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.

Sunday, June 29, 2008

London is the last stop of our study tour. We’ve had another jam packed few days full of wonderful experiences. On Friday, we boarded our bus and headed for the picturesque English countryside destination of Cambridge and Cambridge University. Cambridge is a quintessential English village exuding charm and history. With its narrow winding cobblestone streets, quaint buildings and fragrant English roses at every turn, Cambridge village is the perfect setting for the almost 800 year old university. Quite simply, Cambridge was everything we Americans imagined an English village would be. Due to the narrow winding cobblestone streets, our bus driver had to drop us a short walk from the campus so we had a few minutes to enjoy the very picturesque setting on the way to our seminar.

Our Cambridge session was led by Dr. Tao Tao Chang, Head of International Relations. A lively discussion was held on the Bologna Process and Cambridge’s response to this cutting edge initiative. Everyone in our group came away completely charmed by Dr. Chang’s depth of knowledge on not only the topic at hand, but the nuances and subtleties that impinge on such a deceptively simple complex.

Following our time with Dr. Chang, we were treated to a delightful foot tour of the campus which happened to be involved with graduation that day . We were fortunate to see the graduates in their white fur trimmed robes standing with their professors queued up and ready for their graduation processional. Admidst the admiring crowd of family and friends we were suprised to find the president of Andrews University…proving that the world is indeed shrinking! Of course we quickly grabbed him for pictures because we just couldn’t believe we ran into him half way around the world.

It wouldn’t be an SDA study tour in England without a stop at Newbold College for Sabbath worship and a tour of the beautiful campus nestled in the rolling English Countryside. Housed in the former estate of English gentility and right down the road from Windsor Castle, Newbold College is hard at work training future world leaders in theology and languages just to name a couple of their disciplines.

Our last day in the land of the Union Jack found us touring all the major tourist attractions such as the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, climbing the winding narrow stairs at the Tower of London and enjoying the magnificence of Westminster Abbey and Big Ben. Even though there is so much more to see our time has come to an end. It’s time to pack up and head home to process all that we have learned on this trip. A quick survey by this group reporter reveals that not surprisingly far more was learned than just about the Bologna Process. It will be exciting to see where this learning experience will take this group of 26 future world leaders.
Thank you for all your prayers for our safety. We ask for one more for safe travel on the way home.

Peace,
Lisa Greco
Group Reporter