July 10 - Today was the beginning of our journey. We took an airplane from Boston to Munich and then took a different plane to Athens.

July 11 - Once we arrived in Athens we meet our P2P delegate, Nadine. We took a long coach bus ride to the Ionis Hotel, the room was blue. We had dinner and then went to our room to sleep.

July 12 - This morning we rode the subway to the Dora Statou Theatre. The subway was hot and smaller than the ones in Boston. We learned Greek dancing, it was fun but I was no good at it. We had lunch and they had the best bread. The Acropolis was amazing. It was cool how it had lasted all this time. While we were there some of the buildings were under construction. I liked the Parthenon the best. It was a long hike up to the top but it was worth it, the views were amazing.

July 13 - We took a ferry to the Aegean Sea today and played volleyball in the sea. The beach was not that great because of the sea urchins. I stepped on one and it hurt. After the beach we went shopping and had lunch. Back at the hotel we packed our bags before going to sleep because we change hotels tomorrow.

July 14 - Today when we woke up we took a long bus ride to the see the Careta sea turtles. While we were there we saw some of the injured turtles and played a turtle board game to learn about their environment and struggles to survive. After lunch we went to Epidaurus to see the amphitheater. While we were there we saw a museum of the preserved columns.The amphiteater is still used today.

July 15 - Today we hiked up Mt. Olympus, I enjoyed it because I like hiking. So far this was the only ruins that we could actually touch and sit on. We got to walk through the gateway to the arena where the Olympic Games were held. At the Temple of Zeus the columns were only about a foot tall. Then we headed to the overnight ferry. I swam in the pool on the ferry and was surprised because it was salt water.

July 16 - Today we woke up on the ferry and had breakfast. Then back to our cabin to pack. The cabin was tricky, earlier in the night I tried to find a blanket and I fell off the bed. Then we got on the bus to go to see Pompeii. Pompeii was awesome, so much of it was intact. There is a stone structure with metal gates that holds everything they have found in Pompeii.

July 17 - Today we woke up and had a good breakfast, cereal and orange juice. We got on the bus to drive to Mt. Vesuvius. When we stopped at the top of the landing I bought a walking stick so it would be easier to walk up. I was amazed at how high it was, my ears were popping. It was exciting to look down into the crater. It looked like Pluto would fit in. I bought a necklace that was made of volcanic rock. We had ravioli with cheese for dinner. We had cake for dessert, Kate said it was dry, but it turned out to be good filling.

July 18 - Today we went to the Vatican. We walked through the Vatican Museum. I was amazed at all of the stone art work. It all had so much detail. After we went to the Spanish Steps, did you know that there are 136 steps? When we went to the Trevi Fountain I was excited to make a wish. We went to the Domina Roma hotel. It was rather new. I liked it because they had a huge breakfast. I slept the best here because thay had the biggest beds.

July 19 - Once we arrived at the Coliseum we took an audio tour. The floor was no longer there so you could see the rooms and elevators that were under it. We went to meet a priest. When he talked to use he told us how he became a priest. I was shocked to hear that God sent him signs to tell him to serve the alter.

July 20 - Today we went to the Full On meeting. When we walked in the music was loud and people were screaming. We made a circle and learned about the chain of evolution. Then we split into groups and my group walked up to a castle in Assisi. Once there we did some trust building activities. We learned how to put on our straps for rappelling. It was exciting.

July 21 - Today we went to Florence. I was amazed at how big the Duomo was. We saw the Statue of David. I was shocked to see how big the hands and feet are - they are about two times bigger than his body. Next we went to the Leaning Tower of Pisa. I was surprised how much it was leaning. I wondered if it was going to fall on me. While I was there I bought an Italian sweatshirt.

July 22 - Today we woke up and I had to rush because I got up late. We rode for about an hour and a half to get to the Florence American WWII Cemetery. There was over 4000 headstones there, that does not include the lost soldiers. After that our guide told us some stories about some of the soldiers buried there. Next we went back on our bus and had a 2 hour ride ahead of us. Once we got to the Don Cammillo Museum we learned there was a lot of versions of his movie.

July 23 - We woke up today and took a guided tour through Venice. Every street is like an alley.We saw the Basilica di San Marco, there we alot of pigeons in the courtyard. After visiting the glass blowing factory we went on a gondola ride, and I was disappointed because it was not that long. Then we boarded the overnight train to Chartre, France. The rooms on the train were about as big as a queen size bed and four of us had to sleep in there with four suitcases and four backpacks, it was very crowded.

July 24 - Today we toured the Chateu de Versailles. I was surprised at how many rooms it had. Every room is a different, everything in the room is the same color. I went into the garden and made a wish in a fountain. The first time I threw my coin I forgot to make my wish so I had to do it again. At night we headed to the guesthouse, it reminded me of a dorm. I like the hotels better.

July 25 - Today we woke up at the guesthouse in France, and had a bag breakfast of bread, jelly and a banana. We traveled for about a half hour to arrive at a French school. There we meet some of the students. They were nice but they did not know much of our language. We hung out. We played ping-pong and foos ball for about an hour in the game room. Then we went outside to play sports. I played volleyball and baseball. It was kinda fun because they like the same games we do. After we taught them a game, Duck Duck Goose, it was silly, except when I was up I ran and tripped.

July 26.- Today we woke up at the guesthouse again. We split into groups and headed to Chartre for a Riddle Rally. We had a list of buildings that we had to find. It was like walking in Boston. Our group won the challenge. The groups also went to the stain glass museum. While we were there we made a small piece of glass, I painted a basketball on mine. We had lunch outside a cathedral.

July 27 - Today we left the guesthouse and drove for 2 hours to get to Paris. We had lunch at a nice restaurant, I had a waffle for dessert. Then we went to the Eiffel Tower, it takes two elevators to get to the top. The view was amazing, it reminded me of going to the top of the Empire State Building.

July 28 - Today we woke up at the Novotel Hotel and departed for the Basillique de Sacre Coeur in Montmarte. It was a long walk up, but the view was worth it. After we had time for shopping and I bought a crepe with nutella, it was very good. We visited Notre Dame cathedral, inside there is a bronze plaed maze in the floor of the entrance room. The belief is that if you complete the maze you will have a clean slate, your sins are gone. Sadly the maze was covered up with chairs for the church service so I could not do the maze. We then had a guided tour of the Louvre Museum. I was shocked at how small the Mona Lisa painting really was.

July 29 - Today we got up and took the bus to the airport to leave for home.

 

 

July 11 - Today we rode the bus from the airport to the Ionis Hotel. The ride was 1 hour and 20 minutes long. When we got there we were assigned rooms. We hung out until 7 and went to dinner. The food was beef and rice, I did not like it but the bread was good. I had this drink called bna, it was like orange juice but better.

July 12 - Today we learned Greek dancing and it was okay. After dancing we had lunch before going to the Acropolis. We met our tour guide and began our tour. The stairs were very slippery because they are made of marble. Seeing the Parthenon was amazing. I had always wanted to see it.

July 13 - Today we went to the beach. It really wasn't a beach, it was mostly rocks and poison sea urchins. It had a rock wall that went right into the water. There was a net and a lot of us played volleyball, that was fun. We had lunch right off the beach. We ate French fries, lamb and watermelon. After spending more time on the beach we went shopping.

July 14 - Today was our last day at the Ionis Hotel. We had a contest for the cleanest room. I worked very hard but we did not win and I was disappointed. We went to see the Careta sea turtle environmental project. We watched a movie about their birth and how they get to the sea and learned why their habitat is endangered. We played a game where you roll a dice and move play turtles up a board but there were obstacles just like the turtles have. After we rode on the bus for 3 hours to get to the ampitheater. The steps were all different because some were replaced at different time periods.

July 15 - After breakfast we began another 3 hour bus ride. During the ride I slept some, played my PSP and talked with my friends. We ended up near the ferry that we were going to ride to Italy later tonight. We ate lunch and the ice cream for dessert was really good. We rode on to Olymplia, where the Olympics were first held. We got a guided tour of the area. There was a 100 meter track around the stadium and I ran a lap around it. Statues were made of the cheaters and when people walked by they would spit.  We headed back towards the ferry and had dinner. On the ferry I went swimming, the water was cold because it was salt water. I had a snack and then went to bed.

July 16 - This morning I woke up late at 7:55 and had to run down to breakfast. We had to rush out of our room so I forgot my towel and bathing suit. We got on a bus again and rode for 5 hours. We had lunch, my favorite - bread, fries and chicken. When we arrived in Pompeii we had a guided tour. Pompeii was found by a farmer. We saw shops and a house covered in ash. For dinner we had pasta, chicken and fries. I went to bed at 9:30 because I was tired.

July 17 - Today our breakfast was small. We got on the bus and headed for Mt. Vesuvius. The hike took 30 minutes. About half way up there was a gift shop, but I did not buy anything. I did take a lot of pictures. The mountain could explode at anytime. We had lunch on the way down the mountain. It was bread and pasta. We went to Rome next, the ride took about 5 hours. I slept most of the time. We stopped to have dinner, pasta again. I went to bed early because we had an early wake up call to go to the Vatican tomorrow.

July 18 - Today we went to the Vatican. Most of the time you have to wait in line for a long time, but we only waited about half an hour. In the Vatican I saw the Vatican Museum. I saw coffins, a ton of statues and paintings. Then we walked to the Sistine Chapel. It was amazing, from wall to ceiling there were frescoe paintings. I could not take any pictures. We went to Rome for a scavenger hunt. One of the questions was how many steps does the Spanish Steps have, I think it was about 137. I went to bed late at 11pm because I organized my suitcase.

July 19 - Today we went to see the Coliseum, this is what I have been anticipating. It was amazing inside and out, we got a guided tour. We saw a man dressed as a Gladiator. I bought some Roman money. We then rode the bus to Assisi. A priest from Canada told us the story of Saint Francis. We then rode the bus to the hotel.

July 20 - Today we went to Full-On. They gave us speeches on fear and what are good and bad choices. We divided into groups. They group names were pigs, chickens, roosters and frogs, I was in the roosters. We did trust activities. Next we went to the wall that we were going to rappel down. When I got to the top I stepped to the edge and just did it.  The guy thought that I had done it before, but I didn't. We got money and then had ice cream. We went back to the hotel for dinner. We played cards and did our journals before going to bed.

July 21 - Today we went to Florence. We walked through the city center, then it was off to the tallest building in Florence, the Duomo. We went to the Accademia Gallery to see the Statue of David by Michaelangelo. Next we headed to Pisa, I slept for the ride. After I took pictures we had time to shop and I bought a pin. Then another ride to the hotel in Tuscany. The name was Villa. We watched a movie about Don Camillo before going to bed.

July 22 - Today we started at the Don Camillo Museum. The first thing we saw was a tank outside the museum, then we went inside and saw movie memorabilia about Don Camillo's life. We visited the Florence American Cemetery and got a tour from an English speaking guide. It is a very clean cemetery. It made me think of the stories I know about WWII.

July 23 - Today we went to Venice. We walked Venice during a guided tour. Then we walked to a Venetian glass blowing factory. We were able to witness a hand blown glass dog being made. We went to the gift shop and when you walk in there was different color glass everywhere, floor, ceiling and walls, it was amazing. They do not let you take pictures, so no one can copy their work. We had a chance to ride a gondola before catching the overnight train to France.

July 24 - We arrived in France and had a short French lesson.  The teacher went very fast so I did not learn well. We went to the Palace of Versailles and I was amazed by the amount of gold in the Hall of Mirrors. The crystal chandeliers were fantastic, they reminded me of the glass blowing factory. At night we arrived at the guesthouse, it was decent but not as nice as the hotels. We slept four in a room. The bathrooms were out in the hall, but the shower was in the room but there was no door on it.

July 25 - Today we went to meet some French kids and played some games. First we went to some places where they like to hang out. Then I played soccer and volleyball, they played very rough. We had a snack and then taught the French kids how to play Duck Duck Goose. We had dinner, it was beef and I did not like it. We played cards before going to bed.

July 26 - Today we went into the city of Chartre with the French kids. They showed us around and where they like to hang out. After lunch we went to a cathedral that showed the story of Christianity in statues. Tonight is our last night at the guesthouse.

July 27 - Today was a little boring. We had to eat fast, then we got on another bus for a 3 hour ride. We rode through Pais and we saw where they have the Tour De France. We arrived at the Eiffel Tower. It took 1 hour to get to the top and only 5 minutes to walk back down. I think the Empire State Building views were better.

July 28 - Today we woke up at 7:45 because we did not have a wake up call. We went to the Montmartre area and saw the Notre Dame Cathedral. We had time to shop and I bought 12 postcards for 1 Euro. I also bought a Paris sweatshirt. Then we went to the Louvre and had a guided tour. I saw the Mona Lisa., it was smaller than I expected. I bought a book about the museum because my camera was not working. We had lunch, chicken and fries, my favorite again. After we had a guided bus tour of Paris for about two hours, the city looks a little like Boston. We had dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe.

July 29 - Today we packed and headed to the airport to return home. I used a massage chair at the Paris airport while waiting to get on the plane to Munich. I did not sleep on the the plane to Boston, I watched a movie called Blaze of Glory. I wish my trip was longer.