Dinner Time

This is usually an event that doesn't come soon enough. It is a time to refuel after a day of walking and climbing. It is also the time where kids swap stories about their adventures from the day. Who got the best deal from a street vendor, who's chaperone led them to the wrong subway (not mentioning names), and do on.

On our first stop this tour, we have found ourselves enjoying our Barcelona hotel's dinner buffet more than a couple of times. Having this much selection is almost never been part of the plan, so we are encouraging the kids to eat up. A couple of years ago, we ate goulash almost every night, so the choices have been pretty good for the kids.

In my experience, the meals are mostly uneventful with a few exceptions. It is usually benign enough for most any teen palate. The hotel at least features one here daily a pan of french fries so no one starves.

Each meal also comes with a beverage and that beverage is water. Kids learn very quickly to pace themselves in order to stretch those bottles on the table through the meal. Everyone is having a great attitude about the water...even our most die hard Pepsi fans (I'm not mentioning any names).



Sadly this bounty cannot last. Our first morning on the ferry was a testimony to that, but that is another story.

Going Gaudí

We have spent the last two days perusing the winding roads that decorate Barcelona.  One of the things that I did not expect to experience is the impact that the famous architect, Gaudi, has had on this city.

On our guided tour yesterday morning, our first stop featured the architect/artist's work in Park Güell.  It really does take a little effort to look past the whimsy of  his work to see just how incredible it is.  He was hired by so many to produce his magic for them.

Our bus driver, Kim, and our guide, Tony, led us to Gaudi's most famous, yet incomplete work, the Familia Sagrada.  We walked around the entire church in awe of its graduer.  We have saved the trip inside for Saturday morning.  While it is no longer possible to climb the towers, I hear that we can take the elevator up.  Not ideal, but we'll take it!

Today, we added a little more Gaudi to our trip with a stop at two of his famous houses, Battló House & Casa Mila.  It really must have been awesome to live in these houses.  Now, both are open to visitors and budding photographers.

I love it when students get a taste of different art forms from around the world.  The get to see how that art impacts the culture, design, and feel of a city.  I can't wait for them to celebrate our next city's famous artist, Michelangelo.

Greetings from Barcelona!

We arrived into Barcelona El Prat Airport this morning at 8:30am after a couple uneventful flights from the California. Many of the kids had a chance to catch up on missing sleep but a few fell victim to the temptations of free viewings of the Hunger Games on the 9 hour flight from Atlanta..

Upon arrival in Spain, we were greeted by EF Tour Guide, Lindsey. A few kids were treated to a little ATM drama while the rest of us waiting for our other 4 tourmates from New Jersey to arrive. They are a great girls and are already starting to fit right into our group.

Hotel Catalonia Park Putxet, our hotel for the next 4 nights, rests on the hill on the east side of town.  Even better than the fact that we could check into our room at 10am, was the wifi code Lindsey handed out in the lobby.  That wifi speed here bogged down to a crawl after a few seconds with everyone immediately accessing Facebook & Instagram.  Nice!

After a quick re-fresh in our rooms, we ran down to the nearest subway and rode it into the center of town. It was fun showing some of the kids how to ride the subway for the first time.

In just a few minutes, we arrived at the famous Placa de Catalunya where we wandered down a maze of streets taking the time to check out the views. We even ran into members of the USA Olympic Basketball Team. There are so many amazing sites to see here and the kids, in spite of their lack of sleep, have maintained a great attitude for travel.

We returned to the hotel around 7pm and were treated to a buffet dinner in the hotel restaurant. It had to be one of the better meals that I have seen on tour. After dinner, kids sluggishly slid out of the restaurant and up to their rooms. Not sure they need to be reminded about a curfew tonight. I am positive the kids will be asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillow.

Return of the Traveler's Blog!

In just three short days, 29 students and 5 adults will board a bus for the official start of our 4 country, 18 day trip to Europe. To see where we are headed, check out our site at Ziessler Educational Tours.

To get ready, we have dusted off our blog, plugged in our twitter account, and fired up the Youtube channel.

Stay tuned here for brief updates about our travels, videos and pictures. We hope that you enjoy our hearing about our travels.

First stop is Barcelona!

Luggage Photo

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The Night Train

This trip has been a combination of incredible cities filled with rich history and beauty.  We have traveled high and low across gorgeous landscapes of many different countries.  When they presented us with an opportunity to travel across Germany on train, most all of us were giddy with excitement.  On the day of our ride, we shopped for snacks and drinks to make our ride even more comfortable.  Little did we know that we would need a lot more than that. 

We stood along the tracks at 7:50pm with specific instructions to GET ON THE TRAIN.  Since the train was coming from another station, it would be departing quickly.  We had our groups together, memorized our couchette numbers and lined up in order.  Ready. To. Go.

Until.

The train arrived with a huge screech.  We quickly started dragging our bags into the car.  Turned left and suddenly found our space had disappeared.  Imagine almost 20 kids with 40 lb bags jammed into a space that can't fit 2 elementary school kids side by side. 

Problem #1: No Cabin numbers. 
As we squeezed down the space, we quickly realized that the walls only marked seat numbers. The only seat numbers we had were 36 & 37.  Two needles in a haystack that was leaving in 2 minutes.

Problem #2: We were going the wrong direction.
Other people had entered the train car from the other side and were now dragging their bags toward us in a frantic search for their sans-number couchette.  The kids tell of one woman shoving them aside in order to get her kids and bags on board while yelling something in French about "going to the corner"!  Rumor has it that one of the kids was shoved into the bathroom!

Then the train pulls away.  Cabin found.  All kids on board.  A moment of calm. 

Until.

Imagine Trent. Six foot six. Now imagine 5 other teenage boys.  Stack them on top of each other with six bags.  Now shove them into your closet.  Close the door for 14 hours!

Bon Voyage!

Problem #3:  No one knows how to turn on the air.
So many people from all over the world piled into this car.  A multitude of languages spoken and bathing habits.  You've heard of Ratatouille, the hot French soup combining all sorts of flavors and fragrances?  This is the night train. 

Unbelievably, some of the kids relaxed and enjoyed the ride.  Some others were not so lucky, present company included.  In order to keep the kids together, some of the adults had to share couchettes with strangers. I'll spare you those details. All that I can comment on is that I am scarred for life. 

There is nothing like being squeezed into a box in complete darkness with a train that rolls side to side, makes random stops, and often goes in reverse.

If you are ever offered the opportunity to "experience" a trip like this, I recommend you think on it. 

Reunited in Berlin

For some of us, this was the city of choice.  More modern, more shopping, and more like the bigger cities of the USA.  We started our tour off with our traditional guided tour of the city.  Kevin Kennedy was a fast talking, engaging, and sometimes edgy tour guide.  He was the complete opposite of our guide in Prague and the kids welcomed that.

Having spent a few of my younger years in Germany, I was completely blown away by the idea that we were walking around in East Berlin.  Now, years after the reunification, you can still see the sharp contrasts in architecture.  For the history buffs in our group, Berlin was the epicenter of World War II lessons.

As if walking through the pages of a book, we crossed under the Brandenburg Gate, climbed into the dome of the Reichstadt, and strolled freely across Checkpoint Charlie.  These were almost unthinkable acts when I was younger.

The kids all seemed to love the city.  They talk about the easy to use subway system, the countless cafes, and great shopping.  Many of the kids rented bicycles, visited the zoo, walked along the artwork painted on still standing sections of The Wall, and shopped in the historic KaDeWe.  A few of us even visited a relic of the Cold War - an underground fallout shelter. 

With the night train on Saturday night, we were given almost another day to relax.  We would need it.

The Turning Point

Hello all.  Hope you are well.

Tonight is our last night in Germany.  Over the last few days, we have been heading back west toward home.  We landed in southern Germany over a week ago and now we are poised to leave it.  Sadly, we will lose our driver, Josef, as well.  He will head back to Prague to pick up another group after we jump on a night train to France.  He has been a great ally on this trip with his sharp wit and smooth driving skills.  A good man to have around.

I don't think the thought has entered too many minds, but next week we are home. For now, the kids (we all ) are just enjoying the ride.  A new driver will take us to see so many new places like the Palace of Versailles, the Eifel Tower,  the English Channel and much more. 

Off we go!

--Sill