Denmark and Norway
I’ve been wanting to visit Scandinavia ever since I became a photographer. I imagined this beautiful rugged landscape with endless photo ops. I was right! Norway is a magnificent country with more natural beauty than any country we have visited. There were times in the RV when I was at the edge of my seat literally waiting for the next curve in the road. I will say, though, it’s a difficult place to photograph unless you are a local and know the light patterns. The fjords are narrow and the light is muted on the mountains. I can’t complain though!
Denmark was also beautiful with endless kid friendly activities. From islands, to boats, to amusement parks and castles- Denmark has it. The people are so nice. Everyone thought we were locals, that Never happens in Germany! It was a nice change.
Here are some of my favs…
Our first destination was Aero, a small island in Denmark. We rented bikes, went to the beach, and strolled around the adorable fishing town.
Aeroskobing's cutest 18th century house
doors of Aero
one of the tiny beach huts
my boys braving the cold water
After Aero, we hopped on the ferry back to mainland and drove to the amazing Egeskov Castle. I found this place searching online as it wasn’t in any guide books. It was incredible! The kids played in enormous playgrounds, walked through trees, did stilts, and we visited the castle.
Egeskov Castle, Denmark
walking through the trees
stilt walking
En route to Copenhagen, we stopped by the Roskilde Viking Museum. It was a short stop but very cool. PJ and Cade especially enjoyed the well preserved viking ships made more than 1000 years ago. They had boats that were dug up and pieced back together. It was a great museum for my sailors.
Roskilde Viking Museum
vikings
cutest viking ever
That evening we arrived at a campground in Copenhagen. We stayed 3 days in Copenhagen seeing the city and hanging out with the Danes.
Rosenborg Castle
We spent the evening at the fun amusement park called Tivoli Gardens. There were young and old at this park. Several venues throughout the park have musical concerts nightly so many people just come for the concert. It was a great way to see Danish people at play. We loved it.
Tivoli Gardens!
swinging to the Big Band concert
crazy dancers
We hiked to the tip-top of Our Savior's Church (note tiny gold staircase). It was a little too tight for me.
Copenhagen
Frederiksborg Castle
Frederiksborg Gardens
After Copenhagen, we drove to Oslo and stopped at the beach in Goteborg, Sweden. When we arrived in Oslo we visited a high school friend, Kelly Kuhlmeyer. They had us over at their home for a traditional Norweigian meal. It was great catching up and meeting his three boys and wife for the first time.
Kuhlmeyer and Cummings families
The next morning we explored the city of Oslo. We hit the big sites, saw Frogner Park (so cool!), went to the National Gallery Museum to get my Edvard Munch fix, and walked around. The weather wasn’t great so we moved on… Again.
Frogner Park is a park designed by sculptor Gustav Vigeland. What a character this guy must have been. I could have photographed 100 of his totally random statues. Quirky. Love. So my kids favorite and most remembered statue in Europe yet was this little menace. It is said that Gustav was playing with his models and while experimenting for different expressions, he took this little guys chocolate away and got this. Hysterical. We all had to have a photo with Crying Baby. And it became the trip inside joke. “Can I have chocolate mom?” “No”. (crying baby face)
Crying Baby Statue
My husband is all over the non-traditional photo ops.
Next we entered fjord land. Talk about beautiful. Every turn, every vista, was gorgeous. A couple of these pictures are just snapshots taken from our car. The drives were crazy!
1 of 10 rainbows we saw while driving
alphorn player over Geiranger fjord
Geiranger, Norway
Geiranger Fjord
our campground on Geiranger fjord
boating on the fjord
super narrow fjords allow ships to get right next to the edge
Get me to that waterfall boys!
competing with the goats for road space
perfect picnic
glaciers
gorgeous English church in Balestrand
Hopperstad Stave Church
Hanging out on the ferry ride on the Sognefjord.
Sognefjord
Bergen, Norway
yummy fish market in Bergen
dancing in the Edvard Grieg park
view from the funicular in Bergen
modern art sculpture in Bergen
stupid troll statues all over Norway
After fun Bergen, we drove down to Stavanger to begin out trek home. It was a really cool town with a nautical themed park.
my funny little people
everything nautical park
Stavanger
my 3
I love this sequence. We were traveling in Scandinavia at the end of our 13 day trip. I took this in a town called Stavanger. We walked down this colorful street and I shot a fun series of the kids. I love how it shows their personalities right now. Addy and her pink cowgirl boots. Cambria and her silly smile. Cade being Rooney. The ring leader.
kids in Stavanger
visit from Grandma and Grandpa H
July brought my mom here for her third visit, and my dad for his first. We did some fun local things near Stuttgart, and took a road trip to Austria. It was culture up to our ears with Mozart music and marionette’s. I heard my little one humming a Mozart tune yesterday and it makes me so grateful for all of these experiences.
Germany has so many things to offer. We love to show off our temporary home.
Here are some pics from the 10 days with mom and dad…
Grandma and Addy at Hohenzollern Castle
Hohenzollern
Sunday we went downtown to the park and played Bocce ball. We walked by the Biergarten and a country band was playing. It was mostly line dancing, but we got to bust out some moves. Made me miss back home and local country music.
dancing with the Germans to a country tune
crazy about Rittersport
Rooney
fun at the pool
Ludwigsburg Palace
grandpa and the monkey's
mom and dad at Ludwigsburg
Legoland Deutschland
thinkers
During PJ’s weekend we went to Salzburg, Austria. The hills were alive for sure. Austria is a beautiful country with great people.
St. Peter's church, Salzburg, Austria
St. Peter's interior
Mirabell Gardens
Sound of Music night at the Marionette Theater in Salzburg
The Marionetter's
mom and dad at the Hohensalzburg Fortress
We went to a dinner with Mozart night at a gorgeous, old restaurant next to the church. Professional opera singers and a quintet played Figaro, Don Giovanni, and The Magic Flute.
Mozart dinner, amazing!
opera singers walking through the tables
visit to the salt mine in Hallstatt
riding through the salt mine
Hallstatt, Austria
Hallstatt
cheese, horns, and alp mania
So much to catch up on. We have been going non-stop since the Summer began. All the American’s we know who live in Germany take advantage of the travel opportunities in Europe. Stuttgart is within 3 hours of 3 different sets of Alps! This trip, we decided to get our Swiss yodeling on. We hopped in the car early one morning and 4 hours later were at Lake Geneva in South Switzerland visiting the Chateau Chillon.
Chateau Chillon, Switzerland
After the Chateau, we headed into the Swiss Countryside and drove to the cute town of Gruyere. We visited the cheese factory and learned how they make and preserve it. It was fascinating! We also got free samples of the Gruyere. The town was adorable with it’s own chateau, picture perfect view, and lots of fun shops.
cheesy
giant cheese vats
Random opera singers in the middle of town.
After our countryside experience, we drove up the windy mountain roads to the Berner Oberland. We parked our car in Lauterbrunnen, schlepped all our stuff to the train station and took two cable cars up the mountain to the alp town, Mürren. It was gorgeous!
The tiny alp town, Mürren, where we stayed.
Day 2 we took a cable car up to Allmendhubel from Mürren. We did the all day North Face hike. The weather was hot, but it was a good day for a day in the Alps!
playground at Allmendhubel
comparing the peaks
We went hours at a time without seeing anyone else on the trails. Our kids could be as loud as they wanted...
Fraulein Adelaide
romantic Swiss cows
Addy and Cam in Gimmelwald
That evening we returned back to our chalet for a home cooked dinner. Everything is so expensive in Switzerland, we were low budget on this trip. During our dinner we heard our landlord, Albert, playing his Alphorn outside the chalet. His friend from Calgary was visiting and we were treated to an unbelievable Swiss experience. The homemade horns echoed off the mountains in our town.
professional Alphorn players
Day 3 of our trip we did the hike to Kleine Scheidegg on the Jungfrau side. We rode a cable car to Wengen and hiked from there. It was breathtaking the whole way. The hike was very family friendly. As a photographer I was a little frustrated with the harsh light, but it can’t always be a photo safari! Here are some snap shots of the stunning mountain views we saw.
sweet spot for a picnic
Kleine Scheidegg
Junfraujoch view
alp flowers
cute chalet in Wengen
sunset view from our window
The last day we took a cable car up to the Schilthorn where the James Bond “On Her Majesty’s Service” was filmed in 1968. It was an amazing view at the top!
James Bond film scenes at the top of Schilthorn.
Bond girls
After we hit the peak, we finally went back to our car and headed home stopping in Luzern on the way. Luzern is a beautiful Swiss town and one of my favs.
Luzern, Switzerland
playing with the swans
Reuss River
Paintings every few feet in the Chapel Bridge.
the famous Lion Monument, or Löwendenkmal
Luzern
Croatia and Slovenia
I still can’t believe that we are within driving distance of some of the most beautiful places in the world. We took a gamble and rented an RV for 2 weeks for our last vacation. It was definitely a success! The kids loved it, we had a ‘home’ for 2 weeks on the road, and it was a whole lot of nature-centered, quality time with our kids. PJ and I enjoyed the cultural experience of touring around historical parts of Eastern Europe. The kids, let’s be honest, just loved the beach. Bike riding was also a bonus for them.
I came home with way too many photos. Here are a nice chunk of some of my favs that tell the story of our adventure. But as always, I tell my husband after every trip we take… “Best souvenir of all!” He doesn’t think it’s very funny anymore. And my response… “It’s my job. I have to preserve the memories, man”. I actually stole that line from a Veggie Tales episode.
Anyway, here is a look at our fabulous Dalmation Coast trip!
On day 1, we drove to Lake Bled in Slovenia. After packing up the RV, we arrived at the lake around 10pm. The campground was closed so we ‘free camped’ in front. It’s amazing how safe Slovenia and Croatia are. Never even had to lock the RV up!
Lake Bled, Slovenia
biking around the lake
playing with the ducks
Doing our job as a tourist and sampling the local speciality, cream cake.
on the road again
Soca River Valley in the Julian Alps, Slovenia
Soca River
It’s hard to believe that this peaceful River Valley was the location of one of the deadliest battles of World War I, the Soca Front. We drove through the front following some of the same routes that Ernest Hemingway took in his ambulance. This front was the backdrop of his book A Farewell to Arms.
Soca River
The next stop on our trip was the beautiful Istria Peninsula. We camped in Rovinj- my favorite destination on our trip. Istria has a great mixture of cultures as it used to be a part of the Venetian Republic. The people call themselves Istrians, instead of Italians or Croatians. We spoke with some of the locals who told us that they felt that their independence was important to them. The Italian tourists, they said, were often rude and condescending to them. They loved American and German tourists as they are always friendly and respectful. Istria has some of the best food on the coast. We tried stuffed squid, and the local specialty… Gnocchi gulash. I didn’t want to leave!
Rovinj
quiet moment at sunset
view from our campground
Rovinj, Croatia
gate in Rovinj
exploring the artistic town
On our way out of Istria, we drove through Pula. Some of the most impressive Roman ruins outside of Rome are located here. We happened to arrive during a Roman festival in the Old Town. Many locals were dressed up in Roman costumes. They had narrators who told the old stories, gladiators, and many other fun characters.
well preserved Roman Amphitheater in Pula
Roman festival in Pula
Our next stop was Plitvice Lakes National Park. This incredible park was a natural wonder! We walked along wooden planks through the lakes. We saw countless waterfalls surrounded by trees, and bright green and blue water. We were the last people out of the park.
checking out the fish
photo in front of the Big Waterfall
Waterfalls everywhere!
Our next stop was the Makarska Riviera in Croatia. We camped in Zigovice, right on the water. The campground wasn’t the nicest so we stayed one night, and headed early the next day for the island of Hvar. We took a ferry from Drevnik. 30 minutes later we were driving on the island in our RV!
checking out the scene
family game night after a long day at the beach
PJ and I enjoyed a beautiful moonscape after the kids went to bed.
lavender growing everywhere in Hvar
Hvar, Croatia
lunch break at our campground in Hvar
the crab hunt
outtake
Amazing Adriatic feast at Konoba Menego, a family run restaurant in Hvar.
Hvar at night. A lively town especially during the World Cup. Go Germany!
sunrise in Hvar
ferry ride back to the Dalmatian Coast
The next destination on our trip was Dubrovnik. We stayed for 3 nights at a great campground called Camp Solitudo that had it’s own beach and pool. One day we hired a private guide named Petar Vlasik with Meritum Tours. He picked us up at the campground and drove us to the Bay of Kotor, in Montenegro. Petar was a wonderful guide. He spent the whole day talking to us about the history and personal experiences from the war. It’s amazing to think that less than 20 years ago their city was destroyed. After our day with Petar walking around the town of Dubrovnik as even more unbelievable. The city has been rebuilt almost exactly as it was before it was bombed by the Serbs. What a comeback!
city walls around Dubrovnik
walking the city walls
Perast, Montenegro
beautiful Bay of Kotor, surrounded by fjords
Kotor, Montenegro
On our way back Petar took us to an overlook of the city of Dubrovnik. Here are the kids chasing goats.
Dubrovnik
campground's private beach
paddle boat ride around an island
lighthouse on a private island
afternoon downpour and lightning show
taking cover in Dubrovnik
portrait in Dubrovnik
sunset on the old wall
After Dubrovnik, we began our trip back to Germany. We had planned on driving to Mostar on the way home, but the kids and PJ had so much fun at the island, we decided to go to Korcula instead. The drive took us into the Peljesac Peninsula, where they make the fantastic red wine Dingac. We visited the Matusko Winery on the way to the ferry.
island of Korcula
Korcula, Croatia
Korcula
water time!
We drove back into Slovenia on our last day of the trip. We visited the Postojna Caves and the Predjama Castle before our last stop in Ljubljana. Slovenia is a nice mix of cultures as it borders Croatia, Hungary, and Austria. We loved the food, and the people in addition to the beautiful green scenery.
train ride into the caves
100 feet tall stalagmites and stalactites in the caves.
Wow!
Predjama Castle
sitting by the 3 river bridge in Ljubljana
waiting for our prince to come rescue us
leaving Slovenia on a high note...
Part 2, Hungary and Bratislava
Here are more pictures! After I have a chance to try out some of our favorite Hungarian recipes with Eros Pista I will post right away…
Eger, Hungary
Eger
thermal bath, Eger
Budapest
Chain Bridge at night
Sunrise on Buda
Sunrise on Castle Hill
Fishermen's Bastion
paprika at the Cloth Hall
Addy enjoying her new doll on the Metro.
Parliament, Budapest
Szechenyi Baths
Cam loving the thermal experience.
Parliament just after sunset
Danube River
Having fun with the statues in Bratislava.
paparazzi
Spring Break in Central Europe
We spent 9 days over Spring Break driving through Central Europe. We basically did a circle around the Czech Republic. We stopped in 4 countries (including Germany), 3 currencies, and put lots of gas in the Suburban. About 2 hours before we crossed the border into Poland, their President Lech Kaczynski was killed in a plane crash. Then, towards the end of our trip the volcano erupted in Finland creating all sorts of mayhem with fellow travelers in Europe. Thank goodness for ol’ Bessie getting us home safely!
We began our trip in Dresden, a lovely Baroque city in Eastern Germany. It’s amazing how beautiful the city is considering the devastation that happened during the WWII. We stayed the night in a Silesian town called Görlitz. Thank you Rick Steves for your wonderful random recommendations! We loved this town. Our hotel was called Destille Görlitz and had an amazing restaurant as well. The next day we went to a Silesian castle called Ksiaz. Had a picnic, toured the castle and then hiked back to the car in the rain. My family was patient while I waited for good light and photographed the gorgeous castle in between downpours.
The next town we visited in Poland was called Wroclaw. It had some nice architecture and was a good look at non-touristy real life Poland. We arrived the day after their President died so there was much sadness everywhere. Colorful candles and flowers were laid by every monument, church, and flag in the city. We walked into a couple of churches that were full of people singing hymns and mourning for the deaths of everyone on the plane.
After Wroclaw we visited the Auschwitz concentration camp. PJ was hesitant to visit the camp, but after being in these cities with all the history that surrounds them, and after reading several books on Central Europe, he decided to go. We toured the camp and museum separately because the images and scenes were too vivid for our kids. We did take them to the second camp called Auschwitz-Birkenau. We explained everything that had happened to our son, Caden. It was a great learning experience for us all. There were approximately 1.5 million people killed at Auschwitz, mostly Jews. The museum walks you through several buildings showing how the people lived and died at the camp. The evidence was mind-blowing.
We spent the next few days in Krakow. It was a busy city with a lot of character and history as well. The castle hill was beautiful. And I was able to bring home some pretty Polish glass ornaments, yay!
After Poland, we drove through the High Tatras mountains in Slovakia. The overnight stop was nothing special, but broke up our drive to Hungary. We visited a huge castle called Spissky Hrad in the hills.
And then came Hungary! We loved Hungary, the people, the food, and the fun. Our kids especially loved the country. Eger is a gorgeous small Hungarian town famous for it’s red wine called Bikaver, or “Bull’s Blood”. The hotel we stayed at was in the center of the square directly across from a wine tasting store.
Senator Haz Hotel, Eger
Our highlight of the trip was Budapest. We stayed on the Buda side which was fun and allowed us to see both sides of the city in the morning and evening. I had a great birthday dinner and at some amazing Hungarian gulash soup, meat dish, and cake that rivaled our Parisian favs! The weather was not warm, but we had some sun and spent the afternoon at the Szechenyi Baths. Our kids had a blast and it was fun to see Hungarian’s in their element. Budapest has parks throughout the city with the largest one near the baths. Our kids could have spent days there. We will definitely be going back to Budapest!
Our hotel favorite was called Bellevue B & B, a great deal and super friendly hosts.
Here are some photos from our adventure…
Dresden, Germany
Dresden
Sistine Madonna, by Raphael
Parade of Nobles, a mural in Dresden made of Meissen porcelain.
Frauenkirche, Dresden
Görlitz, Germany
Picnic at the Ksiaz Castle in Lower Silesia
Ksiaz Castle
Wroclaw, Poland
Polish mourners lighting candles in honor of their President.
Katyn Massacre monument, the mass murder of 22,000 Polish officers during the WWII. Katyn was the destination of the plane that killed President Kaczynski.
Castle Hill, Krakow, Poland
Family photo in Krakow
Endless pile of shoes as part of the evidence of crimes exhibit.
Suitcases from the prisoners who had no idea they would not be leaving the camp.
lightning barbed wire surrounding the camp
Slovakian countryside
Spissky Hrad, Slovakia
Provencal Easter
France is such a diverse country. My favorite area is the South of France. We took a quick trip to Provence for Easter. PJ had 4 days off, and there happened to be a biannual antique fair in l’Isle-Sur-la-Sorgue. Providence? Oh yeah. Husband was reluctant to say yes to the trip considering the whole antique fair things, but as always, he was up for the adventure. We maxed out space in the Burban, brought only the essentials, and spent the weekend in l’Isle. Love the Luberon region, the towns have such character. We were able to squeeze in Rousillon, Gordes, Uzes, Bonnieux, Arles, l’Isle-Sur-la-Sorgue, and Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Loved it all, and loved the Brocante!!
We had to balance the shopping with play for the kids. A highlight for them was definitely the Easter egg hunt at the Pont-du-Gard. We got a lot of stares, but also a lot of smiles. We made our mark on the rocks with Cam’s jelly bean drool. What a memorable experience!
On Monday, we took a detour to a fabric store on the way home. I wanted to get French fabric for photo backdrops. Unfortunately, the store was closed so we decided to stop by Arles instead. The town was absolutely packed with locals who were waiting on the running of the bulls through the town into the Roman Arena. What a coincidence and a great adventure! Our kids were loving it. Great end to an awesome French trip.
Will post pics of my Brocante goodies when I get them all up and hung. Until then, here are some fun family pics…
Gordes, photo by rockstar Caden
Antique market at l'Isle-Sur-la-Sorgue
Country French awesomeness
having fun in France
Gordes, France
Gordes
Rousillon
Easter at the Pont du Gard
the egg hunt
my poser, Adelaide
Cam loving the hunt
Crazy hail storm on the way back to the car.
Running of the bulls in Arles!
French boys chasing the bulls.
Arles
street performer in Arles
Incredible wine town of Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Results are in and the news is good!
So for those who were following up on our trip back to the States, the news is good! The geneticist/ neurologist at John’s Hopkins emailed with Cambria’s results and they didn’t find anything at all. Dr. Raymond had thought she might have a disorder called Tetrasomy X, with 4 X’s instead of 3, but that pesky X never showed up! We can’t rule out any other disorders that might surface in the future, but for now, we are thrilled and ready to continue with our newly tailored therapy.
Thanks to all who were praying for Cambria.
Now for a busy April with some fab trips, and lots of Spring sessions. Check back soon for more fun pics in Europe!
Love,
Micah
Me and my girls in Annapolis, MD
Toscana and November fun with the Grandma’s
My mom and grandma just left after a great 3 week trip. We took them to Tuscany, Füssen, Ülm, and Christmas Markets. We had so much fun having them here. My grandma is a great baker, so I watched as she made some of her specialties. We cooked Thanksgiving here at the house and had the Kling family over. Everything was gobbled up. I think the pumpkin pie was a big hit with the Kling’s. And they tried Eggnog for the first time. Well, I should say Brigitte tried it, I don’t think anyone else was that adventurous. We love getting the change to share different traditions with our best German friends. It’s been a wonderful experience. Can’t wait for Christmas Eve at their house for fondue and other festive food.
Here are some of the hundreds of family photos while the grandma’s were in town. My mom is an avid scrapbooker so many of the photos were for her.
PJ and Micah in San Gimignano
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Abbey of Monte Oliveto Maggiore
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Fall trees covered in snow on the drive to Tuscany.
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Florence, Italy
Can't get enough gelato!
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Cambria and the Leaning Tower.
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My funny boys.
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Volterra
Cambria in Sienna.
Addy smiling for another tourist.
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Adelaide in Sienna
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Volterra. No Volturi sightings on this trip...
Our week in Dordogne, France
PJ and I were watching a special on TV and saw a segment on the Dordogne region of France. We both said “we have to go here”. A week in August was booked with 2 nights in Burgundy to break up the drive. What a trip. Our kids loved every day. We got to taste wine, enjoy fabulous food, play in the river, visit castles, and spend real quality time with our kids. Trips that involve cooking in the apartment, breakfasts at “home” and water activities are generally the most relaxing and memorable. This one was no exception. I could go on and on about how fun it was. Here are some of our favorite memories…
Addy and Cam rocking out to the iPod mix.
Our hotel in Beynac
Swimming at the hotel pool on the side of the mountain. Our children were heard all over the town.
Lovely Beynac.
Arriving from a long 3 hour paddle down the river with mandatory stops to fight pirates.
One of the many adventures our GPS took us on. Always in France!
Random French guy walking his horse down the river.
Sarlat
My beautiful Cambria.
Adelaide dancing on the hill.
Burgundy, France
French countryside and the moo cows.
Little town where we stayed called Orches.
Burgundy landscape.
Not sure why I like these so much. I think it's because you don't ever see them in SoCal...
London
While the Grandma’s were staying with us in Germany, PJ and I got to visit London for 4 nights. Neither of us had ever been. It was somewhere we knew we wanted to visit eventually, but when the opportunity came up to go somewhere sans kids, we knew London would be great. We Loved It! There was so much to see and do. Who knew that High Tea would be so fun?
We stayed in a B and B in Belgravia, a nice neighborhood near the Victoria Train Station. The owner was a very annoying loud Brit who had much to say about politics, the U.S. military (which he knew nothing about), and the scene. While engaging, and friendly, we wouldn’t necessarily go back to Simon’s place.
Other than that our stay was full of fun. We had great seats for Les Misérables one night. Another night we had standing tickets at the Shakespeare’s Globe Theater and saw Romeo and Juliet. We were right in front of the stage! Not bad for $10 seats. I highly recommend that experience.
Some of the restaurants were great, including one called St. John’s in the meat packing district. What a novelty to have a quiet meal without kids!!
Some of the most fun we had were at the different pubs at night. We went to an old Victorian pub called Princess Louise. It was gorgeous! Others in our neighborhood were lively and fun.
Other memorable London sites were the Hop-on, Hop-off bus, totally touristy but great, and the incredible St. Paul’s church, Westminster Abbey, National Gallery museum, and the Tower of London. Loved it all. And can’t wait to go back, next time with our Monkey’s.
Construction guy from view of our Hop-On bus
Us on the Hop-on, Hop-off bus.
St. Paul's
Hanging out in the Italy sector of Vinopolis. Fun tasting wines from all over the world. And in English!!
Trafalgar Square- I am always looking for things to climb on for photo ops. Several young tourists followed my lead. Then the cops came. Fortunately I was already off the lion.
St. Paul's
Westminster Abbey
High Tea. We always try to blend in like the locals.
Tea was fun for me.
Which to choose? They were all so good.
Our funny Beefeater guide at the Tower of London.
My favorite landmark, the Tower Bridge.
I love my husband. He is such a good sport while I try and expose correctly with the tricky light. You should see the other 10 expressions he made. Classic.
Tower Bridge
Having a beer in the Victorian Princess Louise pub. Gorgeous!
Shakespeare's Globe Theatre
Our 'seats' next to the stage.
Hanging in a pub after Les Misérables.
Normandy and Beyond
On our 5 day trip to Normandy we were also able to visit Rouen, a city with Gothic architecture and half-timbered houses. It also has the cathedral that Monet painted a series of. There is a great fine art museum there that I was able to visit while the kids played with dad at the park just in front. It was a nice way to relax after the long drive from Stuttgart! We stayed in a great B & B in Bayeux called Les trois Pierre They were so friendly and great with our kids. We stayed in the Alsace suite that was perfect for our little ones. Bayeux was a fun town with good restaurants, and the Bayeux Tapestry.
Another day on our trip we spent at the awesome Mont St. Michel. The weather wasn’t great, but it didn’t take away from the unique ambience of the Abbey.
On the way home from Normandy we drove through Honfleur, a cute harbor town that many impressionists spent time in. We also visited the home of Claude Monet, where he lived and painted for 43 years. What a tour! Here are some of the many pics I took…
Notre-Dame Cathedral Rouen
One of Monet's cathedral paintings
Abbaye de Jumieges on the Route des Abbayes
ruins of Abbaye de Jumieges
I just liked this car
hanging out inside our car in France
The town we stayed in Normandy, Bayeux
Mont St. Michel island abbey
Mont St. Michel
The artistic harbor town Honfleur.
Honfleur
Riding the carousel in the rain!
Monet's gardens at Giverny
Touristy, but so cute!
pic of Monet in his gardens
Monet's famous lily-pad scenery.
The view in front of Monet's house.
