March 25, 2011 Cable Car Ride and City Tour

The old San Francisco with the New.

We love San Francisco!

A beautiful city!

Lombard Street

Magaly with the beautiful city as a backdrop.

San Francisco is so gorgeous!

BFFE

Panoramic view

The rainbow ends at our hotel!

Ciao gente (hey person)!

Our last, but not least, day started off very well: as we left our hotel on the bus to come back to Pier 39 in order to take some more pictures of the sea lions in the bay, a huge rainbow was over the sky!
We all stoped in front of the hard rock cafe and did the rain dance again, just to make sure that our last day would be dry. :)

After our successfull rain dance we walked to the cable car, we were all very excided. It was so much fun and we took a lot of pictures standing in and out of the cable cars. We just loved it; it's been amazing! The cable cars brought us next to Union Square, where we had a couple of hours shopping and having fun. We had lunch and we must say food is really relly good in San Francisco.

After lunch a tour guide joined us and we went on a city tour exploring all San Francisco, including the Italian, Chinese, the gay and the Latino neighborhoods; we saw the victorian houses and the hippies standing on the sidewalks; we went on the top of the hill(Twin Peaks) that devides San Fran in two parts: the one near the Ocean, more windy and foggy, and the one standing on the bay, sunnier and wamer. Since the hill overstands San Francisco, the view we had was wonderful and made us thinking of how beautiful the world is. The pictures we took are fantastic and I guess a lot of us will use them as Facebook profile!

We also had a walk coming down one of crookedest(zig zag) roads in the USA, Lombard St, and it's been funny. Then we went to the city hall, that's huge and wonderful, and we saw some people getting married and talked about gay marriages, that are still illegal in California even if most of the people in San Fran are open minded about it.

Then we came back to the hotel and we got ready for the surprise Belo Tour was preparing us: a dinner with a dance party with the other group of exchange students which is visiting the west coast too! People are still dancing right now, but we had to take a break. We're having so much fun we hope this trip would last forever. The friendships we made will never break, we'll keep in touch and visit each other so that we'll never forget this trip. I can say I now have some BFFEE, Best Friend For Ever. Ever.

Passez une bonne soiree,

Federico - Italy
Magaly - Switzerland
Sarah - Canada

March 24, 2011 Rain. Alcatraz. Golden Gate Bridge. Pier 39. Hard Rock Cafe.

The only light we saw all day, how beautiful!

Some of our lovely girls ready to dine!

MmMm! Ready for dinner!

Shopping is too much fun!

Our Hard Rock Cafe!

One of our friends in the water! (Photo by Polly)

The sea lions are so entertaining.

The sea lions resting and tanning area. (Photo Kristen)

Panoramic view of one of the cell blocks. (Photo Kristen)

Inside the prison on "Broadway"

Braving the weather to get a good picture!

Alcatraz "The Rock"

HELLO!

Our first morning at the new hotel here in San Francisco. it is raining, of course. ☁ We came down to breakfast earlier than the last few days and enjoyed some coffee to get us going for a long day. We got on the bus and did our "anti rain" dance! It had a delayed response today. We headed right down town to Alcatraz to go on a tour. We got to pier 33 to get on a ferry to take us to the island. Thank goodness we all got ponchos because of course it was raining. ☂ We were divided into groups so we could go on the audio tour inside the prison.

Once we got to the island we headed up a long drive way to get to the top where the prison is located. Just so all you parent's who aren't familiar with Alcatraz, it is not a working prison. (We are all safe and good students) We all got headphones for the audio tour we were about to experience. The audio tour was great! It felt like we were in our own world there back in time. It was a real first hand experience. There were many narrators that were either prisoners or guards on Alcatraz. One of the most famous people who stayed at Alcatraz was Al Capone. It was still raining. ☁ At one point we had to step outside for a minuet and we almost got blown away! Overall it was a good experience at Alcatraz.

Then we headed to a sweet mall to have free time to get dry and have lunch! They had very good Thai food. MmMm! The food court was awesome! They had a lot of international food available. We spread out and had free time to shop. We love shopping. So a lot of us got some warmer clothes and even prom dresses! It was a good shopping afternoon.

After our break we drove off to the Golden Gate Bridge. The walk across is 1.71 miles/ 2.75km, so walking in the rain would be miserable. Carleigh decided we would like to live to tell you stories of our trip so we it was raining, we decided to take the bus across the bridge. ☁ We got to the other side and to the look out spot and took a few pictures. We braved the rain and wind and got out to get a great group picture as well! Some people tried to take pictures as if we were holding the bridge up. Then we headed back on the warm bus to pier 39. Once we got there we had free time to shop for souvenirs. A lot of people stayed warm with hot chocolate or coffee. We got to see the famous sea lions! They were very loud sometimes! The noise they make is like "air ahr" it sounds so funny. Everyone was just staring at the sea lions then at us because we were "talking back" to the sea lions! Most students bought the I ♥ SF shirts! More popular gifts were license plates and key chains. Then it was time for dinner.

We got to Hard Rock Cafe and were anxious to eat. We ordered our food and while we were waiting we entertained ourselves by singing Justin Bieber songs. We have the Bieber Fever! (but not all of us) The food was great! Bacon cheese burgers, pulled bbq pork burger, cesar salad and honey mustard chicken sandwiches satisfied our hunger! Once we were done with dinner we ran out to try and get a picture of the SUNLIGHT that came out while we were at dinner. ☀ (yes it seriously stopped raining!) We didn't actually get to see the sunset but the light really looked there. Then we waited to get picked up by John, our bus driver. We did another rain dance in front of Hard Rock Cafe to bring us good luck for tomorrow. It was so cold so when the bus arrived we thanked John for keeping the bus warm for us! Then back to the hotel we went. On the way back to the hotel the sweet little Thai girls told us the real name of Bangkok. Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Yuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Phiman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit

Well, while we are writing this blog a lot of the other students are squeezing themselves into the hot tub. It is a very popular place to be, especially in this weather. Tomorrow is our last day and everyone is sad that it is coming to an end.

Today was wet, awesome, informative, and fun! We liked Alcatraz and the tour on the island. The prison wasn't that scary. The mall was huge and we enjoyed the time we got to spend there. Pier 39 was chilly but it was a great spot to get our souvenirs and to laugh at the sea lions.

Goodnight! Sweet dreams American families. Good morning (basically) the rest of the world! ☺

Chana Anurukwongkul- Thailand

Nun Ritthikanon- Thailand

Fong Leesakul- Thailand

Luca Kronsbein- Germany

March 23, 2011 Drive from Las Angeles to San Francisco

We Love Chinatown Restaurant! Yummy!

Prepared for the California rain!

Practice makes...almost perfect.

Shopping in Chinatown.

A beautiful view on the way to San Francisco!

Ni hao!

Getting up this morning it was really hard for all of us,because yesterday we spent an awesome day at Disneyland. So it was really hard to wake up but we are warriors so we woke up no matter what! We had to pack our belongings, because today was the day when we had to leave our wonderful hotel in Los Angeles,CA.We had our last breakfast in our hotel,it was really good like always,because WE love bacon(well at last me-Martin).After our delicious breakfast we packed our stuff in our bus and we were on our way to RAINY San Francisco.

Once we were in the bus everyone got a nice refreshing bottle of water. The traffic wasn't as bad as expected. After a few hours we stopped for a quick restroom break then went back to finish our movie. We stopped for lunch and some of us tried In-N-Out Burger! YUM! Then we headed off to the road on our way to San Francisco. The trip was very long but the view from the bus of the beautiful state was beautiful. We watched a few movies on the way and listened to a lot of good music. We enjoyed the conversations with each other and the new friends we have made. Our Chinese friend even taught us some Chinese. All of our countries were announced by Carleigh and then we sang our national anthems. It was cool to hear everyone else sing in their own language.

Once we got to San Francisco we went straight to Chinatown. Of course it was raining. When we arrived to our area we even did Carleigh's "anti-rain" dance. We had some free time to shop around Chinatown and then we met back at the restaurant. We had a lot, A LOT of Chinese food. Some guys even had a "rice eating" contest! Jonathan won! There was so much food for all of us and everyone was so full at the end of the night. It was Mag's birthday today so we sang her Happy Birthday and she got a candle on her green tea ice cream. Once we were done with dinner we went to our hotel. It is very nice and some of us squished in the hot tub together!

Jonathan- Netherlands

Marc- Germany

Martin- Latvia

March 22, 2011 DISNEYLAND!

The beautiful castle lit up at night!

Both groups in front of Cinderella's castle!

Minnie Mouse girls!

We love Disneyland!

Both Coordinators: Carleigh and Raphael!

Up early for a swim!

Hello families and friends!

First thing we did was get up at 7am! We went to breakfast, and were the first people to eat! Then we headed to the pool to enjoy the water and the hot tub. We then hurried up to get ready and get on the bus.

We did an "anti-rain dance" to make sure we had good weather for the day at the park (and it worked)! Then we had a party in the bus while we were on the way to Disneyland! Carleigh actually danced for us, even though she hates dancing! just kidding- she loves it!

We were so excited to be at the park and have good weather! We took a tram to get to the entrance of the park and then we got our surprise of the day! The other exchange students doing another trip were at the park as well! We all got to hang out and enjoy the day together! Everybody loved us at the park today!

We got in line for Space Mountain and enjoyed the conversations with many people interested in where we are from and what brings us to California. One person was even a school friend of Angelia Jolie! We thought that was pretty cool. Space Mountain was such a fun ride! We all met up together to ride it together! We were very loud :) The Hollywood Tower of Terror was another one of our favorites! You sit down in an elevator type ride and got lifted up like 15 stories and then drop! There were so many rides we all rode on! The list could go forever!

Of course at Disneyland they want us to spend our money there, but one of us had a little difficulty trying to get the perfect sweat shirt! I saw it and fell in love, but at every single shop they did not have my size :( They tried to make the "little German girls dream come true" but they did not find her size.

We all met up at 6 to get a group picture! The picture was taken right in front of the castle! It was hilarious! Everyone was looking at us and we were doing the "wave" and cheering for ourselves! Later we were able to watch the fire works show that was done with the castle as a backdrop! They did an amazing job at the show! Tinker bell flew across the sky and colorful fireworks were set to music to make a beautiful show for all to see!

Awesome day! We were all amazed at how nice people were and interested they were in us and our exchange year! It was a great last day to spend in Los Angeles. Of course it is a dream come true! Everyone loves Disney! The characters are all the same across the world, like back home, so you kind of feel "at home" when at Disneyland!

Rachel- Germany

Lea-Germany

Ceren-Germany

March 21, 2011 Hollywood Blvd, Beverly Hills, Venice Beach and Santa Monica

Hello!

We all woke up to look out the window and check the weather... And it was SUNNY and beautiful! What a miracle! Some of us were so surprised that we screamed and woke up our roommates! We got ready and went to have a big breakfast.

The bus ride was pretty exciting... We rode through downtown L.A. and saw the Hollywood sign from afar. Our first stop was Hollywood! We visited Madame Tussauds Wax Museum and had the opportunity to take lots of pictures with celebrities. It wasn't very crowded so we were free to strike many poses with all our favorite celebs-- Don Carleone (the Godfather), Jack Nicholson and Lady Gaga. And we got creeped out by the super real looking Hannibal Lector! When we finally got out of the wax museum, it was raining! Oh no! So we got out the umbrellas and hit the shops! By the time we came out of the mall and were ready for lunch, the sun was shining again.

We were able to get some good pictures with some of the stars on the Walk of Fame- Michael Jackson, Drew Barrymore and Mickey Mouse to name a few. We also passed by Hard Rock Hollywood and the Kodak and Chinese Theaters. We left Hollywood after lunch and went straight to Beverly Hills!!! We had an awesome photo at the famous sign on Rodeo Drive! Some people even met a celebrity- David from Wizards of Waverley Place! Most of us just enjoyed the park because the sun felt so nice after such a rainy day yesterday!

Next stop: the famous Venice Beach! That was really fun because it was the first time that most of us touched the Pacific Ocean. We just got our feet wet because the water was freezing! But it was so exciting!

Then we were off to nearby Santa Monica... You know that famous pier in California with the big ferris wheel and roller coaster? Well, we went there! Some people rode the ferris wheel and had a beautiful view of the ocean and the city! Others went shopping on the 3rd Street Promenade. They had all kinds of stores like G-Star and Rip Curl.

We finished our Santa Monica experience at Buca di Beppo- a famous American Italian restaurant. It was sooo good! The place was really interesting because the walls were covered in random photos relating to Italy. We celebrated Mark's 18th birthday all day, but we sang and he blew out his candle at the end of our delicious meal... What a great way to spend a birthday!

Even though it was a long day and we're tired, we really cannot hold in our happiness about tomorrow!

DISNEYLAND here we come!

Buona notte!

Giovanni- Italy

Lorenza- Italy

Alvaro- Spain

At Santa Monica Pier!

Venice Beach!

A little excited to have sunshine!

Running and jumping in the ocean!

Welcome to Venice Beach!!!

Hanging out on Rodeo Drive!

That's where I want to be!

Oh Britney!

Oh excuse me Jennifer Lopez!?

Passing through downtown LA!

March 20, 2011 Universal Studios Hollywood

Stuffed after a great meal!

Getting comfortable in the warm and cozy dining area!

Yummm... Dessert!

Enjoying each other's company!

Dinner at the famous Bubba Gump Shrimp Company

Rain can't hold back our excitement!

Excited to ride the rides!

Universal Studios Hollywood!

Our first group picture!

The famous Hollywood sign!

Well, first off we like our hotel. It is so nice. The rooms are great, and the beds are so comfortable. We had breakfast for the first time at the hotel. We had a buffet of classic American foods: bacon, eggs, potatoes, some cereals (a favorite is lucky charms) orange juice and lots of coffee!

Then we headed off to the Griffith Observatory. On our way there the rain started to pour. We stopped to see the view, but since it was raining the view was not very clear. We were able to see the famous HOLLYWOOD sign. We all hopped of the bus real quick and got a group picture! Our hopes were high and the rain didn't keep us from enjoying our first day in California.

After that we went to Universal Studios Hollywood! First thing we did was buy umbrellas and ponchos to keep a little dry. (It didn't really work though haha) We decided to all go on a ride together first thing. We headed down to the ride "The Mummy"! It was a good ride! At the beginning it wasn't too scary but then all of a sudden it got really scary and we all screamed! It was probably everyone's favorite ride! Some of us braved the weather and took on the ride "Jurassic Park", at the end of the ride you splash into a pool at the end! Thank goodness we all had poncho's and umbrellas!

The rest of the day we went on a few other rides including "The Simpsons" ride. We went on it 4 times! It was so crazy because we got to just stay on the ride because not many people were actually at the park. After the 4th time, it was enough! haha Some of us went to the "House of Horror" and got the crap freaked out of us! AH! It was fun!

Almost all of us went on the Universal Studios Tour. We got to see a lot of the sound stages and areas where they do a lot of the filming for movies and tv shows. The tour was awesome! It was so cool to see everything that you have seen in the movies! The special effects were great!

So after a long day of rain, disaster, fun and joy we were worn out and soaked. Some of us actually bought some new dry clothes, yay! We got to warm up on the bus for a little bit and then went to dinner at Bubba Gump Shrimp (from the movie Forrest Gump) The food was so delicious and the environment was fun! They did trivia with us from the movie. It was a great way to end! Eating at somewhere dry with heaters all around!

So today was a good day! We got to know each other better already. It was kind of depressing because of the weather, but we are all warm and fine now back at the hotel!

Davide- Italy

Britta- Germany