EUROPE: THE STEAM EXPERIENCE

Program Blog for July 1 - July 12, 2024

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 1

Hello Families and friends!

The STEAM Program has started and we are happy to have all the kids ready to learn and have fun from every experience we will live in these next 12 days. We started our day Marie and I woke up very early to pick up our first traveller at the airport who was arriving at 7:30 in the morning, then the other 3 guys that we were expecting until noon arrived and we took them to the hostel to have lunch and rest a bit. With the guys that had already arrived we went for a walk around our hostel to stretch a bit and get to know the area better. Around 5:30 the other two guys that were missing finally arrived and joined the group!

Before leaving for dinner we started our orientation which consisted of giving them more information about the program and the activities we will be doing throughout the trip as well as explaining the rules and guidelines that this program includes. The place we went for the dinner was a typical London Pub with a beautiful view overlooking the river Thames, everything was very good.

Back to our hostel we had our “Nightly meeting” where we shared the highlights of the day and also it is an opportunity to announce the next day Traveler leader.

Each day we will update you with all of our adventures through this blog.

Stay tuned !

Jonathan & Marie (International Staff)

BLOG POST FOR JULY 3

Today was the beginning of our Steam Experience adventure which began in London. The day prior we all arrived to London Heathrow airport and I actually flew with my boy Nico over from New York and we were exhausted. We met everyone as they flew in and came to our home base in London. In the evening we had a commencing dinner to bond and get to know each other. However our morning met us with a loud atmosphere as we entered the lobby to go eat breakfast. At the same hostel there were multiple groups staying with us so it took us a bit but in the end we ate our first proper English breakfast which consisted of things like toast, eggs, hash browns etc.

Our adventure began as the squad leader (me) directed the group to the metro station of London to take the train, or as the people in England call it, the tube. This was a different experience for most of us, because me for example seeing the London metro station compared to the New York City subway station was a culture shock because of how different the system was. Nevertheless taking the tube was a good way to get to know about the public transport in London and we made our way to Westminster which is where a lot of famous landmarks and places were like the Birmingham Palace and the Big Ben.

When we arrived the first thing we went to go do was see the change of guards but unfortunately it wasn’t happening so instead we immediately left to go check out the Buckingham palace. It was a nice seeing for all of us and this is where we ended up meeting to discuss the Scavenger Hunt, the rules looked like this:

TTN LONDON SCAVENGER HUNT

List of Items:
● Buckingham Palace – The official residence of the British monarch.
○ Take a photo of your team acting/posing as the guards of the palace in one of the gates.
● St. James’s Park – A beautiful park with a lake and views of Buckingham Palace.
○ Take a photo of the Lake with the London eye in the background.
● The Cenotaph – A war memorial on Whitehall.
○ Record a short 15-30 sec video recreating a dramatic movie scene where you show respect for the national war memorial monument to the dead of the First and Second World Wars.
● 10 Downing Street – The official residence of the British Prime Minister.
○ Take a picture of the group posing at the gate.
● Big Ben – The iconic clock tower next to the Houses of Parliament.
○ Take a picture of big ben in perspective as if you were holding it with your fingertips. (or any other funny pose/perspective)
● Westminster Bridge – The famous bridge crossing the riverThames.
○ Take a photo of the group in one the street lamps.
More bonus points! Take a picture of:
● Making a call on a telephone typical telephone cabin.

Our directors Johnathan and Marie split our group into 2 groups of three, three for each director and we went on to do the scavenger hunt around town and it was really fun. Our goal was to try to get a better photo collage than the other group which was decided at the end of the day and will be shared at the end of this blog. After the scavenger hunt we went out again on the tube to go to a place called Hoop and Toy and we ate some nice lunch. I personally ate a big burger and finished it in probably about 20 seconds, but that 20 seconds was the best of my life.

After that tasty lunch we went on a short walk to the London Science Museum where there were multiple exhibits about different science subjects. We ended spending a lot of time in the power up section which included the history of video games but me and Aiden were more interested in catching a W in Fortnite which we ultimately did. Nico caught his first solos win and his aim was so good we thought he had aimbot. After that we went around the whole museum for another hour and then met up with the whole group to go back to the hotel. We took the tube the same way back and before we went back to the hotel, Matt made us stop at Starbucks because he thought it was going to be 50 % off everything, but it’s okay because we drank some good drinks. Including my caramel frappe 🤤🤤.

After we got back to the hotel we had some resting time and then we ate dinner which was chicken gyros and fries which wasn’t actually bad at all. To close the day we had our group activity/nightly meeting and we announced the winner of the scavenger hunt which was Marie’s group (not mine so not that interesting too be honest) and they got to pick some goodies and then we did. For tomorrow our squad leader is going to be Matt.

– Michael ( leader of the day )

BLOG POST FOR JULY 4

We started the day off well rested with a later wake up time, and enjoyed a great typical European Breakfast! With Matt as the leader, we then strolled over to the metro for our first stop: Crime Scene Forensic Analysis! Presented with the dead body of Samuel King, a teacher on a field trip who fell out of a window at the Tower of London, we were tasked to find the perpetrator among a list of his colleagues on the trip with him. To visualize the story, Nico put on a great performance as his coworker Heather when she was being investigated. After a long debate over who the culprit might be, we learned to never use bias when framing someone.

His love-stricken colleague Heather had the most evidence pointed against her, including a bite mark on his hand! Yet, we failed to remember she was not at the scene when Samuel was pushed. It was rather our second most suspicious culprit, Greg, who had had a few too many drinks of beer while on the school trip. With that fun start to our morning, we then headed over to Byward Kitchen for a great Lunch before our trip to the Tower of London.
While some got a regular Chicken Sandwhich, Michael made sure to try the local favorite fish and chips. Remembering what happened during the investigation, we were cautious while being toured by a beefeater at the Tower of London! We learned about the many executions and residents at the area, including the current residents. With some free time to explore, we made sure to check out the Crowned Jules, Weaponry, and various picture-worthy sites.

Nolan, Aidan, and Liam even got tailed by the local raven birds. With the evening coming to a close, we made our way by metro again to a Pub where we enjoyed a big meal of pizza, wraps, and salads before the musical “Wicked.” We had perfectly centered seats to see the duo Glinda and Elphaba’s stories about their characters. We enjoyed a sweet ice cream treat and took a long bus ride back to home base. The gang was so sleepy, we went to bed immediately.

~Matthew Barrett

BLOG POST FOR JULY 5

We woke up this morning bright and early on a sunny London morning, and we headed down for breakfast in the hotel around 8:00, after that we gathered our things and went out for the day. The first thing we did was get on the train from our hotel to Paddington Station, where we then switched to a bigger train to Oxford. The ride took about an hour, and during that hour we decided that we should make a playlist where anyone could add anything they wanted; it ended up being a long, ‘interesting’ mix of songs (many of which were of different languages).

Once we arrived at Oxford, we met with our tour guide Ben (a pretty cool guy) and he took us around the city for about an hour, taking us all around the city, through the scenic historic streets, and the school campus, and showed us a couple of markets. They concluded in a covered market where we grabbed lunch at an amazing pizza place.

After lunch was over we were given free time to shop around the markets and the town, along with the opportunity to walk around the campus a little more in case there was anything we missed.

After making some amazing purchases, we then headed to the Natural History Museum in Oxford, where we walked around and saw all sorts of ancient artifacts and animals, ranging from dinosaur fossils to cutlery sets.

After spending about an hour there, we headed back to the train station for the ride back to London. During the ride, we played cards and listened to music, that was, before everyone fell asleep.

Once arriving back in London, we took another train back to the hotel where we ate dinner and packed all of our things to be ready to ride the train to Paris the next day.

– Nolan

Today was a travel and shopping day for the group. To start the morning we had breakfast at the hostel cafeteria. we then took all of our stuff to the metro and went to Paddington Station where we dropped our bags off and then went to Camden Market. We split up into 2 groups of 3 and went to look at all the shops.

 After that, we got some lunch at one of the food places. Michael and I got Steak sandwiches which were super delicious! We then went back to the Station to get our bags. we went through security which was easy and simple. We found a seat and waited for around an hour for our train to board. We got on the train and pretty much all of us slept the whole time.
We arrived in Paris and got off the train, our driver was waiting and very nice. we the. drove through the city to the hotel. We checked in the quickly dropped our bags off in our rooms as we were late for dinner.

We wrapped up the day by eating at a great French restaurant. the food was amazing. Overall it was a jam-packed day of activities but very fun.

– Nico

BLOG POST FOR JULY 6
We woke up at around 7:50 am, and headed down to breakfast at 8:00. Breakfast was a upgrade compared to London. Because it has crepes, Croissants, and overall a lot better. After breakfast at around 9:00 we headed down to the train station to head to Versailles.
Before going into the Palace, at around 10:30, we stopped into a nearby market to look around and some of us bought some stuff. Next we went to have lunch at a crepe themed spot. Food in France IS REALLY GOOD! No matter what you choose, their is nothing you can go wrong with.
We then did some group bonding and went back to get some of the best crepes ever. Most of us got Nutella filled crepes. After that, at around 1:30, we headed across the street to The Palace of Versailles. We toured though almost all of the open parts of the palace. Where we saw the Kings and Queens bedrooms. The palace had lots of open, long, indoor walkways. At around 4:00 we left the palace and made our way into an “Automobile” museum (carriage museum).
It was interesting to see the different types of carriages their were. After that we headed towards the train station to head to The Eiffel Tower. We arrived to The Eiffel Tower at around 5:30, it is way cooler in person than photos because it is really big. We then walked around, got some AMAZING macaroons, ate a snack.
Then went out to dinner, where we shared a charcuterie board which was extremely good then our main meals came and they were delicious. France currently has first for best food. After dinner we headed back to the Eiffel Tower at around 6:30 and went up the elevator to reach the top (would have used stairs but didn’t 😢). When we reached the top we had our own photo shoot by Johnathan who could become a professional photographer.
Some of us bought some stuff at the gif shops their. Later at 10:00 the sunset and we got some good photos, and later while we were waiting for the Tower to sparkle at 11:00, we went and got some food, and drinks. Then we watched the Tower sparkle which was cool.
After that we headed down. Most of us took the stairs down and the other took the elevator, the ones who took the stairs best the elevator by around 3 minutes (elevator takes like 1 min, and stairs took around 5). Sadly when we reached the ground the sparkling had finished but we still had a good view of the Tower. 11:30 we made our way to the train station where there was an obsurd line to get through. Got back to hotel at around 12:30 and now I am finishing this at 1:30 am.
 -Liam

BLOG POST FOR JULY 7
 Today we went to 2 very popular museums in the city of Paris. We also had some extremely tasty food at restaurants that were not French.
The first museum we went to was the biggest museum in the world, Le Louvre. Le Louvre has very famous statues and paintings like the Mona Lisa and the Winged Victory. We were able to experience all of these beautiful masterpieces of art. We also had fun while doing it as we had a Scavenger Hunt as well.
This is the list of art we had to find in the museum.1. **Find the Mona Lisa (La Joconde)**
– **Hint**: Look for the large crowd and the famous smile.2. **Identify the Winged Victory of Samothrace**
– **Hint**: This statue depicts the Greek goddess Nike and is positioned at the top of a grand staircase.3. **Locate the Venus de Milo**
– **Hint**: This ancient statue of the goddess Aphrodite is missing both arms.4. **Discover the Coronation of Napoleon by Jacques-Louis David**
– **Hint**: A grand painting depicting Napoleon crowning himself as emperor.

5. **Find the Code of Hammurabi**
– **Hint**: An ancient Babylonian stele inscribed with one of the earliest known sets of laws.

6. **Spot the Great Sphinx of Tanis**
– **Hint**: This ancient Egyptian statue is a large sphinx with a lion’s body and a human head.

7. **Identify the Liberty Leading the People by Eugène Delacroix**
– **Hint**: A painting commemorating the July Revolution of 1830 in France.

8. **Find the Apollo Gallery**
– **Hint**: A lavishly decorated gallery showcasing French crown jewels.

9. **Locate the Seated Scribe**
– **Hint**: An ancient Egyptian statue of a scribe in a seated position.

10. **Discover the Raft of the Medusa by Théodore Géricault**
– **Hint**: A dramatic painting depicting the aftermath of a shipwreck.

There was 3 teams between the 6 of us so there was pairs. The pairs were based on your roommates in Paris. My roommate was Michael. The others were Nico and Liam, Nolan and Matthew. We had to take pictures of the art and you could get extra points if you had a silly picture of you with it. Some teams were not as good as others as some teams didn’t find everything. But me and Michael found everything. Besides the Scavenger Hunt and the art the buildings in Le Louvre were beautiful. Only downside of the artistic long hallways that we had to walk down.

Speaking of walking we had to walk to the metro to get to our next destination. Which was the other museum called Cité des Sciences et de L’industrie. But before we actually went to the museum we had lunch at an Italian restaurant that had très bien pasta. After lunch we headed to the museum. The museum was pretty big and modern. It has a plant area to learn about different plants. It had a place to learn about robots and a place just for video games. Also, the museum had a whole submarine to go through although it was cramped and our group had a lot of tall people. At the end of our stay at the museum, we watched a movie of how it is to be in a spaceship. It was in a cool theater where the screen was all over the ceiling. Although I don’t remember much about the movie as I took a little nap and I think others did too. After that, we went back to the hotel as everyone was tired. So for a couple of hours we just stayed at the hotel then we had dinner. The dinner was at an American restaurant called Indiana Cafe. They had multiple things like burgers, salads, and burritos. The food was pretty good and had great portions. After dinner, we headed back to the hotel to end our day. It was a good day with many things to see and learn.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 8

Today started off as a sleepy morning as all of us were really tired waking up for breakfast, especially for Liam and Nico who didn’t even wake up for breakfast with us and slept through it. Nevertheless, we all ended up waking up thankfully and we headed off to Montmartre on the metro. When we arrived in Montmartre we split into two groups to walk around and look around at the shops, artwork, and cafe. My group (Michael) ended up sitting at a cafe and drinking coffee and tea which was a really calming experience. After this, we did some shopping on the hill and discovered some cool things. Then, we went down a long set of stairs to our lunch spot which was called Un Zebre a Montmartre. This was a really good lunch spot. A lot of us ended up getting a steak which was really delicious and the group enjoyed it a ton.

The waiter even had a cute kid following him around helping with the orders! Traveling by metro once again, we found ourselves amazed by the gigantic Arc de Triomphe! We got a rewarding view of the city after many flights of stairs to the top. Then, we made sure to check out the Champs-Élysées shopping street. With many designer stores, we had to make sure we didn’t spend too much! Nico and Liam were especially intrigued by the Rolex store. After spending a big sum of money at Lululemon, Zara, and Citadium, *cough cough* $500, we took the metro to home base. Jonathan and Marie thought it was a good time to complete an activity where we talk about our first expectations and fears of the trip, and how we’ve overcome them. Finally, we ended the day off with many laughs from Matthew and company by visiting Villa Saint Jacques for dinner like we did the first night since it was our personal favorite. With our bellies full of Penne Carbonara, we headed off to bed early for our travels to Switzerland the next day!

Matthew and Michael

BLOG POST FOR JULY 9

We woke up on our last morning in Paris, ate breakfast at the hotel, and quickly gathered our things to get ready for Switzerland. After that, we hopped on the Paris metro to the train station. At the train station, some decided to go grab a Starbucks before climbing aboard. The train was a solid three hours, and lunch was on the train; luckily Marie got us sandwiches, croissants, and cakes for the ride (which were amazing). Besides that, we got to watch the amazing scenery of the French countryside and the small part of the Switzerlands nature that is between the border and the city. After arriving and getting off the train, we grabbed the tram to the hotel. Next, we checked into the hotel that had huge windows and tall ceilings. Not to mention the windows had blinds that would go down and close by itself. So we chilled in our hotels for an hour or two to rest. After those hours were up we headed to our next destination which was a chocolate shop.

The shop had a place in the back where you could make sweet chocolate. So we were there to make chocolate with the help of the owner of the shop. We all made chocolates that had different designs on them like our names. We also got to put things in the chocolates like raisins and hazelnuts. Most of the chocolates turned out well and we were able to keep them to eat. Overall it was a fun experience learning how to make chocolate. Since we had a couple hours after we decided to go to the beach of Lake Geneva, which is the biggest lake in western Europe. The lake was pretty with its light blue water and mountains in the background.

Although the beach was very crowded as it is a good place to relax. We went into the water to play and lay on the grass part of the beach since there were a lot of people. After the lake, we went over to dinner to have delicious crepes. The crepes were very good but also kind of expensive since Switzerland is a high-income country. Then after dinner, we headed back to the hotel to finish our day by sleeping. We had a fun day making chocolates, playing in the water, and I guess traveling on the train.

Nolan and Eiden

BLOG POST FOR JULY 10

Today we had to be up by 9:00 for breakfast, we then left at 9:45 to go shopping at nearby stores. After that we went into a church, where we walked it and got good photos at the top. We then at around 12:30 left for lunch, we had lunch at the Red Cross. It was a buffet styled which most of us liked.

After lunch we went to the UN and got a tour of all the cool landmarks we even got too see and listen to 2 assemblies that were in progress. Then we went to the beach and hung out there for a while where we swam, messed around, and tanned. Towards the end the day, we went to dinner where we had some amazing cheese fondue and other great french dishes. After that we went back to hotel and went to bed.

– Liam