Explorica Summer Academy - European Cultures from London to Athens

Description: The ultimate summer experience. Ride high as you rule Britannia, take the City of Light by storm, and shine in the South of France. Italy brings fabulous food and sunny piazzas as you explore artistic masterpieces, and Greece drops you dead center into the birthplace of Western civilization. Take time to compare and contrast with three days cruising the blue Aegean waters.

Highlights:
London city walk
Step outside your hotel, for a stroll through the streets of the heart of the English-speaking world. In this city of nearly seven million, you'll see everything from 12th-century fortifications to modern skyscrapers, formal parks to punk rockers. Your Tour Director will lead you to some of the most famous sites. Walk along the Thames River. Cross Trafalgar Square. See bustling Piccadilly Circus. Pass trendy shops and cafés in Bohemian Soho on your way to Covent Garden, a 13th-century fruit and vegetable garden transformed into a maze of narrow streets and pedestrian walkways burgeoning with street performers, open-air markets and boutiques.

Paris guided sightseeing tour
What's that huge white arch at the end of the Champs-Elysées? The Arc de Triomphe, commissioned by Napoleon in 1806 after his victory at Austerlitz. A licensed local guide will give the goods on this, and other, Parisian landmarks. Spot chic locals (and tons of tourists) strolling the Champs-Élysées. Look up at the iron girders of the Eiffel Tower, built for the 1889 World's Fair to commemorate the centenary of the French Revolution. See Les Invalides (a refuge for war wounded), the Ecole Militaire (Napoleon's alma mater), and the Conciergerie (the prison where Marie Antoinette was kept during the French Revolution). Then head to the Ile de la Cite -- a small island in the Seine -- to see Notre Dame Cathedral. Look up at the great gray spires, grotesque gargoyles, and huge, round stained-glass windows (even more impressive than in the Disney version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame).

Monaco Tour Director-led sightseeing tour
On the Mediterranean coast, five miles from the Italian border, lies the tiny, glittering independent state of Monaco. Ruled by the Grimaldi family since the 13th century, Monaco is the epitome of French Riviera glamour. Your Tour Director will lead you on this brief adventure. See the casino that Charles III opened in the 1850s to avert financial straits; needless to say, his plan worked--so well, in fact, that Monaco is a nearly tax-free state. Drop in on Prince Rainier (OK, see his house, the Palais du Prince), and visit a parfumerie in nearby Eze, where rich scents are made from local flowers such as jasmine, rose, and lavender.

Florence guided walking sightseeing tour with Whisper headsets
Immerse yourself in the charms of old-world Firenze, a red-brick splendor set in the rolling green hills of Tuscany. The birthplace and focal point of the Italian Renaissance, Florence still has the masterpieces to prove it. Brunelleschis elegant Duomo (dome) dominates the skyline, and around every corner is an architectural triumph filled with wall after wall of incomparable art. Your local licensed guide will take you to Giotto's Bell Tower and the aptly named Gates of Paradise, the bronze east doors of the Baptistery that spurred the burgeoning Renaissance. The boy guarding the Palazzo Vecchio with his slingshot is just a copy of Michelangelos David; the real statue is over at the Accademia. Dont overlook the tombs of Michelangelo, Galileo, and Machiavelli at the Chiesa di Santa Croce, and definitely dont overlook Florences amazing leather goods. Check them out when you visit one of the areas famed workshops.

Cruise for three days on the Aegean
Set out to sea. Take three days to tour four islands of the Aegean. From Kusadasi and Patmos to Rhodes and Mykonos, you'll get to know authentic Greek island culture and some of the Aegean's best beaches. First is Mykonos, one of the Mediterranean's busiest resorts, with everything from a great museum filled with 7th-century artifacts to pure white, cubistic buildings, Crayola-colored boats, gourmet restaurants and...more beaches. Then it is on to the hilly, seahorse-shaped Patmos, you'll see gold-leafed Byzantine frescos at the Monastery of St. John, the capital city of Hora, the busy port of Skala and beautiful beaches. Next stop is the Turkish village of Kusadasi. Finally, Rhodes, with the tile-roofed gazebos, huge trees and open-air plazas of Old Town, whitewashed streets twisting between whitewashed buildings, and a collection of beaches-one of the most popular right in town.

Athens guided sightseeing tour
Not just another crowded dusty city, Athens has developed from the birthplace of democracy to a bustling modern metropolis. With a local licensed guide, start your time travel at the ancient hot spots of the first Olympic site and the sprawling Acropolis, classical Athens religious and civic center. The awe-inspiring Parthenon -- a temple dedicated to Athens patron saint Athena -- is the obvious centerpiece, but take time to examine the building next door, where sculpted women hold up the roof with their heads, and the amazing view of modern Athens below. Jump back to the present in Syntagma Square, the center of the modern city, to see the Parliament building and the British-style changing of the guards ceremony. (Theres a rather un-British flair to it, however -- the Greek guards wear white skirts, head scarves, and shoes and knee bands adorned with pom-poms.) Continue to Omonia Square, Athens' other main meeting point, to relax by the splashing central fountain ringed with palm trees.

Cost in US$: Starting at $4579

This Program is open to American and Canadian Participants.

Participants Travel to - Multi-Country Independently Or in Groups

Typically Participants Work Independently Or in Groups of up to 30 students

Application Process Involves:

• Letters of Reference
• Online Application plus Application Assessment

Explorica Summer Academy's Mission Statement: Explorica Summer Academy stemmed from the idea that students should have opportunities for in-depth cultural exploration outside the classroom. So with a management team that boasts 150 years of combined industry experience, Explorica offers high-quality, road-tested tours for adventurous students and teachers. Our three-week programs let high-school students from across the country, ages 14 to 18 years old, combine international travel, study, and adventure as they learn about the world from teachers and from each other. And each three-week tour presents unique learning opportunities with accredited institutions, from French schools on the Cote d' Azur to conservation organizations in Costa Rica or South Africa.