Florence in a nutshell!

Although they're both European countries closer than Ontario is big, the differences are wider that that of the Grand Canyon! France, (ie. Paris) is a a completely different feel that Florence, and no one can quite put they're finger on it - but some can say they now feel 'at home'.


We meet our Italian guide, Roberto, while no Vincent, is a wealth of knowledge - on EVERYTHING! You ask, he's there with the answer.



We walk around looking for the infamous buildings until we come out of one side street and see it in all it's amazingess!:

Even the locals seems to be more friendly. This lovely old man gives us a stack of Italian flags as they clean away the decorations for Italy's 150th anniversary. Even the cops are nicer!


Just like this performer we found in front of Dante Alighieri's house. Dressed as Dante's Inferno character Virgil, this man can recite any passage, from any canto, from any book of the ENTIRE Davine Comedy - from memory. We even got a video recording the evidence! Stunning!

Finishing our tour near the Duomo, we bit farewell for our Robert and we decide the kids have been good and need a little berak, so we give them some time to wonder the city on their own. This has turned out so well, they even seemed to have actually enjoyed it!

We all meet up in the the hotel. That night, after we realize a lot of the kids have more energy they know what to do with, we take them to a student disco around town.



Me however, I'm just happy to have said that I got a picture of myself on Ponte Vecchio.

Where'd it go!?

So apparently we're about to leave Florence tomorrow!? Where did THAT time go?

Sorry for the slow updates. We've been out long days trying to maximize our brief time here in Florence and as I update the blog on my free time - I don't have much time to update!

However, we are all good and newly laden with leather and other goodies.


We leave tomorrow morning by a private coach bus to Rome and we're all safe here in Italy.

Tomorrow I promise to finish catching up on the blog and posting more pictures.

Au Revoir France - Buon Giorno Italia!

If waking up at an hour which shouldn't exist wasn't bad enough, we were about to say goodbye to the place we've fallen in love with and called home for the last few days.


At the airport we found we were blessed with being able to being able to check in a special 'groups only' line which allowed us quick access to more Duty Free shopping! The plane was quick and easy and gave ample time for catching up on some much needed sleep.


On our arrival in Rome, we had a mini coach bus waiting to take us to Firenze. We eventually stopped at an AutoGrill, a road side restaurant and had our first taste of Italian food - even if only of the fast food variety.

We were a bit behind schedule due to traffic and weather, but we eventually made it to San Gimignano. The driver informed us that the town has been awarded BEST GELATO in an international competition 4 times - bonus! Italy was celebrating it's 150th anniversary of unification today and parties were still going on - double bonus! The only pity was that we had to cut our time extremely short to make our dinner reservations in Florence.

With front door service at the restaurant in order to make it on time, we sat for our first Italian meal. It was in the quaint little brick set place which had AMAZING Tiramisu!

Our last trek was a walk back to our Hotel before we are able to finally call it a day - and what a day! Woke up in one country, falling asleep in another...

And thus, the next chapter in our journey begins.

Last Day in Paris - Already?

Whoever first said 'Time flies when you're having fun', must have been on a Georgia Hardy Tours adventure. Although it seems we've been here for ages, it's already time to start thinking about packing our bags and moving on to our next destination FLORENCE!

We must CARPE DIEM!

With all that seizing, I ran out of space on my memory card and now have to rely on getting pics from various cameras to actually post pics of this AMAZING day! So check back soon for updates!


However, in a non pictorial posting, I'm sure the words of the experience are enough to detail of what may just be the best day yet!

Starting the day off at the infamous Louvre Museum, the excitement is palpable, and no one even considers 'MONA'ing about the 10 miles of museum galleries. We admire the works of master painters and sculptors from all periods and styles - however, all while hearing the excited whispers of 'mona' through the halls. The anticipation rises...

We find our prize - THE Mona Lisa!


Satisfied with the mornings tour, we stop for lunch and get ready for the next step of our day. We take our two feet and heartbeats full of excitement towards the Eiffel Tower. We stop on a bridge along the way to admire the quintessential gesture of Parisian love - Love locks. A lock carved with the lovers initials placed on the bridge to symbolize their everlasting commitment to each other. It's amazing to see how many and how old some of these locks are!

Continuing on our path, we use the Tower as our guide. Winding through the bistro lined streets we find ourselves at the base of the Eiffel Tower. Not waiting long, we climb 300 stairs to reach the first level, and then a further 3 or so hundred more to reach the second. If anything, we know we're getting our exercise!

The view is stunning and a perfect way to bid farewell to the city we've all grown to love.

So things have been getting crazy - in the best way possible!

The amount of time it has taken me to update the blog again can be seen as a testament to not only how full our days are, but also to how much everyone is getting out of this trip. No time is wasted!


With another early morning, we take the train with our ever entertaining guide Vincent to the city and Palace of Versailles.


Amazed at the grandeur, Vincent fills us in on all the nitty gritty of the rich and famous who have lived, worked, and even died within these walls.


After much snaking our way through throngs of tourists from everywhere under the sun, we make our way to the amazing, and expansive palatial gardens.


While some take some time to rest, others use this as an opportunity to frolic in the amazing weather we were blessed with!



That afternoon, some took the time to hit the Gallerie Lafayette and shop with their jaws dropped - and others prepared for the evening's river cruise.

Due to the minimal light, not many pictures are actually recognizable forms of anything, but the ones that did turn out - well, they make up for it!

1st Full Day in Paris!

Woke up fairly early, but all eager to start the day!

We met our guide Vincent once again as he started our journey on the Paris subway. Through the many levels of stairs and tunnels, we all can now say what it feels like to be in Paris for rush hour!


Once we reached our destination of San Michel and we began our tour or the Latin quarters.


The tour ended with the grande finale at the famous NOTRE DAME!


You can tell how amazed the students were by noting how actively they paid attention!



After we broke off from Vincent, we enjoyed some lunch around town and made our way up... WAAYYY UP to Sacre Coeur at the heart of the artisan district of Montmartre.


Having a shared a moment of reflection and prayer, we felt it was a good time to allow the students to enjoy the surrounding artisan offerings - They even had a sneak peak at what's to come with their first gellato!



With the day spent on our feet, we made our way back to the hotel, freshened up, and broke off for dinner, completing our amazing second day.


Next up... Versailles!

We've ARRIVED!

Well, it was a long journey to say the least... but at long last, I think the first day adrenaline has worn off! It was an excruciating day - or two, depending on your point of view - but I feel safe to say everyone has fallen asleep with a smile on their face; if not for anything else but to finally be in a bed!




After our short stop over in Rome, to give everyone a taste of what's to come, we boarded yet another plane en route to La Ville-Lumière. We arrived after what was a comparatively short 2hr flight and we were greeted by our French guide Vincent. Boarded a bus, luggage in hand, and drove straight take on the sights of the land.



After a bit of down time to gather our bearings and take in some local street musicians, we made our way to have our first meal together.


French cuisine is known as one of the best, but we didn't know it came with the locals to match!




All tuckered out, and tucked in our beds... we're ready to take on another day!