Mexico Trip - Feb. 14-18, 2008

7th and 8th grade

 

Please be at airport by 4:00am. Please be on time!

 

EMERGENCY CONTACTS: Call Casterbridge to get a message to us - 540.885.4564 or Kelly at Europe office -01.935.810.810

OR call the Gobernador Hotel directly at 52.999.930.4141.

Woodlawn School CODE for Casterbridge contact purposes: USED106520

 

HOTEL LINK: gobernadormerida.com.mx/

 

 

 

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

MERIDA: City Tour (Governor’s Palace, Cathedral, Altar of the Fatherland),

Two Mornings of Volunteer Work at the Orphanage

DZIBILCHALTUN: Ruins Tour (Temple of the Seven Dolls), Cenote swimming

CHICHEN ITZA: Ruins Tour (El Castillo Pyramid, Main Ball Court, North Temple, Temple of Jaguars, Temple of the Skulls,

Platform of the Eagle, Platform of Venus, Sacred Cenote, Temple of the Warriors, Tomb of the

High Priest, Observatory, Temple of Panels)

IK-KIL: Cenote (swimming)

UXMAL: Mayan Ruins Tour (Pyramid of the Magician, Nunnery Quadrangle, Ball Court, Governor’s Palace, Great

Pyramid, Dovecoat

 

FLIGHT INFORMATION

DL 1809 THURS 14 FEB CHARLOTTE-ATLANTA 6:00 AM 7:13 AM

DL 325 THURS 14 FEB ATLANTA-CANCUN 9:45 AM 11:32 AM

RETURN

DL 326 MON 18 FEB CANCUN-ATLANTA 1:45 PM - 5:22 PM

DL 1883 MON 18 FEB ATLANTA-CHARLOTTE 8:00 PM - 9:12 PM

 

All airport taxes are included and there are no registration fees, optional excursions or adult supplements to be added.

 

FINAL BALANCE DUE NOV. 1, 2007

 

PRICE INFORMATION

Cost: $1,516.30 (ADMISSION COSTS INCLUDED)

 

• Round trip airfare with a major carrier on scheduled flights and guaranteed dates
• Airport taxes/fuel surcharges (currently $110 but subject to change until ticketed 60 days prior to departure)
• Accommodation in 3 Star or 4 Star tourist class hotels with private facilities guaranteed throughout
• Continental breakfast and dinners throughout your touring program
• All Taxes

 

This Does Not Include:

• Lunches or beverages with meals
• Tips and gratuities for the guide and driver
• Travel insurance - Casterbridge offers a comprehensive Travel Insurance Policy to all participants. This Policy includes Health, Cancellation and Property coverage and costs $69 for those 30 years or below and $109 for those aged 31 years or above. Each passenger must be covered by a Health Insurance policy while on a Casterbridge tour.

CasterInsurance.pdf

 

 

ROOM ASSIGNMENTS

TWIN: Amie & Regan B.; Dick & Ben H.; Gene & David K.; Chris C. & Beth; Emma & Cassidy; Cindy & Lauren; Kim & Laine

TRIPLE: Tori, Stacy & Dana; Joe, Ryan & Robert

SINGLE: Bob H.; Jennifer B.

 

 

DAILY ITINERARY

DAY 1 DEPART CHARLOTTE - ARRIVE CANCUN - MERIDA (4 NIGHTS)

You will be met at the airport by your guide for transfer to the town of Merida. Upon arrival we will take a Guided City Tour of Merida, which will include a visit to the Governor's Palace, where we can admire the paintings by Fernando Castro Pacheco. Next we will walk across the main square to visit the oldest Cathedral in Latin America. Our city tour concludes with a scenic drive along the Paseo de Montejo with its magnificent mansions, before viewing the Altar of the Fatherland, a magnificent monument and an ideal spot for a photograph.

 

DAY 2 ORPHANGE & DZIBILCHALTUN

This morning we will volunteer in an Orphanage called "Amor y Vida" (Love and Life). This is a place for around 40 homeless and abused kids from the age of 3 months to 13 years old. Our morning will consist of social work, such as reading and teaching English to the children, participating in activies and games with the children, and other tasks that will assist the orphanage. This afternoon we visit the ancient city of Dzibilchaltun, with ruins dating as far back as 500 BC. Dzibilchaltun was a great urban center for the Yucatan, and flourished for almost 2000 years, it covers over 17 square kilometers and contains an estimated 8,000 structures, the most striking of which is the Temple of the Seven Dolls, named for the offering of seven clay dolls in human form found inside. We will also have the opportunity to swim in the Cenote, a natural turquoise pool within the location. We return to Merida for the evening.

 

DAY 3 ORPHANAGE & UXMAL

We will spend this morning working again with the children at “Amor y Vida.” This afternoon we will take a tour of the Mayan ruin site of Uxmal. Our visit will include: the remarkable Pyramid of the Magician, which is unique because of its rounded sides, height, and steepness, and the doorway with heavy ornamentation, a characteristic of the Chenes style, features 12 stylized masks of the rain god Chaac; the Nunnery Quadrangle, which resembled a Spanish convent and was possibly a military academy or a training school for princes, who may have lived in the 70-odd rooms; the partially restored Ball Court, including the Turtle House, a little temple decorated with colonnade motif on the facade and a border of turtles; the Governor's Palace, an imposing three-level edifice with a long mosaic facade done in the Puuc style and 103 stone masks of Chaac that undulate across the facade like a serpent and end at the corners, where there are columns of masks; the Great Pyramid, a massive, partially restored nine-level structure, with interesting motifs of birds on its facade, as well as a huge mask; and the Dovecote, a small building with a lacy roof comb that looks like the perfect apartment complex for pigeons. We return to Merida for the evening.

 

DAY 4 CHICHEN ITZA & IK-KIL CENOTE

Today we explore the ruins at Chichén Itzá, which has two parts: the northern zone, which shows distinct Toltec influence, and the southern zone, with mostly Puuc architecture. Our visit will include: the El Castillo Pyramid, built with the Maya calendar in mind, as the four stairways leading up to the central platform each have 91 steps, making a total of 364, which when you add the central platform equals the 365 days of the solar year; the Main Ball Court, the largest and best preserved anywhere, with carvings of scenes showing Maya figures dressed as ball players and decked out in heavy protective padding; the North Temple, with sculptured pillars, as well as badly ruined murals; the Temple of Jaguars, a small temple with serpent columns and carved panels showing warriors and jaguars; the Temple of the Skulls, an obvious borrowing from the post-Classic cities of central Mexico; the Platform of the Eagle, a small platform with reliefs showing eagles and jaguars clutching human hearts in their talons and claws, as well as a human head emerging from the mouth of a serpent; the Platform of Venus, also called the tomb of Chaac-Mool because a Chaac-Mool figure was discovered "buried" within the structure; the Sacred Cenote, the great natural well that may have given Chichén Itzá its name, which was used for ceremonial purposes; the Temple of the Warriors, named for the carvings of warriors marching along its walls, also called the Group of the Thousand Columns for the rows of broken pillars that flank it; the Tomb of the High Priest; the Observatory, a complex building with a circular tower, whose modifications reflected the Maya's careful observation of celestial movements and their need for increasingly exact measurements; and the Temple of Panels, the ruins of a steam bath named for the carved panels on top. Our afternoon concludes at the Ik-Kil Cenote, a natural underground lake where we will have a chance to swim and cool off from the heat, before returning to Merida for the evening.

 

DAY 5 DEPARTURE FROM CANCUN

Our enjoyable and rewarding tour will come to an end as our tour manager/guide accompanies us on our private bus to the airport, where we will board our return flight home.

 

 

 

Spring Break Spain-Portugal Trip 2008

 

Flight Bulletin

 

Departure Flight Information - Students will attend school 1st-3rd periods on March 20th and will meet at airport at 1:00 PM

 

Date	Day of Week	Airline & Flight	Departure City	Departure Time	Arrival City	Arrival Time	Arrival Date
20 March	Thursday	Continental #2294	Charlotte	3:30 PM	Newark, NJ	5:43 PM	20 March
20 March	Thursday	Continental #64	Newark, NJ	8:15 PM	Lisbon (Lisboa)	7:00 AM	21 March

 

Date	Day of Week	Airline & Flight	Departure City	Departure Time	Arrival City	Arrival Time	Arrival Date
27 March	Thursday	Continental #63	Madrid (Barajas)	10:20 AM	Newark, NJ	2:00 PM	27 March
27 March	Thursday	Continental #2283	Newark, NJ	4:05 PM	Charlotte Douglas	6:09 PM	27 March

 

 

 

Due to train and coach restrictions, each students is only allowed one small bag not to exceed 40 lbs. and one small carry-on.

 

Hotel Information

Lisbon March 21 - 23 (2 nights)

Radisson SAS Hotel Lisbon

Av Marechal Craveiro Lopes 390

Lisbon

1947-009

PHONE: +351210045000

FAX: +351210045001

Check in: March 21

 

 

Aboard train March 23 - 24 (1 nigh)

 

Madrid March 24 - 27 (3 nights)

Convencion Hotel

C/ O'Donnell 53

Madrid

28009

PHONE: +34915746800

FAX: +34915745601

Check in: March 24

 

 

 

Fall Break Trip: Guanajuato, Mexico

October 9-13, 2008

This trip will be 5 days, 4 nights.

We will take 12-18 participants.

Trip is open to grades 7-11.

 

Trip Details

Guanajuato is a city crammed onto the steep slopes of a ravine, with underground tunnels acting as streets. This impossible topography was settled in 1559 because the silver and gold mines found here were among the richest in the world. From the 16th through the 18th centuries, Guanajuato bloomed with elaborate churches and mansions. It seems like an old Spanish city dumped into a Mexican highland valley with narrow roads and alleyways that curl this way and that. Most buildings, like the streets, are irregular in shape, creating a jumble of walls, balconies and rooftops meeting at anything but a right angle. It is one of Mexico's great colonial cities, picturesque and laden with atmosphere.

Festival Internacional Cervantino – Guanajuato’s art festival is held every year in October and is dedicated to the Spanish writer Miguel Cervantes, author of Don Quijote. It is one of the foremost arts gathering in Latin America.

 

Sites:

Jardín Unión - Town's social center.

Museo Iconografico del Quijote – Excellent example of 18th century Spanish architecture. Contains over 800 works of art inspired by Cervante’s anti-hero Don Quixote.

Teatro Juarez – built in 1903, it is now the venue for many productions, especially during the Festival Cervantino

Monument to El Pipila - This is the best vantage point in Guanajuato. The whole city unfolds below you, with great views in every direction. On top is a momument, built in 1939, that commemorates a miner.

Museo Diego Rivera - The house where the artist was born on December 8th, 1886.

The Church of San Diego - A fine example of Mexican Baroque.

Mercado Hidalgo – Established in 1910 in honor of the 100th anniversary of the struggle for independence.

Museo De Las Momias – Mummies preserved by the high mineral content of the soil. View the catacombs.

Approx cost: $1500.00 (Includes air and ground travel, lodging, entrance fees, and meals.   Students will want to bring spending money for water, snacks and souvenirs.)

 

Packing Guidelines.doc

 

Travel Seminars:

For student participants

1. Friday, February 22nd - 3:20-3:50

 

2. Thursday, February 28th - 12:30-1:15 (lunch meeting)

    Bring half page of research and small visual on your chosen topic (see list below) 

 

3. Friday, March 7th (half day of school) - 12:00-1:00.  Please submit research before this day if you have not already done so. (see list below)

    Forms will be passed out today and are to be returned by March 14th.

    Bring a journal and roll of double stick tape to seminar.

    Bring a copy of your passport today.

 

For parents and students

4.  Friday, March 14th - 3:20-4:00 in Spanish Room. Please turn in all forms and $40.00 for tips. 

 

Portugal and Spain Fast Facts.doc

 

The Best of the Iberian Peninsula

 

Day One: Travel from U.S

Day Two: Arrive in Lisbon, Portugal.

Day Three: Lisbon

Day Four: Lisbon by day; Sleeper Train to Madrid. (10 pm - 9 am)

Day Five: Arrive in Madrid.

Day Six: Travel to Toledo, Return to Madrid.

Day Seven: Travel to Segovia, Return to Madrid.

Day Eight: Travel to U.S

 

Sights:

Lisbon

Guided tour of:

•Castelo de São Jorge – 12th century castle with ten towers that dominates the city - Aiden

•Belém Tower – starting point for the navigators who set out to discover trade routes - Michael

•25th of April Bridge – Commemorates the revolution that restored democracy in Portugal.

•Historic Alfama District

•Praça do Rossío – large square that has been the center of Lisbon for decades.

•Monument to the Discoveries – marks 500th anniversary of death of Henry the Navigator.

•Sé – Restored Romanesque cathedral.

•Jerónimos Monastery – founded in 1502 to give thanks for the successful return of Vasco da Gama’s fleet from the Indies. - Judson

•Elevador de Santa Justa – Neo-Gothic lift to Bairro Alto.

 

Madrid

Guided tour of:

•Plaza Mayor – busy square, which is center of visitors' and locals' social life.

•Calle de Cuchilleros -

•Puerta del Sol – Central Plaza

•Plaza de España – Cervantes Monument

•Gran Vía – Main Avenue with Art Deco design to showcase the city’s best shops, restaurants and hotels.

•Calle Alcalá – Finance industry

•Cibeles and Neptune Fountains – modeled after Rome’s Piazza Navonna.

•Palacio Real – Royal Palace – Official residence of Spain’s King Juan Carlos I - Kathleen

•Museo del Prado – considered one of the most important art museums in the world. Houses over 7,000 pieces with its most famous being Las Meninas (Isaac) and The Third of May.  (Goya - Clayton)

•Centro de Arte Reina Sofía – houses the modern works by Dalí, Miró and Picasso, notably his haunting Guernica. - (Guernica - Sawyer)(Dali - Graeme)

 

  (Picasso - Sayre)

 

Toledo Excursion

Toledo was once the capital of Spain. Christianity, Judaism and Islam coexist on the tiny streets of this ancient city.

•Catedral – Completed in 1492, it took almost 300 years to build

•Santo Tomé synagogue – houses El Greco’s Burial of the Count of Orgaz. -  (El Greco - Bryn)(Burial of the Count of Orgaz - Terin)

•House & Museum of El Greco – tour of El Greco’s house and studio where one of his paintings still hangs.

 

Escorial & Segovia Excursion

•Guided Tour of Escorial, the Valley of the Fallen and the Royal Monastery - Zach

•Alcazar - Collin

•Aqueducts – a miracle of engineering built by Romans around 1st century CE. - Matt

 

•Islamic Architecture in the places we are touring - Erin

 

 

The Group:

Kathleen E.       Terin P.W.

Bryn D.             Aidan B.

Isaac J.             Judson R.

Sawyer B.        Michael C.

Greg C.            Zach L.

Sayre W.         Clayton S.

Erin J.             Collin B.

Graeme E.      Matt B.

 

Chaperones - Kim, Laine, Dwayne

 

 

Cost: $2800

Total Price includes:

Round-trip Airfare

All meals

Entrance Fees to all sites/attractions

Hotel Accommodations in 3 or 4 star hotels

Guided Tours

Airport & Train Station Transfers

Excursions from Madrid

 

Tip money for guided tours and drivers is not included (we willl collect this before we leave) 

 

Travel Insurance/benefits available for an extra $129.00

 

 

 

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