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We had to get up early to get to the airport. The bus dropped us off at 10 minutes til 8 and our flight began boarding around 9:30 am. We flew to New York, had to get our luggage and recheck it, go back through security, then get to the other side of the airport in a short time. We were running but the kids did great. The flight to Atlanta was uneventful. We got dinner after we landed and relaxed while we waited for our flight. The kids were very polite to a nice lady who was sitting near them in the airport and she wrote a nice e-mail commenting on how great of an education they were getting. We got to St. Louis around 10:30 pm (although it felt like 4 in the morning). And our journey was over...

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Today we had a packed schedule. We did a city tour by bus in the morning. We were able to see the major sites from the bus (the monument to the train bombing victims), the capitol building, and Plaza Mayor. Then we went to the Royal Palace (Spain is a monarchy). We were really disappointed to find out that we were not allowed to take pictures inside the palace. It was amazing! Our tour guide made the rooms we were seeing very understandable by relating them to what would be done if President Obama and the First Lady were to visit the king. We had some photo opportunities outside the palace. We then got lunch in a little neighborhood near the Prado museum. A lot of the restaurants in the area looked like bars (I later found out that despite the look of the places, they really are just restaurants) so we ended up in a little diner called Peggy Sue's. We then went to the Prado museum. By this point, we are getting much better at navigating the museums so we didn't get lost. However, I found that my knowledge of the art in this museum is very limited so it was difficult to help the students appreciate what they were seeing. We could have used a tour guide for this purpose. Later in the afternoon, one of the other groups we were paired with were doing the Flamenco session, so we had some free time. We walked to Plaza del Sol and did a little shopping. We then found the Chocolateria and got some churros and chocolate (delicious!). After this it was time to meet back up with the other two groups. We went to the Opera and the kids had some photo moments with the group from Texas while we waited. Dinner was at a nice restaurant. We had "lentejas" which is a delicious vegetable soup and ham and potatoes. They served orange sherbet for dessert and then we were done with our last European dinner. :-( The kids said their goodbyes when we were done with dinner and we all went and packed.

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So, we spent a very long time in the bus today. We left the hotel sometime around 8:30 this morning and drove for a couple of hours (most people slept). We stopped at a rest stop for restroom and snack breaks (no food or drink on the bus). Then drove for a couple more hours. We stopped in Zaragoza to view the holy church, St. James, where Mary was supposed to have appeared on a pillar, then when she disappeared the pillar stayed. We ate lunch and got back on the road. We did another restroom stop then arrived in Barcelona around 6:30. We had some time to get settled in our rooms and got to dinner at 8 pm. They eat late here in Madrid. We had vegetable soup, arroz con pollo, and cream puffs. Then we did a little extra walking so we could see Plaza Mayor and so the tour director could show us where the best Chocolateria is (for churros and hot chocolate tomorrow). We have a busy day tomorrow but it is our last day! Sad...

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Today we had a free day in Barcelona (I'm saying it in my head the way the locals say it "bar-the-lona") and it went very well. There was some nervousness in the planning (which was why we were doing the excursion) but it turned out well. I managed to use a little Spanish to get us where we needed to go and our tour director helped me a lot. Kudos to Ms. Egelhofer for stepping up whenever I needed another mind. We went to the Gothic quarter and did some shopping. We went to the famous Mercat Boqueria and tried fresh fruit juice and sampled some different fruits and meats. Some got a little grossed out when we saw the seafood but over all, it was a great experience. We went to Hard Rock Cafe for dinner and before you say, "I thought you said 'NO AMERICAN FOOD,' keep in mind that some of the kids had never even heard of Hard Rock and the ones who had, had not been to one. So, I considered it a valuable experience. And the food was delicious! We then did a little more shopping and hopped on the metro (they are becoming professionals at reading the metro map...St. Louis will seem like a joke to them).

We went down to the beach and splashed in the water. We were on the Mediterranean Sea with sand, boats, and mountains as our backdrop. The water was a little cold but the view was amazing. The kids had some ice cream and relaxed a little before it was time for dinner.

We ate at a buffet for dinner tonight. It was interesting to me; I have never had that type of restaurant experience in Europe before. There was salad, fruit, pasta, chicken, fish, and vegetables. They also had all you can eat dessert and all you can drink beverages. We have an early morning tomorrow since we are traveling to Madrid by way of Zaragoza. Let's all cross our fingers that the internet connection there is as good as it is here.

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Speaking of optionals getting cancelled; our excursion to Figueras got cancelled. Please make sure that EF gets your money back to you. It is supposed to happen automatically but I recommend calling to check on it.

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Hello all! I am now seeing that my last post didn't actually post so let me get you all up to date. On, Saturday we had a free day. We decided to go out to Versailles. The optional excursion had gotten cancelled, but we lucked out and the metro system was completely free in France for the weekend! That means that the kids got a completely free trip to Versailles (no entry fee because they are under 17). We grabbed a fast food lunch and rode the RER (extension of the metro outside of Paris) back to the city and hung out in Montmartre. The kids got some shopping done and got to see the area. Our dinner was also in Montmartre, so afterwards we went to take pictures of the red mill all lit up (Moulin Rouge). I spent the last few minutes making sure the students stayed in the picture taking area and away from the other side of the street.

On Sunday, we went to the Louvre in the morning. We had some trouble following the signs but ultimately got to see the most important sites. Mona Lisa, Coronation of Napoleon, Venus de Milo and the Egyptian antiquities. We then went to the perfume factory tour, Fragonard. I was not too thrilled about this because I am allergic to some perfumes and was not aware that it had been added to our itinerary. However, when we got there, it was actually pretty interesting to hear about the process and the history. Most of us waited outside when they went to sample the perfumes. We got a free sample and left. We got lunch in the Tuileries outside the Louvre, hung out on the grass, and relaxed. It was as if we were all real Parisians. We shopped some more in the Royal Palace neighborhood and then it was time for dinner. This dinner was a lot of fun. We had Flammekueche which is a specialty from Alsace (basically really thin pizza with creme fraiche

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We arrived safely in our hotel in Barcelona

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I'm sorry I don't have pictures available yet. The connection here is so slow I haven't been able to get a single picture uploaded. Everyone is still doing very well. We did a guided tour by bus of the major sites of the city this morning. This was nice because our hotel is quite a trek from the nearest metro station. We had photo opportunities at Les Invalides (Napoleon's resting place), La Tour Eiffel, and L'Arc de Triomphe (including the Tomb of the Unknown soldier). The students are doing a GREAT job asking questions and listening to all of the history about these places. I just hope they remember it all because it is soooo much. We spent the afternoon on the Champs Elysees. We ate lunch at Bistro Romain (where a few of the students managed to pass for age 12 and got a cheap meal). We ate dinner at a restaurant called "Hippopotamus" which I found amusing. Unfortunately, we had to rush through because they had another group coming in. After dinner we did the Seine River cruise and saw Paris all lit up at night. This is by far my favorite view of the city. At the very end of the cruise, the Eiffel Tower lit up and sparkled. Perfect timing! We then went up into the Eiffel Tower and saw the city of Lights from above. It was a bit foggy but still beautiful. We are going to Versailles tomorrow (free trains and free tickets for the students!) and Montmartre (Place du Tertre, Sacre Coeur).

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We arrived in Paris at 11:00 am local time and got to take our luggage to the hotel. The rooms weren't ready so we left our suitcases and headed into town. We saw Notre Dame and ate lunch in the Latin quarter. I'm still working on getting these travelers on board with trying new food. They got a lot of walking in and a lot of practice on the metro. Dinner was at 5 at a restaurant called "Les Balcons." Although everyone was lively earlier, by dinner time they were getting tired. We had a cheese tart appetizer, pork steak with mushroom cream sauce, and cheesy potatoes. Dessert was a chocolate éclair (I loved it but I think some of the students might still be getting used to the dark chocolate). We had two amazing positives happen on the way to the hotel and at the hotel tonight. One student (JY) got up and gave his seat on the metro to an older lady (kudos) and I got a compliment from the another group leader saying the kids were behaving well and that her students really like them :-). Tomorrow is jam packed...stay tuned. ♡Ms. McGeahy

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So our flight was delayed because Detroit is getting A LOT of snow. We are hanging out at the airport in good spirits. We will get to Paris eventually