Baldworth,

My wife and I take students to Europe every 2 years. We allow a lot less drinking on our trip than was on yours, but we do try to take them to the Hofbrau Haus one evening (and control them closely). The past few trips the management would throw out any American kid under 18 and they checked ID's. Did your group get bothered about the kids under 18? Of course this is just their rule because the German beer drinking age is 16.

No, there was no check at all and we had two kids who were only 14 and one of them looked his age. He was allowed to drink all over the place without any restriction. Remember, my group started at 19 and went up to 25 with one who almost drank nothing at all. The kids drinking were part of the 50 altogether. If I took kids to Europe I wouldn't take anyone below 17 and the drinking would have to be under my supervision, not go anywhere and do whatever. This is a saga of pretty good kids overall who were allowed in some cases to run free, and in other cases as you will see were very manipulative as a learned skill, with the parent telling the group leader that her kids (on the phone)were responsible, well behaved kids who knew how to be adults. I put up with some ridiculous behavior but 99% of it came from outside my group.

Baldworth

I am, quite frankly, shocked that anyone in any type of group would let 14 year old kids drink!! Even 16!!

I think that Baldworth means that the students in his/her direct care were a bit older, but in the EF group at large, there were younger students. This would really not be at his discretion to control.

It is a tricky situation bringing teens to Europe, where options to drink can be available. I received quite a few comments on this board about the fact that with my school group, students sign a contract stating they are not allowed to drink during our trips.

I guess everyone has a different opinion on this...

%%-

The whole idea of forbidden fruit is often behind the excess. French young people are drinking less and less alcohol because it is considered a thing that old people do. However, France is very repressive about cannabis and French high school students are the biggest consumers in Europe.

I just came back from two EF trips myself. We encountered a few of the same "problems" Baldworth. It's funny to see someone else also having to deal with teenagers' curiosity about drinking. Before we leave on our trips I get the parents to sign an agreement to allow their kids a "cultural experience" in case we visit the Hofbrauhaus or an Italian vineyard. I target kids I know pretty well and also try to include as many parents as possible. For the most part we are kept so busy that there isn't much time for such nonsense.

Most of the few negative experiences I've had with EF was when my groups were smaller than 25 people and we were thus grouped with other students from elsewhere. Now I try to schedule trips where I know I can generate enough interest to lure 25 or more people into my group. Then we get our own bus and can work with the Tour Director to customize what we see and do.

Baldworth's story about the scramble for front seats is all too familiar. We once had a wicked argument with another group leader who was ticked-off because we were "hogging" the front seats. My feeling was that if my group was industrious enough to get up early, eat breakfast, bring out their bags and get on the bus first, they deserved to sit wherever they wanted.

My wife, much more accomodating than me, suggested an alternating day schedule. The next morning the other group could get on the bus first and pick seats. And guess where they decided to sit the next day? That's righ, in the back where they could sleep or listen to their Walkmen and Ipods in privacy.

Personally, I love these EF trips. Like Baldworth I can't afford to take trips to Europe each summer on my salary. By putting together these large groups and pinching pennies ten months a year I can now afford to see and do things I could only dream about before. I've read a few posts on this website where people bitched about lousy food and crummy hotels, but I find the accomodations to be improving every year I go. My tour directors have been nothing short of fantastic and really give the kids a chance to interact with a "real European". Our group had a great time razzing our German tour director during the World Cup. We couldn't have cared less about who won but we loved to give him a hard time. Not only did he keep us informed about what sites we were seeing and anecdotes about life in Europe but he regaled us each day with wacky stories from his own wacky life.

EF is the cheapest way for most students and their families to enjoy a European vacation. I don't see anything wrong with introducing as many kids as possible to another way of life. When they graduate then get rich maybe they'll come back to Europe on their own or on an expensive Perrillo or Trafalgar tour. If just one of them comes up to me a few years down the road and says "Thanks for turning me on to travel" I will feel like I accomplished something good.

Thank you Zeus. I couldn't have said it better myself. I will probably never be able to get 25 or more together but I'll keep doing something with what I have and take my chances with the others. If I take kids that I don't know very well I'll have some sort of agreement to be signed spelling out the drinking arrangements and limitations. I had one kid who drank too much occasionally but was never out of control. I really wouldn't have had a problem with the amount of drinking except that the young ones shouldn't have even been there and one kid was a Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde and we didn't know it just yet.

I went back to work today and so the rest of this trip report will come as I can get it done. I apologize if it takes me awhile. I got all of my pictures organized so if you really want to see for yourself what we did email me at [email protected] and I'll send you the link. Don't ask if you are not really interested. I'll get the report done as I can.

Baldworth

Day 11 -

Leaving Venice which was a favorite in many ways for several in our party and headed for Rome. I consider Venice to be a very unreal place as it mainly exists now as a tourist attraction with very few people actually living there. It is a lovely monument to the past and I enjoy its history but you have to be aware that if the tourism stopped it would fold up and wither away. Someday I'll have to go and stay at least one night overnight in Venice itself and try to see if it really does feel different after all of the day trippers and cruise shippers have gone for the day. Rome, on the other hand, is in my opinion a very vibrant city that is very alive. It may be dirty in places and look like it is crumbling in other places but you can feel the heartbeat as you wander its streets and discover its many fountains and sights. I had expected to like Rome for its history and found two years ago that it captured my heart in many other ways. But, enough about that. I have a story to tell and this is the most outrageous chapter if not the most interesting.

The early morning risers were on hand waiting for a chance to jump on the bus and reserve seats in the front away from the rising temperatures in the rear of the bus. The heat and humidity of Venice had let everyone know they were facing worse temps as we headed south. I thought the other chaperone in my party was going to melt away at times as she was not equipped for the heat and often looked very pale as she fanned herself when it wasn't even hot yet. The choice seats in locations where you could stretch out a little were also taken by certain teenagers that rushed from breakfast to follow the bus driver with packed cary-ons in hand. Our TD, Jonny, had suggested a seat rotation when we had left Holland that seemed a little silly at the time but was now becoming almost a necessity if the air conditioning system was not going to work any better than it had been. Geoff the driver had spent the day while we were in Venice cleaning the vents and seeing if he could improve the air output in the back of the bus but had only improved the situation a little. It was obviously not his fault.

One sight amazed those of us who were awake as we left Venice and traveled through Northen Italy, fields of sunflowers. Sometimes there would be a small patch of an acre or so and sometimes there would be ten to fifteen acres devoted to sunflowers in various stages of growth but mostly at full height and brilliance. They were beautiful and most of the bus missed it as they had been out the previous night dancing and were now trying to make up for lack of sleep as usual. Some had even slept in the hall as they were locked out of their rooms by those who didn't go and went to bed much earlier. It is a fairly long drive from Venice to Rome made longer by the ride in a hot bus but also shorter by the wonderful stops every two hours in those wonderful Italian travel stops. Nowhere in any other country have I found anything to compete with the size and variety of things available in an Italian travel stop. The good ones have a full selection of cheeses, meats, wines and liquors, books and magazines, every kind of snack food imaginable including many American brands, batteries, made to order sandwiches and pasta, you name it and they probably have it and most of it is fresh. It just makes the time spent traveling more pleasant when you have that to look forward to along the way. We made good time and actually got to Rome about 4:00, ahead of schedule.

We departed from the bus and decided to visit a church that is not far from the main train station in Rome that also doubles as the center of the two metro lines that run underneath. It was a fairly short walk through numerous old sights to an interesting church that we hda visited two years before fo the same reason. The train station was to be our meeting point for the next two days for some meals and other things. After the church we walked to a familiar place for dinner, the same one we had eaten at two years before and one that I was looking forward to. I had asked before the tour if we were going to have a repeat of one of the best experiences in Italy, being sung to in Italian in a restaurant. As it turns out this was the night. It was hot in the room but we ordered a caraffe of wine and watched as a little guy with a guitar began to enter the room and sing every cheesy, recognizable song that most Americans usually equate with Italy. I don't know if they had passed along the word that I was expecting something like this but everytime the guy looked at me he began to laugh out loud, in the middle of his songs! He was too much and we laughed along with him as he went through Thats Amore, O Solo Mio, Volare, Funiculi' Funicula', and Arrivederci Roma. Of course we tipped him well and took pictures with him but I still don't know if he saw me coming or something else just struck him or what but he laughed right through most of his set. It was great.

We wandered a little after dinner and then boarded the bus to find our hotel. This was no easy task. Our hotel, Hotel Villa San Guisto, was in the suburbs beyond the end of the metro line and not easy at all to find. Our bus driver turned around at least five times while looking for the place and in the process totally messed up any chance I might have had at knowing exactly where we were by sight. All that I knew at this point was that we had gone beyond the Vatican and traveled down a main street for about ten minuts before going in circles and confusing everything. When we did arrive it was good to see that we actually had some air conditioning in the rooms and they were comfortable if not cool. WE broke out the wine and sat up sipping as long as things were moving, trying to outlast the kids who needed to get some sleep and stop trying to see how long they could stay up each night. There was nowhere to go an not much to do but clean up and shower off the dust and dirt accumulated on our trip southward in Italia. The next day would prove to be one of the best and worst on the trip or at least a day of extremes.

Baldworth

Great trip report - this is like a russian novel! Please do not leave us hanging!

I am glad you had a fun tour. It sounds like you know how to roll with the blows and not let minor problems on the trip get you down, that's the sign of a good traveller. Lucky for you that you weren't in charge of the trip and the kids.

As someone who has taken and chaperoned about a dozen of these trips over the years with my wife, I do have some comments about EF Tours and about controlling student drinking, but I'll hold off for a while. I'm waiting to hear how the rest of the tour went.

ttt Hopefully more tomorrow.

Baldworth

Day 12 - Friday June 30 Rome, Italy

Very good breakfast at the hotel. Italian coffee is usually excellent and we needed an early start in order to get into the Vatican before the line got too long. We were in line by 7:45 and received our "Whisper" headsets shortly thereafter. This was a great innovation for city guides and tour groups because our guide could speak in a normal voice and we could hear him easily. Our guide "Maximillian" also informed us to keep our line together so that no one could cut in and break in line. This was tried several times by individuals and groups but we kept them out. It can be very annoying when you have been standing in line for 30 minutes or an hour and someone sneaks in. Max began his habit of asking questions about the Vatican as a way of informing the group and making them think but wouldn't let me answer as he quickly learned that I knew most of the answers. He began to call me "Professori", which I thought was special but came to find out just means teacher. It was hot in much of tVatican except for particular rooms that house objects that must stay cool so they are sealed and air conditioned. There is an entire hallway filled with nothing but maps of the then known world and another filled with sculptures. We didn't get to visit the courtyard where the giant pine cone stands as well as Michealangelo's moses and other excellent statues but I had done this before and no one else seems to know.Max asked me if we needed to see the Raphael room because it was so hot and I knew that it was not only my favorite but what several people had expressed interest in so it was a must, no matter the heat. The School of Athens, if you have never seen it is an amazing work that depicts most of the great thinkers of the ancient greek world but uses faces of then known artists such as Da Vinci, Michealangelo, Raphael, Pope Julius, and others. Some of those depicted are Socrates, Plato, Euclid, and Aristotle. It is my personal favorite fresco.

I'll get to the Sistine Chapel and the rest of the day later. Family calls, sorry.

Baldworth

OK, back to finish day 12 I hope.

We finally made it to the Sistine Chapel which is as far as I am concerned one of the wonders of the world. It is an amazing sight and becomes even more amazing the more you know about it. Over the last year I read "Michealangelo and the Pope's Celing" which added a lot of detail and historical perspective to the work. I much prefer Raphael as a person but Michealangelo was clearly a cut above everyone else and even Raphael realized it and added him to "The School of Athens" almost as an afterthought. If you ever get the chance, see it.

After the Vatican and lunch we went to the Coliseum, another wonder, and heard from Max about Rome's recycling project or the way that the travertine stone was stolen and reused in many different places, usually to build churches, until the Coliseum was named a sacred place by one of the popes and then considered off limits. After the Cliseum we wanted to see the mouth of truth so we got our map and took off on our own. From there and a line of Japanese tourists we went to find the Pantheon, another wonder since it is in the best shape of any almost 2,000 year old building I am aware of. The light itself is amazing coming as it does from the oculus or hole in the ceiling. We took a gelato break which reminds me, always get gelato in Italy from a vendor that only sells gelato whenever possible. Ours was fantastic and revitalized us for our trip to Piazza Navona and the Four Rivers Fountain. Thgis was something I had wanted to see ever since we returned two years ago. The piazza is huge and actually has two fountains but the Four Rivers is the best. Next to Trevi it is the most spectacular fountain in Rome IMHO. From there it was time to double back towards the Victor Emmanuel II monument or "The Wedding Cake" as the Italians referred to it when it was built. Next to the building are Michealangelo's steps leading to a raised area with a statue of Marcus Aurelius and other statues. S almost ran in front of a bus crossing the street and for a split second I thought I was going to have to compose a letter to her mother explaining how she had become the newest hood ornament on one of Rome's city buses. We all made it across the road and to the statue. After we even met the bus before it picked up evryone else and got the front seats for the ride to the restuarant, a first. Dinner was Pizza Margerita and very good. We informed the TD that we were not going back to the hotel but would be staying in the city to see it at night. That morning I had gotten what I thought were explicit directions on how to get to the hotel from the end of the subway line. More on that later. We left the main group, without N who was tired and wanted to go back to the hotel and sleep, and went out in search of Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, Piazza del Popolo, and in general a feel of Rome at night. Each of our stops was spectacular and we went at our leisure snacking along the way as we wished. Our pictures are great, especially of Trevi. By the time we got to Piazza del Popolo it didn't even matter that much that it was being redone and was mostly covered with tarp[s looking like the features. Next stop, the subway and then home.

Big problem! The metro was closed due to the World Cup. Did I mention the World Cup? It was down to the round of 8 and Italy won their match while we were wandering around Rome that night. The city was now celebrating and we were trying to figure out which bus would take us to the spot where the metro ended. I was confused and got us on the wrong bus to begin with. S figured out the direction and we got on the correct bus and out to the site. We then had to figure out the next bus, there were now three instead of two,and we realized at some point that we were missing a key piece of information, the name of the stop. The buses didn't match up very well with the info we were given and we had many discussions about which one and where to as this one was only phase two and wouldn't take us to the hotel. We finally got on a bus, rode six stops as we had been told, and got off. We didn't have a clue as to where we were. We walked the entire length of a street with the echoes of revelry in the background. It had sunk in that Italy was going to the semi finals of the WC and it was beginning to show. We emerged from our street in front of a Gelateria and S and I went inside. In her first year of college textbook Italian she attmpted to ask where we were and where our hotel was. They spoke almost no English. WE spent the next 45 minutes trying to communicate with as many as 25 different people in and out of the Gelateria as they recruited different ones to help them find out about cabs, directions, and where our hotel actually was. These people couldn't have been nicer. They had several cell phones working and kept coming up with the same answers; all of the cabs were tied up and would be for at least another hour and no one knew where our hotel was. We were stuck.

Life calls again. I'll be back in awhile to finish the night's adventure.

Baldworth

LOL baldworth...you are a good sport and a fantastic traveller!! I do hope you will find time to give us the rest of the saga as to "how we finally got to our hotel, whereever it was"!

OK, so day 12 continues.

We were lost in a suburb of Rome called Moska ( I still don't know exactly where it is)and we have been there for about 40 minutes and communicated back and forth with S's very limited college Italian and some English by one of the teenagers who take turns talking to us and screaming at every car that goes by honking its horn and waving a full size Italian flag. The city is alive with celebration and we just want to get back to our hotel. The guy who I believe owned or at least ran the Gelateria with his sister finally says in decent English, "...I know where!" he appeared to have figured out where our hotel was and was offering to take us there in two shifts because he had a small car and there was only the backseat to fit us in. By this time and with all of the effort that was being put into finding us a way back, I felt like we knew these people well enough to trust them for a ride. We split into two groups, L and R and ST in the first and me and S in the second also putting an adult in each group. They piled into the back of his economy car and left. Twenty minutes later he was back and ready to take us as well. With many goodbyes and thank yous in both languages we got into the back of the car and headed to the Hotel San Guisto. We attampted some conversation but he kept saying "My English not so good" and we kept mostly quiet. When we arrived I thanked him vehemently and tried to give him 20 euro for the ride and all of the help that he and his sister had been but he refused and told us thank you for the good time. It was just one of those experiences that you could never plan and wouldn't ask for unless you knew the outcome in advance but wouldn't take anything for once it is over. It was truly a human thing. Several Italians helped us out because they were nice people and they perceived us to be the same. Across languages and cultures we communicated an some level and all felt better afterward. Whew!

We got back and expected to walk in and not only be well received but have the story of the night to tell. How wrong can you be? N met us at the gate and began immediately to tell us about the events that had unfolded while we were wandering around Rome and lost.

Sorry, life calls again. Be back in a little while.

Baldworth

Oh my...the "plot" is thickening!!!! Can't wait to hear the rest. Isn't serendipity wonderful!!!! People everywhere can be just great.

Ah baldworth, why I love the people in Italy. I can imagine the wonderful help you received..and although Italians always overwhelm me with their kindness and I am not shocked that Italians got you and your group to your hotel.

Now for the next istallment of this drama..please, don't make us wait until tomorrow, lol.

I'm back. Cleaned out a few gutters while my middle daughter mowed the backyard.

Where were we? Oh yeah, we got back with anticipation of telling a great story of being lost in the city and being saved by the owners of the Gelateria and ... no one cares. The hotel is in turmoil because someone has broken a toilet in one of the rooms and the manager is raving about payment and everyone who is staying in that room is denying any knowledge. The TD has had enough and gone to bed to let the group leaders handle the situation, one of the students, BE, remember him, has gone off at the mouth calling another group leader everything and anything and telling him repeatedly to F off with HIS group leader sitting next to him defending him. The whole place had gone crazy and I thought nothing could top this. Wrong! About 1:00 two Italian guys show up at the gate to "visit" one of the California girls who they had met during the day. The girl, who is 16 and is joined by our trip drama queen who always seems to be in the middle of evrything problematic wants to let the guys in and expects me to believe that her group leader has told her it was OK!

Deep breath! She actually expected me to believe that! The hotel manager has asked me to help out because I am still up and the only other group leader is too busy defending the ranting BE to be of any help. The guys don't want to listen to me but finally leave when four of us all go to the gate and tell them the police will be called if they don't leave immediatly. I feel as if I have helped out the manager which could help the whole damage situation when everthing is reconciled in the morning. I only found out about BE going off on B when I got to my room and accidently woke B up. One of my students, B, was in the room with the broken toilet and it had to be paid for, 50 euros. The next morning I loaned N the cash and BE's group leader paid for his with whatever arrangement for later I'll never know. The manager was in a better mood and we actually sat at two tables for breakfast (ours was full). I helped Geoff load the bags on the bus and we put this episode behind us. My group had some great memories of being lost and found in Rome after a night spent seeing how different a city can be at night and some serious turmoil was building between some of the others on the tour. I hope that I included everything. It was one of the craziest days of my life and most of the zany part hadn't even started until 11:00 pm!

Baldworth

Holey moley!!!!!!!! Some of those kids needed more time on the naughty mat years ago!!!!! I wouldn't have been able to deal with that. I would have smacked somebody up the side of the head. You are a patient person, yes indeed.

You and me both crefloors!! Good grief baldworth, are you going to do one of these EF tours again?

You must have been exhausted the next day..I sure would have been.

I have come to conclusion that if I were a young woman today I would not have a baby..I just couldn't put up with the attitudes a lot of our young people have today although I know there is some great young people. But with my luck...nope, I wouldn't make it as a mother in today's world, lol.

Is there more to your trip report baldworth? I do admire you and how you handled all of the problems.

Yes there is more to this story. It was a 23 day tour through Europe and we have only finished day 12. There is more idiotic behavior from BE, more nonsense from the drama queen, broken toes and broken beds, etc... I am only half way through. I even forgot about the night one of B's kids walked into an open window in the hotel in Venice/Lido and opened a gash that required several stitches. Our Td reacted immediatly and made the necessary calls and took him to the hospital quickly. This was the same kid who lost his wallet in Holland and was considered to be one of the more responsible kids on the tour.

For the answer to the other question yes, I would go again and take another group of kids. I will probably do my next tour in about three years when my youngest turns 17 and is ready for her senior year in high school. Even with all of the nonsense we had a great time and it was a growing experience for everyone including the group leaders. My room-mate B learned that he needs to get to know the kids a little better before he goes again and not to take anyone below 17. I would do it all over again tomorrow. This is the only way I can afford to see Western Europe on a teacher's salary and I'm not about to let a few unruly kids or odd occurences keep me from sharing the sense of personal growth and wonder that comes from seeing historical places and different cultures. Bring it on!

Baldworth

PS - more later.

I understand...and for being a teacher, you get the gold star for sure!!!! I wouldn't and couldn't. Someone would end up dead and it wouldn't be me!!! LOL

Day 13 -

We started on the road to Florence from Rome with the same morning routine, the earlybirds got out to the bus and stood at the door with bags in hand to get the seats in the front and middle with the air conditioning and ability to stretch out while those of us who were still having coffee or helping load bags or some other bit of necessary responsibility were doomed to the back and the heat. Today would be somewhat different though. Another group leader from California would be in the back for the second time and he, not being as tolerant as I, would complain when we stopped for a bathroom break. We had a lunchtime trip to Assissi planned and stopped just before arriving there to visit another store where they would offer truffles, wine, and various kinds of liqueurs. It took about 45 minutes and there was plenty to taste.

We went to Assissi afterwards for lunch and a trip to the cathedral. We had an assigned time and place to meet before and after going through the cathedral. When it was time to go through the cathedral, four of the girls were missing. When it was time to leave for the bus, four of the girls were missing. B walked back through the town, Jonny walked from the fron of the town to the back and a couple of the students even volunteered to help. The girls were found in the right place but an hour later than the assigned time. Another case of irresponsible behavior derived from talking and not listening when the instructions were given. We had come within a few minutes of calling the police to help in the search. Our drama queen was one of the four late girls.

We left late but got back on our way to Florence where the bus driver would again attempt to correct the air conditioning problem without much success. The hotel would prove to be exactly the right thing at the right time. It was a large hotel right next to the Arno River, ten minutes walk from the center of Florence, across the river from the Piazzale de Michealangelo, with very good air conditioning, and four other EF groups staying there! We weren't going to overwhelm anyone. We could stay in a nice hotel and just enjoy the city without worrying about being loud or keeping anyone up late. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief! I got the best night's sleep I'd had in two weeks aided by a little Limoncelllo and watched a WC game as most of the kids went to the disco, led by my daughter.

Oh, by the way, B had a very stern talk with the girls who had made us late in Assissi and everyone took it well, except for the drama queen who was in tears. And, B had missed part of dinner the night before trying to get the drama queen money from Western Union because she ahd spent everthing she had and momma was sending her more. Momma had called him and kept him on the phone as we were trying to leave the restuarant the first night in Rome as she was going on about how her daughter was not being treated well. You get the picture. The plot was building again.

So, what a mystery why some of the kids are irresponsible and don't behave or have respect. Was someone able to set Mama straight? I doubt it.

I do get the picture baldworth, the same kind of parents that we have here in my city and consquently why we have "it is all about me" kids.

I had a student who was placed with a lovely, accomodating family in St.Petersburg. Everyday we came together at school, and the student would complain about the previous night's activities. It actually got to the point of me finding her host at school to talk, and found out that this girl- T- had been going to movies, cafes, etc- basically experiencing life as a St.P teen.

Unfortunately, this girl wanted nothing to do with the socializing, and wanted to sit home and watch the DVDs she had brought (along with the mini DVD player mom bought her for the trip). Finally we told her host that as long as she wasn't home alone, she could just stay home!

Before the trip, I really enjoyed this child, and I still do- but now I have a different perspective.

<i>On the bus ride home from the airport, she put in her order with mom for Red Robin to be picked up for her (she didn't like the food, either).</i>

As they say, there is one in every group!

I am enjoying your story Baldworth! Thanks for sharing- I think I would still consider taking an EF tour with a group.

%%-

Our drama queen had a portable dvd player which didn't come into play until later, at least I didn't run into it until later. There must have been 30 ipods and these were shared, one plug for each, quite often with music and tv shows. It actually was a quiet way for them to entertain themselves but they missed a lot of things outside the bus and too often had them on when information was being given, either on the bus or with a city guide. It is a shame. I don't have time for a day report right now but hopefully will later. I have to take my younger two (14 and 16) shopping for basic school supplies and finish their clothes shopping my wife began earlier in the week.

It occured to me that I didn't explain something very well. While we were lost in Rome is when the toilet broke. The room was inhabited by four guys, BE, N, and two of the California guys one 14 and the other our comic relief for the tour G, who is probably the one who broke it in the first place. When my room-mate B approached BE and his group leader to let them know that Jonny our TD had gotten the amount for the toilet and that it had to be paid by those in the room per EF policy, that is when BE went off on him and refused any responsibility. He took the situation back to the couch in Holland and the bus in Munich and refused to do anything about the toilet denying responsibility over and over again. His group leader, who by the way the California kids were now referring to as &quot;Captain Douchbag&quot;, was defending him, telling B that he had been on him the whole trip and hadn't really given him any way out when he had fussed at him. There was some pre-existing situation between these two that no one else ever really could fathom and at times the GL followed BE around either drinking with him, taking pictures with him, or maybe trying to keep him from doing anything else stupid. Either he was related to him, or a friend of the family, or whatever but there was something going on for him to cover this kid's mistakes the way he did. There is still more to this saga with BE and it actually comes to a head in Switzerland. Stay tuned.

Baldworth

My word, this is one of the most interesting trip reports I've read in a while and lord knows, I would not want in your vacation shoes!

This saga reminds me of that scene in Defending Your Life where Rip Torn discusses the afterlife with Albert Brooks. Children were automatically moved to a &quot;higher plane&quot;; adults had to face a trial about their lives. But teen-agers? Nobody wanted to deal with them. They were sent elsewhere. Too disruptive, even for the afterworld ;-)

For those of you wondering how Baldworth can put up with all of this, I don't know either. But my best friend Ali (already a problem name in a lot of places) has been doing this sort of thing for years -- groups of juvenile semi-delinquents to Estonia and Senegal. I have listened to him rant and rave over the years about how he just can't stand it any more, but this year he passed the French civil service test that he wanted and will be a high school principal starting in September. He had a variety of places from which to choose in the Paris suburbs -- and he chose a boarding school for problem cases when he could have chosen a totally normal place. My heartfelt congratulations go out to people like Balworth and my friend for putting up with all of these shenanigans and keeping a positive attitude about it.

I am impressed, and admire you greatly, balworth, you didn't smack one of those kids upside the head once! lol
This is an enjoyable read, thank you for taking the time to post it. ((F)) Scarlett

Very interesting. Keep it coming!

Did I mention that I have taught Elementary Special Education for 14 years? Maybe I have been preparing for this all those years. More later.

Baldworth

Ah baldworth, now I understand your patience with some of these teens. You must be a very special person.

I just started reading this this afternoon. All I can say is &quot;Baldworth, you are a saint&quot;!

I hve no tolerance for this type of behaviour and coupled with less patience that a bad Doctor (really bad pun), I'd have had some of those kids arrested or deported to the middle east.

That said, I am really enjoying this trip report and can't wait for follow-on posts. Great story!

MvK

Day 14 -

Ah. Isn't it great what a good night's sleep will do for you! First of all, I don't do discos. My daughter has had a great time going in both Florence and Venice with the TD in all previous cases. She was ready to go on her own. She knew where it was and what to do to gt everyone there and back. This one in Florence had a system where each person from EF got a ticket at the door and this allowed them one drink and admission. If they drank more they paid more. They had fun, drank with Italians, and danced the night away. When it was time to come back to the hotel guess who lost their ticket? None other than our drama queen. My daughter, being the good mother figure that she can be, took our dq to the front and in her college Italian explained the situation to the manager and got dq out without paying any extra. Did she get any thanks for it? Not a word! She then made sure that everyone got home alright and to their rooms. She wants to be a TD when she finishes college and is studying International Business and Italian. She has also been in this position before as two years ago she had to keep a group of eight together on the way back from the Eiffel Tower when they wanted to argue about the best way home to the hotel. She has experience.

Now for the next day, day 14. We got up and had an excellent breakfast. That is some of us did. We were allowed to come to breakfast between 8:00 and 10:00 because we weren't meeting our city guide until 10:30. B and I were downstairs at 8:30 and there were even eggs to go with Italian coffee and the rest. A few filtered down around 9:15 and some more at 9:30 and the bulk at 9:45 with some skipping breakfast altogether. They had been out late the night before at the disco. We walked into the city and met our guide at Piazza Della Signoria in the center of Florence. Our tour was balnd and firly uneventful except for the fact that I had seen enough of kids with ipods sitting down and not listening, or at least being respectful of our guides and not talking during the tours. I made several stand up, including my own N, and at least be quiet when the City Guide was talking. This didn't sit well at first but they got the message and we didn't have that problem again. You have to realize that overall this wasn't a bad group of kids. A little self-absorbed at times but not bad. There were a few bad apples but that is to be expected of any group of 40 or more kids. Most just wanted to have a good time and see some sights. They just needed a little direction at the right times to keep them from getting out of hand. Direction delivered.

We finished the tour with a trip to the Da Vinci Leather Factory, another EF must that helps pay for the trip, and actually purchased several things. I found a belt on a half-price rack and got it engraved with my initials for free. They showed us how to tell real leather from fake and released us to go on our own. This was the day for the side trip to Pisa and several were slated to go. The rest of us had the afternoon free to wander Florence, shop for leather, take a nap, or whatever. Two of my party were not dealing with the heat very well and wanted to sleep. Two more wanted to nap but not all of the afternoon. One more took every opportunity to catch a few zzzs. I had purchased another bottle of my favorite Italian drink in Assissi, Limoncello, and proceeded to paas the next hour with a couple of iced refreshers. My daughter got up about 45 minutes later and we shopped across the street at a craft fair and street vendor combination. R joined us about an hour later and we went into the city to shop for souvenirs, leather, and whatever. I managed another Limoncello or two along the way and enjoyed shopping more than I usually do. At 5:30 we met the others in front of the Duomo and walked to dinner. At dinner we continued our wine lesson that had started in Germany and shared a bottle with the meal. The plan for the evening was to collect wine and other things and gather at Piazzale Michelangelo (there I finally got the spelling right) to watch the sun set and enjoy the atmosphere of Florence at night. We ended up being all of my party (they were still attached at my hip except when they anted to sleep), two group leaders from California and a chaperone, the TD, and a few of the California kids who wanted to see the city at night. We shared three bottles of wine, some Grappa (I abstained, and even some Heineken. It was a very relaxing night filled with adult conversation and no drama or foul-mouthed students. We left the Piazzale about 12:00 and stumbled back to the hotel. I got another great night's sleep without worrying about who was doing what to whom in a great hotel where it didn't matter if someone made a little noise or walked in the halls after midnight. Oh and about 12:45 we got a visit from two of the NC kids who just wanted to shoot the shit with group leaders they respected. WE talked football for about an hour before B was nodding off and they left. A nice end to a very comfortable and relaxing day with no drama.

Next up, the trek into the Alps to Lucerne, Switzerland and a real switch with the seating arrangements. Goodnight.

Baldworth

Where did you stay in Florence? This is a great read and I'm waiting for more!

Day 15 -

Geoff the bus driver from Belgium had spent the day attempting to correct the problems with the air conditioning system while we were having a good time wandering around in Florence. He had found that the place to have the bus serviced would be our next stop in Lucerne, Switzerland which is also where EF's international headquarters is locatedAfter breakfast I had followed Geoff to the bus and commandeered the first two seats on either side of the bus and the ones behind those on one side for my group who had sat in the back and sweated without complaining (well most of hadn't complained) for almost two weeks. Not only that but the group leader from NC had taken it upon himself to enforce our practically defunct bus rotation system and kept those early birds from getting on and claiming the best seats. Two days before there had been a squabble when one of my party who was having some back problems and not dealing with the heat very well had managed to get seats for her and her room-mate in the front. Again, front and center was the dq making a big deal out of the fact that she and her posse had to sit in the hot back, after they had sat in the front almost every other long bus day and she even managed to stand next to some of her followers in the front when she didn't have a seat and babble back and forth in Spanish.

** Special note here so everyone understands. I have nothing at all against anyone speaking another language. I wish I could speak twelve languages fluently. This group on the other hand had a regular habit of speaking Spanish to each other as a way of forming a clique and excluding all others around them. It was separating when we were supposed to be trying to get to know everyone and branch out.

This group of girls even bought the same t-shirt in the same color in Florence to separate themselves even further and all wore them the next day. DQ was controlling them and they were yet to realize it. As for the trip from Florence it was wonderful. We went through a long tunnel and emerged in the Alps with rain falling. We had already passed through Lake Como and Lake Lugano both of which were beautiful areas combining mountains and lakes with stunning scenery. We even stopped for lunch in Lugano and enjoyed the area for an hour or so. Sitting in the front allowed me to take pictures of the Alps that I wouldn't have been able to see much less snap a picture of. The weather even cooled off when we emerged from the tunnel.

Another side note. One of the girls from Californis had been bitten by a bug of some sort in Rome and her foot was swelling up. Jonny our TD had to take her to the hospital along with her group leader to see if the doctor could do anything for her. They gave her some cream to apply and it seemed to help as she was also instructed to stay off of it as much as possible. Now one of the younger boys, only 14, was developing a similar type swelling in his hand from a similar type bite. Off to the hospital they went for the same treatment.

When we arrived in Engleberg, Switzerland where our hotel was located outside of Lucerne, we were greeted with signs that stated &quot;10 things not to do while you stay here&quot;. YThere was a sign posted in the lobby and a handout for each room with things such as, Do not make any noise whatsoever after 10:00 at night. There was an aura of We're watching you and we know that you are going to misbehave so don't even try it, before we even checked in. My group had stayed at the same hotel two years prior and we had had an incident where one of the students went through the wrong door and walked into the manager's apt. instead of a suite of rooms where we were gathered to watch the European Championships and party. They had made some of the students come back in from the bus and clean out trash cans and other silly vindictive things like that before they would &quot;allow&quot; us to leave. It was ridiculous and somewhat humiliating. Here we were in the same hotel and starting out with an attitude. All we could do was to hope that it was only a warning due to some recent group's behavior and nothing more.

We checked in and my room-mate B placed a requested phone call to the mother of dq. He asked me to stay in the room and listen to as much of the conservation as possible so that I could get an idea of what he was dealing with and witness the situation. I heard fifteen to twenty minutes of the biggest load of bulls**t I have ever heard in my life. She was going on and on about how well her children were raised and specifically said that her daughter was no &quot;drama queen&quot; but was concerned that she was being singled out for behavior that wasn't anything unusual, etc, etc... What we didn't know at the time was that while we were in Europe she was burning up the phone lines saying that we were doing all sorts of things in Europe and acting irresponsibly while her angelic daughter was martyring herself and holding everything together. She had decided that one of the other students had stolen her daughter's passport in the San Fran Cisco Airport and many other bizarre ideas that she was also sharing with the school principal. But, we didn't know any of that then. He informed me of this after we got back. We went for a walk to search for a bar and forget about the fact that we were now hip deep in s**t. With some great surrounding vistas, Engleberg is a very pastoral town with great Alpine views, we wandered and took pictures with some of the more calm and relaxed students. When we stopped at a bar with an outside porch we noticed several students going by in groups of three or four headed for a field just outside of town where they would play &quot;football&quot;.

About an hour later some of them came looking for the TD because one of the kids, dq's little brother, who wasn't really a bad kid but you could tell was a least a little spoiled by the fact that he seemed to have something new and expensive from each town we visited, had kicked the wrong thing and injured his toe. Another trip for the TD to the local hospital. The toe was broken and would require a special boot and crutches. Another injury/bite for this group, amazing! Most of us went back to the hotel before it got too late but some didn't as there were a few other bars and clubs around and I noticed BE wandering around the outskirts of town followed closely by his group leader. I couldn't tell if he was trying to keep up with him or make peace with him. More food for thought. We had found another bar to watch Germany and Italy play the next night and were looking forward to the next day in Lucerne. One last note; the hotel (The Hotel Crystal by the way) had a laundry service and we were running out of clean clothes and were tired of washing things in the sink and waiting two days for them to dry so we decided to let them wash a load of clothes each (my daughter and I). Results tomorrow and the next episode of BE loses his cool.

Baldworth

I'm curious how the payment to the hospital was taken care of, or was payment required. Also, were the kids required to have a medical insurance policy for Europe? I know my niece was required to have a medical insurance policy while going to school in Copenhagen last year. Loving the stories.

Sorry it took me so long to get back. My wife is out of town and two teenage girls need school supplies, have band booster meetings to attend, etc...

The insurance was I'm sure taken care of by the cover-all EF insurance that is optional before you travel. It obviously was well worth whatever was paid for it on this trip.

It must be:

Day 16 -

Our full day in Switzerland. We got up and took the bus into Lucerne after breakfast for a tour of the city. There are many different things to see in this city including the Lion Memorial to the troops who died defending Marie Antoinette in France. Switzerland was founded by rich mercenaries who used their money to establish places in the mountains that could not easily be attacked or taken over and this was one of the earliest Cantons. This was the home of William Tell and the city has many stories to tell. The covered bridge is quite unique and it is a real shame that much of it was damaged by fire only about 15 to 20 years ago. You can still see some of the frescos that originally filled each panel as you walk from one end of the bridge to the other across the river. The smaller bridge also has pictures depicting the then obsession with death and dying as each picture has a skeleton in it somewhere. The facades of many buildings are decorated with fable-like scenes andf we happened to hit market day again. We bought three different kinds of cheese, three different kinds of bread, cherries and strwberries, and had a picnic next to the lake. When ST went to Mount Pilatus on the optional excursion the rest of us climbed the steps to the city wall and one of its towers still left north of the city. The views from there are very nice. My daughter even met a couple from Ohio the woman of whom was just as obsessed with &quot;The Sound of Music&quot; as she was and they shared stories of spinning in Alpine meadows.

We climbed down when the German pre-teens showed up 40 strong and noised up the serenity. It was a good day in the city and the Pilatus folks had a lot of fun as well. When we went back to the hotel I got my laundry back to discover that what had once been a small ink spot on one pair of shorts was now ink stains on three different shorts as they didn't pay any attention to the spot and through it all in together. They also mixed up several different parts of some peoples laundry and we spent days getting it straightened out. At least I did have some clean clothes but they were all wrinkled and thrown together in a bag. Not exactly worth 10 euro. We decided to find our pub for the evening to watch Germany play Italy for the next spot in the WC and headed that way after supper. When they were leaving, some of B's California girls were treated to a verbal tirade, completely unsolicited by the way, from our old friend BE who had already been drinking. As usual the language was more than colorful and when B found out about it about thirty minutes later he went through the roof. He found the TD and wanted to have BE thrown off the tour. Another fun evening of extracurricular activities for the TD and some of the Group Leaders. After listening to the dq's mom rant and rave about treatment B was not in a position to just let it go and was not in the mood for it since he had been the object of BE's other verbal outbursts. Our TD got in touch with EF and got back to us about an hour or so later. They were not going to eject BE yet but he was now on complete zero tolerance and any further incident would mean he would be on a plane home that day. He and his group leader, remember Captain Douchebag, assured the TD that BE would not drink anymore and therefore would not abuse anyone else, verbally or otherwise. When the game was over and Germany had lost we gathered up most of the kids and went back to the hotel. Somewhere during the night before one of the beds had been peed all over intentionally and that too had all indicators pointing to BE. It was time to call it a night.

I need to begin day 16 because it is a continuation of our experience with the Hotel Crystal. Two years previously we had been delayed for 45 minutes as students were required to empty trash baskets and other ridiculous things. This time, there were towels that didn't appear to be in the correct rooms (dq hadn't slept in her assigned room and had woken up those whose room she had crashed in, and some of the drinking receptacles were out of place or unaccounted for. It appears that at least some of these were plastic cups. Again they held us up for thirty minutes while they counted towels and plastic cups. When the TD came back tp the bus after finally satisfying whatever silly request the hotel had made I finally lost it.

I told the TD that we had history with this hotel and related to him the events of the previous experience. I told him, and everyone else on the bus by that point, that someone with EF must have an illicit relationship with someone connected to this hotel because there was no other obvious reason why EF would use this hotel. I then reminded everyone that at the end of the trip they had an evaluation to fill out and they needed to blast the Hotel Crystal so that they would never be used by EF again. We began our trip from Switzerland north to the Alsace region of France. Italy was in the finals of the WC and France would play for the opportunity to meet them that night. I had vented my frustration over two separate incidences of poor treatment by the Hotel Crystal and I was beginning to feel better. BE was being muzzled for the time being and we were headed toward Paris, my favorite city.

Baldworth

Good job, Baldworth! How will EF ever feel motivated to make a change unless everyone complains? Hopefully they follow through because that hotel's attitude stinks. I'm sure it's not easy to deal with so many teenage groups, but that is what they signed on for.

Anyway, I'm sure your name will be submitted for sainthood after this trip is ended. I personally feel all teachers are saints anyway. :)