Bonjour Mon Ami and God Bless America!

Well, we finally did it. In July Mark and I had the opportunity to travel out of these United States with my parents (Glen and Margaret) to Europe. This was both mine and Mark's first trip in which a passport was necessary and in which the people around us were not speaking a language we could readily understand! Let me start out this post by saying thanks to Mom and Dad for your generosity and inviting us in the first place. We really had a fantastic time. We flew into Paris on a Saturday morning and spent the afternoon just walking around Paris, without really touring anything. The next morning we caught a train that took us to Geneva, Switzerland. The above picture is my favorite picture of Mark and I on the trip. It was taken in Geneva up in one of the older areas of cobblestone streets, shops and restaurant. It was very quaint. But first, a little tour of Paris. The pastries in Europe were amazing. This is just one small example of these bakeries that were all over the place. Everyone was eat baguettes all the time. I, personally was into the sweet stuff! True French cuisine was a bit much for me, but the pasteries were amazing.

The streets were just fun to look at. Everything was so old and colorful. Red Gardenias were everywhere. Especially hanging in planter boxes out apartment windows.

There were a couple of streets in Paris near the Cathedral of Notre Dame that were so bright and colorful with all manner of street entertainers. Actually, everywhere we went in Europe there were musicians playing in the streets for money. Some of them were professional and absolutely amazing. Others, hmmm, not so much! This guy was just plain entertaining. He has a jug on his head with a gold fish swimming around. While juggling. There were a lot of Africans in France. They have the biggest problems with illegal aliens from Africa (much like the U.S. and Mexico).

In France we immediately noticed everyone was either walking, or riding bikes and scooters. Yes, there were cars, but most of the population in Paris gets around in other ways. Their gas was about $9 a gallon. Outside of Pizza Hut, there were a lineup of scooters for deliveries. It was not uncommon to see women dressed in heels and a dress cruising down the street on a bicycle.

I loved the doorways in Europe. There was not a lot of green space in Paris, and you would have these great big doorways that were right up to the sidewalk, but open the door and you would most likely be in a quaint courtyard.

The colors were just brilliant. Especially in older areas with cobblestone streets and little restuarants and expensive shops.

We caught the train to Switzerland and the Gare de Lyon which has got to be one of the most beautiful and impressive train stations in the world. It was enormous and immaculate.

The train ride to Switzerland was beautiful. The train traveled so fast though, that it was at times hard to even watch out the window. The Swiss Alps were breathtakingly beautiful. My first impression of Switzerland was that I think every inch of that country is manicured - someone is taking care of it. Things were kept up a little more than in France. The French don't paint things or update them. The older it looks the better. Switzerland was a little more kept up.