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Day EIGHT: Madrid

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Today was day 3 in Madrid and our last day of the trip. We had a very memorable last day starting with driving to Toledo and meeting up with our local guide, Carlos. Our first stop in Toledo was a handmade sword and jewelry shop. We were able to see firsthand how they were created and then had time to shop around. Then we went to the Toledo cathedral where Carlos explained the history of the cathedral and the meaning behind the sculptures. Then we walked to the church of Santo Tome where we got to see the most famous painting by El Greco, The Burial of the Count of Orgaz. Carlos explained the meaning behind the painting and who each individual person was.  El Entierro del Conde de Orgaz es un cuadro muy interesante con muchos detalles ocultos que representaban diferentes aspectos de la vida de El Greco. Hubo un señor que murió en el cuadro apedreado, y esa escena se mostró en el cuadro. El pintor también se incluyó a sí mismo en el cuadro y lo convirtió en un retrato familiar. We t...
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Day SEVEN: Madrid

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Contributors: Alexander Veselkov, Ryan Kaufman, Brady Montesino, Aryan Verma, Hunter Meigs, Noah Arnold, and Lucas Arjona. Today was day 2 in Madrid, Spain, and we had a great time. We visited the Royal Palace where we toured the interior and saw the king's crown, his dining room, the ball room, Stradivarius violins; we were impressed by the grandeur of the rooms and extravagant decorations. Interestingly, a large quantity of rooms in the Royal Palace contained lions in some form as a symbol. We found out that this is the largest palace in Western Europe with 3418 rooms total. We found it interesting that the king and queen do not actually wear the crown or sit on the throne because officially, it is the people of Spain who hold the power. Subsequently, we visited the Sol plaza where we had lunch. Some of us elected to enjoy the classic Madrid delicacy, squid sandwich. It was good but a bit plain.  While some enjoyed Spanish foods, others opted for a safer and more home-felt dishes...
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Day SIX: Madrid

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 Hola from Espana! We started off the next day of the trip by grabbing a quick breakfast at the Paris hotel before walking to the airport terminal. We took an early flight from the Paris Orly Airport and arrived in Madrid before noon. Flying into the area, we could see the extensive Spanish countryside covered with farms, plains, and small villages. Right away upon landing, our bus was ready to take us into the city center of Madrid. The bus dropped us off near the Plaza del Sol, the main city plaza. It was surrounded by picturesque historical buildings, including a large sign advertising Tio Pepe. In the center of the square were several major landmarks. There was a statue of a bear and a tree, the symbol of Madrid. Further along was a fountain topped by an imposing statue of King Carlos III, the Spanish king who aided the Americans against the British during the Revolutionary War. From here, we had free time for an hour and a half for lunch or shopping. For lunch, our group heade...
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Day FIVE: Paris

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     This is Maximo Gamboa, Connor Martin, Dimitri Rozakeas, and Abhishek Karthik from the Lucki Squad. Day Six was jam-packed with exciting experiences for everyone on the trip. Today, we visited the Palace of Versailles and its gardens with a local guide named Pierre-Marie, stopped for a quick lunch break, visited the Louvre Museum, ate a delectable dinner and capped it off with a beautiful boat ride up and down the Seine river.      We started our early morning with a quick breakfast, then we parted for our tour of the Palace of Versailles. Under the tutelage of Pierre, we regarded the magnificent interior of the palace as well as its rich history as the home of the French Monarchy and a firsthand look at the lavish lifestyles they lived. Our favorite parts were the Hall of Mirrors and its rich history as a center of diplomacy (mirrors were extremely rare at this time as they were imported from  Venice) as well as the beautiful scenery of the g...
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Day FOUR: Paris

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Hey guys it's Jasmine, Jillian, Naima, Victoria, Ellie, Maeve, and Cate and welcome to our blog post! This morning we woke up bright and early to head over to King's Cross Station to take the Eurostar train to Paris, France. It took about two and a half hours, but we made it there eventually with plenty of time to explore the wonderful city full of life.  Once we arrived, we met with our tour guide, a sire gentleman Alan, and set off into Paris to grab a quick bite at some quick service cafes. We all tried some traditional French cuisine, such as crepes and croissants. After eating some lunch, we headed to the Latin Quarter to learn about the area's history. There, we were introduced to the oldest university of France. While on the bus, we drove down city hall to see all of the banners for the upcoming Olympic Games that will be held in France this summer. The French tour guide told us a fun fact that the opening ceremony for the Olympics will be held on the Seine River as ...
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Day THREE: London

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 Hey Blog, it's Ariel, Aidan, Gavin, and Callum here. This is day 3 in London, Britain.  We started the day late as the time to get on the bus was 9:00am . The weather was chilly with a slight chance of rain but we dressed accordingly. Today was a special day because it was our last day in London. We got to choose what activities suited us best. The three morning options included the Imperial War Museum, Westminster abbey, and Tate Art Museum. Every one of these destinations has extraordinary history and meaning to them. These locations include the rich history of London and Great Britain as a whole. The Imperial Art museum was absolutely breathtaking. It had many beautiful World war exhibits that really resonated with its viewer. We got a first hand experience of how chaotic life was for the every day person. The Imperial war museum also featured a very tragic exhibit of the Holocaust. This exhibit really echoed within our souls.  In the Afternoon, we visited the giganti...
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Day TWO: London

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Hello all, Cole, Robbie, Andrew, Jaden, Noah, and Dante are members of the "Adams Family", and we are going to illustrate our time today in London! We first woke up and breakfast was exceptional. Then, luckily, we were comforted by our great tour guide, Fran. We first took the bus to pick up a new member to the squad, Stuart. He was a local tour guide who showed us unknown logistics of the city of London. One thing he told us was that the Big Ben tower was actually named the Elizabeth Tower, and the famous Big Ben is only the bell inside the clock. Stuart also showed us the Tower Bridge and explained how it was the largest bridge in London. We were then able to watch the changing of the guards at Buckingham palace. This was an unforgettable experience!     After our time in London for the day we spent the next couple hours walking around the city of Windsor. During our time in Windsor we went to Windsor Castle. The Windsor Castle is the biggest and oldest castle in the world,...
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