Bongiorno: Welcoma to Italia!

We took a train from southern France to beautiful Venice. The weather was sunny and perfect. Though it was crowded, Venice was just as exotic as we imagined.



This is the view (bottom left hand corner) right outside from our Bed and Breakfast. It was on the water and there was water bus station right in front of our door. There are no cars on streets of Venice so you take water buses down the canals.


This is in the famous St. Marks Square. Cody is putting on his best smile.

Bonjour Frenchies!

Now I have to admit I didn't have the best image in my head of how the beloved Frenchies would treat us but they were very nice and helpful to us no-speaky French folks from New Mexico. (We didn't go to Paris, though :)

This is the beautiful town of Nice on the French Riveria in Southern France. The water was so blue and clean.




We went to Monte Carlo in the small country of Monaco next to Nice. They have the famous races and casino here. Everything was SUPER expensive and all the cars were luxury. This statue is one artist's interpretation of Adam and Eve. They sure did EAT well in the Garden! I had to get a picture with my large ancestors.




This is in Annecy, France, just south of Geneva. It was a cute little town on a canal where we enjoyed cheese fondue and tons of other cheese dishes such as raclette.


These last two pics are actually from Geneva, which is technically in Switzerland but we stopped in on our way down through France to end up in Marseille.


At Lake Geneva there is one of the tallest fountains in the world. Here in Geneva we had delicious steak marinated in garlic and herb butter. Cody likey.

Velcome to Germany

We started our adventure in a conference center outside of Germany. It was pretty cold and rainy most of the time, but had gorgeous green grass and trees!


We went on a bike ride with two of our good friends into a nearby town. It was a nice escape for a little while.


We took a day tour and drove down the Rhine Valley and visited a castle and small tourist town.


The first picture is a chastity belt from the castle. If you are wondering how it works you put the circle around you waist and I am sure you can figure out the rest from there. I am not sure what "grosse fahrt" means in German but we thought is was funny in English (I know, very mature).

Getting Out!

We are headed to Germany for a week for a meeting and then we'll be taking some vacation. First we'll go down through France and end up in Nice, then to Venice, then Switzerland, and then back up to Germany to fly out. We're not sure if we'll be able to post during that time but if we can't then we will post tons of pics when we get back. If you get bored look at previous posts and reminisce about old times, I promise it'll be fun! :) Be back in North Africa on September 7, Happy Labor Day and End of Summer and Start of School Ya'll!

I Like Lists

This weekend we had to go to Europe to renew our passport stamp. As usual we stocked up on stuff that isn't available in North Africa. Two of life's little pleasures for us is Dr Pepper and Oscar Mayer Bacon. We always stock up and bring it home to use sparingly. This got me thinking that living overseas (or anywhere for that matter) you have to remember to be grateful for all the things that you DO have. So I have decided to share with you ten good things we are thankful for living here.

1) Fresh squeezed orange juice EVERYWHERE
2) Cheap public transportation (taxis, buses, and trains)
3) Coca Cola
4) Extremely hospitable people who would give you the shirt off their back if you asked for it and it was the last one they had
5) Our new apartment with no cockroaches
6) Fresh, cheap, fruits and vegetables
7) Our beloved fan that runs 24 hours a day and that follows us from room to room (hey, the extra electricity is worth it!)
8) Opportunities to travel and living by the ocean
9) Skype and e-mail and Internet to stay connected
10) Lots more time to spend with my adorable husband



Here is a collage of some of things listed. We took that beach shot shortly after we arrived. The girl in the picture with me is my tutor and good friend.