Home Again

We traveled the Autobahn from Strasburg to Frankfurt without incident, and caught the flight back to Canada. Audrey got this nice picture of Greenland as we flew over on our way to Toronto.


From Toronto, we arrived in Calgary at about 1700h. We had a bit more luggage than we left with! After stopping at the Roadhouse resturant in Strathmore, and swapping drivers part way home due to fatigue, we made it back to Medicine Hat safe and sound!

There will never be another "First Trip to Europe" for Audrey and me, and Graham and Barb out did themselves to make sure we had the most memorable trip possible. They were the best of travel companions, and we really did have a fabulous time. So thanks to all. Until next time then!

Strasburg

Our last day in Europe - at least for this trip - was spend in Strasburg France. Not only is it the seat of the the European Parliment, but it is a very lovely city as well. One of its best features is the canal system that runs through the old city.



We enjoyed a relaxing lunch at a nice canal-side cafe.



A major draw to the city is also the famous Cathedral. Click on the image for a larger stitched view.

We had dinner at this very nice resturant, just down from our hotel.

Audrey enjoyed the escargot; a dish which I understand that one just can't get too much of!

We have had a wonderful three weeks in Europe, but sadly everything runs its course, and it is time to go home. Tomorrow we are up early to drive to Frankfurt for the flight to Calgary.

Gimmelwald - Relaxing in the Swiss Alps

To reach our destination in Gimmelwald, we had to use a cable car. Here is what it looked like as we took the cable car up the mountain...


Here is a street scene from Gimmelwald. It is a very small alpine village that lives on tourism - hiking in the summer and skiing in the winter.


And here is Ester's Guesthouse, the B&B where we stayed. This was the perfect place to unwind after our travels over Europe, and catch our breath for the trip home.

For the two evenings that we stayed in Gimmelwald we ate (and drank) at the hostel next door. It was a real treat to spend time with the young people who were using the hostel system to tour around. What a great experience for them! Perhaps our kids will realize what an opportunity this would be, and take advantage of it... We also enjoyed the company of "Jeremiah" - Shootist and Chronicaler - and his wife "Prairie Rose" who were touring from Australia and staying at Ester's Guesthouse with us.

Outside the Hostel they were flying the flags of the guests. As you can see, they were gathered from all over the world!

We happend to see a "Mock Hummingbird" moth eating at some of the mountain flowers.

A couple of cable car rides from Gimmelwald takes you to the Schilthorn. This revolving mountaintop resturant is famous because it was featured in a James Bond movie. And of course, the panoramic view is spectacular!

Click on this panorama for a larger 360-degree view from the deck around the Schilthorn. This image was stiched together from about 20 high resolution images taken while walking all around the observation deck.

Of course, the revolving resturant is designed to allow diners to enjoy the whole panorama. Graham, Barb, Audrey and I had a very nice meal here and just watched the world go by for an hour or so.

It didn't take Audrey long to find a friend! These hardy crows kept everyone entertained by swooping in to eat bread out of thier hands, or catching it when it was thrown to them. They clearly knew the routine, and were playing it for all it was worth!

Here is a nice picture of Graham and Barb Skjenna at Schilthorn.

And a nice picture of Audrey and me also. We look pretty good in our new leather jackets from Florence!

While we were walking down the mountain from the town of Murren to the village of Gimmelwald we came across this lovely moss covered rock wall.

We stopped at a little bar about 3/4 of the way to Gimmelwald, and enjoyed a bit of refreshment.

The next morning, Audrey and I took a hike down the mountain to the valley below. It took us about 2 hours to make the trip, and of course we took the cable car back up. If you look closely at the cliff above Audrey, you can just make out some of the roof tops of houses at Murren.

Overnight in Interlaken

Driving from Florence to Interlaken we passed through many wonderful mountain valleys such as this one.


Here is a nice picture of Audrey and me, with the Swiss Alps in the background. We would see quite a bit more of the Swiss Alps...


How here is something interesting! The waterfall seems to be flowing from the top of the hill!

At Interlaken we stayed at this very nice 4-star hotel. One of the best features - and something Audrey really appreciated - was the nice pond on the hotel grounds, which was stocked with fish. Some of the fish were more than 2 feet long!

Behind the hotel was a nice church, and I was able to get this nice picture of Audrey on the rocks beside the pond. If you look closely, you might be able to see some of the fish in the water below her.

It was charming to see a lush pasture and a herd of cows right in the middle of the town. You could hear the cow-bells all the time!