Tuesday morning everyone sleep in and Hailey and I walked to see Notre Dame at opening before the crowds arrived. Amazing. And with the place practically to ourselves.
Paris – First couple days
After a lovely relaxing week in Austria and Germany, we were ready for Paris. We drove 5 hours across Germany, Luxembourg, Belgium, and France. The landscape flattened out gradually but was still beautiful. We stopped at the Luxembourg American Military Cemetery along the way. Over 5,000 American military are buried there, including General Patton, mostly from the Battle of the Bulge. Continue reading
Germany
After leaving Austria, we drove into beautiful Germany. First we stopped briefly in Oberammergau. Charming little town…the houses are painted with various scenes. We also walked into the village church to find an amazing Baroque cathedral. Wonderfully unexpected.
Salzburg and Austria
After a typical Austrian breakfast of various homemade jams, breads, cold cuts, cheese, hard boiled eggs and coffee…we were off for our day in Salzburg. Rain was in the forecast for afternoon, so we headed to the Old Town to walk the Rick Steves walking tour under a warm sun.
Backpacking The Northern Loop in Mt. Rainier (pt 2)
After staving off hypothermia the previous night, we were on our way the third day with wet socks and jackets flapping from our packs. Again the Northern Loop presented us with a challenge…we now had to descend 3000 feet in 2.8 miles…my poor knees. We forged on down endless switchbacks. It was truly beautiful forest, although I had to walk slowly (and often sideways).
You Must Travel It For Yourself 