We arrived and made it to EUROPE! It was mom and dad's first time there and they loved it. We flew into Brussels, Belgium on July 25th (mom's b-day) and immediately caught a train to Utrecht, Netherlands to spend the afternoon in Amsterdam. But little did we know, we had arrived on the worst storm in their history, since they started recording storms in 1901! Some of the devastation is shown below...
Many of the massive trees lining the canals in Amsterdam were blown over, pulling up bricks, concrete, smashing bikes and even...
CARS! It took us 2.5 hours to get into Amsterdam from Utrecht. The news reported one person was killed when a tree fell on top of them while in their car. No trains were running out of the Amsterdam Central Station. The meteorological service issued a "code red" warning and were calling it "Zeljko". Roads and tracks were blocked by fallen trees.
On Sunday, July 26th, we took a local bus out to Kinderdijk, my favorite place in Netherlands! And the bus was free (an hour and 15 minute drive)! We rented bikes and enjoyed our time until it began to sprinkle rain, really!
On Monday, July 27th, we packed our bags, said good-bye to Job and Toke Post (our amazing B&B hosts) and headed up north to Zaanse Schaans. We took our packs because it would've been too hard to store them somewhere and make our train times to get to Germany on time. Yet, the rain followed us and made it miserable to pack them along. We got off the train in Zaanse Schaans and it poured on us...poured! You can see the bottom of my pant legs in the picture are still soaked! Dad enjoyed touring the wooden shoe workshop and we bought a few souvenirs. We bought freshly made stroopwafels and another small pack for the road. By then the rain had lightened up, but we had to leave. We walked back to the train station to head south to Cologne, Germany.
I love Koln!
The cathedral is massive! It survived WW2 and is still impressive amongst the other buildings in Cologne! We hiked the stairs to the bell tower and had an amazing view from up top.
The view from the top of Kolner Dom (in German).
On Tuesday, July 28th, we took a few trains and made it to St. Goar, Germany where we boarded a ferry on the Rhine River and traveled 3 hours taking in the sights of old castle ruins before departing in Rudesheim, Germany.
Mom and I about to board the ferry in St. Goar!
The beautiful vineyards and homes along the Rhine River.
Mom and Dad on the ferry!
And me...the photographer!
After leaving Rudesheim, Germany on Wednesday, July 29th, we made it to Munich, Germany. After checking into our lovely smoke smell filled hotel, we headed back to the train station to Dachau. We walked the same trail many walked who were imprisoned in the Dachau Concentration Camp during WW2 and then toured the site. It's a very somber place.
The next day, Thursday July 30th, we traveled to Fussen, Germany to visit the inspiration for Disney's castles and fairy tale castles, Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau!
Welcome to Switzerland Mom and Dad! On August 1st, we took 5 trains, 1 bus and a tram...but finally arrived at Gimmelwald, Switzerland! And yes, it was raining, but still beautiful.
We headed out and dad decided to fill up his water bottles with fresh, cold glacier water!
And we hung out with the cows!
My favorite photo of Gimmelwald, Switzerland! A cute farm house with a
paper umbrella on the side of the house of the Switzerland flag with the
stunning Jungfrau mountain range in the background!
On Sunday, August 2nd, we had the whole day to spend in Gimmelwald and it's surrounding beauty! We visited Trummelbach Falls, 10 waterfalls that cut through the mountain from the glacier water runoff from the peaks of the Jungfrau region.
I love this photo with the Switzerland flags (they are everywhere!) and the beautiful Staubbach Falls.
The luscious green valley of Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland!
Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau peaks behind us!
And then there was the Matterhorn! We arrived in Zermatt, Switzerland on Monday, August 3rd, walked around the city, laid on weird yellow benches and gazed at the beauty of the Matterhorn.
And then we made it to Paris! We left Zermatt on Tuesday, August 4th and rode a high speed train from Geneva, Switzerland to the Gare de Lyon station in Paris, France! Our first stop and just a few blocks from our hotel was the Arc de Triomphe!
On Wednesday, August 5th, we arrived early to avoid the long line to get into Versailles. This place is amazing! Everything is coated in gold, even the frogs shown below! I love the vast amount of paintings, sculptures, green grounds and beautiful architecture.
After returning from Versailles, we went to the Louvre! I love art, but my favorite sculpture is the Winged Victory/Nike of Samothrace. It was found in 1863 on the island of Samothrace in the north-eastern Aegean Sea. It was found, composed of 3 parts: a rectangular plinth, a base in the form of a ship's prow and the Winged Victory statue. I love how she holds herself and the detail in the wings and the message it displays of success.
Thursday, August 6th, we had tickets to the top of the Eiffel Tower at 9am. We also stopped at the second and first floors for different views of the city. The first level had cool chairs that you could pedal and it would charge your phone and swings that people were hanging out on. Everything was made from recycled stuff.
I think you can see our Mariott Hotel in this picture of the Arc de Triomphe, just maybe!
The swings!
I love this picture, caught mom and dad gazing up into the Eiffel Tower!
Next we rode the subway down to Notre Dame and waited in line for about 2 hours, taking turns to go to the bathroom, buy souvenirs and crepes, but finally we climbed the 300+ stairs to the top of the Notre Dame Cathedral.
Arc de Triomphe at night...stunning!
On Friday, August 7th, our Mont St. Michel tour was canceled so we arrived early (8am) at the Catacombs to see the site under the surface. The doors opened at 10am and we descended a spiral staircase and walked dark tunnels until we finally arrived at the entrance to the catacombs.
Ahh, there were over 6 million skeletons we were told, so many!
Turn after turn, the walls were piled with skulls, femurs and apparently the back of the walls contain the ribs, hands, etc.
After the catacombs, we went to the Orsay Museum. It's housed in an old train station, which was saved from destruction and I'm so glad it was. It's stunning!
The view from the north side of the Orsay Museum, seen behind me is the Louvre and the Seine River.
And that night we went to see the Eiffel Tower sparkle! And it did!
FYI: Sparkling not shown in picture, but it was a sight to see. For 5 minutes it lit up the eyes of everyone in the vicinity.
Saturday, August 8th, we took the train to Bayeux, France where we met our guide for a tour of Normandy and the sites of WW2. Here we are at a German bunker with the original guns they used.
Point du Hoc, site where the rangers climbed up the rock face and faced off the Germans for more than a day until backup could help them.
Dad in a crater from a bomb and mom up above, Romeo and Juliet, maybe...
The train station in Antwerp, Belgium, also a sight to see! On Sunday, August 9th, we rode from the Gare de Nord station in Paris to Brussels, Belgium and then onto Antwerp. There is a pedestrian/walk area just outside the station that leads to the waterfront. All the stores were closed being as it was Sunday, but still the city was fun to experience.
On our way back to Brussels, we stopped at the Central Station and stopped to say hi to this little guy, the "Peeing Boy of Brussels".
For our last day in Europe, we rode the train up to Bruges, Belgium on Monday, August 10th. I LOVE this city and hope to spend more time here in the future. The canals are clean, full of swans and the atmosphere is intoxicating. We each paid 8 euro for a 30 minute canal ride, which was so worth it!
It was sunny and beautiful!
And this reflection photo was my prize of the day, I was so excited to snap this shot!
And this was my last ambition before we left Europe, to become a citizen of Bruges! And that was our itinerary, the best European tour ever! It was great to share the beauty and sights with my parents, love you so much!
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