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.

A message from David Hughes: 

"The kids have been great ! We had a fantastic day at Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius today.  We're all looking forward to an amazing trip to Capri tomorrow.  Can't believe we only have a week left to go until we're home!"

 

Students learning about the archeological site of Delphi.

A typical view from Delphi.

Taking in the view (this picture appears as though the students are on a cliff side, but there was flat land on the other side of the rock).

Delphi : A place we called home for 2 days.

Students about to start the trek to the ancient stadium.  

Girls shopping in Plaka, Athens.

Yes, this is the view from some of the student's rooms in Delphi... 

Nothing beats mystical mountain tops as a picture-perfect backdrop to a lunch in Delphi.

Melina in the National Archaeological Museum.  

The national archaeological museum in Athens. 

Here are some photo highlights from our time in Athens :)

A picture of the group getting a history lesson on the Acropolis.

A shot of the girls in front of the Parthenon.

Sitting down for a break at the Acropolis.

Delphi - absolutely breathtaking !

The students toured through Delphi before checking into our cute hotel right in the city centre.  The pictures we took today are unbelievable ! We just need to get the photo upload tool working so that all you parents are able to see the wonderful things we've been experiencing!  As soon as the students settled into the hotel rooms, the halls were filled with "oooos and ahhhhs" as students admired the view of the mountain range and lakes....a few lucky girls got the entire top floor of the hotel!

This is such a beautiful place !  

Tonight we're off to a taverna followed by a (supervised) dance party :)

Tomorrow we're off to Rome for a 1pm flight followed by a bus ride to Sorrento where we will be spending the next four days.

Second day in Athena :)

Today we had a tour of the National Archeological Museum where students marvelled at Minoan & Mycenaean artifacts, sculptures and paintings.  We learned about Heinrich Schlimann and the fascinating way in which he discovered Troy AND Mycenea. We then enjoyed an orientation coach tour of Athens followed by a visit to Constitution square where many photos were taken with the Athenian guards.  Following our coach tour, we hiked up to the Acropolis where everyone got a refresher course in ancient Greek history.  We saw the birthplace of democracy and walked winding paths lined with olive trees and were able to imagine the path Socrates used to walk....Being in the old town centre in Athens truly is like stepping back in time.

We spent the afternoon at the foot of the acropolis where students bought some cool souvenirs.  

Tonight we are eating dinner in a taverna where there will be traditional folk dancers - opa ! 

The plan for tomorrow is to leave the hotel at 8am and head to Delphi where we will spend the night.  

It's been great so far and the weather has been amazing to us.  The sun was shining brightly and beautifully today which made lunch on a terrace extremely enjoyable.

While we are enjoying eating feta cheese for breakfast, lunch and dinner, I think that a lot of the students are really looking forward to moving onto Italy.

Pictures coming soon!

Melina 

Safe and Sound :)

Opa ! We finally made it to Athens after almost 24 straight hours of travel. Despite the long journey, students are in very high spirits and are looking forward to the upcoming events we have planned for them.

Our plan in Athens is to stroll through the colourful neighbourhood of Plakka where students can purchase cool souvenirs such as a charm to ward of the ‘evil eye’.  I’m telling students not to go crazy shopping as we are headed to the San Lorenzo leather market in Florence next week.  Moms & sisters : if you wish to put in a leather purse order with your child, please make sure you specify the colour within the next few days.  There will be a purse specific excursion :)

Tomorrow we will be going to the National Archeological Museum followed by a hike up to the Acropolis.  Apparently there was a snowstorm in Athens a few days ago but we you would never know... most students enjoyed an outdoor lunch on a sun-drenched terrace.

If you have any immediate questions, you are welcome to email : melina@ghardytours.com as I have my blackberry and can pass important messages along to your son/daughter. 

I'll end this entry on a positive note : our group of students has been continually complimented on great behaviour.  The staff are looking forward to a wonderful two weeks ahead.  

David Hughes took some great pictures today - we will see if we can post some of his great shots shortly.

Sincerely,

Melina 

Has everyone finished packing?

This is just a note to say that we're one day away from departure !!!

I'm looking forward to meeting everyone at the airport tomorrow!

Greece & Italy here we come!

Sincerely,
Melina

(The Georgia Hardy Tours' Rep for Collingwood 2011 Greece & Italy)