Home at Last!

On June 1 we caught the plane from Munich and flew home. Wonderful adventures, beautiful cities and most of all some new friends!
Yes we are very glad to finally be home. We had a fantastic trip and got to see 19 countries. Nine months is a long time to be gone but the memories are well worth it.
The kids have grown taller and have become more cultured.
We had a pipe burst in the pump house from the standing water in the line even though the water had been turned off. Only took a half hour to repair. No real damage was done. The house is fine but I am busy cutting grass and getting the house in back in order.

Best wishes to all who followed the blog.
Dan, Kathy, Guy, Josie and Audrey

Munich Hofbrauhaus

Well if you are in Munich in the spring you have to have the Hofbrauhaus experience which will be as close as you can get to the Octoberfest experience.

A fitting end to our travels.

See what a little culture does to a kid? Before you know it they are imitating the art of Edvard Munch and his "The Scream".

Munich, Germany

We found our hotel in a small suburb outside of Munich that we were able to get to by the metro without much trouble. That night we went for a walk to find a restaurant for dinner. We ended up at a beer garden that had a playground for the the kids and even served my favorite dish....swinehaxe (pork knuckle)....heaven at last!

Downtown Munich is much more interesting than I thought. This is the Town Hall.

How cute is that?

Munich had a huge street fair that weekend and the kids got to be human Foosball players.

Coming Down the Hill from Montmartre

Coming down the hill from Montmartre we had the chance to see some of the Paris we love. I had to capture this typical scene at a french cafe.

I know we will miss the french markets. This was the sausage man.

We'll miss the old stone buildings, the small cars but not the crazy motorcyclists.

At the bottom of the hill is the world renown Moulin Rouge.

Finally we enter the Metro through the art neuveau staircases. Tonight they looked a little alien with their glowing red lamps perched as though they were ready to attack any intruders. Maybe I'm just feeling a little sad to leave Paris.

The next morning we caught the fast train to Munich for a couple of days before our flight home. Glad we are not smokers or I might feel a little like I was being punished standing within the yellow box area.

Montmartre

For the last day in Paris, we decided to go to Montmartre. The area is known for the artists that display their works and who also offer to do portraits for the tourists. It certainly is a very lively area with lots to see and do.

We have been to a lot of churches all over Europe but this one had the most candles all the way around the perimeter. It was interesting to see a Hindu lady, complete with the red dot on her forehead praying at all the statues. I guess she just wanted to make sure that she had all the bases covered.

As we are nearing the end of our trip I am noticing more and more tourists. Time to head home.

Mont Saint Michel

Another road trip from Paris to Mont Saint Michel. As you probably recall it is the place where the tide comes in faster than a horse can gallop.
A very impressive sight when approaching the Mont.

The kids were not that impressed this time seeing the drawbridge that led into the town. By now they had seen so many of them.

We were impressed, though, with the number of tourists at this time of year that were making their way up to the abby. It must be incredibly packed in the summer.

People making a “pilgrimage” across the tidal flats to Mont Saint Michel. Carl Beaudoin had done it and said it was rough as most people do it in bare feet and the small ripples in the hard packed sand hurt after a while. You also have to use a guide as there are patches of quicksand.

Making our our way up the Mont.

Part of the abbey at the top.

La Rochelle

We took a day trip to the port town of La Rochelle. The Beaudoins were originally Huguenots(Protestants) and came from an island just outside of the port called Ile de Re. The Huguenots had to flee France in the 1600s because of persecution from the Catholics and sailed to Canada. I would have liked to go to the island but we only had time for  a day trip and had to head back to Paris. The original Beaudoin Manor on Ile de Re was burned to the ground and the foundation was buried according to legend.

The two towers stood on each side of the harbour and had a large chain between them that was raised at night.

A windmill we saw the next day on our way back to Paris

More Seine River Sights

The cargo barge captains often carry their cars on the back of their ships.

A couple of sailing boats. Note the large keel on the side that they can raise when the river gets too shallow.