St. Paul's Cathedral
Sneaking a pic of the policeman
Changing of the guards
Getting ready to eat fantastic gelato
Harry Potter movie premier...Trafalgar Square
Gumby does Europe...
From Burlington, roadtrip to Minnesota, to the World
Borough's Markets
bought beautiful cheese and fig cake for afternoon tea later...
Jamie Oliver takes his students here...
Wild Boar sausage sandwich...mmmmm
Gumby learning the London Underground...
The Tower Bridge
First night of the tour...
The London Eye
Tower of London
Tour de France
Beginning of the tour
White Cliffs of Dover...aptly named
the guys...on the Ferry to Calais
Calais, France
Saw a LOT of this on the trip
Brussels, Belgium
Rue de Boucher...the most photographed/famous restaurant row in Europe
Redlight district
Brussels at night
Shopping...(bought a pair of pants in Switzerland...they make them longer there!)
Belgian Waffle!
Gumby and Atomium...this was designed for the World Fair Exhibition to show how scientifically forward Belgium is.
Atomium...
Belgium chocolate
Mannekin Pis
They have matching dog statue with a fire hydrant somewhere else in the city. The little girl statue didn't go over so well...
Every chocolate shop offered a digestive biscuit to dip in their chocolate fountain.
Rubbed the statue for good luck.
Belgium...unchanged buildings since the 1500's
Far cry from the SUV
Amsterdam
Average of 3 bikes per person.
There are bike parking garages. You have to keep alert on the sidewalks!
mmmm, raw sardines. I passed on the local favorite.
Jean's boyfriend :) Moobs.
More canals than Venice.
The houses are tilted forward for waste disposal/furniture transport.
Went on a canal tour
Hashish...up to 5mg is legal.
I love window boxes.
After hours in Amsterdam.
Took a tour of the Red Light district a bit earlier. Andy, Jack, and Katje
Not too subtle...he was from Texas :)
Andy and Jack
The shapes at the top of the buildings delineated the type of business provided.
This diamond store actually cut the Crown Jewels.
One of the last original windmills in Amsterdam.
This is the way to go to school
At my favorite convenience/gas store in Europe. Completely fresh produce, juices, food, desserts on the spot. Fantastic!
The new windmills
Cologne Germany...here for only a day or so.
Went running here (behind the hotel) in the rain.
A bit wet.
Cruise on the Rhine.
Gumby in cruise mode
The legend of Loreley rocks.The Loreley is a rock on the eastern bank of the Rhine near St. Goarshausen, which soars some 120 meters above the water line. It marks the narrowest part of the river between Switzerland and the North Sea. A very strong current and rocks below the waterline have caused many boat accidents there. One of the legends is that Loreley, a beautiful young maiden, committed suicide because of an unfaithful lover. She jumped from the steep rock into the Rhine River, thus killing herself. She then became a siren, luring shipmen to their fates with her hypnotizing voice. The echoing heard today is said to be Loreley.
The castle in the river
A LOT of castles
Some of the group...Aussies
Beginning of the Switzerland Cruise
Stayed 2 days at Mt. Pilatusbruck.
I've wanted to go to Switzerland since 6th grade when I did the "go anywhere in the world, but plan the entire trip on a budget" project. I don't think that was the official name.
Another castle...
Went to the casino here.
Bought my cuckoo clock after this cruise at Bucherer
Smart
Lõwendenkmal, Lucerne
The Swiss Guards' honor was put to the test in 1792, when--after trying to escape the French Revolution--King Louis XVI, Marie-Antoinette, and their children were hauled back to the Tuileries Palace in Paris. A mob of working-class Parisians stormed the palace- more than 700 Swiss officers and soldiers died while defending the palace, without knowing that their royal employers had left the building.
Bertel Thorvaldsen was hired to sculpt the lion...legend has it that he wasn't paid in full. He came back one night and carved a pig around the monument as payback.
low level gas emissions
This was one of my fav places - the sculpture was so expressive.
In the cable car up Mt. Titlis. Nancy and hubby
There were goats and cows with cowbells below. The more milk the animal produced, the lower the tone/larger the bell.
A.G., Jean, and Gretchen
Middle of summer
The weather was roughly 50-60 degrees the entire trip... if not less.
I had the best wheatberry cheese soup at the top.
Kapellbrücke ("Chapel Bridge"). The Reuss River
Built in 1333.
Series of historical paintings in it from the 17 century (all pics of historical occurrences).
Probably at least 40 paintings. Phenomenal.
Coffee break after the casino and shopping
Hmmm....chinese in Switzerland?
Indiscretion on the underground in Paris. He decided to dance for the entire train while a saxophonist played.
self-explanatory
Notre Dame
Here for Bastille Day
Took 2 hours to get to the top the night before. It's lighted at night. Spectacular
Louvre
I loved this part of the trip. 4 hours there...ALONE.
If you took 1 minute for every exhibition in the Louvre without sleeping or eating, it would take you 6 months to cover the entire Louvre.
Gumby braving the Paris underground
Moulin Rouge
An outdoor restaurant with an art show at the top of Montmartre.
Montmartre, Paris
Basilica of the Sacré Cœur
A little Bryan Adams...
Tour group. Really fun people...
Jean and Gumby.. after having a little too much vino. (New Zealand roommate)
Bridget and me, London
Bridget's family...so nice! Invited me to church with them; afterward to lunch at their lovely home.
We did have a good time...
London from the London Eye
With Bridget's relatives...
