London by Kayley

A couple of nights ago,we arrived in London and we were all really exited to finally leave Spain and even more exited to go to London.

The flight was about an hour long and I spent most of the flight looking out the window at the clouds and land far below wishing we would land in London already. When there were no clouds below us and towards the end of the flight, we passed over an island, a gigantic peninsula, some more ocean, and, finally, England. I new it was England because the plane was loosing altitude. Suddenly, there was a thick layer of clouds below us. When we hade passed through the clouds and were on the land side of them,the first city lights were just turning on and it was still light enough for me to see neat fields. A little while later when it was dark, I thought I saw London because I thought I remembered a winding river of lights from the beginning of Peter Pan. By the time we landed, it was dark. We arrived in London at 10:05 pm. It was 13 degrees Celsius and sprinkling. Our spirits were soaring.

We exited the plane by stairs into the open London weather and, after baking in Spain, the chill wind and rain was really refreshing. We went through the airport pretty quickly and took a bus to the Europcar rental car place and picked up our car. Since the steering wheel is on the right side and all the controls are in weird places, Daddy took a little while to figure everything out. We were of to find the Holiday Inn Express. On the way, we joked about driving on the left side and every thing else.

My first couple of hours in England were probably some of my best. I haven't been disappointed with England yet, even though I had really high hopes for England. After a night at the Holiday Inn Express, we drove to Stonehenge. The drive took about twice as long as it was supposed to take because daddy drove in circles trying to go the right was on the highway. So we spent a relaxing couple of hours at Stonehenge and hopped back into the car to drive to London. Stonehenge was smaller than I had thought it would be, but the countryside was beautiful.

In London, daddy checked into our apartment while we sat in the car. The apartment is maybe three times the size of the Paris apartment but very bare, but we were right next to a street with a bunch of shops on it. So we're pretty close to a shopping street but we were not very close to the Thames and all the sites. The next day we walked to parliament and the big Ben, crossed the river and looked at the London eye, parliament and the big Ben. After walking along the river for a little while we visited Westminster Abbey which has lots of interesting history behind it. And then we took a nap in Hyde park and walked home. Since we moved really fast we were all really tired so I wasn't really thinking about anything.
Two days ago we saw two museums: the Victoria and Albert museum and the British museum. My favorite part of the V&A museum were the seats. They looked like hour glasses and you can spin in them. The rest of the museum was not particularly interesting for me. We only saw the highlights in the British museum because we were all really tired.
Yesterday, we went to the White Tower and the fortress around it which was a pretty big space. Since I am really tired, I can not remember it very well. But the one exhibit I remember was the crown jewels. The crown jewels were scepters, golden balls whith crosses on them that I don't remember the name of and some magnificent Crowns. Queen Elizabeth the 2nd's crown has three gigantic jewels: a diamond, a ruby and a sapphire and a bunch of other smaller jewels but the three huge stones were about three inches in diameter. After seeing the White Tower we hopped on a boat to go up and down the Thames. Then, we walked to the war museum and by that time my brain was mush.

- Kayley

Switzerland by Mia

We woke up at about 4 am on Thursday morning to get to the airport on time for our 7:30 flight to Zurich. That was really tough. Everyone pretty much slept the entire drive to the airport. Checking in and security and stuff went really smoothly, but we were the very last people to get onto the plane, so our seats weren't the best. I slept on the plane as well, and when we got to Zurich and hour and fifteen minutes later I had mostly caught up on sleep. Or at least I could walk....

The first thing I noticed about Switzerland was how clean it was! Everything from the air to the windows looked clearer and shinier. Daddy rented a brand new station wagon sort of car that is a bright, beautiful blue. The car has some cool automatic features, but some of them get really annoying, like when it beeps really loud whenever the front bumper gets close to anything. Also, there are only five seats so Sarah sits in the back with the luggage.

We drove in that car to the campsite in Jungfrau Valley. The campsite was really nice, on par with the holiday parks in Australia and New Zealand. We made Mac & cheese in the communal kitchen and watched soccer in the living room. We walked fifteen minutes to the cute little town near the campsite, which was full of adorable little houses with flower boxes full of colorful flowers. The valley is really pretty, with steep stone walls and several waterfalls and a river running through the middle. It reminds me of Yosemite.

The next morning we woke up early to catch a lift to the top of Schilthorn, which is where part of the James Bond movie Her Majesty's Secret Service was filmed. They filmed it in the restaurant and view area that is at the top. We rode to the top, stayed there for a few hours, looking at the great view and watching a paraglider take off, and then rode half way down and walked the rest of the way back. It was a really. Long walk and today I can barely walk, my legs are so sore!

We celebrated Kayley's birthday too, with lots of icecreams and candles. She got a watch and a pomegranate for her present. This morning we walked over to the entrance to a cave that has ten underground waterfalls in it, but it was expensive to go I and see them, so we didn't. Then we drove to France!

Stonehenge by Mia

The morning after we arrived in England we woke up pretty late because we had stayed up until the early morning the night before. We packed our stuff and mommy and daddy went down to breakfast first, because they were they only ones who were supposed to be staying in our room. By they time they came back up it was too late for us to go down because they were shutting down the buffet, so we had some yogurt and bread that was in the cooler. We ended up leaving at about eleven, and then we spent about three and a half hours driving to Stonehenge which was actually only supposed to take two hours. Daddy got a bit lost, we spent like an hour driving back in forth about ten minutes away from the hotel.

When we finally got to Stonehenge it was like 2:15 in the afternoon. On the way we had stopped at a little grocery store and all us kids bought candy and chips and all sorts of junk food and had a party. Because of this, by the time we got there everyone was either feeling sick or bouncing off the walls. Also, during the car ride I finished A Farewell to Arms, which is a really sad book!

Stonehenge is in the middle of nowhere. To get to it we went through several adorable little villages and then through rolling green hills. You drive over one of the rolling green hills and suddenly see it, and a parking lot full of tour buses and cars. Then beyond it there are more rolling green hills. The parking area is much bigger than the actual attraction (which is actually a lot smaller than I thought it would be). You can't get very close to the rocks because it is entirely roped off, and the paths lead the he'd of tourists around the ring, and to the heel stone. It is extremely regulated, but there is the occasional streaker. One guy ran up really close to the rocks and got his friend to take his picture before the guards kicked him out.

There is only a little grass patch and two benches within the roped off area, and that was where we sat and had our picnic lunch. It was really windy so all our food was blowing around. We pondered Stonehenge while getting increasingly allergic to all the grass. We came to the conclusion that it is over rated, smaller than expected, and overprotected. Then we left because our eyes were really itchy and we were sneezing a lot. Before we got back in the car we went to stand on top of a little caveman made mound to got a better view of Stonehenge. It was one of three grassy mounds that had been there as long as Stonehenge and Mommy kept wondering what they were. Judging by the fact that archeologists and tour guides alike go off on long lectures and write long papers on how they 'have no idea what Stonehenge is,but here's what it might be', no one has any idea. I was also slightly weird that there was a couple sleeping at the top. At first I thought they wee hobos but they had a dog so I decided they were just some people who fell asleep for some reason.

By that time we were dying of allergic-ness so we headed back to the car. We drove into London and find our hotel. The apartment we got has one bedroom and I foldout couch, but luckily the couch has lots of cushions so we all have someplace to sleep, more or less. It is about twice the size of the place Kayley and I stayed at with Bippy and Gramps in Paris, though.

The Schools in California, Colorado, New Zealand and Spain by Sarah

In all the schools that we've visited like Colorado, New Zealand and Spain or in California where we lived, all of the schools in the countries have been very different.

In Spain the spanish children are loud, excited and sometimes annoying. They are very competitive in P.E. Some people hit and slap then when they get in trouble say it was a joke. I think that this is bad because if someone like me from California came to Spain, they'd get deaf fast. The school that Kayley and I went to was called San Roque. San Roque is in Churiana de la Vegay are where my family and I stayed when we were in Spain.

In New Zealand the kids were not as loud as the Spanish kids but are sill loud. The kids are nice sometimes but their mood changes other times. Like the first cupel of days I was best fiends with someone then I did not like them because they annoyed me a lot. Kayley, Zander and I went to a school called New Brighton school in the town of New Brighton close to Christ Church on the South island. The school is very spread out.

In Colorado Kayley and I went to a school called King Murphy school. King Murphy school has 2 storys with a elevator. King Murphy is in the mountains in Evergreen, Colorado. The kids are very interesting and exciting. In the play ground they had swings, a play stricter and a log cabin.

In California the school that we went to, was awesome and perfect. The school was called Pacheco elementary school. Pacheco was very big and organized. The kids are well behaved and quiet. The play ground has a soccer field, play stricter, monkey bars, normal bars, a black top and hand ball courts.

All of the schools we visited(or lived in the town for 8 years) were very different in good and bad ways.

Schooling So Far by Kayley

We have attended four school in the last year: Pacheco Elementary in SLO, California; King Murphy Elementary in Colorado; New Brighton Primary in New Zealand; and Colegio San Roque in Churriana de la Vega, Spain. My favorite school out of these four is Pacheco, but King Murphy and New Brighton were not so bad, because I didn't have such a language problem. From my experiences, I haven't found San Roque

compared to the other schools but the end of the year party on Friday may change my opinion. It might be really fun.

Pacheco and King Murphy were both in the USA and on the same curriculum. My teacher at King Murphy was a really cool teacher called Mr. Ducklow. I was at King Murphy for about a month, but I made some really great friends: Zoe, Lily and Allysa. I still keep in contact with Zoe. My Pacheco teachers, Mrs. Fassiotto and all my others were the best teachers I've had yet. My friends at Pacheco: Angelina, Amelia, Amy, Chloe, Molly, Bella...

New Brighton, in New Zealand, was a really small school of about 175 kids. Lots of families had to moved out of the area because of the earth quakes. My teacher in New Brighton was really nice, but I can't remember her name and the kiwi accent sounded so cool. The only problem was that they couldn't really understand me because of my accent and lisp.

San Roque, the Spanish school I'm in now, gives me a head ache because of how they talk. My teacher, Nati, talks pretty fast, but I can never tell if she's mad, sad or happy. I've felt kind of left out on the play ground and some times during class because they speak so fast and the concrete playground echoes. I was kind of disappointed because in the beginning, I felt like I was fitting in with my "friends", Brenda, Xiomara (Xio) and Rosa. Brenda seemed to be less interested in me in the middle of my stay, but the last day of school party is still to be had!

Over all, Pacheco was the best school experience I've had yet. But if I hadn't gone to these other schools, I wouldn't feel like I can't wait to be back to Pacheco. Have you ever felt like you can't truly love and miss some thing if you've never seen something different or been away from it for a long period of time? That is how I feel right now.

Kayley

The Bull Fight by Zander

1,2,4: the bull fights.

3: The beginning of the fight where all the participants get introduced.

Intro

Being a tourist in Spain meant that we had to see a bull fight. So during a festival in Granada, my family and I went to see a fight. The bull fighting arena was not very big, but a lot of people want to see the fight. While we were in line to get the tickets, there were protesters that had signs that said " we want celebrations without blood" and other similar statements. I think that they were there to stop us from paying money to see animals get killed for entertainment.

When we finally got to the ticket booth, the talk turned to bulls, which one was heavier, and which one would be the most exiting to watch. Then there were the college kids who came to get drunk, and they were doing just that. My dad wanting to give us the most interesting experience ( save money) and went ahead and bought us the cheap tickets. I was ready for a mind changing experience and wondered what I would it be like to be in a bull fight. The following passages are what I think it would feel like to be in a bull fight from the perspective of the bull, the matador, and the crowd.

The Bull

Charging around after the pink cape. Just can't catch it!! Every time I get close, it moves. Running around in bright colored clothes. Waving that cape around at me. They run at me and stab me with colorful sticks. So annoying, they get in my face, can't concentrate. They run too fast and they are too quick. Aaa so close. Suddenly, they start waving red capes at me. So annoying can't catch them. He twirls his cloak around and moves out of they way. He raises his big shiny spike, and stabs. Aaah, it hurts. He will pay! Blood is getting me all wet. Just can't catch it. I want to lie down and sleep. No kill him! Can't move. Can't stay up. Noo!!!

The Matador

The bull charges. A wave of the cape and a side step. The bull goes right by. The crowd cheers. Time to prepare for the next one. Here comes the bull, a twirl of the cape, a flourish, and side step. He goes right by. Now it is time for the kill. Raise the sword and plunge. Yes!I hit the heart. Blood squirted out. The crowd cheers. The bull stumbles. Then blood comes out of the bulls mouth, collapses. More cheering. Yes, I killed the bull without getting killed. The crowd is cheering. I killed a 1 ton mass of muscle with sharp horns!

The Crowd

Ugh.....the sugared smoke. The fat person in front of me keeps smoking them. Don't they have any respect. My butt hurts. There is no cushion and the benches are really small. We have the cheap seats, so it is very uncomfortable. Please finish the fight, so I can stand up. The bull doesn't have a chance of surviving but people still find it entertaining. People are drinking, smoking, and eating. They are talking about the fight through it all. All the college kids take there dates out to the fight with their friends, so the standees are full of some crazy people. We are so close, that we don't have any personal space. The dude behind us is on his 5th beer. He better not be driving home. Now I know why there are so many police here. They got it all: Coke, Fanta, whisky, vodka, gin, and ice. Ugh, the cigaret smoke. Does everyone in Spain smoke? Can we go? I can't breath. We have seen the bull fight. Seeing a bull fight was a messiah thing but if I had a choice I wouldn't do it avian if I nada choice.

Seville by Mia

This morning we woke up way too early for a Saturday morning to go to Seville. When we got there it was extremely hot out, but it always is here in Spain. We parked a bit of a walk away from the cathedral, and walked through the maze of cute alleys until we found it. The Seville cathedral is the biggest cathedral in Europe and it is pretty darn big. It is surrounded by a plaza with a few fountains and lots of horses pulling carriages. On one side of the plaza is a stone wall which is the Alcazar. We entered the cathedral from the side and walked around it, stopping at the treasury and the sacristy, before sitting in the pews in the middle of the church. The pews faced the choir and right across from the choir was supposed to be a huge altar, but it was being restored so there was just a big picture of it hung on the scaffolding. The picture was really cool looking, but I really wish we could have seen the real thing! I hate when they are restoring cool things, because we can't see them.

We were really tired because it was really hot in the cathedral and we hadn't slept very much the last night, so it was not as fun as it should have been to look at the cathedral. We saw the biggest pearl in the world that was the torso of a little cherub on the crown of the Virgin Mary, and it was about as long as my thumb and twice as wide. It was a really weird shape; the perfect shape for the torso and the tops of the legs of the cherub because it splits at the bottom. The rest of the crown was covered with hundreds of diamonds, heaps of emeralds and lots of rubies and others precious stones. The crown it's self was made of gold. There was a much smaller crown next to it that was decorated just as richly, and we thought it was for baby Jesus. After a few hours we were pretty done with the cathedral, and we walked up to the top of the bell tower before leaving.

After the cathedral, we walked around the neighborhood, found a plaza to have some food in, and then got some really good ice cream. While we ate our ice cream Sarah got a ruffled pink flamenco dress. It was very pink; pink with black dots, not black with pink ones. She was really excited, though despite its apparent hideousness. After that we walked around a little bit more until we were about to fall on our faces, so we went back to the car and last.