June 27 - Today they finished up their adventure at Warwick castle. They got to tour the castle and then headed for the birthplace of Shakespeare, Stratford-upon-Avon, probably one of the most recognized towns in England.. They saw the room he was born in and toured the home. Brooke bought a book on his sonnets at the gift shop and used up the remaining pounds she had in cash since this was their last day in England. The only disappointment today was that they were unable to investigate Stonehenge due to rain. At the end of the day they traveled to Portsmouth, where they bid a fond farewell to England as they boarded the overnight ferry to France. They slept while floating down the English Channel and woke up in France the next morning. How awesome!!
June 28 - The subject on their first day in France was the events of WWII. Their exploration began at Le Memorial de Caen Museum. The museum highlights the effects of D-Day. The Caen Museum also described the journey of Europe's descent into war, Hitler's rise to power and finally, its' emergence with peace. Later, their coach took them to the coast of Normandy, the actual location of the D-Day landings. Finally, they spent a very special little while at the American Cemetery overlooking Omaha Beach. The cemetery contains 9,387 perfectly aligned white markers on a 170-acre plot representing the American soldiers who died during the landings and confrontations. Brooke said this was one of the most special things they did. They participated in a very moving ceremony at the cemetery and she said there was not a dry eye amongst them. Can you imagine seeing thirty 11 and 12 year olds being moved by the sacrifice of our American soldiers? It touches me to just think about it. Brooke said that during the ceremony they played our national anthem and everyone, even the other tourists who were not even Americans, stopped and put their hand over their hearts and stood quietly while the anthem played. A very moving ceremony for these children to have part in.
June 29 - Just outside of Paris, they explored Chateau de Versailles, built during the reign of Louis XIV. They saw the bejeweled Hall of Mirrors, the private chambers of Louis XIV, and wandered through the formal gardens. Brooke said he was a very proud man who thought alot of himself and it was evident throughout with the paintings of him and they way he was represented in them. They continued on to Paris and went to Arc de Triomphe, the world's first organized roundabout and Napoleon's homage to the armies and himself.
June 30 - Today they went to the world famous Musee du Louvre. The museum is so large it would take at least three weeks to see all that is held inside so they barely skimmed the surface!! They saw Leonardo's masterpiece, the Mona Lisa. In the heart of Paris they saw the most prestigious monuments of the city, including the Notre-Dame cathedral, which took two centuries to complete! They strolled through the famous artists' quarter of Montmartre and in an art workshop, they created their own masterpiece, with an art instructor, to bring home to the US! At lunch today they ate fish and potato rounds! They split up into groups and got to go shopping before their drawing lesson. They had a French lesson in the evening and then for supper, as an appetizer they had frog legs and snails! She said the frog legs were "okay" but the snail was definitely NOT okay! :) But the main course was turkey with gravy and french fries so that was much better. The last thing they did today was to visit the Le Sacre-Coeur. She said it is one of the oldest cathedrals in Paris. They climbed 320 stairs just to get to the main door!!
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