barcelona
made it to Barcelona... on Iberian air... one of the most packed flights I have ever been on. my knees hit the seat in front of me, now think about how crammed josh was! the rows of seats were impressively close. good thing it was only a 2 hour flight.
our hotel is very modern with an infinity pool up on the 8th floor.
yesterday we went to a market (st josep). they had everything! baskets of dried mushrooms, thousands of chewy candy bins, fresh squeezed fruit juices of every type, fish large and small, and meat hanging up by the hoof- not kidding. we bought some food there for a picnic and then hiked up to park guell. I am not one to rant and rave about art and architecture, but this gaudi guy is impressive. there was a neat trio that was playing in the square... YouTube them... mala junta trio. some clips will give you a pretty close idea as to what we saw and heard yesterday.
we went to the pool after the park... very relaxing. then to dinner. then to the surprise that josh had been taunting me about all day. we went and watched a flamenco dancing show! it was really interesting the way they keep a beat with the music, while singing, clapping their hands and clicking their heels.
today we went to the segrada familia. my favorite of all the churches we have seen in Europe. the inside is huge, but doesn't seem too big. it also captures your interest to think about how long ago this building was started and how much is still left to go.
we also went to Casa battlo today. in a world of buildings that are made up of only straight lines, it is crazy to go into a home that doesn't have any.
we plan to go to one more gaudi building tomorrow, and the picaso museum... which will wrap up our last day in Barcelona.
we fly out tomorrow night and stop in Dublin for about 12 hours. I think josh did that on Purpose, as he wasn't about to get that close to an authentic Guinness beer and not have time to drink a couple. 8 hour flight to Chicago and then to Cincinnati... the real world is (unfortunately) calling our names.
hopefully our blog has given you a little insight into our trip. of course the pictures are much more telling as to the awesome adventure that Josh took us on.
cheers everyone! see you all very soon!
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
grindelwald day 3
grindelwald day 3
yesterday we slept in... felt amazing. we just laid in bed and looked out at the mountains.
yesterday was another day of hiking. rather than hiking down like Monday, we hiked up. much more difficult...yikes! we went up for a good hour and stopped at this place that had a "bobsled"type ride. you get on a little cart and twist and turn down the mountain like you would on a bobsled. only difference is the track is metal and you have wheels on your sled... no ice either. you could go pretty fast, and then at the end of the ride there was a lift that took you back up to the start... no hiking back up. thank god.
we ate lunch at a lookout place where we could see tiny grindelwald down in the valley below. we took a gondola back down to our town after lunch where we hung out on our balcony.
last night (as crazy as this might sound) we had the best pizza of our entire trip. forget Italy. uncle toms hut in Switzerland is where it's at! the place was literally no bigger than a typical log cabin and we ate at the only table up in a loft... VIP style. we met some people at dinner that were from the uk. even teachers, go figure. they were on a hiking holiday... which means that they hike from place to place... and somehow their luggage makes it to the next destination, they don't carry it while they hike. I am not exactly sure how that works. they were fun to talk to-the man had actually been to Cincinnati about 20 years ago to watch opening day... for business I think. small world.
we leave for Zurich in a couple of hours and fly to Barcelona later tonight. this is the last stop on our trip. kinda sad. crazy to think we have almost been gone for a month.
see you in Spain!
yesterday we slept in... felt amazing. we just laid in bed and looked out at the mountains.
yesterday was another day of hiking. rather than hiking down like Monday, we hiked up. much more difficult...yikes! we went up for a good hour and stopped at this place that had a "bobsled"type ride. you get on a little cart and twist and turn down the mountain like you would on a bobsled. only difference is the track is metal and you have wheels on your sled... no ice either. you could go pretty fast, and then at the end of the ride there was a lift that took you back up to the start... no hiking back up. thank god.
we ate lunch at a lookout place where we could see tiny grindelwald down in the valley below. we took a gondola back down to our town after lunch where we hung out on our balcony.
last night (as crazy as this might sound) we had the best pizza of our entire trip. forget Italy. uncle toms hut in Switzerland is where it's at! the place was literally no bigger than a typical log cabin and we ate at the only table up in a loft... VIP style. we met some people at dinner that were from the uk. even teachers, go figure. they were on a hiking holiday... which means that they hike from place to place... and somehow their luggage makes it to the next destination, they don't carry it while they hike. I am not exactly sure how that works. they were fun to talk to-the man had actually been to Cincinnati about 20 years ago to watch opening day... for business I think. small world.
we leave for Zurich in a couple of hours and fly to Barcelona later tonight. this is the last stop on our trip. kinda sad. crazy to think we have almost been gone for a month.
see you in Spain!
Monday, July 25, 2011
grindelwald day 1 & 2
grindelwald
yesterday we made the trek from the beach to the alps. talk about a contrast. when we got off the train and walked through town in our T-shirts and shorts we definitely got some looks. this is a cute little town... touristy, which is cool, and talk about some views. we have a balcony which overlooks the mountains. this is a place where i just cant capture the view on camera... so beautiful and big that a picture can't do it justice.
yesterday we spent some time getting familiar with the city. we stopped into a couple of places to have a drink and munch on some cheese. one of the bartenders said it is about 10 degrees cooler now than it normally is at this time of the year. we aren't freezing by any stretch of the imagination. but it gets chilly when the sun goes behind a cloud and at night. no more flip flops and shorts. we had dinner at a cute place down the street from our hotel. we thought burgers sounded good... after all that fish and pasta in Italy we were really craving something different.
today was full of hiking. we took a train up, up, and up to a stop where we had some coffee outside while looking at an incredible view. then we started our hike down the mountain. we brought a picnic which was fun. after hiking for a good 2 and a half hours we made it to a little town where we got on a gondola (like a large ski lift). we went all the way down the rest of the way to our little town. sounds simple but it was a days worth of adventure.
tonight maybe fondue?
p.s. the culture here is a lot like in Germany... good thing I didn't forget those vocabulary words!
josh: I think there might be some old saying about you finding something interesting about your wife on your honeymoon that you didn't know or something? well I've found it out about Amy... she likes to hike a hell of a lot more than i ever thought she did! number of times spent hiking in America in six years:0. number of times hiking in Europe in two weeks: 3 and counting... and we haven't even been on the cute little paths that you skip down. the tourists here come to hike... hard core hiking boots, jackets, and everyone has the hiking poles. (hot brand not in America: Mammut. has a mammoth as the symbol if I spelled it wrong.) im guessing its a lot like Colorado in the summer? we did encounter some snow at the top of the hill we lifted to... crazy to think it is just now melting and will be snowing again soon.
we have also noticed that the Swiss are super proud of their banking here. money is larger than any money I've ever seen, they have more credit card machines than the rest of Europe and all offer to convert the charge to US dollars. (of course with a 3 percent charge for doing so in small print...they are the best bankers in the world) I talked to Amy and we think we are just going to have our checks from Lakota direct deposited into a new Swiss bank account we set up while we are here. with all this defaulting talk we wantour money to be safe.
we have clung to the BBC network for our news... we just watch it stream to have something in English on the tv. lots of interest in American poltics. John boehner has been mentioned along with Harry Reid... not sure we give that time to other countries leaders.
if you want to look up the route we took today. here it is: grindelwald to kleine scheidegg... hike down to wengen. lift up to mannlichen... lift down to grindelwald. never know how bored everyone might be at work.... I know I like to take a little vacation from the grind when I get a chance.
be back in less than a week...
yesterday we made the trek from the beach to the alps. talk about a contrast. when we got off the train and walked through town in our T-shirts and shorts we definitely got some looks. this is a cute little town... touristy, which is cool, and talk about some views. we have a balcony which overlooks the mountains. this is a place where i just cant capture the view on camera... so beautiful and big that a picture can't do it justice.
yesterday we spent some time getting familiar with the city. we stopped into a couple of places to have a drink and munch on some cheese. one of the bartenders said it is about 10 degrees cooler now than it normally is at this time of the year. we aren't freezing by any stretch of the imagination. but it gets chilly when the sun goes behind a cloud and at night. no more flip flops and shorts. we had dinner at a cute place down the street from our hotel. we thought burgers sounded good... after all that fish and pasta in Italy we were really craving something different.
today was full of hiking. we took a train up, up, and up to a stop where we had some coffee outside while looking at an incredible view. then we started our hike down the mountain. we brought a picnic which was fun. after hiking for a good 2 and a half hours we made it to a little town where we got on a gondola (like a large ski lift). we went all the way down the rest of the way to our little town. sounds simple but it was a days worth of adventure.
tonight maybe fondue?
p.s. the culture here is a lot like in Germany... good thing I didn't forget those vocabulary words!
josh: I think there might be some old saying about you finding something interesting about your wife on your honeymoon that you didn't know or something? well I've found it out about Amy... she likes to hike a hell of a lot more than i ever thought she did! number of times spent hiking in America in six years:0. number of times hiking in Europe in two weeks: 3 and counting... and we haven't even been on the cute little paths that you skip down. the tourists here come to hike... hard core hiking boots, jackets, and everyone has the hiking poles. (hot brand not in America: Mammut. has a mammoth as the symbol if I spelled it wrong.) im guessing its a lot like Colorado in the summer? we did encounter some snow at the top of the hill we lifted to... crazy to think it is just now melting and will be snowing again soon.
we have also noticed that the Swiss are super proud of their banking here. money is larger than any money I've ever seen, they have more credit card machines than the rest of Europe and all offer to convert the charge to US dollars. (of course with a 3 percent charge for doing so in small print...they are the best bankers in the world) I talked to Amy and we think we are just going to have our checks from Lakota direct deposited into a new Swiss bank account we set up while we are here. with all this defaulting talk we wantour money to be safe.
we have clung to the BBC network for our news... we just watch it stream to have something in English on the tv. lots of interest in American poltics. John boehner has been mentioned along with Harry Reid... not sure we give that time to other countries leaders.
if you want to look up the route we took today. here it is: grindelwald to kleine scheidegg... hike down to wengen. lift up to mannlichen... lift down to grindelwald. never know how bored everyone might be at work.... I know I like to take a little vacation from the grind when I get a chance.
be back in less than a week...
Saturday, July 23, 2011
cinque Terre
cinque Terre
amy: we arrived here yesterday, travelled up to the 3rd floor, and opened our balcony door... ahhhhhhhhh! (those were angels singing in case you couldn't hear them.) our view is picture perfect. this place is beyond beautiful.
there are 5 small towns located along the northwest coast of the Italian peninsula. hence the name cinque terre. we are staying in the largest one called monterossa. you can travel between the cities by boat, train, or hiking trails.
yesterday we enjoyed lunch on our balcony and spent some time on the beach. now let me tell you about some unknown rules of a European beach...
1. it doesn't matter how old you are, you can wear a bikini.
2. to go along with that, it doesn't matter how fat you are, you can wear a bikini... preferably string. the more showing the better.
3. if you have a weggie no need to pick it. it is actually somewhat fashionable. this might stem from rule number 2 as larger booties have more tendency to hang outside of the swim suit.
4. wearing a white bathing suit... usually by men in speedos, is the thing to do.
5. if you need to change into street clothes no need to find a changing room. just drop trough and change right in your lounge chair.
6. my favorite. aqua socks are back in style... just like the old school ones that I used to wear to the water parks when I was 10.
our dinner last night was really neat. they brought out a large terra-cotta bowl filled with rice, muscles, prawns, lobster, and calamari. very different and very good flavor.
we came back to our hotel and found a beach party going on... which was cool... until about 2 o'clock in the morning... then the loud dance music and partying that we could hear from our room wasn't so cool anymore. ohh well.
josh: today we woke up and went for hike on one of the five trails that connect the towns together. the original plan was to go to the furthest town by train for and easy hike to the next town, then train home. those plans were quickly dashed when we approached the train ticket window and were informed that the train workers would be on strike today.... making that train wasn't going to be possible. for some reason there was one train that went through and would take us to the next town. must have been scabs running the train. (by the way it is a 24 hour strike... not sure how that works.)
so we eneded up doing one of the tougher hikes...back to our town from the one next to us. great views and pictures to come. all in all it was a two hour hike. makes that hike up to the third floor to our room seem like a piece of cake.
after a picnic lunch we laid on the beach for the rest of the day, before having another great seafood dinner.
if the trains are up and running tomorrow we plan to do a repeat of today... hike in the morning and beach in the afternoon.
p.s. on the train ride into monterossa we ran into a couple from Canada, we told them we were from the u.s. he asked where, we said Ohio. he got excited and asked where in Ohio, we said Cincinnati. not going to believe it, but he is a huge bengals fan. he actually made his family take a detour after a trip to Chicago so they could come to Cincinnati and visit the bengals pro shop. nothing like meeting a Canadian bengals fan on a train in Italy.
amy: we arrived here yesterday, travelled up to the 3rd floor, and opened our balcony door... ahhhhhhhhh! (those were angels singing in case you couldn't hear them.) our view is picture perfect. this place is beyond beautiful.
there are 5 small towns located along the northwest coast of the Italian peninsula. hence the name cinque terre. we are staying in the largest one called monterossa. you can travel between the cities by boat, train, or hiking trails.
yesterday we enjoyed lunch on our balcony and spent some time on the beach. now let me tell you about some unknown rules of a European beach...
1. it doesn't matter how old you are, you can wear a bikini.
2. to go along with that, it doesn't matter how fat you are, you can wear a bikini... preferably string. the more showing the better.
3. if you have a weggie no need to pick it. it is actually somewhat fashionable. this might stem from rule number 2 as larger booties have more tendency to hang outside of the swim suit.
4. wearing a white bathing suit... usually by men in speedos, is the thing to do.
5. if you need to change into street clothes no need to find a changing room. just drop trough and change right in your lounge chair.
6. my favorite. aqua socks are back in style... just like the old school ones that I used to wear to the water parks when I was 10.
our dinner last night was really neat. they brought out a large terra-cotta bowl filled with rice, muscles, prawns, lobster, and calamari. very different and very good flavor.
we came back to our hotel and found a beach party going on... which was cool... until about 2 o'clock in the morning... then the loud dance music and partying that we could hear from our room wasn't so cool anymore. ohh well.
josh: today we woke up and went for hike on one of the five trails that connect the towns together. the original plan was to go to the furthest town by train for and easy hike to the next town, then train home. those plans were quickly dashed when we approached the train ticket window and were informed that the train workers would be on strike today.... making that train wasn't going to be possible. for some reason there was one train that went through and would take us to the next town. must have been scabs running the train. (by the way it is a 24 hour strike... not sure how that works.)
so we eneded up doing one of the tougher hikes...back to our town from the one next to us. great views and pictures to come. all in all it was a two hour hike. makes that hike up to the third floor to our room seem like a piece of cake.
after a picnic lunch we laid on the beach for the rest of the day, before having another great seafood dinner.
if the trains are up and running tomorrow we plan to do a repeat of today... hike in the morning and beach in the afternoon.
p.s. on the train ride into monterossa we ran into a couple from Canada, we told them we were from the u.s. he asked where, we said Ohio. he got excited and asked where in Ohio, we said Cincinnati. not going to believe it, but he is a huge bengals fan. he actually made his family take a detour after a trip to Chicago so they could come to Cincinnati and visit the bengals pro shop. nothing like meeting a Canadian bengals fan on a train in Italy.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Rome day 3
Rome day 3
the day started with josh convincing me to go to just one more ancient ruin site... just like a little kid, "pleeeeese." he said it was right outside of the city and more preserved that anything inside the city. i was up for it, so we hop on the train. 3 switches and a 30 minute train ride outside the city and we were there. a little bit further than josh led on, but that's ok. this place was unreal... so much more to see as lots of the city remained intact. this city was the first city conquered by the Romans...
the city was called ostica antica... not sure of the spelling. it was a port city before the river changed course. what kept the city preserved was that when the river moved, the area became swampy and was covered by mud.
my favorites were the toilet room and a bar. the bar was just like what you would see today. you can picture the bottles displayed behind the bar on little shelves... they did things the same even thousands of years ago. josh liked all the mosaics that were found in places like the market. the mosaics were on the floor in black and white and would picture whatever was sold in that location... wine jar, fish, boats.
tonight we went to a fancy dinner and finished with a trip to the Trevi fountain. we threw coins in which is supposed to guarantee your return to Rome. worth a shot.
food has been pretty good here. we had some great pizza yesterday for lunch. the more we eat the more ideas we get for dishes to try back home. anyone up for dinner parties? ha!
early morning tomorrow as we make the move to the beach! I've heard the weather has been super hot back home... let's keep our fingers crossed for some great beach weather where we are headed.
the day started with josh convincing me to go to just one more ancient ruin site... just like a little kid, "pleeeeese." he said it was right outside of the city and more preserved that anything inside the city. i was up for it, so we hop on the train. 3 switches and a 30 minute train ride outside the city and we were there. a little bit further than josh led on, but that's ok. this place was unreal... so much more to see as lots of the city remained intact. this city was the first city conquered by the Romans...
the city was called ostica antica... not sure of the spelling. it was a port city before the river changed course. what kept the city preserved was that when the river moved, the area became swampy and was covered by mud.
my favorites were the toilet room and a bar. the bar was just like what you would see today. you can picture the bottles displayed behind the bar on little shelves... they did things the same even thousands of years ago. josh liked all the mosaics that were found in places like the market. the mosaics were on the floor in black and white and would picture whatever was sold in that location... wine jar, fish, boats.
tonight we went to a fancy dinner and finished with a trip to the Trevi fountain. we threw coins in which is supposed to guarantee your return to Rome. worth a shot.
food has been pretty good here. we had some great pizza yesterday for lunch. the more we eat the more ideas we get for dishes to try back home. anyone up for dinner parties? ha!
early morning tomorrow as we make the move to the beach! I've heard the weather has been super hot back home... let's keep our fingers crossed for some great beach weather where we are headed.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
No shoes, no shirt (with sleeves), big problems....
Josh: Well, its not everyday that you see the Pope, and today wasnt that day either. ha. (Hope i had you going...) Today was a trip to the Vatican City. Vatican museum, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peters Basillica highlighted the trip. No shoes, uncovered shoulders or knees, and you dont get in to see Saint Peters Basicalla. Who does this guy think he is? Oh yes, the leader of the Catholic church, and the man closest to God.... i guess we will abide by his rules.
Needless to say Amy noted several women buying scarves from the vendors and making makeshift dresses and coverings for their shoulders... she got a good chuckle looking at these women on the inside as they tried to hold everything together. No need to worry, we were prepared, and no scarfs were purchased. (We did have a conversation about what street vendor you would be in Europe and Amy said that would be her choice. I choose guy selling tours... more about that in a bit.)
St. Peters is absolutely HUGE and decorated beyond belief... no wonder that Luther fella had such big problems with the Church. Pictures to be seen later... or wikipedia if you cant wait.
The day actually started with a trip to the Vatican museum which contians all the art and sculptures the church had acquired for the Popes. (Egypt, Sumera, Greece, Roman, Sistine Chapel... list goe on.) Clearly the lines were stretching for at least half a mile to get in. Once again we got to cut the lines with the reservation tickets i set up. I must say that it feels incrediable finally being able to cut the people here in Europe. Amy and I quickly realized that Europeans and tourist in Europe have no quams about cutting people. Want to get in on the next video or ride the next bus? At the end of the line? No worries, just wonder towards the front and push your way in through the side, elementary style. haha (Side story: i was standing at the hotel lobby desk, key in hand, waiting to ask a question and turn in my key while someone else finished up. I proceeded to get cut by not one, not two, but three different Italian men coming in for the day. I was in total disbelief that it just happened and Amy the same.) So we go by the old saying, "When in Rome...", in dealing with museums. ("Tour guides" actually sell tickets to cut the line... there is even money being made off this habit. Which would be my street vendor job becase clearly there is a lot of money to be made.)
On to serious stuff... Amy said the highlight of the day was the sistine chapel. You truely cant believe he painted close to a football field sized church ceiling with such great art. Visiting the Pantheon was also a cool specticle as it is the only Roman building that wasnt pillaged for its marble after the fall of Rome. Closest look to what the buildings actually looked like in Roman time... no imagnation needed.
Well thats it for me... more Roman Ruins tomorrow as we visit the old port city of Rome.
P.S. I apologize for the poor spelling and grammer... european keyboard with european spell check doesnt help much. ha.
Needless to say Amy noted several women buying scarves from the vendors and making makeshift dresses and coverings for their shoulders... she got a good chuckle looking at these women on the inside as they tried to hold everything together. No need to worry, we were prepared, and no scarfs were purchased. (We did have a conversation about what street vendor you would be in Europe and Amy said that would be her choice. I choose guy selling tours... more about that in a bit.)
St. Peters is absolutely HUGE and decorated beyond belief... no wonder that Luther fella had such big problems with the Church. Pictures to be seen later... or wikipedia if you cant wait.
The day actually started with a trip to the Vatican museum which contians all the art and sculptures the church had acquired for the Popes. (Egypt, Sumera, Greece, Roman, Sistine Chapel... list goe on.) Clearly the lines were stretching for at least half a mile to get in. Once again we got to cut the lines with the reservation tickets i set up. I must say that it feels incrediable finally being able to cut the people here in Europe. Amy and I quickly realized that Europeans and tourist in Europe have no quams about cutting people. Want to get in on the next video or ride the next bus? At the end of the line? No worries, just wonder towards the front and push your way in through the side, elementary style. haha (Side story: i was standing at the hotel lobby desk, key in hand, waiting to ask a question and turn in my key while someone else finished up. I proceeded to get cut by not one, not two, but three different Italian men coming in for the day. I was in total disbelief that it just happened and Amy the same.) So we go by the old saying, "When in Rome...", in dealing with museums. ("Tour guides" actually sell tickets to cut the line... there is even money being made off this habit. Which would be my street vendor job becase clearly there is a lot of money to be made.)
On to serious stuff... Amy said the highlight of the day was the sistine chapel. You truely cant believe he painted close to a football field sized church ceiling with such great art. Visiting the Pantheon was also a cool specticle as it is the only Roman building that wasnt pillaged for its marble after the fall of Rome. Closest look to what the buildings actually looked like in Roman time... no imagnation needed.
Well thats it for me... more Roman Ruins tomorrow as we visit the old port city of Rome.
P.S. I apologize for the poor spelling and grammer... european keyboard with european spell check doesnt help much. ha.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Rome Day 1
We love seeing your responses to our posts... keep them coming.
We made it to Rome. Today we planned to see the coliseum and the ancient ruins in the Palentie hill. We headed to the subway and asked for a Roma Pass. They only had 1. A Roma pass gets you on and off the subway for 3 days, gets you in to historical sites for free, and gets you a free pass so you dont have to wait in line at the historical sites... that in and of itself is worth the 25 dollar Roma pass. We get off the subway at the Coliseum and ask for another Roma Pass... SOLD OUT. We travel away from the Coliseum and try to find a place that has 1 more Roma Pass... no luck after what seemed like 10 tries. (tobacco shops sell Roma Passes.. and they were 2 every block.) I decided that it would be best for Josh to get on the subway (leaving me at a coffee shop) and try and find another Roma Pass further away from the Coliseum. He was gone for what seemed like forever- but came back with a Roma Pass... he had to go to 3 different places before he found one. VICTORY! (Josh said it was his amazing race moment of the trip.)
We went to the Coluseum and there was a HUGE line (for people without Roma Passes) We were able to cut the line and get in. AMAZING. So cool to think that thousands of years ago people built this place. We listened to a Rick Steves Podcast of course- Josh has all the inside tricks to get us what we want... the quickest and the cheapest way possible.
We ate lunch at a place recommended by Rick Steves and it was soooo good. Left there and went back to the Palentine hill- ancient ruins of a palace for the ceasars. The feeling of walking around where the first civilized people lived is pretty cool. We took lots of pictures. Only in Rome can you have a thousand year old artifact that the every day tourist is allowed to view up close and even sit on... in American this asrtifact would be behind glass for sure...
We came back to the hotel- great... and then dinner- great as well.
Tomorrow is early morning at the Vatican. Josh only has two more museum points left... even though the dessert is good... it isn t extra museum points good.
<he thinks I am just kidding... but Im not!|
Cheers!
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Florence Ya'll
josh: we made it to Florence yesterday, and I must say that it has a few more things going for it compared to her sister city in Kentucky. ha.
obviously with Florence being the city that started the renaissance, we have been enjoying the art here... walking tour of the city, and two art museums later and we've conquered the city! highlight of the trip, was David, by michaelangelo. fourteen feet of carved marble is someone to be admired, and you get a good sense of how hard it is to do by looking at several of his unfinished pieces within the academia. (I had to use up 4 museum points, the currency that Amy gives me to the length of time I'm allowed to look, just to fully take it in! well worth it!)
i know everyone is wondering what I'm going to do with Rome coming up and only two museums points left. (three were spent in Paris and one in Germany) well the secret to getting more points is dessert, and Florence has the best gelato in Europe! (unique flavor, pastaccio sp?). Amy has loved them all, which makes her forget the actual tally of the points I've used.
so how do you find the best gelato in the city? hire a tour guide? Nah... just have your family host a foreign exchange student, who moves on in life and ends up in Florence. ha, it's that simple. Met up with Marie last night, and her two visiting friends from Belgium. We had a wonderful dinner on a square looking up at a church. it was awesome to see a familiar face so far from home, and someone who knew where the best restaurant was to eat. someone who speaks italian is also helpful. overall she seems to be doing great... same old Marie!
well that's it from my reporting... board the train at 7 and will be in Rome by 8:30. we are enjoying the terrace on the roof of the hotel as we wait... much better than the crowded Florence station!
onward to Rome!
obviously with Florence being the city that started the renaissance, we have been enjoying the art here... walking tour of the city, and two art museums later and we've conquered the city! highlight of the trip, was David, by michaelangelo. fourteen feet of carved marble is someone to be admired, and you get a good sense of how hard it is to do by looking at several of his unfinished pieces within the academia. (I had to use up 4 museum points, the currency that Amy gives me to the length of time I'm allowed to look, just to fully take it in! well worth it!)
i know everyone is wondering what I'm going to do with Rome coming up and only two museums points left. (three were spent in Paris and one in Germany) well the secret to getting more points is dessert, and Florence has the best gelato in Europe! (unique flavor, pastaccio sp?). Amy has loved them all, which makes her forget the actual tally of the points I've used.
so how do you find the best gelato in the city? hire a tour guide? Nah... just have your family host a foreign exchange student, who moves on in life and ends up in Florence. ha, it's that simple. Met up with Marie last night, and her two visiting friends from Belgium. We had a wonderful dinner on a square looking up at a church. it was awesome to see a familiar face so far from home, and someone who knew where the best restaurant was to eat. someone who speaks italian is also helpful. overall she seems to be doing great... same old Marie!
well that's it from my reporting... board the train at 7 and will be in Rome by 8:30. we are enjoying the terrace on the roof of the hotel as we wait... much better than the crowded Florence station!
onward to Rome!
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Venice
Venice
our train got in at 630in the morning.... we had the whole day to explore. we hopped on the watertaxi and rode to San Marco square where we dropped off the bags at our hotel. Venice was pretty quiet in the morning. just small boats unloading goods onto carts which were then carried through the narrow streets to the restaurants. everywhere you looked in Venice it seemed like a perfect picture... needless to say we took a ton! by late morning the streets were busy and i mean busy. so many people.
in the afternoon we took a water taxi through the grand canal... which is the main one. we listened to a Rick steves podcast about all the important historical places while we traveled down the water. it was hot in Venice but the breeze from the moving boat made it comfortable. once off the boat it was hotttttt!
we went to a restaurant for dinner that josh found in the Rick steves book... we sat outside right by the canal and watched all the boats and gondolas go by. we ordered lobster pasta for our first course and sea bass for our second. the waiter showed us our fish before they took it back to the kitchen to be cooked. when they brought out the fish the waiter pulled off the head and took out all the bones before he plated it... all right in front of us. it was the most expensive fish I have ever eaten, but the absolute best sea bass by far. just melted in your mouth.
there was a gondolier as we walked away from our dinner and it worked out perfectly. we got a bottle of wine and took a ride down the inner canals of Venice. I was hesitant to spend so much money on a 40 minute boat ride, but it was worth every penny. I would do it again in a heart beat. the most romantic night so far. we started the ride right as the light from the day was going away, and finished our ride as it was dark.
we headed back to San Marco square where we listened to music by a couple of classical ensembles. music and especially the violinists were so talented.
we are off to Florence today!
ciao!
p.s. the train ride wasn't too bad. we went for the alcohol route... yes, I've got pictures of our cabin.
our train got in at 630in the morning.... we had the whole day to explore. we hopped on the watertaxi and rode to San Marco square where we dropped off the bags at our hotel. Venice was pretty quiet in the morning. just small boats unloading goods onto carts which were then carried through the narrow streets to the restaurants. everywhere you looked in Venice it seemed like a perfect picture... needless to say we took a ton! by late morning the streets were busy and i mean busy. so many people.
in the afternoon we took a water taxi through the grand canal... which is the main one. we listened to a Rick steves podcast about all the important historical places while we traveled down the water. it was hot in Venice but the breeze from the moving boat made it comfortable. once off the boat it was hotttttt!
we went to a restaurant for dinner that josh found in the Rick steves book... we sat outside right by the canal and watched all the boats and gondolas go by. we ordered lobster pasta for our first course and sea bass for our second. the waiter showed us our fish before they took it back to the kitchen to be cooked. when they brought out the fish the waiter pulled off the head and took out all the bones before he plated it... all right in front of us. it was the most expensive fish I have ever eaten, but the absolute best sea bass by far. just melted in your mouth.
there was a gondolier as we walked away from our dinner and it worked out perfectly. we got a bottle of wine and took a ride down the inner canals of Venice. I was hesitant to spend so much money on a 40 minute boat ride, but it was worth every penny. I would do it again in a heart beat. the most romantic night so far. we started the ride right as the light from the day was going away, and finished our ride as it was dark.
we headed back to San Marco square where we listened to music by a couple of classical ensembles. music and especially the violinists were so talented.
we are off to Florence today!
ciao!
p.s. the train ride wasn't too bad. we went for the alcohol route... yes, I've got pictures of our cabin.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
fussen
hello all!
we went to a small town today about 2 hours away from munich. the town is called fussen. we rode the train there... i wish we had trains in the u.s. the are so easy and convenient to travel on... but maybe that is because i am with josh... he is so good with figuring out where to go and how to get there.
today was rainy... misty, but we didn't mind it too much. in fussen there is a beautiful castle... the one that Disney was based on. (i cant remember the name of the castle... opps) it is in the mountains so we went to a look out point before we got into the castle. in was incredible. the pictures we have say it all. we stood on a bridge and looking down instead of at the castle was a little scary... we were pretty high up. the tour was fun... neat to see all the fancy stuff... as this castle isnt as old as the last one we went to.
we came back to Munich and ate dinner... waiting to catch the night train to Venice... can't wait to see out cabin on the train.
interesting about Germany:
all the waitresses have large wallets that they carry on them... like a big mom wallet... when you get the bill they let u get your money out and then they give you change right there. kinda nice and quick
lots on middle eastern people... women in full garb but carrying prada purses. and shopping in all the expensive stores.
better go... not sure what I wrote after this but disregard.
sending love.... talk to u in Italy!
ok I woul
we went to a small town today about 2 hours away from munich. the town is called fussen. we rode the train there... i wish we had trains in the u.s. the are so easy and convenient to travel on... but maybe that is because i am with josh... he is so good with figuring out where to go and how to get there.
today was rainy... misty, but we didn't mind it too much. in fussen there is a beautiful castle... the one that Disney was based on. (i cant remember the name of the castle... opps) it is in the mountains so we went to a look out point before we got into the castle. in was incredible. the pictures we have say it all. we stood on a bridge and looking down instead of at the castle was a little scary... we were pretty high up. the tour was fun... neat to see all the fancy stuff... as this castle isnt as old as the last one we went to.
we came back to Munich and ate dinner... waiting to catch the night train to Venice... can't wait to see out cabin on the train.
interesting about Germany:
all the waitresses have large wallets that they carry on them... like a big mom wallet... when you get the bill they let u get your money out and then they give you change right there. kinda nice and quick
lots on middle eastern people... women in full garb but carrying prada purses. and shopping in all the expensive stores.
better go... not sure what I wrote after this but disregard.
sending love.... talk to u in Italy!
ok I woul
Munich
josh: blog has been down for a moment because google picked up on "unusual Internet activity" ... funny that didn t happen when we were blogging in Paris. ha. getting it worked out.
today was another day in Munich... I must say, that many of you think, man what a romantic honeymoon josh has lined up! nights in Paris watching the eiffel tower light up, gondola rides in venice, wine along the Mosel river looking up at the vineyards.... and then the history teacher sets in. German Concentration Camp Tour. not too many people can put that one on the honeymoon excursion list. ha.
in all seriousness, it was a good tour. we went on a radius english tour of the camp, which sat outside munich. our English guide was excellent and gave us very good information. the "can't believe this is here moment" was walking through the gas chambers there... very chilling to think about.
never fear people, I made up for it in the afternoon with a bike ride through the English gardens, Europe's largest city park, with stops at a beer garden in. the park, and a view of the surfers. yes, I said surfers! the way the river flows through the park creates a wave' that you can actually surf on... YouTube it for a break at work. it was a great day, although you have to be careful what you look at... nude sunbathing is perfectly acceptable, and of course all the subjects were old men. ha. definitely not moulin rogue material!
well off to the beer halls.... cheers!
today was another day in Munich... I must say, that many of you think, man what a romantic honeymoon josh has lined up! nights in Paris watching the eiffel tower light up, gondola rides in venice, wine along the Mosel river looking up at the vineyards.... and then the history teacher sets in. German Concentration Camp Tour. not too many people can put that one on the honeymoon excursion list. ha.
in all seriousness, it was a good tour. we went on a radius english tour of the camp, which sat outside munich. our English guide was excellent and gave us very good information. the "can't believe this is here moment" was walking through the gas chambers there... very chilling to think about.
never fear people, I made up for it in the afternoon with a bike ride through the English gardens, Europe's largest city park, with stops at a beer garden in. the park, and a view of the surfers. yes, I said surfers! the way the river flows through the park creates a wave' that you can actually surf on... YouTube it for a break at work. it was a great day, although you have to be careful what you look at... nude sunbathing is perfectly acceptable, and of course all the subjects were old men. ha. definitely not moulin rogue material!
well off to the beer halls.... cheers!
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
cochem day 2
cochem was a really neat little town. it sits in the Mosel valley along the Mosel river. there are grapevines growing all along the sides of the mountains. I love the small town feeling of this place... still lots of restaurants and shops and touristy things to do.
yesterday we took a train to another small town about 15 minutes away. then we walked through the town following a little babbling stream... so pretty. we got to the edge of town and started our hike up to the castle. the weather was great... 70's and sunny so we didn't get too hot! the wooded area opened up and then you saw this huge castle. it wasn't along a river like most castles in this region. (castles were put along rivers so people passing through would have to pay a toll to continue on... otherwise they would sink your ship. the burg eltz castle sat along a trading route. same concept of collecting a toll only on land rather than water.) the castle had 3 wings and each wing housed a family. they said this was a living castle not a fighting castle. it is a 500 year old castle that was never attacked thus preserving it more so than other castles. it came under siege at one time during its history. the people inside remained there for 5years until they didn't have any food left... thus surrendering to the siege.
we ate a picnic lunch of cheese ham and soft pretzels.... ohh and Mosel valley wine. we had a great view of the castle. (only bummer was that the castle is under a huge renovation and has been for a few years. parts of the castle have scaffolding and are covered up... they also have a huge crane above it. not the most ideal, but hey... a castle is a castle.
we came back and went out for a vin-probe ( wine tasting) at a cute place along the river. I liked a certain wine and asked the waitress about it. she tried to explain and then said that the grapes were actually grown right across the way. so we took a picture of me drinking the wine with the background being the grapes growing on the mountainside right across the river! how neat!
today we are headed to Munich by train. the train is cool because we are in 1st class and have our own little cabin room with a table and big seats.
auf wiedersehen... that is good bye in German! (after my mess up in Paris I decided to practice my German as to not make the same mistake again.)
yesterday we took a train to another small town about 15 minutes away. then we walked through the town following a little babbling stream... so pretty. we got to the edge of town and started our hike up to the castle. the weather was great... 70's and sunny so we didn't get too hot! the wooded area opened up and then you saw this huge castle. it wasn't along a river like most castles in this region. (castles were put along rivers so people passing through would have to pay a toll to continue on... otherwise they would sink your ship. the burg eltz castle sat along a trading route. same concept of collecting a toll only on land rather than water.) the castle had 3 wings and each wing housed a family. they said this was a living castle not a fighting castle. it is a 500 year old castle that was never attacked thus preserving it more so than other castles. it came under siege at one time during its history. the people inside remained there for 5years until they didn't have any food left... thus surrendering to the siege.
we ate a picnic lunch of cheese ham and soft pretzels.... ohh and Mosel valley wine. we had a great view of the castle. (only bummer was that the castle is under a huge renovation and has been for a few years. parts of the castle have scaffolding and are covered up... they also have a huge crane above it. not the most ideal, but hey... a castle is a castle.
we came back and went out for a vin-probe ( wine tasting) at a cute place along the river. I liked a certain wine and asked the waitress about it. she tried to explain and then said that the grapes were actually grown right across the way. so we took a picture of me drinking the wine with the background being the grapes growing on the mountainside right across the river! how neat!
today we are headed to Munich by train. the train is cool because we are in 1st class and have our own little cabin room with a table and big seats.
auf wiedersehen... that is good bye in German! (after my mess up in Paris I decided to practice my German as to not make the same mistake again.)
cochem day 1
sorry... no Internet in cochem... made it to Munich... here are the posts we wrote but couldn't upload until now! I loved your comments about Paris. hope all is well!
josh: a tale of two cities....
well we made it to cochem, germany! it has been a huge contrast from the busy streets of Paris, of which Amy has repeatedly said she enjoys this town almost more than Paris! (it might be bc it's the motherland or it might be like coming home from NYC... great city, but sometimes you just need to take a deep breath bc it can be exhausting.) Rick Steves says the town has about 6,000 people, but the town is much more developed and larger than that because of tourism. needless to say it's a great little town.
planning on going to see a castle today that has survived since medieval times, and was never attacked. (a feat for castle.). we'll see how it turns out... it's going to require a 1.5 hour hike to get there.
funny story of the day:
we were sitting in a Beer garden with views of Mosel river and castle of cochem. our conversation had been around practicing our key german phrases. (imagine spelling words at the kitchen table.) then amy states,"it's kind of a bummer that we left France, my French was just starting to get good!". I immediately started laughing as hard as I could. she said, "what's so funny, I'm serious!"
the laughter comes in because the night before, on amy's very last interaction with a parisian. we were at a food stand, we had already received our sandwiches and paid for them, and were about to walk away. this was what amy said...
store owner: "merci". ( thank you )
amy: "bonjour" (hello) (and then turning and walking away.)
maybe you had to be there but if you and imagine someone saying it to you in English, it's pretty funny. she started laughing, even harder than me!
interesting observation: there are no bugs here... we've slept with our windows open (no screens) in france and Germany and not one moth or mosquito.
that's it from me... I'll let thea real blogger take over. I'm sure she'll tell you about the hotel we are staying at.
josh: a tale of two cities....
well we made it to cochem, germany! it has been a huge contrast from the busy streets of Paris, of which Amy has repeatedly said she enjoys this town almost more than Paris! (it might be bc it's the motherland or it might be like coming home from NYC... great city, but sometimes you just need to take a deep breath bc it can be exhausting.) Rick Steves says the town has about 6,000 people, but the town is much more developed and larger than that because of tourism. needless to say it's a great little town.
planning on going to see a castle today that has survived since medieval times, and was never attacked. (a feat for castle.). we'll see how it turns out... it's going to require a 1.5 hour hike to get there.
funny story of the day:
we were sitting in a Beer garden with views of Mosel river and castle of cochem. our conversation had been around practicing our key german phrases. (imagine spelling words at the kitchen table.) then amy states,"it's kind of a bummer that we left France, my French was just starting to get good!". I immediately started laughing as hard as I could. she said, "what's so funny, I'm serious!"
the laughter comes in because the night before, on amy's very last interaction with a parisian. we were at a food stand, we had already received our sandwiches and paid for them, and were about to walk away. this was what amy said...
store owner: "merci". ( thank you )
amy: "bonjour" (hello) (and then turning and walking away.)
maybe you had to be there but if you and imagine someone saying it to you in English, it's pretty funny. she started laughing, even harder than me!
interesting observation: there are no bugs here... we've slept with our windows open (no screens) in france and Germany and not one moth or mosquito.
that's it from me... I'll let thea real blogger take over. I'm sure she'll tell you about the hotel we are staying at.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
day 3 of Paris
interesting thoughts
I could never live in Paris for 2very silly reasons... as authentic and delicious as the French fries and French bread might be... I like mine with ketchup and butter... 2things the Parisians would be insulted by if I asked for them.
speaking of French bread... it's everywhere! I see business men with a loaf sticking out of their briefcases and people walking down the street just ripping pieces off while they walk and little old ladies with multiple loaves in their arms. when you go to a restaurant they serve a few pieces in a basket with your meal... our basket has always been empty each time we've left a restaurant. so good.
we went to 2 museums today... yes I said 2. the largest in the world...the louvre and the musse de orsay. I once had a wise man tell me that when given the decision to ride home from put- in- bay on the jet ski with Todd or Allie one should choose Todd... as riding back with allie caused his hands to blister from holding on so tight. I thought about this wise man as I spent many hours in museums today. here is my wise advice... when given the decision to go to a museum with josh or amy one should choose amy... as going with josh will cause sheer exhaustion. if you do decide to go with josh make sure you have multiple red bulls ready! he will wear you out! just kidding... but seriously, this is good advice.
greatest parts about the museums...
the fact josh had podcasts that we used to guide us through all the important parts of the museums... very smart. you focused on the good stuff.
how much of a celebrity mona lisa is... so cool.
so many Monet paintings in one room... almost overwhelming.
tonight we went to the arc de triumph. took the stairs all the way to the top to look out onto paris. night was setting in and the Eiffel tower lit up with all kinds of sparkling lights. then we stopped for dessert... new food I really enjoy... macaroons.
headed to the train station in the morning. we wernt able to reserve sets on the train but hopefully they will let us on anyway. fingers crossed. next destination... small town germany called cochem.
I could never live in Paris for 2very silly reasons... as authentic and delicious as the French fries and French bread might be... I like mine with ketchup and butter... 2things the Parisians would be insulted by if I asked for them.
speaking of French bread... it's everywhere! I see business men with a loaf sticking out of their briefcases and people walking down the street just ripping pieces off while they walk and little old ladies with multiple loaves in their arms. when you go to a restaurant they serve a few pieces in a basket with your meal... our basket has always been empty each time we've left a restaurant. so good.
we went to 2 museums today... yes I said 2. the largest in the world...the louvre and the musse de orsay. I once had a wise man tell me that when given the decision to ride home from put- in- bay on the jet ski with Todd or Allie one should choose Todd... as riding back with allie caused his hands to blister from holding on so tight. I thought about this wise man as I spent many hours in museums today. here is my wise advice... when given the decision to go to a museum with josh or amy one should choose amy... as going with josh will cause sheer exhaustion. if you do decide to go with josh make sure you have multiple red bulls ready! he will wear you out! just kidding... but seriously, this is good advice.
greatest parts about the museums...
the fact josh had podcasts that we used to guide us through all the important parts of the museums... very smart. you focused on the good stuff.
how much of a celebrity mona lisa is... so cool.
so many Monet paintings in one room... almost overwhelming.
tonight we went to the arc de triumph. took the stairs all the way to the top to look out onto paris. night was setting in and the Eiffel tower lit up with all kinds of sparkling lights. then we stopped for dessert... new food I really enjoy... macaroons.
headed to the train station in the morning. we wernt able to reserve sets on the train but hopefully they will let us on anyway. fingers crossed. next destination... small town germany called cochem.
Paris Day two.
here are today's favorites...
the top of the eiffel tower... did I really even have to tell you?
deciding to take the stairs down the eiffel tower once we got to the lower landing... so many stairs but it was our workout for the day!
the Rue Cler street markets is where we picked up lunch wine and macaroons to eat in the park. yes you can drink wine in the park... awesome. yes the raspberry macroon was out of this world... yes our view of the eiffel tower from the park was unreal.
the weather today... sunny with clouds and high 60's. it felt like a beautiful fall day.
coming back to the hotel, opening up the balcony windows and taking a nap while Parisian life happened in the streets below. (good thing josh and I are used to a little ruckus outside our windows at3436 wood ford... we didn't mind the noises.)
sitting on the stairs of the Sacre Coeur while a Parisian guitarist sang hotel california and Indian men walked around and sold Heineken straight from the case.
eating dinner at a street cafe in montmarte... just like you see in the movies where they sit out on the sidewalk at the little tables. then talking with an Austrian man and his wife as they ate dinner beside us. the more wine he drank the harder it was for him to speak English...funny.
the costumes at Moulin rouge.
the cab ride home from the show... whoa!
Realization... Paris is really soooo Paris... the entire city is exactly the perfect Paris that you think it is. the beautiful buildings, the street cafes, the historic sites go on for miles and miles.
FYI... all homeless Parisians have dogs. sometimes multiple dogs, but always at least one.
night!
josh: my funny story of the day was walking into a store and saying bonjour, in an attempt to not be the ugly American, and the clerk says to me, "nice accent!" gotta love being made fun of while attempting to be cultural. haha.
hotel has been great... they updated us bc I put it was our honeymoon in the email. room is bigger than the rest of the rooms for sure based on the fire code floor plan. felt happy about that. neighborhood we are in is great. location just south of notre dame on the west bank.
museum day today.... lots of classical art!
the top of the eiffel tower... did I really even have to tell you?
deciding to take the stairs down the eiffel tower once we got to the lower landing... so many stairs but it was our workout for the day!
the Rue Cler street markets is where we picked up lunch wine and macaroons to eat in the park. yes you can drink wine in the park... awesome. yes the raspberry macroon was out of this world... yes our view of the eiffel tower from the park was unreal.
the weather today... sunny with clouds and high 60's. it felt like a beautiful fall day.
coming back to the hotel, opening up the balcony windows and taking a nap while Parisian life happened in the streets below. (good thing josh and I are used to a little ruckus outside our windows at3436 wood ford... we didn't mind the noises.)
sitting on the stairs of the Sacre Coeur while a Parisian guitarist sang hotel california and Indian men walked around and sold Heineken straight from the case.
eating dinner at a street cafe in montmarte... just like you see in the movies where they sit out on the sidewalk at the little tables. then talking with an Austrian man and his wife as they ate dinner beside us. the more wine he drank the harder it was for him to speak English...funny.
the costumes at Moulin rouge.
the cab ride home from the show... whoa!
Realization... Paris is really soooo Paris... the entire city is exactly the perfect Paris that you think it is. the beautiful buildings, the street cafes, the historic sites go on for miles and miles.
FYI... all homeless Parisians have dogs. sometimes multiple dogs, but always at least one.
night!
josh: my funny story of the day was walking into a store and saying bonjour, in an attempt to not be the ugly American, and the clerk says to me, "nice accent!" gotta love being made fun of while attempting to be cultural. haha.
hotel has been great... they updated us bc I put it was our honeymoon in the email. room is bigger than the rest of the rooms for sure based on the fire code floor plan. felt happy about that. neighborhood we are in is great. location just south of notre dame on the west bank.
museum day today.... lots of classical art!
Thursday, July 7, 2011
day 1 paris
josh: we made it! touch and go in Toronto they told us we needed to pick up our bags before we went to the next terminal... but they had already transferred the bags. thus we were waiting for bags that would never come!
side note tried rigle's gull on the plane... Icelandic beer is pretty good. (people in Iceland like to drink before they board planes at seven in the morning... guess drinking is in when a summer heat wave is sixty degrees!)
took amy on the rick steves podcast tour of historic Paris... way to about a tour. didn't
cost a dime and got what we needed out of it. good start to the sight seeing. thats it from me... I'm sure amy has some better stories
photos are slow... if anyone can look up an app to load from iPad to Internet that would great. photo bucket which we are currently using is tough to use when Internet is spotty. guess if that is the biggest problem we havethenwearegood
side note tried rigle's gull on the plane... Icelandic beer is pretty good. (people in Iceland like to drink before they board planes at seven in the morning... guess drinking is in when a summer heat wave is sixty degrees!)
took amy on the rick steves podcast tour of historic Paris... way to about a tour. didn't
cost a dime and got what we needed out of it. good start to the sight seeing. thats it from me... I'm sure amy has some better stories
photos are slow... if anyone can look up an app to load from iPad to Internet that would great. photo bucket which we are currently using is tough to use when Internet is spotty. guess if that is the biggest problem we havethenwearegood
july 7th day late
here is the blog from yesterday... cinch airport wireless is useless! we did get into Paris today at one and are doing great... will write about that later.
amy: here in the airport waiting to board for toronto. a nice junior high kid headed to israel with a large group of ALL junior high kids took our picture. ohh how happy we are that they arent on our flight... not that we have anything against jr high kids. ha!
while we have been waiting a guy from the bag check came up to us and said he didn't realize that our bags were going all the way to paris so he had to fix some logistics and he gave us new tags. wow... the ultimate fear of our bags not making it almost happened... well who knows, we arent there yet.
josh:this is a picture of me with my bag on. Rick steves, says you should hike around the block with it on to make sure it's not too heavy... I skipped that step... hopefully I don't pay for it! must say it's the most impressive packing I've ever seen amy do. "pack light, pack light, pack light."
pictures will have to wait slow connection...sorry
special thanks to Pam for driving us to the airport!
amy: here in the airport waiting to board for toronto. a nice junior high kid headed to israel with a large group of ALL junior high kids took our picture. ohh how happy we are that they arent on our flight... not that we have anything against jr high kids. ha!
while we have been waiting a guy from the bag check came up to us and said he didn't realize that our bags were going all the way to paris so he had to fix some logistics and he gave us new tags. wow... the ultimate fear of our bags not making it almost happened... well who knows, we arent there yet.
josh:this is a picture of me with my bag on. Rick steves, says you should hike around the block with it on to make sure it's not too heavy... I skipped that step... hopefully I don't pay for it! must say it's the most impressive packing I've ever seen amy do. "pack light, pack light, pack light."
pictures will have to wait slow connection...sorry
special thanks to Pam for driving us to the airport!
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
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