A Day in Paris

Mr. Fox at the Louvre

Sorry that this post is so late, the trip home was long and this is the first chance I have had to post for our last day in Europe.

Saturday was a full day in Paris, we started early with at bus tour around the city, we drove up the Champs-Élysées, past the  Arc de Triomphe, to the main square where there is an Egyptian Obelisk marking the spot where the guillotine stood during the French Revolution.  The bus trip took us past Notre Dame, and the Eiffel Tower and ended back on the Champs-Élysées where we took a stroll down what is supposedly one of the most expensive strips of land in the world.

Following our stroll, we were on our way to the Louvre museum for an early afternoon appointment.  We were warned that it was as busy as Versailles, so we were prepared for another pushing match with the crowd.  Luckily, even though it was crowded, it was nothing like Friday's herd.

Our guide was much better than the guide for Versailles, and she took us on a quick 2 hour tour of the museums.  We started in the basement where we viewed the base of the original Louvre castle.  The base of the castle was discovered in 1985 and confirmed the original jail that was only myth up to the discovery.  The current Louvre palace was built directly on top of the old one and has expanded into the largest museum in the world.  We moved pretty quickly through the museum, with stops at the Venus de Milo statue, the Mona Lisa, and we even had time to view the French crown jewels of Louis XVI.

From the Louvre, we made our way to the Eiffel Tower.  We entered the lift and made our way to the second level.  The view is impressive from here, I can't imagine what it would be like at the very top. (Lisa has been up there and says that it is pretty scary!)  We took pictures, admired the views of Paris and generally marveled at this engineering masterpiece!  While Linda and Lisa waited in line to take the lift back down to the ground, Clayton and I started down the stairs, followed later by Michael, Emmy, and Anthony.  The walk down was much less taxing than the Cathedral in Cologne and my legs did not hurt afterward.

Mr. Fox cruising down the Seine

Our final dinner was a farewell dinner with the entire group in an old Parisian establishment.  It was supposed to be a pretty big deal, as we had to select all three courses 3 days ahead of our reservation!  Well, we were not that impressed with the French cuisine.  The appetizers were a little sketchy, the fish had bones, the beef was 'interesting', and we had an interesting encounter with the manager on the wrong number of Chocolate Mousse desserts.  It was pretty funny listening to our tour guide and the manager arguing...I am sure Caroline did not enjoy it, but the manager was being a jerk.

Mr. Fox and the Eiffel Tower

We finished our meal and headed out for a final cruise down the Seine river to see Paris 'wake-up' and become the 'City of Lights'.  We had a good time, cruising past Notre Dame and finishing up by the Eiffel Tower with it's lights sparkling in the cool Parisian night!

After the cruise, Caroline had one final stop before heading back to pack and bed. The Eiffel Tower does it's sparkling trick 3 times a night and the bus took us to the prefect spot to view and take pictures. Clayton and I found an unobstructed view where I took pictures and he captured the spectacle on my phone.

All in all, a very busy final day!  I will be posting some more pictures and will probably post a final summary a little later.  For those who followed the entire trip, thank you very much for your interest and endurance!  I know we are all exhausted and will take some time to recover from such a wonderful vacation.

Gettin' to Paris

Friday started out the way most of the travelling days did, on the bus.  We made good time through the farmlands of central France, seeing more beautiful sunflower fields, along with corn and other staple crops. (And the errant Castle and Church!)

Mr. Fox in Beaune, France

We had a mid-morning stopover in the small medieval village of Beaune, France.  We simply walked around and window shopped, however, Emmy (with her personal shopper, Michael) bought a beautiful new dress (and some other things I'm told).

Mr. Fox at Versailles

We arrived on the outskirts of Paris a little before three in the afternoon where we made a stop at the Palace of Versailles.  The palace to Louis XIV, Louis XV, and the last palace Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette saw during the French Revolution.  The palace is huge (over 1700 rooms I think), but crowded.  It was beautiful, but as you move from room to room, you get crushed going through the doors!  There as a lot of pushing and shoving (and that as just our group!).  In one instance, a rather rotund man was pushing Lisa with his stomach.  Michael put his hand between his mother and the fat man, pushed him back and said, "No, too close!"  Michael said that the man stood there with the look on his face saying..."did that just happen?"  Oh, the adventure that is Europe!

The palace was a little overwhelming, and the guide not very good, so the group hightailed it out of the Kings abode, into the courtyard, and off to the meeting spot at the main gates.  Needless to say, we have been to Versailles, and that is all we're saying about that. (I will post some pictures though).

Mr. Fox getting ready to enjoy the Moulin Rouge!

After making it into the city and checking into the hotel, we were off to our evening adventure, The Moulin Rouge! (Red Windmill in English)  Here we were treated to a nice meal in the largest cabaret in Paris. The highlight of the show, for us anyway, was when Micheal was selected out of the audience to participate in the show by the mime.  He, a Chinese man, a Chinese woman, and a German (Michael thinks) woman all joined the mime on stage for some antics and a very funny skit.  Michael stole the show by ad-libing and generally giving the mime a hard time, it was very entertaining!

It turned out to be a pretty long night and we were all ready to get back to the hotel for some sleep for our last day in Paris (and Europe!)

Headin' to Paris

Mr. Fox with a Bocce ball sculpture in Cannes

Thursday was primarily a travel day, as we are headed for the grand finale in Paris. We left Nice and traveled a little west to Cannes, home of the famous film festival. It is really a small coastal village with expensive boats in the harbor, the film festival hall, and not really much to see.

We visited the local farmers market, which was filled with everything from flowers to vegetables to chickens with their feet still on (Clayton's favorite: skinned rabbits with their eyes still in their heads) and all kinds of herbs and spices.

In the afternoon we stopped in the small Provençal town of Avignon. Avignon is famous for the Papal Palace, that housed 6 Popes in the 14th century before they returned to Rome in the early 15th century. The Papal Palace is HUGE! Take a look at the panorama, as the camera would not take it all in from the square.

We had a really nice lunch in the village square. Linda was looking for crepes, so we found an outside resturant that served them. Lisa had chicken, while Clayton, Linda and I all had cheese crepes. They were delicious! After lunch, we did a little shopping in the street side shops.

Mr. Fox with a namesake establishment in Cannes, France

I think everyone slept on the bus on our way to Lyon. There were no planned activities in Lyon, so Caroline took us to the city center for dinner. We walked around the old city where we used a secret passage originally used by the silk merchants and the French resistence in WWII.

Some of the group wanted escargot, so we found an outside cafe that served them. Linda was the only brave one among us to order the large snails.

Dinner and the company was delightful, and we headed back to the hotel to rest up for 2 days in Paris!

Tomorrow we travel most of the day for a 3pm tour of the Palace at Versailles, then on to the
Moulin Rouge for dinner!

Racin' in Nice

Nice, France was a little of a breather, considering the pace we have been travelin'. No wake-up call, no hurried breakfast, no herding onto the bus...just a slower day.  We slept in and after a relaxed breakfast the boys walked down the the Mediterranean and made their way down the promenade.

Mr. Fox taking in the view from St. Paul de Vence

After a nice lunch on the hotel's roof cafe, we all loaded onto the bus for a nice ride to St. Paul de Vence.  St. Paul de Vence is a medieval walled village that has a wonderful view of the Med.  The village is famous because a lot of famous artists lived and worked here.  Today, this small village is home to artists and shops and is a pretty cool place to just wander around.

We spent about an hour and a half in St. Paul de Vence before heading back to the bus.  On the way to the bus, the boys witnessed a Bocce ball game that erupted into shouting...they take their bocce ball very seriously in small French villages!

Re-boarding the bus, we were on our way to the other side of Nice.  A nice bus ride through the heart of the city and up into the mountains (pre-Alps) that overlook the entire Nice valley and harbor.  We were on our way to the small village of Eze, famous for perfume.  The ride was absolutely spectacular.  Climbing to over 1500 feet above the Mediterranean the views of the boats, harbors, and houses of the rich and famous was dazzling (we saw Bono's house and private island).  We arrived in Eze where most of the group toured a perfume factory.  The boys and I decided to forgo the smelly escapade and hiked a little way down the mountain.

Following the tour, it was time for dinner in Eze at a small french restaurant. The waiter was an older man that liked messing with the patrons.  Of course, Michael and Anthony had a field day with this one, cutting up, making comments (as only they can do), and generally causing mischief.  In addition to the waiter, we were serenaded by an even older man playing the accordion.  For some reason, he kept coming up behind Lisa and shouting the words into her ear!  All in all, a pretty entertaining evening.

Does this need a caption?

During dinner, our tour guide had arranged a local entrepreneur that has a Ferrari driving experience business to meet us at the restaurant.  Several of the group took rides in the Ferrari, but 2 of us got the chance to drive!  I got a chance at the wheel, driving around the hairpin turns on a road 1500 feet on the cliffs above the Med!  It was pretty cool, however, he would not let me go too fast (he spent most of the time making me slow down), and he would not really let me take the corners (he kept making me drive in the middle of the road).  Anyway, it was a great experience and a lot of fun!!

Following dinner, we all loaded back on the bus for the drive back to the hotel on the lower (still windy) road with more beautiful views of the coastline (and rich people's boats).

Meetin' in Monaco

Today's journey began with a mid-morning stop in Pisa.  Pisa is a pretty small town with an impressive Basilica, Baptistery, and of course the leaning bell tower.  As you enter the gates to the Basilica grounds, the tower immediately draws your attention.  It is sort of poking out, as if it is trying to look around and over the church to get a glimpse of the visitors.

The place is crazy!  There are vendors selling leaning tower 'crap' (our guides words, not mine...but I can't really disagree), men selling their wares as you get off the bus or simply walk around.  We started by trying to think of some way to take a picture that is not the Leaning Tower of Pisa cliche...i.e. making a picture that looks like you are either trying to push the tower back up or trying to knock it down.  Trying to prop the tower up is by far the crowd favorite.  You would not believe the number of people standing there with their arms up in mid-air with a big smile on their face.  We took our picture with Mr. Fox, a few of the famous landmark and then headed back to our rendezvous point. On our way back, Anthony started high fiving people that were trying to hold the tower up...yep, they are standing there, grin on their face, posing for the picture and here comes Anthony with a high five!

As we neared our little McDonald's train back to our bus, Michael, Anthony, and Emmy started negotiating with the street hawkers for sunglasses.  I think they ended up with 2 pair for 10 euro, when the starting price was 10 euro each!

Back on the bus, we started our journey out of Italy on our way to France. Remember the Churches, Castles and Tunnels, well the Churches and Castles have been with us the entire time, but the tunnels made a roaring comeback today, we went through no less than 167
tunnels along the road from Pisa to Monaco!

Mr. Fox checkin' out Monaco

Arriving in Monaco, the first thing you notice is that you don't have enough money to spend the night!  Capri looked expensive and exclusive, but Monaco takes the cake.  The boats (huge private yacht's), cars (Ferrari, Lamborghini, Rolls Royce just to name a few) are as thick as flies.  We took a quick walk to the center of Monaco, walked into the Casino, and pretty much hung out.  While we were standing outside Michael remarked to Anthony, "Wouldn't it be cool if we saw someone famous?", and Anthony replied, "That guy looks like Samuel L. Jackson." Michael glanced over towards the man and said, "That IS Samuel L. Jackson!"  After some debate, Anthony took off following the guy, and Michael took off after Anthony.  Anthony saw him go into a Gucci store where, after some trepidation, Michael went into the store and ask the man if he was Samuel L. Jackson...he replied no, but after hearing his voice, Michael knew...it WAS Samuel L. Jackson!  Mr. Jackson admitted it, and after Michael told him the story, he called over another famous person, Magic Johnson!  So, Michael and Anthony shook hands with not one, but two famous people today in Monaco!

After the excitement in Monaco, and a quick ride to Nice, France, we had a nice French dinner on the Mediterranean and are now back in the hotel.

Flyin' through Florence

Ciao Amici(Hello Friends),

Tonight I am both happy and sad; happy because I am blessed to be taking part in this amazing adventure, and sad because it is our last night in Italy. Wow, we have covered so much of this beautiful country-Venice, Lido, Burano, Rome, Pompeii, Sorrento, Positano, Isle of Capri, and today we visited Assisi and now we are spending the night in Florence.
After our evening at the converted monastery turned hotel, we drove up into the Umbrian hills to the quaint town of Assisi. Here we made sure our shoulders were covered as we entered St. Francis Basilica and viewed the amazing frescoes by Giotti and learned the history of St. Francis. The views from the hilltop where the church is overlooking the valley were spectacular. I know I've seen these same or similar views in artwork before.
We then headed to Florence and met with a local guide who showed us the sights(a lot of statues, including a statue of David amongst others). We were left with a little time for shopping before heading back to our hotel for about 45 minutes.
We completed our evening with an "al fresco" dinner in the Chianti Hills accompanied by an opera singer and an endless supply of Chianti. It was the perfect ending to our perfect week in Rome.

Arrivederci,

Linda

P.S. I will post pictures as soon as I find a good Internet connection. Steve

Cruzin' Capri

Sunday was our cruise to the Isle of Capri. We boarded a huge jet boat (like a big ski doo) from Sorrento to Capri. The island is beautiful with deep blue waters and soaring cliffs. After arriving in the busy port, we quickly boarded a smaller boat for a tour around the island.

The tour was wonderful, the sea is deep blue and the cliffs soar above, with many crags, caves, and grottos. One of the highlights was seeing the many private yachts moored around the island. Capri is truly for the rich and/or famous!

After a morning in the town, and a delicious lemon ice, we headed down the mountain back to the harbor where Lisa and I grabbed a bite to eat to take on the boat to Naples.

In Naples, our bus picked us up at the boat terminal and we made our way out of the city. The conditions in Naples is surprising, the part of the city we saw was run down, very dirty with garbage everywhere and a large shanty town in the middle of the city. It was quite the contrast from Capri!

We arrived in Assisi after our 5+ hour drive back north through the Italian countryside. As we approached Assisi, the size of the sunflower fields grew. It is really amazing to see bright yellow sunflowers for as far as the eye can see!

We stayed in a converted monestery just outside Assisi for the night.

Monday, Assisi and Florence!

Twistin' n' a Turnin'

Today was an interesting day.  Carolyn, our tour director, switched things up on our itinerary. It turns out that we were originally supposed to go the the Isle of Capri today, however, she learned that today the Isle of Capri would have an unusual number of cruise ships visiting (it is Saturday you know). So, in-order to avoid huge crowds, we bypassed Naples and made our way to Pompeii, Sorento, and a beautiful drive up the Amalfi coast to the incredible village of Positano. This is one of the reasons that this type of trip is good, they have contacts and spies all over Europe and can re-book and adjust without us even knowing, we just sit back and ride!

I was going to start with telling you it seems we may have left the tunnels behind, however, I would have been wrong!  Just when I thought they were gone (the Churches and Castles are still with us!), we passed through no less than 4 tunnels today.  Enough about that.

The ride out of Rome came with a new driver, our regular driver (Luca) is Italian and his family lives close to Rome.  He has not had any time off this season, so he is taking 3 days to spend with his family, and will join us again in Florence.  The highway took us south where we noticed a marked change in the country.  So far, Italy has looked pretty much like the rest of Europe and much of the US.  However, South of Rome the towns begin to look more like a third world country.

As we traveled south, we passed the Abbey of Monte Cassino where the allies in World War II fought the famous battle leading to Rome.  It is perched on a hill overlooking the valley and commands an impressive view both north and south.

Temple in Pompeii, Mt. Vesuvius is
in the background.

Before lunch, we stopped at the ruins of Pompeii.  Here we toured the city and learned about life in a typical Roman village.  It was pretty cool, thinking about people  walking the streets and living their everyday lives there. (See the Panorama link under the Photo Gallery for views of Pompeii and the Colosseum in Rome).

Mr. Fox tours Pompeii

Following the tour of Pompeii and a very quick lunch, we boarded the bus for the 45 minute drive to Sorrento.  It was not that far, but we had to navigate steep and winding roads as we made our way along the coast out of Naples.  The scenery is breathtaking and the rock faces are sheer! Our blood pressure depended on what side of the bus we were sitting!  Sometimes it felt like the bus was going to topple over the side.  Alas, the cliffs of Sorrento came into view and we were all stunned at what we were seeing!  Sorrento is a coastal town built on the side of steep mountains and a sheer cliff down to the Mediterranean.  There was a cruise ship anchored in the harbor and a lot of boats running up and down the coast.

Sorrento

After checking into the hotel and taking a little rest, we boarded a smaller bus (our bus was too big) to take us down the Amalfi coast drive to Positano. If we thought the first drive was crazy, this one was insane!  The driver was a local driver and knew the road well, however, this road is skinny, curvy, and filled with cars and scooters. (The scooters are crazy, they will pass at any time and it seems that they don't ever see a bus or car, they just go, go, go).  Positano is a breathtaking village. It is situated on the mountain above the sea in what looks like houses stacked on each other.  The area is known for its fruit (especially lemons) and Olives.  We took a walking trip through the heart of Positano until be came to the edge of the Mediterranean, where Anthony, Emmy and I took a dip into the refreshing, cool waters. Lisa and Linda decided to forgo the swim and instead meandered their way back up the narrow streets lined with little shops and artist stands. Meanwhile, Michael and Clayton were scoping out a place to jump from the cliffs!  They were unsuccessful (much to Emmy and My relief) but they took a dip in the rich, clear blue waters off of the boat docks.

Positano

We made our way back to Sorrento in the little bus, showered, and made our way to dinner overlooking the sea at sunset.

A perfect end to a glorious day.  Tomorrow, the Isle of Capri and then we start our journey back north.

Wonderin'

As we make our way through the European countrysides, the exclaimation 'Look over there', or 'do you see that' has been uttered many times. I was wondering, when visitors to our part of the world see the places we see every day, do they make the same exclaimations?

We are seeing some truly breathtaking panoramas, from alpine views to fields of sunflowers waiting for market, to grapevines with their vines wrapped around Y shaped trellises opening their leaves to the sun. Do the locals take all this beauty for granted? Do they step out of their houses in the morning as they prepare to go to work and look up and realize or even see what is around them?

Thinking about our own little world, I wonder what it is that visitors see that I don't. I think about the beaches, the river, and even my daily drive through the tree canopy on Mandarin road, and realize that there is beauty and marvel wherever we are. Sometimes we just have to look harder, or maybe go a long way away to realize it!

Just wonderin'.

Tourin' Roma

Before I start to talk about the day today, I have to mention a little more about the drive into Rome. After we crossed the mountain range, we had to drive through the Tuscan region to get into the actual city of Rome. In this region there were not only lots of vineyards, (as expected,) but sunflowers! Fields and fields of bright and beautiful sunflowers to welcome us into Rome. It was one of my favorite sights so far!

Today we woke up bright and early for our special entrance into the Vatican City. I was expecting the Vatican to be a separate part of Rome, but it was actually right smack in the middle of the city. After we crossed the "border" into the new country, our tour guide took us through the highlights. Apparently, the Vatican houses one of the largest art collections in the world, with over 450,000 pieces. Fortunately for our feet, we didn't try and see them all! We did however see a few sculptures, tapestries, wall paintings and frescos.

After our quick tour of the art, we moved into the Sistine Chapel. We all got a lesson on how to behave when inside, (no pictures, no talking, minimal breathing,) so we would not damage the quality of Michaelangelo's masterpiece. It was truly impressive. We also learned that he did not in fact paint it lying down, but on scaffolding and at an angle. We saw the area where Pope's are elected and other areas of Papal importance. For anyone who has read any Dan Brown, it was pretty cool to put the areas in place with the stories.

Mr. Fox - Ain't misbehavin'

We then moved into St. Peter's Basilica which was massive and ornate. So many things to look at! We also got to see Michaelangelo's famous "Pieta" which was protected inside.

We then moved outside and made a quick lunch break (thank goodness!) before going sightseeing in the rest of the city. We saw ruins, towers, pillars, obelisks, and temples, which all led up the massive Colosseum.

We ended the day with a typical Roman dinner, (which basically should just mean "more food than you could or should eat",) where we danced in an open air restaurant and Michael got to show off his smooth moves to the crowd. We got applause after, so hopefully I wasn't stumbling too badly. :) A little bit of vino did make me dizzy while dancing though!

All in all, a wonderful day in Roma!

Ciao!- Emmy

Romin' to Rome

Leavin' Venice

While Venice was beautiful, we were up bright and early to prepare for our 7 hour road trip to Rome!  The morning was absolutely beautiful! It was cool and breezy which was a great relief from the heat of the last 2 days.  We boarded a water taxi and followed the ferry that was carrying our bus to the mainland.  We passed by a HUGE Princess cruise liner...it was the largest "building" in Venice.

The trip took us through the Italian country side as we headed south toward Rome.  The respite from the heat was short lived, as we got out to stretch our legs for the first rest stop, the heat hit us full on!  We arrived in Rome and checked into the hotel around 4pm and were back on the bus for an orientation trip through the city.  We met a local guide who gave us small radios and ear pieces so that we could hear her as she narrated our walk through part of the city.  We saw fountains, various palaces and the gem of the evening was a visit to the Pantheon!  If you have never been, it is an engineering marvel for the period and a stunning building in it's own right!

We concluded the evening with dinner on Navona (I think) square.  Most of us had traditional (very thin crust) pizza while watching the people in the square.  There were street performers, artists, and people from all over the world roaming the square.

The crew would like to give a shout out to my sister Evelyn who celebrates her ?? birthday today and Marty Brooks (Emmy's Dad) who also celebrates his birthday today...Happy Birthday Evelyn  and Marty from Rome!

Check out the pictures from Venice to the right...and we will return sometime tomorrow with another post.

Venturin' in Venice

Murano Glass Factory

Today was a day of heat, walking, and food. After we got up, we jumped on a boat and set off for a small island to see Venetian glass blowing. The room we watched in was very hot due to the furnace that heated the glass. The master worked hard, putting a small piece of glass on the end of a rod and into the furnace until it glowed with heat. As it turned out, the rod was hollow, and the glass molten enough so that the master could blow through the rod and make the glass expand into a small bulb. He then crafted the glass further to give it it's final shape, a small vase. After he finished the vase, he put more glass into the furnace, and once it had melted enough, used a pair of plier-like tools to make it into a small glass horse. Once that was done, we were taken into a room filled with glass sculptures, jewelry, and drinking utensils of various shapes and sizes, and with every color one could imagine. Our guide told us that they did not paint the glass, but rather infused certain elements and compounds with the glass to bring out different colors. Once he finished, we were able to walk around to look at the glass art. Anthony and I watched another glass-blower craft a small piece with a tiny jet of flame. In the end, a few things were purchased, and my mom and aunt convinced the owner to start a new line of glass fox sculptures!

St. Marks Square, Venice

After we left, we headed for the main island of Venice again, where dad got a new hat, and Anthony a new pair of sunglasses. Items purchased, we split up, with Anthony, Michael, Emmy, and I in one group, and the others in another. Anthony believed it was his mission to get us lost, because our guide told us that that was the only way to truly discover Venice. After a bit of walking rather aimlessly, we found a little restaurant to eat at. Each of us had personal pizzas, but in Italy, apparently personal is pretty big. Each of us finished though, and set out again into the labyrinth of Venetian alleyways. After we ended up back in San Marco square, we decided to split further into groups of two, Michael and Emmy to shops, Anthony and I into more wandering. We spent most of the wandering looking for somewhere to sit, and found nothing in the shade until we noticed a stone bench on the shady side of one of the bridges. We found this, though, with only about 15 minutes until we had to get onto another boat. 

  This boat took us back to our hotel, where we had about two hours of rest. I took full advantage of this by falling asleep for the entire time. At about five we got on another, wait for it, boat. 

Burano

  This boat took us on a half hour ride to the island of Burano. The first thing we noticed was that it had its own leaning tower, a high bell tower above the city. The second thing we noticed was that the majority of the buildings were painted with the whole spectrum of vibrant colors. Once on the land, we got to take a stroll around the city to the restaurant that we would eat at. By the time we were at the restaurant, dad was lost. I volunteered to go find him, and got my own little private tour of the beautiful city. As it turns out, he found me after meeting up the rest of the family, and he and I took a short photographic expedition. Afterward, we went to dinner, where we were given a choice of fish, or a few other meats, of which I chose steak, while others had fish. We had a five course meal, which made everyone stuffed, even in between courses. After the dinner was over, we were given coffee and amaretto. It was delicious, though it reminded Anthony and Michael of medicine. Then we had a small photography session and went back to the hotel. 

  Clayton

Burnin' in Italy

First of all, just to let you know, I have posted to links to the pictures for the last two days.  Also, you can comment on individual photos if you would like.

Church AND Castle!

Well, the day started out early with breakfast at the hotel in Innsbruck. It seems that everyday is a travel day on this trip, as we are moving through Europe pretty fast. Today was a day of extremes, the day started clear and cool as we climbed out of Innsbruck and back into the alps.  If you read the Themin' blog entry, you know pretty much what we saw...besides the mountains, you got it, we saw churches, castles, and (wait for it) tunnels.

We passed through some pretty intense rain storms, including hail stones and an almost black sky. As we descended the alps into northern Italy the temperature rose extremely quickly, Michael remarked that it looked like we were back home in Florida!  When we got off the bus to eat lunch, the temperature was in the mid 90's (and humid)! Travelling on the highway in northern Italy does remind us a lot of Florida, with the exception of the vineyards EVERYWHERE!

Linda had a little adventure of her own at the rest area where we bought lunch.  As she was sitting and eating she felt something and reached over to catch a woman with her hand in Linda's purse! The young woman had unzipped the purse and Linda's wallet and credit cards were not there.  As Linda turned back, the woman pointed under Linda's chair where the wallet and credit cards lay.  The woman quickly showed Linda her purse, trying to show that she did not have Linda's money.  The girls then quickly left their table.  Later, as we were leaving the rest stop Clayton saw the young women making their way back into the building, following another bus group as they stopped for lunch.

Serenade!

After the lunchtime excitement, we were only 45 minutes from Venice.  Upon arrival we took a water taxi into Venice, through the grand canal to St. Marks square.  Our guide led us through the square to a landing where gondolas were waiting for us with champagne.  We entered the boats and Michael, Emmy, Anthony and Clayton's boat picked up a guitar player and a singer...we then proceeded on a gondola ride through Venice while being serenaded.

Did I mention it was hot?  After the gondola ride we had about an hour to wander the streets before we picked up another boat to our hotel on the island of Lido. After a little confusion upon checking in, which our guide Caroline quickly took care of, we all had a nice dinner on the patio of the hotel, overlooking the harbor.  Finally, some of us followed Caroline into the heart of Lido where we had some refreshing ice cream and a charming walk.

Mr. Fox enjoys Venice from the gondola

Tomorrow, a full day in Venice!

P.S. I reserve the right to update the Linda story after she (and the kids) read it and set me straight on all the 'facts'!

Themen'

Three themes have emerged in our first few days. I am certainly not the first to notice, but I thought I would post about it anyway. (I will add pictures later, as I am on the bus on our way to Venice.)

The first theme is Churches. There are Churches everywhere! Every small village has a Church, usually it is the largest and tallest structure in the area. Lot's of the towns have multiple churches and you can see their spires from miles away. From the Cathedrals in the bigger cities like we saw in Cologne to small country chapels that just appear on a hill side. You can even see a church at the top of the Alps in one of the pictures from Pilatus! You can hardly travel anywhere without seeing churches, large and small, in town centers and on apparently inaccessable hills.

The second theme is Castles! There are medieval castle ruins, castle hotels, castles guarding rivers and passes. It seems that everywhere someone built a castle! They show up unexpectedly, usually as ruins poking out of the trees in a hill or cliff. Some, like the castle in Leichtenstein are inhabited by their owners. One of the things that makes it fascinating is that these structures (churches and castles) predate the European discovery of North America!

The third theme is tunnels! Yes, tunnels. We have been through short tunnels, long tunnels, very long tunnels, half tunnels (only closed in on 1 side and some with windows), and even some with exits. I am sure the tunnels make this type of trip possible. I can't imagine how much time it would take to travel through the alps on twisting roads with a bus!

I just thought you might like to know :)

The Anniversary

Monday was another travel day, capped by a wonderful evening in Innsbruck, Austria to celebrate Michael and Emmy's First Anniversary!

We started the morning is Engleberg Switzerland with overcast skies amd light rain. According to the weather report it was supposed to rain all day.

Alas, it was a beautiful day to travel through the alps! We had a brief stop in the little (24 sq. miles) principality of Liechtenstein. Mr. Fox moved into a castle and did not want to leave.

We arrived in Innsbruck around 1pm and promptly took a walk down the main street. After our lunch adventure yesterday, the kids and I opted for McDonalds while Lisa and Linda shopped at Swarovski and had lunch in a quaint local cafe.

In the evening, the travel guide had arranged a carriage ride with a local farmer through an alpine village and forest. We got to see edelweiss, see a 500+ year old farm house, and sample some local schnappes. It was a great respite from the more touristy center of town.

From there we went to dinner and a Tyrolean Folklore Show. (I'm sure this is exactly what Emmy and Michael had planned for their first anniversary, dinner with family, 15 strangers, and yodelling!) The show was the highlight of the day and we were all thoroughly exhausted.

It will be another early start in the morning as we haed off to Venice!

Chillin' in the Alps

Hello to everyone that is following us along on our trip. This is Lisa and it is my turn to attempt writing the blog for today.  Today was our first full day in Switzerland. We got to have an extra hour of sleep this morning as it was not a regular travel day. I know that I was happy about that.  We woke up to a bit of a dreary looking day and cooler temps, but still a beautiful view.  

One spectacular view from the train!

After breakfast we set out for Lucerne Switzerland, where we traveled up Mt. Pilatus. Thankfully on our way there, the weather cleared and it turned out to be the perfect time to head straight up the mountain by way of a train. When we reached the top (7000 feet), we were able to explore and take in the views.  I cannot even begin to describe how beautiful it was to be up there. Hopefully Steve got some great pictures.

One crazy son.

There were some other peaks that Steve, Michael, Emmy, Anthony and Clayton went up to and from what I hear I am thankful I did not go. Apparently my crazy sons like to push the limits by seeing how close to the edge they can get and do handstands!!  While we were exploring the top, the clouds started rolling in quick, to the point that we could not see anything below us.  We took cable cars back down the mountain without being able to see a thing. Which may have been for the best while we were hanging on cables.

Mr. Fox Chillin' in the Alps

After our adventure on the mountain, we were wisked away to Lake Lucerne where we went on a boat ride for about an hour.  It was absolutely breathtaking. Felt as though we could stay there forever looking at the beautiful water and views of the snow capped mountains. Alas, Lucerne and maybe all of Switzerland seems to be only for the very wealthy!

Lion Monument, Lucerne Switzerland

As we returned to land, we made our way over to the Lion monument that was carved out of the mountain in remembrance of the Swiss soldiers who died in the French Revolution.  Very beautiful, but sad.  After that we made our way to a restaurant that our guide recommended for their famous Swiss cheese fondue. After having been seated for a while, we received a menu and found out how ridiculous the prices were.  But instead of getting up and leaving (which we didn't feel appropriate doing at that point) we all ended up ordering the same thing that we at least felt would be filling considering the price.   So, for about $40 per person, we got some bread and swiss cheese fondue to dunk the bread in and a bratwurst and some hashbrowns on the side. It was good, but definitely not that good.  We then walked over to a famous store that has 3 floors of mostly watches.  Again this place is for the very wealthy. I think the cheapest watch I saw was around $200 and the most expensive I saw was $380,000+.

We took in a few other sites and then headed back to Engelberg.  We did not have dinner included for tonight and we were on our own.  Well, after our most expensive lunch ever, we decided we would just get some snacks.  The boys and Emmy tried to find a place around our hotel to eat, but if it was open, it was also very expensive.  So I think we will have some very hungry boys tomorrow.

That is it for today. Hopefully I won't be asked to do this again as I am not as clever as Steve and Anthony.

P.S. We really enjoy your posts, if you are following, please post us a quick note so that we know you are there!

Movin' Through Europe (well, sorta!)

Another early start for day 4! After a breakfast buffet at the hotel, we set off from Darmstadt on our way to the beautiful riverside town of Heidelberg. We were lucky to arrive early with very minimal traffic along the way, but still only had about an hour to explore the area.

Travelin' Fox enjoying the famous Heidelberg Bridge

Dad took advantage of the radiant light in order to take pictures of the quaint little town as Mom, Aunt Linda, and Emmy decided to head down the main road to see the local shops and buildings. They found a little liquor store that they really liked, but realized they would be unable to take any bottles home, so they left. The store owner then called after them and gave them each a small bottle of liquour as a gift! 

Michael, Clayton, and I ventured up to the top of the mountain where the Heidelberg castle still stands. We walked around and explored a bit and got some great shots of the scenery below.

French Cafe Lunch

 After rounding up the crew, we took off toward the border city of Strasbourg just inside of France. Again, it was a brief visit that consisted mainly of a French lunch. Aunt Linda was feeling a bit adventurous and decided to order some escargot and what she described as "German roaches" that were really just tiny crawfish. Let's just call that a once in a lifetime experience!

 From there, we headed toward the Swiss border, which was supposed to be a trip that takes just short of two hours, but standstill traffic caused us to lose a little over an hour of our day. No worries, however as we eventually arrived at our hotel in the absolutely beautiful town of Engelberg in Switzerland. The weather is beautiful, the scenery is beautiful, and we're beautiful. Tune in tomorrow to hear about our excursion into the Alps! Peace homies.

Anthony

P.S. Pictures from the first two days have been posted.  See links under Gallery on the right.

Cologne and the Rhine

Day 3 started overcast and a little rainy. Before leaving Amsterdam our guide took us to a traditional windmill.

After crossing the German border, we were stopped by the tax police! The first time in 9 years this has happend for our tour guide.

We arrived in Cologne, crossing the Rhine river (the first of many), where you can see the imposing cathederal from everywhere in the city.

After lunch, Michael, Anthony, Clayton and I had 20 mins to attempt to reach the top of the Cathedrel belfry and get back to catch the bus. (normally 30-45 mins round trip). It was a tight 545 step spiral staircase! After starting out rather energetically, we all tired, and I for one did not see the top. Michael, Clayton and Anthony all made it to the top, and back to the bus with 1 minute to spare!!

Back on the bus, it was a relaxing and scenic drive into the Rhine valley. The towns are picturesque and dot the landscape. The scenery as we descended into the valley reminded us of the smokey mountains in North Carolina.

At the base of the valley, we boarded a boat for a Rhine River cruise. The cruise took us by small villages, castles, and wonderful scenery. (I will post pictures to the gallery when we find an internet connection)

Arrivin' in Amsterdam

We made it! The intrepid band of travelers have arrived in Amsterdam. It was a loooong flight and all were pretty much bushwhacked!  However, instead of wimping out and heading to the hotel for some rest, we set out on our own, sans tour guide, to explore Amsterdam.

We jumped on the local tram to the city center then made our way to the Van Gogh Museum (super long line, so we decided to go eat!).  We spent some time exploring the city on foot with Anthony, Clayton, and Steve visiting the Anne Frank house.

The evening topped off a great (yet tiring day) with a brief visit to the Red Light District (when in Amsterdam!) and a canal cruise. The jewel of the visit was the canal cruise and dinner! The food, company, and scenery were all suburb.  The  trip took us through the heart of Amsterdam, giving history and significance to the houses and city landmarks.





Some of the things I have learned about Amsterdam if you ever get a chance to visit.

1. You can experience Amsterdam in a day.
2. Definitely visit the Anne Frank House!
3. Take a canal dinner cruise, you will learn more about the city and not wear out those feet!

Here are a few pics of the day:

Brotherly Love!

Beautiful, Emmy and the Flowers!

Sputterin' Start

Well, hopefully the start of our trip is not an indication of the next three weeks! When we attempted to check-in on-line, US Air could not get us checked in. After 2 calls to the airline, and one to the travel agency emergency line, we learned that the reservations were booked wrong, and no one could figure out how to fix it!

After a stressful night, we arrived at the airport, luckily, there is no one here. Check-in turned out to be easy (even though they lost Anthony and Clayton for a while in the computer). We breezed through security with 2 hours to spare! Whew!

We are now waiting at the gate.