Day 10

Happy Homecoming Day!! All of your kids are safe and sound at home, but I wanted to post a final blog to recap our last day. Our wake up call was 6am! The kids did not like that, but as we were waiting in the lobby for our bus to the airport, many of the students from other groups came down to say some very tearful goodbyes. It was wonderful seeing the friendships that were made and hopefully will continue over time. That's what Facebook is for right? We arrived at the airport with plenty of time to grab some Burger King and fruit smoothies for the flight to Paris. After a quick 2 hours, it was a fight against the clock to make our next plane in just a little over one hour. We had to get off the plane, go through the passport check, board a shuttle to our terminal, walk to the gate, and try to squeeze a bathroom stop somewhere in there. We made it with 10 minutes to spare. Phew! The flight was uneventful, but unfortunately delayed. It didn't help that we spent an extra 30 minutes on the tarmac waiting to get to our gate. Border Control and Customs was horrible. It always amazing me at how difficult it is to get into the United States. Every European border check has just one line, takes a quick peek at your passport, and then you're in! The USA...3 different lines, 3-5 different people looking at your passport and asking you questions about whether or not you touched the horses and the Hungarian horse farm and brought diseases back with you! We made it though! I am so grateful to have been part of this trip and to have shared in your kids international travel experience. I hope that they continue to travel for the rest of their lives and have learned a thing or two about the rest of the world. Until the next trip....auf weidersehen, ahoy, do widzenia, szia!

Budapest Airport

Matt doesn't want to leave...

Flying over Canada

Just landed! Home sweet home.

Day 9

Wow. I cannot believe it is our last day in Budapest, our last day in Europe! This has been the most wonderful trip and I cannot even put into words how amazing it has been spending time with my students and getting to see the world with them. Today started with free time in Budapest. Some of us went to the Central Market where they have food and souvenirs for really inexpensive prices, while other got dropped off to ride the giant Ferris wheel. Those who went to the market got a little bit of shopping done before we were picked up to go back to the city center. We were split again with many going to the Hungarian Horse Farm and a few staying behind to explore the city more. I didn’t go to the farm, but I heard it was wonderful. They had a feast for lunch! Lola has a great story for the carriage ride, but I’ll let her share that with you when she gets back. For the people who stayed behind, we started our sightseeing at St. Stephan’s Cathedral. Stephan was the first King of Hungary and brought Christianity to the region. We were able to go inside and for a mere 200 ft (about 80 cents) we saw his hand. That’s right, his 1000 year old decrepit hand. I have to say it was a little gross. The kids left me for a bit to go ride the Ferris wheel while I stayed behind to climb to the top of the cathedral. What is it with kids not wanting to climb towers? Oh well. The rest of the free time was spent shopping, playground, massages, cafes and some sightseeing. Everyone seemed relaxed and ready for our last guided city tour. We rejoined the rest of the group and headed over to Hero’s Square to see the monuments built to commemorate the Hungarian history. The Hungarians seem to have been fighting off different people for over 1000 years, starting first with the Mongolians, Genghis Khan’s son to be precise, then the Turks, then the Germans, and finally the Russians, who the only managed to get rid of 25 years ago. We left Hero’s square which is on the Pest side of the city and made our way across the chain bridge to Fisherman’s Bastion which is on the Buda side of the city. The view was spectacular. There were many pictures taken before we had to leave for dinner. I should have mentioned earlier, but there was a storm brewing. It had held for most of the day, but dinner was sure to be a downpour. We arrived at the restaurant and enjoyed soup, turkey with some kind of noodles, and crepes for dessert. We also enjoyed some rain. Did I mention we were sitting outside? Even with the overhead covers, we found ourselves two inches deep in water. It was an experience. After dinner, we headed over to the Danube for our night river cruise. This was the perfect way to end our stay in Budapest. We saw all of the same sights, but from a different perspective. It was wonderful. On the trip back to the hotel, some of the students shared the favorite memories from the trip and expressed how much they were going to miss everyone. The night was filled with a chess party on the fourth floor, facebook, phone number and snap chat exchanges, and lots of goodbyes. Enjoy the pictures below. I will write one more short blog to conclude the trip when we are back in California.

 

Market Hall

Nice day for a cool dip

Ummmm Michael Jackson Memorial

Public water fountain

St. Stephan's Cathedral

St. Stephan's hand...

View from the tower

Walking across the Chain Bridge

A storm is brewing

Buda Palace

Hero's Square

Matyas Church

Fisherman's Bastion

Turkey with some sort of noodle

Crepes!

Parliament

River cruise at sunset

Day 8

Szia (hello) from Budapest, Hungary. Today was a transfer day so we spent the majority of it on the bus (which was air conditioned, so no complaining here!) We made a few stops along the way, one was to have lunch in Slovakia. So technically, your students have been to 5 countries on this trip. They were in 3 different countries just today. Our stop in Slovakia was located in a ski resort town so there were lots of restaurants to choose from. We arrived in Budapest at 5:30, which was 2 hours before our dinner reservation. Our guide took us around to see some of the city and then we were given an hour and a half of free time. There was a local fair going on so we got to see traditional Hungarian dancing from several groups. We spent time exploring (mostly in souvenir shops) before we met back up for dinner. Dinner tonight was paprika chicken and rice, a very common thing to eat in Hungary, and a delicious cake with chocolate sauce. The restaurant didn't have air conditioning, so it got quite toasty while eating. They did have free bathrooms though, so that was a plus. After making it to the hotel, the kids settled in for the night. And by settled in, I mean found a spot in the hallways to start an intense chess competition/party. They even had a few locals join in on previous nights. I'll have to ask what happened during this one. There always seems to be a story. Tomorrow is our last full day on tour. The kids are sad to be leaving, but I know they will be happy when they get home. We have a lot going on including a walking tour, night boat cruise along the Danube, some free time in the city, and for some, a Hungarian horse farm. It is also supposed to rain, but I think we will welcome that instead of the blistering heat. Enjoy the pictures that I managed to snap today :)

Castle on our scenic route

Lunch stop

Back on the road!

Ready for your close up? I guess not...

New best friends?

Last stop in Slovakia

Budapest!

Hey guys!

Across the Danube

Traditional Hungarian dinner...

...and dessert

Day 7

I can't believe we have finished 3 of our 4 cities! Time sure flies when you're having fun. Today was another hot one with a high of 91, and boy did we feel it. Breakfast was served at our hotel and it consisted of some meats, cheeses, breads, and sausage. I think there were eggs at one point, but they never made it on to my plate. We loaded the bus at 9 am (slept in today!) and headed for the Jewish Quarter. There was a short history lesson on the Jewish religion before moving on to the Jewish Ghetto. This was the area that all Jews were moved to during WWII. 17,000 Jews occupied a place that once held 3,000. It was later walled in so they could not leave and food was rationed to a mere 300 calories per day per person. It was later liquidated and all people living there were sent to a nearby concentration camp. After leaving the ghetto we moved on to Wawel Castle and Cathedral. This is where many Polish kings lived or were coronated , and then later buried. We had a little free time at the castle before heading down towards the old town market square. Our guide was kind, and tried to keep us in the shade as much as possible, but it did little to lessen the sweat. We arrived at the old town and experienced a very common occurrence in Krakow: the Bugle Player. Every hour of every day of every week of the year a real life bugle player plays a song for the whole town. It was very cool. After that, we were given free time until dinner. A few of us made our way to Schindler's Factory while the rest stayed behind to shop and relax. The factory was turned into an exhibition detailing how Poland was affected during WWII and had many remnants from the old factory. As we were walking back, I asked if anyone wanted to climb St. Mary's Church tower with me. Sadly, there were no takers. So even though the kids didn't get to walk up 300 stairs with me and see an amazing view, I thought I would still post the pictures here so they can see them now. After I climbed the tower, w met up again just in time for dinner which was located underground! That's right, Krakow has an underground just like Prague (for the same reasons as well). It was very tasty and much needed after a long, hot day. We are comfortably back at the hotel now and will be leaving for Hungary in the morning. Until then, enjoy the pictures!

Memorial

Wawel Castle

Wawel Cathedral

Walking through the city

Inside the Franciscan Church

Art?

Old Town Walls

On our way to Schindler's Factory

What? A picture with no peace signs?!

Remnants of the factory

It was HOT

St. Mary's Church

Cloth Hall from the tower

Wawel Castle and Cathedral from the tower

Barbican gate and town walls from the tower

Old town hall (from the ground)

Fried pork, potatoes, cabbage and beets