Thank you!

Dear students,

It was a pleasure traveling through Italy & Greece with all of you!

Thank you for all the amazing memories.  I wish all of you all the very best for the remainder of your time at Collingwood & beyond.

If you want me to send you any of the pictures I took, send me an email anytime : melina@ghardytours.com.

Keep in touch!

Sincerely,
Melina

Rainy Roma

Here is a picture of the group outside the colosseum.  The colourful umbrellas make for a great shot.

In Venezia!

Since the last blog update, we have safely made our way through Rome, Florence and have enjoyed a lovely day & evening in Venice.

The photo upload tool does not seem to be working - photos coming soon!

Sincerely,
Melina

Just a few pictures I forgot to post earlier !

There are some pictures of Capri that really capture the beauty of the island !

ROMA

Today we walked by the Forum & Colosseum, tossed a coin into the Trevi Fountain (to ensure our return to Rome), had gelato at a famous gelateria and had the fortune to enter the Pantheon while it was raining.  We had a 'who-can-take-the-most-artistic-photo' competition today...The winners will be posted shortly.

Tomorrow is our tour of the Vatican followed by partaking in Italy's 150th anniversary celebrations ! More pictures coming soon!

PS: These students are absolutely lovely.  Compliments to the parents ! Everyone seems to be in high spirits and enjoying every place we've visited thus far.

Ciao Roma !!!

We have arrived safely in Rome and checked into our lovely hotel on Via Cavour (a short walk to the Forum & Colosseum).

The past few days have been quite eventful.  I'll let the pictures tell the story!

Here's a picture of the students sitting inside the fascinating ruin of Pompeii.  We had a half day tour of this ancient ruin and learned all about the volcanic eruption that hid the "Las Vegas of the Roman Empire" under 25 feet of ash and pumice until it was discovered in the 16th century.  Since it's accidental discovery, it provided an extraordinarily detailed insight into the life of a city at the height of the Roman Empire.

Here is a picture of the students looking at  the people of pompeii at the exact moment of their death. Many have their hands over their mouth, and many are seen on the ground, reaching out for some unknown saviour...it's as tragic as it is fascinating.  

A fresco located in the the "supermarket" in Pompeii.

Here are some of the finds from the excavation...bodies...water jugs...

This is a picture taken in the Roman Baths of Pompeii. The guide described the bathing rituals as well as the heated floors. Pretty sophisticated for almost 2000 years ago!

A group shot in the residential area of Pompeii.

The small theatre in Pompeii was established in the 1st century BC.  It could hold up to 1000 spectators and could be covered permanently.

Nothing like a pizza lunch to celebrate an educational tour !

Buon Appetito!

Che buono !

The Pizza oven at Pompeii.

Smile with your Pizza !

"Melina, could I please just eat my pizza? Is this photo really necessary?"

"voila ! Vera napolitana pizza ! "

After our tour of Pompeii, the (extremely fit) BC students hiked up Mount Vesuvius.  It normally takes Ontario students 1-2 hours to get up and down....these super fit mountain people were up and down in less than an hour.  Unbelievable.  "Melina...I thought this was a hike, this is nothing compared to the grouse grind..."

A picture of the students at the top of Mount Vesuvius (Bay of Naples in the background).

Our proud hikers.  Bagging Mount Vesuvius in record time !

Once we finished our tour of Pompeii & Mount Vesuvius, we settled into our hotel to prepare for a full day on the beautiful Island of Capri aka the 'Pearl of the Mediterranean'.  We walked over to the ferry and caught a boat in the morning and were lucky to have glorious sunshine the entire day.

Boat across to Capri.

Boat across to Capri.  

We arrived in Capri and chartered a private cruise around the island.  The following pictures are from our cruise.

A picture of the teachers who braved the front of the boat and I happened to catch the moment that we went over a surprisingly large wave.

Students enjoying the view.

Cruising around the island.

Cruising around the island.