The Jungfrau

When Andrew's parents were here we ventured to the Jungfrau, also known as "The Top of Europe". As mentioned earlier, we made it about halfway up to the town of Wengen (this was planned). My brother, his wife and Andrew, however, made it to the very top this last Saturday. They took 4 trains to get there, and from our door it took them 4 1/2 hours to reach their destination. Looking at the pictures and based off of their description though, I would say that it was worth it (even with the intense sunburn that they all received).

There was a large tour group that dominated the place, so Dan and Andrew just decided to join in on their fun.

My brother, the crow whisperer





Kristin, inside of an ice cave

Dan and Kristin left yesterday, and with all of our company gone, this house feels empty. We had such a wonderful month with all of our visitors, and now we are going through withdraw!

Paris...just the 3 of us

Is there anything more romantic than a couple spending the weekend together in Paris?

How about adding your sister into the equation.

My brother (Dan) and his wife (Kristin) are currently visiting, and last weekend we- My brother, my SIL, and I- headed to The City of Lights. Actually, our entire family was supposed to go, but once Andrew visualized our children in Paris, he suggested that I join Dan and Kristin by myself. What a brilliant man I married.

This was a lovely trip- for many reasons, but the top 5 are:

1. Rather than driving, we took the train. 166 Swiss Francs and 3 1/2 hours later, we were in the center of Paris. Completely effortless.
   
2. I was able to travel with only ONE backpack and only had myself to worry about.
   
3. I did not bring a camera!! Kristin took all of the pictures, and I think that may have been the best part of the trip.
   
4. The Louvre. I was able to go into the Louvre and I still have a high from it.
5. I was able to spend time quality time with Dan and Kristin. Thanks for making it a great trip you guys! We love you and had so much fun!
   

As for the rest- here are the pictures. As you can see the weather was perfect, and no, my sister-in-law is incapable of taking a bad picture. It boggles the mind. Fortunately I love her.

The Arc de Triomphe



I previously never understood the hype of the Arc de Triomphe. It is an arch surrounded by a massive traffic circle- big deal. But in person, oh boy, it is marvelous. And magnificent. And I loved it. We also loved watching the madness that was the 8 "lane" circle surrounding the arch. We waited and waited to see an accident, but somehow one never happened.



The Eiffel Tower
We took a night cruise on the Seine and were able to get some great views of this site. We also discovered that at night the tower lights up with millions of glittering lights for 5-10 minutes each hour. I thought is was so cool!



The Louvre
I've been dreaming of going to the Louvre since my teenage years, and I really can't remember the last time I felt so giddy (Ok, it was when Andrew told me they built a Cafe Rio in Maryland). It was wonderful and I still feel like I am in high from viewing all of the exquisite art.








Me, Kristin and Mona.
We had to elbow some Italian tourists to get this shot, so I hope you appreciate it.

Orangerie Musuem
This museum houses two large oval rooms which are made up of 8 massive Monet Water Lily paintings.



Luxembourg Gardens



Sacre-Coeur
This is a stunning basilica, but I found the inside borderline creepy. While beautiful, there was a priest giving a sermon while hundreds of tourist walked around browsing the gift shops.



enjoying some fine French cuisine



Notre-Dame
Out of all of the city views we had, the view from Notre-Dame was my favorite. I loved those gargoyles! I also thought the bell which is featured in the Hunch Back of Notre-Dame was pretty cool.





We were able to see lots more, but those are the biggy sites.

Grandma and Grandpa: Part 2

I love the Italian Riviera. And when I say "love", I mean L-O-V-E. I had extremely high expectations for this place, and let me tell you, it did not disappoint. With Andrew's parents we went to the area known as Cinque Terra- which is made up of 5 neighboring towns. Each is nestled up on mountain cliffs overlooking the sea, and only accessible by boat, train or hiking trail. We stayed in the town of Vernazza, and rented out an apartment that overlooked the piazza and inlet. Can I just stress how much I loved this place? I loved the backdrop, the bright colors, the sea, the hiking trails, the lively Italians...I will just stop right there and get to the pictures, because I really could go on.

Vernazza- the piazza



The view of Vernazza from the castle overlooking the village









Aghhh, I love the colors!





hiking between the villages







And now I am going to stop so I can go dream about this place.

Grandma and Grandpa: Part 1

Andrew's parents are planners- it's one of the many things that I admire about them. As soon as we discovered that we were moving to Switzerland my father-in-law started looking at plane tickets, and not long after our move, tickets were purchased for a two week trip at the end of April. The only downside was that the anticipation of their arrival lasted forever! If I could count the number of times we said, "Only 5 more months till Grandpa and Grandma come!"..."Only 4 more months till Grandpa and Grandma come!"..."Only 3 more months till Grandpa and Grandma come!"... you get the point.

The end of April finally arrived, and with it, our beloved Grandpa and Grandma. The weather was beautiful, the children healthy, and lot of new sites were discovered. The kids had a week off for spring break, which allowed us to travel around a bit. During the second week, Andrew's parents helped with school drop offs and pickups- which was wonderful for me. Really, it couldn't have been a better trip. Chris and Bert, we love you guys and we are excited that there are "only 2 more months" until we see you again!

*I excluded the pictures of the places that I've shown of this blog before (well, all except Gruyere).

Gruyere, Switzerland
The last time we were here, Gruyere was covered in snow. I loved seeing the contrast of winter and spring. Conclusion: Gruyere is breathtaking anytime of the year.





Wengen, Switzerland
We have been dying to get the Bernese Oberland, and one Saturday we finally made it. We drove most of the way, and then took a cogwheel train up to the town of Wengen, which is just below the Jungfrau. Upon our arrival we discovered that the hike we had planned was still closed for the season, so we just hiked about the town.

Lugano, Switzerland

We stopped in Lugano on our way down to the Italian Riviera (next post) for a quick lunch break. It is a lovely place, and we really need to do it justice by going back and enjoying it for a day or two.