WarHorse & We Will Rock You

Last evening we saw one of the best shows I have ever seen. War Horse is an incredibly moving tale of a young boy and his horse set in the context of World War I. Each member of our group commented on the power of the show and how incredible it was to see. The actors, the staging, and the singing were fantastic, not to mention the beautiful puppetry that made up Joey, the horse. Make the trip to Broadway to see the show as it opens soon. It is worth the journey and then some. Much of our visit to London over the last few days has dealt with war in some fashion. From War Horse on the stage to visiting Churchill's War Rooms today, we have learned a tremendous amount about the lives of British citizens, soldiers, and politicians during those difficult times of the 20th century. Perhaps this is why We Will Rock You came at a perfect time in the trip. The sobering history of WWI and WWII receded into the memories of our students as they heard the music of Queen on the stage tonight. The music was great; the plot line lacked substance, but the kids found it enjoyable and entertaining. While the band Queen clearly has celebrity status, on our way to Westminster Abbey today a few of our students spotted a few other celebs: Matt Lauer and Meredith Vieira of the Today Show. Surely here to cover the marriage of William and Kate, those two hosts were gracious in their willingness to pose for some photos. As our trip winds to a close, we return to the Tower of London tomorrow for a complete tour of the fortress.

The Tower Bridge & the British Museum

Halt! Who goes there? The Keys.....Our first evening in London was spent witnessing the 700 year old Ceremony of the Keys at the Tower of London. Standing in the dark passageways of the Tower grounds, at precisely 10 pm a Beefeater, accompanied by a cadre of soldiers, proceeded to secure the Tower and the crown jewels of England. After having spent the afternoon at the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery, this Ceremony was an exciting way to end our first evening in London. Today, we made our way from Hanger Lane on the Tube to the British Library and the British Museum. Loving primary source material, I as well as the students, feasted on such delightful treats as the Magna Carta, Beatles "Help" lyrics, Beowulf, and Captain Robert Scott's diary from 1910 where he chronicled his expedition's tragic demise at the South Pole. Also, who knew that google became a verb in 1999? Now I do from the dynamically interactive exhibit about the English language at the British Library. Perhaps, the greatest thrill for the students was to find the location of where Harry Potter went through the wall to reach Hogwarts at King's Cross Station. Check the Tweet for a picture. Last of all on this day packed with goodies, we made it to the British Museum. Parthenon marbles....Need I say more. All the students were required to pick one piece from the museum and be able to explain it to the group and why they chose that particular piece. A small assignment, but we saw lots of Hawken students drawing in the museum. A fish and chips dinner and a movie (Submarine) and we made it back to Hanger Lane. Tomorrow we are off to Windsor Castle...I think they found our invite to meet with the Queen so we are pretty excited. Oh, in the who can find the cheesiest Kate and William memorabilia, Kalle leads with some weird paper dolls where you can actually change their clothes.....Day 5 & 6 Photos

Montmartre: Our Last Day in Paris

We began our final day in Montmartre. Our group stands in front of the Art Nouveau "Metropolitan" sign located in this bohemian part of the city. This emblem of the metro became a symbol of an ever expanding and growing Paris in the late 19th Century. As a movement against industrialization and the straight lines of progress, the Art Nouveau movement stressed the fluidity, movement and curves of the natural environment. All of these characteristics are seen in this metro sign (this is original) and many of the other replicas around Paris. Today we had a wonderfully knowledgeable guide who has lived in Paris for the last quarter century. Tailoring our tour to concentrate on the art movements found in Montmartre, our guide provided tasty bits of information about the lives of the Impressionists, cubists, and other famous Parisians from this area of the city. We saw the location for Renoir's "Bal du Moulin de la Galette" (as seen yesterday in the Orsay) and we gained a clearer understanding of the lifestyle of the painters who resided in Montmartre. We also learned a great deal of Le Bateau-Lavoir (Picasso's Studio) and the statue of St. Denis, whose head was chopped off by the Romans a long time ago for spreading Christianity. The back lanes of Montmartre gave us a wonderful view of Parisian life in the past and the present. Hilly, winding lanes, and flowers blossoming made this an incredibly pleasant stroll through a beautiful area of Paris. After lunch we made our way to the Pompidou Center. Quite a contrast with the scenes of Montmartre, the pieces of modern art in the museum challenged us and we appreciated the power of Piccaso's, Chagall's, and Matisse's work. We ended the day with a visit to the renovated Paris Opera Garnier. Our last metro ride was tonight as we jump on the Eurostar train tomorrow for London. Au Revoir Paris!
Day 4 Photos

Eiffel Tower & d'Orsay

We ended the evening with a spectacular visit to the Eiffel Tower. While it may have been raining a bit, it did not damped our spirits nor the fortitude of those runners of a 50 mile race that began in Versailles and ended at the Eiffel Tower. We provided a vibrant cheering section for the runners. High-fives were the order of the day not only for the runners, but for ourselves as we survived the exhilarating ride to the top of the Tower. In a day full of highlights, we could not have asked for a better finish. As impressed as we were with the Tower, the d'Orsay provided plenty of "wow" factor. The old train station's architecture is magnificent and an appropriate place to house the works of the Impressionists: Renior, Monet, Manet, just to name a few of the artists that deeply moved us. The vibrant colors, discernible brush strokes, and sheer size of the paintings kept us looking for a long time. In the morning, Rodin's sculptures showed us his mastery of the human form. Admiring the gardens of the estate, we all figured we could handle living in such a perfect Parisian location. From the subway to the museums, we have had our fill of Paris and much of what it has to offer. Eating crapes for dinner gave us a real sample of the culinary diversity in this magnificent city. Tomorrow we are off to explore Montmartre and bring our visit to Paris to a close. Thus far it has been an incredible ride, literally, as we have been successfully and frequently navigating the "metro."
Day 2 & 3 Photos

Versailles & The Louvre

Along with many other tourists who marveled and pushed their way through the halls of Versailles, we began our day at the palace of the "Sun King" Louis XIV. The beauty and opulence of the residence was stunning, but the grounds were equally as impressive. Employing 40 gardeners to keep the grounds in immaculate condition, we were able to enjoy the early spring weather and the beautiful views of the palace. After we left Versailles we traveled along the left bank of the Seine to catch our first glimpses of the Eiffel Tower and a miniature Statue of Liberty, a gift from the Americans to the French. Passing through the tunnel where Diana met her tragic fate, we arrived at the Louvre to begin our amazing journey through that vast museum's incredible collection. Needless to say, Ms. Buckley was in her glory leading a number of students through a deep understanding of Botticelli and other Renaissance artists. For me, the Winged Victory of Samonthrace was the highlight. After roughly 4 hours in the Louvre, we made it down the Champs Elysees to the Arch de Triumph where we climbed the spiraling steps to gain an stunning view of Paris. Overall, it was an wonderful day.

Hawks Have Landed in Paris - Visit Notre Dame

It was a long day on planes and trains. From Delta/Air France to riding the Paris Metro we have been on the go the entire day. Upon landing we met up with our guide Lisa Smith from London; checked into the hotel and then found the closest Metro stop for a ride into the center of Paris. The weather was beautiful. 61 degrees and sunny so we decided to visit Notre Dame and enjoy the amazing weather in this beautiful city. Everyone has been in good spirits and having some free time to explore the cathedral and take some pictures of the rose windows on the interior made the day worth all the effort. A quick dinner of noodles and some beef satiated our hungry crew and we then decided to walk to the town hall. Liberty, Fraternity and Equality are the words etched on the building thus reminding us of the ideals behind the French Revolution. In addition to some excellent ice cream we were able to soak up, along with many Parisians, the early Spring atmosphere. It was a great day of travel and everyone did a fantastic job. We are looking forward to sleep tonight and Versailles, the Louvre, and the Arch de Triumph tomorrow. We did not go to the d'Orsay today as our plane was a bit late and the weather report calls for rain on Saturday. A perfect opportunity to visit the museums. Paris Day One Photos

Welcome to the Blog!

Hi Everyone,

I hope you are all enjoying some needed rest. Do me a favor and check out the link here to The Boxer Rebellion as I want to know if you are interested in attending this concert on Friday night while we are in Paris. The club (Le Nouveau Casino) where they are playing looks very cool and has received positive reviews in many guide books like Frommer's and Fodor's. I heard some positive responses from people already, but respond on the blog so I can have a clearer view of what we collectively want to do. Have fun the rest of break. We are going to have an amazing time on the trip.
Best,
Mr. Newman