YES! 10 1/2 hours on the plane from Paris to Altanta and then a HUGE delay in Atlanta!
We arrived at Home Sweet Home around 10:00 PM.
Total travel time was about 20 hours!!!
I wish you could have seen Katie Lin RUN to us! PRICELESS!
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Paris Day 3
I'm sooooooooo thankful the top of the Eiffel Tower was closed!!!! Level two was high enough for me!!!
Jeff had to "watch his head" in many places!
Creepy!!! Just get me outta of here!
Haha our server tonight was wearing I love NY!
My Sweetheart!
Homeless woman was sitting here every night in this same spot!
A Mother pushing her baby, notice the lady trying to get her to buy flowers!
The front of our Paris Hotel. Below is the view looking down from our hotel window.
Jeff had to "watch his head" in many places!
Creepy!!! Just get me outta of here!
Haha our server tonight was wearing I love NY!
My Sweetheart!
Homeless woman was sitting here every night in this same spot!
A Mother pushing her baby, notice the lady trying to get her to buy flowers!
The front of our Paris Hotel. Below is the view looking down from our hotel window.
March 19, 2009 (p.m.)
Our last day in Paris (and Europe) featured a few great sights, but was relatively slow paced. We made it to the Eiffel Tower by 9:00 a.m. and stood in line until they opened at 9:30 a.m. Unfortunately the very top floor is closed until March 21st due to construction, so we could only go as high as the second floor (which was fine with Sonya). We snapped a few pictures, admired the view and ran from the crowds as fast as we could.
Our next stop was Napoleon’s Tomb at the Musee de l’Armee. The emperor lies dead inside several coffins under a dome glittering with 26 pounds of gold. If you’re into history, this would be a great pilgrimage for you. As I mentioned in yesterday’s journal, I know virtually nothing of French history so it didn’t impact me as much as standing in a cold misty rain and staring at a subtle plaque in the ground marking the spot where Martin Luther once stood in Worms, Germany. Nevertheless, I couldn’t help but be impressed by the architecture, sculptures and artwork in this grand auditorium.
I wasn’t sure how much Sonya would enjoy the Catacombs of Paris, but I decided to take my chances and take her anyway. Talk about creepy! These underground tunnels contain the anonymous bones of six million Parisians. In 1786, the citizens of Paris decided to relieve congestion and improve sanitary conditions by emptying the city cemeteries in an official ossuary. So they dumped the remains of these folks in many miles of underground tunnels from limestone quarries. Google it sometime – it’s very interesting. Sonya thought it was really cool at first, but after staring at millions of skulls and femurs, I noticed her pace quickened. She was ready to leave and I was having trouble keeping up as she rushed for the exit. I got some great pics though.
After some more shopping on Champs Elysees and a few souvenir stores, we wrapped up our day as usual – dinner at a corner café just down the street from our hotel. This time, however, instead of just watching people, Sonya decided to do a little photo-journalism and take random shots of the unique folks who have been our neighbors for the past three days. Now it’s time to wrap up and pack up. This has been a dream vacation – I don’t know any other way to describe it – but after two weeks of touring Europe, we are ready to come back to sweet home Alabama, First Bible Church, Diet Dr. Pepper, Chick-Fil-A, Auburn vs. Alabama, Dixie Youth Baseball, American Idol and lots more. See you tomorrow!
Our last day in Paris (and Europe) featured a few great sights, but was relatively slow paced. We made it to the Eiffel Tower by 9:00 a.m. and stood in line until they opened at 9:30 a.m. Unfortunately the very top floor is closed until March 21st due to construction, so we could only go as high as the second floor (which was fine with Sonya). We snapped a few pictures, admired the view and ran from the crowds as fast as we could.
Our next stop was Napoleon’s Tomb at the Musee de l’Armee. The emperor lies dead inside several coffins under a dome glittering with 26 pounds of gold. If you’re into history, this would be a great pilgrimage for you. As I mentioned in yesterday’s journal, I know virtually nothing of French history so it didn’t impact me as much as standing in a cold misty rain and staring at a subtle plaque in the ground marking the spot where Martin Luther once stood in Worms, Germany. Nevertheless, I couldn’t help but be impressed by the architecture, sculptures and artwork in this grand auditorium.
I wasn’t sure how much Sonya would enjoy the Catacombs of Paris, but I decided to take my chances and take her anyway. Talk about creepy! These underground tunnels contain the anonymous bones of six million Parisians. In 1786, the citizens of Paris decided to relieve congestion and improve sanitary conditions by emptying the city cemeteries in an official ossuary. So they dumped the remains of these folks in many miles of underground tunnels from limestone quarries. Google it sometime – it’s very interesting. Sonya thought it was really cool at first, but after staring at millions of skulls and femurs, I noticed her pace quickened. She was ready to leave and I was having trouble keeping up as she rushed for the exit. I got some great pics though.
After some more shopping on Champs Elysees and a few souvenir stores, we wrapped up our day as usual – dinner at a corner café just down the street from our hotel. This time, however, instead of just watching people, Sonya decided to do a little photo-journalism and take random shots of the unique folks who have been our neighbors for the past three days. Now it’s time to wrap up and pack up. This has been a dream vacation – I don’t know any other way to describe it – but after two weeks of touring Europe, we are ready to come back to sweet home Alabama, First Bible Church, Diet Dr. Pepper, Chick-Fil-A, Auburn vs. Alabama, Dixie Youth Baseball, American Idol and lots more. See you tomorrow!
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Paris Day 2
March 18, 2009 (p.m.)
I have to confess that I was not as excited about Paris as I was the other cities I had planned for us to visit. However, our first evening (last night) and full day have been wonderful. I guess it’s a sign of my age. The first time I came here I was 15 years old. There wasn’t really much in Paris that excited me except being able to say that I’d seen the Eiffel Tower. But now I’m a people watcher and there’s no better city on earth to do that than here. Sonya and I could sit at a sidewalk table of a corner café all day long and just watch others stroll by, commenting about what they’re wearing or who they look like. And that’s how we’ve spent much of our time.
After our train arrived last night at 6:30 p.m. we took a cab to our hotel (which was quite an adventure in itself), checked in and then immediately hit the streets looking for a typical Parisian Brasserie. The street where our hotel is located is awesome! It’s for pedestrians only and, as Rick Steves says in his “2009 Best of Europe” travel guide, “It’s so French that when I step out of my hotel in the morning, I feel like I must have been a poodle in a previous life.” Rue Cler is lined with open-air produce stands, flower vendors, bakeries, wine shops and small cafés. It doesn’t get any more French than that. What’s also interesting is the strange mix of locals and Americans. This neighborhood is close to The American Church, American Library and American University, and of course there are lots of tourists like us, so we are very comfortable here.
Last night Sonya mentioned how sick she was of subways (the Tube in London) and wanted me to consider a hop-on, hop-off bus tour of Paris. I was reluctant at first, but after reviewing the brochure I agreed to give it a try. This morning we bought a two day pass for the L’Open Tour bus line and I have to admit that it was a blast. It was easy and it covered everything I had planned for us to do today with minimal wait times.
We started the day at the Louvre Museum with thousands of other people. Sonya and I are not very artsy people, but at least we can say that we’ve now seen the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo. And for all you Da Vinci Code readers, I never saw the Rose Line, but Sonya did take my picture where the last scene of the book/movie took place (without ruining it for any of you who are not familiar with the book).
Our next stop was the Crypts of Paris and Notre Dame. It’s always amazing to stand in a cathedral that was built so long ago (13th century). I’m sure that Notre Dame is a significant historic landmark, but I must confess that I’m not as familiar with French and/or Roman Catholic history as I am with the reformation and protestant churches such as Westminster Abbey in London. We spent about a half-hour touring Notre Dame then hopped on the bus again, this time to Champs Elysees.
Those of you who know Paris recognize the name of this street immediately. Champs Elysees is lined with fashion boutiques, bumper-to-bumper traffic and shoulder-to-shoulder pedestrians. It also runs right into the Arc de Triomphe, surrounded by a huge round-about, on its north-west end. The highlight of the day for Sonya was visiting the Louis Vuitton store. This must be the official headquarters for LV. It was at least three stories high and filled with very expensive handbags, luggage, shoes, clothes and jewelry. And I now realize why the LV products are so expensive. There were men everywhere with black suits and ear pieces, talking into little microphones near their collars. I’ve never felt so “watched” in my life. I thought the President must have been in the building somewhere. I’m sure they have to charge a fortune for their merchandise to pay the salaries of their secret service personnel.
We ended today’s sightseeing back where we started this morning – the Eiffel Tower. After taking a lot more pictures than we needed, we were disappointed to find out that the top floor of the Tower was closed. We are going to return early tomorrow morning, hoping that the crowds are lighter, and go as high as they’ll let us.
We ended the day with our favorite activity – people watching – from a little restaurant called Café Central on Rue Cler. This time we enjoyed two safe American dishes, a BLT (Sonya) and hamburger and fries (Jeff). Afterwards we treated ourselves to a banana crepe and almond meringue. Yum, yum! Don’t tell anyone!
Tomorrow is the last full day of our European vacation. We’ll try to keep it light, covering the Eiffel Tower, Napoleon’s Tomb and the Catacombs in the morning and early afternoon before a possible stroll along the river Seine and relaxing at another corner café in the evening. This really is a romantic city. I’ve never seen so many lovebirds in all my life, but none who have been blessed more than the two who have celebrated 20 years of marital bliss by touring a few highlights of Europe over the last two weeks. Au Revoir!
I have to confess that I was not as excited about Paris as I was the other cities I had planned for us to visit. However, our first evening (last night) and full day have been wonderful. I guess it’s a sign of my age. The first time I came here I was 15 years old. There wasn’t really much in Paris that excited me except being able to say that I’d seen the Eiffel Tower. But now I’m a people watcher and there’s no better city on earth to do that than here. Sonya and I could sit at a sidewalk table of a corner café all day long and just watch others stroll by, commenting about what they’re wearing or who they look like. And that’s how we’ve spent much of our time.
After our train arrived last night at 6:30 p.m. we took a cab to our hotel (which was quite an adventure in itself), checked in and then immediately hit the streets looking for a typical Parisian Brasserie. The street where our hotel is located is awesome! It’s for pedestrians only and, as Rick Steves says in his “2009 Best of Europe” travel guide, “It’s so French that when I step out of my hotel in the morning, I feel like I must have been a poodle in a previous life.” Rue Cler is lined with open-air produce stands, flower vendors, bakeries, wine shops and small cafés. It doesn’t get any more French than that. What’s also interesting is the strange mix of locals and Americans. This neighborhood is close to The American Church, American Library and American University, and of course there are lots of tourists like us, so we are very comfortable here.
Last night Sonya mentioned how sick she was of subways (the Tube in London) and wanted me to consider a hop-on, hop-off bus tour of Paris. I was reluctant at first, but after reviewing the brochure I agreed to give it a try. This morning we bought a two day pass for the L’Open Tour bus line and I have to admit that it was a blast. It was easy and it covered everything I had planned for us to do today with minimal wait times.
We started the day at the Louvre Museum with thousands of other people. Sonya and I are not very artsy people, but at least we can say that we’ve now seen the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo. And for all you Da Vinci Code readers, I never saw the Rose Line, but Sonya did take my picture where the last scene of the book/movie took place (without ruining it for any of you who are not familiar with the book).
Our next stop was the Crypts of Paris and Notre Dame. It’s always amazing to stand in a cathedral that was built so long ago (13th century). I’m sure that Notre Dame is a significant historic landmark, but I must confess that I’m not as familiar with French and/or Roman Catholic history as I am with the reformation and protestant churches such as Westminster Abbey in London. We spent about a half-hour touring Notre Dame then hopped on the bus again, this time to Champs Elysees.
Those of you who know Paris recognize the name of this street immediately. Champs Elysees is lined with fashion boutiques, bumper-to-bumper traffic and shoulder-to-shoulder pedestrians. It also runs right into the Arc de Triomphe, surrounded by a huge round-about, on its north-west end. The highlight of the day for Sonya was visiting the Louis Vuitton store. This must be the official headquarters for LV. It was at least three stories high and filled with very expensive handbags, luggage, shoes, clothes and jewelry. And I now realize why the LV products are so expensive. There were men everywhere with black suits and ear pieces, talking into little microphones near their collars. I’ve never felt so “watched” in my life. I thought the President must have been in the building somewhere. I’m sure they have to charge a fortune for their merchandise to pay the salaries of their secret service personnel.
We ended today’s sightseeing back where we started this morning – the Eiffel Tower. After taking a lot more pictures than we needed, we were disappointed to find out that the top floor of the Tower was closed. We are going to return early tomorrow morning, hoping that the crowds are lighter, and go as high as they’ll let us.
We ended the day with our favorite activity – people watching – from a little restaurant called Café Central on Rue Cler. This time we enjoyed two safe American dishes, a BLT (Sonya) and hamburger and fries (Jeff). Afterwards we treated ourselves to a banana crepe and almond meringue. Yum, yum! Don’t tell anyone!
Tomorrow is the last full day of our European vacation. We’ll try to keep it light, covering the Eiffel Tower, Napoleon’s Tomb and the Catacombs in the morning and early afternoon before a possible stroll along the river Seine and relaxing at another corner café in the evening. This really is a romantic city. I’ve never seen so many lovebirds in all my life, but none who have been blessed more than the two who have celebrated 20 years of marital bliss by touring a few highlights of Europe over the last two weeks. Au Revoir!
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Paris Day 1
Haha! Is this room a joke? There's really not enough room for us and our luggage in here!Pictured above is Jeff reading Rick Steves "Best of Europe" book which has been "right on" until now!!!
The room is really not that bad, it's just we were at a Five Star hotel in Switzerland for two nights and now I'm a little spoiled.
Another View of the Room
Views from Our Window
Gotta keep up the tradition of posting a pic of the bathroom!
We enjoyed a lovely dinner here tonight. Then we had to sneek a peek of the Eiffel Tower.Now, that's a great picture!!! Be sure and click on the pic to make it bigger!
(OK, I took about 50 before I got this one...)
March 17, 2009 (Late Afternoon)
Today is a day of travel, nothing else. As I write this we are zipping along the French countryside on a bullet train at a high rate of speed, headed for romantic Paris (It sounds more romantic if you pronounce it, “Pah-ree”). We hated to leave Luzern because it was probably the most pleasant surprise of our trip. Also, I made some major points with Sonya by upgrading our room at the Grand Hotel National. The pressure is on now. I’m praying that our hotel in Paris will meet her new-and-improved expectations.
Our drive from the Luzern to Zurich was relatively uneventful except for a few patches of heavy traffic along the way, but of course I left plenty of margin in our schedule so the traffic didn’t affect us. Returning the rental car was also a lot easier that I thought it would be. I guess international airports are all the same. If you’ve ever traveled much internationally, you probably have noticed that the signs at most airports abroad are in the native language and English. This makes it relatively easy for Americans. But have you ever considered how hard it must be for foreigners to travel in the U.S., especially if they are not fluent in English?
In a lot of ways the culture is very different in Europe. Here are a few funny examples…
· Smokers are everywhere and they don’t mind blowing it in your face.
· It must not be considered rude to blow your nose very loudly while dining out. It’s happened every where we’ve eaten so far. So, of course, I feel the freedom to join right in without apology.
· It’s also not uncommon for folks, even women, to hark up a big loogie and spit it anywhere without being embarrassed. Hey, I could get used to this (but not Sonya).
· While boarding the train from Zurich to Basel earlier today, and elderly “gentleman” kept bumping into Sonya’s luggage and the bodies of others around us (on purpose) with his luggage cart trying to make his way through the crowd boarding the train. We let him pass and he parked his cart right in the doorway of the train so no one could pass until he unloaded everything. Now imagine how a lot of Americans would have reacted (including me and Sonya) to his perceived rudeness. Instead, several men who were trying to board the train respectfully asked the man if he needed help with his luggage and assisted him up the stairs. Huh? It was good lesson for us in honoring the elderly, no more how assertive they may be at times.
· Many of the WC’s (restrooms) here are pay-per-use. Unfortunately Sonya didn’t take the opportunity to use the facilities on the train from Zurich to Basel thinking there would be one nearby as we departed the train. By the time she made it up one flight of stairs and down two more she found that she needed two Euros to open the door, which she didn’t have. She was not a happy camper until we finally utilized what a nearby Burger King had to offer.
A little earlier today, Sonya and I were reviewing the Planning Map of Europe that I bought from AAA a few weeks ago. It’s amazing how much ground we’ve covered in a week-and-a-half without completely wearing ourselves out. Maybe I should market this itinerary or start a European travel guide business on the side. Any takers?
Today is a day of travel, nothing else. As I write this we are zipping along the French countryside on a bullet train at a high rate of speed, headed for romantic Paris (It sounds more romantic if you pronounce it, “Pah-ree”). We hated to leave Luzern because it was probably the most pleasant surprise of our trip. Also, I made some major points with Sonya by upgrading our room at the Grand Hotel National. The pressure is on now. I’m praying that our hotel in Paris will meet her new-and-improved expectations.
Our drive from the Luzern to Zurich was relatively uneventful except for a few patches of heavy traffic along the way, but of course I left plenty of margin in our schedule so the traffic didn’t affect us. Returning the rental car was also a lot easier that I thought it would be. I guess international airports are all the same. If you’ve ever traveled much internationally, you probably have noticed that the signs at most airports abroad are in the native language and English. This makes it relatively easy for Americans. But have you ever considered how hard it must be for foreigners to travel in the U.S., especially if they are not fluent in English?
In a lot of ways the culture is very different in Europe. Here are a few funny examples…
· Smokers are everywhere and they don’t mind blowing it in your face.
· It must not be considered rude to blow your nose very loudly while dining out. It’s happened every where we’ve eaten so far. So, of course, I feel the freedom to join right in without apology.
· It’s also not uncommon for folks, even women, to hark up a big loogie and spit it anywhere without being embarrassed. Hey, I could get used to this (but not Sonya).
· While boarding the train from Zurich to Basel earlier today, and elderly “gentleman” kept bumping into Sonya’s luggage and the bodies of others around us (on purpose) with his luggage cart trying to make his way through the crowd boarding the train. We let him pass and he parked his cart right in the doorway of the train so no one could pass until he unloaded everything. Now imagine how a lot of Americans would have reacted (including me and Sonya) to his perceived rudeness. Instead, several men who were trying to board the train respectfully asked the man if he needed help with his luggage and assisted him up the stairs. Huh? It was good lesson for us in honoring the elderly, no more how assertive they may be at times.
· Many of the WC’s (restrooms) here are pay-per-use. Unfortunately Sonya didn’t take the opportunity to use the facilities on the train from Zurich to Basel thinking there would be one nearby as we departed the train. By the time she made it up one flight of stairs and down two more she found that she needed two Euros to open the door, which she didn’t have. She was not a happy camper until we finally utilized what a nearby Burger King had to offer.
A little earlier today, Sonya and I were reviewing the Planning Map of Europe that I bought from AAA a few weeks ago. It’s amazing how much ground we’ve covered in a week-and-a-half without completely wearing ourselves out. Maybe I should market this itinerary or start a European travel guide business on the side. Any takers?
Monday, March 16, 2009
Switzerland Day 2
Sonya's ski companions race up the conveyor.Be sure and watch the GREAT video at the bottom of this post! Just know it's not real clear because Jeff used his camera since we left the real video camera at home.
Lunch with a view!
Gotta sport that AU gear where every you are.
Awwwwwwww, what a cute couple. If I had noticed the RED rental pants before we left the shop, I would have put a STOP to it!!! I must say that Jeff was easy to spot all day long!!!
If you can't ski, at least look the part.
Love that color coordination!
Cable car to the top of the mountain
A common site in Europe. You even see dogs in restaurants.
Love the traditional Swiss architecture.
Mooooooooo!
Notice the Heineken icon in the drink menu.
The Kapellbrucke (City Landmark)
Swans are everywhere on the lake.
Ancient paintings line the roof of the Kapellbrucke.
View from our room at sunset. WOW!!!March 16, 2009 (p.m.)
Today was a blast! It was nice to just go out and have some fun without worrying about sightseeing. We woke up early and hopped on a train to Engelberg, Switzerland, about an hour away. The train ride itself was special since it allowed us to soak in the beauty of the Swiss mountains and lakes without having to follow a GPS and negotiate tight corners in our little Opal hatchback. There was a ski rental place right across the street from the train station, so as soon as we arrived we grabbed our gear and rode a bus to Brunni – a ski resort just a few miles from Engelberg.
We chose Brunni over its much bigger and more crowded neighbor, Titlis Rotair, since the slopes were more tailored to beginners and novices. I tried to change Sonya’s mind about our destination, but by the end of the day I was glad decided to take it easy. At almost 42 years old, it didn’t take me long to realize how out of “ski” shape I am. While Sonya refused to leave her pre-school ski companions, I spent most of my time on a longer, slightly steeper slope. It didn’t take long to get my confidence up after not skiing in about 15 years, but with each run my legs got weaker and weaker. I’m sure none of you can relate ;-)
We rode the cable car up to a higher point of the mountain where most of the intermediate runs were and decided to stop for lunch before hitting the slopes again. It was an absolutely gorgeous day and most of the skiers were eating on the patio enjoying the weather and the breathtaking views, so we decided to join them (see pics). As we finished our meal, I was wrestling back and forth with the idea of tackling one of the more difficult slopes while Sonya relaxed at the restaurant. What the heck! How often am I going to have the opportunity to ski in Switzerland, right?
I rode with a bunch of kids up the mountain and thought if all else failed I could follow them down. What I didn’t know is that they were sledding down on a long, winding easy path made for sledders only. O’ well, surely I could handle one of the intermediates. What I didn’t think about was the warm sun turning a lot of the powdery snow to slush in some spots. The first time I hit a slushy spot I had a “yard sale” wipe out. I think it was very entertaining to the skiers and kids on the lift above me, but not so funny to me since I still had about a mile of down-hill to go. I promised myself if I made it down in one piece I’d happily return to the green slopes for the rest of the day. I could not afford an injury today, especially since Sonya can’t drive a car with a manual transmission. No worries though, I made it down in one piece – out of breath and tired, but in one piece. We finished up our day with a few more runs on the easy slopes and headed back to Engelberg to return our skis, do a little souvenir shopping and catch the train back to Luzern.
Do you remember my description yesterday of Luzern being an expensive city? We decided we could save a little money tonight by eating at Burger King. Here are some examples of the prices we saw there (in appx. U.S. Dollars):
· Combo 1 (Whopper/Fries/Drink): $10
· Combo 2 (Double Whopper/Fries/Drink): $12
· Ketchup, Mayo or Misc. Sauce: $.25 each
· Onion Rings (Exactly Eight in a Serving): $4
· Heineken (Yep, that’s right!): $5
We had two combos and it was $25!
Here are some misc. notes for the day…
· I should’ve worn sunscreen today.
· The water of Lake Luzern is much clearer that I expected – crystal clear, as a matter of fact – which is very unusual for European bodies of water. It must be due to the lake being fed by natural springs and melting snow from the mountains. It’s also a tribute to this beautiful city for successfully controlling pollution.
· The landmark of Luzern, its pedestrian covered bridge – Kapellbrucke – was built in 1365 as the city’s fortification. It is the second largest covered wooden bridge in the world. A lot of it was destroyed by fire in 1993, but rebuilt shortly after.
· The Wasserturm, the octagonal tower in the middle of the bridge, was first mentioned in 1367. It was built as a complement to the city walls. It has been used as a prison, torture chamber, treasury and archive.
So far this has been a dream vacation. As we sat on the balcony of our room, staring at beautiful Lake Luzern as the sunlight bounced off the mountain peaks in the distance, we reflected about how truly blessed we are to be able to do this and we are so grateful for our family and friends who have taken care of our children while we’ve been gone. Tomorrow we leave for our last stop – Paris. We will drive to Zurich, drop of the rental car and catch a train to our final destination. There probably won’t be a lot to post about tomorrow evening, but you never know…
Today was a blast! It was nice to just go out and have some fun without worrying about sightseeing. We woke up early and hopped on a train to Engelberg, Switzerland, about an hour away. The train ride itself was special since it allowed us to soak in the beauty of the Swiss mountains and lakes without having to follow a GPS and negotiate tight corners in our little Opal hatchback. There was a ski rental place right across the street from the train station, so as soon as we arrived we grabbed our gear and rode a bus to Brunni – a ski resort just a few miles from Engelberg.
We chose Brunni over its much bigger and more crowded neighbor, Titlis Rotair, since the slopes were more tailored to beginners and novices. I tried to change Sonya’s mind about our destination, but by the end of the day I was glad decided to take it easy. At almost 42 years old, it didn’t take me long to realize how out of “ski” shape I am. While Sonya refused to leave her pre-school ski companions, I spent most of my time on a longer, slightly steeper slope. It didn’t take long to get my confidence up after not skiing in about 15 years, but with each run my legs got weaker and weaker. I’m sure none of you can relate ;-)
We rode the cable car up to a higher point of the mountain where most of the intermediate runs were and decided to stop for lunch before hitting the slopes again. It was an absolutely gorgeous day and most of the skiers were eating on the patio enjoying the weather and the breathtaking views, so we decided to join them (see pics). As we finished our meal, I was wrestling back and forth with the idea of tackling one of the more difficult slopes while Sonya relaxed at the restaurant. What the heck! How often am I going to have the opportunity to ski in Switzerland, right?
I rode with a bunch of kids up the mountain and thought if all else failed I could follow them down. What I didn’t know is that they were sledding down on a long, winding easy path made for sledders only. O’ well, surely I could handle one of the intermediates. What I didn’t think about was the warm sun turning a lot of the powdery snow to slush in some spots. The first time I hit a slushy spot I had a “yard sale” wipe out. I think it was very entertaining to the skiers and kids on the lift above me, but not so funny to me since I still had about a mile of down-hill to go. I promised myself if I made it down in one piece I’d happily return to the green slopes for the rest of the day. I could not afford an injury today, especially since Sonya can’t drive a car with a manual transmission. No worries though, I made it down in one piece – out of breath and tired, but in one piece. We finished up our day with a few more runs on the easy slopes and headed back to Engelberg to return our skis, do a little souvenir shopping and catch the train back to Luzern.
Do you remember my description yesterday of Luzern being an expensive city? We decided we could save a little money tonight by eating at Burger King. Here are some examples of the prices we saw there (in appx. U.S. Dollars):
· Combo 1 (Whopper/Fries/Drink): $10
· Combo 2 (Double Whopper/Fries/Drink): $12
· Ketchup, Mayo or Misc. Sauce: $.25 each
· Onion Rings (Exactly Eight in a Serving): $4
· Heineken (Yep, that’s right!): $5
We had two combos and it was $25!
Here are some misc. notes for the day…
· I should’ve worn sunscreen today.
· The water of Lake Luzern is much clearer that I expected – crystal clear, as a matter of fact – which is very unusual for European bodies of water. It must be due to the lake being fed by natural springs and melting snow from the mountains. It’s also a tribute to this beautiful city for successfully controlling pollution.
· The landmark of Luzern, its pedestrian covered bridge – Kapellbrucke – was built in 1365 as the city’s fortification. It is the second largest covered wooden bridge in the world. A lot of it was destroyed by fire in 1993, but rebuilt shortly after.
· The Wasserturm, the octagonal tower in the middle of the bridge, was first mentioned in 1367. It was built as a complement to the city walls. It has been used as a prison, torture chamber, treasury and archive.
So far this has been a dream vacation. As we sat on the balcony of our room, staring at beautiful Lake Luzern as the sunlight bounced off the mountain peaks in the distance, we reflected about how truly blessed we are to be able to do this and we are so grateful for our family and friends who have taken care of our children while we’ve been gone. Tomorrow we leave for our last stop – Paris. We will drive to Zurich, drop of the rental car and catch a train to our final destination. There probably won’t be a lot to post about tomorrow evening, but you never know…
BE SURE THAT YOU HAVE YOUR SOUND ON FOR THE VIDEO!!! haha!
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