One Final Hurrah!

Our final day here in Italy has been a full one! Full of some final touring, some final shopping, lots of sunshine, and lots of standing in line!
We began this morning with crossing the Tiber River to visit Vatican City. Did you know that Vatican City is the smallest country in world? It also has the lowest birth rate, zero (only males live there).
As we approached the walled city/country we encountered thousands and thousands of people with the same goal as us, to visit the infamous location. We found our way to the end of the line where we then proceeded to wait, and wait...and wait...and wait (and I could probably add a few more) for 4 HOURS!! That is right 4 HOURS!! However spirits were never low as we sang and entertained the crowed around us, for 4 HOURS. Oh, and it was 30c with no shade, for 4 HOURS.
The long wait, 4 HOURS, was well worth it as we were able to experience the opportunity of a lifetime and visit the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter Basilica and the Vatican Museum.
After a wonderful farewell dinner we had some final time to enjoy the sights and shopping that Rome has to offer. This was followed by the most touching performance of the tour. As we gathered outside of the Pantheon the students decided to sing one last farewell song. As they began to perform "Agnus Dei" the crowds seemed to come from all sides of the square. Hundreds of people came running to listen and a few even found themselves so moved that they decided to record and take pictures. As the crowds continued to gather the choir ended with "Mary Did You Know". The sound was phenominal and the music touching. It is sure that this was an experience that the students will remember for a lifetime.
As much as we loved our time here in Italy, we are excited to be heading home tomorrow. Please think of us as we travel. Can't wait to see you all!!
Oh, by the way, did I mention that we waited 4 HOURS to get into the Vatican.

Story of The Day
To protect the reputation of those involved, no names will be mentioned in the writing of this "story".
As we entered the Vatican today we passed through revolving doors of the Vatican entrance and one student mentioned that the security looked like the same at the airport. When another student heard this, they questioned why they were at the airport and not the Vatican...it's true.

While in the line for the Vatican, many students were able to learn from Mr. Rabjohn that the bricks that form the wall of the Vatican were actually named 'Vati', the latin word for hard surface and the concrete that kept the bricks together were named 'Canne' after the area in Italy where the sand was found. Thus, the name Vaticanne or Vatican came into being. We kept this going for about an hour (of the FOUR hours, did we mention that) until we had to let them in on the joke.

Final Note on the Final Night
As we type this blog tonight all the students have gathered together in their various rooms with their new found friends, love for one another and reminiscing about their adventures in Italy. The growth that this group of young people have shown during this tour has been a pleasure to watch. It has been an honour to be here in Italy with them, these memories will last for a lifetime!
Mr. Bronson

When in Rome...

Today found us celebrating the Roman Labour Day.
We were able to enjoy a guided walking tour under beautiful weather conditions, 28c and sunny!!
It has been said that Rome is like lasagna, if you dig down you will find many layers of history hidden beneath. The tour started with an outside view of the Colosseum and then took us throughout the streets of old Rome. All day we were surrounded by spectacular castles, columns, ruins and sculptures. It seems that with every corner you turn there is something new, exciting and huge waiting to be discovered! It is hard to believe that there are archaeologists still unearthing new historical finds.
After lunch the Chamber Choir had their final Italian performance in the beautiful Santa Maria dei Miracoli. The performance was breathtaking. The church was packed with standing room only intently watching and listening. Even fellow Canadians now living in Italy took time to come out and later chat with the students. We have some stunning photos which we will hopefully post soon.
This evening we were able to attend a performance of the Italian opera Tosca. It was unlike any performance we have experienced. I'm sure the students will fill you in on the details.
Well, we'll keep this one short as today has been a long hot one. Tomorrow we are off to see the inside of the Colusseum and Vatican City. Until then...

P.S.
We all wish Sam Sliva all the best at her volleyball games!! We miss you!

Story of The Day
While exploring thousands of years of history we found ourselves at the Roman capital buildings. While the students were to be taking in the stunning view of the city, they actually found themselves taking in a view of another kind. To their shock and suprise Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys was standing within 10 feet of the group enjoying the same view. Needless to say cameras and attention were turned in a different direction!!

Florence

Venice To Florence

Scusi, scusi!!

Our apologies for taking a "blogging hiatus". Internet was scarce in Tuscany. But WE'RE BACK!!



Let's see...back to Monday...



Monday morning found us taking a long bus trip to the region of Tuscany.

As we travelled through the country side we encountered a spectacular mountainous view. Tuscany is full of lush, green rolling hills and mountains. Throughout the trip we passed many quaint villages scattered all over the mountainsides. We even occasionally came across some beautiful castles nestled high above.

We stayed in a small town outside of Firenze (Florence) called Montecatini in the Augustus hotel. This town lies at the foot of the Pistonian mountains.

The majority of our day was spent travelling but it wrapped us with a fabulous orchestra concert. The setting of this concert was in a church dating back to 800 A.D. This church started as a merchant setting for selling grain and then was transformed into a church. The elaborate sculptures and paintings, which represented the different guilds, were beautiful. But nothing could take away from the performance of the orchestra and flute soloist. The kids were awestruck and moved. But more enjoyable than anyting was the orchestra performance of Schostakovich.



Story of The Day

Our afternoon concert was entertaining for all. Janice Kim was so excited that as we were sitting up front about to perform, Mr. Bronson raised his baton, looked at the band and found her fast asleep. That is right, flute in hand, audience ready and Janice asleep.



Onto Tuesday...



Tuesday was a very wet, cold and early morning. It found us on a walking tour of Florence. We saw sights such as the David, Old Ponte Vecchio Bridge which is known for its gold merchants, the second largest cathedral dome in Europe, as well as many beautiful and famous sculptures. The rain couldn't dampen our spirits and the afternoon found us enjoying free time in better weather. Many of the students climed 436 steps up to the top of the "Cupola", which is the dome of the catherdral and the highest structure in all of Florence. WHAT AN AMAZING VIEW!!! You will certainly enjoy the pictures!! There was also much shopping done by all where the students learned the fine art of bartering. What deals!!

The evening was capped off with an energetic performance by OJ1 and the choir. A beautiful rendition of Mary Did You Know was performed by Amanda, Kyle and Reanda. We even met some fellow Canadians there.



Story of The Day

Andrew Dove, who is afraid of heights, climbed to the highest flight in Florence and needed the picture to prove it. What you won't see in the picture is the death grip that Rabjohn has on his jacket to help him feel safe. There is no way that guy was getting near the edge without it!! But he did it and we're all proud!!

And today...



Wednesday once again found us on the bus with our earliest start yet. We are travelling on a HUGE bus with a fantastic driver named Rino. You have never seen such tight turns in your life. At one turn 10 cars were forced into reverse or they were going to be squashed!!

The trip was again beautifully scenic. With ancient castles scattered in the hills and villages carved right into the mountains.

After 4 hours we stepped off the bus and straight into an outdoor concert. The performance was entertaining not musically but also interesting as choir members scrambled to help hold music on the stands with an occasional chase scene after a sheet of music. Then onto Rome.

This evening a walking tour provided us with a brief glimpse of the treasures we will explore tomorrow. Every alley seems to hide a new adventure.

Story of The Day
Today's tour of Rome found us in front of the Pantheon which was built in 1 AD. It is simply awesome. As we were standing admiring the view Scott Given approached me (Mrs. Hunter) with a very confused look on his face. "Are you sure this is the Parthenon? Isn't it rectangular?" Scott asked. "Why yes," I replied. "The Parthenon is rectangular Scott. It is also in Greece". He simply shook his head and walked away. Oh Scott...

P.S.
Mr. Bronson has been "blessed" once again (pooped on)

Plse frgve any mstks. It is 12:30 n th mrng. Pctrs to fllw.

A Day in Venice

Well, it has been another beautiful day here in Venice!! We had an early start this morning and were able to tour some of the major sights before the crowds got too thick.
Some of these sights included St. Marco Square. We were able to see Vivaldi's Church, a home that Napoleon built during his rule in Venice, the Rialto Bridge, the Bridge of Sighs ( which led prisoners from the court house to the jail in the 1800s), the Grand Canal, Venetian glass blowing demonstration, St. Mark's Cathedral and much more.
St. Mark's was the site of the Chamber Choir's first performance. You will see it pictured in the top right. It was simply breathtaking with its famous mosaics of glass and gold; over 60 lbs of gold lined the ceiling above where the choir stood to sing. The students felt that it was truly an honour to perform in such a large and famous location.




Our first evening performance was an opportunity for the kids to "get their feet wet". We are looking forward to tomorrow's performances.
As you look at the pictures, you may notice that we have all put on a few pounds. The food has been phenominal. We haven't had a meal with less than 3 courses. Mmmm... Actually, let's put it this way, even Rabjohn has found his bottomless pit satisfied.

Well, we will be back tomorrow with more updates.
Until then...buona sera...

FUNNY MOMENT OF THE DAY...

There once was a tour to Italy
And we all had a great deal of luck
But in the San Marco square
A disaster was there
When a pigeon pooped on Bronson's hair....

Yes, Bronson got pigeon blessed.

WE MADE IT!!!!

Hello everyone!! We have finally arrived in Venice and are settling down in our hotel. After approximately 33 hours of being awake we are all still in good spirits! The students have been amazing and are already bursting with stories to tell and have the pictures to go with them.

Our first leg of the journey landed us all in Amsterdam where we went our separate ways. The first group went straight on to Venice while the second stayed for a tour of the city.

The arrival in Amsterdam at 6:51 am was a little rough, we were tired, but determined to make the best of it. We all made it through security easily except for Bronson who believed that bringing tools on his carry on was a good idea.....He got through eventually. The tour of Amsterdam was fun, we got to see many windmills, canals and many, many types of different housing. Several forms of wildlife such as sheep, pelicans and many different types of birds areindigenous to the area. Of course, we went by the VanGogh museum, but we couldn't go in as we didn't have enough time. Back at Schipol airport, many tired students found the floor by our gate was very comfortable and were able to have a good nap. The flight was fine into Venice and we met up with everyone else easily and the hotel is absolutely amazing!!!!!

The group that went straight on to Venice were treated to a wonderful self guided walking tour of the city. Much time was spent wandering through the many shops, observing the local culture and of course sampling the delicassies (expecially the gelato)!!

As we are writing this the students are relaxing, exploring the hotel grounds and just relaxing. I am sure that they all sent you their love and wish you a good night. We will post some pics and write again tomorrow. Wish us luck with tomorrow as we begin our series of concerts!!

Until tomorrow...ciao...

Have Allergies? This May Help!!

Here are some useful Italian phrases that will help out those of you who may suffer from allergies...

Allergic to Dairy

“Sono allergico(a) ai latticini” – I am allergic to dairy products

“Sono allergico(a) ai prodotti del latte” – I am allergic to milk products

"Non posso mangiare i latticini” - I cannot eat dairy products.

“È fatto con i latticini?” – Is it made with dairy products?

Formaggi – cheeses

Latte – milk

Cioccolata - chocolate

Burro – butter

Panna - cream

Panna montata – whipped cream

Gelato – ice cream

Yogurt - yoghurt

Allergic to Nuts

“Sono allergico(a) a tutti i tipi di noci” – I am allergic to all types of nuts
Note: “Noci” in Italian may be taken as “walnuts” only.

“Sono allergico(a) alle arachidi” – I am allergic to peanuts

“Può contenere tracce di frutta secca a guscio” – May contain traces of nuts

“È fatto con frutta secca a guscio?” Is it made with nuts? / Does it contain nuts?
Note: “Frutta secca” means “dried fruit” in English, but “a guscio” means “with shells”, so the whole phrase must be said together to understand “nuts” and not just “dried fruit”.

“Non posso mangiare i noci di ogni tipo” - I cannot eat nuts of any kind.

Noci – nuts / walnuts

Pinoli – pine nuts

Nocciole – hazelnuts

Pistacchi – pistachios

Arachidi / Noccioline americane - peanuts

"Nocciola” and “Pistachio” are two common flavours of ice cream in Italy, and are also often found in chocolate like Baci, Ferrero Rocher, etc.

One More Sleep!!

Actually there are probably very few of us who will be getting much sleep!! I am suffering from too much excitement, and a slight procrastination when it comes to packing!!

Can't wait to see you all tomorrow!!

For the Coffee Connoisseur

If you ask for un caffe you will get an espresso. Espresso is the norm and it is served in small cups that contain about 2 or 3 sips. It is usually served black (nero) and you must ask for milk (latte) and sugar (zucchero).

A cappucino is served luke warm.

A caffe machiato is espresso with a splash of foamed milk.

Caffe latte is espresso with lots of milk and no foam.

A caffe Americano is espresso diluted with hot water and you must ask for milk and sugar

If you use artificial sweetner in your coffee or tea, take some from home. Also, note that there are no free refills.

If you are a tea drinker then you have to indicate that you want "hot tea", te calda.

What to Pack, what to pack...

"What should I pack?" is one of the number one questions we are getting right now. Pack light and make sure that you only bring what you are going to wear / what you NEED. You should be able to comfortably carry your suitcase!!

Here are some suggestions/guidelines/ideas:

- #1 thing to pack is a good pair of walking shoes!! Any kind of sandal or flip flop are not recommended for walking on the hard, uneven, cobblestone streets!! Don't worry about style. Comfort is most important.

- Be conservative in your clothing and colour choices (black, grey, brown, blue)

- Bring clothes that you can layer.

- Sunscreen

- For the ladies...shorts (to the knee), Capri's, with tee shirts or sleeveless tops (with appropriate strap width), light sweater, also skirts and sundresses.

- For the gentlemen... shorts, or light casual slacks with tee shirts, polo, or sport shirts.

- Don't forget your tour wear and concert dress!!

You do not have to dress up...neat and casual is fine.


Any other ideas? Share them with everyone by adding them to the comment section.

Oops!

The hotel links have been fixed. Sorry for any inconvenience!

Tips & Tricks to Help You Out

1. ALWAYS count your change

2. ABMs are called BANCOMATs and usually have a 250 Euro max.

3. In popular/crowded areas like Trevi fountain, the Rome train station, St Mark's Basilica, markets, narrow side streets etc., wear your backpack on your front. There are MANY pick pockets all over and they are very good at there profession.

4. Traffic lights and "walk signs" seem to only be "suggestions" in Italy!! Watch out for Vespas (scooters). Look very carefully before stepping off the sidewalk!!

5. Shop owners do not like food and drinks in their stores. Also, DON'T TOUCH the merchandise unless you are definitely in a souvenir shop.

6. Bottled water comes in 2 varieties: with bubbles and without.
With bubbles is know as: con gas or gassata
Without bubbles is know as: senza gas, naturale or non gassata

7. The word that looks like "pepperoni" on a list of pizza toppings isn't meat; it is peppers. Salamino piccante is the equivalent of pepperoni but may be spicier than you would find at home.

8. Ketchup and mustard aren't readily available and often you must pay extra for it.

9. "Toast" is a grilled ham and cheese sandwich.

10. Public washrooms, known as WC or Toilette, can be scarce and you need a few coins to use them. Toilet seats and toilet paper can be scarce, so carry small packs of Kleenex with you and some wipes.

11. Take hats off when entering a church. In the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican, they are adamant about "NO TALKING"

12. If you are buying pizza at a take out place, you may be able to purchase it pre-cut. But if not, you will have to indicate the size you want by either showing with you hands or by giving a weight. It is often sold by weight in 100 gram amounts. 100 grams is approximately 1/4 lbs and is called une etto. If you want 200 grams, you would say due etto etc.

Good luck! Hope some of these help!!

Practise Your Italian!!

• Arrivederci (ah-ree-vay-der-chee) - Good bye (formal).
• Bene (behn-ay) - Well/good.
• Buon giorno! (bwon gee-orno) - Good day.
• Buona sera! (bwon-uh say-ruh) - Good afternoon/evening.
• Ciao! (chow) - Hello or goodbye (informal, but used often).
• Come sta? (koh-may stah) - How are you?
• Sto bene (stoh behn-ay) - I am good
• Parla inglese? (par-lah een-glay-zay) - Do you speak English?
• Dov'è...? (doh-veh) - Where is...
• Per favore (pehr fah-voh-ray) - Please
• Grazie! (grah-tseeay) - Thanks!
• Male (mah-lay) - Bad.
• Mi scusi (mee skoo-zee) - Excuse me.
• No (no) - No.
• Si (see) - Yes.
• Prego. (pray-go) - You're welcome. Sometimes used as a polite phrase for permission ("May I?" or "If you please."), such as a waiter saying "prego" before taking your empty plate.
• Quanto e'... (kwahn-toh ay) - How much is...
• Quanto costa? (kwahn-toh kos-tah) - How much is it?
• Quello (kweh-loh) - That.
• Questo/questi (kweh-stoh/kweh-stee) - This/these.

Is It Time Yet?

Nope. Not yet! But only 6 more sleeps!!

Does Mrs. Hunter have all your forms?

Countdown to Italy!!

ONLY 7 MORE SLEEPS UNTIL ITALY!!!

Are you packed yet?