a wink and a smile | -m's- weblog

{rewind.replay} Switzerland

Back to some of the last trips we have taken.  I haven't had the chance to upload pics and add an entry about our trips due to our crazy move, and not having my beloved computer with us here {yet}.  I should quickly jot some info down somewhere though, especially because it helps me when I create my pages. 

Switzerland is beautiful.  We wanted to be somewhere a little different than most of the trips we have taken.  Instead of going to Bern, like we planned, at the last moment, we decided to go to Lucerne instead.  Lucerne is one beautiful city.  We knew we'd have a memorable time there.  Expensive is another word to describe it to, but I guess, there isn't many places in Europe that isn't so expensive (especially in the countries that attract many tourists).  This was one trip where we just really relaxed and enjoyed the view...and the beautiful view is all around.  The alps, the clear lake, the landmarks/buildings, the shopping...it's all there :)   Oh, and our second day there also happened to be the day of the city fest.  What fun that was...music, food...so exciting!

We rented a motor boat on our second day there, and it was one of the most fun we've had.  Of course, it was B's idea, and I just went along with it.  It was such a great experience for the kids, too--they were all 'ear-to-ear' smiles.  And me?  Well, I get dizzy very quickly.  There were several times when I wasn't too crazy about being in the middle of this huge lake--usually it's when a lake steamer passes us, which creates waves, and also when we get too close to the edge (by the cliff or 'shore' areas).  We were out there for an hour and a half--time went so fast.  I got some great photo opportunities, too.  Despite being dizzy at times, I couldn't help but snap away!  LOL!

One of my faves...

The magnificent view on this side of the lake seemed endless.  Like we could just go on and on.  I loved that feeling.  I could just stare at the water, and the mountains which seem to overlap one another.  There we were, in this small motorboat, on Lake Lucerne's clear water, the swiss alps staring back at us, beautiful views all around us...it felt surreal.  It felt refreshing.  It felt so good being there.

Here a view from our (the girls') hotel room.  We got a "roof" room on the top floor.

-m

The Netherlands

One of the places that I really, really wanted to visit—The Netherlands. Amsterdam was the first place we visited in Holland. The funny thing is, when we first got there, all I said was, "ummm...," and b quickly said, "you're the one who's been wanting to come here!" (never denied that fact) The traffic was crazy; trams, pedestrians, bikers...yikes...it seemed chaotic, or so I thought. As soon as we started walking around, the "umm" feeling quickly changed into excitement—it's a beautiful city. The boats, the buildings lined up, the colors, the architectures...everything is so wonderful.

The main place I wanted to see in Amsterdam was Anne Frank's House . What an unforgettable experience. To climb up the very steep stairs; to go through the secret bookshelf door; to walk around the secret annex; to try and take a peek out of the covered windows and get a glance at the chestnut tree in the back—all truly an unbelievable experience. We got to see the rooms, including Anne Frank's room, still with her photos and posters glued on to the walls. Unfortunately, most of the places closed around 5 pm; we didn't get a chance to go to the museums, like Van Gogh's Museum. We continued on our walking escapade to Rembrant's Square, and everywhere else our feeties took us. Before long, it was sunset—it was getting quite dark—except for the Red Light District. Yup, the night is alive!! It was time to go :)

This was the first time I didn't take a whole lot of pictures. I just wanted to enjoy the place, instead of being too busy trying to take photographs. Here are some pics from Amsterdam:

More Holland :)

The Keukenhof, in Lisse. What an enjoyable place. I could go there at least once a week, if only we lived in Holland. Oh...of all the times I have my camera ready, this was THE moment to have the 'L' lens. But no, leave it to me to leave it in the car!! ::argh:: LOL!

The Mills of Kinderdijk. It was so quiet there, but we went on an extremely windy day. Between my shaky hands and the strong winds, I could barely get decent photos. We came early (in the season), and the boat ride was still closed. Walking around was so awesome though—so serene. Going into a real windmill was even better—so cool!! Again, crazy stairs, so steep!! I took the second shot inside a windmill. The glass window doesn't have a smooth surface like we are so used to now—you can tell that the image is a bit distorted. At the very top of the windmill (after lots and lots of climbing), there are peepholes—little square openings—third photo is a shot looking out of one of the peephole—the breeze was awesome up there. Looking up, you'll see the workings of the windmill.

Happy weekend! -m

Belgium

The plan was to upload travel photos daily until I get them all up, but...argh...I missed posting yesterday! LOL! Anyway, as the title suggested, let's keep going—into Belgium we go :)

Belgium, what a lovely country. We went to Brussels, and as we have gotten so used to doing...walked, and walked, and walked some more. I would go back to Belgium if only for the Belgian waffle—I ate about six of them, I believe :) Every corner, ever stop...if there was a waffle vendor, I'm there :) Then, there's b's thing—chocolates! LOL! He spent more than 30 euros in one chocolatier alone!

Anyway...ending my blabbing...here are some photographs...

Actually, this time around, we took the metro about 15 minutes north from the center of Brussels to visit Mini-Europe—such a fun place where we got to see so many beautiful European landmarks on a mini-scale :). The kids had tons of fun! We went there to just see the place, not expecting too much {since I failed to read about Mini-Europe thoroughly before our trip}; however, we ended up staying longer than we thought we would.

...fun times :)

-m

Luxembourg

You know how there are a few places where you think "I would like to visit (fill-in place) someday"? Well, Luxembourg wasn't one of 'those' places for me, but after visiting the capital city, that has changed; I would really like to visit this country again someday. The view looking down to the valley and river is just amazing—it really is beautiful! We couldn't help but venture down to the valley—lots of walking, but they just can't be missed. Then, we countinued to walk around the fortress wall, and everywhere else we could walk to :). I blogged a bitvabout it awhile back, and included small photos in my scrapbook page.

When we went, there was some kind of art festival going on. It's was pretty cool sight to see because there were locals everywhere enjoying the festivities—I believe the stacked buckets (photo below) have something to do with it. Here are some larger photos from our trip to Luxembourg:

Here's one of the Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial, in Hamm, Luxembourg

France

I've decided to start with France, instead of The Netherlands.

These photos are of Metz, France. In a big "park" area where the Torii photo was taken, they even had a little amusement ride for the children. It's so awesome there, nice place to visit, and just relax with the locals.

...and here are some from Paris :) No need to say what a lovely place it is. We did so much walking, but didn't realize just how much until my tummy started growling {LOL!}; that's when we realized that it was already noon {lunch}. We had been walking for almost six hours non-stop without realizing it—not even a complain from the kids. It's truly beautiful, though. I was told, before we went, that some people feel that Paris is over-rated—humm...we must have seen a different Paris than they did :) LOL! We ended the trip with a quick stop at a local boulangerie, and picked up a triple chocolate mousse cake!! {yummiest!!}. Oh, and of course, b, the sweet man that he is, bought me some flowers too :)

...more pictures to come from other places we've visited :)

Ciao!! Happy Sunday! -m