MARIS STELLA CULTURAL TOUR TO EUROPE – JUNE/JULY 2014
THURSDAY 26 JUNE D DAY!
After months & months of anticipation, D day has finally dawned and there was great excitement as all gathered at King Shaka International airport this afternoon. I have just spoken to Mrs Matheson who reports that check-in went smoothly and once through emigration the reality set in and everyone was very excited! They are scheduled to arrive in Dubai just after 05h00 tomorrow morning and thereafter connect to Zurich, arriving at 13h40. Here the coach will be waiting to take them to their hotel in Lucerne and I will update the website as soon as I have heard from the chaperones. Please rest assured that all arrangements are firmly in place and a wonderfully enriching tour awaits the Maris Stella group ~ if you have any interesting snippets to share from your daughters, I would love to hear from you!
FRIDAY 27 JUNE SAFE ARRIVAL IN SWITZERLAND!
I have not yet heard directly from the chaperones, but I called the hotel and was informed that the group arrived safely and settled in to their rooms before meeting with their guide for the orientation walking tour of Lucerne. The hotel Drei Koenige is very comfortable and I have no doubt that bed tonight will be most welcome! Should you wish to make contact with your daughters, the hotel telephone number is 00 41 4 12 48 04 80.
SATURDAY 28 JUNE MOUNT TITLIS & FOLKLORE SHOW!
I have still no ‘hot off the press news’, but am sure that all slept well and thoroughly enjoyed their excursion to Engelberg today. Here they would have boarded the world's first revolving cable-car, theTitlis rotair, to the 10 000 ft summit of Mount Titlis and enjoyed the snow-related activities on offer in this alpine wonderland. Tonight they will be part of an exciting folklore show, as they enjoy an authentic Swiss dinner at the Musik-Restaurant Stadtkeller - a wonderful evening is guaranteed!
SUNDAY 29 JUNE ONWARD TO AUSTRIA!
I have still not heard anything directly from the group, but thank you to Mrs Wells who sent me some of the most amazing photos of their day on Mount Titlis - what happy faces and what a lot of snow! This morning they headed off towards Austria, via the Principality of Liechtenstein, the smallest yet richest German-speaking country in the world. In the capital city, Vaduz, they enjoyed a walking tour with a local guide and Carola introduced them to interesting sights which included the Government Buildings, the Parish Church, the Museum of Fine Arts & the Town Hall, before moving up the foothills to admire the Red House and the vineyards belonging to the Prince of Liechtenstein Winery. After lunch they visited the Liechtenstein National Museum (Landesmuseum) which houses the national treasures and after some free time to explore the shopping centre the group departed for Innsbruck, surrounded by some of the most magnificent views. They will be staying at the Hotel Dollinger for the next 2 nights and the telephone number is 00 43 512 267 506.
MONDAY 30 JUNE BEAUTIFUL INNSBRUCK!
This morning the group enjoyed a guided walking tour through the beautiful alpine resort of Innsbruck, followed by a visit to the famous Bell Museum, where bells of all shapes & sizes have been constructed using traditional methods for more than 4 centuries. Time has passed so quickly and tomorrow they will be making their way through spectacular countryside to Venice, via Lake Garda & Verona. If any parents are able to share personal snippets from their daughters, I would be delighted to receive them!
TUESDAY 1 JULY ONWARD TO VENICE!
This morning the group bade farewell to Austria as they drove through the Brenner Pass on to the Veneto Plains, where they enjoyed a relaxing lunch near Lake Garda. Thereafter they made a brief stop at Verona, visiting Juliet’s balcony, before continuing on to Venice and after having settled into their hotel, they enjoyed a magical experience of a romantic gondola ridealong the Grand Canal! They will be staying at Hotel Villa Rosa tonight and the telephone number is 00 39 0 41 716 569.
WEDNESDAY 2 JULY ONWARD TO FLORENCE!
This morning their guide met the group in the hotel foyer and together they had a wonderful 2 hour orientation tour of Venice, exploring many of the lesser known back streets. The tour culminated at St Mark’s Square, where they visited the magnificent Basilica and witnessed the beautiful interior walls which are encrusted with spectacular gold mosaics. After a short time for souvenir shopping, they returned to the hotel by vaporetto and after lunch they boarded their coach for Florence. The group will be staying for the next 3 nights at the 4* Hotel California and the telephone number is 00 39 055 283 499.
THURSDAY 3 JULY WONDERFUL DAY IN FLORENCE!
This morning the group met with their local guide and enjoyed a walking tour of the old city centre, starting at the Duomo & Baptistry, then passing the Uffizi Museum, with its priceless collection of Renaissance Art and on to the open air museums on the piazza della Signoria & the Loggia dei Lanzi. From the piazza della Reppublica they walked to the Ponte Vecchio, before making their way to the Galleria dell’Accademia to see Michelangelo’s famous statue of David. They then had some free time in the Mercato Nuovo, where they thoroughly enjoyed shopping for handcrafted leather articles at bargain prices!
FRIDAY 4 JULY COOKING IN TUSCANY!
By all accounts, the girls had the most amazing day at the Villa & Cooking Studio La Quercia, which is situated just outside the tiny village of Impruneta in the Tuscan Hills. Veronica Clemente is a warm & lovely, quintessential Italian lady and both she & her daughter, Margherita, were so excited to meet the Maris Stella girls today! As a welcome snack, she prepared 2 delicious apple cakes with raisins & pine nuts and this she served with a cool drink, which was so welcome in the heat. She then demonstrated how to make Pizza Margherita and pasta by hand, which she ser ved with a pesto sauce, made from fresh basil from her vegetable garden. As a dessert they all made a chocolate cake with wild berry sauce, which was apparently truly delicious! With so much planning & refining having gone into this day, I am delighted that it was such a resounding success!
SATURDAY 5 JULY PISA AND ONWARD TO PARIS!
This morning they bade farewell to Florence as they travelled through the Tuscan Hills to Pisa, where they were given the opportunity to climb the 295 steps to the top of La Torre di Pisa. After lunch they were transferred to the airport, where all boarded their Air France plane bound for Paris - a reminder that they are staying in the Hotel Campanile Paris La Villette, telephone 00 33 1 44 72 46 46. Bon sejour!
SUNDAY 6 JULY A WONDERFUL DAY IN PARIS!
The girls were eager to have their first real taste of Paris and after a good breakfast, all hopped on the metro to the Beaubourg area, where they saw the audacious Georges Pompidou Centre, before continuing on the l’Hôtel de Ville (Paris’ very fancy Town Hall). They then crossed to l’Ile de la Cite where they visited the magnificent Cathedral of Notre Dame, before enjoying the ambiance of the Quartier Latin. Thereafter they made their way to Montmartre and after a visit to theSacré Coeur Basilica, they headed for the Place du Tertre, where some were tempted to have their portraits painted! At 18h30 everyone enjoyed a 3 course meal at one of the iconic restaurants on the square, La Cremaillere - it was a truly memorable evening!
MONDAY 7 JULY LOUVRE, CRUISE AND EIFFEL TOWER!
This morning the girls made their way to the Musée du Louvre, where they were delighted to see some magnificent works of art, including Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, the Winged Victory & Venus de Milo. They then enjoyed a stroll through the beautiful neo-classical Jardin des Tuileries towards the Place de la Concorde and then they had some free time to explore the world’s most famous & elegant boulevard, l’Avenue des Champs Elysées. Laden with parcels, they met at the Arc de Triomphe from where they took the metro to Trocadero, which affords a breath-taking view of la Tour Eiffel. In the late afternoon they enjoyed a leisurely cruise onthe Bâteaux Parisiens, identifying the many famous landmarks of Paris and this was followed by dinner at the restaurant alongside the River Seine. At 20h00 they met with their local guide, Catherine Brouchoud and then they boarded a coach for a spectacular tour of Paris by night - ‘Les Illuminations’. At 22h30 they will stand mesmerized under a sparkling Eiffel Tower, before ascending to the 2nd level for a panoramic view over this enchanting City of Lights!
TUESDAY 8 JULY DISNEYLAND PARIS
All the girls were so excited to visit Disneyland Paris and there was a great buzz over breakfast! The day was perfect and in spite of the long queues, which were to be expected in the summer season, they were able to boast several exciting rides and this was a wonderful ending to a very special tour!
WEDNESDAY 9 JULY HOMEWARD BOUND!
I am sorry not to have had more personal contact with the chaperones, but by all accounts the tour has been a resounding success and and everyone will be returning with such fond memories of all the beautiful places they have been fortunate enough to visit. I can confirm that all flights remain as per schedule and I am sure there is no need to remind excited mums & dads to expect their daughters at King Shaka @ 16h45 tomorrow, Thursday 10 July. All will undoubtedly be exhausted upon arrival and whilst the many wonderful anecdotes may not immediately be forthcoming, they will certainly reveal themselves in the days, months and even years to come! To act ‘in loco parentis’ is no mean task and sincere thanks must go to Rosemary Matheson & Helen Meyer for taking such good care of your precious daughters. As parents you can rest assured that you have afforded your children the most wonderful opportunity and I have no doubt that each and every girl will return not only academically enriched, but enriched as a person, having matured and grown in confidence and the precious memories & firm bonds of friendships will last a lifetime. It has been a joy and privilege to be associated with Maris Stella on our 6th Cultural Tour together and it remains for me to say ‘merci beaucoup et bon retour!’