took turns taking showers. After everyone was done we sleep like stones.

Day 2

After getting the best sleep I have ever had we went down to get breakfast. After everyone was up and had breakfast we piled into the bus. We headed to our second stop Venice. At Venice we went to a glass blowing factory. We saw them make a hoarse. We went into the show rooms were I bought a necklace and a penguin family. We then got into a water taxi and headed o San Marcos square. Form their we went on a guided tour of the Chappell. The ceilings were covered in real 24 carrot gold. After we spent hours in the Chappell we went on a gondola tour of the great channel. we then broke off into our school groups to get lunch. We got pizza and more gelato for lunch. We meet back at the water taxi and headed for the bus. When we got back we went to the beach were I felt something rubbery and oily like a sting ray I got very scared. We dried off and went to the hotel were we had dinner and sleep like stones again.

Day 3

To be continued...

 

FROM DREW SLOANE:

Day 1

We had a 9 hour flight from LAX to Amsterdam, then a 1.5 hour flight from Amsterdam to Milan. From there we met our guide, and waited for the other groups to arrive at the airport. I had my first Italian food at the airport, a slice of pizza heated under a lamp. Not too great. Then we had a 2 hour bus ride from Milan to Verona, a pit-stop from the airport to our hotel. We had a while to walk around and see the sights, and we were able to see the Romeo and Juliet balcony. There we had some gelato, I got raspberry and it was really good. Then we took the bus to the hotel Venezia. We were all really tired, so after dinner we immediately went to sleep and that concluded the first day in Italy.

 

Day 2

We rose early Monday morning, at 6am so we could get as much time as possible in Venice. Out of the hotel and on the bus by 7:45am, then a 20minute ride to the ferry which would take us the rest of the way to Venice. The first place we went to was called the Murano Glass Factory, where we saw a demonstration on blown-glass and checked out the gift shop. This factory was on a separate group of islands a few minutes away by boat from the main islands. Once on the main islands, it was actually a lot bigger than I was expecting. There were tons of bridges everywhere, and the buildings were coming straight out of the water through the canals. Our first attraction was a guided tour thorough a doge's palace (a guy elected by merchants). The building was huge, and sculptures and decorations were all over the outside and inside of the palace. The ceilings were very elaborate, with paintings and gold all over. The most amazing room was huge, almost the size of a soccer field. A 75 foot wide canvas was on the front wall, and almost every single inch of the walls was covered in art and gold, and same with the ceiling. After that tour, lines were too long to check out the church and bell tower, so we hadn4 hours of free time. We rode in a gondola through the canals, and that was really cool, but the gondolier didn't sing for us. We ate more gelato, looked through the shops, and took pictures at the bridge in the Grand Canal. Then we met the rest of our group at the meeting spot in San Marco square, got on the ferry, and went back to the hotel. Before dinner, we swam in the Mediterranean sea which was pretty warm, and after dinnner we walked around the streets around the hotel, then bed. And that is what we have done so far, much more to come!

 

FROM CONNOR SLOANE: The Italy trip has been very interesting so far. We have been surviving the weird and strange Hotel Venezia. It has the weirdest decorations and every room is different. Our room has a shower that accordions out of the wall in the middle of the room, between the sink and the toilet. There is a plastic garage door that rolls open to the balcony, which is big enough to fit one table and one chair. The food has been strange. We have eaten breakfast and dinner there for the two nights that we spent there. I have been eating balsamic vinegar and olive oil on rolls for both meals. Now all that will end while we are heading Florence and going to restaurants from now on. Both dinners we had to guess what type of meat was in the main course, it was chicken both times. The best food so far was pizza in Venice. It is called pizza margarhita, cheese pizza. When we were in Venice we visited the Morona glass blowing factory, took a ride on a gondola, and had gelato.

I will tell you guys everything when I get back. It is too much to explain properly right now. :)

- Connor

 

FROM SAMANTHA HORNYAK: Mi Familia (Buddy). I am in Italy on my way to Florence. It's crazy really that I am so far from home for the first time. I love you guys so much.

Day 1

Long flight. And I mean crazy long. I slept a little but mostly I listened to the same songs over and over again (Louis Armstrong and Kelly Clarkson).As we came into Amsterdam I was amazed at how green everything was. It was also so cool that the regular road went right under the runway. we had a short layover and came to Milian. Still in the plane I saw a kaleidoscope of fields and vineyards. So beautiful!

Day 2ish

Veroma. Quiet little city (250,000 population). We went and saw Romeo and Juliet's balcony. It was pretty but what i really liked was this gate of locks. Couples would write their names on a lock and then lock it on to the gate. After that we went by the opera stadium .Here I had my very first Italian gelato. I had dark chocolate ( 75%). The best ice creamish thing that I have ever had. Daddy I thought of you and how you would have loved it. 5:45 we went to our hotel in a little city about a 45 minute drive away from the ferry to take us the Venice. It was right on the water and so cool. Each room was different. Our room was the most normal. In other rooms there were hospital beds and accordion showers ( tell you when I get home) . From our balcony you could see the sea. After dinner we all crashed.

Day 3

We woke up at 6:00.Uggg. We had breakfast and went to the ferry. It was a short boat ride to a small island that had pretty much only glass factories. I cannot for the life of me remember what the name was. M something. There we watched a glass blowing demo. He made a horse and it looked like it just grew out of the glass. Amazing. We went to the showroom after and I got something( it's a secret). Then we went to Venice. So many waterways of course. We got to go to where the doges of the venetian republic lived. Did you know that they were a very successful country on their own. I didn't. The palace was beautiful and we saw the golden staircase. The bell tower was amazing and the pictures do not do it justice. We took a gondola around the city ( very cool)! After we got lunch ( amazing sausage on the pizza) and got some more gelato. I had Nutella gelato and Kit-Kat gelato. So good. We walked around for a while and then went back to the hotel. Then the beach. The water was so warm and it was wonderful. I wanted to swim to a raft about a fourth of a mile out but I was too chicken. After dinner at the hotel we went out and walked around. We got even more gelato( I will never eat American ice cream again) and this time I got coconut and "limon". Really good.

Day 4

Jessica and I woke up this morning late. We rushed to get ready and barely made it in time. But now we are on a bus to Florence. I am so excited.

I miss you guys so much. Sorry Livy I have not had Wi-Fi strong enough to call or text you. Ti Amo ( I love you) so much. I am never coming back though. Just kidding. I will see you in about a week.

-Sam

 

FROM JESSICA KEASBERRY:

After a long plane ride my new favorite place= Venice. We got to wander the streets + get lost a few times (mom you know how much I love that). The streets are so narrow and simply beautiful---someday I'll come back and wander around till there's nothing left to see and then come back to wander some more. The gondola was also amazing and not at all bumpy. Honestly the only thing you could get irritated with here would be the amount of smoke in the air.

The palace was EXTRAORDINARY (and I don't use that word often)--especially the room filled head to toe with paintings. The minute you step in there BAM, it's just too astonishing to take in so instead the power of it simply slaps you in the head and tells you to wake up.

The architecture is brilliant. On the top you have the aged windows and walls with paint that looks washed out. Then on the bottom you have newly placed shops with sleek huge windows, giving it the modernized look. It's like the swamp juice that we have in the refrigerator. After thinking about broccoli in juice you think you'll throw throw up but after tasting it you find out it's the perfect mix.

As we travel on bus we get to see the breath taking countryside that makes you feel so alive that you want so badly to just run around in one of the meadows.

Other differences here include the currency, language, restaurants, hotel rooms, and beaches. As for the currency I kind of like their system better. I can also now say that I have the very very very very basic Italian words down in memory. Also, with a gelato store at every block it looks like we'll be having gelato everyday twice a day. When it comes to the beaches there's the Adriatic Sea instead of the Pacific and with my very limited knowledge of the Adriatic I have to wonder what it's habitants are as I swim. Are there sea snakes? What about sharks? How much kelp is there? Should the murkiness scare me? These questions that run through my head may sound stupid to you but their important to me. On the upside the sand fees like flour and the water is a lot warmer and more comfortable here than CA. The hotel rooms here are definitely smaller, but that's not the weird part. Our windows open up like garage doors and some people's showers are completely folded in and open up like an accordion.

See you when I get back

~Jessica

 

FOM DAVID LEE:

It has been about one and a half days since we landed in Milan. From there we went to Verona for some sight seeing and stayed in a hotel in Venezia. After staying the night in our odd room we went to Venice. Venice looked almost exactly as it did in the games and just as crowded and hot. Other then the expensive tourist shops most of the things we saw were actually somewhat interesting. The houses and buildings are much closer together and there were almost no roads. However I don't expect this to be the case for every town.

 

Each thing was interesting to some extent. The food was good too. The most interesting thing I saw so far was the doge's palace. It reminded me of an oversized house museum with lots of gold paint. Everything looked really cool and exciting and I'm glad to have come to this trip. We also went to a place called Murano. It was an island glass factory where we saw a glass vase blown and a glass horse made. It was all very cool.