European Getaway

Day 1 - Day 2: Arrival

The first day will consist of flying overseas into London's Heathrow airport. Arriving in the Heathrow airport on July 18, 2007. Upon arrival you will pick up a rental car and drive 30 minutes to St. Christopher's Shepard's Bush. There you will stay the night and start the day by driving to Kensington Square and walking around the town. Enjoying the street performers, shops, and discovering the wonders of London. Including the great shopping area of Harrods, and a stop by Londons Hard Rock Cafe.

Also, a trip to Buckingham Palace with the fresh gardens and maybe spark a conversation with the Buckingham Palace Guards. A stroll down China Town will soon lead to Covent Garden where you will see little stores. Yet Covent Garden isn't known for it's shopping, more for the attractions surrounding the stores; street performers. You will be surprised to see maybe a man covered in silver paint dancing, or men on stilts, or merely a man looking like he's late to work with the air running into his face.
The next morning  will be an early one. You will drive to Londons Waterloo and drop off the car and board the rail to Paris. The rail will depart at 5:34am, and arrive in Paris at 9:26 am.

Day 3-6: Arrival in Paris

The early in arrival in Paris gives you the scent of the City of Love. You'll check into the Nord Hotel and face the city.
You'll take the metro to the Champs Elysees and stroll down the street of designers. You'll also visit the Louvre museum and take in the beauty of the Mona Lisa.

Dinner as a group. Then off to go see the true city lights of Paris. At night we will go to the Eiffle Tower and take a ride up to the top and see a true scenic view of the city of Lights.

The next day will be start early, an early metro trip to the Notre Dame in Paris. A chance to see the beautiful stained glass windows and to see where the Hunchback of Notre-Dame was created from. The afternoon will be dedicated into group outings of the city, including a stroll down the Seine River and the little street vendors selling special treasures. An optional tour of the Moulin Rouge will be available to those old enough to attend.

Day 6-8: Arrival in Barcelona

At 4;18pm we will go to the Port Bou Espagne and board a Eurail off to Barcelona.  We'll arrive in Barcelona Sants at 6:46pm.

You'll check into the Ciutat Mollet Hotel. The amazing wonderful high fixtures on the ceiling. A city walk will be recomended and to take in the night sites of the city and will go out for dinner.

The next morning will consist of a sunny stroll down Ramblas, a way better Spanish version of the Champs Elysees. The Ramblas, which means "stream" in Arabic, is an endless current of people and action. Although some of the prices may be out of price-range, it's always fun to sit at a local cafe and watch the people walk by. Next we will wander deep in the Gothic Quarter, where you will discover things you would never have dreamed of. After our afternoon stroll down Ramblas, we will go to the Museu Picasso to awe over the works of Picasso and many other artists. Just across a foot bridge you will be going to the biggest aquarium in europe. L'Aquarium de Barcelona, although there is no flash photogrpahy, the scenes you will see are breath-taking.

Another exciting area that we will visit is Tibidabo one of the oldest remaining amusement parks. Here you will

The next day will consist of an early flight to Venice, Italy!!

Day 8-10: Arrival in Venice!

Upon arrival we will check into the Hotel Villa Edera, a cozy litle hotel near the airport. From there we will take a stroll into the heart of Venice! Venice is known to attract many tourists a year, yet there are other vistors that occupy this small city. They say that every Venetian has two pigeons and four rats!

Although Venice may not have the city lights of Paris, nor the busy streets of New York, it has its subtle beauty. From the back roads with little cafes to the literally river front homes and the boats gracing the docks.

You will be surprised to see that Gondolas are a very "typical" way that tourists maroon over the city. Although they are many gondolas in Venice, they are mainly used for tourist attractions.

The next day will also be a city stroll. Experiening the culture and taking in the sights and also enjoying the last full day of Europe!

Day 11: Departure

With the complimentary breakfast, it is time to say goodbye to europe. The flight will depart at 10:45 am and we will start our journey back to the states.