Thursday, July 14th ~ Zürich, Switzerland
Zürich, Switzerland sits on the Limmat River
With very little sleep last night, we were up and ready for breakfast before 7:00. The hotel had been given high marks for the quality of the food offered and it did not disappoint. Rick Steves, in his book on Switzerland, had suggested a walking tour through Zürich which looked easy to follow and hit several of the highlights that we wanted to check out. Continue reading
Wednesday, July 13th ~ Zurich, Switzerland
The sunset was reflected on the airplane wing as we left Los Angeles
The flight on Swiss Air was uneventful and arrived on time. I actually thought that the food was better than most of the airplane meals we have had over the past few years. We got lucky and managed to get three seats for the two of us which allowed me to spread out a bit.
I had time to do some more reading about Switzerland on the flight and found out a few tidbits of trivia. Continue reading
Tuesday, July 12th – Los Angeles International Airport
Ready for another great adventure!
We are all checked in and patiently waiting to board our Swiss Airline non-stop flight from Los Angeles to Zürich, Switzerland. Continue reading
Madrid ~ May 26th through June 2nd
Evening view from our balcony and what I looked at most of our week in Madrid
We spent an entire week in an amazing city that has a LOT to see, do and places to explore and I barely left the room except to eat. Pathetic really…
So, how did this happen? Continue reading
May 26th ~ Travel day on the train
Tim, Karen and Dick on the train ~ sorry this is so washed out 😦 Both Tim and Karen look like ghosts and I must be one since I don’t show up at all…
Dick and Karen were planning to fly home the next day from Madrid and Tim and I had booked a hotel right in the center of Madrid for the next week. We decided to take the train to Madrid together instead of flying. I was not anxious for a repeat encounter with Iberia Airlines any time soon, so was especially thankful for this alternative. Continue reading
May 25th ~ Santiago, Spain
It was raining, but the town and streets were inviting
Finally – after all of our struggles to get here, we were having a chance to explore Santiago and revel in Karen’s success of completing her 500 mile Camino trek. Of course the place to start our exploration was at the Cathedral where it all ended. Continue reading
May 24th ~ Getting from Lisbon Portugal to Santiago de Compostela (Santiago) Spain
Karen and Dick
Our Gate 1 tour had come to an end and we still had 10 days left in Europe before our scheduled flight home on June 2nd from Madrid. As some of you may remember, our dear friends, Dick and Karen Theil were in Santiago where Karen had just completed her 500 mile trek across Northern Spain, known as “The Camino” or “Walking the Way”. Continue reading
May 23rd ~ A Visit to Medieval Villages Outside of Lisbon, Portugal
Azulejo (painted tin-glazed tile work) at main entry gate of Obidos
This was an optional full day excursion to explore the countryside around Lisbon. The theme seemed to be medieval towns with cobblestoned streets and whitewashed buildings. Once again it felt like stepping back in time, in such a good way.
I think it would have been even more fun to have been dressed the part… Continue reading
May 22nd – Lisbon and Sintra, Spain
Belem Tower in Lisbon
Today’s tour of Lisbon highlighted the variety of heritage and styles that makes this one of Europe’s most beautiful cities. Starting with a walk through the cobbled alleys of Alfama, the seaman’s quarter and a stroll along Liberdade Avenue. Continue reading
May 21st – Evora, Portugal
This morning we appreciated a guided tour of Evora, another UNESCO World Heritage Site. I got a kick out of our guide calling the cross walks zebras…
“zebra” cross walk
The black and white stones are so common in the street and sidewalk designs here in Portugal that I started taking them for granted. It must have taken an incredible amount of labor to have laid all of these in the first place. Continue reading
A Note From Abroad 