Last Day of Prague, Last Day of Modern Europe

Hi loyal blog readers!... 

Abbey Road Modern Europe is sadly coming to a close, and with that, your favorite son or daughter will be home before you know it (tomorrow). We spent our final day enjoying both the company of our new friends and the sights and sounds that this beautiful city has to offer. In the morning we reflected on our favorite experiences, funniest moments, and anything in between that will likely give the students craving to travel more and more, feeding their appetite for knowledge and adventure. In the early afternoon a number of the students participated in Cryptex, a game in which the students were locked in a room and had to complete a series of intellectual puzzles to solve the enigma that would gain their well deserved freedom. This day was meant for relaxation - enjoying the beautiful city of Prague in all its glorious splendor. This is the end of our little blog, and the next step is hugging your little baby and having them ignore you. However, little did you know (loyal readers), a kid, oh yes a child, is writing this blog post. Who is this wunderkind? None other then the the trip's own William Blackman. I thoroughly hoped you enjoyed this post and I will leave you with this: "When one burns one's bridges, what a very nice fire it makes."

I'm sorry, I lied, I'm not done with this blog post. We will leave tomorrow at 12:30 and be on a direct nine hour flight to JFK. 

-from Paris with love William Blackman!!!!!!

Prague Scavenger Hunt!

We reached our final destination of Abbey Road Modern Europe as we entered the beautiful city of Prague. Known as "the City of a Thousand Spires," it has some of the most beautiful architecture in Central Europe... Our hotel is a beautiful building that was once frequented by the likes of Franz Kafka. After getting settled in, we walked through the old city center, across the Charles Bridge and up to the Prague Castle- reputedly one of the largest in the world. Some students chose to do some shopping in the area, while others attended a concert performed by members of the Prague Royal Orchestra at the Saint George Basilica. Then is was back to the old town for some Czech cuisine and a stroll through the quarter's lively streets. Back at the hotel we celebrated a birthday with cake and song.

From Berlin to Dresden

Today Abbey Road Modern Europe left behind the vibrant and historic city of Berlin en route to Dresden, at one time known as the "Florence on the Elbe," where we will be staying for the night. While en route to this beautiful city, the group reminisced of their love for Berliners (both the people and the donuts, but probably more so the donuts) and the wide array of monuments and memorials that represent what is seemingly an ever-changing city, while also managing to catch some Z's on the two-and-a-half hour ride.

After discussing the infamous Allied firebombing of Dresden in World War II - along with any parallels to the consequences of conflict on societies both then and now - the students explored the city's old neighborhood surrounding the Frauenkirche and along the Elbe River. The weather has continued to cool down and has thus provided a nice evening to hang out and stroll about the cobblestone sidewalks. Stay tuned for tomorrow's blog, which will detail our first day and night in Prague - the last city on Abbey Road Modern Europe's trip!

Berlin Scavenger Hunt!

Abbey Road Modern Europe spent the first half of the day playing their own version of "The Amazing Race": teams raced around Berlin to capture the best shots of some of the major historic sites and monuments of the city; we hope to publish the results on this blog tomorrow. Later on, students visited the DDR Interactive Museum where they had a chance to get a feel for what life was like in the Democratic Republic of Germany (East Germany). We ended the day with good food and fun conversation at an Indian restaurant near Alexander Platz (As you may have surmised, we've been taking our evening meals rather late by American standards ;) ).

Sachsenhausen & Berlin Wall Photos

Sachsenhausen & Checkpoint Charlie

This morning the group met Abbey Road Modern Europe's challenging curriculum with deep thoughts and heavy hearts when we visited the Sachsenhausen Memorial & Museum. By exploring the past beyond the textbook or the classroom, albeit sometimes a more ghastly past, the students become empowered to better understand their world. Following this excursion outside of Berlin, the group traveled back into the city and over to Checkpoint Charlie in the afternoon to begin their exploration of the Cold War. Aside from taking 'selfies' of the now iconic military post in the middle of the street (we're still working on attaining the students' photos to bolster this blog) where for over 25 years East and West met, the students studied the documents and artifacts presented by the Checkpoint Charlie Museum located just steps away.

Today marked the beginning of our last week here in Europe. The students have started to realize that the adage, "Time flies when you're having fun," has increasingly become more relevant. Tomorrow looks to be a fun and adventurous day with a team scavenger hunt and a trip to an interactive museum lined up - not to mention the beginning of a cool down to Europe's heat wave!

Taxi-Bike at Brandenburg Gate

Today was a day of powerful reflection for Abbey Road Modern Europe: after breakfast, we set off to explore some of the important historical sites in Berlin; We began with a stroll down Unter den Linden to the Brandenburg Gate for a thoughtful discussion of the social, political and economic conditions in Europe during the period preceding immediately World War 2; at the Bebelplatz we considered the significance of the Book Burning memorial; then the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe reminded us of the enormity of the suffering that underlie the events we had been discussing; the Topography of Terror guided us to a better understanding of the chronology of the rise and fall of the Third Reich in Germany.

It may not be surprising, then, that the light hearted conversation and laughter that accompanied a wonderful Italian dinner was exactly what we needed to take our minds off the darkness that can sometimes engulf humanity.

"Ich bin ein Berliner" :)

A train cancellation gave Abbey Road Modern Europe a chance to prove we could adapt to unexpected changes in itinerary with smiles on our faces ;)... When we did finally leave Koln, our trip to Berlin went very well; we were comfortably seated in air-condition wagons while a heat wave blasted the world outside. After checking into our hotel, we took a short walk to Hackescher Markt where we enjoyed a copious dinner on a terrace right on the square; then we strolled around the neighborhood, getting a feel for Berlin and stopping for ice cream. A thunder storm late in the evening brought in some much appreciated cooler air and inspired us to return to the hotel ;)

Abbey Road Modern Europe said "aurevoir" to Paris bright and early this morning; our train ride from Gare du Nord to Koln Hbf was a chance for most of us to catch up on some sleep; after checking in to our hotel, we headed to Koln's lovely pedestrian area around the Koln Cathedral where we spent the day strolling along cobble-stoned streets, eating delicious food at open air cafes and participating in street celebrations; the entire group chose to turn in early in order to re-charge in preparation for our stay in Berlin, which begins tomorrow!

Lost internet for a day and so we were unable to post yesterday's activities, so today's message will include a brief summary of our group activities on both July 2 and July 3.

July 2: Returned to Paris in the morning; headed over to Montmartre where we enjoyed lunch on the Place du tertre, and had a lively discussion about the Franco-Prussian war/Paris Commune on the steps of Sacre Coeur (of course we visited the baslica afterwards ;) ); the group then spent the evening photographing the Eiffel Tower and the Trocadero; we savored a fine meal at a restaurant with a view of the illuminated tower before returning to our hotel for the night.

July 3: Our last day in Paris and we used it well. First we took our time admiring the art work exhibited at the Louvre; then we enjoyed lunch near the Opera Garner; afterwards we were off the Musee d'Orsay for some more fine art; from there we walked up the Champs Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe; we headed to the Marais for supper at a falafel restaurant; and finally we enjoyed some ice cream near Notre Dame de Paris before heading back to the hotel for the night. Tomorrow morning we've got an early train to catch for Cologne, Germany.

Today was a wonderful day for Abbey Road Modern Europe: we took breakfast at the hotel in Paris before jumping on the bus to Normany where we visited the Memorial.Museum in Caen (a great place to geta an overview of the history that forms the basis to the academic component of our program): then we spent some time at the American Cemetary and Omaha Beach (both beautiful and moving monuments): finally we checked in at our residence in Cabourg and spent the evening dining and strolling through this lovely coastal town.

Reporting live from Paris: Abbey Road Modern Europe 2015 has arrived in France in good health and spirits. We've checked into our hotel near the lovely Jardins du Luxembourg, and we are now enjoying a stroll in the Latin Quarter. In just a short while we'll dine near the Seine.

Stay tuned for more updates.