Nice —> Paris

Students on our Nice program have said their goodbyes to those friends headed back home. The last night in Nice was filled with good food, dancing, and laughter!

Those who remain in Europe are enjoying Paris as an extension to their program. Staying right next to the Tour Eiffel, pas mal!

 

So far, students have had a tour of the infamous Red Light District and eaten well at a classic French Restaurant — at Tour Eiffel.

Enchanté, Paris!

Our Western Civ program is saying bonjour to Paris! They arrived in the morning and were able to unpack and relax for a few hours before exploring the city.

This afternoon, students visited the Sacre Coeur located at the top of Montmartre, and then indulged in a delicious crepe dinner! Which would you choose...sweet (nutella & banana) or savory (ham and cheese)?


Check out the Western Civ program blog for more updates: http://abbeyroad-westernciv2012.blogspot.com/

 — at Montmartre.

Leadership Academy Has Kicked Off!

Hello again, Abbey Road students, parents, and followers!

My name is Lizzy Kinnard and I have the privilege of working as Abbey Road's intern on our Leadership Academy program at Stanford University.

What a phenomenal group of students from all over the world! I am amazed at how bright, diverse, and eager they are to learn about international relations, business, public speaking, environmental policy, etc...

Since students arrived last week, we've already toured Stanford, been to San Francisco (Fisherman's Wharf & Golden Gate Park) and captured some great shots of San Gregorio beach! Check out our photos.

Follow the Leadership Academy program blog during the next two weeks to stay updated on what the students are learning and where they are traveling: http://abbeyroad-leadershipacademy2012.blogspot.com/

I can already tell these next two weeks will be fantastic!

Lizzy

Nice -> San Remo

Today our students on the Nice program left France to go to Italy! First stop: San Remo, a beach town with great shopping, a snack bar, and volleyball right in the sand. 

How relaxing it is to have such a great day at the beach. For dinner, students had focaccia, pasta, and tiramisu. Upon arrival back in Nice, they were allowed free time to spend with friends on their last night. No one wants to leave Nice tomorrow and head for home! 

Check out a video of students in Italy here: http://youtu.be/zv4u_bnzItk — at San Remo.

Florence —> Rome

Most of the students on the Florence program have flown home with great memories! However, some students and staff are staying on longer for an excursion to Rome.

Upon their arrival in the eternal city, they walked around the center of Rome and had a pizza dinner! Gelato afterwards, of course... Now they're on to exploring the Jewish Quarter, the Vatican, and the Trastevere. Sounds like a blast!

Check out the group at the "scary" Coliseum and details of their trip here: http://abbeyroad-florence2012.blogspot.com/

 — at Coliseum, Rome.

Raise the Roof for Tapas!

Does your mouth water for Spanish small plates known as tapas? Maybe when your friends come back from our program in Barcelona, they'll make you some! 

After they cooked the tapas, students brought them up to the roof and turned the evening into a chef competition. Prizes were involved! 

Find out more about the students' rooftop tapas gathering on the program blog: http://abbeyroad-barcelona2012.blogspot.com/— in Barcelona, Catalonia.

Saint Tropez & Another Amazing Day!

Yesterday was Saint Tropez, and today was spent à la plage by students in the St-Laurent-du-Var program! They rode tandem kayaks, went parasailing, and flew like fish behind a boat!

The students were surprised by how relaxing the parasailing activity was; on the other hand, the fly fishing/banana boating was quite rigorous! Our students could probably be heard from miles away, screaming and laughing their heads off. 

To hear more about their fun-filled beach day and other activities, check out the program blog here: http://abbeyroad-stlaurent2012.blogspot.com/

 — in Saint-Tropez, Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur.

Goodbye Greece, Hello Italy!

Our Western Civ program is always on the move — the group has departed Greece and entered Italy!

The students have been soaking up history inside the Coliseum, the Forum, and the Capitoline & DaVinci museums, to name a few. Not to mention the individual pizzas they've been enjoying for lunch...


The group departs for Florence (Firenze) tomorrow!

Check out more details about their time in Italy here: http://abbeyroad-westernciv2012.blogspot.com/

Festivities at Fenway

In the words of one of our students at College Prep, the Red Sox vs White Sox baseball game was the "greatest event" of the entire session at Emerson College!

Students and staff were able to feel the home team spirit as Boston won the game, and all were happy that it wasn't cancelled due to rain! 

For those who live abroad, this was a true taste of American sports culture. — at Fenway Park.

Tumblin!

Did you know Abbey Road Programs has a new Tumblr page? Just another great way for you to stay updated on what our students are doing with even more details!


Please follow us on Tumblr and leave comments! We always love to hear how we're doing.


Check it out: http://goabbeyroad.tumblr.com/

Exploring the Centuries in Cadiz

Over the last few days, our students in Cadiz have visited the Castillo de Santa Catalina and La Torre Tavira — prime spots for art, sculpture, music, etc.

The Castillo de Santa Catalina is a 16th Century defensive fortress built along the coast in Cadiz, and today is used as a museum and cultural center. La Torre Tavira is an 18th century tower, built originally as a watchtower for a local merchant, so that he could better see the arrival of ships to the Cadiz port.  Today, the torre houses a camara obscura, which is something of a cross between a pinhole camera and a periscope, and is basically a device that allows one, in a dark room, to view real-time, moving images from the outside world. 

Want to know more about the history and culture of these sites? Check out the Cadiz program blog: http://abbeyroad-cadiztwo2012.blogspot.com/

Leisure in Villefrance

During free time today, some of our students on the Nice program ventured to Villefranche for snorkeling! What's better than une activité de loisirs with urchins and octopi?

The Mediterranean was beautiful, and the students enjoyed splashing around in the water or playing beach volleyball when they weren't closely examining fish.

See some beach photos here! http://abbeyroad-nice2012.blogspot.com/

 — inVillefranche-sur-Mer, Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur.

Travel Along with Abbey Road Students

Do you love hearing what our students on Abbey Road Programs are up to? Experience the food, fun, and friendships firsthand! You can live vicariously through your sons, daughter, friends on Abbey Road programs by checking out what they're eating, where they're shopping, and how they're learning. You can also leave comments! 


Check out our program blogs:

Nice 2012 - http://abbeyroad-nice2012.blogspot.com/

Aix 2012 - http://abbeyroad-aixenprovence2012.blogspot.com/

St. Laurent 2012 - http://abbeyroad-stlaurent2012.blogspot.com/

College Prep 2012 - http://abbeyroad-collegeprep2012.blogspot.com/

Leadership 2012 - http://abbeyroad-leadershipacademy2012.blogspot.com/

Barcelona 2012 - http://abbeyroad-barcelona2012.blogspot.com/

Cadiz Session 1 - http://abbeyroad-cadizone2012.blogspot.com/

Cadiz Session 2 - http://abbeyroad-cadiztwo2012.blogspot.com/

Florence 2012 - http://abbeyroad-florence2012.blogspot.com/

Modern Civ. 2012 - http://abbeyroad-modernciv2012.blogspot.com/

Western Civ. 2012 - http://abbeyroad-westernciv2012.blogspot.com/ — at Abbey Road Programs.

Fútbol Club Barcelona

After Spain's victory in the 2012 Eurocup, it's pretty clear that futbol is a HUGE deal in Spain right now — how lucky that our students in Barcelona were able to visit FC Barcelona's stadium and museum today! 

Students were extremely impressed by the well-manicured lawns and enormous trophies. Who knows what "Més que un club" means? Bet our students in Barcelona do...

Hear more about it at http://abbeyroad-barcelona2012.blogspot.com/

 — at Camp Nou (FC Barcelona).

La Cuisine Provençale

What's better than la cuisine provençale? Not much, according to our students in St-Laurent-du-Var. Sounds like they are having a ball sampling the world's best ratatouille, petits farcis, bouillabaisse, and the list goes on! 


They're trying new foods every day and learning to love the cuisine of southern France. We can't believe the variety of colors, smells, and textures that emanate just from their photos!

Check it out here: http://abbeyroad-stlaurent2012.blogspot.com/

Ciao, Firenze!

Students in Florence must be feeling tired this weekend after ascending the Giotto Bell Tower!

The climb was definitely worth it, as they were able to capture breathtaking photos of Florence such as this one. From the top of the tower, they could see the Tuscan countryside as well as the entire city of Florence. While ascending the steps, the students were able to observe the ornately detailed frescos that adorn the church.

Check out more details on the Florence program here: http://abbeyroad-florence2012.blogspot.com/

Quacking Their Way Through Boston

Our students at College Prep in Boston got to practice their quacking skills today on a Duck Tour. Even in 90 degree weather, they kept their spirits up as they learned about Boston's unique history and culture. Their driver, 'The Great Garibaldi' was a rather quirky fellow who liked to do magic tricks and chat with passing tourists on the street.

They started off on land, and then submerged into the Charles River...one student even drove the duck!

 — at Boston Duck Tours.

Western Civilization is on the Move!

Our Western Civilization program has successfully kicked off! It seems the students love all things Greek — from the salads and gyros, to the Agora, to the Acropolis Museum. Today they learned about the significance behind the museum, and the ways in which Greeks preserve their history and culture. 


After a day of learning about history, they learned their way around the city of Athens firsthand! A group of girls calling themselves "The Dream Team" won tonight's photo scavenger hunt. 


Check out Amelia's blog for more details: http://abbeyroad-ameliakuskin-westernciv2012.blogspot.com/ — at Acropolis Museum - Μουσείο Ακρόπολης.


And check out the Western Civ program blog to stay updated on the group's whereabouts: http://abbeyroad-westernciv2012.blogspot.com/

La Vida Victoria

Tonight, our students in Cadiz spent several hours at the beach chatting and eating ice cream — it was a fun-filled evening and the weather was beautiful! At Playa Victoria, the students were able to catch the sunset and enjoy relaxing time together as a group.

Check out Jessie's blog for more details: http://abbeyroad-jessiebrown.blogspot.com/

Check out the Cadiz program blog here for updates on the whole group: http://abbeyroad-cadiztwo2012.blogspot.com/

Keep checking back for more updates!

Nice Students Experience Chagall Firsthand

Today, Nice students went to  to see the works of world-renowned artist Marc Chagall! Some were familiar with his work and described it as vibrant and meaningful. For others, this was their first interaction with Chagall's work, and they described it as unique and his characters as popping off the canvas. 


To hear more about their experience, check out these blogs:


Alison at http://abbeyroad-alisonborowsky.blogspot.com/

Danielle at http://abbeyroad-danielletomczak.blogspot.com/

Are you familiar with Chagall's work? Want to learn more? Explore the site of the museum they visited! http://www.musees-nationaux-alpesmaritimes.fr/chagall/

Gift Ideas for Your Host Family

Hey Abbey Road students, parents, and supporters! I hope you're getting ready for a phenomenal Summer 2012 with Abbey Road. 


My name is Lizzy Kinnard and I am an alumna of the St-Laurent-Du-Var homestay program in 2009. This summer, as an intern for Abbey Road, part of my job is to make helpful videos that will guide you wherever you travel this summer. 


This video is all about gift ideas for your host family if you are going on a homestay program with Abbey Road. I am sure your hometowns are full of hidden gems — make the gift personal! Of course, it is the thought behind the gift that counts.

Bon voyage!