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= European Amazing Race =

Destination 1: London, England, United Kingdom**
 * [[image:The-Amazing-Race.jpg width="256" height="192" align="right"]]


 * London**, the home to the 2012 World Games, and one of the largest and oldest cities in the world, is the first stop for this amazing race around Europe. With its rich historical and cultural background, this marks the beginning of the race of a lifetime.

__

Starting Point:__ King’s Cross Station -Teams will depart from the King’s Cross Station, more specifically 'Platform 9 3/4'. This railway station is the actual set for world-renowned movie series: //Harry Potter//.



"A roadblock is a task that only one team member may perform. Each team member must complete one roadblock in this particular race." ** __**Roadblock Location:**__ **The British Museum** __“Who knows the arts?”__ Each team will be given a list of 4 artifacts from the exhibits for the continents. Find the clue by examining the four pieces of art of the museum. There will be numbers cards attached to the descriptions of the art piece. Record the four numbers from the four artifacts, and use them as the pin to open a treasure box with a number lock with the clues within. (The treasure box serves as a symbol to represent the many treasures you will discover in this museum, and within this fabulous city. This task may be time consuming, as the museum is enormous in size, and that it’s usually madly cramped due to the outrageous amount of visitors and tourists.) **
 * Roadblock

"A detour is a choice between two tasks, each with its pros and cons. In this detour teams have the choice between '**wet'** and '**swe****a****t'**."
 * Detour**

__Detour Locations:__Olympic Park (Stratford, London) - Basketball Arena (25 mins by Underground from King’s Cross Station) - Prescott Channel*/Brit College (30 mins by Underground from King’s Cross Station) Dragon boat is one of the most popular methods to deliver the Olympic torch. Teams that choose to complete this detour will have to race dragon boat against a local secondary school’s team on the Prescott Channel near the Olympic stadiums, which builds into the River Thames that naturally separates London into two. Teams will be asked to join with a school to compete with another school. The task is only completed when the team wins the race against the other school, and that a mock Olympic torch is delivered from point A to point B. This detour requires physical strength and skill; if teams fail to complete the task, they are to try this detour again. The detour also examines the natural aspects of this compacted and modern city of London.
 * Prescott Channel was originally built as flood relief in the 30's.
 * __Wet__**

As London becomes the host to the 2012 Olympics games, the city has built brand-new venues to host the events. Teams will need to take the Underground to the London Basketball Arena located in the Olympic Park. Teams will be required to complete a basketball routine, taught by professional basketball players of the London team, which includes dribbling, shooting, and passing. In order to receive the clue, temas must meet the standards set by the basketball players. This task requires physical strength, as well as skill and luck. Teams may take as many tries as they require to complete the detour.
 * __Sweat__** [[image:http://www.e-architect.co.uk/london/jpgs/basketball_arena_oda180309_3.jpg width="349" height="143" align="left" caption="This is a picture of the Basketball Arena for the 2012 Olympics in London. Teams that choose to complete this detour will compete here, for their next clue."]]

__Pit Stop:__ The Langham Hotel This luxurious hotel is the first in London that introduced “full-services” including food services, electricity, and air-conditioning in 1865. With its central location, sitting in the heart of London, teams will stay here for their 12-hour mandatory rest period.


 * Destination 2: Venice, Italy**


 * Venice**, one of the most unique cities in the world in many perspectives, is the second stop of this journey within Europe. Venice joined the Kingdom of Italy in 1866, and because of its geographic location, it is also known as the Water City. However, because of global warming and other environmental factors, the life expectancy of this city has dramatically changed. This historical city is now also referred as to the “Sinking City.”

__Starting Point:__ The Langham Hotel, London, UK. -Teams will depart from the the Langham Hotel in London and make their way to Venice, Italy by air.

"A detour is a choice between two tasks, each with its pros and cons. In this detour teams have the choice between '**paint**' and '**faint**' ."
 * Detour**

__Detour Location:__ Burano Island (45 mins away from Venice city centre via water bus – 'vaporetto' )

​**__Paint__** In this detour, teams will take a water bus - the vaporetto - to Burano, the most 'colourful' of the lagoon islands in Venice, and to find the Casa Bepi, a truly one-of-a-kind state of the art. Teams will then be assigned to paint a part of the exterior of a neighbouring house. Once completed, teams will be checked by a local professional, and will be given the clue once approved. This task is a cultural one, as the contestants will be able to examine this unique area, as well as experiencing their unique tradition and way of life.



In this detour, teams are to find the boat filled with trash and sewage on the island of Burano. Their task is to dig out the clue that is within this overwhelming pile of garbage. Waste is one of the biggest problems in Venice, as the city of Venice does not have its own proper sewage and waste system. Once the teams finds the clue, they have ensured that all valuable items are taken out of this boat, and the boat will be send to appropriate destination. This task does not require artistic abilities, however the smell may very well be overwhelming, and that it may require physical strength to dig out the clue.
 * __Faint__ **

"A roadblock is a task that only one team member may perform. Each team member must complete one roadblock in this particular race." __Roadblock Location:__ The Grand Canal
 * Roadblock

__"Who's got the keen eyes?"__ ** Venice consists of more than 100 islets, due to its natural state with various canals separating the city. In this roadblock, one of the team members will be given the opportunity to examine this incredible city by the Grand Canal. A stack of 5 post cards will be given to one of the team members. To complete this task, one will be required to take a photo of the same scenery of the ones given on the postcards. The transportation for this roadblock is the “traghetti” – gondola ferries, a traditional Venetian way of transportation.

__Pit Stop:__ St. Mark’s Basilica This significant church was once referred to the “most beautiful room in Europe.” This cultural plaza is one of the top locations in Venice and in Europe that a tourist must visit. This is the pit stop of this leg of the race.

Air: 110USD/person, one-way London-Venice (Vayama.com) Total: Approx. 220USD per team of two. London: Underground fare: 4 pounds per trip per person. Venice: Gondola (traghetti) fare: 0.50EUR per ride (published) Water bus (vaporetti) fare : 6.50EUR per person (60 minutes)
 * Cost of race**


 * By: Wellington Chow**

**Works Cited** "Burano Reviews and Photos, Venice - IgoUgo." //Vacation and Hotel Reviews, Travel Photos and Pictures, Travel Deals - IgoUgo//. Web. 16 May 2010. . //Google Images//. Web. 16 May 2010. . "Grand Canal Reviews and Photos, Venice - IgoUgo." //Vacation and Hotel Reviews, Travel Photos and Pictures, Travel Deals - IgoUgo//. Web. 16 May 2010. . "Information about Transportation in Venice, Italy. Public Transport of Venice." //Europe Travel & Europe Hotels Reservation System//. Web. 16 May 2010. . Masters, Tom, Steve Fallon, and Vesna Maric. //London: City Guide//. Oakland, Calif.: Lonely Planet, 2008. //Google Books//. Web. 16 May 2010. . "St Mark's Square Reviews and Photos, Venice - IgoUgo." //Vacation and Hotel Reviews, Travel Photos and Pictures, Travel Deals - IgoUgo//. Web. 16 May 2010. . "Vaporetto Reviews and Photos, Venice - IgoUgo." //Vacation and Hotel Reviews, Travel Photos and Pictures, Travel Deals - IgoUgo//. Web. 16 May 2010. . "Vayama - International Travel Solved | Search Results." //Cheap International Airline Tickets, International Flights, International Flight Deals - Vayama//. Web. 16 May 2010. . "Venice Lagoon, - Discovery Guides." //CSA//. Web. 16 May 2010. . "Venues of the 2012 Summer Olympics." //Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia//. Web. 16 May 2010. . Wild, Fiona, and Ros Belford. //Italy//. London: DK Pub., 2003. Print.