Hey everyone! I doubt anyone actually checks this anymore, but when I eventually go someplace else, and I'm using this blog again, it'll be here for your enjoyment! Anyhow, I got Gma's pictures onto my computer finally, so I am capable of uploading them on to here. Maybe they'll add a bit of a visual perspective to the trip! See you!

Auntie Cherille and Grandma at the Vatican

Val crosses a street in Pompeii

At the Trevi Fountain in Rome

Sunburned after the Cinque Terre !

A bunch of girls hanging out in one of the most beautiful cities (Venice! :-) ).

The girls caught in the downpour.

Before the storm on Lake Como

Auntie Cherille and I DURING the storm on Lake Como

Val and the wine distributor

Val and the sight from the cog train in Switzerland - beautiful! Both of them!

Welcome to Luzern!

With some of Val's family

12.8.2006

OK, so, I lied! Of course, I can't finish off this blog without adding pictures! Here's a few - I'll probably add some more in the next couple days!






















Living History Museum in Kiel



















Val, Heather and me on a train


















Ancient Roman Ruins (That's the remains of Caesar's Temple directly behind our heads)



















Looking out over the water from the Palazzo Reale in Pompeii



















Heath and me in front of Culzean Castle, Scotland

Leaving Switzerland...

Hi all!

Just a quick update this time.... We`re taking off for
Lake Como in about 20 minutes. We^ve really enjoyed
our time in Luzern. What a beautiful city and country
in general! Our time at this >B+B has been
wonderful... highly recommend it!

Yesterday we hung out around tiown. Enjoyed the old
part of the city, went into a couple churches (words
that come to mind are "Magnificient", "Calm", "BIG"!)
We shopped a bit in the old town part, postcards and
such. Heather and Val got a chance to go swimming
before we all kind of slip up for the afternoon
(actually, they`d been doing their own thing all
morning too, we`d just met for lunch - no worries,
Michelle and Mom, this city is very safe).

I had some time to myself in the afternoon. As much
as I`m enjoying being with everyone, I think we all
find that things go better if we have some seperate
time. smile!!! I spent some time in a different
church, and then found the post office and had other
such adventures.

Gotta run! Might try to write more when we get to
Como!

Love,
Dani

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The Alps.... WOW!

Hello all!

Aunt Brenda and Dena, thank you for your comments!
I`m trying not to wear anyone out TOO much!

It`s hot here, but it sounds like we have nothing to
really complain about. I hope all of you are managing
to stay cool....

Meg, welcome home! I`ll probably try to call and get
the info sometime in the next couple days. Sounds
like the bus time, at least, was eventful....

I`m at our B+B in Luzern still. We love it here!
We`re on the 3rd floor, with Grandma and Auntie
Cherille`s room having stairs from their room up to
their bedroom on the 4th. They have AC, so we enjoy
sitting in their little sitting room in their huge
attic bedroom. Val, Heather and I share a room with a
fan (close to AC!) and a window. It`s hot, but not
unbearably so.

We went on a ferry, cog train excursion, and cable car
ride yesterday. V, H and I seriously debated going on
it, as it was about 40 dollars, but we finally decided
to do it. So we bought our lunch at the market, and
hopped on the ferry at about 10. It was a 90 minute
ride, and I enjoyed the chance to relax and take in
the scenery. The water in Lake Luzern is a dark green
color, yet it is almost perfectly clear.... How is
that possible? I don`t know! It looks green from up
top, but as you get close to the water, it appears
translucent. Is that from the glacial melt or
something?

The scenery only got better as we climbed the cog
train after an hour wait in the station. We went up
and up and up! The grade was posted on signs in
various places, and I saw numbers like 44%, 52%,
etc... It was pretty steep! At the top of Mt. Palatus
(the peak we were on), there was hiking trails and
observation points. We climbed one of the observation
points. How do I describe the splendor, majesty,
ruggedness, safety, creativity, and massiveness of the
Alps??? They are beautiful, and a clear testament to
our amazing Creator of His vivid imagination and
power. I does not seem possible to me for people to
look at something like the Alps and say that
everything is an act of random chance.

Grandma, Auntie Cherille and I went on a 40 minute
one-way hike to the top of a nearby peak. I was in a
skirt and flip flops (the sign said something like
"hiking boots only beyond this point.... but they
aren`t talking to ME, are they???), and made it to the
top. Grandma and Auntie Cherille ALMOST made it to
the top.... close enough that it pretty much counts
(smile!). It was starting to get cloudy (it even
rained for a couple minutes... the weather changes
quickly), so we turned back when I met up with them.
We saw goats, cows (with their "sweet sounding" (as
an Australian we met said) cow bells), and plenty of
wild flowers. Mom, you would have loved hiking with
us... I wished that you could have been here. It was
better than hiking at Mt. Rainier in my opinion.

The Cable Car ride down was an adventure. I got off
at the halfway stop, and everyone else just kept
going, so I had to jump in with a family from Northern
Ireland. They were pleasant, although I`m sure they
were cracking up at my haste and inability to read the
signs (which led to me jumping out at the platform!).
But I met up with everyone else at the bottom, so no
worries. We made our train reservations to leave for
Como tomorrow, and bought dinner at the market
(Grandma and Cherille went out to each) before coming
back to our room to eat. The chocolate is wonderful
here.. we`ve tried hazelnut truffles, Mocha truffles,
special dark chocolate, semi sweet chocolate, and
white chocolate.... I`ll be just as glad to leave this
all behind though, for the sake of healthy eating!

I took a LONG nap yesterday, Heather and Val went out
and had adventures, it sounds like. I don`t think
I`ve heard all about them, so either Heather will have
to get on and blog, or you`ll have to ask her when she
gets home.

Better go.... I had a LONG message written, and pushed
a wrong key (easy to do on these European keyboards!)
and lost the whole thing, so you`ve just read the
condensed version.... Sorry!

Love you all!
Dani

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Luzern - we have arrived!!!

Good morning from Switerland, Marissa and everyone else!

First, thank you all for the comments! It`s fun to log on and find that people are, indeed reading this thing!

We arrived in Luzern last night after a LONG day of train rides. We hugged Val`s family god bye at the train station in Kiel, and enjoyed out 7AM to 4PM ride to Zürich. Val and Heather got a little bored... entertained themselves by throwing peanuts at me while I napped.... but such is life! Not only is it an adventure to travel, it`s and adventure traveling with my companions!!!

We hopped off the train in Zürich, and realized there was a train leaving for Luzern as we stood there, so I annitiated (sp?) Grandma, Cherille, and Valerie into the "Running to Catch the train" club! We made it (Of COURSE!!!), so we didn^t have to wait the hour before departing for Luzern.

Our B+B is about 20 minutes walk from the train station, and all we had was a rather lousy map, but we made it! It was starting to rain - very hot and humid, and the thunderclouds were rolling in. After we dropped off our stuff, we headed back out in search of food (I was STARVING, and anyone who knows me knows that is a bad thing....), so we got rained on a little bit, and watched plenty of lightening crackle. We found some food (finally!) at a market back by the train station, so we went inside the station, sat on the floor upstairs in an out of the way place, and ate our dinner.

Made some phone calls also... Uncle Don, Auntie Cherille thought you were on the internet when she tried. And Grandpa wasn^t in the house. We^ll probably try again in a couple days.

Jamie and Catherine, I wasn`t feeling too "sunshin-y" last night, but thanks anyhow. No worries, I think your home will be a permanent part of traveling to Europe from here on out!

H&M is a clothing store, Mom, kinda like Old Navy or Ross. We`ve heard Sam and Sharn talk about it for ages. It is really cool! No ABC stores... thank GOODNESS!

Love you, Mariss! Definitely looking forward to Monohan walks.

I^M on a timed computer, gotta run and catch some breakfast before our Lake Luzern cruise and trip up the cog (sp?) train/tram thingy,

Hugs!
Dani