Hi again, everybody-

I apologize for not getting back here to update the blog until now.  Hopefully at least a few of you will realize there's a new post, and return to read the tale of our eventful return from Rome.

That  morning started out like most of the others since we arrived in Europe:  wake-up call, breakfast, gathering with our luggage in the hotel lobby, and waiting for Steve's instructions.  We realized this was the last time we'd enjoy this routine--the bus we were about to board was taking us to the Rome airport, where we'd say "so long" to Steve, Magistra Rubinstein, and three travelers who weren't returning to the States with us.  We were delighted to discover that our final driver was none other than Andrea's father.

We arrived at the Rome airport, checked our luggage, and boarded our flight without further incident.  That's when the story really begins.  Little did we know that not everything was going according to plan...

There are pigeons everywhere in Rome, even inside the airport.  This fine specimen is unaware of what is about to happen to his new friends.

According to our itinerary, we had 65 minutes between the time our flight from Rome landed at Heathrow in London and the time our flight from Heathrow took off for Dulles.  That should have been enough time for us to make our connection easily, if we didn't dawdle (and the shopping was good enough at Heathrow to make dawdling a real temptation for some in our group).  So, when we were informed we'd be waiting on the runway for takeoff, a few of us checked our watches and prepared ourselves for the possibility that we might have to really hustle when we got to London.

Waiting for takeoff...and waiting...and waiting...

Finally we were airborne, and our flight was going well.  We approached London and our pilot began to circle the airport for landing.  He circled, and circled, and circled...apparently weather conditions had created a delay.  As we circled, we began to realize that we might not have time to make our connecting flight.  Visions of spending the night at Heathrow began dancing through our heads, and they weren't pleasant ones. 

Then, we discovered how well British Airways takes care of their passengers.  Once we touched down and got off the plane, we rushed to the terminal, picking up a neon orange card marked "EXPRESS" along the way.   "Hold these up and run," we were told, and that's exactly what we did.  Along our journey, British Airways agents gave us our next direction: 

"End of the corridor, turn left.  End of the corridor, turn left." 

"Down the escalator."  Executing this instruction was particularly memorable.  As instructed, we called out "PASS, PASS, PASS," which advised less hurried passengers to step to the right of the escalator and let us scramble by.  Along the way, I heard this unforgettable conversation:

HRA STUDENT:  "Pass, pass, pass."
OBNOXIOUS SNOB:  "I have a first class ticket!"
HRA STUDENT (gently pushing past)  "That's nice. Enjoy your flight."

We got bottlenecked a little bit going through another round of inspection--removing shoes, unzipping bags, taking laptops out of their cases--but we finally got everyone checked and cleared to fly.  Our plane had already pulled away from the gate, but it was being held for us on the runway.  We were hustled onto a shuttle bus that took us out to the plane and, flushed from our excitement and our mad dash through the world's busiest airport, we finally settled into our seats for the flight back across the Atlantic.

Safely aboard a plane on our return journey, blissfully unaware of the luggage-related drama that transpired in Rome

En route, we enjoyed meals, snacks, movies, music, books, coloring, and conversation.  We finally began to relax, realizing things would be easy from here.  We were on the last leg of our journey.

Unfortunately, our luggage was not.

We actually landed at Dulles on time, despite the delay created by the process of getting us on the plane.  We were clearing customs when we learned what had happened back in Rome.  Unbenownst to us, while we were relaxing at our gate preparing to board our flight to London, the baggage handlers at the Rome airport were going on strike.  We'd been told  by one of our tour guides that labor relations and work customs are very different in Europe, and we now understood that fact much more clearly.

No explanation necessary :)

So it was that a group of weary Navigators boarded our coach bus for the final leg of our journey.  Our loads were lighter, without our checked baggage, and we could congratulate ourselves on enduring a return journey that would have challenged the most seasoned world traveler.  Fatigue set in, and before we reached Fredericksburg, most of the group was sound asleep.  

Those of you who met us at HRA that night probably remember our reunion better than we do.  We'd had quite a last day.  As far as I know, we all received our luggage, courtesy of FedEx, within a day or two. 

Last stop:  HRA

There's still one more post left to write:  the unofficial Best Of/Worst Of list.  I hope you're still along for the ride.



More Images of Rome

Hi again!

I told you I wasn't finished blogging about the trip! 

Today I'm writing from Room 40 in the historic 1959 Building at Hampton Roads Academy. This building is the only original structure on the HRA campus...

OK, I tried.  Anyway, here are a few more pictures from our days in Rome.  Next, I'll tell the story of our eventful trip back home.

 We toured the Vatican Museum and St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican.  The crowd was immense--notice the fact that the area between the fountain and the basilica is packed with people.

 Here, we are ascending a staircase designed by Michelangelo.  No doubt, more than a few of our group are also silently cursing Michelangelo for his diabolical design.

 The Roman Forum, on a warm late spring day.  Once we arrived in Rome, the Mediterranean sun forced us to look for shade whenever we could find it, and we filled our water bottles from every public fountain we passed.

The dome of the Pantheon, dedicated to all the Roman gods.

"Whoa...it's bigger than I thought!"  The Navigators approach the Colosseum, which seated more rabid fans than the modern UVa or Virginia Tech football stadium.



Images of Rome (more to come)

Some of our girls pose with Andrea, our favorite driver.  Andrea drove our tour bus all over the island of Sardinia.  He and his bus joined us on the ferry ride to the mainland, and he transported us to Rome, his home town.  Then, he spent our first full day in Rome with us.  Here we are saying goodbye to him.  If there is a Bus Driver Hall of Fame, Andrea should be inducted.

 Here the "team" poses in front of Constantine's Finger, atop the Capitoline Hill.

 Emma and Claudia Fass, on our final full day in Rome.

 Kylie DeBoer and Lillian Waddill are two of Mrs. Joyce's Latin IB alumnae.  Here they pose with the famous Lupa statue.

Alumna Robyn Walters '11 and a host of HRA students queue up for gelato near the Trevi Fountain.  The sight of the word "Gelateria" always put a smile on our faces.

Ciao, Roma

Italians use "ciao" to say "hello" or "goodbye."  We feel like we just said hello to Rome, and as I'm writing this, it's 10:00 on Friday night, and we're preparing to say goodbye.  We're packing our suitcases one final time, because we're off to the airport early tomorrow morning.

What busy, memorable days the last two have been!  We began Thursday's  adventure in the world's smallest country, Vatican City.  Along with thousands of other visitors, we toured the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel, and the Basilica of St. Peter.  Everywhere we turned we saw a masterpiece, and there were more than a few audible gasps when we first saw the magnificent Sistine Chapel ceiling.

The afternoon brought a tour of the Roman Colosseum and Forum.  Don't think for a moment that the "highlight stops" were the only remarkable things we saw during the day.  It seemed that every time we turned a corner, something else worth remembering for a lifetime appeared. 

Today, we climbed the Capitoline Hill and toured the museum there.  We spent our afternoon in the Trastevere section of the city, across the Tiber River.  We ate delicious meals, shopped, enjoyed cold drinks at lovely cafes, and got our gelato fixes.  Some of us discovered a beautiful basilica, where we spent a few peaceful moments.  Then, most of us took an uphill hike, with a beautiful fountain and a breathtaking panoramic view of Rome as our rewards.

We just returned from a trip to the famous Trevi Fountain. We tossed coins over our shoulders and made wishes, ate more gelato, and returned to our hotel. 

The "Pterodactyl" family at the Roman Colosseum 

Tomorrow morning, we'll begin our journeys back home with you, our families and friends.  We've endured heat, rain, wind, choppy seas, and fatigue.  We've also enjoyed laughter, fellowship, and the opportunity to enjoy experiences that connect us to the culture of the Western world like few others can do.

We miss you, and we'll be home soon.

Your bloggers,
Chris and Chris Joyce

P.S.  Don't forget to keep checking the blog. We're not done yet.

More pictures!

Ciao, everyone!

This blog is the work of both Joyces.  I (Christopher) am the primary blogger, and my lovely and talented photographer is my wife.  She takes all the pictures, and together we choose the ones we're going to share with you here.

By the way:  Please don't stop following the blog once we're back in Virginia.  I'm planning to write a few more posts with some summary comments, and we'll post some pictures from the last days of our trip.  We've also come up with a way for all of us to share some of the pictures we've taken with all of you, via an online photo album.

Anyway, here are more photos...

 .We're happy to sit down while Piero, our Sardinian guide, explains the intricacies of an ancient culture.

Mr. Joyce high-fives an Etruscan king.  

 "Where are we going now?"  With Magistra Rubinstein and our EF tour guide, Steve Berryman, on the job, we know another adventure is just around the corner (or up the stairs).

 Not all our accommodations are luxurious. This is a berth from our Sardinia-to-Italy overnight ferry.

More views from the islands

Hi, everybody!

I'm sorry for taking so long between posts.  Last night, I downloaded some great photos from our last few days, captioned them, and (supposedly) posted them to the blog.  I just logged in to discover they weren't there!

I'll chalk that up to (1) the fact that I was tired from a long, busy day in the Mediterranean sun, experiencing some of the greatest sites in all of Western civilization and/or (2) the fact that since I'm in Italy, the commands appear in Italian, rather than English.

Anyway, here are a few more images from our journeys.  Enjoy them!

 Evidence of the highly evolved culture of prehistoric Filitosa

 "Look!  Look!"  The group enjoys the view from our boat trip off the Corsican coast.

Our expert paddleboat crew navigates the beautiful blue waters off Sardinia. 

"So THAT's where it comes from!" Curious students investigate a newly-harvested cork tree in Sardinia.

I'll have a few more pictures up in the time it would take you to eat a gelato.

 Chris

Pictures, Part II

Here are a few more pictures from our more recent adventures.

The beautiful medieval town of Eze, France

Do you think they knew the Navigators were coming?  From the ferry from Nice to Corsica

At Filitosa, on the island of Corsica

It's 11:11 PM here in Rome, and we have a full day ahead.  I'll post more tomorrow.

Chris

Gelato

Hi again, folks.

By definition, gelato is "an ancient Italian frozen dessert."  To us on the HRA France-Italy trip, gelato is much, much more.  Gelato is the sustaining force that enables us to endure long bus rides and challenging hikes over varied terrain, in rural and urban settings. 

Our connection with gelato began not in Paris, but in Nice.  Since then, gelato has been our constant companion.  In each of the towns we have explored, we have found gelato easy to obtain.  This morning in Tarquinia, we discovered a square with a gelateria at three of the four points of the compass.  On the fourth was the Tyrrhenian Sea. 

The most gelato-involved of us eat gelato at least twice a day.  We have eaten gelato in the morning, in the afternoon, and in the evening.  Today, it took the place of the inedible "breakfast" we were given on the ferry to Civitavecchia--a packaged croissant-inspired "pastry" filled with a gooey substance called either "chocolate" or "orange" filling. 

Most of us prefer fruit flavors or chocolate, but a few of the more adventurous members of our party have taken walks on the gelato wild side.  Several of us swear by a flavor known as stracciatella, which is similar to chocolate chip ice cream back in the States.  Today in Tarquinia, Mrs. Joyce tried a flavor with "Etrusco" in its title.  She describes it as having a chocolaty flavor, but not as sweet, and she identified pine nuts in the mix.  It turned out to be very tasty.  I haven't been quite as adventurous; I've had strawberry (twice), raspberry, and cherry.

As strange as it seems, pine nuts aren't the weirdest ingredient we've discovered at the gelateries we've patronized.  Among the flavors none of us have been brave enough to sample:

• beer
• rosemary
• thyme
• tomato & basil
• lavender
• myrtle liqueur

The assortment was stranger in Corsica than it was anywhere else we've been.  However, most of us would agree that Italian gelato is much tastier than the French variety.  If you want the really, really good stuff, it seems like you need to go to the original source.

That's all for now.  And, no, we're not off to the gelaterie...at least not until tomorrow.

Chris & Chris

Corsica to Sardinia to Rome

Buona sera, everybody!

I'm writing from our room at the Hotel President, in the heart of Rome.  I'm sorry for the long delay between posts, but we've spent most of our time in the somewhat wilder, less settled environments of Corsica and Sardinia.

I think everyone on the trip enjoyed Corsica more than we bargained for.  We were disappointed that we didn't get to tour the home where Napoleon I was supposedly born, because it was closed on Sunday--but in exchange, we got a relaxing free afternoon at our hotel.  The beach was only a short walk down a set of stairs, and many of us spent some of our free time there, relaxing and enjoying the Mediterranean waters.  In fact, I can't think of anything we didn't like about Corsica, from the hotel to the restaurant to the boat ride we took on Monday morning.  We traveled into a large cave that had been carved from the limestone rock over the centuries--our pilot had to time his entrance just right so we could enter the cave while the surf wasn't too high.

Since I wrote last, we've spent lots of time on boats and buses.  We've taken a short (one hour) ferry ride from Corsica to Sardinia, and a long (16.5 hours) ferry ride from Sardinia to the Italian mainland.  We've toured the island of Sardinia from north to south by bus, and today we rode from Civitavecchia to Rome, with stops at the prehistoric sites at Tarquinia and the medieval city of Viterbo. 

In Tarquinia, we saw some ancient Etruscan tombs.  Several of them were "open," in the sense that we could walk down sets of stairs and view them.  It wasn't nearly as creepy as it sounds.  For several decades during the 13th century, Viterbo was the home of the papacy, and we toured the papal palace there.  Most of us also ate gelato, which has been a recurring theme throughout the last few days.  In fact, I think I'll probably blog about gelato, and nothing but gelato, before I'm through here.

This evening, we got our first sight of Rome, as our newest (and new favorite) driver Andrea piloted our bus into the city.  We ate (and ate, and ate, and ate) at a pizzeria near our hotel.  Not that we have a lot of experience (yet), but Roman pizza seems lighter and less saucy than American pizza.  I ate five slices, and I'm not nearly as stuffed as I would be if I ate that much of the American stuff.

One thing I've noticed over the last day or so:  lots of us who have pets at home are beginning to miss them very much.  We've missed our human family since we left, but now, when we see a dog or a cat, many of us say something like "I miss our dog!"  or "I miss our kitty!"  We're enjoying our trip immensely, but we are missing all of you--human, canine, feline, etc.--very much, too.

I'll probably post again tonight (it's 9:30 Rome time), and if I do, I'll include a few more pictures.  Thanks again to all of you who are following and commenting.

Chris

Sunday: Corsica

Hi, everybody!

It's been a couple nights since I was able to write an update.  The combination of a busy schedule, uncertain wireless connections, and power issues conspired to keep me off the blog since we were in Nice.

Now we're on the island of Corsica, where we arrived last night.  I know many of us hated to leave the Cote d'Azur, because we had such a wonderful time there.

Monaco is truly a magical place.  The scenery there is incredibly beautiful, and it is immaculately clean.  Many of us watched the changing of the guard at the Monagasque royal palace on Friday--an event that made it seem even more like a fairy tale kingdom.  A few of us were also thrilled to see part of the course where the famous Grand Prix auto race is held each May.

From there, we traveled to the village of Eze, a medieval town between Monaco and Nice.  We visited the Fragonard perfume factory, and most of us hiked up to the village itself--well worth the climb.

Yesterday we said au revoir to Nice, and boarded the ferry for a six-hour ride to the island of Corsica.  The sea was a little rough along the way, so we were all glad to reach land...only to discover we still had to ride a bus for over an hour through winding mountain roads!  Eric, our driver, is highly skilled, and he is apparently a fan of Whitney Houston; he decided to entertain us by playing her music over the bus's sound system.

The long journey turned out to be worth ever wave, twist, and turn.  Our hotel is located in the town of Propriano, on the southeastern coast of Corsica.  When I say it's on the coast, I mean it's on the coast.  We can see and hear the Mediterranean from our rooms.  The sound of the waves soothed us to sleep last night.

Speaking of sleep, it's 11:05 in Propriano, and I'm going to call it an evening.  I'll hopefully be back tomorrow, from either Corsica or Sardinia, which is our next destination.  I'll write more about our visit to Corsica then.

Our adventure is now about half over.  We're tired, but we're healthy and happy. 

Until next time,
Chris

The trip in pictures, so far

Finally, I have some time to post a few pictures of our adventures so far.

Unloading our baggage at Dulles Airport:  the adventure begins

Notre Dame on a rainy day

Wake up and smile! We're at the Eiffel Tower!

Oooh!  Aaaah!  The Eiffel Tower sparkles with twinkling lights along its entire height every hour, on the hour, after dark.  We caught the 10:00 PM "performance."

This is why it is called the "Cote d'Azur." The French Riviera, on the way from Nice to Monaco.

"It's COLD!"  Our first dip in the Mediterranean Sea.

It's 11:30 PM in Nice right now.  I'll hopefully write more about today's adventures in the morning.  Quick preview:  Most of the group enjoyed our journey to Monaco, Eze, and the beach at Nice more than anything else we've done so far. 

Nice

Good morning, everybody!

Today I'm writing from the lobby of our hotel in Nice.  As usual, our group is beginning our day with breakfast in our hotel which, as always, features ham.  We've decided that ham is the official meat of France; it's somewhat challenging for people who don't care for ham to find meal options for breakfast and lunch that don't include it in some way. 

Yesterday, we spent our last few hours in Paris.  We rode the Metro to the Louvre, where we had two hours to explore.  You certainly can't do the Louvre justice in two hours.  I could easily spend two weeks there and not feel like I've seen it all.  Many of our students hit most of the "high points" of the Louvre's collection:  the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, etc.

We then set off for Nice on the TGV train.  We were pleasantly surprised to discover that the train was extremely smooth, especially considering it moved at speeds up to 200 MPH.  The chance to sit down, relax, read, write in our journals, nap, and converse was a perfect change of pace from the hectic pace of Paris.  We sped through the French countryside, spotted castles and an aqueduct, and got our first breathaking glimpses of the Mediterranean.

Once in Nice, we settled into our rooms and enjoyed a delicious dinner.  A walk down the "English Promenade" and back to the hotel completed our day.

Today, we're off to Monaco, which many of us are anticipating excitedly.  Again, I'm sorry this is somewhat brief--our busy days don't leave me much time to write.

Thanks for following,
Chris

A Day (and a Night) in Paris

Hi again, everybody!

As I'm writing, we are about to bid Paris a fond au revoir.  We will be visiting the Louvre this morning (we didn't actually visit the museum yesterday--that will teach me to check the itinerary before I tell y'all where we're going).  Then we'll board the high-speed train for our journey to Nice.

Yesterday was a truly unforgettable day.  We began with a coach tour through Paris, narrated by a very knowledgeable and entertaining guide.  Roger, our bus driver, was truly a professional, amazing us with his precision driving skills throughout the tour.  I've driven in Boston, and I can tell you that I wouldn't drive a car in Paris for a million euro--even at today's exchange rate.  We saw the sights of Paris that we've all seen in movies, heard about, or read about all our lives, from the Eiffel Tower to the Arc d'Triomphe to the Louvre.

We spent the afternoon at the Musee d'Orsay, which is located in a former train station that was built around 1900.  The building itself was breathtaking, and the works of art exhibited there were even more impressive.  Everywhere we turned, there was a Monet, a Van Gogh, a Rodin, a Manet.

We next took a boat ride down the Seine and ate dinner, and took another adventurous trip through the Metro (easily our least favorite part of our Paris experience).   I'd like to say we're now seasoned Metro veterans, able to move smoothly from station to station with exquisite calm.  However, it appears that nobody--even Parisians--can manage this feat.  We all rush through the passages, up and down the stairs, and along the moving sidewalks like corks caught in a torrent.

I wish I could find words adequate to describe the experience of ascending the Eiffel Tower last night.  Several of us--myself included--were apprehensive about traveling nearly 1000 feet off the ground.  I wouldn't have missed it for the world.  The sight of Paris spread out around us as dusk fell was unbelievable. 

As we walked back to our bus, the clock turned to 10:00 PM (it was barely dark at this point).  Suddenly, the tower was covered with twinkling white lights.  We stopped to watch the lights dance up and down the tower, a display that lasted for five minutes and left us "ooohing" and "aaahing". 

I wish I had time to write more now, but in 10 minutes we'll be off to the Metro again and off to tour the Louvre.  Thanks for reading (and commenting)!  I promise to find time to add some of the pictures Chris has been taking soon. 

Chris

Paris, Day One (and Two)

Hi, everyone! 

I'm writing to you from the lobby of our hotel in Paris, as we're preparing for our first full day in the City of Lights.  We've discovered that if you want to actually see the aforementioned lights, you have to stay up late--perhaps as late as 10 PM.

Monday and Tuesday ran together for most of us, who found it nearly impossible to do more than sneak a series of short naps on our flight from Washington to London.  Once in Paris, we hit the ground running.  We checked into our hotel and, from there, set off for Sainte Chapelle and the cathedral of Notre Dame.

This expedition required us to brave the Paris Metro.  Imagine 37 sleep-deprived Americans attempting to change trains, change lines, and head off in the correct direction on the correct train.  Sound difficult?  We managed to do it without incident several times.

Sainte Chapelle and Notre Dame almost deprive description.  They are both incredibly beautiful.  Even on a rainy, cloudy day like yesterday, the stained glass windows glowed in a rainbow of colors. 

I live in Williamsburg, where it's possible to see buildings that are much older than those most Americans can see on a daily basis. The Wren Building on the campus of The College of William & Mary is over 300 years old.

Sainte Chapelle and Notre Dame are almost three times that old.

We were struck by the immense amount of loving labor that went into the construction of each of these breathtaking projects.  Does anyone, anywhere, care about anything this much any more?

I'll have to be brief for now.  In eight minutes, we will be boarding our tour bus and setting off.  The Louvre awaits us!  We should have time to post some pictures soon.

All of us are well and ready for an exciting day. 

Au revoir for now,
Chris

Welcome!

Hi, everybody!

Welcome to the 2011 Hampton Roads Academy France & Italy trip blog.

As we were making plans for the trip, we decided it would be a cool idea for us to communicate with our families and friends back home through a blog. 

Please don't expect anything too fancy.  I've never blogged, and I have a feeling we will all be pretty busy during the trip.  Hopefully, we'll find time (and a good wireless connection) each day, so we can update you on what we're discovering.  We also plan to include some pictures, so you can see the sights we're enjoying, too.

As I'm writing this, the trip is four days away.  Exams are nearly over, and the anticipation and excitement are actually starting to build by the hour.  We hope you'll enjoy keeping up with us between now and our return.

Navigationally yours,
Chris (and Chris) Joyce