Sesstriere

January 18-20

January 20
As I write this post, the students are either working on their final paper, downhill skiing, enjoying the sun, or recovering from an active day yesterday.

January 19
Yesterday, we took a bus to the next village and then walked up to the bobsled/luge run. Unfortunately, we could not see a lot of the run, as the shades were pulled to protect the run. There are bobsled championships here from Jan. 29-31 and then luge championships from Feb. 2-4. They were already working on the track to prepare it for the competitions. They hand shovel the track every morning and afternoon. We did get to see the starting areas from both the bobsled and luge. The structure was impressive and the hike up to the top was steep and winding.

After, having lunch we took off for cross-country skiing. The students enjoyed the afternoon sun and the beautiful mountain vistas. It was a somewhat hard course for students who had little or no experience in cross-country. With that said we all skied for at 45 minutes. Last night was spent resting sore muscles.

January 18
On Tuesday, some of the students went downhill skiing and others walked around town to enjoy the village and the mountain views.

Tomorrow, we head for Lausanne, Switzerland for our final few days. The time has flown by and we are all starting to talk about what it is we want to do first when we arrive home.

Happy 20th Birthday, Joe Doctor.

Sherri and Barb

2004 Olympic Complex

This video is from our morning at the 2004 Olympic Complex.

Greek Beaches

This video is of all of the beaches we have visited in Greece.

Rome and Torino

January 12- Vatican City

We started our day at the Vatican Museum. We were the first group to be let in, so it was a great chance to see all of the art, artifacts, and statues with no one else around. At the Sistine Chapel, Barb and I were the only 2 there for about 15 minutes. The students also were in the Sistine Chapel with very few others. This allowed a wonderful uninterrupted view of all of the glorious paintings.

After the museum, we attend the Papal Audience. During the winter months it is held in an auditorium that holds about 3,000 or more people. This was a very interesting experience for all of the students.

In the afternoon, we split into to groups to visit the Scavi. The Scavi is the ancient city of the dead, with streets and tombs that look like a city. There are still carvings, painting, and artifacts to see that help you to imagine what it was like centuries ago. The tombs date from pre-christian times to the times of Christianity. At the heart of the tour is the site of St. Peter's grave. There is a rich story that goes with why there is the belief that the remains of St. Peter are there.

The history of the underground excavation and the discoveries are wonderful.

The students than enjoyed a night of visiting other sites in Rome.

January 13-Colosseum, Palatine Hill, Forum

This morning we took a tour of the Colosseum, Palatine Hill and the Forum. Again, there was so much historic information to be heard that at times it was overwhelming, but enjoyable.

The afternoon and night were spent visiting sites that they did not get to see on Wednesday, such as the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain. Of course, a lot of Gelato was consumed while going from site to site.

January 14-Appian Way

On a 3hour guided bike of the Apian Way (the main road of ancient Rome), The guide pointed out aquaducts, catacombs and other historic points of interest. The trail was a dirt road, but at times we rode on the actual stones that made up the Apian Way.

January 15-Travel to Torino
We arrived in Torino by train around 1:30. We had our first glimpse of the Italian Alps about 30 minutes before arriving. Torino is surrounded by the Alps on 3 sides. This afternoon was spent exploring the city. Tonight, is a group dinner.

Various Pictures

Running on the practice track.

Hitting at the Olympic tennis court.
"Swimming" in the Aegean Sea.

Delphi

We have just arrived at our hotel in Delphi, after a delicious lunch. The students keep remarking on how much food we are given at each meal. Bread, salad, main meal (today was 1/4 chicken and potatoes and dessert).

We traveled from Olympia today. It is about 3 1/2 hours. We made two stops along the way. One to see a bridge that joins the Peloponnese and the mainland of Greece. It was finished for the 2004 Olympics and the first person to use the bridge was a torch carrier. We also stop at a small village on the Aegean Sea, so the students could put their feet in the water one last time. Most spent the time skipping rocks.

At Olympia, we saw the ancient track and 2 different museums related to the site.

Tomorrow, we visit Delphi and see the temple of Apollo.

We arrive in Rome around 9:30 pm (6:30 pm cst).

I hope to get some pictures up in the in the next few days.

Barb and I are having a wonderful time with the students.

Sherri

January 7, 2011

We have been busy since the last post.

January 5
We visited the 2004 Olympic Complex. While there we saw the Olympic Stadium, basketball arena, tennis courts, and practice track. We were able to run on the practice track and also hit tennis balls on the Olympic tennis court.

We then headed to Marathon where we ate lunch and went to a beach on the Aegean Sea. A few of the students waded in the sea and a few others actually dove in. On the way back from Marathon, most of the students went to a soccer game at the Olympic Stadium.




January 6

We walked to the 1896 Olympic Stadium, where the students climbed to the top to have their picture taken under the Olympic Rings, walked in the tunnel where the athletes entered from the locker rooms and just had a good time walking around. After that the students were free to see what they wanted. Many visited the Temple of Zeus, Constitution Square, the National Gardens, or went shopping. That night we went to the Dionysius Restaurant, we had wonderful Greek food while looking at the Parthenon, which is lit up at night.

January 7

We were able to sleep in an hour later today and then headed to Nafplion, which is a town on the Aegean Sea. The students walked up 1, 098 steps to an Venetian fortress from the 1500's. They then went to the beach, where again some students swam in the sea. Tonight ended with a walking tour of Nafplion.

Tomorrow we are off to Nemea, our first stop in visiting the ancient sites of athletic contests.