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Four Countries, Ten Cities, a Million Memories, and a Lot of Laughs! – European Escapade

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Jul 172011

Wow! We can’t believe that it is the last day of our trip. We guess what they say is right, “Time flies when you’re having fun.”

As soon as we got to Florence, we participated in a cooking class. Homemade pasta with tomato sauce, spinach crepes, zucchini with mushrooms, bruschetta and orange cake were on the menu. Delicious is an understatement. The past few days we have been enjoying the beaches of coastal France. The beaches of Cannes are surrounded by mountains and are a beautiful site to see. Andrea, Erica, Rose and Elayna swam out to a floating dock and soaked up the rays in the ocean.

Later that night, we headed over to Monaco for some dinner and a night stroll. We were all on the lookout for celebrities; Kianna and Dillan were convinced that they were going to see Donatello Versace!

After four countries, ten cities, a million memories, a bunch of laughs (especially from Jake and Ryan), lots of food, a ton of sites and tons of new friends later, our trip has come to a conclusion.

The staff of the European Escapade would like to thank all the trip members for an incredible three weeks. We hope you have enjoyed your time in Europe and take these memories with you for the rest of your life!

With love,
Amy, Liz, Andy and Matt

The Westcoast Blogger

Sun and Sand in Rimini – European Escapade

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Jul 142011

Hello family and friends!

Sun on our bodies and sand under our toes felt great during our stay in Rimini. The weather was perfect, the ocean water was refreshing and there was a delicious gelato shop on the beach. What could be better??!! Camille was so excited to go to the beach that she even woke up early on a sleep-in day to hit the beach as soon as she could! After a fun day, we enjoyed a night at Club Life. For many, such as Brandon, this was a first time experience at a dance club. The trip members were not shy to dance (or fist pump) and literally danced the night away. I don’t think Jake came off of the dance floor even once!

You know that saying… When in Rome, do as the Romans do! And that’s exactly what we did. Kicking off our time in the ancient city with a toga party was a great way to start our stay. As we wore our togas, we were serenaded by two opera singers who sang famous Italian songs from artists such as Andrea Bocelli. With a guided tour of the coliseum and a stroll through the Roman forum, we laid our eyes on ruins that are thousands of years old. We also visited the Vatican and the Cistine Chapel. Everyone was in awe by the beauty of Michaelangelo’s work.

We have just arrived in Florence and are on our way to a disco for our evening activity. We can’t believe our time on this trip is flying by!

Arrivederci,

Liz, Matt, Amy and Andy

The Westcoast Blogger

Blown away by Zermatt – European Escapade

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Jul 092011

Hello from Italy!

The past few days have been filled with fun activities. Both the trip members and staff were blown away by the beauty of Zermatt, Switzerland. Dara and Lexi even expressed how they never wanted to leave the beautiful ski village. The town is surrounded by snow-covered mountains and the valleys are filled with rivers… natural beauty at its finest! While some of the trip members took part in skiing on the famous Matterhorn, others rode a gondola to the top of the mountain. The view was incredible and everyone’s cameras were snapping photos left and right (literally)! Danna was so amazed by the scenery that she took nearly 100 pictures that day.

Once the skiers had finished their runs, they joined the rest of the group at the top of the mountain for hot cocoa and Swiss chocolate… de-li-cious. And, we have officially dubbed Ashley as the trip athlete since she zoomed past each trip and staff member on the Matterhorn. Impressed is an understatement! Pizza, pasta and gelato are now on our minds (and in our bellies) as we have officially made it to Italy and have already enjoyed a full day in Venice.

At the glass-blowing demonstration, everyone, especially Anna, was shocked at the talent of the maestro (a glass blower with 15 years experience). Alli enjoyed the evening’s sunset as we rode in the gondola. Needless to say, we ALL enjoyed Italian cuisine. This afternoon, we played an interesting game which we like to call “Trade Up.” The group is split up into teams of three to five and each team is given a pencil. The object of the game is to trade the pencil for an item worth more and continue the process to see what you end up with. Maddie, Juliet and Daniel’s team came back with several pieces of Murano glass figurines and Montana’s team returned with a sailor hat! Who would have known trading a simple pencil could result in getting such cool items? We will continue our journey through Italy as we head to beach-town Rimini. Soccer balls and swimsuits in hand, we are all ready for some fun in the sun.

As they say in Italy, Ciao!

The Westcoast Blogger

The City of Lights – ON TOUR European Escapade

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Jul 042011

On Tour European Escapade checks in from France.

Hello loved ones,

Bonjour from France!

Wow, the trip has gotten off to an excellent start. It is safe to say that our exploration of Paris was nothing short of incredible. From enjoying French cuisine in quintessential cafes to exploring the famous Champs Elysées, we have absorbed so much of the culture. The enthusiastic trip members have been eager to take advantage of every opportunity to experience French society to the fullest. Samantha, Brittany and Ashley even tried the patte! While at Notre Dame and L’Arc du Triomphe, Kyle started a tradition of his own: dancing in front of each famous site we stop at. While the majority of the trip members have little or no experience with speaking French, nearly all of them are attempting to converse with the French they have already acquired. We are so proud when I hear Juliet say “merci” (thank you) or when I hear Brian say “s’il vous plait (please).”

We now have an understanding of why Paris is known as The City of Lights! While standing at the very top of the Eiffel Tower at night, we had a panoramic view of the entire city. We were even in the tower as the light show was taking place. We were also able to view the light show when we were on our Bateau Mouche evening river cruise on the Seine River. To see the Eiffel Tower sparkle in the night is breathtaking. The next morning, the trip members pondered the mysteriousness of Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa and viewed many of the other sculptures and artifacts at the Louvre.

The word magnificent might just be an understatement when it comes to Versailles. Both the staff and trip members were blown away by the beauty and detail of the palace and its gardens. On our guided tour we found out some interesting facts about Versailles. For example, there are 700 bedrooms total! And, it took more than 15,000 builders to construct the palace.

Aside from sightseeing, we have participated in other fun activities. On karaoke night, Charlie proudly jumped to the stage and sang and danced to ‘N Sync’s “Bye Bye Bye” with staff members. Sam E. and CJ performed a priceless rendition of “My Heart Will Go On.” It was a night to remember! On a miniature scavenger hunt, Morgan and Halyey danced to the “Macarena” with locals to win the funniest photo contest.

We are now in the beautiful French city of Annecy. This morning we enjoyed a bike ride around the Lac d’Annecy (the second largest lake in France). The weather was a perfect 75 degrees and sunny, and the water was in fact sparkling. Mark and Mike used a tandem bicycle for the ride and the entire group was very impressed with how well they did!

We will update you again after our stay in Zermatt!

Au revoir,
Andy, Amy, Liz and Matt
(European Escapade staff team)

The Westcoast Blogger