Day 10

Hi everyone!

We have now been in Paris for a few days and it is absolutely gorgeous. For our tenth day in Europe, we first visited Fontainebleau and the beautiful palace located there. We got a great tour of this palace and learned alot about who it has housed over the years. Many kings resided there when they were not at the Louvre or other homes. An interestering part of this palace was that there were many different designs within the building because most kings who lived there changed something about it to go with their own personal tastes. One of the most famous men to reside there was Napoleon himself.

Many rooms of this palace are decorated with gold embellishments and intricate detail. There are many different apartmetns within the massive home and each room had its own purpose back when royalty lived in it. There were rooms used solely for sleeping to ones used as grand ballrooms and throne rooms. The state does an amazing job of keeping the palace in tip-top shape. One of the best parts about this place, however, had to be the perfectly symmetrical garden behind the building where we must have taken at least 10 group photos! After the tour was over, we had some free time to get lunch and explore the town a little bit.

After leaving Fontaibleau we stopped at Barbizon Village to check out the little town. It is actually an extremely quiet town with not all that much going on. Artists tend to live there, and many people also visit for peaceful vacations. We walked around for a few minutes and then jumped back on the bus to go back to the hotel and have free time from about 4:00 p.m. on. Overall, it was a good day and the trip has been amazing so far!

Jamie Pepin 2014

Premier Jour en France

Bonjour !

 After a long trip from England (which was unbelievably delayed due to an earlier suicidal accident on the train tracks) our group has finally arrived in Paris, France. From the moment of our arrival, you could sense the cultural differences amongst the two European nations. In England, it is evident that a lot of the architecture was constructed more recently; all of the buildings were symmetrical with modern marvels surrounding the city. Much of it was so picture perfect and extremely tidy (most likely because the country is anticipating the Olympics). France on the other hand, gives off a uniquely beautiful atmosphere by combining contemporary aspects with a much richer history.

Graffiti art was spray painted on the sides of underground buildings and used as advertisements on trucks. Artists behind Notre Dame set up their canvases by the rose gardens and fountains, avid to recreate. Musicians in the streets & even on the metro were ready to serenade a crowd with their accordions. Street dancers from Africa were impressive with their dances of capoeira, one performer even balancing a bowl of goldfish on his head while dancing!

Norte Dame was absolutely amazing. Hard to believe that everything from the stained glass to the detailed gargoyles, saints & kings was constructed without modern machinery. It was moving to tour the inside of the Cathedral while a mass service was taking place, whereas Westminster Abbey in England was a museum with a tour guide. The religious theme of most of the architecture in Paris contributes to the romantic vibe of the city, along with the notoriously picturesque Eiffel Tower, which is right across the way from our suites in the Pullman (that has free wi-fi btw :)

A three course meal for 12 euros was deliciously satisfying for lunch. Ordering in France for the first time didn’t prove to be an issue, as a few versions of the menu were in Anglais. French Onion Soup Au Gratin, followed by Salmon Pasta in a Lemon Butter Sauce & completed with Chocolate Mousse was the perfect way to take in the culinary arts of France. ( I am ashamed to admit that a couple of us stopped in McD’s in England ).

Enjoying a meal with friends in the outdoor restaurant setting where we could listen to a musician singing French songs was, by far, the most perfect way to experience the Parisian culture for the first time.

Au Revoir,
<3 Angela Rosario Potter 2014

Day Five

Greetings from Paris! Unfortunately I just made time to talk about our fifth day in London, we have been kept very busy! On Friday we split up into two groups and went to either Jaguar or the Land Rover plant where they made and distributed the cars. I went to Jaguar and found the production line very interesting. We went through two different models from start to finish and saw each step of the process. Throughout the process our guide spoke about the lean mangagement system that they use where all waste is eliminated so they can have the most efficient and effective system. This was cool for me because I had just taken operations management and what I learned in class was applied at Jaguar. We went through a PowerPoint presentation after the site tour and were told the details of their process and distribution. Jaguar no longer uses the fordist model where they made too many cars and did not have enough demand for the cars so they lost money. They now make each car once they are ordered, so each car is made for specific buyers the way they want them. I found the Jaguar plant to be very interesting and insightful. I did not attend the Land Rover site visit but since both car manufacturers are owned by Tata of India, they are ran very similarly. After lunch at the site, which consisted of chips and candy because we did not like the food, we went to Warwick Castle. The weather at the castle was beautiful, sunny, and warm. We went through the wax museum of old knights and kings as well as went up and down the three towers. The views from the towers were many green fields and we saw the town very clearly. I would say we all enjoyed our time spent at Warwick Castle on such a beautiful day to be outide. Cheers! Stephanie Benowitz 2014

Day 6

Greetings from London!! Today was our last full day in here and it happened to be the day we had the most free time to explore the city even more! This morning we went on a river cruise to Greenwich, walked around that area for a while and at after lunch we had the rest of the day off.  Everybody scattered into different groups and visited different places on their own.  I personally went to Abbey Road (famous picture with The Beatles), while others went to see the new Olympic stadium and some went shopping around the city. The weather has been absolutely amazing this entire trip, high 70s to low 80s and sunny the entire time! We definitely got lucky in that aspect of things.  The days are long and exhausting but 100% worth it; there doesn't seem to be enough time in the day to do everything that we want! I'm extremely sad that we're departing London tomorrow morning to head of to Paris, but I'm excited to see what it has to offer! This trip has been so amazing so far and I can't believe it's already halfway over.

Cheers!

Kelsey Grady (2014)

Day 4 in London

Our fourth day in London was very busy, but very enjoyable. We were all dressed in our business suits as we took the Tube in the blistering heat to listen to a speaker on Lloyd's of London, Paul Dalton. He gave us a very informational background on Lloyd's and told us what to expect when we arrive at Lloyd's.

We then visited the Bank of England museum. This was a small museum that gave an overview of the historic bank and the country's currency. It was interesting to compare the currency to the currency in the US. We were also able to walk around a shopping hall where several scenes in Harry Potter were filmed.

We then made our way into the Lloyd's Insurance Market building. This building is extremely unique even from the outside with all the usual inside pipes and elevators being on the outside. We went through security and walked throughout the building. We went in a glass elevator that showed off a seemingly endless view of the city and we visitied the underwriting fllor. We got to see the underwriters and brokers at work, as well as the written records of losses that date back many centuries. This included the written record of the loss of the Titanic.

Later in the day, we visited the British Museum. Even in a short amount of time, we saw many objects such as the Rosetta Stone and the Pantheon sculptures. In the evening, we saw the musicial, Mamma Mia!, at the Prince of Wales Theatre. Although I had seen this show before, it was great to see it again, especially with English accents!

We have one more day in London tomorrow, and then its off to Paris!

-Lauren Fayne, Class of 2014.

Day 4

Hello from London!  Today we went to Lloyd's of London and the Bank of England.  In the Hamilton House, we were given a brief introduction of the Lloyd's of London and how it is a market for insurance between brokers and underwriters.  When we went to go visit the location, we had to split up into 3 separate gorups due to security reasons.  Lloyd's has a very unique design with the elevators and pipes on the outside of the building to create most space on the inside.  We were given a tour that was very interesting about the process of insuring specialty items between brokers and underwriters at the boxes.  It also included the original coffee shop where the signing of the insurance claims were made.

Since the group was split up into 3 different groups, the others either had an independent lunch or went to visit the Bank of England.  The Bank England involved a quick quiz of finding information through the mesuem part of the bank which included the history of it, today's structure and the different forms of currency available.  We had a very eventful and enjoyable morning!  Cheers!

Jeffrey Oberg, Class of 2014

Hello from London! On day three we visited the Parliament,Westminster Abbey, and took a city tour.  We started off our day bright and early with a trip on the coach bus.  Warren, our tour guide, exposed us to a variety of sights within the city of London. As we drove through the streets students on the bus were scrambling to take photos through the windows.  There were many significant monuments on either side of the road which created a competition. Warren would announce, " coming up on your left you will see the Tower of London", and the people on the right side would quickly try to snap photographs.  This tour was all done solely on the bus, however Warren directed us to the Changing of the Guards at Windsor Castle. We were able to stand behind gates and view a parade-like ceremony where the guards were led by police on horses and a marching band. They marched up to the gates, and switched the guards' shifts. We were surprised to see how robotic and organized the ceremony was.

After the ceremony concluded, Warren dropped us off at Parliament. Here we discussed the differences between the UK laws and the United States Constitution. There were many surprising facts that we learned, which included the high illiteracy rates in the UK as well as the universal health care situation. Students posed several questions to try to get a better understanding of the United Kingdom.

Soon after we took a tube-ride to Westminster Abbey, which is an enormous cathedral governed by the Queen of England. Here, many significant historical scientists, poets, Kings and Queens were buried under the marble floors of the cathedral. We split up in to two groups, and were given detailed tours of the entire church. We were not allowed to take any pictures of the gorgeous architecture and scupltures, but we can tell you that they were breath-taking!

After we left the church we took a walking city tour, in which we walked past the iconic London Eye and strolled across the walking bridge (across the Thames River). Although the area was packed with people and fun attractions, we did catch some sneaky pick-pocketers who were trying to distract innocent tourists by challenging them to a simple magic trick. Luckily we made it out okay!

We'll update soon!! Cheers mates!

Ariana Goldberg, Elefteria Kastanaras, Jamie Bowers

Exploring London

Hello from London! We got off the plane this morning bright and early at 6:30am! And because most of us could not sleep on the plane we are now running on 35hours of no sleep! Despite that we had so much fun today. When we left the airport the group split for tours of Oxford and Hogwarts.  My tour was of Hogwarts and it was truly incredible! We got to look at the real props and sets that were used in the making of all 8 Harry Potter films.  We saw all of the actual costumes that all of the actors and actresses wore.  And there was even a chance to take a picture on a flying broom using a green screen!  Being able to see the actual props used in the films and seeing a lot of what happens behind the scenes was truly magical.  It was an experience that I will always remember about this trip- and I'm sure those on the Oxofrd tour saw some really interesting things as well!  After our Hogwarts and Oxford tours, we went to our hotel and were able to finally shower and rest!  But only for a little while and then we were back to our schedule and learned how to ride the London Undeground.  The rest of the evening was dedicated to exploring Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square.  There is so much to do there! It is like the Times Square of London! So many restaurants and shops and places to go.  It is about 10:30pm here right now and finally i am about to go to sleep- although some are still exploring this awesome city! Can't wait to see what the rest of the trip has in store!

Cheers!

Jen Thayer 2014

Day 1 in London

Hello! I am writing this very exhausted because I've literally been up for 35 hours. Its been a long day. We got off the plane at 6:30 in the morning. I think I can speak for most people when I say that I thought I would sleep for at least 4 or 5 hours but couldn't because there was no way I could get comfortable on that plane. Once we did get off we waited in a very long immigration line to officially get us into the UK! Right from the airport after a quick break we set off in separate coach buses to either Oxford University or the Hogwarts studio tour. I went to Hogwarts. As a Harry Potter geek I was freaking out over the numerous Harry Potter set objects, props, and buildings that were at the tour that were actually used in the movies themselves. It was definitely an incredible experience for all the Harry Potter fans. My favorite things I got to see there were the Grand Hall where all the meals and the sorting hat scenes were filmed. I also loved seeing the different props such as the goblet of fire and the snitch. We even took it one step further and got our pictures on the broomsticks and in the flying car. After the tour, we had some unexpected time to kill so we went to have lunch and explore a little of London. Once both tours were over, we all came back to the hotel and took much needed showers. At 5:30 we all met outside to learn about how the Tube worked. We went to Leicester Square via the Tube and walked all around and took pictures. Then we were free to enjoy the night doing whatever we wanted.

Can't wait for Day 2 and the rest of our time in London!

Ashlee Burke '14

Bonjour et Bienvenue!  (Hello and Welcome!)

So excited to leave for London and Paris with our wonderful Bryant group!