Dear Mrs. Jorgenson,

I am traveling with my family through Europe next month and will be missing school. Although the trip will be fun and exciting, it also will be educational and inspiring. Because of this my family and I feel it is worth the time I am missing from class.

But I don’t expect you to believe me without some convincing. So I am outlining all the places we will be going and the things I plan to see and do. I’m sure once you take a look you will also agree that this trip will be highly educational and valuable to my development.

I will be traveling through Italy, Croatia, Turkey and Greece.

We will start in Rome, Italy, the city often called the world’s greatest monument. It is called this because it has more ruins and treasures than any other city. It has the Forum, the Catecombs, the Vatican, the Colosseum, Aquaducts, Tivoli Gardens, and the Circus Maximus, as well as famous art, sculpture and architecture. We will also go to the Gigantic St.Peter’s Basilica. We think this will be one of the most facinating and educational ports.

From Rome we will travel via the express train to Florence, which is most famous for the Renaissance artists and architects that lived there during the 15-th-16th centuries. Everyone has seen photos of Michaelangelo’s “David” and we will be seeing the real thing in person. We will also see the famous Pitti Palace and Uffizi Art galleries and the Ponta Vecchio.

We have a day trip planned to Sienna to explore that walled city famous for the horse race called the Pallio. Although the race takes place in July, we are excited to see the Tuscan countryside and this small college town.

From Florence we will travel again by train to Venice, the city that has canals instead of streets where people travel by gondolas instead of cars. We will feed pigeons at the famous St. Mark’s square and cross the Rialto bridge on the way to visiting the Doge’s palace and the Guggenheim museum of art where this private collection of paintings includes Da Vinci and Rembrandt. Since I love art, I am looking forward to seeing these famous paintings.

In Venice, my family will board a cruise ship bound for Croatia.

Dubrovnik: We will first go to the Francisan Monestery and Dominican Monestery. Then we will see a ancient pharmacy. After that we will go to the Rector’s Palace and the cathedral and treasury. Finally we will take a scenic cruise around the city walls. The Reason we are going here is because it is beautiful yet it is intresting to learn about the ancient history of Dubrovnik.

Corfu: We will first see the neo-classical Achlleion Palace. Then we will visit the Virgin Mary Monestery known for its ancient articles. Corfu is said to be the most beautiful place in Greece.

Katakolon: We will just take a taxi to all the major sites of this town - the original Olympic Stadium. This town has some of the same features as Athens.

Athens: We will hike up to the temple of Zeus and see the magnificent Acropolis. We will also seethe Olympic stadium where the olympics were first held. While we are being driven we will see such statues as Hadrians arch, the statue of Lord Byron and the Temple of Olympus. We think Athens will be very educational and interesting because after all Athens is where modern civilization began.

Mykonos: In Mykonos we will see the birthplace and deathplace of Apollo (CUPID). We think this would be fun to learn about a greek god and seeing his grave. (But I thought gods didn't die. Oh well...)

Kusadasi: In Kusadasi we will first go to ancient Ephesus which was a Roman Capital, buried over the ages through erosion and earthquacks. It has been excavated in the last fifty years to reveal a magnificent city with marble roads, amazing temples and a three story library. After that we will go shopping in a local bazaar.

Rhodes: In Rhodes we will go up to Mt.Philerimos. Then we will got to the famous road of the kinights built by the Knights of St. John who acted as ambassadors to this region during the era of the Crusades. Finally we will go to the Palace of Grand Masters. My stepmom is really fascinated by the Knights of St. John ever since her visit to Malta, so this will be a big stop for the family.

Santorini: Santorini is mainly a tourist town built on the side of a volcanic caldera that slopes steeply into the sea. The whitewashed buildings and narrow winding streets are some of the most photographed scenes in Greece. My dad really likes Santorini because it is so beautiful.

Naples: In Naples we will first go to the ashy city of Pompeii famous for its ruins because of the volcanic ash that covered it and wiped out the entire population in a matter of minutes. The result of the tragedy was an almost perfectly preserved record of the affluent life of the people from hundreds of years ago. After that we will take a hydrofoil to the beautiful isle of Capri where a cable car takes you to the top of the mountain giving magnificent views.

I will be photographing most of these famous sights and writing about what I learned while touring them. I will post them here for everyone to see every few days or so.

I thank you for allowing me this opportunity to go and see the world, even though it means I'll be missing the Greek Gods performance at school on Friday. But just imagine - while Austin is struggling with his boa and mimicing Aphrodite for laughs at the school assembly, I'll be tripping up the steps to the Temple of Aphrodite in Greece. Thank goodness I don't have to wear Austin's highheels!

Sincerely,

Hunter