Madame Kellermeier

Apparently, due to a 2 hour mechanical delay in Madrid, our Cudas missed their scheduled connection. AA anticipated this and scheduled all 28 passengers, including 26 students and 2 teachers, to return to Orlando tomorrow morning. Since it is American Airlines' fault, they will be paying for the group to stay in a hotel next to the airport in Miami. The flight information is as follows: AA#1860 Departing Miami 9:45am Friday June 26th Arriving Orlando 10:45am Friday June 26th I called EF Tours in Boston and got this information from them. They have not confirmed the information they received from American Airlines with the actual group. Would someone please call one of the members of the group to confirm this? (I'm in London, trying to resolve this communication.) Please respond with a message and I'll post ... read more

We have had a (thankfully) uneventful morning! We got up, had breakfast, loaded our suitcases onto the coach and arrived at the airport. The flight to Miami did not leave on time. It was 30 minutes late but is now on its way. They can usually adjust the flight plan to make up some time. In Miami, they would hold the connecting flight for a few minutes, if necessary, since we're a group of 28 people. They're scheduled to land in Orlando at 5pm this afternoon. Stay with your phone and your phone chain list, just in case there is a delay from Miami that needs to be communicated. They'll be home soon!!!... read more

So, it's the end of another full day. We left Barcelona this morning, at 7am. We spent a good part of this day in transit, via coach. We arrived in Zaragoza at 11:00. Zaragoza is south and west from Barcelona, on the way to Madrid. We enjoyed an hour and a half for a lunch stop. We got to look around the Basilica, see the historic section of town and have some lunch. Inside the basilica is the Pilar de la Virgen. The custom is that people kiss this pillar for a blessing. Mass was being celebrated while we were there, so nobody got to kiss the pillar. We did see it, though. After Zaragoza, we went back on the bus on our way to Madrid. It looks like a beautiful city...very regal, with elaborate fountains ... read more

So, Saturday, we went to the Louvre museum. It is almost overwhelming to see how many pieces of art are displayed. The museum itself is a work of art, a former palace which has been excavated and expanded over about 850 years. We then went to the Latin Quarter for lunch and went into Notre Dame. Another structure that was started around the same time as the Palais du Louvre. We're now safely in Barcelona, after an interesting overnight train ride. We slept 4 to a compartment. It was 2 sets of bunk beds. There was not much extra room, so quite challenging to get organised in the morning. They served us breakfast in our compartments and then we went on an exceptional coach tour of Barcelona. Our guide, Aida, was energetic and proud of her ... read more

We woke up this morning at 7, had breakfast at 8 and got on the coach at 9. Our city tour guide was called Pasqual. As Ali drove us around Paris, Pasqual told us all about it. We saw some familiar places from yesterday's walking tour, and are starting to learn our way around town. We got a great photo at the Eiffel Tower. The bus dropped us off at the Arc de Triomphe and we had an afternoon to ourselves, as a Cuda group. Some went to examine the tomb of the unknown soldier underneath the Arc de Triomphe. It sits on a VERY busy traffic circle, fed by 12 avenues, so we use an underground pedestrian walkway. Some spent some extra time on the Champs Elysees, the widest street in Paris. We all met ... read more

It's been a very long day. We're back in the hotel, exhausted, excited to get to sleep, but happy. This was a fantastic first day in Paris. We went on the Metro to the Opera Garnier. What a magnificent building. We had time to have some lunch, look around and inside the Opera House. They were practicing for tonight's opera in the auditorium, but some lucky folks got to see them before the doors closed. We took a walking tour, from Opera Garnier to Place Vendome. We passed the Colonne de Juillet, the Ritz hotel, continued on to the Tuilleries gardens. We saw the Louvre to our left and the Place de la Concorde and Arc de Triomphe to our right, in the distance. We then walked along the Avenue de Rivoli, past some of the ... read more

We have landed safely and are now in our hotel. It's called Mister Bed and is in a nice area. There is a shopping center next door (uh-oh) and a metro station just beyond that. We'll be using the metro today to go downtown and take a walking tour. Right now, the kids have stored their bags in the 3 rooms that were ready for us. Some of the boys are taking a catnap before our group meeting in 40 minutes, before we head out for the day. Some of the girls are primping, changing clothes, etc. Ms. Cambron took a few students next door to take a look at the shopping center. It's exciting to be here, in such a nice location with such beautiful weather. It's 75 degrees, with light breeze, and sunny! Time ... read more