July 5 - Florence

Another hot day in Italy,  exploring the sights.

We started at the leather factory.  We learned three ways to distinguish real from fake leather.
(Smell, scratch-ability, and burn-ability) Of course we did some shopping for some fine Italian leather craft.

We also took  a walking tour of the central area. Florence is a city that was built on the sponsorship of the powerful Medici family. Their influence is everywhere, from the artwork to the architecture to the churches.

The Duomo is a magnificent structure in the center of the city. It can be seen from quite a distance away. The brickwork and mosaics are spectacular. We weren't able to do inside, but just viewing the outside was breathtaking .

Across the street from the Duomo is the Baptistry, with the great gold doors. The panels on the doors contain scenes from the Old Testament in raised relief. The building is octagonal in shape, and though small in comparison to the size of the Duomo,  it holds it's own for beauty.

We also saw the Ponte Vecchio and the marketplace with the famous pig. Legend has it that if you rub its snout, you'll get good luck. I wish we had gotten to the pig sooner. Just before we got there I fell prey to pickpockets. It was my fault; I forgot to re-lock one of my zippers on the backpack. Was an unnerving experience.

Last, before shopping,  we went to the Academia  to view Michelangelo's David. It doesn't matter how many times I've seen it, I can't help but marvel al the beauty and detail.

As most of you already know,  this will be my last post. My mother-in-law died while we were in Este, and tomorrow I'm starting the journey home to be with my family. I appreciate your prayers and kind thoughts. It's been difficult to be so far away during this time,  but the students'  concern and love have helped me through.

Also I can't thank People to People enough. They went above and beyond to make arrangements for me to return home. What I've always known was confirmed again: they are a first-class organization.

July 4 - American Cemetery, Pisa

We met up with the delegates again after their home stay and everyone had a great time. It never fails that we have a few who are best, but they all come back with great stories and new friendships.

We had a wonderful start to our July Fourth holiday by visiting the American Cemetery in Florence. We took flags and placed them on various graves. Some students chose a person from their states while others chose graves of unknown soldiers.

While we were there, we were able to witness a designation of a grave visited by a family member that day. Whenever a grave is visited by a family member, a cemetery employee puts sand into the engraving on the white stone, so it can be better seen. Then they place two flags on the grave: an Italian and an American. We were able to be with the family while this was done.

From there we headed into Pisa. The Tower always brings out a big crowd taking funny pictures.  While crowded,  I've seen it much worse. The sky was blue and it was a perfect day for pictures.

For dinner, the students made their own pizza. I saw some pretty nice-looking pizzas!

We are staying at a hotel that once was a paper mill. It made customers papers in the 1800s until 1960. It crafted fine writing paper which was used by Napoleon, Picasso and many Italian writers.

It's a beautiful, rustic building with a working mill wheel in the lobby.

July 1 - Chioggia Beach, Meeting homestay family

Today was the perfect day for a relaxing day at the beach. We've had some activity-filled days in  some brutally hot weather. Today, we could take advantage that heat and spent the day at the beach. It was a public beach,  but there was tons of room.

The Mediterranean waters are so warm!! It was healing to the mind, soul, and my scraped knee. The students played a catching game with a ball  and generally just enjoyed the water and each other.

It was hard to leave this relaxing place, but we had to get on the road to meet up with our homestay families. It's always fun to see the change in the students from hesitancy at introductions to tears and hugs when it's time to leave.

I won’t be posting until we meet up with the students again on July 4.

June 30 - Venice

This morning we woke up in Italy. Personally, I woke up in Milan, but it was a little later for most everyone else.

The first order of business was to drop our luggage in Padua, on our way to Venice. We had to accomplish this during a regular train stop. Once again, Lukas had the plan. We formed a “bucket brigade with the luggage down the corridor and down the steps to the platform and the porter. We accomplished it all in 10 minutes flat! Wish I could have taken a picture, but I was too busy passing along luggage. :) And then, we continued our journey to Venice. The train dropped us off at the Grand Canal.

We walked a path of narrow alleys and many bridges over canals to get from the Grand Canal to San Marco Square.

First, we took a walking tour that included San Marco, the Rialto Bridge and the Bridge of Sighs. The reason it has that name is be cause it was used to lead prisoners to their prison cells. It’s said that prisoners would sigh as they got their last view of Venice from the windows. The tour ended at the Murano Glass Companay where we watched an artist craft a vase and a horse in a matter of minutes.

No trip to Venice is complete without a gondola ride. This final activity had some students planning a return trip.