The Continent

Our final adventure with my parents in town was a whistle stop tour of Europe.  5 days, 4 nights, 6 cities, 14+ trains, and lots, and lots of really good food.  We Eurostarred from London to Brussels, passing to the main continent through the Chunnel.  We landed in Brussels, where we had just enough time to eat a fresh, hot Belgium waffle (so delicious!) before catching the train to Amsterdam.  Then, a night in Amsterdam, a night in Zurich, a night in Bern, a final night in Frankfurt, then back to Brussels and home to London.  We were exhausted when we finally reached British soil again on Monday.  

Amsterdam was a fun surprise.  DJ was expecting Red Light District and marijuana.  In fact, It is a beautiful city of canals and old architecture.  We had a lovely evening in the town, first enjoying a dinner of traditional Dutch food, a stop for dessert (apple strudel, cream puffs, and Belgium waffles - yum!), then a canal tour of the city.

 The main Amsterdam harbor.

 From this view you can see seven bridges extending into the distance (easier to see when the picture is enlarged), depicting one of the hallmarks of the old Dutch city, it's miles of canals and bridges.

 The Ann Frank house and museum.  

 This picture represents Amsterdam better than anything else - bridges and bicycles.  There are hundreds of bikers in the city.  Be careful, they'll run you over if you're not watching!

 Sunset on the Canal. 

 After a night in Amsterdam we caught the train for Zurich. Switzerland is a beautiful country!  The landscape is bright green, with rolling hills and pastures.  The water in Zurich is crystal pure and the most beautiful aqua color.  Tucked in the hills were several Swiss villages with traditional Swiss cottages and villas.  If I were to Live in Europe for a long period of time I would want it to be Switzerland.  Switzerland is the homeland of Michelle's great grandmother.  It was a special experience for my mother and me to be in the land of our ancestry.

Zurich.  This is the main harbor of the city and it feeds the river that runs through the city. The water was so clear you could see right to the bottom. People were swimming up and down the river.  On either side was the beautiful Swiss architecture, as you see above, with the mountains in the background.  So pretty!

All bibbed up for my dinner at a traditional Swiss restaurant.  We had blueberry drink and chicken grilled at the table on a hot stone.  So delicious!

 We had to detour to this Swiss town to catch the train to Interlaken.  Look at the Alps in the background!

 View from the train window - such a pretty ride!

 From Zurich we took the train to a Interlaken in the Swiss Alps, and from there to Grindewald.  We just had a few minutes in Grindewald to enjoy the beautiful scenery so near the tops of the Alps.

 This picture only does partial justice to the beautiful aqua color of the lakes all throughout Switzerland.  It was incredible.  Good thing we didn't have our swim suits, the beauty of the water was so irresistible, we would have been in the lake for a swim and missed our train!

 After Zurich we went to Bern, where the Swiss temple was located.  We visited the temple Sunday morning and stayed for a sacrament meeting.  The Swiss temple was the first European temple, dedicated in 1955.

 And finally an evening in Frankfurt.  We walked to the center of town, the old city, where we enjoyed traditional German architecture, history and delicious food.

 Pickled herring, Spetzle, Pork Schnitzel, Goulash, and Apple Strudel for dinner.  When in Frankfurt, eat as the German's do!  The only thing missing was a traditional frankfurter sausage.

After Frankfurt we caught the train to return to Brussels.  One last Belgium waffle with ice cream, caramel and chocolate sauce, and one last Eurostar train, and we were finally back home to our London apartment, exhausted but full of so many wonderful memories of our whirlwind tour of Europe.