We're all at the Athens Airport, preparing to board. Loading in 5 minutes, take-off in 45 minutes, and then a whole lot of flying. And yes, all 16 kids made it to the airport.
See you in Phoenix around 9:40pm!
Dave
Friday, April 23, 2010
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Day 12: Acropo... what?
This post was written by Taylor Coleman:
This morning we walked our way up to the Acropolis. As we arrived at the Acropolis we found out that it was closed due to strikes, but it will be back open again tomorrow (the day we leave!). So, the two tour guides (Taylor and Jake) had to give their presentations around the Sacred Rock and inside the Acropolis Museum. The museum was staggering because it holds all of the ancient artifacts of the from the original Acropolis. For example, on display it had the original statues of the Temple of the Erechteion which was the main place of worship for the ancient Greeks.
Later, we visited Socrates's
prison, where he died after being forced to drink poison. From that point we took a small hike where we could see all of Athens and the Aegean Sea. And, we took a break to play catch with the frisbee for a little bit. After that, we walked our way down to the Agora which was the political center and marketplace of Ancient Greece. We only had half an hour there before closing so we were rushed to get through the site.
After a break we had our final group meeting where we had three questions to discuss: 1. What have we read in class that explores what it means to be human, 2. What have we heard on our trip that explores what makes us human, and 3. What have we seen on the trip that explores what makes us human. Essentially, it was a review of both the trip and 9th grade Humanities.
This being our last day on the trip and in Athens, we had to pack early for the flight tomorrow. We had about 4 hours of free time to walk around and shop. Some of us went back out after dinner to shop and walk around the city.
This morning we walked our way up to the Acropolis. As we arrived at the Acropolis we found out that it was closed due to strikes, but it will be back open again tomorrow (the day we leave!). So, the two tour guides (Taylor and Jake) had to give their presentations around the Sacred Rock and inside the Acropolis Museum. The museum was staggering because it holds all of the ancient artifacts of the from the original Acropolis. For example, on display it had the original statues of the Temple of the Erechteion which was the main place of worship for the ancient Greeks.
Later, we visited Socrates's
prison, where he died after being forced to drink poison. From that point we took a small hike where we could see all of Athens and the Aegean Sea. And, we took a break to play catch with the frisbee for a little bit. After that, we walked our way down to the Agora which was the political center and marketplace of Ancient Greece. We only had half an hour there before closing so we were rushed to get through the site.After a break we had our final group meeting where we had three questions to discuss: 1. What have we read in class that explores what it means to be human, 2. What have we heard on our trip that explores what makes us human, and 3. What have we seen on the trip that explores what makes us human. Essentially, it was a review of both the trip and 9th grade Humanities.
This being our last day on the trip and in Athens, we had to pack early for the flight tomorrow. We had about 4 hours of free time to walk around and shop. Some of us went back out after dinner to shop and walk around the city.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Day 11: Epidaurus, Mycenae, Athens
This post was written by Sam and Robert:
Today we started out with a long bus ride to Epidaurus. We spent the majority of the time sleeping with one stop for
food and water on the way. Epidaurus was a huge, ancient theater that has great acoustics; you can hear a person talking at normal voice from the top row. It is also able to seat over 20,000 people. Mr. Labonte read a passage from the Illiad with most of the students sitting at the top row and we were able to hear him. We then took a few minutes to look around the temple that was in the area before we departed for Mycenae.
When we got to Mycenae we found out we only had 30 minutes before it closed, which made presenting a challenge. Robert Backer first talked about the history of Mycenae which was very interesting. It was founded in 3000 BC and was overrun by the Dorians in 1100 BC. Then the awesome Sam Ettenson talked about the Lions Gate which is a giant slab of rock that has two lions on it and weighs around 12 tons. Then the cool Robert Backer talked about the Grave Circles and told the story of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra.
The awesome Sam then talked about the Palace of Mycenae which was the largest in Greece at the time. Then, the awesome Sam talked about the Cistern which was where they stored water in case of a drought.
Then we left for Athens and the girls had a thumb war over Robert which was very entertaining to watch. On the bus ride we also had to write recomendations for next year's students for their presentations. We then got to the hotel and got settled in our rooms; shortly after that, we went to dinner. Our group consisted of Sam, Robert, Nathan Landau, David Guido, Jordan Reichlin, and Dave Whitson. We had dinner and we tried to see if Sam, Robert, and Nathan could finish the two stuffed burgers we had. We all finished them somehow. We then came back to the hotel and wrote this blog.
Today we started out with a long bus ride to Epidaurus. We spent the majority of the time sleeping with one stop for
food and water on the way. Epidaurus was a huge, ancient theater that has great acoustics; you can hear a person talking at normal voice from the top row. It is also able to seat over 20,000 people. Mr. Labonte read a passage from the Illiad with most of the students sitting at the top row and we were able to hear him. We then took a few minutes to look around the temple that was in the area before we departed for Mycenae.When we got to Mycenae we found out we only had 30 minutes before it closed, which made presenting a challenge. Robert Backer first talked about the history of Mycenae which was very interesting. It was founded in 3000 BC and was overrun by the Dorians in 1100 BC. Then the awesome Sam Ettenson talked about the Lions Gate which is a giant slab of rock that has two lions on it and weighs around 12 tons. Then the cool Robert Backer talked about the Grave Circles and told the story of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra.
The awesome Sam then talked about the Palace of Mycenae which was the largest in Greece at the time. Then, the awesome Sam talked about the Cistern which was where they stored water in case of a drought.Then we left for Athens and the girls had a thumb war over Robert which was very entertaining to watch. On the bus ride we also had to write recomendations for next year's students for their presentations. We then got to the hotel and got settled in our rooms; shortly after that, we went to dinner. Our group consisted of Sam, Robert, Nathan Landau, David Guido, Jordan Reichlin, and Dave Whitson. We had dinner and we tried to see if Sam, Robert, and Nathan could finish the two stuffed burgers we had. We all finished them somehow. We then came back to the hotel and wrote this blog.
Day 10: Flying to Greece, Delphi
This post was written by Jacob and David:
This morning was a rush. My (David's) room was woken up by Arron's sci-fi music, while Mr. Labonte woke up the rest of us early to get ready to leave for the airport. After arriving by train at the airport, everyone was freaking out about whether their bag was going to fit the length requirement; of course, 3 people's bags were too big and had to be checked. The flight took two hours, during which most of us slept. Those who were awake, though, had a really cool ride, because almost the instant we were in the air we were over the ocean and saw islands the whole way.
After landing, we immediately noticed some of the differences between Greece and Italy. In particular, Greece seemed much more mountainous. A chartered bus picked us up at the airport and we immediately started driving for Dephi - a very long drive. Once there, we visited the Oracle, where people got advice from the god Apollo. Dave told us that fissures in the earth brought up gases right to the oracle's spot and likely produced hallucinations. Finally, we made it to the hotel, a very nice and calming place, and then had dinner and a 45 minute conversation, while there were dogs barking and children crying right beside us.. Overall, it was a tiring but good day. It ended with my (David's) group scaring ourselves by talking about the Shining and Quarantine. It really freaked all of us out.
This morning was a rush. My (David's) room was woken up by Arron's sci-fi music, while Mr. Labonte woke up the rest of us early to get ready to leave for the airport. After arriving by train at the airport, everyone was freaking out about whether their bag was going to fit the length requirement; of course, 3 people's bags were too big and had to be checked. The flight took two hours, during which most of us slept. Those who were awake, though, had a really cool ride, because almost the instant we were in the air we were over the ocean and saw islands the whole way.
After landing, we immediately noticed some of the differences between Greece and Italy. In particular, Greece seemed much more mountainous. A chartered bus picked us up at the airport and we immediately started driving for Dephi - a very long drive. Once there, we visited the Oracle, where people got advice from the god Apollo. Dave told us that fissures in the earth brought up gases right to the oracle's spot and likely produced hallucinations. Finally, we made it to the hotel, a very nice and calming place, and then had dinner and a 45 minute conversation, while there were dogs barking and children crying right beside us.. Overall, it was a tiring but good day. It ended with my (David's) group scaring ourselves by talking about the Shining and Quarantine. It really freaked all of us out.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Day 9: Colosseum, Bones, and Michelangelo
This post was written by Hunter.
First we went to the Colosseum. We got there about 15 minutes early and we waited outside of it until we were allowed to enter. Being there when it first opened allowed us to see it almost empty. After an hour at the Colosseum we all got on to the metro and headed to the Capucchin Crypt, a church where they put the skeletons of the priests that lived before. There were four to five rooms covered with bones in an artistic design. After that, most of us continued on to the Vatican Museum.
The group that I was in saw many sculptures (dating from the ancient to the renaissance periods) which were all throughout the museum. Best of all, we saw the Sistine Chapel, painted by Michelangelo.
This being our last day in Rome, we all headed home early to pack for Athens (all hoping our flight won't be canceled). After we pack and have our meeting we will eat dinner and then, as a group, make one last visit to the Trevi Fountain.
First we went to the Colosseum. We got there about 15 minutes early and we waited outside of it until we were allowed to enter. Being there when it first opened allowed us to see it almost empty. After an hour at the Colosseum we all got on to the metro and headed to the Capucchin Crypt, a church where they put the skeletons of the priests that lived before. There were four to five rooms covered with bones in an artistic design. After that, most of us continued on to the Vatican Museum.
The group that I was in saw many sculptures (dating from the ancient to the renaissance periods) which were all throughout the museum. Best of all, we saw the Sistine Chapel, painted by Michelangelo.
This being our last day in Rome, we all headed home early to pack for Athens (all hoping our flight won't be canceled). After we pack and have our meeting we will eat dinner and then, as a group, make one last visit to the Trevi Fountain.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Day 8: Villas and Vias
This post was written by Makhayla:
I woke up this morning weary-eyed, and the first thought that crossed my mind was: Hadrian's Villa. Today was the day when Michelle and I served as tour guides. And, instead of having two hours to get ready to go we only had an hour. This made the morning slightly more hectic than usual. Even though there were a few bumps to our morning routine, everything worked out for the best. Nathan was kind enough to prepare a lovely breakfast for the group. He made scrambled eggs and there were also croissants, yogurt, cereal, and fruit. After cleaning up, we all scurried around doing last minute tasks before departure.
I woke up this morning weary-eyed, and the first thought that crossed my mind was: Hadrian's Villa. Today was the day when Michelle and I served as tour guides. And, instead of having two hours to get ready to go we only had an hour. This made the morning slightly more hectic than usual. Even though there were a few bumps to our morning routine, everything worked out for the best. Nathan was kind enough to prepare a lovely breakfast for the group. He made scrambled eggs and there were also croissants, yogurt, cereal, and fruit. After cleaning up, we all scurried around doing last minute tasks before departure.
All in all, I have to say that we did a pretty good job with staying on schedule. After leaving the apartment, we walked down the street where we then loaded onto the bus. As far as transportation goes, today was an easier day than the last three days. We had a chartered bus which picked us up and dropped us off at Hadrian's Villa, which is located on the outskirts of Rome. Even though we were about ten minutes late this morning, everything worked out because instead of taking an hour to get to the villa it only took about twenty minutes. Since we got there at about 8:30 and Hadrian's Villa didn't open until 9:00, we had about half an hour to relax at small cafe which was right next door to the villa.
Right as we were getting ready to enter Hadrian's Villa, it began to sprinkle. Luckily that only lasted for about ten, fifteen minutes. Michelle and I began the tour right inside of the main entrance, where we introduced the group into the main background of Emperor Hadrian and his Villa. From there we went from the Pecile, to Canopus, to the Piazza D'Oro, to the Maritime Theater. We then finished with a leisurely stroll through the Vale of Tempe.
After our peaceful tour of Hadrian's Villa, we loaded back onto the bus and we headed towards the villag
e which surrounded the Villa d'Este. Here we split up into small groups and departed for lunch. The village had several cute cafes along with a few fancy restaurants. Afterwards we all met up next to the shopping area of the Village where we then walked to the Villa d'Este.
While we were at the Villa d'Este we did not have a tour guide. That was because this was meant to be a site where we could stroll around and explore the beauty of the villa. Here we found many waterfalls and gardens. It was nice to be able to walk around and explore all that the villa had to offer.
Our visit to the Villa d'Este was followed by a long walk along the Via Appia which eventually led us back to our Apartment. While walking, we decided to stop at a beautiful field where we had many options. 
Most of the group played a game called "Ulta ball" which they made up. The rest of the group either walked around the open field or socialized while taking several pictures. Everyone truly seemed to enjoy themselves.
By the time we got home it was about six oclock. We then had about an hour to hangout, do laundry, shower and do anything else that needed to be done. At approximately 7:00 everyone broke up into small groups once again and ventured out for dinner and desert. Everyone then returned home and spent a good chunk of time journaling and getting ready for tomorrow. We finished off the day by having a group meeting where we discussed the day's activities.
Today was a very busy day and everyone is excited to see what is in store for tomorrow.
Sincerely,
Makhayla A. Rose =)
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Day 7: Epigraphs and Sarcophagi
This post was written by Michelle:
As we near the half-way point of the trip, most of us have become accustomed to the mile-upon-mile walking we do on a daily basis. We all excitedly arose this morning at about 7:30, give or take, looking forward to all the new adventures this day would bring. After everybody got themselves together, we headed to the packed kitchen to make our Nutella filled breakfast (we were previously spoiled with all of the luxuries of Villa Vergiliana, and their delicious breakfasts).
We walked to our first stop today-the Museo Nazionale (wearing our most comfortable shoes of course). Here, we were introduced to Epigraphs. When faced with the question "What is an epigraph?" the teachers asked us to break down the word with the parts of it we knew. Because epi means after, and graph means writing, we determined it meant after writing, or a tombstone with a story. We explored various mind blowing sites through the museum, which showed us just how much the ancient Romans valued these so-called "epigraphs."
After we finished with the museum, we realized the time had come for the much built-up Scavi Tour (after exploring the depth of the gorgeous Vatican). We split up into two groups, and entered the separate country of the Vatican City. Our group was introduced to our tour guide, who was slightly intimidated by our "animated" conversation. We entered the area below the Vatican, and we were surprised to see what was there: ancient Roman tombs (Necropolis). The bodies were put into sarcophagi, which literally means flesh eater because the flesh of the bodies was eaten away. The tombs started out being built for the poorer parts of society, and moved on to the middle class. Our tour guide stressed the change and the development from the poorer to the richer tombs. The tour was definitely information packed, and one interesting tid-bit is that when a man was buried in a tomb, and he was removed from the tomb, his face was scratched off of the statue which showed who was located there.
The tombs then started to transition to religious purposes. We were shown the thought-to-be tomb of the great Saint Peter (the tour guide left us with the mystery of where his bones were actually located, because they actually were not located in the tomb). It turned out, Peter's bones had been moved, and later recovered. The most impressive site which we saw in my opinion at the Scavi Tour had to be the ancient bones of Saint Peter which give us a direct connection to God.
We all exited the building, both blown away, and relieved to be out of the small hot area. This was the part of the day which we had all been hoping for: Our free time in Rome! Everybody agreed that we needed food first, and then we all wanted to take a trip to the large Piazza Navona. We ate at one of the most fancy Italian restaurants we have seen so far in Rome, Where 2 delicious courses were consumed (that's a lot of food). All of us then took the short walk to the Piazza, where there were many street artists to entertain us, and a caricature artist, who sketched Jake, Sarah, and me. After a very relaxing afternoon in beautiful Rome, we took the bus back to the apartments, and just chilled at home for a while. A few of us went out for dinner around the block, and came home to be faced with the writing of our own epigraphs. Today could be looked over as an informative, and relaxing, satisfactory day: tomorrow will be thoroughly awaited.
As we near the half-way point of the trip, most of us have become accustomed to the mile-upon-mile walking we do on a daily basis. We all excitedly arose this morning at about 7:30, give or take, looking forward to all the new adventures this day would bring. After everybody got themselves together, we headed to the packed kitchen to make our Nutella filled breakfast (we were previously spoiled with all of the luxuries of Villa Vergiliana, and their delicious breakfasts).
We walked to our first stop today-the Museo Nazionale (wearing our most comfortable shoes of course). Here, we were introduced to Epigraphs. When faced with the question "What is an epigraph?" the teachers asked us to break down the word with the parts of it we knew. Because epi means after, and graph means writing, we determined it meant after writing, or a tombstone with a story. We explored various mind blowing sites through the museum, which showed us just how much the ancient Romans valued these so-called "epigraphs."
After we finished with the museum, we realized the time had come for the much built-up Scavi Tour (after exploring the depth of the gorgeous Vatican). We split up into two groups, and entered the separate country of the Vatican City. Our group was introduced to our tour guide, who was slightly intimidated by our "animated" conversation. We entered the area below the Vatican, and we were surprised to see what was there: ancient Roman tombs (Necropolis). The bodies were put into sarcophagi, which literally means flesh eater because the flesh of the bodies was eaten away. The tombs started out being built for the poorer parts of society, and moved on to the middle class. Our tour guide stressed the change and the development from the poorer to the richer tombs. The tour was definitely information packed, and one interesting tid-bit is that when a man was buried in a tomb, and he was removed from the tomb, his face was scratched off of the statue which showed who was located there.
The tombs then started to transition to religious purposes. We were shown the thought-to-be tomb of the great Saint Peter (the tour guide left us with the mystery of where his bones were actually located, because they actually were not located in the tomb). It turned out, Peter's bones had been moved, and later recovered. The most impressive site which we saw in my opinion at the Scavi Tour had to be the ancient bones of Saint Peter which give us a direct connection to God.
We all exited the building, both blown away, and relieved to be out of the small hot area. This was the part of the day which we had all been hoping for: Our free time in Rome! Everybody agreed that we needed food first, and then we all wanted to take a trip to the large Piazza Navona. We ate at one of the most fancy Italian restaurants we have seen so far in Rome, Where 2 delicious courses were consumed (that's a lot of food). All of us then took the short walk to the Piazza, where there were many street artists to entertain us, and a caricature artist, who sketched Jake, Sarah, and me. After a very relaxing afternoon in beautiful Rome, we took the bus back to the apartments, and just chilled at home for a while. A few of us went out for dinner around the block, and came home to be faced with the writing of our own epigraphs. Today could be looked over as an informative, and relaxing, satisfactory day: tomorrow will be thoroughly awaited.
Day 6: Ancient Rome
This post was written by Arron Long-Lewis:
Anybody who enjoys history must learn to use their imagination, this was certainly true today. As we woke up at 7:00 AM, (or a tad bit earlier for some) we ate a quick breakfast and made our way down to the Palatine Hill from our apartment. According to the myth of Romulus and Remus, the Palatine hill was the hill on which Rome was founded on by Romulus. It is also where Aeneas was welcomed to Italy by king Evander in the other famous founding myth. Because of the hill's significance, many emperors have built palaces and planted gardens on the hill. Many great ruins are left of places such as the palace of Domitian, a rather gaudy and over-the-top palace that is only smaller than Nero's palace. The remains of the baths of the emperor Septimius Severus can also be seen as well as a series of temples like the Temple of Apollo.
As we walked down from the Palatine hill, we came to the Roman forum. Once the heart of ancient Rome, the Forum served as a place where many goods were exchanged between people and many political and religious events were held. The oldest building in the forum is known as the Temple of Saturn, built in 498 BC and renovated twice. This building served as the treasury for the State Repository and was also a place where written laws were kept. The main reason the building was constructed however was for the reason that the Romans wanted to thank the god saturn for their prospering economy and agriculture. According to a lesser known myth, Saturn was descended from the Titan Cronos who was banished by Zeus and would later become the first king of Italy. Besides the Temple of Saturn, the forum also boasts two triumphal arches and the senate meeting house as well as many other religious buildings tied to myths.
From the Forum we move on to the Capitoline Museum and see many works of art including the original statue of Marcus Aurelius and of Romulus and Remus with the she-wolf. However, the first thing we did was to see the Hall of the Horatii and the Curiatii; where the battle between the triplet sets took place. We then moved on through the Hall of Hannibal, Tapestries, Emperors, and finally, Philosophers. When we finished with the museum we went walked to the final two monuments of the day. The first monument was Trajan's Forum which he built to replace the Forum we saw earlier today and to show off his military exploits. Trajan had this place built between the years of 107-113 AD, and when it was new it looked even better and much more grand than the first Forum. Trajan's column, which is located inside of the Forum is also considered one of the greatest sculptural artworks of all time. The friezes themselves are incredibly detailed and show some of Trajan's greatest battles. As we walked out of the Forum, we had an unexpected visit to the Vittorio Emanuele the Second monument. While this building is grand and is a great tourist site because it is the location where the Italian unknown soldier is buried; Italians despise it because it was built under Mussolini.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Day 5: Underworld, Rome
Hello Readers!
Today was our last day at the Villa Vergiliana (sadness) so it was goodbye to Naples and hello to Rome! I'd say the most prominent switch seen so far from country-side to city is the most important...FOOD! When staying at the Villa not only were we provided with food at basically all times without ANY problems but it was the most scrumptious food imaginable (can't top homemade Italian!).
Last night for dinner we split into two decently sized groups. One dined at a ridiculously cheap, killer pizza parlor-type place and was back in time to disperse and organize around the apartment whereas the second group had some pretty darn impatient and hungry children who just plopped down at the the first cafe/restaurant in sight. I don't want to say it but yeah, I was in group 2.
Seriously, the easiest way to win in Italy is just to scream louder than your opponent. But when you try to rationally order salad 10 times in 3 different languages and end up finally eating the equivalent of vinaigrette on paper and brick-like white nougat, you're in trouble.
They thought it'd be amusing to charge us a decent sum for this delicious meal. Group 1 Cost: approximately 10 Euros. Group 2 Cost: 17–25 Euros. Yummy.
Before the food and the frustration however was there a slightly darker (meant in both ways) place on our agenda. It was my 3rd time in a different place in the world going to where-else but HELL!
Commonly referred to as the Sibyll's Cave, an adorable, elderly, VERY ITALIAN man led us through with not just scorching hot lanterns (Szarrah had to test that one out...on me) but TORCHES. Not only did this huggable Italiano lead us into this large, ancient cave in the middle of the woods (note: giant, breathtaking lake surrounded us. The cave we went into was at one point used by Roman armies to get troops from one side of the lake to another.) but his loyal friend, Napolitano did as well.
Yes, Napolitano as in Strawberry-chocolate-vanilla ice cream.
Want to guess why we loved N so much?!?!! Well, it might have been because he was yet another adorable Italian dog but he also made sure that, when walking down exactly 25 steps that you didn't fall into a giant pit of water, sat to show you that there was a 5 foot roof, and was just an excellent cuddle buddy as we sat on the cold cave floors while we read our elegies before crossing just a sketchy "bridge." After seeing some ancient "graffiti"/markings such as symbols for christianity (fishy! cross! palms! whoa.), fertility (certain...organs..."We're going to see a lot of skin in Italy."-Mrs. Tyma), and ancient writing did we progress to this obscenely awesome bridge. Going two at a time, we SLOWLY crossed the water that some Romans believed would lead to the underworld, creeping on a rickety, rotting bridge that TayTay might have possibly slipped on. Have no fear, parentals, it was both legal and I'd say 97% safe...Don't quote me on that though! This was done in order to experience not just some adrenaline but to really get close to where in the olden days people thought was where their loved (or hated) ones would go when they passed.
As a side note, kudos to everyone's elegies. Even more kudos because I don't think anyone cried, although some of us DID come dangerously close. RIP to all these were written for. We all got out of hell alive with only a few minor cuts and bruises before we hopped on a bus for the 3hr. trip to Rome. En route, we stopped at THE BEST gas station on the way - without a doubt as European as it gets with it being 2 stories with a restaurant, 2 cafes, grocery aisle and HARIBO. Michelle MIGHT have found "some" candy. That was a riveting experience.***
Even better was our WALKING TOUR. We started off in small groups, checking out the Spanish Steps, pretty fountains, and a cute tea shop. Then we moved on to the Trevi fountain, got MORE gelato, went to about 5 stunning Piazzas, the Pantheon (ohmygoshohymygoshohmygosh), the Prime Minister's house, and the Circus Maximus, totaling up to God knows how many miles. My fancy new shoes saved my life. Only in Europe would they have, get this, HEELED SNEAKERS.
We had quite a few new experiences today with some of our group members riding the bus and metro for the first time...that was a party!
Today was our last day at the Villa Vergiliana (sadness) so it was goodbye to Naples and hello to Rome! I'd say the most prominent switch seen so far from country-side to city is the most important...FOOD! When staying at the Villa not only were we provided with food at basically all times without ANY problems but it was the most scrumptious food imaginable (can't top homemade Italian!).
Last night for dinner we split into two decently sized groups. One dined at a ridiculously cheap, killer pizza parlor-type place and was back in time to disperse and organize around the apartment whereas the second group had some pretty darn impatient and hungry children who just plopped down at the the first cafe/restaurant in sight. I don't want to say it but yeah, I was in group 2.
Seriously, the easiest way to win in Italy is just to scream louder than your opponent. But when you try to rationally order salad 10 times in 3 different languages and end up finally eating the equivalent of vinaigrette on paper and brick-like white nougat, you're in trouble.
They thought it'd be amusing to charge us a decent sum for this delicious meal. Group 1 Cost: approximately 10 Euros. Group 2 Cost: 17–25 Euros. Yummy.
Before the food and the frustration however was there a slightly darker (meant in both ways) place on our agenda. It was my 3rd time in a different place in the world going to where-else but HELL!
Commonly referred to as the Sibyll's Cave, an adorable, elderly, VERY ITALIAN man led us through with not just scorching hot lanterns (Szarrah had to test that one out...on me) but TORCHES. Not only did this huggable Italiano lead us into this large, ancient cave in the middle of the woods (note: giant, breathtaking lake surrounded us. The cave we went into was at one point used by Roman armies to get troops from one side of the lake to another.) but his loyal friend, Napolitano did as well.Yes, Napolitano as in Strawberry-chocolate-vanilla ice cream.
Want to guess why we loved N so much?!?!! Well, it might have been because he was yet another adorable Italian dog but he also made sure that, when walking down exactly 25 steps that you didn't fall into a giant pit of water, sat to show you that there was a 5 foot roof, and was just an excellent cuddle buddy as we sat on the cold cave floors while we read our elegies before crossing just a sketchy "bridge." After seeing some ancient "graffiti"/markings such as symbols for christianity (fishy! cross! palms! whoa.), fertility (certain...organs..."We're going to see a lot of skin in Italy."-Mrs. Tyma), and ancient writing did we progress to this obscenely awesome bridge. Going two at a time, we SLOWLY crossed the water that some Romans believed would lead to the underworld, creeping on a rickety, rotting bridge that TayTay might have possibly slipped on. Have no fear, parentals, it was both legal and I'd say 97% safe...Don't quote me on that though! This was done in order to experience not just some adrenaline but to really get close to where in the olden days people thought was where their loved (or hated) ones would go when they passed.
As a side note, kudos to everyone's elegies. Even more kudos because I don't think anyone cried, although some of us DID come dangerously close. RIP to all these were written for. We all got out of hell alive with only a few minor cuts and bruises before we hopped on a bus for the 3hr. trip to Rome. En route, we stopped at THE BEST gas station on the way - without a doubt as European as it gets with it being 2 stories with a restaurant, 2 cafes, grocery aisle and HARIBO. Michelle MIGHT have found "some" candy. That was a riveting experience.***
Even better was our WALKING TOUR. We started off in small groups, checking out the Spanish Steps, pretty fountains, and a cute tea shop. Then we moved on to the Trevi fountain, got MORE gelato, went to about 5 stunning Piazzas, the Pantheon (ohmygoshohymygoshohmygosh), the Prime Minister's house, and the Circus Maximus, totaling up to God knows how many miles. My fancy new shoes saved my life. Only in Europe would they have, get this, HEELED SNEAKERS.
We had quite a few new experiences today with some of our group members riding the bus and metro for the first time...that was a party!
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Day 4: Capri
This post was written by Wasnaa and Victoria:
Today we woke up (as usual) but had a little different schedule than usual. We all loaded on the bus and took it to a harbor where we got to get on a BOAT!!! The boat took us to the island of Capri where we took everyone on a very long walk through the island to see the sites of Palazzo a Mare, Via Tiberio and Villa Jovis where we made our speeches.
Everyone LOVED the walks, especially going uphill. Villa Jovis was very big and high up - talk about living on a cliff! After visiting the ruins we went back down, where we met and broke up into smaller groups depending on what you wanted to do. There was the option of hiking, eating and walking around, or shopping. I (Victoria) went with the group that went to eat. The food was DELICIOUS and soon after we went back to the dock and got to walk around. I (Wasnaa) went shopping halfway up the hill with my friends and when we were done shoping we went to eat, and then we headed back down to meet with the rest of the group. The third group got to go hiking and saw a lot more gorgeous ruins, with tons of stairs. They took lots of beautiful pictures. After we all regrouped we got on the BOAAAT and took it back to the harbour where we loaded back onto the bus and headed to Villa Vergiliana.
Today we woke up (as usual) but had a little different schedule than usual. We all loaded on the bus and took it to a harbor where we got to get on a BOAT!!! The boat took us to the island of Capri where we took everyone on a very long walk through the island to see the sites of Palazzo a Mare, Via Tiberio and Villa Jovis where we made our speeches.
Everyone LOVED the walks, especially going uphill. Villa Jovis was very big and high up - talk about living on a cliff! After visiting the ruins we went back down, where we met and broke up into smaller groups depending on what you wanted to do. There was the option of hiking, eating and walking around, or shopping. I (Victoria) went with the group that went to eat. The food was DELICIOUS and soon after we went back to the dock and got to walk around. I (Wasnaa) went shopping halfway up the hill with my friends and when we were done shoping we went to eat, and then we headed back down to meet with the rest of the group. The third group got to go hiking and saw a lot more gorgeous ruins, with tons of stairs. They took lots of beautiful pictures. After we all regrouped we got on the BOAAAT and took it back to the harbour where we loaded back onto the bus and headed to Villa Vergiliana.
Day 3: Herculaneum, Oplontis, and Cuma
This post was written by Jordan and Nat:
Oplontis is an amazing place. It is a Roman villa that has some of the most amazingly preserved frescoes. The frescoes fill the rooms completely and are really beautiful. The colors are amazingly well preserved. Many of them are closer to perfection than anyone could have hoped for and we spent nearly two hours walking around to look at them. Cuma includes a small entrance to hell. We went there and then hiked up the mountain to the Temple of Apollo. Herculeanum was another ancient city much like Pompeii. It is much smaller and was a very interesting place to visit and view the mosaics.
Oplontis is an amazing place. It is a Roman villa that has some of the most amazingly preserved frescoes. The frescoes fill the rooms completely and are really beautiful. The colors are amazingly well preserved. Many of them are closer to perfection than anyone could have hoped for and we spent nearly two hours walking around to look at them. Cuma includes a small entrance to hell. We went there and then hiked up the mountain to the Temple of Apollo. Herculeanum was another ancient city much like Pompeii. It is much smaller and was a very interesting place to visit and view the mosaics.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Day 2: Pompeii and NAM
This post was written by Sarah:
Hello parents! I know if you are like my parents you have been refreshing this blog like crazy so I shall try to write fast. Today we went to Pompeii, Emilie and I (Szarrah) were the first tour guides there. And let me tell you, planning a whole tour throughout a city of originally 20,000 is pretty hard. You get there and it looks nothing like the picture in your head. Luckly, my amazing map skills saved us and ensured we got to see all the cool places we wanted everyone to see.
We next went to the museum. You were literally looking at GIGANTIC statues that looked so real I thought they would get up and move. They were so detailed you could see their veins. Then we just chilled in Naples with gelato. It was GREEATTT.
The defining moment of the trip for me today was when I woke up. I got up at 7 and woke up my room mates. We got dressed, packed our day packs, and were getting ready to head downstais when Michelle looked at the clock. NOT 7, but 4. AM.. ya I will never live that down.
OXOXO, Sarah
p.s. HI MOM
Hello parents! I know if you are like my parents you have been refreshing this blog like crazy so I shall try to write fast. Today we went to Pompeii, Emilie and I (Szarrah) were the first tour guides there. And let me tell you, planning a whole tour throughout a city of originally 20,000 is pretty hard. You get there and it looks nothing like the picture in your head. Luckly, my amazing map skills saved us and ensured we got to see all the cool places we wanted everyone to see.
We next went to the museum. You were literally looking at GIGANTIC statues that looked so real I thought they would get up and move. They were so detailed you could see their veins. Then we just chilled in Naples with gelato. It was GREEATTT.
The defining moment of the trip for me today was when I woke up. I got up at 7 and woke up my room mates. We got dressed, packed our day packs, and were getting ready to head downstais when Michelle looked at the clock. NOT 7, but 4. AM.. ya I will never live that down.
OXOXO, Sarah
p.s. HI MOM
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Day 1: Arrival, Sperlonga, Capua
This post was written by Nathan Landau:
Hello readers, This is the first day of the 13 day long 9th grade class tip to Italy and Greece. It all started at around 4:30 am where just about everyone one in the class showed up at Sky Harbor Air Port and even though it was early, everyone was exited and ready to go. We walk through check in and security and boarded our first plane to Atalanta with no problems. The plane ride went by quick and before long, we were in Atlanta waiting to board our flight to Italy. That flight was a lot longer and was also over night. Which made it necessary to sleep. However, I believe most of us were not too successful at that task. After about nine and a half hours on that plane, we loaded ourselves on a bus were we were taken to Sperlonga which is the former home of Emperor Tiberius's villa. Tiberius was the second emperor of Rome who did just about nothing to expand and develop Rome. In fact for about the last 10 years of his life he spent his entire time away from Rome, in his villa. Which is one reason why that villa is so extravagant and important. After we departed from Sperlonga, we headed over to the town and the Gladiatorial museum of Capua. This was the second largest arena in Rome were many famous battles were held including Spartacus's revolt, which originated in that arena. It was also a housing ground for the Carthaginian military when Capua opened its doors to them. We shortly left there and headed to a small villa via the bus. We are all tired and anxious to see what the rest of the trip has in store for us.
Hello readers, This is the first day of the 13 day long 9th grade class tip to Italy and Greece. It all started at around 4:30 am where just about everyone one in the class showed up at Sky Harbor Air Port and even though it was early, everyone was exited and ready to go. We walk through check in and security and boarded our first plane to Atalanta with no problems. The plane ride went by quick and before long, we were in Atlanta waiting to board our flight to Italy. That flight was a lot longer and was also over night. Which made it necessary to sleep. However, I believe most of us were not too successful at that task. After about nine and a half hours on that plane, we loaded ourselves on a bus were we were taken to Sperlonga which is the former home of Emperor Tiberius's villa. Tiberius was the second emperor of Rome who did just about nothing to expand and develop Rome. In fact for about the last 10 years of his life he spent his entire time away from Rome, in his villa. Which is one reason why that villa is so extravagant and important. After we departed from Sperlonga, we headed over to the town and the Gladiatorial museum of Capua. This was the second largest arena in Rome were many famous battles were held including Spartacus's revolt, which originated in that arena. It was also a housing ground for the Carthaginian military when Capua opened its doors to them. We shortly left there and headed to a small villa via the bus. We are all tired and anxious to see what the rest of the trip has in store for us.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Hello, visitors!
Welcome to the Tesseract School's 9th grade Humanities class blog. We'll be posting updates from the road on this site as we travel through Italy and Greece. You can see our daily itinerary here; each night, a different student will be responsible for summarizing the day's activities. Anticipate the first report being posted by 1pm on Sunday (Phoenix time).
Everything below this post is related to normal class activities and probably of little interest to you. But, you're more than welcome to explore what we've been up to this year.
Check back often for new posts!
Updated 4/10, 6am - We are all sitting at the gate. Some were searched more thoroughly in security than others! But most are getting caffeinated and wired for the flight. Apologies in advance to all other passengers on the plane.
Everything below this post is related to normal class activities and probably of little interest to you. But, you're more than welcome to explore what we've been up to this year.
Check back often for new posts!
Updated 4/10, 6am - We are all sitting at the gate. Some were searched more thoroughly in security than others! But most are getting caffeinated and wired for the flight. Apologies in advance to all other passengers on the plane.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Journaling and Blogging
While on the trip, you will be required to journal daily and blog once. Expectations are as follows:
Journaling: On a trip like this, with a packed itinerary and surrounded by friends, it can be really hard to make the time to write. However, anyone who has traveled can tell you that the travel journal ends up being the most sacred memento from the experience. I've had trips on which I didn't write down my daily experiences; I really regret this now, as the memories have ebbed over the years. The journals I do have, however, keep those trips remarkably fresh in my mind.
A good trip journal generally involves two steps. First, over the course of the day, jot down things that you see, that you hear, that you smell, etc. These can - and probably should - just be fragments, a quick list of specific details. The greater specificity, the better. Try to get exact quotes from people, the precise wording on signs, the historical details the tour guides provide. This is one of the reasons for the little journal we gave you - it's easy to carry during the day and allows for quick bulletpoints.
Then, that evening, go through your list of details and try to assemble them into a narrative. Your story will be much richer because of the specifics that you have to plug in. We have given you some journaling topics in your daily itinerary to get your wheels spinning, but you're free to write about the things that interest you.
Your journal is private; we're not going to make you turn it in. But, we are interested in seeing what you have written, so when you return to Tesseract we will ask you to select three different entries - using whatever criteria you wish - which you will then type up, edit, and polish until they fully capture the story you're looking to tell. These three entries will be worth 30 points.
Blogging: On the day you are assigned to blog, you will be responsible for providing a complete summary of the day's events. This certainly includes a description of all major sights that we visited. In addition, though, you are welcome to include personal stories, random encounters, and other general hilarity. Try to capture the tone of the day, the feeling of being on the road, and also to integrate your voice into the piece. In other words, this shouldn't be a dry summary of facts. Make it interesting.
The challenge with this sort of writing is balancing the personal details with the historical ones. If you're not sure what this looks like, there are all sorts of websites devoted to travel writing that you could check out before you go. I've posted accounts of my recent trips in Turkey and Central America, and for all their flaws they may give you some idea of how to navigate between history and your story.
Journaling: On a trip like this, with a packed itinerary and surrounded by friends, it can be really hard to make the time to write. However, anyone who has traveled can tell you that the travel journal ends up being the most sacred memento from the experience. I've had trips on which I didn't write down my daily experiences; I really regret this now, as the memories have ebbed over the years. The journals I do have, however, keep those trips remarkably fresh in my mind.
A good trip journal generally involves two steps. First, over the course of the day, jot down things that you see, that you hear, that you smell, etc. These can - and probably should - just be fragments, a quick list of specific details. The greater specificity, the better. Try to get exact quotes from people, the precise wording on signs, the historical details the tour guides provide. This is one of the reasons for the little journal we gave you - it's easy to carry during the day and allows for quick bulletpoints.
Then, that evening, go through your list of details and try to assemble them into a narrative. Your story will be much richer because of the specifics that you have to plug in. We have given you some journaling topics in your daily itinerary to get your wheels spinning, but you're free to write about the things that interest you.
Your journal is private; we're not going to make you turn it in. But, we are interested in seeing what you have written, so when you return to Tesseract we will ask you to select three different entries - using whatever criteria you wish - which you will then type up, edit, and polish until they fully capture the story you're looking to tell. These three entries will be worth 30 points.
Blogging: On the day you are assigned to blog, you will be responsible for providing a complete summary of the day's events. This certainly includes a description of all major sights that we visited. In addition, though, you are welcome to include personal stories, random encounters, and other general hilarity. Try to capture the tone of the day, the feeling of being on the road, and also to integrate your voice into the piece. In other words, this shouldn't be a dry summary of facts. Make it interesting.
The challenge with this sort of writing is balancing the personal details with the historical ones. If you're not sure what this looks like, there are all sorts of websites devoted to travel writing that you could check out before you go. I've posted accounts of my recent trips in Turkey and Central America, and for all their flaws they may give you some idea of how to navigate between history and your story.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Seats
Phoenix-Atlanta
Seats were assigned by the airline. Do I care if you trade amongst yourselves? No.
40A - Hunter
40B - Wasnaa
40C - Nat
40D - David
41A - Sam
41B - Jacob
41C - Ms. Montanez
41D - Ms. D'Onofrio
41F - Michelle
42A - Emilie
42B - Jordan
42C - Robert
42D - Mr. Labonte
42F - Arron
43A - El Jefe
43B - Taylor
43C - Nathan
43D - Victoria
43E - Sarah
43F - Makhayla
Atlanta-Rome
39A - Jordan
39B - Robert
39C - Mr. Labonte
39D - Michelle
39F - Arron
39G - Sam
39H - Jacob
39J - Ms. Montanez
40C - Ms. D'Onofrio
40D - Hunter
40F - Wasnaa
40G - Nat
40H - David
41A - El Jefe
41B - Taylor
41C - Nathan
41D - Victoria
41G - Sarah
41H - Makhayla
41J - Emilie
Seats were assigned by the airline. Do I care if you trade amongst yourselves? No.
40A - Hunter
40B - Wasnaa
40C - Nat
40D - David
41A - Sam
41B - Jacob
41C - Ms. Montanez
41D - Ms. D'Onofrio
41F - Michelle
42A - Emilie
42B - Jordan
42C - Robert
42D - Mr. Labonte
42F - Arron
43A - El Jefe
43B - Taylor
43C - Nathan
43D - Victoria
43E - Sarah
43F - Makhayla
Atlanta-Rome
39A - Jordan
39B - Robert
39C - Mr. Labonte
39D - Michelle
39F - Arron
39G - Sam
39H - Jacob
39J - Ms. Montanez
40C - Ms. D'Onofrio
40D - Hunter
40F - Wasnaa
40G - Nat
40H - David
41A - El Jefe
41B - Taylor
41C - Nathan
41D - Victoria
41G - Sarah
41H - Makhayla
41J - Emilie
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