Thursday, July 28th - AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE COMES TO AN END!!!

Ciao Parents, Friends and Students of Georgia Hardy's Italy Group 2011!!! The group was both excited for the end of classes and upset that today was the end of our journey together. The photography class enjoyed a sleep in before their final projects of the presentation of their portfolios and interviews. The English class also got to take advantage of a late sleep before meeting on the hotel's rooftop to take part in their literary cafe that involved them dressing up and taking part in random discussions while acting like their assigned character. The History and Italian classes spent their morning finishing up the last of their exams. The completion of the Georgia Hardy Group's final presentations and exams brought sheer joy to the students as they as they were let free for the afternoon to shop for last minute souvenirs, see Florentine sitesfor the last time, or enjoy one last scoop of their favourite gelato in Italy. Everyone met back at the hotel after our period of free time to head out together in the rain to a small Italian restaurant where we ate our last dinner in Florence. The Principal generously treated the group to gelato at the GROM after our dinner and set us loose in the city of Florence to take full advantage of our last few hours in beautiful Florence. A heart-warming ceremony concluded the trip and everyone prepared themselves for the long and strenuous trip home that lay ahead of them the next day. Thank you for the amazing trip that none of us will ever forget! For the last time, ciao Parents, Friends and Students of Georgia Hardy's Italy Trip 2011!!!

by Lauren Fraser

Tuesday, July 26 - Firenze!

Today we all went to class with mixed emotions: happy that the work was almost over but sad that this experience was coming to an end. The English class had a treat today, as classes started at 10:00 instead of 9:00. They had a long and interactive rehearsal for the Julius Caesar play that will be put on tomorrow night! Everyone is looking forward to seeing the English class pour their hearts out into the Shakespearean language. The photography class presented their self-portrait photos and worked on their ISUs downstairs in a classroom in the hotel. The history class had a day to work on projects instead of having class, so they worked on their ISUs and studied for their exam. The Italian students did their presentations on their assigned artists and took the class to the different places where their particular artists’ art was. They visited San Lorenzo, Santa Croce, Uffizi, Academia, Bargello and the Duomo.

Classes ended at 1:00, and everyone met in the garden of the hotel at 1:45 to head to the Uffizi and Academia excursion. Everyone was fascinated by Michelangelo’s famous sculpture, the ‘David’, which was shown at the Academia. At the Uffizi, many of Michelangelo’s paintings were displayed, which were very interesting to see, especially because there was such a difference between them even though they were painted only 15 years apart. When the tour was over at 5:00, everyone was dismissed from the Uffizi and had time to walk around. Those who didn’t go on the excursion had the whole day after classes to shop at the leather market, get some snacks, and get some last minute gifts for people back home. Dinner was at 7:00, at the same restaurant as our first night in Florence. We had some delicious pasta with pesto and for the second course we had pork with potatoes, finishing with a mouth watering tiramisu for dessert.

After dinner, most of us headed back to the hotel to get some homework done, as many of our ISU due dates are coming up and exams are right around the corner. The English class had a meeting on the roof of the hotel to rehearse Julius Caesar some more, and Ms. Stokes read a poem that she wrote that brought tears to many people’s eyes. Most of us headed back to our rooms for a relaxing night in. Florence keeps getting better and better!

By: Elena Demopoulos

Monday, July 25 - Firenze!!

It was yet another beautiful day in Florence! The Civilization class were very busy working on their ISU’s while the Photography and Italian class enjoyed a scavenger hunt. The English class began their day by going on an adventure to see the Medici Chapel, Casa Buonarotti, and Santa Croce Church. Seeing these places really made the book The Agony and the Ecstasy come alive and appreciate what we were looking at even more. It was much appreciated and well worth it. After, the group split into their separate ways to grab some lunch and do some shopping , a few even went back to the hotel just to relax until class began again to start rehearsing Caesar, which is being performed on the roof on Wednesday evening. At 6:30 everyone met in the lobby and we all walked to the restaurant we would be attending to for dinner. It was nice and everyone agreed that the food was delicious. Once again everyone signed out and went their separate ways to enjoy the short time we have left in Italy.

By: Carley Smith

Sunday, July 24 - Free day in Florence!

It is said in Shakespearian times that the weather reflects a persons energy. Well today is not only my 16th birthday but it is the first day that Mother Nature gave us the gift of rain! Although rain would normally mean there is turmoil in my life, I have done the impossible and proved this theory wrong.

Seeing at is a free-day most students took advantage of this time and worked on various types of work throughout the morning. Mrs. Stokes’ English class worked on their grade 12 ISU essays and the 11’s worked on their final class essays, as well as Mr. D'Addario’s history class, who spent some time polishing up their essays on the definition of a good society and analyzing how a dictatorship affects our society. All the while Ms.Fracassi’s photography class worked on their self-portrait assignment and their ISU tasks, and Ms. Cescolini's Italian class worked on their Renaissance artist oral presentations.

Now for some, I guess you could say a wiser use of time was spent shopping in Florence and especially the San Lorenzo leather market! And yes I must say I’m guilty of just that, but only for one hour or so. As I walked through the market I figured since it was my birthday I might as well treat myself to some hand made Italian Leather goods along with Mrs. Stokes and some of my fellow classmates.

During dinner we were all treated to the best Margherita pizza we have had since this trip begun and i was wished a very warm, happy birthday with a card signed by all my new friends and a Sfoglia cake provided by ristorante dantesca.

Later on some students and i ‘lived it up’ at the amazing Piazza del Duomo, admiring its surreal beauty and listening to the sound of a group of drummers gathering together in the square. We also visited the famous Grom gealto shop said to be the best gelato shop in Florence Italy!

By: Philip Da Silva

Saturday, July 23 - Florence & Pisa!!

After a long day of traveling yesterday, we were all looking forward to our first full day in Florence. We started the day with a nice, quaint breakfast and then headed to class at 9:00. In Ms Stokes’ English class, the grade twelve’s worked on their ISU essays while the grade tens and elevens read Othello in a nicely air-conditioned room in the hotel. The photography class presented their portrait photos and also learned how to take white balance photos in the beautiful courtyard of the hotel. The history class learned about the Peloponnesian War at the Duomo. The Italian class had a fun scavenger hunt in the centre square of Florence: their task was to find two gelato shops and then report back to their teacher in the piazza. After that, they watched an episode of their Italian show and worked on their essays.

Before we knew it, classes were over and it was time to head to the leaning tower of Pisa at 1:45. Those who didn’t go to Pisa had a free day to do their laundry, work on class assignments, and explore the town. The bus ride to Pisa wasn’t too bad, as it only took one hour to get there. The drive was very scenic and beautiful, as we could see miles and miles of green fields and rolling hills. Once we arrived, we all dispersed for our 2 hours of free time. Many of us headed straight for the tower and whipped out our cameras. We were all excited to take the famous shots: holding up the tower with both hands, kicking the tower, holding up the tower with one finger, and even putting a hat on the tower! It was actually harder than it looked to get into the right position to take a good picture. Afterwards we all sat in the grass around the tower in small groups and talked, laughed and ate gelato. At 5:30 we left the tower and headed back to the hotel.

Since dinner was on our own, we had the whole night to explore Florence. Some of us went for a nice dinner in the town while others grabbed a quick pizza and tried to get some last minute shopping in before closing time. Many of us visited the famous Ben and Jerry’s ice cream shop to get some of their cookie dough ice cream that we were all craving! All in all it was a fun-filled and exciting day in Florence.

By: Elena Demopoulos

Friday, July 22 - on the way to Florence!

Beep beep. Beep beep. Beep beep. The alarm chirped at a bright and early 6:20 this morning, for those who chose to join Ms. Stokes’ morning swim! It was our last morning in Ravenna, and a few of us went out to the sea at 6:30 to get in one last swim. The sunrise was just peaking over the horizon as we stepped onto the beach. The air was cool and the water was calm. The first few steps were cold and hesitation was seen in the students, but the water became warmer and we walked towards the rocks. Our swimming journey ended however when not only dozens of crabs were seen, but I also spotted a jellyfish (or Medusa in Italian, as one of our Italian friends and hotel entertainer Antonio told us). Suddenly 3 or 4 more were spotted, and we decided that it might not be such a good idea to swim with the jellies. The group decided to take a stroll down the shoreline to start off the morning. It was gorgeous to watch the glistening reflection of the hot Ravenna sun pour across the sea’s surface. Around 7:30 we headed back to the hotel, and joined the rest of the group for breakfast! Bags were packed and brought down to the lobby at 8:45. It was now time to set off to Florence! We boarded the bus, and began our route. We stopped around 10:40 at an Autogrill, where we grabbed snacks and drinks for the rest of our trip. We arrived in beautiful Florence around 12:45, but most of our hotel rooms were not ready. We locked up our bags and the teachers took us to the Leather Market! Stands filled with bags and wallets, shoes and jackets, hand made scarves and belts. The students were given about an hour of free time to roam and shop. The town was filled with people in the main square, but a small town feeling was present. We met back up and headed back to the hotel for our guided tour scheduled at 3:00. Our tour guide Marco took us around to the two main Piazza’s in Florence, and mainly down the main streets. Leather, gold, silver, jewels; the shopping was AMAZING. After our tour, we were given more shopping time. The students explored and found amazing deals. We met back at 6:45, and headed to dinner at a tasty sit-down restaurant. We were served vegetarian lasagna as our first course, then sautéed potatoes and chicken. For dessert, the lights were dimmed and the group sang Happy Birthday to Steven! After a long day, we headed back to the hotel, where the rest of us got our rooms. We settled into our new digs, and students headed to bed after an exhausting day! It’s our last week here in Italy and we’re planning on making it a good one! Thanks for keeping updated! Ciao, Natalie Blake

Thursday, July 21 - our last day in Ravenna :(

Our last day in Ravenna started off with the usual hearty breakfast consisting of croissants, cereal and yogurt. Classes then started at 9 am and were full of interesting and exciting projects! Ms. Stokes and the English class enjoyed a serene class sitting on the comfy bean bag chairs by the beach discussing character traits of Michelangelo in The Agony and the Ecstasy. They then furthered their conversation on his sculptures in the cool refreshing water. The photography class presented their tilt shift assignment which is a special type of perspective and got assigned their self portrait project. They also happily finished HDR! The Classic Civilization class got lectured on the stage and discussed the rise of the Athenian Empire. Andrew supplied the brain food consisting of cookies! Lastly, the Italian class worked very hard on their essays about Volevo i Pantaloni, a book about a young girl who strives for freedom in the 1980s. After a busy morning of hard work, students could be found lounging in the tanning chairs, in the salty water, playing volleyball or grabbing some yummy gelato! Mid afternoon, the Classic Civilization class had their Court of Justice Assignment. Some were lawyers, some were emperors but all wore togas! Also, the English class reconvened right before the aqua fit class to hear the Gr.9`s do their election speeches role playing as characters from the novel Animal Farm. With a heated debate between Squealer the Pig and Benjamin the Donkey, a close vote decided that Benjamin should govern the farm! After the debate, the majority of students hit the pool for Alex and Antonio`s famous aqua fit class. As Georgia Hardy students took over the pool for an hour, we could be seen dancing and exercising to funky beats such as Waka Waka. It was so much fun and the Animation Team was very impressed! Soon after, dinner was served and we were let out for our final night in this awesome town. As a group, we gathered around the local Pasticceria to eat bomboloni, Italian style donuts filled with either cream or Nutella that burst into your mouth as soon as you bit into them! The night was filled with great memories of dancing, eating and even bike riding! Our last day was a great way to end the relaxing week and we cannot wait to see what is in store for us in Florence!

By: Lauren Notarius