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

ON TOUR European Escapade No Responses »
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

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Sun and Sand in Rimini – European Escapade

ON TOUR European Escapade No Responses »
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

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97 Trips in Europe & Counting!

Backpack Europe, European Discovery, European Escape, European Experience, ON TOUR European Escapade, Spain Language No Responses »
Nov 192010

Since 1992, we’ve run 97 trips in Europe …. That’s a lot of experience!

Looking to travel to Europe this summer, check out these itineraries …

Join us in Europe this summer and be part of our 100th trip to Europe, quite the milestone!

The Westcoast Blogger

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Switzerland and Spain – World Cup Soccer

Backpack Europe, Barcelona PCE, European Discovery, European Escape, European Experience, ON TOUR European Escapade, Spain Language No Responses »
Jun 012010

Last but not least, Group H.

Switzerland


Sweitz, La Suisse. This amazing little country has four official languages and though it occupies an area smaller than most U.S. states and has a population that is less than Manhattan, they manage to produce some incredible soccer talent.  Training at higher altitude gives this team the ability to show up physically fit and make up for some of the imbalance they have compared to the more talented European teams like Portugal, Spain and England.  The Swiss are considered minnows but for the past four World Cups that they have participated in, they have been a tough competitor. In 2006, they became the first team in the history of the cup to be knocked out without having conceded a goal (they were eliminated in the 2nd round in a penalty shootout with the Ukraine).

You can visit Switzerland while skiing or snowboarding in miraculous Zermatt or Tignes or gazing at breathtaking Interlaken on many of our programs in Europe including our European Discovery, European Escape, European Experience, European Escapade, Backpack France and Switzerland and Backpack Europe programs.

Spain

Can La Rojo be stopped?  When you think of soccer skills, everyone seems to think of Argentina and Brazil and thoughts of Pele and Maradona come to mind but since 2007 the best team in the world has truly been Spain. The winner of the 2008 European Cup, Spain oozes with talent. Up front they have two of the best in Liverpool’s Fernando Torres and Barcelona’s brand new signing David Villa (both of whom would be the starting forward on any team in the world). But it is in midfield where Spain just cannot be compared. Names like Xaxi, Iniesta, Fabregas, Xabi Alonso, David Silva and Pedro are enough to make any team unable to sleep at night. These guys play for teams like Barcelona, Valencia, Real Madrid and Arsenal and can move the ball like it is a part of their body. If there is one weakness with the Spaniards, it could be their defense. But when you are this good going forward, who needs defense!

With 360° Student Travel you can travel throughout Spain on our Language Immersion program called the Spanish Spectacular or spend your summer in Barcelona on our Pre-College Enrichment: Barcelona program.

The Westcoast Blogger

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Forza Italia! – World Cup Soccer

Backpack Europe, European Discovery, European Escape, European Experience, ON TOUR European Escapade No Responses »
May 312010

Defense, Defense, Defense – it’s the Italian way. Italy is the reigning World champions and defenders of the trophy going into South Africa. Their fans have high expectations, but not based on their play or their qualification results. Italy was the unexpected winner of the World Cup back in 2006 in a penalty shoot out that restored honor to Italian football after a match fixing scandals had brought the Italian game to the brink of collapse.

Now that everything is normal, the Italian fans expect nothing but the best. Their team however has overachieved and, though still a powerhouse, is not nearly the team they once were. Leaders like former captain Francesco Totti and 2006 match winner Fabio Grosso have been left out of the team and those remaining are not all Internationally tested. A group consisting of Paraguay, New Zealand and Slovakia should gain the Italian team much needed confidence but don’t expect them to go much further than the round of 16.  Having said that, the same thing was said 2006 and they managed to lift the cup. With arguably the best “keeper in the world and the stingiest defense,” you just never know.

You can enjoy sumptuous pasta and the energy of Italy on all of our European touring programs including our European Discovery, European Escape, European Experience, European Escapade, Backpack Italy and Backpack Europe programs.

The Westcoast Blogger

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