The WWII Course reports:
On Saturday, we toured the site of the Plaszow concentration camp on the edge of Krakow; it was where many of the scenes in Schindler's List took place. The first picture shows the house where Amon Goeth, the commandant of the camp, lived; the second shows the memorial marking the execution site. On Sunday, we travelled to Berlin, and on Monday studied sites related to the Nazi government. The third picture shows the longest remaining fragment of the Berlin Wall, while the fourth shows the Topography of Terror exhibition in the remains of the basement of the headquarters of the Gestapo.





The Peru Course reports:
We spent our last three days in the Sacred Valley on our way towards Machu Picchu.

On our first day, we left Cusco and visited the Incan ruins at Pisaq and Ollantaytambo. Pisaq is a beautiful city built on a mountain with spectacular views of the valley below. It is unique in the fact that all visitors from the rainforest stopped here to be quarantined for a period of time before going into the city of Cusco. Ollantaytambo was the place where one of the last battles with the Spaniards took place. These battles allowed the Incan royalty to move toward Machu Picchu and Vilcabamba ahead of the Spaniards and they were basically able to abandon those sites before they were discovered. Ollantaytambo is the starting point for the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, a four day hike up and down a difficult mountain chain.

The second day brought the group into the Patakancha Valley. This excursion brought us up to 13,000 feet and back in time 500+ years. The students met two families that still practice ancient farming techniques. They were able to ask questions and try their skills working the field. Kelly and Larissa were gung-ho and tried a variety of techniques, but I am pretty sure the families were going to redo our work! We left the families and traveled to Huilloq were we were treated with a pachamanca. Pachamanca is a meal cooked in a stone over similar to a Hawaiian luau. We eat lamb, potatoes and quinoa soup. After lunch the students had the opportunity to participate in an Andean costume of talking with a shaman. The shaman used coca leaves to answer questions about the students' futures. Some students were skeptical, some were optimistic. He did predict the Giants would beat the Packers! Sorry, no info on the Super bowl!!!

On our last day in the Sacred Valley we traveled to Chinchero, the hometown of our guide Raul. Chinchero is the home of a women's weaving cooperative were the women are trained in the ancient art of weaving. The quality of the weavings is fair beyond tourist quality and some parents may be getting some surprises. Many of our young women took the opportunity to learn to do some basic weaving but we could not convince any of the guys to try.

After the Sacred Valley we move onto Machu Picchu and then return to Cusco for the final exam.

The Cathedral Course reports:
We have arrived in Ireland - our last destination. The weather is great and everyone is enjoying themselves!