Bags are packed and we're ready to go!

Tomorrow may be a bit crazy, doing some last minute things around the house and such, so I'm writing my last entry from American soil tonight. I've already set my watch ahead (it is 2AM right now in Switzerland) and I've been on Papa and Donna's "Jet Lag Diet" (that  they swear by) for 2 days. Hopefully, it will work, although I am a bit worried about having coffee before I get on the plane. I'm not used to having caffeine, and I really want to try and sleep on the plane... We'll see...

Today we read through some of Zac's old European journals from when he was Jaramie's age, and looked at pics of him holding a Paris baguette taller than his 4 year old self. That got Jaramie right on board and ready for this adventure.

Next stop: Brunnen, Switzerland. I'll post as soon as I can...

A la prochaine (until next time)!
Jennifer

Pictures of home...

10 more days and more tidbits of wisdom...

I can't believe we only have 10 more days until our trip. This week we've spent time getting a new bank account and credit card, in order to try to avoid high fee charges to our accounts while we are away. We have only so much cash to spend, and I'd rather buy more croissants than pay an American bank! 

We have decided to spend a night in Annecy, France, so we have one more night to book. 

Anyone have any suggestions for a place to stop between there and Paris? We're open to suggestions! 

...just a few more things to finish...
Honestly, I am finding it hard to concentrate on school, promotion and progress reports when our trip's countdown is ticking off the seconds right along with my heartbeats.

Here is another priceless tidbit of wisdom from Papa:

Serendipity -  Noun: The occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way.

 

-Torri Del Benaco is one of our very favorite places to visit and we have returned there many times. We stumbled on it in a seemingly hopeless search for a place to stay late one afternoon as we went from town to town along Lake Garda with Kouri and Chloe in the back seat.  Everyplace had been full but the Hotel Gardesena had a room.  It was the wedding suite (it cost $2.00 more than a regular room) with 2 balconies overlooking the town and the lake! It is fantastic.

 

-Talamone is another favorite we return to over and over.  

We ended up staying there because we got sooo HOT touring hill towns.  We stopped , looked at the map and noticed a town on the water so we drove over to it to try to cool off and as we approached it, we couldn't believe our eyes... perfect little harbor town (castle and all.) The hotel there is fun. It's a round building, so the rooms are pie shaped!

 

-We didn't visit Venice on our first trip because we listened to a couple we met (they were on a motorcycle like us) and they told us to skip it.  "Smelly and way overrated," they said.  Two trips later we thought we'd see for ourselves. Now we go there every chance we get.

 

Keep an open mind and your eyes open.  A lot of great things didn't make it into the guide books. Most of the memorable people on our trips we just bumped into (some literally.)  They do things a little differently in other countries; sometimes better, sometimes worse... but check it out.  It will help you understand the U.S.A. a little better.

Oh, and have fun.

 

Love,

Papa

24 more days...another kind of Advent

The other day I was doing something ordinary, like commuting to work, and all of a sudden my tummy did a flip flop. It made me pause, just like years ago, when little babies would swim around in there and would completely make me lose my concentration.  But this time, I just stopped and wondered... "What was that?"  Indigestion? Bladder? Hunger?
....Then it hit me... Happiness! Excitement..... Joy.....

The flip-flop was just like when I was a little girl. I would be walking home from school up steep Wollaston Avenue, scarf wrapped around my mouth, making my puffs of breath condense into water, then quickly into ice drops. I held my books in my arms (this was before gargantuan back packs hit the scene for even fragile first graders.)  So, I'd be trudging along in my red boots with the one hooked-button and my tummy would do the same flip-flop. Only then I knew what it meant... Christmas!! Presents... wonder and Santa.... That truly must be one of the purest joys in the world.

Well, it's been many years since my tummy bounced when I thought of Christmas (except maybe in panic... How many days left!! Oh no!!) But the other day, it happened. Sad that it took me a few minutes to locate the emotion in my history archives, but it was there. Even though it's been awhile, I figured it out nonetheless... We are going to Europe!....24 more days...

I can't believe I am so lucky. Looking forward to this European Adventure is just as good as the actual trip itself! (well... almost) We've read guides and watched Rick Steves videos, shopped for clothes and travel paraphernalia, booked rentals and hotel rooms, studied up on our Italian phrases, signed up for a Parisian baking class and virtually visited the Eiffel Tower. And now there's only 24 more days....

Travel is still magical, even with the internet, and Skype and virtual panoramas. You can't get smells from patisseries and bits of language wafting over from a young Italian family....  from an internet site....

So... 24 more days...
I think it's better than Santa.
...I can't wait...