Day 3 European Discovery

Day 3

Rome, Italy (Voltera)

Monday, 13.6.2011

Breakfast: Continental at the hotel: Cereal, milk, bread, cold meats, coffee, orange juice.

Another beautiful day in Paradise. Probably 80 degrees plus, sunny, actually quite warm. Had a great nights sleep. Sharon and Deb were on duty last night. Roger had to go down and get water for coffee in room. French coffee press requires hot water. :) Good Morning.

Board your motor coach and depart for the world renowned Roman Catacombs.

Descend under the city of Rome when you visit the Christian Catacombs! Enjoy a guided subterranean walk and learn more about Rome's history. The Catacombs of San Callisto are known world-wide for their rich art and heritage.

Our first stop today, of course are the catacombs. This is unbelievable. All cameras had to be put away. We had to descend underground, there are five levels to this particular catacomb. It is sort of a sacred place.

It goes on for 30 miles, has 3 or 4 entrances – 500,000 people buried here or entombed here. Many Popes in this particular catacomb. There are 60 of these catacombs around the city. It has been difficult to create a subway system here in Rome because they are constantly discovering these catacombs under the city. Not all are as large as this one.

Many of the crevices where bodies would have been entombed area small due to the death rate for children and young adults. Girls during this time could have been married as early as 12 years old because life expectancy wasn't that long, maybe 30 years old.

Most of the tombs, places where bodies would have been had been raided over the years. Nothing there now but a hole in the wall, plaques are found as well. It is a bit tight down here, claustrophobia setting int a bit, narrow walkways.

The date for the catacombs was 3^rd and 4^th century AD.

Servicemarks: As the Catacombs are under the earth, it might be cold and students should wear a jacket. Closed shoes are recommended.

12:00 PM The Taverna Lino is waiting to serve you a delicious lunch! Enjoy

Lunch: Lasagne, spaghetti, salad, coke, water, Teramasu.

Visit the center of the Catholic Church and the world's smallest country, the Vatican! Go in the Vatican Museums and admire the frescos of the Sistine Chapel. Wonder at the scale of St. Peter's Basilica.

Vatican Museum:

Chris was our tour guide. He was from South Dakota, studying theology and living in Rome. Maybe would like to teach some day. In the museum there is no flash on cameras but you can take pictures, but there will be no pictures in the Sistine Chappel, and of course it has to be very quiet in there as well, Sistine Chapel.

There was a problem with getting tickets. Apparently there was some paper that PTP should have had in order to get the tickets for the price they had agreed on so it may have cost a bit more to get in. This put us a little behind on our tour.

The museum was absolutely fabulous and of course this was where we saw the “Statue of David”. It is supposedly one of the sculptures that resembles a perfect body, perfectly done. Of course done by Michelangelo, took like four years to do the one statue. Magnificent! Of course much, much more art work in this museum, we saw just snippets of it with the time we had, and of course the people in there was wall to wall. We tried to keep everyone together, very, very difficult.

The last stop for us as we were leaving was the Sistine Chapel. There was a man, guard, that would make statements regularly for everyone to be quiet. After this we we went through a gift shop, which there are gift shops all along the way, at every place we were. There was a gift shop at the catacombs as well that we stopped at.

Many people bought water as well. Very hot today. Will be in the 90's with high humidity.

In the center of the Museum, outside, there is a huge sphere, work of art done by Pomadoro, looks like a death star from Star Wars.

St. Peter's Basilica is built over the tomb of Apostle St. Peter.

Servicemarks: Please encourage your students to behave quietly during the whole Vatican visit! Dress code: Girls must cover their shoulders and knees. Long skirts or pants are appropriate. For boys, shorts and T-shirts to cover their shoulders.

Participate in a unique educational meeting with a priest who will speak generally about Catholicism in Italy and the organization of the Vatican. Please feel free to ask questions.

The Vatican City is a separate state. All Popes are now 1^st Bishop of Rome.

Pope established museum to put all historical material on display so people could see history. There is a marble copy of original – Apollo.

Life in the Vatican – it is 1/5 square mile. Wall around the city itself. The Vatican City, since it was a separate state gave the Pope the opportunity to participate in International Affairs.

Swiss guards protect the Pope. There are guards in blue uniform as well. The blue uniform maintain peace in the Vatican City I believe. Like 200 Swiss Guard, guard the Vatican City and Pope. 2 year term for them. Oldest military core.

Vatican has their own money; 480 residents from 30 countries, 380 citizens.

The priest that talked to us got his job there because of recommendations from his superiors. He spoke three languages; Italian, English, and Spanish. Also can write and read Latin, Portuguese, and French.

This priest was very interesting. Had lots of information, way to much to digest. It was a great experience just being there in the Vatican City and seeing the museum. What a day.

Our kids were great during this whole day, even though it was very, very hot. They hung in there.

6:30 PM Get to know an “Italian Original” at the restaurant Vito e Dina! Have fun and enjoy the dinner there.

Dinner: Pasta, chicken, salad, ice cream.

Spend you overnight at the Torre Pratolungo Roma.

Tonight:

Room Check: 10:00

Lights out: 10:30

Morning:

7:30 Room Check (before leave hotel) be outside room.

7:45 Breakfast

It takes a bit of time to check all rooms.

8:15 Meet downstairs at bus.

Breakfast was in a room off the lobby.

This was a very comfortable hotel. It had lots of places for kids to hang out and visit. Some of them hung around outside for a bit. You could even eat out there if you had wanted to I believe. Quite a nice place for our first stay.

Vatican City

In the heart of Rome, the Vatican City (“Citta del Vaticano”) is a state within a city, the papal seat, and the headquarters of the Catholic Church. It houses numerous treasures, most of them open to the public. Saint Peter's Basilica, mostly the work of Bramante, Michelangelo (the dome), Bernini (the colonnade), and Maderno (the facade), dominates the Vatican City. The scale of the basilica is immense. It occupies the site of Saint Peter's tomb and is therefore the world's principal Catholic shrine. Most of its treasures are no in the adjacent Vatican museums, although Michelangelo's “Pieta” and an array of massive sculptures by Bernini are still in Situ. The Treasury houses interesting relics of the earlier church which once occupied the site. To one side, behind the basilica, lie the vast and elaborate Vatican Museums which house some of the great treasures of the western world. Highlights among the museums include the Egyptian Museum (one of Europe's best), the Chiaramonti Museum and the Pio-Clementino Museum (both filled with stunning collections of classical sculpture), the “Pinacoteca” is filled with a wide range of Italian art – including Raphael's “transfiguration of Christ” and Leonardo da Vinci's “Saint Jerome”. Perhaps the best known of all the Vatican's treasures, however, is the Sistine Chapel, scene of the election of succeeding Popes. Its altar wall is adorned with Michelangelo's “Last Judgment”, considered his masterpiece, and its ceiling with his frescoes depicting scenes from the old Testament. These were recently restored to reveal startlingly bright colors.

Sistine Chapel

The Sistine Chapel is the most famous single element in the Vatican. Its ceiling was painted by Michelangelo between 1508 and 1512 for pope Julius II and his late masterpiece, the “Last Judgment”, covers the rear wall (1534 – 1541). The ceiling provides a detailed and majestic vision of the Old Testament. Recent restoration have revealed strong, uncompromising colors. Wall frescoes include works by Botticelli and Perugino. The election of new popes takes place in the Sistine Chapel.

Saint Peter's Basilica

Saint Peter's Basilica (“Basilica di San Piertro in Vaticano”), built between 1452 and 1667, is the largest church in the world and a pace of pilgrimage for thousands of people. The enormous dome is the best known feature of the great basilica. The interior is ornately decorated, with a profusion of marble, gilding, stuccoes and frescoes. Bernini's elaborate “baldachino” (canopy) rises above the altar, above the supposed tomb of Saint Peter. Michelangelo's tender “Pieta” is in the first chapel on the right.

Trevi Fountain

The most famous of Rome's fountains, the Trevi Fountain (“Fontana di Trevi”) is the work of Nicolo Salvi, completed in 1762 as a decorative terminus to the canal bringing water into the city. The sculptural theme is the ocean, with Neptune riding on a shell drawn by winged horses. Tourists follow tradition by throwing coins into the fountain to ensure their return to Rome.

Day 2 European Discovery

Day 2

Rome, Italy

Sunday 12.6.2011

Welcome to Europe! Your delegation Manager, Bernard Fellner, and Motor Coach Drive, Roberto, will greet you at the airport! (Actually we had two different motor coach drivers, one day each and then we started with Roberto the rest of the trip.)

Continue your day with a Delegation Manager guided city walk to trace the steps of the leader Julius Cesar and gain some insight into his life. Explore the Bohemian side of town, called “Trastevere.”

1:30 PM Enjoy your first real Italian meal!

Join your guide at the bigletteria of the Colosseum.

Bernhard took us to the City Center and showed us around the area. We had a few minutes to walk around on our own. From here we walked to where we would have lunch.

After lunch we walked to the Colosseum. Lunch was pizza and salad, actually a very good lunch. I am noticing as always I am going to miss having ice in water, air-conditioning in facilities. Bernhard said that people in Europe believe that air-conditioning is not good for your health. Very apparent.

We had quite a walk to the Colosseum. It is quite hot here, a bit uncomfortable, but we were lucky, Bernhard let us change at the airport upon our arrival. It was great getting out of our travel clothes. I have never had a chance to do that in all my travels. Wonderful. A bit refreshing.

We arrive at the Colosseum, what a magnificent site. It is huge! Our guide had lots of information about it but it was a bit difficult to understand her and sometimes hear the information. The history of this area is unending.

In the Colosseum, animals were killed in the morning, then Christians were put in with the animals and usually killed, then the gladiators fought in the afternoon. The gladiators could become quite rich if they continued to live, if they survived the ring. They could even gain their freedom in this way. Of course around the Colosseum was a big party, it was a day's or weeks event when the Colosseum was in full swing.

There was different levels for the different classes of people, rich to poor, that would watch and at the top was a covered part with a large canopy.

Under the Colosseum was the place they kept the animals, gladiators, etc. The guide said there 60 – 70 gates and around 500 people working down there to keep it running. It was a huge area.

There was a time in the beginning, before they had the area under the Colosseum that they flooded it but not very many times.

After the Colosseum we walked over to the Forum. This was also a magnificent place. This was where the Roman Senate was held and there was something know as the Vestal Virgins, and there was a house for them as well. The Vestal Virgins were priestesses of Vesta, goddess of the hearth. The college of Vestals and its well-being was very important in Rome. They did not have do follow the usual social obligations to get married and have children and had to take a vow of chastity. They had to study and observe state rituals, etc. during their lifetime. They were committed at an early age and their commitment ran for 30 years; 10 years as students, 10 years in service, 10 years as teacher. Afterward they could get married if they chose to.

Some of Rome's most noteworthy highlights are for you! Your guide will take you through the Colosseum and the Roman Forum. The city of Rome, with its antique monuments and religious sites, has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

6:30 PM Enjoy your dinner!

Dinner was quite a long walk. It consisted of Rice misture and Potato cake.

After dinner we had to walk to the bus then a 30 minute bus ride to the hotel. Once arriving at the hotel we distributed keys (about 8:30). Everyone was dog tired and so bed checks were set at 9:30 in hopes to give everyone a good nights sleep.

Nice hotel, air-conditioned, etc. Once again I was reminded that we were not in Kansas anymore when attempting to get hot water for coffee the next morning. In Europe things don't get going normally until 7:00 or so. An early bird like me, 5:30, has to fend for themselves. :)

We will have two nights at this hotel.

Tomorrow Wake-up was 7:30, Breakfast at 8:15 andt then bus by 8:50.

Breakfast was in the hotel; cold cereal, milk, orange juice, cold meats, croissants or bread, coffee....

Spend your overnight at the Torre Pratolungo Roma.

Rome

Rome ('Roma'), the capital of Italy, is known as the “Eternal City” because of its great antiquity. For centuries it was the most powerful city in Europe, capital first of the might Roman Empire, then of the Roman Catholic Church, which ruled Rome until the Vatican City was created as a separate sovereign state in 1929. Rome's compact and historic center is full of landmarks, such as the Roman Forum, the Pantheon, and the Coliseum. Christianity, born in the dying days of the Empire, contributed Rome's mosaic-filled churches – among them “Santa Maria Maggiore” and “San Pietro in Vincoli” - and its catacombs. The patronage of Renaissance popes gave the city its fountains – including the famous Trevi fountain, its statues,and its art-filled museums, such as the Borghese Gallery, while the people of Rome, vivacious and cosmopolitan, give the city, with its stylish shops and restaurants, its lively modern-day character.

Coliseum

Rome's Coliseum (“Anfiteatro Flavio”), magnificent in partial ruin, oblong amphitheater dating from 72 AD. Here gladiators fought, wild animals were slaughtered, and when the central area was flooded, sea battles also took place. It is ringed by triple rows of arches, with sloping terraces within for seating.

Roman Forum

The Roman Forum (“Foro Romano”), packed with ruins, jumbled and often confusing, is one of the key sites of Ancient Rome. This former commercial, religious, and political center of the Roman Republic lies just Southeast of the Capitoline Hill. Here the Senate House, shops, triumphal arches, monumental columns, and temples vied for space, rising on either side of the famous “Via Sacra” or Sacred Street.

Pantheon

This magnificent, if somber “temple of all the gods”, now a church, acquired its present form under Emperor Hadrian in about 125 AD. With a vast dome – one of the great architectural achievements of antiquity – a circular chamber, and a porch with 16 mighty granite columns, it is astonishingly complete. The tombs of Raphael and Victor Emmanuel II, unifier of modern Italy, are here.

Day 1 European Discovery

Day 1

Rome, Italy

Saturday, 10.6.2011

Depart Easter Iowa Airport

Arrive Charles DeGaul International Airport, Italy

Our journey to Chicago was uneventful. Those that had not traveled much or may not have flown before did a great job.

When we arrived at O'Hare we made our way to Terminal 3, Gate H15. We ended up parking ourselves in a corner, short meeting and then off for a snack. Roger suggested that maybe not have lunch but wait for the other group to get their and then eat. We played cards, visited, napped, etc. until the other group arrived.

The Southeast delegation and Waterloo delegation didn't end up getting there until 12:00, about an hour late, delayed in Cedar Rapids.

Following their arrival everyone headed to lunch, we encouraged them to mix a bit, a few did. :)

We still were not a full delegation of 39 until John arrived. He was pretty much on time from St. Louis and now we are whole.

After a bit to eat we continued to rest and get to know each other. At about 4:20 we boarded our American Airline jet that would take us to Rome. Everyone is soooooo excited. Our delegation was pretty much grouped together aside from Ryan and McKenna. They were actually up in another section so Roger and Tracy switched wit them on the flight over. Deb and Sharon, other two leaders were back with them in the middle of the plane.

Roger actually slept about 3 hours on the way over, unusual. I am not sure how much sleep everyone else was able to get with the excitement of the journey still ahead.

Of course we had a couple of meals on the plane, actually not to bad. (Only thing missing was good coffee!!! Roger needs his coffee in the morning, he is sort of a coffee snob!!!) :)

Italy

Italy stretches from the alps, o its Norther borders with Switzerland and Austria, down a thin peninsula to the Mediterranean in the South. Few countries can compete with Italy for its sheer wealth of art and architecture, not to mention music, literature, the culinary arts, fashion, and contemporary design. Ancient Roman ruins – the Colosseum, the Pantheon,, the buried Roman City of Pompeii – and the Greek temples in Paestum and Sicily, stand I stark contrast to the beautiful lagoon – city of Venice and the renaissance works of art in Florence and Tuscany. The country's landscape varies dramatically, from the alpine heights of the Dolomites and the Italian lakes I the north, tot he olive groves and vineyards of the Tuscan and Umbrain countryside. The Italian peninsula is every popular for its bathing beaches, and more rugged beauty is to be found in the South, and on the islands of Sardinia and Sicily.

Italy was the seat of the Roman Empire two thousand years ago. From the end of the 2^nd century AD the Capital city became the seat of the popes, and the most powerful center of the Roman Catholic Church in the western world. From the 9^th century, Venice grew rich from trade in spices and precious stones from the East, becoming one of the greatest maritime powers of all time. Italy's economic and cultural Golden Age came after the 15^th and early 16^th centuries, with the production of consumer goods on a grand scale, and generous patronage of the arts. The country has weathered much political turbulence over the centuries, and it was not until 1860 that the clever politics of Mazzini and Cavour, and the heroic deeds of Garibaldi, finally unified the country. After a long period of political and financial uncertainty in the mid - 20^th century, Italy is presently enjoying a period of optimism. Milan, the country's industrial and commercial center, is flourishing, and tourism continues to bring a sound source of revenue.

Throughout Italy, beautiful churches, palaces, paintings, and sculpture testify to the artistic importance of the Italian Renaissance in the 15^th century. This “rebirth” of classical art, which had its origins in Florence, produced some of the finest and most celebrated artists in the world, including Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Titian, Donatello, and Boticelli. The Roman poet Virgil wrote the “Aeneid” around 30 BC, while Dante Alighieri's masterpiece 'The Divine Comedy”, written in the 1300's, helped the Italian language to become the most prominent literary form in Europe. Mozart's librettist Lorenzo da Ponte successfully helped to merge Italian literature with music in the form of opera. Italy has produced a number of leading musical composers, from Scarlatti and Vivaldi in the early 18^th century to the great 19^th century composers of opera, Rossini and Verdi. Creativity is still strong in the present-day Italy, with a constant flow of eminent names emerging, particularly in fashion and in cinema. Many great fashion designers, such as Armani, Versace, and Valentino, have kept Italy's profile high, while Italian film studio have produced some excellent films over the last 40 years, notably under the direction of Visconti, Pasolini, Fellini, and Bertolucci.

Italy

Food and Drink

Italian food is now growing in popularity, after long languishing in the shadow of the French cuisine (in any case, the Italian claim that many classic “French” dishes were, in fact, introduced to the French court from Italy when Catherine de'Medicis married Henry II of France in 1535). Every region of Italy has its own cuisine, though certain dishes – such as “spaghetti alla Bolognese” (pasta with beef and tomato sauce) and minestrone soup (originally from Tuscany and made with vegetables, beans, and herbs) have become stapes of Italian home cooking throughout the peninsula.

Coffee is the almost universal Italian breakfast, drunk strong, dark, and sweet as “espresso” or with milk as “caffe latte”, and accompanied by bread or a sweet cake. “Salami” (cured port sausages or Parma Ham) is a popular lunch-time snack, with fresh bread, tomatoes, and fruit. Fast food consists of delicious fresh-baked pizza with bewildering choice of toppings, or the savory flat bread known as “focaccia”. An any-time treat is “gelato” (ice cream) – Italians claim that they make the best in the world.

Delegation Contacts

Here are the addresses of the Ambassadors on our journey this summer. I told some I would get this done, better late than never.

Latasha Baugher latashabaugher@yahoo.com

Elizabeth Schroder milesjea@danvilletelco.net

Stephanie Hatfield alicemm52@gmail.com

Louis Riesberg mary_jo_r@hotmail.com

Tiffany Beggs little_squirrel14@hotmail.com

Hannah Le Blanc hannahleblanc@rocketmail.com

Victoria Roe jdroe@live.com

Harrison Rogers jrrogers@mahaska.org

Gage White vickigarrison@hotmail.com

Rebecca Davis RebeccaDavis336@yahoo.com

Abigail Hall abbiehall23@hotmail.com

Jacob Bartlett bsbartlett@butler-bremer.com

Scotty Hendricks Scottyh4@aol.com

Dakota Fontes 1CALN8IVE@MCHSI.COM

Melissa Bass kmdbass@butler-bremer.com

Lindsey Blair blair5934@yahoo.com

Brittany Clark popularperson007@yahoo.com

Alexis Heims lexi.366@hotmail.com

Alex Herb dependableelectric97@yahoo.com

Curtis Litow mamacoach@juno.com

Greg Sloan lmslizzard@yahoo.com

Grant Leonard macleonards@mac.com

Leah Miller vamjam1@mchsi.com

Lilliana Coelho lcc4art@yahoo.com

Samuel Hansen jaynehansen1@mchsi.com

Oskar Martin comma@mchsi.com

Brennyn Hawbaker hawbaker@kctc.net

Natoshia Kennedy natoshia_kennedy@hotmail.com

Ben Dirks dirks@n-connect.net

David Mathis ddmmrr1994@gmail.com

Emily Dye crockett@southslope.net

Toni Martins bluecollors88@aim.com

McKenna Cole coleclan@southslope.net

Ryan Cole coleclan@southslope.net

Carissa Siddell dianesiddell@southslope.net

Brian Goodell mandmnb@fmtcs.com

Whitney Christiansen bdchristiansen@netins.net

Mithcell Witte suzanne-witte@uiowa.edu

John Huber rjoretina@aol.com