travelteachlove

Athens Highlights: The Acropolis

April 19, 2016 2 Comments

We really hit the ground running for our second day in Athens. As our only full day in the city, and after seeing several big sights the day before, we knew what we wanted to see and had concocted a plan of attack. First on the plan, wake up call at 6:30 AM. Not a popular choice after a day of travel and sightseeing. But totally necessary if we were going to get a single picture of the Acropolis without a thousand of our closest tourist friends. Knowing this did not make it any easier when what felt like 10 […]

Travel

Athens on Jet Lag

April 17, 2016 2 Comments

What a whirlwind day one was! After long hours not keeping on our overnight flight from Boston to Munich, throwing back a free coffee in the airport and jumping on the next plane to Athens, I can’t believe we had enough steam to do some sightseeing. First and foremost we had to make our way to our hotel. The information desk lady at the airport recommended the metro as the most efficient way to get there. So we paid our fare and stumbled on to claim seats since the luggage outnumbered us between carry-ons, backpacks and luggage. The way we […]

Travel

Santorini Wish List

April 13, 2016 1 Comment

Most of my upcoming trip with my sister and friend will be spent on the island of Santorini. Known more for honeymooning than for groups of young 20 somethings, we will be soaking in the relaxed pace and quiet atmosphere for our girls trip. What am I looking forward to? Breathtaking views, delicious food, and even a donkey ride, check, check, check! We plan to take advantage of everything Santorini has to offer. Since we have more time in Santorini than in Athens we created a wish list of everything we hope to do while we are there. The Google Map […]

Travel

Making the Most of Athens

April 12, 2016 1 Comment

I can’t believe we will take off for Greece in three short days! So exciting! Our first stop in Greece will be in Athens. We will arrive Saturday afternoon, and then leave Monday morning for Santorini. Because we will be in Athens for such a short time, we have mapped out all the things we want to see and do while we are there. That way we won’t miss anything. Here is a look at our tentative plans: Saturday Get our bearings of the city once we have checked into the hotel by walking around the city. My camera sure is […]

Travel

STEP Travel is Smart Travel

April 10, 2016 No Comments

This weekend, to prepare for my trip to Greece, I registered with the US State Department in their Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP). It is free to enroll and there are several benefits in doing so. Travel Alerts- This came in handy when my sister (who registered before me) got an email letting us know all public workers in Greece are striking…including air traffic controllers. Meaning fights will be impacted, eek! Luckily everything seems to have worked itself out, but if there are any changes we will know. Gives the US Embassy a way to contact you in case of an […]

Classroom Connection

World Flags, Student Style

April 8, 2016 No Comments

Happy Friday! As we prepare to sail into the weekend I thought I’d share a quick story of a favorite moment I had a few weeks ago. Our school had recently participated in Spain Day, and students were still talking about the different activities they did including coloring Spanish flags. Later that afternoon, before dismissal a student came up to me and asked if he could draw some flags from around the world for me because he knew I liked to travel. I was flattered, what a sweet gesture. I love to encourage global learning, so I told him if […]

Classroom Connection, Travel

Gaudi Mosaics

April 6, 2016 3 Comments

Students at my school have learned a lot about Spain since a group of nine teachers, including myself, returned from a trip there in February. The whole school has been involved, making connections to the culture and people in all areas of learning. One of my favorite projects that students are working on is in art class. Our art teacher, Mr. D, took the work of Antoni Gaudi and used it as inspiration for a mosaic project for students. One of Gaudi’s famous projects, Parc Guell in Barcelona, is a great example of mosaic work. Everywhere you look in the park, brightly […]

Packing

Packing Light for Greece

April 4, 2016 3 Comments

My trip to Greece is quickly approaching, just 12 days until departure day! As usual, I wanted to get a jump start on my packing so I will be stress free less stressed, so I took the weekend to lay clothes out and see how they would fit in my suitcase. After meeting my own challenge of packing in a carry-on size bag for a 10 day trip to Spain; I figured it should be a breeze to do the same for just 7 days in Greece. The big difference this time, other than warmer weather, a couple of fashionistas I […]

Classroom Connection

Classroom Fame

March 31, 2016 No Comments

Happy Friday! Last week I wrote about Spain Day that my school put on. It was a day that celebrated global learning and shared information teachers learned from traveling to Spain. You can read more at my blog post Spain Day at DWS. This week the event was covered in the local paper, The Marshfield Mariner. Students were abuzz when the article was published. One student even brought it into school so I could hang it on the front board. I read it aloud and we enjoyed reminiscing on a fun day. Four students from our class were interviewed for […]

Travel

Birthday Cheer

March 30, 2016 4 Comments

The other day I received the sweetest gift for my birthday. The aide that works in my classroom knows how much I love to travel. She also knows my slight obsession with Helsinki and all things Finnish. So for my birthday she found the perfect gift that combines those two loves. She ordered me the cutest bracelet from WANDERER BRACELETS. It is a handmade bracelet made from water buffalo bone and string. Carved into the bone part are the coordinate points for Helsinki. Needless to say I was completely surprised and overwhelmed when I opened such a thoughtful gift. The bracelet […]