Welcome to the Olympic Quest 2010 blog

We are 38 students and 2 professors from Gustavus Adolphus College on a European Quest of the Olympics. Here is a description of our course: Olympic Quest will investigate the history of the modern Olympic games through examination of the cultural, philosophical, societal, and athletic impact the games have had on the development of Western civilization. Beginning in the homeland of the most controversial modern games, Olympic Quest traces the path of the modern games through Germany, France, and Spain. Students will have the opportunity to interact with the origins of the ancient and modern Olympic games by participating, attending, and experientially reflecting on engagement within the various venues.

Friday, January 22, 2010

List of "firsts"

1. Tried wierschnitzel
2. Saw the Mona Lisa
3. Tried a maltesers (a whopper)
4. Heard of (or watched) "Detroit Rock City"
5. Watched a KISS concert
6. Been without a cell phone for an extended time period.
7. Road a train
8. Saw and danced with a group of Dutch singers in the middle of the alps
9. Skied in the alps.
10. Been in a castle.
11. Been to a WWII battlesite.
12. Walked on the soil of a concentration camp.
13. Danced in the Eiffel Tower.
14. Ate sushi in Paris.
15. Had a crepe.
16. Fell down the subway stairs.
17. Been on the subway.
18. Celebrated my birthday in a foreign country.
19. Ate meat and cheese sandwiches numerous days in a row.
20. Wrote consequitively in a journal.
21. Took public transportation by myself.
22. Saw the moulin rouge.
23. Had gluhwein.
24. Tasted such good chocolate mousse (in Paris).
25. Tried nutella.. And then had it every morning for breakfast.
26. Seen work by Gaudi
27. Experienced a "no suit" sauna.
28. Seen a nude beach


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Barcelona beach




















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Barcelona

Hola Amigos, estamos en Barcelona. On Wednesday our group left Nice for Barcelona, it was our final bus excursion and it took approximately 8 hours to arrive. During the ride, we passed through the Pyrenees Mountains which seperate Southern France from Spain and were able to take in the beautiful scenery, we even got to see a gorgeous red sunset. While on the bus ride we got the chance to watch To Catch a Theif with Grace Kelly, the late princess of Monaco, then we watched Pretty Woman and finished with the epic The Lord of the Rings. After we arrived in our hotel, we had a very filling "Spanish" meal of alfredo pasta, pork and orange sorbet.

On Thursday we had our first full day out in the city of Barcelona with our tour guide Jordy. During the tour, we learned about Gaudi, the famous Spanish architect and how his work shaped the city of Barcelona between 1880-1925. Our first stop was at the Parque de Guell, which was created by Gaudi himself and housed three homes of the rich bourguoise and created a green oasis for the citizens. Next, we went to the Gaudi masterpiece, the Sagrada Familia, which is an unfinished church with ornate detail and unique scultures on each of the 8 spires. However, they are still in the process of finishing the 18 towers, which is planned to conclude in 17 years... I guess we came 17 years to early to see this completed church. Following the church visit, we stopped at Las Ramblas, the infamous city center of Barcelona near the gothic quarter. Some of us were craving some "American food," so we stopped at the Hard Rock Cafe for burgers and fries. Later, we stopped by the Olympic Stadium of the 1992 Barcelona games, on our way we got a great view of the city and were able to see how truly expansive the city of Barcelona is. The most exciting stop was at the soccer stadium of Barcelona which houses 98,700 people currently and will be expanded to 114,000 in the near future. Many people stopped in the gift shop and were able to purchase all their favorite soccer apparel.

The afternoon was free, so many people went into the city center to go shopping, while others went back to the hotel. Following dinner a few people decided to attend the Corella Ballet, while others decided to spend their last night out in Barcelona.

Unfortunately, it´s bittersweet to know that tomorrow we are heading home, but still excited to tell everyone about our European adventures.

Nina Serratore, Kerri Groff, Taylor Drenttel, and Jenny Broman



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Barcelona - day 2














The face of Barcelona:


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Thursday, January 21, 2010

Barcelona

Gaudi park:








Gaudi church:





Olympic stadium:


Our guide, Henry Winkler (George):


Thinking of you, mom:


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Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Lunch stop in Nimes, France & 1st night in Barcelona

Nimes:


Driving into Barcelona:


Barcelona:





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Monte Carlo










Happy birthday Mariah!


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Monaco



Monaco:





















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French Riviera




Leisure quest:



Perfume factory:





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Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Flowers in January

After a long long journey across France in a crammed bus we were pleasantly welcomed with green grass and warm air. The movies on the bus made the trek more tolerable including European Vacation, Notting Hill, DaVinci Code and last but not least KISS IN CONCERT thanks to Dr. Banks. Upon arrival we had great meal with amazing dessert from a local restaurant right around the corner from our hotel. Dinner was followed by a low key night in preparation for our day trip to Monaco today.

The morning was started with a hectic breakfast in the hotel restaurant which was too small for our large group but we managed to make it work. After breakfast, we were greeted by our tour guide Sylvie. She was very excited to show us all that Nice and Monaco had to offer. First we did a bus tour through parts of Nice and stopped at Fragonard, a perfume factory where we had a brief tour which ended in a store where we nearly drained our remaining Euro supply. We then continued the beautiful drive along the Mediterranean coast to Monaco. During a quick walking tour we saw the cathedral, the palace, the famous museum of oceanography, and some other lavish government buildings. The views were spectacular, especially from the well kept gardens, home of the largest seagulls we had ever seen. We had a perfect amount of time to soak up the sun and grab some delicious food (crepes and pizza anyone?). We continued with a bus ride to Monte Carlo; with the world famous casino, jet-set clientele and their luxury cars. Once again, we had another break where we could shop at places like Louis Vuitton and Chanel, gamble like Bonnie who won 30 Euros, or enjoy the beautiful ocean views from the gardens. On our way back to the hotel Sylvie surprised us with one last stop. The Florian candy factory gave us a tour complete with samples which once again ended in a store where some of us officially drained our pockets. After a very fun day in the sun we returned to our hotel where we ate at the same local restaurant with one of the best meals of our trip. We're excited to head to Barcelona early tomorrow morning!

Lauren, Kirstin, Mark, and Natalie

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Normandy excursion

Sainte-Mere-Eglise:















Utah beach:













Cliffs and point where soldiers climbed up cliffs:






















Omaha beach:




American cemetery:






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