Le Grande Tour De L'Europe: Assisi et Roma

Well today we started off by driving from Florence to Assisi. I felt as if I were Diane Lane in "Under the Tuscan Sun." The region of Umbria was picturesque! The trip took about two hours, but it was well worth the trip. Along the way we saw Tuscan chateaus tucked along the hillsides and acres of olive groves. We arrived in Assisi at the top of the hill and worked our way through the city down to the Basilica of St. Francis. It was such a quaint and beautiful village with tons of shoppes! It was so interesting to see real Monks and Nuns just walking through the streets. We got to see a Roman temple of Minerva that had been converted into a Catholic place of worship. Once we made it to the Basilica we saw St. Francis's tomb and robe. The fresco's inside the Basilica were gorgeous! This was the first church where I had been able to SIT DOWN and pray! I got out my rosaries that I had just bought and went to work! Upon exiting, we got the last few minutes of a performance by an African Chior!!! We then headed towards Rome. The scenery was even more beautiful that from Florence to Assisi! The vineyards and olive groves were my favorite part of the scenery. Upon arriving in Roma, we ate supper and immediately started touring. That night I got to throw a coin over my left shoulder into the Trevi Fountain. It was one of the most beautiful moments in my life. I know that may sound crazy, but just knowing that "one day" I'll return to Rome is just a very content feeling! That night we rode the bus  and saw the Colosseum, the Roman Baths, the Circus Maxis, the Theatre, the Forum, The Wedding Cake Monument, St. Peter's Basilica, and L'Arc de la Constantine. I thought that Rome was even more beautiful at night than it was in the day time. Then we headed our 51 miles outside of Rome to the Hotel Hilary.

Word Count: 344

 Assisi

 Under the "Umbrian" Sun

 Trevi Fountain

Wedding Cake Monument

Le Grande Tour De L'Europe: Milan et Florence

The next day we finally arrived at the train station in Milan around 2:45. We missed the 3:15 train to Florence, so we had to wait in the train station until the next train at 6:15. We passed the time by shopping; I can now say that I visited the Armoni store in Milan! I wish we could have gone out and at least seen a little bit of Milan, but we didn't. at 6:15 we boarded a very nice and clean train for Florence. The ride took 2 hours and the scenery was absolutely beautiful. Upon first arriving in Florence, I thought that it was a very filthy city. There was trash and graffiti everywhere on the outskirts; however, it became must more picturesque as we entered historic downtown. We did a very short night tour of Florence which included the Medici Fortress, The Duomo (Cathedral and Baptismal), The Statue of David, The ole Medici Covered Bridge, and the Arne River.  Tonight I had my first real Italian meal! The pasta was al denta (just like I like it) and they did not drownd it in sauce. On the hill above Florence we were able to see the church where the man that created Pinocchio is buried. The city of Florence had both a quaint and a big city feel.

Word Count: 221

A` la gare en Milan

 Bank de Florence

 Duomo

 Balcony

 Statue of David

Covered Bridge

Le Grande Tour De L'Europe: Night Train

Well I will say that the night train was without a doubt the craziest 14 hours of my life. It was the only part of our trip that I don't think I would do over again; it was hell!! We found out before we boarded the train that we would be delayed three hours because a tunnel was closed in Switzerland, then were were delayed another three hours because someone died on the train, then we were delayed another hour because one of the stupid Hawaiians pulled the fire alarm. The train cars were incredibly small but managed to sleep six people. I ended up in a car with John David, Armon, Claudia, Aaron, and Josh. Everyone kept staggering back and forth to the bar car to quench their thirst; I can't quite remember what they ordered though. The train attendants ended up sleeping in a room of French passenger women... I accidentally mistook the sink for a urinal at one point, but I wasn't the only one. I slept on the top bunk. The window was open all night and we nearly froze to death.
Word Count: 186

Le Grande Tour De L'Europe: Paris, Jour Cinq

Well, this morning we went to Le Musee` de Louvre. It was absolutely overwhelming; it was so BIG!! It had five huge wings. I went to two of the five and didn't even get to see everything in those two! First we saw Madonna on the Rocks, The Wedding at Cana, and the Mona Lisa. In the room with Wedding at Cana and the Mona Lisa, there were tons of Asians. They were very rude and did not mind pushing and shoving to get where they wanted to go. The Wedding at Cana is so huge it covers a whole wall. The Mona Lisa is very small, and I had to fight my way to get to the front to take a picture of it. Next we saw Venus de Milo and the Coronation of Napoleon. The Coronation of Napoleon was more colourful than the one we had seen at Versailles. Venus de Milo was so stunning; she was everything I had hoped she would be! Then John David, the CCB Girls and I decided to head to the wing with the Egyptian Antiquities and the crown jewels of France. We saw many beautiful statues and sarcophaguses and jewels. We even saw the tomb of Rames II and the crowns of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI. Leaving the Egyptian wing, I got separated from the rest of the group, but thankfully I we reunited. After we left Le Louvre, we walked down the street (in the rain) to le Maison de Opera`, the Paris Opera House. Only a few of us went inside. It was absolutely the most beautiful and ornate thing I had ever seen in my life! It had more gold and carvings than Versailles!! I wished we could have gone to the Galleries de LaFayette, but we did not have enough time. We also went to the Notre Dame. The outside of this Cathedral look very similar to that of Westminster Abbey. There were several beautiful rose gardens flaking the cathedral; we also saw the famous gargoyles! We returned and started on the adventure of a lifetime....the night train!

 Coronation of Napoleon at le Musee de Louvre

 Grand Hall a la Garnier's Opera

 Mona Lisa

 Moi et Venus de Milo

 Garnier's Maison de Opera`

Moi a` la Opera`

Homecoming 2012

Well I interrupt my blog posts about the Europe trip to blog about my senior Homecoming before I forget! Every Homecoming at Andalusia High School is filled with long lasting traditions, and Homecoming 2012 was no exception. This year we had exceptional floats, skit/assembly/ pregame, and football game. The week consists of lots of hard work, but also with a lot of fun. Many students spent many long hours during the night rolling yards (a tradition started in the late 80s). I however, spent most of my spare time (not that I had much) working on the skit, assembly, and the floats. The theme for the Homecoming Parade this year was decades (I was actually the one to come up with this idea.) The Senior class float theme was the 1960s: The Beatles's Yellow Submarine. We had a huge, yellow, hippie submarine filled with many bright colors. Our catch phrase was "Sink the Hornets." We did not beat the Juniors, who did the 70s "Friday Night Fever" complete with a disco ball and a moving John Travolta, but we did manage to build the best float of our high school career. We had a great time working on it as a class. The skit coordinated perfectly with our "decades" theme; the skit theme was Happy Days. I played Ritchie Cunningham, Catherine Grace Searcy was Jonnie Cunningham, Jessica Park was Pinkie Tuscadero, and Austin Shirey was Fonzie. We were on a quest to see if "Happy Days" still existed in High School. We traveled to the classes of 1972, 1982, 1992, and 2002. This years couples dance to Rock Around the Clock was the best ever! Also we had a very special finale which included a salute to our country! My favorite skit was the 1982 skit. I helped to write it; I loved the scene from Johnnie's Disco where Johnnie and Cindy Harper started screaming and shooting at each other! Mrs. Thompson said that this was the best Homecoming skit ever! I was very excited when she said that!! The parade that afternoon was just great. The rush of excitement as we marched past the spirited townspeople was unlike anything I had ever felt before. However, many people were upset that the football team wore black uniforms and the band wore black shirts; I agree with them, but some people just blow it out of proportion. I was glad that Susie Watson got Homecoming Queen; I just knew she would. Senior Maid was Omarrie McGee. Other senior members of the court were Jessica Park, Adrianna Carpenter, and Samantha Hill. Junior Maid was Pierre Johnson. Junior attendants were Raegan Eiland, Olivia Dixon, Morgan Dove, and Jennifer Botta. Josh Atkinson and I shared the responsibility of pregame. Mrs. Jones said that the timing was perfect and that it was the best pregame we had had in years. Our halftime show went well. We played "Strike Up The Band" to honor Mr. Johnny Vinson. Our Bulldogs beat Bullock County 44-9. I rushed home and got ready so I could have plenty of time at the dance. Chad Hughes dj'ed so the music was horrible, but we still had a good time. Afterwards, Hunter Albritton had her annual Homecoming Breakfast, the perfect ending to the perfect Homecoming.

Le Grande Tour De L'Europe: Paris, Jour Quatre

Our second day in Paris was not as quite as busy as the first, but it was still every bit as exciting. We started the day off with a bus tour of Paris. We saw Les Invalide (which is where Napoleon is buried), Le Tour de Eiffel, Place de la Concorde, Garnier's Maison de Opera, Sacre Coeur, and Notre Dame. We also took an excursion to Versailles; it was absolutely indescribable. I have never seen so many gilded things in my life!!! Everywhere you turned there was gold, Gold, GOLD!!! The ceilings were breathtaking! It made Windsor Castle look like a log cabin. I was a little disappointed that we did not have enough time to tour the gardens; however, we had a gorgeous view of them from the windows. I also saw the bedrooms of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI. We saw the Coronation of Napoleon and the famous portrait of Marie Antoinette and her children. That afternoon we went to the Notre Dame. It was so intricate and very beautiful; it reminded me a lot of Westminster Abbey. Their Gothic styles were very similar. John David, Claudia, and I took a short excursion across the River Saine to the William Shakespeare and Company book store. That night we went to Montmartre to tour the Sacre Coeur. The style of this cathedral was completely different from Notre Dame. It was made of white marble and very simple and sophisticated. Inside there was no talking and there were candle stations everywhere where you could purchase a candle and light it in memory of your favorite saint. It was a very "sacre" or sacred atmosphere. I felt the closest to the Lord inside Sacre Coeur than any other church we had visited. The view from the top of Montmartre went on for miles! It was almost as magnificent as the view from the Eiffel Tower. We then went to Montmartre square and had a crepe at a cafe. I believe that the atmosphere in the square was what finally made me realize that I had fallen in love with Paris! Everything was so relaxing and so beautiful atop this peaceful mountain! When we left, we ran into some seedy people in from of the Sacre Coeur. People were sitting around drinking out of brown paper sacks and loitering the from of the church.

Hall of Mirrors at Versailles 

Sacre Coeur en Montmartre

 Les Invalide

 Notre Dame

Montmartre Square

Le Grande Tour De L'Europe: Paris, Jour Trois

After taking the "Chunnel" under the English Channel, we arrived in Paris. We began by surveying the Place de la Concorde. The Place de la Concorde was the known as the Placde de la Guillotine during the French Revolution. It was the place where Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were executed. Legend states that there were so many executions in the Place de la Concorde during the Reign of Terror (the height of the French Revolution) that there was blood running through the streets; and the smell of blood was so strong, cattle would not even come within a mile of the square. Today the Place de la Concorde is breathtaking. It features fountains and the Egyptian Obelisk given to Napoleon by the Egyptians. The square is surronded by historic buildings including the Assemble National (French Parliament building), the American Embassy, the Hotel de Crillon (Famous 5 star hotel where Marie Antoinette took music lessons), and the Marine National (French Navy Headquarters). We then headed down the most famous avenue in the world, The Champs Elysees. We stopped at several eateries including McDonalds and a crepe stand. We saw several designer shoppes such as Louis Vuitton. At the end of the Champs Elysees we reached L'Arc de Triomphe, which was a war memorial built by Napoleon. After shooing away some gypsies and taking many photos, we headed toward the River Saine for our night cruise of the city. The night tour was a great overview and sighting seeing tour opportunity. We saw the Notre Dame at sunset, the Musee de Louvre, the Academie National de Francaise, the tunnel where HRH Diana, Princess of Wales died, the place where Marie Antoinette died, and le Tour de Eiffel. Right before the cruise was over, the Eiffel Tower lights came on and starting blinking; it was a stunning light show. After our ship docked, we headed to the second floor of le Tour de Eiffel. The view was STUNNING. It was like nothing I had ever seen. I knew at that instant why they called Paris, the city of lights. The lights in the houses and buildings went on for miles and miles; it was breathtaking. As we were waiting underneath the Eiffel tower for the rest of our group to assemble, I had fun shooing off all of these Africans who kept soliciting their cheap Eiffel towers. Janet, Claudia, Sarah, and I ran across the street to get a crepe before we boarded our coach for the night tour; we made it back just in the nick of time! On our night coach tour we saw many of the same sights we had seen that day including the Place de la Concorde, The Ritz Carlton where HRH Princess Diana stayed before she died and may other sights. We we arrived back to our apartment/hotel, sleep greeted us with open arms

Word Count: 478