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This is the page for the 2009 Earl of March Europe Trip, visiting Italy, France and England.
DAY 1:Our adventurous travellers all arrived safely at their first stop in Rome, after many long and tiring hours. They were bused from the airport to their hotel, the Villa degli Angeli, pictured below, on a beautiful, sunny 17 degree afternoon. We will try to keep posting updates of our travels so you can follow along.
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The group is shown heading out for their first dinner in Rome (pasta of course) in the shot below, giving a great sense of the beauty in the hills.
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DAY 2:Whew!! What a busy day! MANY historic sites were visited during the day, which also included the opportunity of being blessed by the Pope. Return to the hotel was at 11:00 pm, and we have a 6:00 am departure tomorrow as we head to Florence. There are many tired, but happy, faces around here! Hopefully the next hotel will also have Internet access so that more photos can be posted.
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DAY 3: UPDATE - I got photos up!!.
We had an early start to get to the Vatican Museum for an 8 am tour. What an impressive place, with the Sistine Chapel an obvious highlight. (First photo below)
We then boarded the bus to head to Assisi with a stop at a Ceramics producer first. Assisi was beautiful, and everyone had a chance to tour the city and then visit the Basillica of St Francis (second photo below). An evening bus ride took us to Florence where we will tour, shop and then board the night train to Paris. We will not have internet access for the two days, but will try to update as soon as possible.
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DAY 4:
Florence! What a beautiful city!! So much history to see that it is overwhelming! We had a morning tour with the afternoon to explore and shop. After another dinner featuring pasta, we walked to the train station for the night train to Paris.
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DAY 5:
See the Paris page...
DAY 5:
Well, that was a long day. Our train ride, which was enjoyed to varying levels by different people, brought us in to Paris about an hour late, which is apparently typical. We then quickly(ish), hopped onto a bus for a driving tour of the city, pointing out many of the highlights. After dropping bags off at the hotel, a ride on the Metro took us to the Louvre Museum for an afternoon visit. Following dinner, another Metro journey brought us to our evening boat cruise on the Seine, followed by a trip up the Eiffel tower. We got back to the hotel for check in after 11:30 pm, and as I write this it is just past 1:00 am local time. Everyone is still having a great time!!
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DAY 6:
A little later start for the group today, with an 8:00 wake up call. The morning was spent at Monmartre, with the afternoon spent exploring the Champs d'Elysee (i.e. shopping, for many!). We have a 4:00 am wake up call for tomorrow as we head for London. If we have internet access there, the updates will continue, otherwise we will update you from home.
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I was unable to get access with my laptop, and the (one)hotel computer was not accessible for much of the time, so this is a very brief and last minute update.
All of the students have had a great time on the trip and the weather has been fantastic overall. The train from Paris to London was fast and smooth, with a brief bus tour in the morning (with Alan, the driver, who had a gradfather who was a Mountie!!) arriving at the hotel to drop off bags at noon. We then went via the Tube into town and had a walking tour, followed by some time to explore. After dinner, the evening's Jack the Ripper tour was very engaging, with Justin, the very enthusiastic guide.
Saturday began with a 3 hour bus tour until about noon, after which we visited Buckingham Palace to see the end of the Changing of the Guard. We then had free time to finish shopping, had our last meal in London and then took the Tube back to the hotel to begin packing.
Mr. Ferguson's group had a 5:00 am wake up call (and they were all up when I checked at 5:10!!!), with a return expected to the train station at 7:30 pm. (Gavin and Spencer were the first down for breakfast at 5:30). The remainder of the group will be getting up in a couple of hours for their direct flight home, which brings them in to Ottawa at 4:45.
Let's hope for an unevenful return journey for all, although we aren't expecting the 15 to 18 degree weather to continue.
