Day 2 - Breakfast was a feast of fruits, meat, cheese and pastries. We then headed for the Metro (subway) a few blocks away. For some, it was their first ever experience with the underground. We walked a few more blocks and entered St. Peters square in the Vatican. Wow! The bells even rang for us. Then we headed into the basilica and Wow again. Stunning. Michaelangelos first sculpture was off to the right and we made our way down towards the alter, passing by Pope John Paul IIs grave. Caitlin managed to trip, but caught herself before sprawling on the floor. The kids were enthralled by the size. It took 40 years to complete the basilica. They saw some cardinals in prayer in one of the side chambers. We then headed back out into the square and heard the countdown for the start of a marathon. Then it was time to leave. Kasandra made a quick dash for a Colloseum trinket and we got out just before a parade for All Saints Day began. In the subway, Carter forgot to look where he was going and bumped into a lady, who let him know her displeasure. We grabbed our bags, boarded the bus and made our way to the airport. We made it through security with only a few of us having to walk through the scanner more than once, it seems we forgot that belts need to come off, and pockets need to be emptied. While we waited, there was time to grab lunch, most of the students found a McDonalds. The plane ride was short but provided great views of the mountains, a few chose to take the time to nap and others had their noses buried in their books. Then the craziness began. One bag hadnt arrived. Once we got to baggage claim, it was discovered that Jessicas bag hadnt left Rome. It will arrive tomorrow and be delivered to the hotel. This meant that Jessica got to be the first to go shopping for some essential but not really glamorous items. Dinner was a few blocks away from our hotel in a very nice multi-level restaurant where we had soup, goose, potato and bread dumplings with red cabbage and gravy followed up by a baked apple. After a trip to the supermarket to stock up on junk food, all students are in the hotel for the night. Tomorrow we see the sites of Prague.
Posted on: Sat, 01 Nov 2014 20:44:14 +0000