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Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Trip of a Lifetime

The traveling Aggie's graduation trip is AMAZING and I am dying to go. However, there is one catch. My mom has said I can go IF I live at home next semester and save $4,000 I'll be paying for an apartment. It is 25 days and looks absolutely AMAZING. I am currently trying to get Morgan, Brenna and Sabrina to go with me on it. It is from May 25-June 18th.
Here is a map of the countries we would be visiting!! It is all over Europe.

Tell me does this not sound amazing!!! (Copied from the itinerary they give you)

LONDON:

Day 1: Fly overnight into London

Day 2: Free afternoon, followed by our welcome orientation, London Pub Crawl and dinner.

Day 3: Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, and Piccadilly Circus: these familiar names become familiar places on our morning tour. Afternoon at leisure, take in the city’s monuments or embark on a Harrod’s shopping spree. Why not attend a West End theater show tonight?

PARIS

Day 4: Travel to southeast England today and board our ship to the continent. Motor through northern France and arrive in Paris, “City of Lights.” We’ll dine together at our French Bistro Dinner, then enjoy our romantic Seine River Cruise.

Day 5: Morning tour of Paris, see the hunchback “Quasimodo’s” Notre Dame Cathedral, Place de la Concorde, where the guillotine once stood, and the Eiffel Tower’s steel lacework. Free time in the afternoon – visit Mona Lisa at the Louvre Museum, or shop the chic boutiques of Paris. Optional Cabaret Show tonight.

Day 6: Enjoy the next day at leisure, browsing at left bank bookstalls or sampling sinful pastries. (Some of the activites they sugest: Consider taking the train to Versailles on one of your free days. The gardens are gorgeous. Consider buying cheese and ham and a beverage of your choice for a picnic lunch or dinner along the Seine River. Pont Neuf is the favorite spot for Parisiens to hang out and people watch.)

BRUSSELS:

Day 7: Motor to Belgium and Brussels, and see the Grand’ Place, a perfect medieval square and the statue of naughty Mennekin-Pis. Our stop allows for enough time to sample the world famous waffles or shop for the delicious Belgian chocolates. Continue to Amsterdam and enjoy the remainder of the day at your leisure.

AMSTERDAM:

Day 8: Go biking through 13th-century Dutch fishing villages along the IJssel Lake beaches today, watch wooden shoes being carved and sample Edam cheese at a cheese farm. Free time this afternoon in Amsterdam to tour the Van Gogh or Rijksmuseum, or visit Anne Frank’s house. This evening we invite you on a boat cruise on the canals of Amsterdam followed by our Dutch-Indonesian “Rice Table” dinner.

COLONGE & HEIDELBERG:

Day 9: Cross the German border into Cologne, famous for the world’s largest Gothic cathedral. There is time for a quick lunch before we embark on a cruise along the fabled Rhine River, passing ancient castles, and the legendary Loreley Rock. Continue to Heidelberg, the City of the Student Prince and climb to the ruins of the Castle of the Palatine Elector for a bird’s-eye view of the city and the Neckar River; later we’ll dine on traditional German fare.

BLACK FOREST, RHINE FALLS & SWISS ALPS:

Day 10: Journey south into the mysterious Black Forest. Stop deep in the forest, with free time to watch cuckoo clocks being made, enjoy lunch or try some delicious Black Forest Cake. The Rhine Falls, Europe’s largest waterfalls, come into view as we cross the Swiss border. Our route through Zurich brings us to William Tell Country and the world-famous resort areas surrounding Lucerne.

SWITZERLAND, LUCERENE:

Day 11: Roam the picturesque old town of Lucerne this morning and catch up on your Swiss watch and chocolate shopping. In the afternoon consider taking an excursion up on one of the highest mountains in central Switzerland to enjoy panoramic Alpine views and later our optional Swiss Folklore party dinner.

LIECHTENSTEIN & MUNICH:

Day 12: Ride to the principality of Liechtenstein, the storybook sized “Land of the Privileged Few.” While we stop for a short coffee break in Vaduz, you have views of the breathtaking castle where the wealthy reigning prince still resides. On to the fun-filled Oktoberfest city of Munich. After our authentic Bavarian dinner, check out the oom-pah-pah bands at the famous HofbrÀuhaus.

AUSTRIA ALPS

Day 13: This morning, we continue to Salzburg, Mozart’s birthplace. Explore the narrow streets lined with colorful wrought iron signs and shops before we continue our journey to Europe’s largest alpine sports region. Be our pampered guest for two nights of fitness and fun while nestled in the snow-capped Austrian mountains at our Alpine Center.

Day 14: All day today is at our leisure; go for a hike in the Alps, take a ride on horseback through alpine meadows or join the fun and excitement of whitewater rafting.

VENICE

Day 15: The picturesque landscape of the Austrian Lake District brings us to sunny Italy’s Venice--”Sinking City in the Sea.” Walk to St. Mark’s Square, stop at a Murano glass-blowing workshop and watch famous Venetian glass being made. Join us on a romantic gondola ride this evening gliding through the intricate maze of canals beneath arched bridges passing 12th and 18th-century marble palaces.

FLORENCE

Day 16: Through the fertile Po Valley we approach Florence, Golden City of the Renaissance and birthplace of Michelangelo. Florence Art Tour including the Gates of Paradise, the marble Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral and Giotto’s bell tower. Visit the Florentine leather workshop before free time for shopping and museums. Dinner will be at an authentic Florentine trattoria.

ROME

Day 17: Travel past Chianti vineyards along the Highway of the Sun to the Eternal City of Rome. After check-in we have time to relax or explore baroque Rome: Stop to toss three coins in Trevi Fountain, see the Pantheon and sample the famous ‘gelati’ ice cream at Piazza Navona.

VATICAN CITY

Day 18: Today’s city tour takes us to the Colosseum, where gladiators were thrown to the lions and the historical ruins of Caesar’s Forum. Then to Vatican City – the world’s smallest state. Visit St. Peter’s Basilica housing Michelangelo’s magnificent “Pieta.” We follow the Via Appia to dinner tonight at our mouth-watering Roman Banquet complete with Italian specialties. On the way back drive by the illuminated monuments hailing from over 20 centuries ago.

SORRENTO

Day 19: Motor through sunny olive groves lining the way south to the Sorrento peninsula. Perched on the cliffs above the blue gulf of Naples, this is where Ulysses resisted the call of the Sirens in Homer’s “Odyssey.” Enjoy a free evening in Sorrento, or join an option to the famous Tarantella Show. The lively performance revolves around the history of the Kingdom of Naples with fabulous costumes, dancing and, of course, the sound of castanets, tambourines and melodies like “O sole Mio” and “Torna a Surriento” (Come back to Sorrento).

POMPEII-OVERNIGHT CRUISE

Day 20: Continue across the Italian ‘boot’ and board our overnight ship to Greece.

ISLE OF POROS

Day 21, 22 & 23: Continue across the Italian ‘boot’ and board our overnight ship to GreecCruising through aquamarine waters, our ship docks at Patras. Motor along the Corinthian Sea across the Peloponnese to Galatas and the island Poros. Relax with three days of living like a Greek god - swim, sunbathe, or take part in optional activities such as waterskiing, wakeboarding, parasailing, banana-boating or tubing. We invite everyone to our Farewell Toga Party on the last night.

ATHENS

Day 24: In the morning we board our hydrofoil to Athens. See the 2,400-year-old Parthenon, the Temple of Olympian Zeus and Constitution Square. A free afternoon may find us wondering the paths of Plato, Socrates and Sophocles or trying our bargaining skills at the markets of Monastiraki. Enjoy a leisure evening in Athens or follow the sounds of traditional bouzouki music and join our optional Taverna Dinner in the Plaka District - Athen’s oldest neighborhood at the foot of the Acropolis.

Day 25: Reluctantly we say farewell to Europe and new-found friends. Jet back home with thoughts of planning the next European Adventure!

Wow- that was long...if you read it all love you! : ) Anyways, I am so excited I just need to find out for sure if I get to go. It is a lot of money but I would never get to go to 11 countries in 25 days again...thats for sure. Sorry this was so long. Tell me what you think... Live at home and go, or live in an apartment and not go....???? Decisions...decisions....

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