Following our encounter with greatness, we headed to the Las Vegas monorail to make our way to the MGM Grand, which is the host hotel of the convention (and so swimming with Lions of all nationalities). The monorail itself was a cool ride, giving us some great views as we moved across the Strip. Once we arrived at the MGM Grand, we headed to their food court for lunch. There were lots of great options - Johnny Rockets, a Mexican joint, a Pan Asian restaurant, a pizza place, and a chicken fingers restaurant - I think that everyone was able to find something to eat! After lunch, we moved on to the Luxor, where we took in the Titanic exhibit. This was a great and positive educational experience, allowing students to interact with the past. Highlights included a reproduction of the grand staircase, being able to touch a replica iceberg, and the chance to smell perfume on artifacts recovered from the wreckage. After checking out the Titanic, we headed back to the MGM Grand for a rehearsal for Sunday's flag ceremony.

We rounded out the day with a Las Vegas 51s baseball game, which was awesome. We played the National Anthem before the game began - be sure to check out the video on Facebook. Huge shout out to all of those of you who shared the video - we have nearly 2000 views on the video! Following the National Anthem, we stayed for the game. The 51s are a AAA team for the New York Mets. We had great seats - right behind home plate! We all got coupons to eat at the stadium (there were loads of options!) and shop at their team shop (and indeed, there seemed to be plenty of shopping going on!). It seems that anytime we hit a gift shop, several someones are buying something. Our kids also got in on the contests held down on the field between innings - we had a couple down on the field doing a crazy move called coffee grinders followed by a race (coffee grinders involve putting your head on a baseball bat with the other end on the ground and moving in circles around the bat) and an air guitar contest. The evening was a celebration of the 40th anniversary of Grease, so after the conclusion of the game (the 51s won!), there was a fireworks display set to music from the movie. It was an exciting ending to a great day!

After taking the afternoon for some rest, we headed out to Vegas for an evening of fun and adventure. First stop, dinner at the Hard Rock Café! Service was quick, food was great (I had the twisted macaroni and cheese, which was awesome!) and of course the Hard Rock is also an interesting place to eat. Much fun was had after dinner looking at the decorations and shopping in the gift shop. Many students bought souvenirs to commemorate the experience - including a lot of drumsticks!

After the high point of our day, we headed off to the Mirage, where we watched their "Volcano" show along the Strip. The show, which was produced by the people responsible for the Bellagio fountains, was a simulation of a volcano erupting, using colored water and flame. It was super cool! There was one brief moment when the show stopped early on, and we thought that was it, but it restarted and we were able to see the entire show. After that, we headed back to our hotel for some much needed sleep.

​Up tomorrow: a full day of Vegas fun! Madame Tussaud's, the Titanic Exhibit, and a Fifty-Ones baseball game!

Yesterday, we arrived in Las Vegas! Our flight out of BWI was very early (6:45!), so we left Gettysburg College VERY early Thursday morning (or very late Wednesday night, depending on your perspective) for the airport. The bus ride was uneventful, as was the flight. We arrived in Vegas with all people, luggage, and equipment accounted for! We were, by that point at 9am Vegas time, VERY tired. It was immediately apparent that we were in Las Vegas, however. Airports may look much the same across the world, but not in Vegas! We were greeted by the site of the ever ubiquitous Vegas slot machines - somewhat surprising in the airport, but there you have it.

Following our arrival at the airport, we met our tour director, Charles, loaded the buses and were off!

The airport is close to the Strip, so we were quickly greeted with our first views of Las Vegas. On our way to the hotel, we stopped at the iconic "Welcome to Las Vegas" sing for a photo. (Check back later for the group photo!) This was also our introduction to the Las Vegas heat - not even 10 am and already in the 90s!

We were also excited to have another very special guest - our own former director, Bob Zellner! We have missed Bob Z. the past two international trips, and so were pleased to have him and Arlene, along with their family, join us for our concert! Mr. Z. even conducted the Pennsylvania Polka at the conclusion of our concert - you can check out the video on our Facebook page.