Please follow the links below to keep up to date with what is happening in my current courses:
CGC1D (Grade 9 Geography): CGC1D Mrs Bettger
NDW4M (Grade 12 Native Studies): NDW4M Mrs Bettger
Posted at 08:42 PM | Permalink
Well, in a few hours we will be boarding our return flight. Although we've had a great time, everyone seems ready to head back home.
Yesterday in Prague we had a chilly, but fantastic walking tour of Prague...what a beautiful city! An afternoon of exploring in small groups was followed by a truly Czech experience - dinner at U Marcanu- where we were treated to a great meal and some Czech folk entertainment.
Norman wins dessert race.
Tiniest street (complete with streetlights) in Prague
Life-like statues filling the fountain
Everyone buys sweatshirts in Prague
Jonny, Caitlin and Norman sit at the grown-up table
Walking in circles
St. Patrick's Day - there were some Irish (or wannabe's)in Prague
Museum of Tortue ( felt like tortue to visit)
Lessons in Czech language (watch for it on t-shirts coming soon)
And finally, Hinek parallel parks the bus...again after driving through streets smaller than the bus.
See you soon!
Posted at 03:57 AM in Europe '07 | Permalink
Stream of concious blog:
Erica loves the food
Georg has really enjoyed the trip. He has found his way out of trees, fences, off the tops of statues, but continues to smile even when we are slapping him in the belly and throwing him through the air...oh, there he is now.
Weather is great. Erica loves München without even getting off the bus. Amy loves Munich boys.
Too much shopping?
Great guides.
Three point turns on the bus...Hinek, the super bus driver.
Swimming in the 1972 Olympic Pool...speedos.
Alex and Laura smell like the Black Forest (not the cake).
Glockenspeil has sprung...not so wunderbar!
Many "wizards" in Salzburg.
Ciao!
Posted at 04:21 AM in Europe '07 | Permalink
Yesterday's tour of Munich was great! Our guide, Georg, was full of information and jokes. The travellers had a chance to wander around the pedestrian area for a little while before we headed off to our hotel for the evening.
Today we are visiting Dachau, a former Concentration Camp and then back into Munich for more exploring. This evening our plans include a trip up the Olympic Stadium Tower and a visit to the Olympic Complex.
Prague tomorrow and then home on Sunday...what a whirlwind!
Posted at 03:06 AM in Europe '07 | Permalink
Well, we have had a busy time so far. Today we are in Salzburg, Austria for the morning and then off to Munich, Germany this afternoon.
From a chaperone's perspective, it has been a fantastic adventure so far...many beautiful and impressive sites as well as a wealth of information and insight from our four international tour guides. Our coach driver, Hinek is fantastic! He can turn that bus around or back it out of any situation and he hasn't yet complained about our on board sing-a-longs courtesy of DJ's Alex and Laura.
In Bu
dapest, the weather was cooler and we had some rain, but our guide, Imre, gave us two days' worth of fun...the highlight for all of us being the trip to the thermal baths after a long "day" of travel. Hungary's varied history under the rule of Huns, Hungary, Austria, Germany, Soviet Russia and now Hungary as an independent nation again has certainly created a patchwork of stories and struggles for the country.
On to Vienna, Autstria, where the sun came out and the temperature rose! Clearly a wealthier country with a more consistent thread weaving its way through the history of this nation, the city of Vienna (Wien) is an incredible sight!. An afternoon tour of the summer palace of the Hapsburg royal family at Schönbrun Palace gave us all an inside look at the daily life of royals during the 18th and 19th Centuries.![[TITLE]](http://www.ionbee.net/media/.gallery/main71.jpg)
The city tour the next day allowed students to wander about the pedestrian areas of Vienna's centre. Highlights include the Opera House, St. Stephen's Cathedral, the Rathaus (city hall), shopping areas and the very unique social housing complex, the Hundretwasser House.
Next, we were off to Salzburg...before actually entering the city we arrived at our hotel and had the opportunity to meet a group of student travellers from Italy. Curfew was thrown out the window as the Italian students entertained us with an impromptu concert and some singing. It was the kind of experience you can't schedule in to an itinerary and one I'm sure we won't forget! We spent a busy day yesterday first following a guided tour of Berchesgaten. This town sits below the village of Obersalzberg where Hitler and several high ranking Nazi officers had homes and planned many of Germany's WWII operations. With our guide, Christina, we were able to ascend the mountain and capture several magnificent views of the Eagle's Nest ( a birthday present to Hitler which he only visited 14 times due to its position at the summit of a mountain and his difficulty with heights and claustrophobia). From the Documentation Centre, we were able to go down into the extensive bunker system the Nazis built below Obersalzberg.
After lunch, we headed to a wardrobe change and into the salt mines...dark, damp and informative. Sliding down into the various sections of the mine was lots of fun. Just remember...no braking, Miss Jewson!
Last night's walking tour of Salzburg gave us a great introduction to the city that we are free to explore this morning. With a great deal of musical history as well as magnificent architecture, you are sure to see some fantastic photos! This afternoon we're off to Munich...more updates to follow (I hope. Unfortunately I can't connect my camera to the USB port here, but I guarantee with the number of flashes going off we will return with enough photos to fill several albums. AufWiedersehen!
Posted at 06:03 AM in Europe '07 | Permalink
Last Wednesday night we held our final pre-departure meeting with students, chaperones and representatives from Ellison Travel.
Have you started packing? Latest forecasts call for temperatures in the low teens, cloudy skies and a chance of rain in Budapest, but things are looking sunnier in Austria and Germany. Don't forget your raingear and sunscreen.
Remember to bring luggage to Room 129 by 8:30 am on Thursday. We will be boarding bus beginning at 12:30.
Posted at 09:40 AM in Europe '07 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)