Hello parents! It's just about time for us to come home. The girls have been absolutely wonderful; Ms. Rohrbach and I are so proud of their behavior -- especially compared to the students from the other school in our group. Our girls have been polite and cooperative and haven't complained once. You have raised them right! We couldn't have asked for a more delightful group of girls. I think they will have many memorable experiences to share with all of you when they return.
Just to remind you: we return to LAX at 7:00 on Air France on flight number 69. We will see you when we come out of customs.
See you soon!
Ms. Staves and Ms. Rohrbach
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Our last day
Today was a low key day that involved lots of shopping and a trip to the Acropolis. After learning about the temple atop the Acropolis, the Parthenon, we visited a necklace shop where we were able to order customized columns adorned with our names in Greek. Excited about our recent purchases, we trekked to downtown Athens for some extremely exciting shopping. We bargained and bought and tried on and shopped, even found some Homecoming dresses! (Brittney :]) At our hotel, we happened across Athena Hall. J Overall a great day but we are all definitely ready to go home. Leaving with a strong bond between us all, and a big smile in our newly educated brains, and thousands of souvenir shopping bags, we are all eager to be reunited with our friends and family. Tha se do sintoma!
Brittney Cannon and Athena Partch
Brittney Cannon and Athena Partch
Monday, June 21, 2010
The Cruise
The cruise! What a great time! We enjoyed ourselves immensely. Although we enjoyed the free time on the cruise we soon docked in Patmos and we found joy in shopping among the many touristy shops and cafes. The beach was beautiful even when you could no longer touch the floor you could see many fish swimming below among the coral and reefs. Although the water was chilly it was the perfect refreshing temperature to cool ourselves on the ridiculously hot day. Also, as we admired the sweet feeling of the water and the soft sand on our toes we enjoyed a rather cheap ice cream or cold beverage which quenched almost any unquenchable thirst. We had an amazing time and the never ending ocean can make you smile even on the downiest of days.
The ever poetic,
Alma (AC) Lopez <3
Good-bye Turkey, hello GREECE!!! Even though we had an amazing experience in Turkey, Greece was something everyone was looking forward to. On the first day we all arrived at Patmos, one of the Greek Islands, where Kelly, AC, Brittney, Marie, and I went into the clear, warm, blue water. Then we walked around and did a little shopping. After a little bit of walking around, we found an internet café and paid 2 euros for 30 minutes on a laptop were we took turns checking our emails and seeing that we have a ton of Facebook notifications. We bought ice-cream from the little café (and watching some of the Fifa World Cup) we continued walking and shopping before we met up with the rest of the group. Now half of the LVHS girls own Ray-Bands. Greece has been an experience that I will never forget.
Love always,
Melissa Padilla J
These past few days in Greece have been ones that we will a never forget, with the amazing shopping, great food, and extravagant adventures that we have taken part in. First, we all took a small pirate-ship type boat out to the volcano of Santorini, hiking more than we expected. Although complaints were made during the trip up, once we hit the top it was well worth it. The view was dream-like being able to see hundreds of white homes through Greece, the ocean and more islands. This view though, only was perfect in person, and though many pictures were taken they didn’t seem to sufficiently capture the beauty of it all. After a long walk down this volcano, everyone boarded the ship and we went off to the Santorini hot springs where girls jump off the boat and took fun pictures. Thinking nothing could really top off this fun time, we were off to the island again and this time we docked at its base and took a bus ride to the top. Once on the top of island we had a decision to make: either we got down by walking the distance, taking a quick cable-car, or having a unique trip donkey. Most of us decided to take the donkeys which were smelly but cute and a more-than-likely once in a life-time experience. Though half of us were screaming from terror and the other half were laughing and riding with no-hands, (Brittney) it was the highlight and great end to the already amazing day. Topping off the night though, we all went back to the cruise ship and got ready to dance the night away at the disco. Today we are now off the ship and in Athens. Though running-off a lack sleep today was just an easy day of walking around Athens and shopping until our feet fall off. Though tired, we fought our ship motion sickness and all bought gifts for friends, family, and ourselves that we will enjoy forever. Now, while others are ready to shower and get to bed Marie and I are getting ready to have a great night of dancing and an authentic meal at the Greek evening. We are all living life to the fullest here in Greece and will be home soon enough.
~Amy Batchelor
The ever poetic,
Alma (AC) Lopez <3
Good-bye Turkey, hello GREECE!!! Even though we had an amazing experience in Turkey, Greece was something everyone was looking forward to. On the first day we all arrived at Patmos, one of the Greek Islands, where Kelly, AC, Brittney, Marie, and I went into the clear, warm, blue water. Then we walked around and did a little shopping. After a little bit of walking around, we found an internet café and paid 2 euros for 30 minutes on a laptop were we took turns checking our emails and seeing that we have a ton of Facebook notifications. We bought ice-cream from the little café (and watching some of the Fifa World Cup) we continued walking and shopping before we met up with the rest of the group. Now half of the LVHS girls own Ray-Bands. Greece has been an experience that I will never forget.
Love always,
Melissa Padilla J
These past few days in Greece have been ones that we will a never forget, with the amazing shopping, great food, and extravagant adventures that we have taken part in. First, we all took a small pirate-ship type boat out to the volcano of Santorini, hiking more than we expected. Although complaints were made during the trip up, once we hit the top it was well worth it. The view was dream-like being able to see hundreds of white homes through Greece, the ocean and more islands. This view though, only was perfect in person, and though many pictures were taken they didn’t seem to sufficiently capture the beauty of it all. After a long walk down this volcano, everyone boarded the ship and we went off to the Santorini hot springs where girls jump off the boat and took fun pictures. Thinking nothing could really top off this fun time, we were off to the island again and this time we docked at its base and took a bus ride to the top. Once on the top of island we had a decision to make: either we got down by walking the distance, taking a quick cable-car, or having a unique trip donkey. Most of us decided to take the donkeys which were smelly but cute and a more-than-likely once in a life-time experience. Though half of us were screaming from terror and the other half were laughing and riding with no-hands, (Brittney) it was the highlight and great end to the already amazing day. Topping off the night though, we all went back to the cruise ship and got ready to dance the night away at the disco. Today we are now off the ship and in Athens. Though running-off a lack sleep today was just an easy day of walking around Athens and shopping until our feet fall off. Though tired, we fought our ship motion sickness and all bought gifts for friends, family, and ourselves that we will enjoy forever. Now, while others are ready to shower and get to bed Marie and I are getting ready to have a great night of dancing and an authentic meal at the Greek evening. We are all living life to the fullest here in Greece and will be home soon enough.
~Amy Batchelor
Friday, June 18, 2010
A Day at Ephesus
June 18, 2010
Today we went to Ephesus. First we visited the house of the Virgin Mary which has been turned into a small chapel. When we entered the foundation of the house of Mary we were given two candles to light and pray for someone who is dear to our heart. After, we went down to the Holy Springs. We were able to drink from one out of three fountains and could choose from Health, Wealth or Beauty. We continued on to a leather store where we were able to watch a fashion show of an assortment of their collection. Then we had time to shop around the store. Alma, Claire, Kelly, Carley, and Athena all bought an extremely cute wallet with pink, blue, and green polka dots on a white background. Subsequent to our shopping we stopped at a museum which prepared us for our visit to the ruins of Ephesus. At Ephesus we were able to see how their city was built and maintained. We also were able to see the beautiful statues and mosaics of this ancient city. Upon our arrival at the new hotel we were greeted by friendly (absolutely gorgeous) people. The dinner that we had was by far the best meal that any of us have had during the trip. We had an exciting dinner and a show as A.C. slipped and fell into the pool fully clothed! After this excitement we proceeded to relax and tomorrow we will embark on a cruise to the Grecian islands.
XOXO
Gossip Girls
a.k.a. Marie Bliss and Claire Wagner
Today we went to Ephesus. First we visited the house of the Virgin Mary which has been turned into a small chapel. When we entered the foundation of the house of Mary we were given two candles to light and pray for someone who is dear to our heart. After, we went down to the Holy Springs. We were able to drink from one out of three fountains and could choose from Health, Wealth or Beauty. We continued on to a leather store where we were able to watch a fashion show of an assortment of their collection. Then we had time to shop around the store. Alma, Claire, Kelly, Carley, and Athena all bought an extremely cute wallet with pink, blue, and green polka dots on a white background. Subsequent to our shopping we stopped at a museum which prepared us for our visit to the ruins of Ephesus. At Ephesus we were able to see how their city was built and maintained. We also were able to see the beautiful statues and mosaics of this ancient city. Upon our arrival at the new hotel we were greeted by friendly (absolutely gorgeous) people. The dinner that we had was by far the best meal that any of us have had during the trip. We had an exciting dinner and a show as A.C. slipped and fell into the pool fully clothed! After this excitement we proceeded to relax and tomorrow we will embark on a cruise to the Grecian islands.
XOXO
Gossip Girls
a.k.a. Marie Bliss and Claire Wagner
Thursday, June 17, 2010
The other side of Turkey
Happy Sweet Sixteen Carley! Early this morning we headed to the Acropolis. After a 45 minute drive through the Asian part of the beautiful country of Turkey, we ascended up the windy hill that led us to the beautiful and ancient ruins (A.K.A. it was really old). After Suleyman , our tour guide, taught us about the history of the ruins (A.K.A. old rocks), he sent us on the journey of photography. Carley and I decided that this was a beautiful backdrop for a personal photo shoot. Everyone scurried to the top of the disintegrating columns and struck an original pose. Ten minutes later we glanced over to find our chaperones (A.K.A. Staves and Rohrbach) copying our beautiful poses (A.K.A. they aren’t very original). After we departed for our next destination (A.K.A. the Onyx Quarry). At the Quarry we were shown how to shine a piece of onyx. We then entered the air conditioned store…finally…air conditioning…it’s really hot here. At this store, our stupendous chaperones decided to buy jewelry that they didn’t really need. Our next destination was a quaint little café on the side of the road. We experienced the delicacy that is Turkish pizza. We finally boarded our EF Tours bus to our marvelous beach-side hotel. We spent the remainder of our day by the pool tanning and playing pool games. Overall it was an interesting and educational day (A.K.A.: you didn’t waste your money on this trip).
Love,
Kelly Ross and Carley Platt (A.K.A. your beautiful bloggers)
Love,
Kelly Ross and Carley Platt (A.K.A. your beautiful bloggers)
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Trip to Troy
Today was a very long day! We woke up at 6:00 AM. Then we all got on the bus and waited anxiously to visit the ancient city of Troy. On the way we stopped for lunch and drove the bus onto the ferry. By the way if you ever have to go to the bathroom on a ferry in Turkey don’t the toilette is a hole in the floor. Once we got off the ferry we slept all the way to Troy. Once we got off we looked at all the old foundations and climbed into a replica of the Trojan Horse. We got back on the bus drenched in sweat and listened to the exciting history of olive oil!!! Finally we got to our hotel ate dinner and went to the beach. We all dove off the pier. We did not realize that the people screaming at us in various languages were warning us of the sea urchins inches from our feet. Almost all of us walked away without a scratch but a few of the less fortunate spent the rest of the night pulling urchins out of their feet. But all is well. Everyone survived the attacks. :)
-Athena Partch
-Athena Partch
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Istanbul
6/16/10
European Istanbul
To get here, we took a flight that stopped once in Paris after eleven hours, and continued to Istanbul with another five. Of course, AC lost her luggage somehow, but luckily it came back from Tuluiz tonight. The hotel is much nicer than we thought it would be for a school trip. We were treated to a chicken and rice with French fries (potatoes) dinner. We met the students from the other schools, who are very nice to us. After a confusing morning as far as time zones are concerned, we took a trip to the Blue Mosque, and learned a lot about Islamic beliefs. We were asked to take our shoes off (to keep the carpet clean. NO SYMBOLISM) and cover our legs and shoulders. We can hear the call of worship from the minaret multiple times daily. Later, we visited the Hagia Sofia museum, where we met some interesting characters, and learned how to convert a church to a mosque. The building is 1500 years old. Next we were introduced to an obelisk from Egypt, as well as another that was raided by the crusades for bronze. From here, we traveled to the bazaar and were “graciously complemented” by the local sellers. Ms. Staves and Ms. Rohrbach want me to mention the Turkish delight… whatever that is… For lunch we had delicious, ethnic McDonald’s. Claire was really surprised to find that chicken nuggets are a sandwich here. Our group next ventured on a very grueling walking tour to the spice market. Finally, the moment we all had been waiting for. We could return to the hotel! And rest our feet! After an enlightening day spent in European Istanbul, formerly known as Constantinople, or even earlier Byzantium, our tour group finds ourselves trekking to Asiatic Istanbul tomorrow, with promises of a glorious hotel with wonderful beach and pool access. To our delight, Turkey has surpassed our expectations, and we find ourselves really learning and remembering the information we have experienced hands-on. The rest of the trip holds bright promise to us excited Americans.
Miss Brittney Cannon & Miss Yvette Nowry
European Istanbul
To get here, we took a flight that stopped once in Paris after eleven hours, and continued to Istanbul with another five. Of course, AC lost her luggage somehow, but luckily it came back from Tuluiz tonight. The hotel is much nicer than we thought it would be for a school trip. We were treated to a chicken and rice with French fries (potatoes) dinner. We met the students from the other schools, who are very nice to us. After a confusing morning as far as time zones are concerned, we took a trip to the Blue Mosque, and learned a lot about Islamic beliefs. We were asked to take our shoes off (to keep the carpet clean. NO SYMBOLISM) and cover our legs and shoulders. We can hear the call of worship from the minaret multiple times daily. Later, we visited the Hagia Sofia museum, where we met some interesting characters, and learned how to convert a church to a mosque. The building is 1500 years old. Next we were introduced to an obelisk from Egypt, as well as another that was raided by the crusades for bronze. From here, we traveled to the bazaar and were “graciously complemented” by the local sellers. Ms. Staves and Ms. Rohrbach want me to mention the Turkish delight… whatever that is… For lunch we had delicious, ethnic McDonald’s. Claire was really surprised to find that chicken nuggets are a sandwich here. Our group next ventured on a very grueling walking tour to the spice market. Finally, the moment we all had been waiting for. We could return to the hotel! And rest our feet! After an enlightening day spent in European Istanbul, formerly known as Constantinople, or even earlier Byzantium, our tour group finds ourselves trekking to Asiatic Istanbul tomorrow, with promises of a glorious hotel with wonderful beach and pool access. To our delight, Turkey has surpassed our expectations, and we find ourselves really learning and remembering the information we have experienced hands-on. The rest of the trip holds bright promise to us excited Americans.
Miss Brittney Cannon & Miss Yvette Nowry
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Click here for Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Get Set for Greece and Turkey!
The trip includes a three day cruise with stops at beautiful Greek islands and beaches. You'll see famous religious and historical sites and have the rare opportunity to experience two of the world's richest cultures.
We look forward to sharing this experience with you.
Any questions please contact Ms. Staves at astaves@louisvillehs.org
We look forward to sharing this experience with you.
Any questions please contact Ms. Staves at astaves@louisvillehs.org
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
