I thought I would add some pictures to Bret’s excellent summary of our last few weeks of adventures.  It really amazes how quickly this month fall year is passing by.

Amsterdam!

I really loved the vibe of Amsterdam.  So many people, but because everyone is on foot or bike it seems a little less city like…  well maybe all the canals have something to do with that also.  Crossing the street was a little hectic with all the different forms of transportation going in every direction.

We stayed a nice apartment near the Jordaan District… getting up the three flights of stairs was an adventure.

Diana, James, and I took a train to the Hague to see the Girl with the Pearl Earring.  We also visited the Peace Palace and the beach!

The next day we walked past Rembrandt’s house

 

on our way to the Botantic Gardens.

Bret filled you in on the rest of the trip, but it was a super good time!

( in the gutter).

Switzerland

We had a wild weekend of food, fun, and exploring Geneva with Cinda and Danny and company!  It was hard for me to leave without stealing this guy.

but Lausanne was nice. We drove along Lac Leman (Lake Geneva) through the small town of Rolle, where I went to summer camp for a few years when I was in middle school.  Can’t believe I forgot to take pictures 🙁  These are from Lausanne.  It is a beautiful city, with lots of skulls and crossbows in the cathedral.

nice views of the alps across the lake.

France

We had a nice trip through the country side from Lausanne to Lyon.  Lyon is really pretty at night.

The food was delicious and the sights were nice too…

This is a “secret” passage between streets.  Apparently they are really common in the old town of Lyon, but to access them you are supposed to ring buzzers of the people who live in the them and we did not feel comfortable doing this.  We did manage our way into a couple of them that had open doorways.

We also went to the big cathedral.  There were tons of beautiful mosaics.

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After a few days in the big cities, we needed a break in the countryside, so we were off to Chablis!  It was a bit rainy, but we were still able to take a walk in the vineyards before testing the goods.

After of few days of r and r, we were back to city life in PARIS!  We stayed at sweet apartment near the St. Germain district.  It was centrally located near the river and Notre Dame.

We saw the sights!

River boat tour (it wasn’t that scary)

the Louvre

Highlight of the trip was a lovely dinner with a friend we had not seen in 20 years!!! It was lovely to spent time with Jo Ann and Massey and to meet their talented and funny daughter, Eliane.  Of course, in all the fun, we forgot to take a picture 🙁  I guess we’ll just have to head back to Paris soon and recreate the event!