Monday, March 29, 2010

Mar 26th 2010 - San Francisco!!!

Golden Gate Bridge


Res (Switzerland) and Jelena (Serbia)


Mohana (Malaysia) on top of the Twin Peaks


View from the top of the Twin Peaks


Inside City Hall


City Hall


Union Square


Cable Car


Our Chaperone Angela surrounded by the students


Thai students



Thursday, March 25, 2010

Mar 25th 2010 - Yosemite to San Francisco - ALCATRAZ!!!

Dinner in Chinatown


View of San Francisco from Alcatraz


Students on the Alcatraz tour


Golden Gate Bridge


Alcatraz island



Today is the 6th day of our trip… it was a day of big change for us. Beautiful architecture of a big city instead the beautiful view of the nature of Yosemite Park, skyscrapers instead of quiet mountain paths.

After packing our bags and leaving the picturesque village of Mariposa we started our journey to San Francisco. On the way, we stopped at a nice place to we could buy tasting delicious fruits from North Californian fields… and we arrived in San Francisco.

We enjoyed the view while crossing the Oakland Bridge and we arrived in the city, where we had time to grab lunch at Pier 39. After we headed to Alcatraz – the famous prison located on an island, also known “THE ROCK”. Alcatraz is also famous for being a place that was impossible to escape.

San Francisco is also known for having the largest Chinatown in the US, where we had dinner.

This day was filled with the nice impressions and makes us already say that San Francisco is AMAZING!

Until tomorrow,

Pavel Kharlamkim – Russia

Malte Woltemann – Germany

Giulia Gentili – Italy

Mohana Thamilarau – Malaysia

Jelena Jovovic - Serbia

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Mar 24th 2010 - Yosemite National Park

Half Dome - Yosemite National Park


Michelle (Hong Kong)



Tim (Germany)


Group ready for some hiking









Yosemite National Park


Vernal Falls in the back


Pavel (Russia) and Nicklas (Germany)





Group at Yosemite National Park



Today is the 5th day of our trip. Leaving the noisy famous and awesome Los Angeles and going to a place totally the opposite… the wild Yosemite National Park. It just can’t be better! Get the real feel of nature, breathing the freshest air, enjoying the nice sunshine – all these were the things that made our day even more perfect.

One of the most famous national parks in America turned out to be even prettier that we could imagine!!! Huge granite rocks were sparkling in the sun and the amazing smell of the sequoia trees changed our energy way up! Despite the long way of hiking, we enjoyed it a lot, because we got to go right through the snow on the rocks straight to the waterfalls. We took gorgeous pictures! While riding the tour bus we got to know each other even more. That was awesome, unforgettable day. It really was worth seeing another side of California!!!

Angie (Kazakhstan) and Pear (Thailand)



Mar 23rd 2010 - Universal Studios and bye bye LA!


Universal Studios Tour




Posing at Universal




Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Mar 22nd 2010 - Disneyland!!

Riding the rides at Disneyland!



Christina, Nicklas and Charlotte enjoying Disneyland


Res and Adal enjoying some turkey legs... yum


Romi, Kseniya, Michelle & Pear getting ready to watch the fireworks


Getting ready for the Tower of Terror!!!






Malte, Janosch & Tim hanging out at Disney... Tim enjoying a Birthday stroll with Mary Poppins & Bert!



What is the best way to spend a warm and sunny day in Los Angeles? Of course, visiting the magical Disneyworld!

Among us exchange-students, there was a lucky guy who got a chance to celebrate his 17th birthday in this great amusement park. This guy was Tim from Germany, who also got to hear the Happy Birthday-song in over 10 different languages before we left the hotel.

At 12 o’clock we arrived at Disneyland and were ready for the long but exciting day. In the park there was a plenty of families with little children but you could also find there a lot of teenagers and adults who got the feeling of being a child again. For some of us this was the first experience with Disney characters. For the people who had been visiting there before, we were very excited to go to this park with unbelievable atmosphere that is hard to describe.

Because of our brilliant trip coordinator, Raphael, we got to go also to the California Adventure-park which had lots of breathtaking rollercoasters and good stores to buy souvenirs.

The unforgettable fireworks finished this awesome day, and after them we drove back to the hotel.

Now we are going to get some rest because tomorrow we are going to visit Universal Studios and then travel to the Northern California to the Yosemite park!

Ida (Finland) and Ayan (Azerbaijan)

Monday, March 22, 2010

Mar 21st 2010 - The Beginning of California Adventure!






Lara & Julia in Beverly Hills!!


Our whole group in Beverly Hills!


Playing volleyball on the beach...


Res, Malte, Joao, Adal & Riccardo posing with the lifeguard!


Everybody JUMP!


A great day for soccer on the beach!



At 9:00am, Sunday, March 21st 2010, 48 lucky students got into the bus and headed to the gorgeous, sandy Newport Beach. Though the sun refused to shine, it did not stop us from taking a dip into the clear refreshing ocean where the OC was filmed. Not forgetting the activities like eating, playing football or soccer or frisbee and SHOPPING! Some lucky students got to see dolphins and sea lions. It was an exciting moment for all of us. Shopping near the beach was something not only the girls but the guys enjoyed. Finally, at 12:30 we left the beach and headed to the hotel.

On the journey back we got a taste of LA traffic and using it for our benefit we built a strong bond of friendship among ourselves. We can't forget the awesome songs we heard on our way back either!

At the hotel, everyone got into their best outfits to walk the streets of Beverly Hills!! Something everyone was mesmerized by... Everyone was happily snapping pictures. Next, we went to the world famous Rodeo Drive, walking those streets is something none of us will forget. Even so, the highlight of the day was yet to come, there we went to the land where dreams come true- Hollywood!

For most of us who have only seen the sign of Hollywood on TV, here it was in front of our eyes. We are pretty sure it was the shortest two hours of our lives! Having so much to see, the walk of fame, those amazing street characters, Madame Tussauds, and the street vendors was an amazing evening. The streets were colorful and so lively! Something so precious and breathtaking that would for ever be in our memories. It was impossible that any one of us could have covered the entire street as there was just so much to SEE! Despite being overwhelmed with excitement and enthusiasm, it was time for dinner.

We then went to Sizzlers, a soup and salad buffet very close to Hollywood. that was the best meal one could have to finish up such a great day. it was indeed a great start and we are still very excited and looking forward for the rest of our week and this amazing California Adventure!
-Julia & Mohana

Saturday, March 20, 2010

WELCOME TO CALIFORNIA!!!





Get ready for a week in California... the California Adventure is here! With its breathtaking natural beauty, its never-ending list of fun and exciting things to do, California is a dream destination for anyone!

We will be visiting Los Angeles, Yosemite National Park and San Francisco, and we will spend each day exploring a new and fascinating aspect of California's unique culture.

Join us as we visit Disneyland, Beverly Hills, the breathtaking Yosemite National Park, hiking to waterfalls, visiting the famous island of Alcatraz... We'll come face-to-face with California's rich history...and maybe even find some famous people around! And along the way, we'll get to know each other, forming friendships to last beyond our week together.

This will be our day-to-day journal... each day, you'll get news, information and pictures from the students. Join us on our adventure!

Have fun!!!

BELO USA TRAVEL