Anna and Matt's Visit

Guess who came to visit us?!  Max's sister, Anna, and her husband, Matt, came over for a week long visit.  Here is a picture of both of them in Annecy.  It was just about a year ago that we were in Maryland for their wedding!  Where did the time go? 

Besides the day trip to Annecy, we also took them on a trip down to Carcassonne, France for a couple of days.  Max and I were ready for a little road trip and we still had not seen the walled Medieval city of Carcassonne.  We were happy to be traveling with some company too. 

We spent a day wandering through the narrow streets inside the city walls, shopping, and enjoying the weather.  Luckily we started out early because the place became packed with tourists (like us) later in the day.  It was a really neat place to see. 

We ventured out at night to see the city walls lit up after dark.  It was a very worth while excursion. 

On the way back to Chambery from Carcassonne, we stopped by our favorite wine producer in the Rhone Valley for a little bit of wine tasting.  We had taken my cousin and her husband there last year and we were looking forward to going back.  We bought just a few bottles of wine (wink) and had some of them to celebrate the great trip we all had together.  Cheers!

(Over) Halfway Done!

I started my cross stitch project almost 2 years ago. I had planned to finish it before we moved back to the US, but I'm not so sure that's going to happen.  It has been quite the project!  (I think I might have bitten off more than I can chew.)  It's keeping me busy and I plan to keep on going!  I'd like to have another row done before February.  I'll keep you posted! 

Max's Birthday!

Max had his 30th birthday here in Chambery! This was a first. This was his third birthday he's celebrated since we moved to France and this is the only one we've celebrated while actually in Chambery. He's standing in the kitchen blowing out his candles because there were too many and the wax was melting fast!   Here's to many more.

Prague, Czech Republic

So, if you're counting, this is our 4th trip in 3 months! It's not like we're trying to cram everything in this summer...ok, maybe we are. We were really looking forward to our trip to Prague.  Here is Prague Castle overlooking this gorgeous post communist city.

We started our trip with a visit through the Jewish Quarter. The quarter consists of 7 sights spread out over a three block area. We saw 6 of the sights which included 4 synagogues, the cemetery, and the Ceremonial Hall (above). The cemetery was an especially moving sight, but no photos were allowed unless you paid a fee. Over 12,000 Jews were buried within this small walled area between 1439 and 1787 as this was the only place they were allowed to be buried in the city. The caskets were stacked on top of each other and when there was no more room, more dirt was added so more caskets could be stacked and buried. The cemetery is like a small plateau with crooked tombstones crammed everywhere. It was a sight to see.

We spent a lot of time walking around and through the Old Town Square. It was surprising how much of the city we were able to get on foot. I imagined we’d have to use some kind of public transportation during our trip but we were actually able to walk from one end of the “tourist trail” to the other in about 20-30 minutes since the mains sights are in a fairly compact area. Above is the Old Town Hall.

On the Old Town Hall Tower is this astronomical clock. Yes, it seems as complicated to me now as it must have to people 500 years ago. Roughly every hour death rings a bell, the 12 apostles appear, and a rooster crows. It's short but cute and very touristy. 

 Charles Bridge (above) has long been a landmark of Prague. The 500 some yard Gothic bridge is decorated with 30 Baroque style statues, one of the more popular is the statue of St. John of Nepomuk. Legend says he was thrown into the Vltava river from this bridge after being murdered for not revealing the queens' secrets to the king. Poor John.

We headed over to the Castle Quarter via the Little Quarter and into St. Vitus Cathedral. Inside is this beautiful Art Nouveau style stained-glass window by the Czech artist Alfons Mucha. In the back of the cathedral is the silver tomb of poor St. John of Nepomuk. The whole thing was impressive.

The city's architecture is beautiful. Prague was mostly spared from the bombings that damaged so many other European cities during the World Wars. The buildings are well preserved and stand in their original form. Above is Tyn Church in the Old Town Square, under some minor construction. 

We happened to visit the city during a weekend food festival. All of the Old Town Square smelled like a barbeque. It was fantastic. The food in Prague was great. The beer was cheaper than water in some places!  More recently Prague has become a top tourist destination and we can definitely see why.

Brussels & Bruges, Belgium

The French summer holidays have begun!  Max had Thursday and Friday off work this first week in June so we took off on our trip to Belgium which we've had planned for awhile.  Belgium was very cool, especially Brussels which felt like a mix of Paris and Amsterdam.  Above is the Town Hall in the Grand Place, were we started our trip. 


Grand Place is the main square in old town Brussels.  It has been the town's market square for 1000 years.  We were lucky enough to have stayed only a couple of blocks away.  This was one of those rare instances were we stayed down town, in the middle of things.  It was worth it.  

Between our hotel on the Grand Place was this great friterie (frie place).  Fries in Belgium are a treat and a tradition.  Their fries are cooked twice, which makes them extra crispy.  We enjoyed lots of them (as you can see), along with waffels, chocolate, and beer (for Max). 

Speaking of chocolate, there were chocolate shops everywhere.  It was awesome.  We'd go and pick out six or seven pieces and make our personal little create your-own assortment.  I'm staring at the box we bought for ourselves as I'm writing this blog.  It's hard not to dive into it while Max is at work.  We're trying to take turns picking out our pieces...

Our tour through Brussels took us past the city's famous Manneken-pis Statue.  He's a tiny little guy, mischevious too.   It's hard not to crack a smile when you see it. 

We decided to take a day trip over to Bruges to see what it was all about.  The city, on the western side of the coutry is only an hour away from Brussels.  Here, they speak more Flemish than French.  It was a cute city, with a lot more toursits than Brussels.  Here is the picturesque Bell Tower (above). 

We toured the Church of Our Lady, one of the few places to house a Michelangelo sculpture outside of Italy.  The chruch and the sculpture are a testament to the wealth Bruges had accumulated during it's peak. 

While in Bruges, we took a bike ride out of the city, through the country side, to the next town over.  It as a great way to get out of the crowds and to see more if the country.  How else are you supposed to see windmills?  Beligum was a fun, laid back place to visit.  I'm glad we had the opprotunity to experience it. 

Scottish Highlands

Where do I start? We took over 500 pictures during our trip to Scotland and Ireland, most of them in the Highlands. This could be a really long post but I'll try to pare it down. After a day of travel, made longer by a glitch in the Lufthansa check-in system, we made it to Perth, Scotland. Since we arrived much later than planned, we ditched our plans to see Stirling Castle and drove up to Urquhart Castle (above) instead the next day. 

I'm so happy things worked out as they did! Urquhart Castle was incredible.  The castle, mostly in ruins now, lies on the banks of Loch Ness and overlooks the mountains beyond.  There's something about the castle's history, coupled with the intrique of Loch Ness, that made the experience exceptional in my mind. 

We were so lucky to have dodged the rain that day.  It rained on the way to Urquhart Castle, then it stopped while we were there.  As we left the castle it started to rain again.  We were headed to Loch Morlich (above) in the Cairngorms National Park.  I really really wanted to hike around the lake but it was pouring down rain.  We pulled into the parking area near the lake and just before we were about to give up on the hike, the rain stopped and it stayed sunny for the rest of the afternooon. 

This is why I wanted to do the this hike!  The views were stunning and it was so peaceful and quiet there.  It's not often during our trips that we take hikes like this, usually because we stay in large cities and / or don't have the time.  After some pre-trip planning, we knew we wanted to see the Highlands and the scenery it had to offer by car or by foot. 

Another good reason to visit the Highlands; the Speyside distilleries!  There is a large concentration of Scotch distilleries along the Spey River.  We started out by taking a tour of The Glenlivet distillery.  We then drove over to see the Aberlour distillery after having just sampled some of it the night before.  We didn't have time for their 2 hour tour and 6 tastings but I think it would have been neat to do if we had more time. 

We'd bought 2 Scotch glasses at The Glenlivet and 2 at Aberlour and thought that 2 more would complete the set so we made our way over to the nearby Glenfiddich distillery.  As we drove, we passed by this massive copperage!  These barrels are empty but it just goes to show how many are needed to keep this area in supply.  (We learned at The Glenlivet that their barrels come from United States, after they have been used to age bourbon and / or sherry.) 

Its remarkable that for as popular as some of these Scotches are (Glenfiddich is the number one selling Scotch in the world, The Glenlivet it number two) to see that these distillieries are located in the middle of nowhere.  


That afternoon, we headed down to Balmoral Castle.  The landscape was still gorgeous.   This stone, inscribed with the phrase "take a moment to behold as still skies or storms unfold" says it all.


 The road, however, became a little crazy.  The lanes narrowed until a two way road became just wide enough for one car.  There were alcoves on the side of the road about every 150 yards designed to let a car pull over to make way for on coming traffic.  There were hills, curves, and turns, and if that wasn't bad enough, at one point the farmers stopped fencing in their livestock.  We had to watch out for sheep in the road, which fortunately we only encountered once.

We were happy to arrive at Balmoral Castle. The castle has been a home to the Royal Family since 1848. It is only open from for 4 months a year since it is still used as a Royal residence. The Queen actually went there after the wedding of William and Kate. What a place to get away from everything! It it located on 150 acres of Highlands with 2000 deer roaming the property. 

We ended our trip in the Highlands in the town of Pitlochry at a great bed and breakfast, complete with it's own bar!  We enjoyed all 3 of the bed and breakfasts we had stayed out, especially the breakfast part!  We had the full Scottish breakfast each morning, which included eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, pudding, beans, even waffles and pancakes.  From now on, we'd be on our own for breakfast.  ::Sigh::  Goodbye Higlands, we'll miss you!  On to Ireland now...

Glendalough & Dublin, Ireland

After spending the night outside Dublin, we rented a car and drove down to Glendalough, about an hour south of Dublin in the Wicklow Mountains. Glendalough, which means "between two lakes", is home to a monastic settlement founded by St. Kevin in the 6th century.

Glendalough became a place of pilgrimage. The pope said that seven trips to Glendalough would be equal to one trip to the Vatican. Here is St. Kevin's church against the valley's beautiful scenery. 

This is the Upper Lake in the Glendalough valley, about a mile from the main monastic site. The whole area very pretty if not a little eerie.

The next day we went to Trinity College in Dublin to see the Book of Kells. The book is made of 4 lavishly decorated copies of the Gospel. It was probably made by monks in the 9th century in Iona, on the west coast of Scotland.

After the visiting the Book of Kells we headed over to the Guinness Storehouse. We went through a self guided tour explaining the production and history of the beer, eventually working our way up to the top floor for a pint and a panoramic view of the city.

 I can't say that Dublin is the prettiest city I'd ever been to. Ireland has a tough and seemingly violent history (as evident in the human remains on display at the National Museum of History and Archeology). Yikes. The people seem proud of their culture; especially their music which I would say is the best part of Ireland.

Edinburgh, Scotland

After Dublin, we flew back to Edinburgh and stayed in the city this time. The first place we went to see here was the Edinburgh Castle, which looms over the city atop a perch of volcanic rock. Once we climbed up to the castle and passed through the gate, we took a guided tour which introduced us to the castle’s main buildings. From there we were free to explore the rest of the castle on our own.

This is St. Margaret's Chapel in the Edinburgh Castle. It is the oldest building in Edinburgh, built in 1130. The chapel is still used for weddings and our guide said it can hold 25 guests but after venturing inside the tiny building, I would say that number seems a bit high! We also saw Scotland's crown jewels, some military museums, the National War Memorial and a prisoner of war exhibition before we left the castle.

The Royal Mile (actually a little longer than a mile) is a succession of streets through the Old Town of Edinburgh, stretching down from Edinburgh Castle to the royal residence at Holyrood Palace. It has lots of shops, tourists and a guy that looks like he just stepped off the set of Braveheart.

After a morning spent touring the Edinburgh Castle, we went in search for some food. We had lunch at the Piemaker, off the Royal Mile. It was awesome and cheap too! I made my best attempt to eat two of these. Whoever said food in the UK was subpar?! I enjoyed our meals all throughout our visit.

We walked through St. Giles Cathedral, considered to be Scotland’s most important church. John Knox, founder of Scottish Presbyterianism, preached here in 1559 and was also buried here, well, just outside the church, under a parking lot. Rude.

Here is Holyrood Palace, at the end of the Royal Mile. The Queen spends a week here each summer. A week isn't enough time! Granted we didn't have a week, but we made the most of our time. This city is easily one of my favorites. Paired with our trip into the Highlands, Scotland is on the list for one of my favorite trips yet. 

Florence, Italy

With less than 2 weeks notice, Max and I planned a rather impromptu trip to Florence! With this being our last year in France, we've been keeping a closer eye on airline deals to places we still want to visit. When the chance to go to Florence came up, we jumped on it. Here is the city as seen from Piazzale Michelangelo.

On the way up to Piazzale Michelangelo, we crossed over Ponte Vecchio (above) which spans the Arno River. Ponte Vecchio is Florence's most famous bridge and the only bridge in the city that wasn't destroyed by the Germans in WWII. It's now lined with gold and silver shops and lots of tourists.

From the Piazzale Michelangelo, we walked over to the San Miniato Church. Legend has it that the martyred St. Minias walked up to this spot AFTER being decapitated on the banks of the Arno River. I don't know, I had a hard enough time waking up the hill, being out of shape, but with my head attached....

We were fortunate enough to have found a bed and breakfast only a half a block away from the Duomo and Campanile (above). It's not like us to stay in the middle of things but we made an exception for Florence. There is no better way to get around this town then on foot.

This is the front of the Duomo. Its facade is covered in white, green, and pink Tuscan marble. The outside is far more impressive than the inside.

The cathedral was actually built with a hole in the roof where the doom would someday be built. The architect Brunelleschi actually cut into the dome of the Pantheon in Rome to see how it was constructed and from there he constructed the dome of the Duomo.

After visiting the Uffizi Gallery, we walked by the Palazzo Vecchio (above). This used to be the city's Town Hall, and residence of the Medici family. Michelangelo's David stood outside the entrance for about 300 years before being moved to the Accademia. A copy now stands in its place. We later visited the Accademia to see the original David statue. It was amazing.

Food is one of the other reasons we wanted to go back to Italy! We had such amazing meals in Italy and we knew the cuisine in Florence would not disappoint. We ate as much gelato as we could too. We really liked this gelateria called Grom and went there twice in one day and were served by the same guy both times. That's not embarrassing is it? I say no. I think if given the chance, we'd make one more trip back to Italy.