Sunday, June 29 - Last day in London

Sunday, June 29 - Last day in London
Our final day in London - We saw the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. We have all arrived safely home. Our flight from London-Heathrow was on Monday, June 30. Now we are recovering from jet lag. But all in all, it was a wonderful trip...the memories will last a lifetime. Thank you, Robson, for planning it for us.

Master's and PhD Candidates from Higher Education at Buckingham Palace

Master's and PhD Candidates from Higher Education at Buckingham Palace
Pictured from left: Robson (Higher Ed Coordinator), Sadrail, Zach, Anna, Bridget, and Mordikai

2007 PhD Leadership Cohort

2007 PhD Leadership Cohort
Pictured from left are four memebers of the 2007 Leadership Cohort who attend the International Study Tour: Cary, Collette, Kay, and Brenda.

2006 PhD Leadership Cohort

2006 PhD Leadership Cohort
Pictured in front of Westminster Abby are Bill and Lisa who are part of the 2006 Leadership Cohort.

June 28, Sabbath at Newbold College

June 28, Sabbath at Newbold College
Pictured in front of Newbold College, the SDA College one hour out of London is part of our group: Yolanda, Nathan, Sadrail, Lisa, Eileen, Zach, Laura, Natasha, Karla, Mordikai, Collette, Robson, Brenda. Sitting: Sadu, Elissa, Rozenia

The Beautiful Newbold Campus!!!

The Beautiful Newbold Campus!!!
The tour of Newbold College was amazing. The grounds previously were visited by King Edward VIII, but in the mid-1950's Newbold College moved from London to the current grounds. Pictured is our group at The Gardens. We all decided that we could live here.

Kings College

Kings College
The highlight of many was to be on the campus of Kings College at University of Cambridge.

Serendipidous Meeting of Andrews University President

Serendipidous Meeting of Andrews University President
We had an unexpected but serendipidous connection with Niels-Erik Andreasen, President of Andrews University, in the heart of Cambridge during our campus tour.

Our Euro Tour

Our Euro Tour
Zach, Karla, Laura, and Natasha point to where our tour has taken us.

Gelato....YUM!

Gelato....YUM!
Due to the fact that it was 90 degrees with 90 percent humity...and that we are in Rome...it was a "requirement" to eat Gelato daily. Pictured are Karla and Bill enjoying gelato at a Gelateria.

Priest-in-training Ted - Our New Friend

Priest-in-training Ted - Our New Friend
Cary, Lisa, Collette, and Brenda make a new friend -- Seminarian Ted. Ted recognizes our "American" accent because, he, too, is from Michigan. Ted gave us a walking tour to the Vatican, by way of the Pantheon (pictured).

La Sapienza University

La Sapienza University
Our group stands in front of a wall-sized fresco painting at Sapienza University with our campus tour guides.

Robson Receives Gift from La Sapienza

Robson Receives Gift from La Sapienza
Natasha, Robson, Eileen, and Laura present talks at La Sapienza University in Rome prior to Robson receiving a copy of the University's founding document/charter. Sapienza is the oldest University in Europe.

Museums, museums, museums...

Museums, museums, museums...
Evelyn and Ellisa take a break at one of our museum tours in Rome.

Understanding the Sistine Chapel Paintings

Understanding the Sistine Chapel Paintings
Prior to entering the Sistine Chapel, our group engages in a brief art history lesson to understand the paintings in the Sisteine Chapel

Vatican Square

Vatican Square
Braving the 90 degree heat, our group visits the Vatican, Vatican Square, St Peter's Basicila, and the Sistine Chapel.

Figuring Out the Rome Transportation System

Figuring Out the Rome Transportation System
Eileen and Anna team up to understand where we are and how we get to the major Roman monuments. They're really good at it!

The Berlin Wall

The Berlin Wall
Four sites of the erect wall still exist. Pictured at the wall is Dina with a local German man.

The Holocaust Memorial

The Holocaust Memorial
The memory of the Holocaust has been memorialized in Berlin by this tomb-like sculputre that spans a city block. Silence and heartache are two common reactions at this memorial site.

Sabbath at the Adventist University at Friedensau

Sabbath at the Adventist University at Friedensau
Der Herr Kommit! means: "The Lord Comes."

Berlin - Visit to Humboldt University

Berlin - Visit to Humboldt University
Friday, June 20, we visited Humboldt University. This is the University from which Eienstein graduated. Yes, we walked the same halls as this renowned person! The tour of the campus was wonderful. What we learned is that the German school system has more stringent entrance requirements, and faculty need to get research contracts to keep their teaching positions.

Meeting the with Administration from Humboldt University

Meeting the with Administration from Humboldt University
We met in one of the Palace Halls at Humboldt University. We learned about the university educational system in Germany

Sipping Espresso at a Corner Cafe

Sipping Espresso at a Corner Cafe
Pictured from left are Collette, Brenda, Lisa, and Laura -- enjoying espresso, crepes, and French Onion Soup in Paris.

Afternoon at the Musee de Louvre

Afternoon at the Musee de Louvre
After the trip to the University of Paris, we were set loose at the Louvre. The weather was perfect! We just kept telling each other: "We're in Paris, and we're at the Louvre."

Tour to Universite Paris - Diderot - June 18

Tour to Universite Paris - Diderot - June 18
We visited the University of Paris - Diderot today. Professor Michel Delamar gave us a presention of the school, and then we were able to ask questions about the school system in Paris.

City Tour in Paris - Tuesday, June 17

City Tour in Paris - Tuesday, June 17
We spent the day touring Paris, and recovering from our rugged trip across "The Pond." Our sightseeing included: The Arc de Triomph; the top of the Eiffel Tower; Cathedral of Notre Dame; and a little bit of shopping.

Our First Night in Paris!

Our First Night in Paris!
This photo speaks for itself...WE'RE IN PARIS!

The 2008 International Study Tour to Europe Begins!

The 2008 International Study Tour to Europe Begins!
We're on our way! Here we are in O'Hare Airport..all ready and excited. We departed on Sunday, June 15 at about 4 p.m. We had to fly through London then to Paris...we arived safely on Monday, July 16, but didn't get to the hotel until about 2:30 p.m. Needless to say, we all took a nap before hitting the Metro for the Eifel Tower at night and a sunset cruise on the River Seine. WOW! What a site! The Eifel Tower at night, is amazing!

Welcome to our Study Tour 2008!

We have embarked on an unforgettable learning journey! We are in Paris right now. We're on a 15-day journey regarding the higher education world in the attractive cities of Paris, Berlin, Rome, and London. We are already experiencing the different cultures and having a lot of fun! See our photos of our daily advenures below.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Our Update So Far...

Hello Everyone,

We are safe in Paris. Our trip was relatively uneventful. The weather has been perfect...cool, breezy, and about 65 degrees.

The flight from Chicago to London was about 6.5 hours, but then we had to layover in London for about five hours, which included customs, baggage claim and re-check-in, and then waiting. Once in the Paris airport, we were met by our driver and tour guide, who took us to the hotel. We were really tired, but....the lure of Paris (Per-ee) got us all up from a short nap so we could enjoy a sunset cruise on the River Seine. Wow!

The sight of the Tower Eifel at dusk, with the lights, and the added blinking light display, was breath-taking! Believe it out not, we didn't get back to the hotel until about 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday (today)!

Our "short" adventure turned into a 6.5 hour memory-making evening. We even stopped at an Italian resturante for pizza. That seems to be the food of choice around here.

Today we toured the City hightlights, ate Pizza, and then returned to the Eifel Tower to assend to the top with a 360-degree breath-taking view of the city.

Yes, this is a study tour...and today we learned about the history of Paris, and some things about the French academic system.

So now that we are rested, tomorrow morning we leave for our first visit to a university -- University of Paris.

Keep checking back to this site. We will update it daily (or as often as we have Internet access).

We miss you all!

Robson (Tour Coordinator)
Brenda (Photographer and Writer)
Lisa (Blogsite Updater)