Catching Up...

I'm way behind on blogging, but I wanted to post a bit about our family vacation, so here is a synopsis in pictures.

We started our time in Paris. My parents and Annemarie had already had a couple of marathon days by the time I got there, but we were still able to fit in a few monuments, Versaille, and the Pompidou modern art museum. This is Annemarie and I on top of the Arc de Triomphe, looking out at the Eiffel Tower (of course!). While in Paris we had a delicious 5 course French dinner...some of the best food I've had in a long time. A cold and creamy vegetable soup started it out, followed by blanched asperagus in a cream sauce, steak with potatos, a delicious crispy pastry shell with cream and fresh mangos and strawberries, and a chocolate truffle to finish well.

Next we stopped in Chambery for a couple days "chez moi." This was mostly a relaxing time, a chance to do laundry and an opportunity for my family to meet the rest of the team. Thursday night was the Fete de la Musique, so we walked downtown and took in a few traditional bands, and a few not-so-traditional groups, including the guys playing the washboard and singing "She'll be coming around the mountain"! Also included in the Chambery sejour: pain au chocolat, Savoyard wine and several French cheeses.



Next stop: The Cinque Terre: 5 colorful towns built on the cliffs of Italy's west coast. We stayed at Vernazza (pictured behind Annemarie--below), definitely one of the quainter towns, at Francesca's bed and breakfast. The room was cramped with room for not much more than our 4 beds, but her breakfast was delicious, and she was so warm and welcoming. We hiked the trail between the 5 towns and got some wonderful views (as well as a few sore muscles). The first part of the trail is called Via dell'Amore, hence the picture of Mom & Dad beneath the interlocking hearts. :-)




On to Florence, with a day trip to Venice on the side. Here is a Venetian canal...not the best picture, but it proves I've been there. :-) One of the highlights for me was San Marco Cathedral, a church in which the entire interieur of the building is done in mosaics. Incredible! Here we are all waiting in line to go inside (below).