tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10663450174515223052024-02-19T05:31:11.531-06:00Aggie in the AlpsRachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12491568238175556855noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1066345017451522305.post-8277268467074919922010-06-20T00:11:00.002-05:002010-06-20T00:12:26.684-05:00Portland was amazing!We've had a wonderful time in Portland. I will be adding more details and pictures very soon.Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12491568238175556855noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1066345017451522305.post-77811168617484432302010-06-13T18:44:00.003-05:002010-06-13T18:56:27.291-05:00Portland, OR here we come!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqA9kM4hfVfdsRPZe1mPD9YaEWmo66xaso3GJcNwN4_2M-sPvuSq_vbYF2PpcKjfv4d_z5RwWePbqLrCXlzlYqBSMHVOrrbti9Hl4JHa2VcHBlxa8o50hZh0aioo_C4cz7zy8lnWJLVUWG/s1600/PortlandOR1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 215px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqA9kM4hfVfdsRPZe1mPD9YaEWmo66xaso3GJcNwN4_2M-sPvuSq_vbYF2PpcKjfv4d_z5RwWePbqLrCXlzlYqBSMHVOrrbti9Hl4JHa2VcHBlxa8o50hZh0aioo_C4cz7zy8lnWJLVUWG/s320/PortlandOR1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482411358859564930" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />This week we will be traveling to Portland, Oregon. We are excited and have heard lots of great things about this city! I've been doing some research and these are some great sites I recommend to anyone who is preparing a trip to Portland.<br /><br />Design*Sponge is a great blog to use as a resource for any trip you're going to take. Check out the city guide on <a href="http://www.designspongeonline.com/2009/07/portland-oregon-guide.html">Portland</a>. Also, look at the comments below on the website to get some more insider information.<br /><br />Sunset also recommends the <a href="http://travelupdate.sunset.com/oregon-travel/portland-travel/portland-hotels-oregon/hotel-modera-the-amazingly-affordable-digs-one-of-the-newest-portland-hotels/">hotel</a> where we will be staying.Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12491568238175556855noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1066345017451522305.post-65697981215473488692009-07-30T11:05:00.004-05:002009-07-30T16:35:18.850-05:00Last day in Prague. Last day of our wonderful European tour!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPULZNVWk6_a5IhgJ95qTD4JtGu9quuJ_T9wuHs-0Gd96hTt4n1Ge0V06sAFYpNXxr7GjJT-Zd62H_iJFPBfKbjMw93kD_snbh0anBQ-o406ByqlhGlI7oO3bHT6dHO04LxFk9PEdCO0tR/s1600-h/Prague2+056.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364369585288971458" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPULZNVWk6_a5IhgJ95qTD4JtGu9quuJ_T9wuHs-0Gd96hTt4n1Ge0V06sAFYpNXxr7GjJT-Zd62H_iJFPBfKbjMw93kD_snbh0anBQ-o406ByqlhGlI7oO3bHT6dHO04LxFk9PEdCO0tR/s320/Prague2+056.jpg" border="0" /></a> Dancing building on the river.<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMe9-bFzbA8lCTfI_TDtbmskaJrO73OJhGZIX7KBmcS3c2gc64040Ev-w5NOZIPwfOrHww4mnVLh1Ock7OQB8P-c4t8h61nqGWzm6eduJvXlwjoWvWc233SEU3uQxycCm5hqyEvtC7niBr/s1600-h/Prague2+054.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364369580390214802" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMe9-bFzbA8lCTfI_TDtbmskaJrO73OJhGZIX7KBmcS3c2gc64040Ev-w5NOZIPwfOrHww4mnVLh1Ock7OQB8P-c4t8h61nqGWzm6eduJvXlwjoWvWc233SEU3uQxycCm5hqyEvtC7niBr/s320/Prague2+054.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Us with the Charles Bridge in the background.<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcE0XyL8XywINfdYv_nY-1r-F0dL2-3HcqTU972hmco5z7CvSPZusgPO3g3Y3jL-CBFnzfmJEbjd6ISDhzSyrLJQzmEOXl2Ngebpab7LrxtNDOSKKg0EUFaOYaVBlS8uBilwXluVSL1jVI/s1600-h/Prague2+024.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364369578904888690" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcE0XyL8XywINfdYv_nY-1r-F0dL2-3HcqTU972hmco5z7CvSPZusgPO3g3Y3jL-CBFnzfmJEbjd6ISDhzSyrLJQzmEOXl2Ngebpab7LrxtNDOSKKg0EUFaOYaVBlS8uBilwXluVSL1jVI/s320/Prague2+024.jpg" border="0" /></a> Lennon Wall.<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfivCRgLxooKJbI1FD2gjVFNU3HYmNrvfIAuSb8ppHf9weyFtzW2-JXhuBRt3UBLLKK1-SWRAt4aRhF5bz36Q8qDCY2r5RyNS94APJaNP1g8qvK-YxDdolHHLcKh6D500yfSNWkSii0CLo/s1600-h/Prague2+001.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364369574119266178" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfivCRgLxooKJbI1FD2gjVFNU3HYmNrvfIAuSb8ppHf9weyFtzW2-JXhuBRt3UBLLKK1-SWRAt4aRhF5bz36Q8qDCY2r5RyNS94APJaNP1g8qvK-YxDdolHHLcKh6D500yfSNWkSii0CLo/s320/Prague2+001.jpg" border="0" /></a> Ceremonial Hall in Jewish Quarter.<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsVJQr0_DxWI_ICsxiriJhqDkJaK-I_dppt48R6dnNgaTVl26LZiLqLBlPQvWzQdLDHHFlEN5vFVpc8Xfgt4sqLp8-1zKavstnqDB_cDV-37QcyKgwbWclDicpaI_BvVJFK0uwZsMYo050/s1600-h/Prague2+009.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364369566901631490" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsVJQr0_DxWI_ICsxiriJhqDkJaK-I_dppt48R6dnNgaTVl26LZiLqLBlPQvWzQdLDHHFlEN5vFVpc8Xfgt4sqLp8-1zKavstnqDB_cDV-37QcyKgwbWclDicpaI_BvVJFK0uwZsMYo050/s320/Prague2+009.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Charles Bridge behind Blake.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div>Miss Sophie's had a converter that works for our computer! Yay! So I will include a few photos from today!</div><div><br />Today was a lot of fun! We explored the Jewish Quarter, which was very interesting. We also saw the Lennon Wall, and the dancing building. I'll put up pictures when we get home. For now, we're going to have a nice dinner, and walk around Old Town Square one last time!<br /><br />We leave Prague at 8:15 am tomorrow (Friday) to go to London. From there we catch a plane to Houston at 10:25 am. We should arrive in Houston at 2:35pm Friday. I can't believe our two weeks in Europe is practically over. It was truly amazing though, and I am ready to get home.<br /><br />Love to all and see you soon! :)</div></div></div></div></div>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12491568238175556855noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1066345017451522305.post-29967027502884822982009-07-29T13:50:00.002-05:002009-07-29T13:56:53.354-05:00A full day in Prague<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgPE-Tzcr18c3z3g3owR3Aq9Ydm0aH3OAv7vMBj_BgoI-jn-EQOtCzxNmGZ3CReVhnBocYjggRVrf_wwYjfPDD4WbhQWX4SlWCZdwCzjK1OOsTCPmwlD9Cf2FclEsEppAHUS9iR7NdiCTS/s1600-h/Prague1+077.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363957200206089058" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgPE-Tzcr18c3z3g3owR3Aq9Ydm0aH3OAv7vMBj_BgoI-jn-EQOtCzxNmGZ3CReVhnBocYjggRVrf_wwYjfPDD4WbhQWX4SlWCZdwCzjK1OOsTCPmwlD9Cf2FclEsEppAHUS9iR7NdiCTS/s320/Prague1+077.jpg" border="0" /></a> Looking over the city of Prague after visiting the monastery!<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjjwAA7JsSDfR8B-JhTR5CG5jFOM31kQ1hbnjiC93c0qw2GyXUUtVphGwb3UU25Towj6VDAcNtixgckVjZAdSdt1Z0Wb_gnlsUlEnxWL18hYCFOnJdSmhl0B4-0NxlFgN8GT8P7NJjg2JA/s1600-h/Prague1+062.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363957195937862290" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjjwAA7JsSDfR8B-JhTR5CG5jFOM31kQ1hbnjiC93c0qw2GyXUUtVphGwb3UU25Towj6VDAcNtixgckVjZAdSdt1Z0Wb_gnlsUlEnxWL18hYCFOnJdSmhl0B4-0NxlFgN8GT8P7NJjg2JA/s320/Prague1+062.jpg" border="0" /></a> Inside the Starhov Monastery library! Sorry the picture is kind of blurry. There were tons of people in there. It was really neat though. They had tons of really old books and Scripture from the 16th century!<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguZZmUREciR7Q1vlKJhEeNvKTCMhHKc89wPQcbVobt1CCnlR9-2bgCU-ZMYxnJTbPPJgO2ZFX8WIW8jALTiqKKr-k6fV_bwTAaa_rzXgOmk7YVRnpaE3jMdmPyr6IyHpu1odieUcrOPUdO/s1600-h/Prague1+057.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363957193510119618" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguZZmUREciR7Q1vlKJhEeNvKTCMhHKc89wPQcbVobt1CCnlR9-2bgCU-ZMYxnJTbPPJgO2ZFX8WIW8jALTiqKKr-k6fV_bwTAaa_rzXgOmk7YVRnpaE3jMdmPyr6IyHpu1odieUcrOPUdO/s320/Prague1+057.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />What's left of a dodo bird. They are all extinct now, but the library had one on display. They lady tried to explain to us in Czech using a magazine article that it was killed in 1697!<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSULapQSTnF7_PNKiP7OfidEuL1okPEF1ECAsc2gfdt7bBgGZ-j51azChTbescKZKAS35ai1FlTPlT3kSbNEDulkGB2wBBzvJ1s7iFfUMUafg_2N81U2TEt2i7rTMlk1tGbsPwhEAyX6BM/s1600-h/Prague1+023.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363957184188418386" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSULapQSTnF7_PNKiP7OfidEuL1okPEF1ECAsc2gfdt7bBgGZ-j51azChTbescKZKAS35ai1FlTPlT3kSbNEDulkGB2wBBzvJ1s7iFfUMUafg_2N81U2TEt2i7rTMlk1tGbsPwhEAyX6BM/s320/Prague1+023.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Us in front of the St. Vitus Cathedral. It is amazing inside! One of the largest cathedrals in Europe!</div><div> </div><div>Much love! We'll be home in two days! I can't believe it!<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-MTt9pscMHds6SgO78c8SQ6hc3YTRytXLzlsanCQK7TFMHYBP0m_iwgHZuvS1CFXjFwyVJuJ0gYtgq2jmsvpvnu5kf3pgSTXMUIgpdiIygaGXjpb4DcwLqUvZYMGG8QqKKN5B42ZGJPOG/s1600-h/Prague1+014.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363957177291478210" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-MTt9pscMHds6SgO78c8SQ6hc3YTRytXLzlsanCQK7TFMHYBP0m_iwgHZuvS1CFXjFwyVJuJ0gYtgq2jmsvpvnu5kf3pgSTXMUIgpdiIygaGXjpb4DcwLqUvZYMGG8QqKKN5B42ZGJPOG/s320/Prague1+014.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>I'm running out of batteries on the computer so this is going to be a quick post-- mostly pictures! We really enjoyed Prague today. We spent most of our day at the Prague Castle and Starhov Monastery! </div></div></div></div></div>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12491568238175556855noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1066345017451522305.post-51231126660048312882009-07-28T17:48:00.002-05:002009-07-28T17:55:14.827-05:00I don't think the Europeans got the memo...So many people here smoke! It's amazing! They're all about being environmentally friendly, but they're not environmentally friendly to their own bodies. Not to mention, their cigarette butts cause tons of trash. Everywhere we have gone in Europe we have noticed this problem. I think the Brits are the best about it because it is not allowed in most pubs and restaurants. We end up sitting inside at a lot of restaurants because we don't want to smell smoke while we're eating. Today I saw a mother with her three year old. She had a cigarette in one hand and in the other her child's chicken nugget. She would take a puff of the cigarette, and then blow on her daughter's chicken nugget trying to cool it off for the little girl to eat. It was unbelieveable!<br /><br />Other than that, we had a wonderful day exploring Prague! We just got back from a great Jazz club in Old Town Square. It's late so I'll write more tomorrow!<br /><br />Love to all!Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12491568238175556855noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1066345017451522305.post-64952416132366309152009-07-28T05:50:00.004-05:002009-07-28T17:48:26.744-05:00Prague or Dog?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVCHYp86Hw-YV_664MAmeCF3zhW2vDRvuMemVykx8MbOHYygFOzNNK0S_YHvEpBNIyVWkD9J53AItvECA1eQU_fJnJDPEYsVAByT8_hw5PXUPg-JUEssJSiu_AfIVIPBtvXtRPcSzI7EN_/s1600-h/Zurich+031.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363645674747166834" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVCHYp86Hw-YV_664MAmeCF3zhW2vDRvuMemVykx8MbOHYygFOzNNK0S_YHvEpBNIyVWkD9J53AItvECA1eQU_fJnJDPEYsVAByT8_hw5PXUPg-JUEssJSiu_AfIVIPBtvXtRPcSzI7EN_/s320/Zurich+031.jpg" border="0" /></a> Our hotel in Prague-- Miss Sophie's!!<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyr0NRhO-9W3TNhyjM0xEVLtQA6FgVScX7JTuqg57RgWuhaR0XQ4pHin7a-u9pdfN-UYQGQsEo1nQFexLry10Gt_vG87tq3dglINyL5QplKOVPVJ5-RZqbTnJUvczkhNK7KM1dt4NpkYzo/s1600-h/Zurich+021.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363645671195597458" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyr0NRhO-9W3TNhyjM0xEVLtQA6FgVScX7JTuqg57RgWuhaR0XQ4pHin7a-u9pdfN-UYQGQsEo1nQFexLry10Gt_vG87tq3dglINyL5QplKOVPVJ5-RZqbTnJUvczkhNK7KM1dt4NpkYzo/s320/Zurich+021.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Flower clock in Zurich. They seem to have one in every major Swiss city.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiopk-DU9zitfZnQ6ENNoIa_e6nbfPKugpKnIgWTzeB7q4Pj9sb4c6a4aAwh8JRflQmMAi0mnPddYN_fK8NPzqW0K6O19qcS1MFtb1M28fgES0aZt3z05tgFglCArbIQdmYhQm1o88Zeo-V/s1600-h/Zurich+008.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363645664705569874" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiopk-DU9zitfZnQ6ENNoIa_e6nbfPKugpKnIgWTzeB7q4Pj9sb4c6a4aAwh8JRflQmMAi0mnPddYN_fK8NPzqW0K6O19qcS1MFtb1M28fgES0aZt3z05tgFglCArbIQdmYhQm1o88Zeo-V/s320/Zurich+008.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Relaxing at Lake Zurich.<br /><br /><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKP_ZzPLes-equlR3bBRN4aO_P1K5KWSkbMicPRfqB7CcgAMqlmx2PaMFhuF7taZhP2UB7ICIavBTrexXuZmLgnxijZbD5e4P4cynFoc83mCrfWG3joFOXA6e4whvKxMs6P5LglfR-g9AB/s1600-h/Zurich+001.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363645651136046018" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKP_ZzPLes-equlR3bBRN4aO_P1K5KWSkbMicPRfqB7CcgAMqlmx2PaMFhuF7taZhP2UB7ICIavBTrexXuZmLgnxijZbD5e4P4cynFoc83mCrfWG3joFOXA6e4whvKxMs6P5LglfR-g9AB/s320/Zurich+001.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />I had to include a picture of Lola. This is here in Blake's suitcase before we left! We can't wait to see her on Friday!<br /><br /><div>The title of this post was the question was asked ourselves so many times this year. Do we want to go to Prague or get a dog? Well, we were blessed to be able to do both. We absolutely adore our little Lola bear, as most of you know, and right now I am sitting typing this post in Prague! The night train was interesting. No, Stephen, the night train did not include any night cheese, unfortunately (or forunately, if that night cheese was stinky).<br /></div><div>Before getting on the night train at 10:40pm, we spent the day in Zurich killing time. We locked up 3 out of 4 of our bags and walked around the city. It was beautiful just like Holly Porter said it would be! We spent a lot of time sitting at the park gazing over the lake at the mountains. We ate a doner (turkish gyro?) and chocolate chip gelato for a snack. Then in the late evening we had dinner at the Movie Restaurant. The salads were awesome!<br /></div><div>Finally, it was time to get on the train. Blake and I were both a little anxious about this new adventure. Who would be in the cabin with us? Would our stuff get stolen? Would we be able to sleep in the 14 hours on the train? So many questions. When we found our cabin, we noticed there were 6 beds. Three on each side, and we prefrenced the bottom bunks. Initially, there were supposed to be 5 people in there total! We were freaking out a little! One of our "cabin mates" who spoke fluent Italian, Swiss German, English, and a little Slovac convinced the train car operator to open up another cabin. Thank you, Lord! So we ended up with three people in our cabin. The other lady was very sweet and definitely not a threat at all. The ride was a little bumpy, and we stopped quite a few times, but we slept the best we could considering.<br />This morning we woke up and had bread and coffee for breakfast. Europeans love to eat bread! Also, no one had taken our things. </div><br /><br /><div>God has really blessed us since being in Prague so far. At the train station, some little girls gave us their metro passes for free even though we tried to pay them! Then we got to our hotel (Miss Sophie's)and found out they upgraded us to an apartment with a kitchen! I feel like throughout the trip our hotels have slowly gotten better. I am looking forward to our time here, and I will be sure to post since we have free wi-fi! :)<br /><br />I'll put the pictures up later. We're going exploring for now! :)</div></div></div></div>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12491568238175556855noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1066345017451522305.post-55084058927419329062009-07-26T15:00:00.004-05:002009-07-26T15:24:18.166-05:00A Lazy Day in Lucerne<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBeJwdwzGKEH76HEvcM3qDN1yi3qhI4C4CCGILaeD7E5AlPa-zUW4eaU24gHdAngaGTPHW2F55q4Hr-76lb-4vIJ6hqeGWguvhyphenhyphenE9USsERI5euEhC-6u6sQGqs_k45ZCVr07OeKesQzNv4/s1600-h/Switz2+036.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362866790481221954" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBeJwdwzGKEH76HEvcM3qDN1yi3qhI4C4CCGILaeD7E5AlPa-zUW4eaU24gHdAngaGTPHW2F55q4Hr-76lb-4vIJ6hqeGWguvhyphenhyphenE9USsERI5euEhC-6u6sQGqs_k45ZCVr07OeKesQzNv4/s320/Switz2+036.jpg" border="0" /></a> My view during diner. Brilliant!<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqJRmWjgSsOWL3CTvtwEpxUdw-juK20NEhQTP1rhbtAQV8eUTy2aJ9cX6HC46mccY4wVDhoAKh24MoGoTgd4hY4CxwF_hZnzr3Cr4Yglm5fwyYsd9iNb792hiB69HPeNNzo4DgyFJz29VC/s1600-h/Switz2+030.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362866785682614402" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqJRmWjgSsOWL3CTvtwEpxUdw-juK20NEhQTP1rhbtAQV8eUTy2aJ9cX6HC46mccY4wVDhoAKh24MoGoTgd4hY4CxwF_hZnzr3Cr4Yglm5fwyYsd9iNb792hiB69HPeNNzo4DgyFJz29VC/s320/Switz2+030.jpg" border="0" /></a> After our mini-hike!<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWG2i21RQ6pt3ADEDqeG19x6yzg_BP9EDgV3d1TRhjmQscl0li5fZBBq8fb22jSxRHCSghmmHe00m6wRcYoVWMwLd883cgb019inBVUJ6yrDpAZePJi27uUJF_YnmqvAsPbkAkvIidRUpN/s1600-h/Switz2+021.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362866775298490002" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWG2i21RQ6pt3ADEDqeG19x6yzg_BP9EDgV3d1TRhjmQscl0li5fZBBq8fb22jSxRHCSghmmHe00m6wRcYoVWMwLd883cgb019inBVUJ6yrDpAZePJi27uUJF_YnmqvAsPbkAkvIidRUpN/s320/Switz2+021.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Our view while hiking.<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2_syJyeT1JEZN-CkQ6eZEbJw4qf-puYhiPki1gfehuuNLIhEm_qZTNpwB8H5i0-rmhgWp5GbAQ1o79dpNUOTcmEjYxMgNs56aHqFGDA-tNG1PznPCYssqFflGk_I0ix9aswYUVq4BYnc8/s1600-h/Switz2+013.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362866774010062738" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2_syJyeT1JEZN-CkQ6eZEbJw4qf-puYhiPki1gfehuuNLIhEm_qZTNpwB8H5i0-rmhgWp5GbAQ1o79dpNUOTcmEjYxMgNs56aHqFGDA-tNG1PznPCYssqFflGk_I0ix9aswYUVq4BYnc8/s320/Switz2+013.jpg" border="0" /></a> View from the park.<br /><br /><div>Today was laid back. We slept in a little, and woke up to a clear view of the mountains through out window. We walked around the lake for awhile. Then we ate lunch in the train station before getting some blueberry yogurt in freshly made waffle cones. Yum! As you can tell, food has been a mainstay thoughout our trip. Fortunately, we've been walking a lot. hehe. We took a bus to Kramerstein. Kramerstein is a beautiful public park that over looks Lake Lucerne. It surrounds the school I was at during my time here to study abroad. We sat looking over the lake for awhile. Then we took a very mini hike through the woods close by. It was lovely to just be together in such a beautiful place. </div><br /><div>On our return to the city, we had a pretzel and sausage. Then we took a nap for awhile. We ate salads for dinner at a cafe two doors down from our hotel. They were very enjoyable! Dinner was followed by a stroll around the city. Now we are relaxing in our room again! Tomorrow we leave for Prague! We'll be taking a night train so that should be interesting. </div><div> </div><div> </div></div></div></div>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12491568238175556855noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1066345017451522305.post-91382530660513375832009-07-25T11:55:00.003-05:002009-07-25T12:23:10.035-05:00Weekend Market, Lake Lucerne, Weeping LionsThe pictures post in backwards order--sorry! <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdDv9karGGm70MbEGxeBfit43sbuwYEZgupap5Hn6si5qLMbO6pqFLNCUngmBfeCgr12uh2Gh575Jwm79kPq9dgSbFy8uwBMsc-1FRTgvUSMxB1AxY_it3Sd-N8Jzacdo_t4t66A4OdM6v/s1600-h/Switz1+113.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362448925641269202" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdDv9karGGm70MbEGxeBfit43sbuwYEZgupap5Hn6si5qLMbO6pqFLNCUngmBfeCgr12uh2Gh575Jwm79kPq9dgSbFy8uwBMsc-1FRTgvUSMxB1AxY_it3Sd-N8Jzacdo_t4t66A4OdM6v/s320/Switz1+113.jpg" border="0" /></a> The weeping lion of Lucerne.<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixXFkGpimKBq0SOeZzXecUTh55eKFilr0iA5fDTHLMkuZtdjNgXHAw_tiVGCjadbxMuQf3bi7bp5MDnZhOni6o34TrwYs1GgeHern-WMGKnuAo6sirT9rqZ8pOa_XVXxDw2-se3sXBs5qR/s1600-h/Switz1+100.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362448923937268322" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixXFkGpimKBq0SOeZzXecUTh55eKFilr0iA5fDTHLMkuZtdjNgXHAw_tiVGCjadbxMuQf3bi7bp5MDnZhOni6o34TrwYs1GgeHern-WMGKnuAo6sirT9rqZ8pOa_XVXxDw2-se3sXBs5qR/s320/Switz1+100.jpg" border="0" /></a> Blake in front of the church.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKpC_L9LnPX-L7MOcswDPqc83JV6-fKTmRmgd6kHACTzvQZdkPvAt6SZzhws1SwXK0ouBBPhb_Moxmk7ycOT5YECyF6rWtmxPEgvULspXXSv-hF9CZjQ7dUbjl6KdoV0Dc8LtUHLwFdMyA/s1600-h/Switz1+077.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362448916204271218" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKpC_L9LnPX-L7MOcswDPqc83JV6-fKTmRmgd6kHACTzvQZdkPvAt6SZzhws1SwXK0ouBBPhb_Moxmk7ycOT5YECyF6rWtmxPEgvULspXXSv-hF9CZjQ7dUbjl6KdoV0Dc8LtUHLwFdMyA/s320/Switz1+077.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />View from the steamboat.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFDWHtZ6smzuALWoLv1sXJDgUQXonSDlETA95OkvcgCNcDAKT3GcaD5l-e0n6uuN_iCcVyZrHUxIR20L9GF5vDTThX_jOhoCk8GmS_Ryj6nlF65Ojz6bTrzA5bcdCk6IPF1z19Pe8cpUhq/s1600-h/Switz1+080.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362448910452743890" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFDWHtZ6smzuALWoLv1sXJDgUQXonSDlETA95OkvcgCNcDAKT3GcaD5l-e0n6uuN_iCcVyZrHUxIR20L9GF5vDTThX_jOhoCk8GmS_Ryj6nlF65Ojz6bTrzA5bcdCk6IPF1z19Pe8cpUhq/s320/Switz1+080.jpg" border="0" /></a> Us at the dock on Lake Lucerne.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8xxJqeOj_OPjesm7G1S0vsNLBQ0UAxamCh2EU_25srjms7GwWoCXqIBIKH6DceYiToWZOXgIRtSBCzka9_7Dt2R_jZyGaMfbCTs7_lVyF_dmcjxbfM6XEkAm1nN268yIuJnfTljtDoWcR/s1600-h/Switz1+054.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362448905324619442" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8xxJqeOj_OPjesm7G1S0vsNLBQ0UAxamCh2EU_25srjms7GwWoCXqIBIKH6DceYiToWZOXgIRtSBCzka9_7Dt2R_jZyGaMfbCTs7_lVyF_dmcjxbfM6XEkAm1nN268yIuJnfTljtDoWcR/s320/Switz1+054.jpg" border="0" /></a> Flowers at the market!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>Last night we had an amazing dinner with the Domenchek family. There house is BEAUTIFUL! It is very contemporary but warm, and it has a wonderful view of the lake through huge glass windows on the front of the house. The family was lovely, and we really enjoyed chatting with them. We got home late so I didn't have a chance to write last night again.<br /><br /><br /><br />We awoke this morning to the sounds of the weekend market below. It is one of my favorite things about Lucerne because it is so quaint and wonderful that they bring out their finest flowers, veggies, cheeses, pasteries, and more for everyone to buy. There is also a bizarre on one side of the river. We sampled many items, and we ended up with two sausage links, two pastries, a basket of blueberries, and two tiny pigs for my collection. We really enjoyed it!<br /><br /><br /><br />We grabbed two pretzel bread sandwiches on our way to the Lucerne Lake boat tour. It was a three hour tour of the lake, and it was absolutely stunning. We actually saw the Domenchek's house from the lake--very cool!<br /><br /><br /><br />We walked around the church on the hill here called Horfergen, I think. Then we went to see the weeping lion of Lucerene. He makes me very sad as he is stabbed in the side and weeping. It commemorates the massacered Swiss guards from the French Revolution in 1792.<br /><br /><br /><br />There is a festival going on here right now called the Blue Balls Festival so there are tons of different types of foods and crafts booths set up all around the lake. We got some Asian food for dinner at one of the booths. There are quite a few people here too. At night there will be concerts so we will go out later to enjoy those. Joss Stone, a singer who Blake really likes (I don't know here stuff that well), is playing tonight. Tickets are sold out though so unless we find some cheap on the street we probably won't go. It's neat to be in the music/artsy atmosphere though.<br /><br /><br /><br />We bought a charger for the computer so that I can write, and Blake can charge his phone. The hotel is also close to a free wifi modem, so I will write tomorrow!</div></div></div></div></div>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12491568238175556855noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1066345017451522305.post-30378731248796123222009-07-24T10:16:00.005-05:002009-07-25T11:44:18.388-05:00Kuh Schtyling<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5yvfEOFRp3eRoxcO62fU2FZXBe2xH1faSXmnY4ja7y8qf-_fLntw66HHOkoTlzRM_26XyV3eNGJcadP7_riTEEBcQN2iFMUlLJBWYo491YP7HcTUJtLpTe0iGUm1CA8CSxulAGp0UFFBp/s1600-h/Switz1+028.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362438840658035298" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5yvfEOFRp3eRoxcO62fU2FZXBe2xH1faSXmnY4ja7y8qf-_fLntw66HHOkoTlzRM_26XyV3eNGJcadP7_riTEEBcQN2iFMUlLJBWYo491YP7HcTUJtLpTe0iGUm1CA8CSxulAGp0UFFBp/s320/Switz1+028.jpg" border="0" /></a> View from our hotel room at the Pickwick Hotel.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbQ4ZdqZ6PzqB27F4ILWwWmZoxwG3xdrPSJ5ZTHxJiq0rw99fGwlqJjSkJF71chI_s-wsWUG30bj8JAaIwICPNwWg5NbcPaZk3k6d57KKuldH2F-G47pE-lgZsS2CNJKxyHYETT1ySW0Aj/s1600-h/Switz1+037.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362438834407638930" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbQ4ZdqZ6PzqB27F4ILWwWmZoxwG3xdrPSJ5ZTHxJiq0rw99fGwlqJjSkJF71chI_s-wsWUG30bj8JAaIwICPNwWg5NbcPaZk3k6d57KKuldH2F-G47pE-lgZsS2CNJKxyHYETT1ySW0Aj/s320/Switz1+037.jpg" border="0" /></a> On the Kappel bridge you see above.<br /><br />Last night we were watching German TV, and we ran across a show about kuh schtyling, which is cow grooming. The man they interviewed was a kuh schtylist, and his job is to cut and style and cow's hair. We had no idea what he was saying most of the time, but we died laughing every time we heard them say "kuh schtyling". Now it is a running joke whenever we see cows in the countryside.<br /><br />Anyway, we are in Luzern, one of my favorite cities in the world. Our hotel is actually right above a pub and looks out over the Kappel bridge. It's an amazing view! The only draw back is we're sharing a bathroom. We haven't seen many people though, so it should be okay.<br /><br />We're getting ready to go eat with Anna (my buddy from when I was here two summers ago) and her family at her house! I'm very excited! I'll try to write more later and post pictures!<br /><br />Love love love!!!Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12491568238175556855noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1066345017451522305.post-12499093271226156332009-07-23T14:30:00.004-05:002009-07-25T11:54:27.434-05:00Lausanne--unbelievable<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPA5fDAMLH2WpH2ZUTWwEnx0Sil4yJoldT9qN2-4giNh5OhfNHr_oDOE21RsR3MyEenkD_Np_3QV-d9dM-LKttQRZaxND1dVLEd2s7WQJ8qzEnZZJncOZAr5QhQNknguQuSDLtiUW-dkl2/s1600-h/Switz1+025.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362441758010770098" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPA5fDAMLH2WpH2ZUTWwEnx0Sil4yJoldT9qN2-4giNh5OhfNHr_oDOE21RsR3MyEenkD_Np_3QV-d9dM-LKttQRZaxND1dVLEd2s7WQJ8qzEnZZJncOZAr5QhQNknguQuSDLtiUW-dkl2/s320/Switz1+025.jpg" border="0" /></a> Lausanne from the train going to Lucerne.<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA8eXFKMgNZFaZLqmyrmJSuPj7g73U3zQiLsnDVV0N4tjdNE82A7_OeZ_2qSnLA9WtNxbydZ9o3i8YnKkBWIE4BdQjrdfp56hpyPpGNeih74D6L_C3BwUHGyoxmi40SqZkhQ1iwQkZGuIa/s1600-h/Switz1+020.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362441748955713618" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA8eXFKMgNZFaZLqmyrmJSuPj7g73U3zQiLsnDVV0N4tjdNE82A7_OeZ_2qSnLA9WtNxbydZ9o3i8YnKkBWIE4BdQjrdfp56hpyPpGNeih74D6L_C3BwUHGyoxmi40SqZkhQ1iwQkZGuIa/s320/Switz1+020.jpg" border="0" /></a> They have a flower clock here similar to the one in Geneva.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9yI_wuHze_A4h0Puq5RxGLM3YUvuVOarS1r23BPX9vOIs5Fy53JQJ_Y1hN613GGc_umFm_Ho3HFcY0ZGfWj_HDi12dIVELo8iYlzY033IaKbt5yAd1yEFAraK0wxxy2DdcmkiXYvXLTVp/s1600-h/Switz1+017.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362441741195410274" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9yI_wuHze_A4h0Puq5RxGLM3YUvuVOarS1r23BPX9vOIs5Fy53JQJ_Y1hN613GGc_umFm_Ho3HFcY0ZGfWj_HDi12dIVELo8iYlzY033IaKbt5yAd1yEFAraK0wxxy2DdcmkiXYvXLTVp/s320/Switz1+017.jpg" border="0" /></a> It's hard to see the mountains beyond the fog, but it's beautiful in person.<br /><br /><br /><div>Lausanne, Switzerland is unbelievable! This morning ate some peanut butter on toast (we brought the peanut butter from home, and bought the toasted crackers at the supermarket). Then we took the metro to the train station. Our train was right on time, and everything went smoothly. The scenery was beautiful. We walked around the city today in awe. It started raining so we ran into a little cafe for dinner. Conicidentally, it was a hamburger joint. By hamburger, it meant ground beef on French bread. hah. It was good though. Our hotel has free wifi, but our computer is running out of battery. I'll try to write more if I can later. If not, I will tomorrow?<br /><br />Love to all! Thanks for the comments! Love it!</div></div></div>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12491568238175556855noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1066345017451522305.post-4326647327755427582009-07-22T14:42:00.003-05:002009-07-25T16:21:35.402-05:00Escargot, Crepes, and Crossaints--Oooh La La<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigIfbRIYxJdmUbj0kL0OWpiZN6xTnjD5rMq6zqn2vBQCe0cznLFNqlsqzYP21TnxzEJbjW-WMOEcI7LF1rrAMWyOXyyMIDNaUcPIwK61yH465bUwx4ZAcnPFPWvESzpWni-vBM2pOcDkYi/s1600-h/iphoneEuro+009.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362510456041779682" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigIfbRIYxJdmUbj0kL0OWpiZN6xTnjD5rMq6zqn2vBQCe0cznLFNqlsqzYP21TnxzEJbjW-WMOEcI7LF1rrAMWyOXyyMIDNaUcPIwK61yH465bUwx4ZAcnPFPWvESzpWni-vBM2pOcDkYi/s320/iphoneEuro+009.jpg" border="0" /></a> Finally figuring out how to eat the escargot!<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaAb5UmO3EJgCOu6eNA9Dlw86En9vRjHDX675v7oFv9fUa6nRQvN-5-8OFeyWfF9-p1jmaepFJYauFYPDUe4LMDcO3ZBAH1c_xXiBITKAwzM03IiNaK6N_c8SIeISWGhAOwPEBXMNSfjRc/s1600-h/Paris+111.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361378066220128882" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaAb5UmO3EJgCOu6eNA9Dlw86En9vRjHDX675v7oFv9fUa6nRQvN-5-8OFeyWfF9-p1jmaepFJYauFYPDUe4LMDcO3ZBAH1c_xXiBITKAwzM03IiNaK6N_c8SIeISWGhAOwPEBXMNSfjRc/s320/Paris+111.jpg" border="0" /></a> Eating our crepes! Yum!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCBvkJh5CqyjNeIpqnpDqp0WgGCqExVf3zKnEHMSVYIlieiN2Jm1To63JQ59FSu9NfavNr_4IQ8USSyp9qdIZu8h9ZN1REP9wW02-3-Kc23IWNTn37mbSRcQdqMl37g3B-VwApJZ_K7TQ7/s1600-h/Paris+046.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361378061672600306" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCBvkJh5CqyjNeIpqnpDqp0WgGCqExVf3zKnEHMSVYIlieiN2Jm1To63JQ59FSu9NfavNr_4IQ8USSyp9qdIZu8h9ZN1REP9wW02-3-Kc23IWNTn37mbSRcQdqMl37g3B-VwApJZ_K7TQ7/s320/Paris+046.jpg" border="0" /></a> Us in front of the church.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaOCtRalX6wWWydAVdskdaHdd40XoWDkXymX-Nu-qnIwrxMW26AAC4DEdlsDvRhXbHA2AdWlVksnyzoOxKRwIT6vS30XDG1ezMmWxsOCUVY90iC8jFO46j1oaQi4bQC9u46rNphLrbUZV2/s1600-h/Paris+042.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361378051018068194" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaOCtRalX6wWWydAVdskdaHdd40XoWDkXymX-Nu-qnIwrxMW26AAC4DEdlsDvRhXbHA2AdWlVksnyzoOxKRwIT6vS30XDG1ezMmWxsOCUVY90iC8jFO46j1oaQi4bQC9u46rNphLrbUZV2/s320/Paris+042.jpg" border="0" /></a> Us in the dome at the top of Sacre Coure<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7R4SGMKO31R7RsMhb8HU1QP0h3F0EdL-NwRZnsjUWihxSkj7SXWAfTuVn-vG4CNjOLQN_phtiNRodsayMzxExHtHQf9kUmIAlZjukUU142w9x_LKrEbC7C6GQzi0rwxb_132JurOdohrG/s1600-h/Paris+031.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361378047187777634" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7R4SGMKO31R7RsMhb8HU1QP0h3F0EdL-NwRZnsjUWihxSkj7SXWAfTuVn-vG4CNjOLQN_phtiNRodsayMzxExHtHQf9kUmIAlZjukUU142w9x_LKrEbC7C6GQzi0rwxb_132JurOdohrG/s320/Paris+031.jpg" border="0" /></a> Blake at the bottom of Sacre Coure</div><div><br />We have definitely enjoyed our time in Paris! When we arrived in Paris we ate a very French lunch. Blake had some kind of chicken neck (we ordered blindly because we couldn't read the menu and the waitress didn't speak English--literally poinbted to an item) that tasted so delicious. His order also included chocolate mousse-- so good! I ordered escargot. Yes, that is snails. I was thinking they would serve it the way my Dad and I order them in Houston where they pull out the meat and put it in a basically a pastry. Not the case in Paris. The waitress brought out 6 complete snail shells and some spring-loaded tongs. I could NOT figure out how to use the tongs to get the meat. I was so embarrassed and frustrated. Finally, I found a little pick under the plate. Ah-ha! Grab the shell with the tongs and use the pick to pull out the meat. Brilliant! Took me awhile though. Blake thought it was quite funny to watch and had no idea how to help. After we checked into the hotel (we had to wait until 2pm), we bought a bus pass for two days. It was a hop on, hop off deal. It took us all over the city. During the afternoon we climbed to the top of a hill to see the beautiful Sacre Coure cathedral. It was amazing inside, and we also climbed to the very top of the dome. The view was beautiful--probably the highest point in Paris. We walked through the streets of Paris, and eventually found a place for a very fresh seafood salad for dinner.<br /><br />This morning we had chocolate filled croissants (sp?) for breakfast. Then we hopped on the train and made our way to La Madeleine Cathedral. They had some amazing modern art inside. AFter that, we hung out around the Louvre (we didn't actually go inside. We'll have to save that for another trip), and walked through the surrounding gardens. It was beautiful! Throughout the afternoon was saw various famous Parisian sights such as the Arch de Triomphe, Notre Dame, Jardin de Palais Royal and many others. We grabbed bagette sandwiches, and followed them with crepes filled with granulated sugar and nutella! Yum!<br /><br />Tomorrow we're catching the train to Geneva, and we're staying in Lausanne! I'm excited to be in Switzerland again, and I know Blake is looking forward to it as well!<br /><br />Love to all!</div>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12491568238175556855noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1066345017451522305.post-51412354556505020502009-07-20T16:28:00.003-05:002009-07-20T16:35:36.444-05:00Last Day in London! Now we're off to Paris!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic5BA_RR0hFuEhdFuANr1KUYAE2HwzkkSZgG-knZnMHBkAWbJj3x_DKIPJ3jQzRdvHNEbmdRYtBauoB0uUg1tG7xgeo9GqLl8YPQt_-hmyzuFq68oa0F-ZcKO1S6Rz_peYMlc79wrQp5Bl/s1600-h/London2+024.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic5BA_RR0hFuEhdFuANr1KUYAE2HwzkkSZgG-knZnMHBkAWbJj3x_DKIPJ3jQzRdvHNEbmdRYtBauoB0uUg1tG7xgeo9GqLl8YPQt_-hmyzuFq68oa0F-ZcKO1S6Rz_peYMlc79wrQp5Bl/s320/London2+024.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360659079184482130" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCXS6frMImVIYgpf1DqEvRlmlg0a4fYhlUbQ468okWZo4OU5UWZAoz4MeHxECWen_eJmAJ9pJAEBcmr6NOdZ9BQtNkWlG9HmQYwlFDBZWD-1_PSRDwQpo2F4X5n5V9H32q1jV3rByE1FSk/s1600-h/London2+001.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCXS6frMImVIYgpf1DqEvRlmlg0a4fYhlUbQ468okWZo4OU5UWZAoz4MeHxECWen_eJmAJ9pJAEBcmr6NOdZ9BQtNkWlG9HmQYwlFDBZWD-1_PSRDwQpo2F4X5n5V9H32q1jV3rByE1FSk/s320/London2+001.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360659073200346466" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0AVEoc6zCSxMFrxqzyiXlk4pxx_XaYoxBVeP52DvLuWum1gFCHawN6W6Ebtu1zg91tDgke6_PfOWx2iIYy5W_6IZO6Ge-OTB8-oxq3VoG4WKyTg7tGBDU_dz4r2u0jSGdJs_10SvIH6G_/s1600-h/London2+006.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0AVEoc6zCSxMFrxqzyiXlk4pxx_XaYoxBVeP52DvLuWum1gFCHawN6W6Ebtu1zg91tDgke6_PfOWx2iIYy5W_6IZO6Ge-OTB8-oxq3VoG4WKyTg7tGBDU_dz4r2u0jSGdJs_10SvIH6G_/s320/London2+006.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360659054313172450" /></a><br />Today was a lot of fun! We started out at the Tower of London where we saw the Crown Jewels (amazing) and an exhibit on Henry VIII. It's the 500 year anniversary of the beginning of his reign. After that we check out the inside of Westmister Abbey. On our way in we found out that it is 15 pounds for each of us to get in. We were stunned by the price! I know it has gone up significantly since I was here two years ago! It's still one of my favorite places to visit in London though. I think Blake enjoyed it too. Our last stop of the day was the Benjamin Franklin House. It was very anticlimactic. I wouldn't recommend it to first time visitors to London becuase it doesn't really tell you anything new or interesting. Now we are off to bed so we can get up and catch the train to Paris!Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12491568238175556855noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1066345017451522305.post-52740294921893512862009-07-20T02:46:00.003-05:002009-07-20T02:56:50.761-05:00London is great, free wi-fi hard to find<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHeEvP2Cz56JepLdGmthNsLN5HWTKqEJ0nczKBVVZnAyo7jdwWBz7WKqam_v9KAy_wpDMN3pF-hQMspxpBedSnSa6ywuhysBNCNoG7ujSGmvJnPKfD15mc8LHe6LAmd-7Bozv0_vaameNM/s1600-h/London1+065.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHeEvP2Cz56JepLdGmthNsLN5HWTKqEJ0nczKBVVZnAyo7jdwWBz7WKqam_v9KAy_wpDMN3pF-hQMspxpBedSnSa6ywuhysBNCNoG7ujSGmvJnPKfD15mc8LHe6LAmd-7Bozv0_vaameNM/s320/London1+065.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360448089836459074" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCn_kOtWksXDBU8Hsh5H63CcEFFhl7lHRZ0W5MRTT8ZBbiGwH2jzz3Cexavyx43dfNn4pBuzNqM-D1B1G3_xApHeI6PKLBFZZ0dbFb4z8N7Xk7xRXFl0idTsV8ftklzoXhRhGIsltcqHbS/s1600-h/London1+054.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCn_kOtWksXDBU8Hsh5H63CcEFFhl7lHRZ0W5MRTT8ZBbiGwH2jzz3Cexavyx43dfNn4pBuzNqM-D1B1G3_xApHeI6PKLBFZZ0dbFb4z8N7Xk7xRXFl0idTsV8ftklzoXhRhGIsltcqHbS/s320/London1+054.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360448083971306546" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiusr-NHhEe6pnWmTR1Z-0s3TmbfbHyVAzwMRpM2CGxdR048HVQwtWJUpmfkmsXqxZIM6Fc9iCy3fE3l1AWlKws3l2B4Bo7_Xe6tEruOPGfQgQFCubq0yJ_aVIE0ao0P4ONhsZTbI6jRO4x/s1600-h/London1+032.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiusr-NHhEe6pnWmTR1Z-0s3TmbfbHyVAzwMRpM2CGxdR048HVQwtWJUpmfkmsXqxZIM6Fc9iCy3fE3l1AWlKws3l2B4Bo7_Xe6tEruOPGfQgQFCubq0yJ_aVIE0ao0P4ONhsZTbI6jRO4x/s320/London1+032.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360448076759129474" /></a><br />Sorry it has taken so long to post! Free wi-fi has been very difficult to come by, but we finally found a McDonald's close by that has it! Yay! We're having a wonderful time although jet-lag makes it very difficult to get up the morning! The first day we got here we wondered around like zombies looking at some of the sights, but we were really too late to get into anythiing. Saturday we took a tour bus with a tour guide to Windsor Castle, Bath, and Stonehenge. Windsor Castle was beautiful! Bath is a quaint little town. Stonehenge would have been a lot cooler, but the bus driver had to turn around literally 5 times including backing the bus half way down a tiny street in Bath. By the time we got to Stonehenge, it was closed. Fortunately, we were able to see it from outside the fence. Yesterday, we enjoyed Green Park, Buckingham Palace, Wellington Arch, and walking around the edge of the River Thames. We also bowled with our free bowling pass at Namco, which is kind of like Main Event. We thought it was quite hilarious that we were bowling in London, of all things, but the free wi-fi lured us there. Unfortunately, I didn't have the computer, just Blake's phone. Today is our last day in London so we're packing it in. I'll have to post pictures later because we've got to get going. Love to all!Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12491568238175556855noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1066345017451522305.post-79782678035438207092009-07-14T23:41:00.002-05:002009-07-14T23:44:30.732-05:00Time to fly!!I didn't think I would use this blog again for a very long time, but Blake and I are two days away from leaving for Europe again! I am so excited to experience traveling together in Europe! I know we're going to have a great time and take lots of pictures! We're bringing a tiny laptop so hopefully we'll be able to keep everyone up to date on our activities! Tomorrow I will try to post our approximate itinerary!Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12491568238175556855noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1066345017451522305.post-18292328728532091672007-06-05T17:32:00.000-05:002007-12-12T15:08:17.475-06:00Advice and Tips about SwitzerlandHandmade gloves. I didn't expect it to be 45 degrees during summer. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5t6SUVwJu8cy6bmyTG83UyNl42yfOgjVlN1Py3BZAfHFrY3BVmttm62NODQD0IYvp9z-Cim0PldDJqkAY4N6NwtXz4ImfsTaBHKwUnvwXXSGJ1XdWd-bWac0AxoZrmXMSOZiIZOCELx9X/s1600-h/IMG_1654.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5072732431519750290" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5t6SUVwJu8cy6bmyTG83UyNl42yfOgjVlN1Py3BZAfHFrY3BVmttm62NODQD0IYvp9z-Cim0PldDJqkAY4N6NwtXz4ImfsTaBHKwUnvwXXSGJ1XdWd-bWac0AxoZrmXMSOZiIZOCELx9X/s320/IMG_1654.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Here are a few lists of things that I've learned....just for my own reference and anyone else who's going to Switzerland.<br /><br />Things I wish I hadn't brought<br /></div><ul><li>Computer (it was a hassel, but I'm glad I got to write the blog. Luckily, one of my roommates let me borrow hers. Thanks Alyssa.)</li><br /><li>A ton of food. </li></ul><div>Things I'm glad I brought </div><ul><li>Trench coat; jacket</li><li>Long johns (wore them in Bern when it was cold and rainy)</li><li>European-made hair dryer</li><li>allergy medicine (a few of us had allergy problems)</li><li>American magazines (they cost about $15 there)</li><li>Umbrella</li><li>Extra battery & extra memory card for camera</li><li>Nalgene bottle (can fill it up with water from any fountain)</li><li>Switzerland travel book (good to carry around and look up stuff while on the bus or train)</li><li>Studend ID card (we got discounts)</li></ul><div>Things I wish I brought </div><ul><li>Gloves (see picture above)</li><li>Ponch0</li><li>Converter (luckily, my sweet roommies had one)</li><li>bug spray (surprisingly, quite a few mosquitoes)</li><li>Rolling backpack</li><li>Travel book for London</li><li>Swiss German dictionary (they don't use High German)</li><br /></ul><div>Things to know<br /></div><ul><li>Splitting an entree costs an extra 2 CHF</li><li>Bern is the capital (I thought it was Geneva)</li><li>Everything closes early around 5 in Switzerland unless its Thursday, then it closes about 9.</li><li>Walking tours are a good way to start your visit in a city.</li><li>Get a Swiss train pass. Our professors got the Swiss Youth Pass, which is for people 26 years old and younger. It got us on trains, major city buses, trollies, and half price for rail cars and gondolas up the mountain. We also got free entrance into the International Red Cross Museum, Picasso Museum, and the Bern Natural Science, and History Musuem including the Albert Einstein Museum. I showed it everywhere we went. It was one of the best things about the trip because we could go whenever we wanted. </li><li>McClean is a bathroom in all train stations. Its very clean, but it costs 2 CHF. Coop City has a free bathroom if you can find one of those.</li><li>Switerland is very safe, but you still need to watch your stuff especially around the train station and at night. We didn't have any incidents while we were there. </li></ul>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12491568238175556855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1066345017451522305.post-2128957417283896652007-06-02T17:17:00.000-05:002007-06-03T10:12:38.783-05:00Home again!We're sad to leave. Convinced? <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAnWVR2oMlIlWJTNC0J5e1nT69YjGO1w0u1bQ8i2QE-zntJ6wsvKvtkVswSneoCO5BK2PkSaMb9NPNdiP9ntz_vJMtuWOnAxVBjkpz0ftHpGDRaec936OC73E7NKyNEcy9t7W4qg6UXxHO/s1600-h/Switz2+348.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5071855960176266866" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAnWVR2oMlIlWJTNC0J5e1nT69YjGO1w0u1bQ8i2QE-zntJ6wsvKvtkVswSneoCO5BK2PkSaMb9NPNdiP9ntz_vJMtuWOnAxVBjkpz0ftHpGDRaec936OC73E7NKyNEcy9t7W4qg6UXxHO/s320/Switz2+348.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSX8GfG3sS4KuDGQktEBhgAhgQUFOjx0OZRV25ISoVJblaBQwzxts0QcHGmPuwJ6oWPsYnQ_3ulmjJUTmP9CzMrCnCiXxFcWdQNV1ohtWBkBaFs7-M0BSycYgyrS5JHPybHTxxnEGfqPZz/s1600-h/Switz2+349.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5071855964471234178" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSX8GfG3sS4KuDGQktEBhgAhgQUFOjx0OZRV25ISoVJblaBQwzxts0QcHGmPuwJ6oWPsYnQ_3ulmjJUTmP9CzMrCnCiXxFcWdQNV1ohtWBkBaFs7-M0BSycYgyrS5JHPybHTxxnEGfqPZz/s320/Switz2+349.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />I'm starting to laugh....<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4UrqfvicoDOZtUoLAmTrimKl-p_EJGJ1n5rdcNj7ujH3NjAVz78iyUu8JLYDIMIh4PQ0xFdq7Zj-WhQ5jhLkxg9fxg0X643_Cf0wOJQQWHEHJY2maPpdZQPh1uwMLMpUKWVRZAHToY1cl/s1600-h/Switz2+350.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5071855968766201490" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4UrqfvicoDOZtUoLAmTrimKl-p_EJGJ1n5rdcNj7ujH3NjAVz78iyUu8JLYDIMIh4PQ0xFdq7Zj-WhQ5jhLkxg9fxg0X643_Cf0wOJQQWHEHJY2maPpdZQPh1uwMLMpUKWVRZAHToY1cl/s320/Switz2+350.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I made it home safe and sound. The flight seemed a lot longer than I anticipated, but part of that was because we had to circle around Houston for an hour. I think the worst part of travelling is the anticipation between leaving one place and arriving at the other. I didn't want to leave Switzerland, but I was also ready to go home. Now I have a lot of stuff to do for my "real life."</div>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12491568238175556855noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1066345017451522305.post-15806404645454516932007-05-31T01:54:00.000-05:002007-06-05T17:31:26.584-05:00Free DayThe glass factory. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5071859860006571730" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN6UuzIvtAm0ZNc5NxSFY7AB3n_w9rDGZ0ZzLRoL3msz9_yW3YNqRhyphenhyphenjDUrvGSyjK6V_u7-nQs00Pcn5Z_j8-Ae8I2l57XvGYNRgZqi4yaEy7W6gS8U7H3Dvvn25-u3qtVV7LJOAWgMWur/s200/Switz2+203.jpg" border="0" />Me blowing glass.<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDkIIHbRYPKtHQOo0CFS0PIjKXZ5NK0JZPUcovsFfs0GMe_1GCwthHPzMhpNwMKB9vTyvDiNbZ4mtdWJWmagnpYWhI0NMcI-5vW8vQNT981Kd4tz_eujbJi9XZmMvmQCjqv2MuVpy6DzFa/s1600-h/Switz2+258.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5071859842826702498" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDkIIHbRYPKtHQOo0CFS0PIjKXZ5NK0JZPUcovsFfs0GMe_1GCwthHPzMhpNwMKB9vTyvDiNbZ4mtdWJWmagnpYWhI0NMcI-5vW8vQNT981Kd4tz_eujbJi9XZmMvmQCjqv2MuVpy6DzFa/s200/Switz2+258.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4MZcjcNzrneMIBZajMjSzKfZI8H9PgTK5L0R2dhx7DHQOKP4c_KXeY-w7Sl2xKed2L-YBVG7szstgjPTayp3FsF5HJpHDyMrlut1ErbWTNtDQdEYdu8f-0lIftLkP5RyKQDi4nv7ByB4-/s1600-h/Switz2+260.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5071859847121669810" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4MZcjcNzrneMIBZajMjSzKfZI8H9PgTK5L0R2dhx7DHQOKP4c_KXeY-w7Sl2xKed2L-YBVG7szstgjPTayp3FsF5HJpHDyMrlut1ErbWTNtDQdEYdu8f-0lIftLkP5RyKQDi4nv7ByB4-/s200/Switz2+260.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZBUTy9HP4IDuET07B_g2MbxaZqHoRnDjP2FcyHJtnRbziwDbcgpkTqFp_fifKgbZ6PdBfMELX3YPf7tq72UtSTiUdhqHBVYRS7j1kGtU1uWX4TOitrPtO2_JqgDWlt2YA5__9HsSw9xjs/s1600-h/Switz2+261.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5071859855711604418" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZBUTy9HP4IDuET07B_g2MbxaZqHoRnDjP2FcyHJtnRbziwDbcgpkTqFp_fifKgbZ6PdBfMELX3YPf7tq72UtSTiUdhqHBVYRS7j1kGtU1uWX4TOitrPtO2_JqgDWlt2YA5__9HsSw9xjs/s200/Switz2+261.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />View from the boat. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN4g96KECKjqKZA6KwJttLKTAGVvkq8dVz-7R_GHftWuNfHRlUohyphenhyphenzMLbxpzLp33sfYkFr2CsqFwozz_Oave3mU3BSQlpbWWcjICZKUz-xalRoUur7p8Vf2qYVdq75O89OHS2rfJDZH842/s1600-h/Switz2+315.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5071859864301539042" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN4g96KECKjqKZA6KwJttLKTAGVvkq8dVz-7R_GHftWuNfHRlUohyphenhyphenzMLbxpzLp33sfYkFr2CsqFwozz_Oave3mU3BSQlpbWWcjICZKUz-xalRoUur7p8Vf2qYVdq75O89OHS2rfJDZH842/s200/Switz2+315.jpg" border="0" /></a> My girl...lol.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5072711111302092930" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdxrLwTiQASb5MzkXydc-vBA-_J0cORSOpPCK6CtlPG4xgBkjvTq8U6Cec02r3PmCQwmKLDZKrQNEzjJzLicq6D3BPvJ9Uqo4AKjcmu7Lm7dJ8W_qgigCYyebfNEmJC5fZrMTnbLIR4n2A/s320/IMG_1981.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><div>Today was our free day and our last day here. We went to blow glass at Glasi Hergiswil, which is about 15 minutes away from Hotel Felmis. I went with Kacy, Kristin, Jessica, Molly, and Kristin's sister Carrie. We went through the museum, which ended in the factory. Then we blew glass, which was so much fun! After that Kacy and I went into town to go shopping. Then we met up with a bunch of girls at the sunset cruise ship that goes across the lake Luzern. It was beautiful. I was speechless. It's so hard to take it all in and log it to memory. Pictures do it no justice. But they'll give you a good idea. </div></div>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12491568238175556855noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1066345017451522305.post-38976020229782460342007-05-30T15:39:00.000-05:002007-12-12T15:11:31.870-06:00Circus DayToday we had the much-anticipated circus with our Lucerne students. We got there about 10:30, which was nice because we got to sleep in. Everyone had a job--some people were face painting, some were selling popcorn, some were making chili, and I was working on the handout for the Traditions portion of the day.<br /><br />During lunch we sat with the kids while they ate. Then they were supposed to go out for recess. I was headed down to the school anyway so the music teacher asked me to lead them to the bottom. I love playing with the kids. They are so much fun and so full of energy. For the past year I've been saying that I really only wanted to work with high schoolers, but this trip has shown me that I could pretty much teach any grade and be happy. I love all of the cute personalities and seeing how clever they are even at a young age. I got to hang out with Anna again today. I absolutely adore her. She's so wise for her young age and she says such witty things. It's funny that even though she's in 3rd grade she taught me a lesson today. Yesterday, her and a friend got in a fight over something (not exactly sure what happened). As I was getting off the bus yesterday, she said "hopefully things will be better tomorrow." That sounded very grown up to me. Well today when I asked her how things were going between the two of them she said, "everything is great. It's in the past." I really like her attitude-- "let bygones be bygones and move on with life." I try to have that attitude, but there are many times when I bring up things about the way people have treated me in the past and they affect the way I treat them now. I want to try to take on Anna's attitude of "just get over it."<br /><br />I was apart of the "Wild West" portion of the show. The circus was amazing. The kids did a great job. The circus was especially cool because the kids made up everything. That is part of the inquiry method-- it's about student initiative. I think that is so much more meaningful for everyone; the kids feel more responsible, the teacher feels more like a guide than the rule, and the parents know that their child wasn't forced to do anything.<br /><br />After the circus we taught them about Texas A&M. It was a lot of fun. We taught them about "Howdy" and all of our traditions. Then a few of the girls led some yells, and we sang the war hymn too. Next a few of the girls led a line dance. They were really good. They even got Angie Hollington, the principal, and Mr. Latter, the owner of the Lucerne and Zug schools to dance. I took a video of it. After that the mayor of Lucerne, Mr. Latter, Angie, and Dr. Wiese spoke to the group seperatley. Then Chris, the amazing school chef, brought out the beautiful cake that he made. It was so good. We served the cake and the chili that the girls made. I think a lot of the parents liked the chili. They kept the country music going and everyone danced a little more.<br /><br />Then it was time to say good-bye to everyone. It was really hard to say good-bye to Anna. I was surprised at how close we got in just three days. She gave everyone like 5 hugs. Her mom was so sweet. She said some really nice things to me and told me how much Anna enjoyed hanging out with me. I didn't tear up until Anna started crying as she left. I got her address though, so hopefully we can write each other. She is so precious.<br /><br />We had a great day today. The weather was perfect, unlike yesterday. The mountains were beautiful--yesterday it snowed and today we could see the mountain tops covered in blankets of white--breathtaking. I am so glad I have been able to experience God's blessings here in Switzerland. I am amazed by the scenery He has left us and the wonderful experiences He allows us to have. I had bittersweet feelings today. I'm ready to go home, but I am also sad. I've had so much fun. Tomorrow we have a free day so I'm looking forward to that. But I will miss all of my friends here and the beautiful places we've been. Luckily, I have tons of pictures.<br /><br /><br />The Yummy Yummy cake. Yes, those are strawberries.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5070464680446180306" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBzb4vQN3wxLZA86xUH6amtY5i-NE_LrwW7UcpSdzyRr1Y1WNkeAPzGIxvwpi4zzeQcrSVcJJ3IQGj3VH6ZNq-zN6vDDvUVdOszB5zIQYotoeVMtsCMKvOkFoE_sbp-gN1sAyocCLiiz8c/s320/Switz4+017.jpg" border="0" /> Here's the Wild West group. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5072708070465247314" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA2imHnnMGWgafgDr0q-s38yRMYHk4PZN8UCq9s50ynO0Xv6JKVS9_3JikU6vR9mNjiGPoPNzK6ziwZSTtuANdnqhNnX77Ju8sfzXhbS5Bqo_K0O-NlIgQxPnllzn3qreItsieH_pz-ir6/s320/IMG_1795.JPG" border="0" />Aww...sweet girls!<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5072708079055181922" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyj-KB221gSaj1P5FQY4iCOQEJo0flH856g2GGReFTdXbHfgg4rSuRYzYIn4r1SOj3OxvadAAHgob5Jw-ZjBdZgffN_CWoyAUcm4vjSOFX-h-D-U8TjhcQKolMOII6OiBWK3fU6ocd52IP/s320/IMG_1870.JPG" border="0" />The whole group!<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5072708087645116530" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFIqI4lQRtwG44GPcjWCRomLeclGvNBQUhBI18DPUXA_MaeExzHTN5nd1Uhs_UfLiT6yh8L2ILMPELu44AAXo4uc9SbvjSNjiy6GIffJRvH3kfyPOgx1EY6sn3rMnHYP7yF5O8b2rLbUNR/s320/IMG_1866.JPG" border="0" />Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12491568238175556855noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1066345017451522305.post-13018927406203594922007-05-29T16:53:00.000-05:002007-07-16T16:02:06.176-05:00William Tell<div>This is a statue of William Tell and his son in Altdorf. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5070482160963075106" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLFBvyv2FS-qF91pdJ_9kFB-8qtrxsz1hyphenhyphenpo6F7oQWVe-ria8zo5Y0ZipYuRLOMEGIa844AHRPaPOlQnMUeVAD3h1E4grMA2SoK7bv7By3liSf5Y7_mZnrzkLpoQbXG8bQE1nUgk7Mrll_/s320/TELL+034.jpg" border="0" /> Kacy and I at the lake. This is where William Tell jumped off the boat to save himself.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj45hEpTVUl7vUuN0JKzqJX2iI3QPZyMTGHQHr_lNgskiCETY-f7O25StS_PI1V4ECcyOfTt96tIbQUxrDTq7BeN5Xuma2dKIG208wbVs0s2Afmm_c0s7NHFXGa1pTDhobbN4WWQuEzFn8t/s1600-h/Switz4+014.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5070398091273222834" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj45hEpTVUl7vUuN0JKzqJX2iI3QPZyMTGHQHr_lNgskiCETY-f7O25StS_PI1V4ECcyOfTt96tIbQUxrDTq7BeN5Xuma2dKIG208wbVs0s2Afmm_c0s7NHFXGa1pTDhobbN4WWQuEzFn8t/s320/Switz4+014.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Today we took the "William Tell Express" to various spots around Altdorf where the story unfolds. We did a lesson with the students about William Tell on the Monday we first arrived in Switzerland so it was a neat opportunity for the story to come to life for the kids. First we stopped to see the William Tell statue, and the kids had to draw the statue. It was raining so that was difficult, but we had fun talking about it.<br /><br />The next stop was the William Tell Museum. It had lots of pictures and stories about William Tell in the history of Switzerland. He is a hero and very symbolic to the Swiss. The students were encouraged to find 5 things they didn't know about William Tell. We also saw a little video about him. It was really interesting.<br /><br />The third stop was the place on the lake where Tell jumped off the boat to get away from Gessler. There was a mural on the wall that told the story. The view was beautiful--a lake surrounded by cliffs with a foggy haze hovering over it. The kids had a lot of fun running around down there. Anna and I counted the number of steps from top to bottom--about 76.<br /><br />The last stop was the field where Gessler was killed. We watched vignettes about the story and listened to a story teller. Then we walked down a path to a tiny Cathedral in honor of William Tell. We all squished inside for a little while then we headed back to Luzern. Most of us got off in Luzern for our last night of shopping. I bought a ton of chocolate to bring back.<br /><br />It was a wonderful day. I got to hang out with Anna all day so that was fun. She's the cutest and sweetest girl. I can't believe we only have two more days in Switzerland. I'm ready to come home, but I love it here. I really want to come back. Sorry this is so short, but I have to get up early tomorrow. </div></div>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12491568238175556855noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1066345017451522305.post-76176422305422893802007-05-29T00:10:00.000-05:002007-12-12T15:14:29.266-06:00BernThe bus never came so Angie saved the day today. She raced back to the school. Got the school bus and brought it back to take us to the train. We were crammed in a bus for little kids and it was hilarious. Kacy and I are in the very back. Andrea took this picture of us. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG1_PFu4kIyTD4s-oFo-txn6ALZmeLOV-hdbFESH5TMJQBTwpMpSe68WivQ9WHeM4oj8bLWyRNNkM0URhy2Y88NMiqoTTTlngM1NINzrrtspiH6331pn0hFUZInFqftxNgXxBVNkgK45W8/s1600-h/Switz4+001.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5070431454579178258" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG1_PFu4kIyTD4s-oFo-txn6ALZmeLOV-hdbFESH5TMJQBTwpMpSe68WivQ9WHeM4oj8bLWyRNNkM0URhy2Y88NMiqoTTTlngM1NINzrrtspiH6331pn0hFUZInFqftxNgXxBVNkgK45W8/s320/Switz4+001.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Me in front of the river in Bern. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigImwrb2h0yj4b-3PqS8Eh-DBB6vhLUtU5-sCecRAbZzfnMqXBPDWnKCtHvp5by59qXDjRZDUv9JGQBs-lBW31ZgKWQa-CV8fU0QFtFeS8T56Cz38RBcVqV6fuShgrnZSkeYThvLu5DUfX/s1600-h/Switz4+002.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5070431476054014754" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigImwrb2h0yj4b-3PqS8Eh-DBB6vhLUtU5-sCecRAbZzfnMqXBPDWnKCtHvp5by59qXDjRZDUv9JGQBs-lBW31ZgKWQa-CV8fU0QFtFeS8T56Cz38RBcVqV6fuShgrnZSkeYThvLu5DUfX/s320/Switz4+002.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTcSZihEKScyfEhbEKjjMI2S03-J_oWt3BtoK4F92tb3c2eGG4w2VAOVi3Zl5qg6dhwd96PTyqj6lYGZxZtoovhtyE3CGDavgtf4pmRWx5Q0cIQqfMBALHgm_Ihk1YeKGrK4w_jW9XAePV/s1600-h/Switz2+001.jpg"></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF6W_-kJ2S1bcT1i6uEt_Mr93pW0DRlv0DccAFpibrD6VcrEqfgbwIQUrqZW0NX-0hj7xH4Bwzg9CqPpFZR4CH1YOHWwQfB00nKQuxPgam5UWc1gvdy4rMCzSLg_vtVFtZZVLJyD-TcRTb/s1600-h/Switz2+004.jpg"></a>Me in front of th clock in Bern.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh31giRNDNssB_F4wYJlejsDeJw_egLVUVjkCUehJOI6nqwNKlfciX4sD0WfJ_7F90iDACaifN7P6FWViM2bByKeRGhxOe0199jnX0-dhs5sbr-A-OKtIt1QyKA0A9xqcj2izIFUiB0tJvf/s1600-h/Switz4+004.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5070401316793662178" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh31giRNDNssB_F4wYJlejsDeJw_egLVUVjkCUehJOI6nqwNKlfciX4sD0WfJ_7F90iDACaifN7P6FWViM2bByKeRGhxOe0199jnX0-dhs5sbr-A-OKtIt1QyKA0A9xqcj2izIFUiB0tJvf/s320/Switz4+004.jpg" border="0" /></a> Megan and I are scared of the bear in the bear pit. They have a bear pit because the bear is the mascot of Bern. I was surprised it was actually awake. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFKuJlqFr7H7J3UYZMe3FN2_dydjyIJ_0gAh8TUAU2Bowlosb2OioHxBicP4EzCRoJNTdjRSmX1i3nkqIv536sY4cMjTU-7N32VK3J2_NJgaZmdDuEULtljov9c3IAI0sdSvh6Giniwpby/s1600-h/Switz4+006.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5070401342563465970" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFKuJlqFr7H7J3UYZMe3FN2_dydjyIJ_0gAh8TUAU2Bowlosb2OioHxBicP4EzCRoJNTdjRSmX1i3nkqIv536sY4cMjTU-7N32VK3J2_NJgaZmdDuEULtljov9c3IAI0sdSvh6Giniwpby/s320/Switz4+006.jpg" border="0" /></a> Kacy, Jessica, and me in front of the fountain by the History and Natural Science Museum.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwCsgLvI9_0eEG55uDAQBHP3nu9GAyS1aIFp-8Mvs5Huym5hIvbcWF4Myx_fIGQg-mIr7eYlR0S6cj0Ww9_7jPaTf-o79oDSXx9JssAY3Y_8nL3P6mwnwVpqsv5OUrOec423ZqdbcPVXpV/s1600-h/Switz4+009.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5070401372628237058" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwCsgLvI9_0eEG55uDAQBHP3nu9GAyS1aIFp-8Mvs5Huym5hIvbcWF4Myx_fIGQg-mIr7eYlR0S6cj0Ww9_7jPaTf-o79oDSXx9JssAY3Y_8nL3P6mwnwVpqsv5OUrOec423ZqdbcPVXpV/s320/Switz4+009.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>Today we went to Bern, the capital of Switzerland. It was a holiday(Pentecost) today so all of the shops were closed. The train was packed with people headed to a soccer cup game between Lucerne and Basal. They were quite rowdy, but we got to Bern safely.<br /><br />We went on a walking tour with a sweet little old lady. Highlights from the tour:<br />*fountains--man eating baby; bear<br />*Albert Einstein's house<br />*St. Vincent's Cathedral--my favorite stained glass window<br />*Bear Pit<br /><br />After the tour Jessica, Kendall, Kacy, and I went to eat lunch. We ended up eating at an American food restaurant called "Neal's Hamburgers" even though we were trying to find some place a little more authentic.<br /><br />We caught a trolley to the Museum of History and Natural Sciences. Inside was also the first Albert Einstein Museum. We went through the history portion of the museum first and we learned lots of facts about Bern such as goldfish were invented in Switzerland. I never knew Swiss culture had so much influence on American culture. Then we went to the Albert Einstein museum. It was soooo cool.<br />Interesting Facts about Einstein:<br />*His ethnicity is Jewish, but he was not a practicing Jew.<br />*He wasn't really a poor student, but the grading system in Switzerland is opposite from the grading system in Germany so the Germans spread the idea that he was a poor student.<br />*All records of his first daughter disappeared.<br />*Einstein's first was was Mileva; they had two sons together.<br />*Mileva was the better mathematician of the two, and she helped him on some of his theories.<br />*He divorced Mileva to marry his cousin Elsa.<br />*He spoke out against Hitler because he did not trust the Nazi's.<br />*Einstein and Elsa move to the US because he does not feel safe in Switzerland as a Jew. He becomes a professor at Princeton.<br />*He wrote letters to FDR warning him about the dangers of the atomic bomb.<br />*He became an American citizen, but kept his Swiss citizenship also.<br />*Einstein died in 1955 of heart failure. His last words are unknown because the nurse on call that night did not know German.<br /><br />I miss everyone, but I'm enjoying my last few days here. More to come.</div></div>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12491568238175556855noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1066345017451522305.post-70490234746251354642007-05-27T16:13:00.000-05:002007-07-16T16:28:22.222-05:00Divonne MarketToday we went to a French market in Divonne on the border of Switzerland and France. It was so cool. I bought quite a few things--soap, honey, lemon cookies, and tea. I also bought lunch and an apple crumble dessert. It was a lot of fun. After the market we caught the train to come back to Lucerne. We are "home" again at Hotel Felmis where we had a lovely dinner of Sweet and Sour chicken. They have spoiled us here with three course dinners every night. We have to get up early tomorrow because we're going to Bern tomorrow.<br /><br /><div> </div> I didn't realize how weird it was for us to be eating like that until everyone who passed us was laughing at us. Granted, Kacy and Alyssa were eating tiny chickens with their hands, and I was eating out of a bag. Probably looked pretty funny.<br /><br />Kacy eating her chicken.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3fd8c1WvOSLlRqqKSCediVvL5xGLrZtNFDYwjVrHm4Tj9O0164y5HM0totVRu3X56yVsIobK3fbdpsyBGo44aR6reljGnbBBpnDdJeS6zRUQ1zfC6VK_a7KCUf8cjNoKxiK1BSCF-t1ZD/s1600-h/Pictures+from+Kacy+006.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3fd8c1WvOSLlRqqKSCediVvL5xGLrZtNFDYwjVrHm4Tj9O0164y5HM0totVRu3X56yVsIobK3fbdpsyBGo44aR6reljGnbBBpnDdJeS6zRUQ1zfC6VK_a7KCUf8cjNoKxiK1BSCF-t1ZD/s320/Pictures+from+Kacy+006.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5087908849649917842" border="0" /></a><br />Alyssa enjoying her watermelon. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5070437742411299650" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5bOrXzRwQeZNtmjmgg1Sx9LJjPHImLbAoUqFcTSNvt3gxY6tcvVM-oBFEK1jP2tYKlYty6B9Wg6CnFNWZmWlDrYJpJuskcI_B2uXcXehD9UXqAVy459bXYkTT9mMwaqbHcV61GwGsTH2G/s320/Switz4+027.jpg" border="0" />Stinky cheese man? <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5069352640398801538" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHdZdmxXD22XZZBwf-2WmMs94C3ooA4obJsPePqk07sb5oUcB32Jn-Xl6C4vxt6nb6BtfWa6kNiVJ5_nHTE-Ogkj7RQJWMJFHw0wFvwax8V3wsOJxK2SWT-WdNDcImkZGUyGfO92pcfRIr/s320/FRANCE2+017.jpg" border="0" />This picture is for you, Dad. Let me just say that cheese smells really bad. Now I know why they say, "Who cut the cheese?"Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12491568238175556855noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1066345017451522305.post-88955520734566257962007-05-26T14:55:00.000-05:002007-06-05T17:26:53.162-05:00Geneva/CrozetSorry it's been awhile since I've posted. Thursday was super busy and yesterday we traveled to Geneva and we are staying in Crozet, France. Here are the pictures finally.<br /><br /><div>8th grade Shakespeare<br /><div><div>Painting in the cafeteria of the Nepal International School. They are trying to raise money for the school.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5070444975136226146" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUG2MRPzJi83orhc94cyT51Zzlgt-2x5zBcIgGCdok-FTOZCoTP8os7Z87xbiEsw1nvIcKd0ZTGCX_5ZZfbAzvGcbzTGrMf-5ANU1Th6VUwR1IvZMbGq4f39yQp1KnS6S3QasLPFuk9-p5/s320/Switz4+034.jpg" border="0" /> Thursday<br />We went to the Zug school to observe again. First I watched the 8th graders perform a readers' theatre of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. It was really cool. I was with the same 6th grade that I was with on Wednesday. At the end of the day we had to present a reflection of the our time in the schools and workshops to the whole group. Mine was a poem. I'll post it below. I got the idea from the 6th grade English teacher I observed at the Zug school. She had the students read the poem by Shel Silverstein called the "Whatif" poem. I did a spin off of that to write my poem. It's funny because I had no idea what to write and I prayed about it and it all came flowing out.<br /><br />Last night as I lay thinking here,<br />Some whatifs crawled inside my ear,<br />And pranced and partied all night long<br />And sang their teacher whatif song<br />What if I brought the world to my classroom?<br />What if my students walked away as a better citizen as well as student?<br />What if I held my students to higher standards than anyone before?<br />What if my students learned to be deeply caring?<br />What if I was the first person to take an interest in their lives?<br />What if I never gave up on them?<br />What if my passion sparks their passion?<br />What if I never got caught up in the daily routine?<br />What if they learn responsibility?<br />What if they find the answers to their own questions?<br />What if learning became a joy instead of a burden?<br />What if creativity and work ethic were the only things graded?<br />What if I don’t just prepare them for their next test, but I prepare them for life?<br />What if their thirst for knowledge never ceased?<br />What if it wasn’t about me, but about them?<br />What if they changed the world one day?<br />What if they changed the world tomorrow?<br />What if I gave them the tools to change the world today?<br />What if every teacher thought about theses things before class started?<br />What if each one of us took each of these things (what we’ve learned on this trip) into our classrooms?<br />As the wheels turn in my head<br />The last thing I want is to go to bed<br />Anything is possible when<br />The only barrier is within…<br />Can’t wait for the whatifs to strike again.<br /><br /><div>When we got back to Lucerne. Kacy and I went to visit the Lion Monument in town. It is very famous because it represents the soldiers who fought against the French.<br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5069346880847657490" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFjtt9BHLAsYyRTyYtiDSqSxhCJ8FoJeqEH01rdK93K3nyno52PYRojlHbOiEO9xoWX3H6pjgTm9hZQqrbI2v-ZQRhJIrWFQsaToIMh4lM3m1Uz4aPax97Ap7_eu82E5knyhXO4kGbIu-b/s320/FRANCE2+005.jpg" border="0" /> Friday<br />We got up early to go to a workshop at the Lucerne school. It was about teaching students learning a second language. It was very interesting. After the workshop we headed to the train station so we could catch a train to Geneva. It took about 3 hours to get there from Lucerne. On our way we passed through Lusanne. It is beautiful there. I really want to go back. Geneva is pretty too. Once we got to the train station, we were met by a bus who took us to our hotel in Crozet, a little town on the French side of the border. We have a beautiful view of Mont Blanc.<br /></div><br /><div>"We're in France!!"<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5069347469258177058" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiulrVpSElxZIJyyjCYGOunlK_qXTQZZl10KPNawf-rYP1POXKoe0TKR2Gv68qVldFYt2zUwHt7gQhDOHE_wyRISi0RYdaw6mCS6PE8K66t0FSkzXbvm43auhRx7hUpY4o9AFfbbcid9dHz/s320/FRANCE2+009.jpg" border="0" /> View from the bus...<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5070447105440004994" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBdSZg5Vr4fSqCO_u5053Eg_edIULazK4zyhQPw9zMCkQJv-wjUy4kHN0276LhTfrHSEhJOz6RWgfI9chfKmC9OsA8kg_VX8E8Nvc4t6uOBeEl2xd541den1QQqVDv8y3tQH_84JGUR8JE/s320/Switz4+021.jpg" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5070447088260135794" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo31_bsKFO3mVxejdVIqWirNxn1cBA0WOgg2e-sHdhK1JDsULV55x1qlowQqQNyLFr3yg4QFuVH-Ix258bYucLJOYgw08YO8hvJKRX6v4cFQhL03moA5oUqejsxvnvDOESG8ZKOGUedsc4/s320/Switz4+020.jpg" border="0" />Our hotel in Crozet<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5069348104913336882" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTZZBJe7-04URjhiXTawGx1Ctf4rqsba96bAlxwmQPwhEeYzArVggrNcNPX5WHjyoSoXx1flnxcbYDrrNsTmtGvF-gSvtYN-3XRW4SXEW7ZjFBIi0Nd045XCthMxyhjBF2-xlMatLNn5gn/s320/FRANCE2+010.jpg" border="0" /> <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5070447118324906898" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg07eVL0z6qfDKRW2hn4Sqdf2kvtL9ric_D_wMspsLPzG5AlKSArS8BNzeNW-_mel-zhl_Z99y3Lkbq2uLS0NGsASprJ68tQwKK_OmY0iLIyK-fiCDXURJmJ_SR-H_x_Saf_2flOCKa9x3S/s320/Switz4+023.jpg" border="0" /><br />Saturday<br />This morning we got on the bus around 9 am. The bus took us through the area where the International Red Cross, UN headquarters, World Health Organization, and other international organizations are located. It was really neat. Then we met a tour guided for a walking tour through Old Town Geneva. It was really interesting. I will write more about it later. After the tour we went out on our own. My group of girls went back to the Red Cross Museum for a tour. It was really really neat. Then we walked down to where the UN is located to take pictures there. After that we headed back to the airport where we met the bus to take us to our hotel. It was a really good day. More to come later.</div><br /><div>Roomies! Kacy, Alyssa, and me in front of the Opera house in Geneva at the beginning of the tour. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5069349917389535826" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEDIB792hppdAPrIJQQbqam7DAobFlYTGDfdO4QGZ7qOw2zHFQllFbsGcDTYEVvEpGrXYXJfzhLKhAV6iq7m2vA4KynsktoTJx51nKqZphlVcQ2vMAIlbpl8Vfh1daMmV2sfOaqj1Zmfvh/s320/FRANCE2+012.jpg" border="0" />Me in front of the monument that represents the Protestant Reformation. John Calvin was born in Geneva and started Geneva University.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5069349925979470434" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhieKWxLFIyKe0IJ_ZyWOWoZ60U4s6t4jIFlUNma79abIKVZeDazBWCIT58FN0_bByahakXaqmv-AnNLpPfPI-UEoEKdE_JpBDLKWo8wpP0-FCPLk_dI1SQ_zWgvLgqLkB3DWaI0755g5BA/s320/FRANCE2+013.jpg" border="0" />Eating a yummy dessert after lunch.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5069349947454306930" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHUV7FS5I7o2tuZ58D_i3yupBWq2dBBkGwZ9SdbNoE4h1shzp2cZazbRSVAhBTF_igVHeDB9ZpPQ9GIA_Eq_s52lHR_XmN39ByMgq_8a1HwCOb7Yvd_SWVI4iNXk-hDITzCtkjv366g5Pe/s320/FRANCE2+014.jpg" border="0" /></div></div></div><br /><br /><br />Lady with the rabbit<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5070449733959990178" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCYIa2b7JAE9rNfp4ZVIe8-dEpjExRAwWZxcOSvzxX8NFfYf0biqi6Tu6HluKpQ0zXH6zxDi2RERYqLf6qKt8Y4CkaR8v2xAEY9hMsusNhT3YkIzscEEEUj7YQ8o_NYJbjcZRBB5h_nivp/s320/Switz4+024.jpg" border="0" />The entrance to the International Red Cross Museum<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5070449768319728562" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi8jCvfZ0DXZX0KEpEG3LX7g6hVVy85_KZDwa7BCVx5nuiZF1q5B8xBQUU5YxVq_81jlL2bvP4huNV1BbB7tIzAs_emYx572HR0GS404SaheJVaASIg6lf2uxLievzKUA9m1ixvokVKsTY/s320/Switz4+025.jpg" border="0" />Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12491568238175556855noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1066345017451522305.post-13298523894418315662007-05-23T16:21:00.000-05:002007-05-23T16:58:03.993-05:00Sixth GradeToday I was in a sixth grade class at the International School in Zug. It was a lot of fun and I have learned a lot too. We are going back tomorrow bright and early. I need to get ready for bed, but I wanted to make an entry really quickly. I'll probably write more about today sometime tomorrow. I've added a few more pics to flickr. Thanks for all of the comments. You guys are awesome! :)<br /><br />Things that surprise me about Switzerland...<br />1. It's more beautiful than I could have imagined<br />2. There's so much to do<br />3. How good the food is<br />4. They speak Swiss German as opposed to High German (spoken by people in Germany)<br />5. The number of flies and mosquitoes<br />6. How hot it gets in the afternoon (about 80)<br />7. The number of people who continue speaking to me in German even though they know I don't speak it<br />8. There are not very many Americans here.<br />9. How hard it is to read a map in German.<br />10. How easy it is to travel around the country<br />11. How beautiful the gardens are.Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12491568238175556855noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1066345017451522305.post-12663976412352449792007-05-22T16:55:00.000-05:002007-07-16T16:41:13.722-05:00ZugI had to take down pictures of the students so I removed the one of Anna and I.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixrPXyKSEoCJk8fL5cSlXFivGQSjYGwdIAsDqw1oPx81zL1oghtO74a5gLIBIBM1vemoB_ra6L8LA44Hj4gTCr8EbCZON-W1WQ9LYBMdbdVx0haRdO0Ya89UrvUTKb2QQAmGBqeo3oHtOc/s1600-h/RSwitz+072.jpg"></a><br />Today we went to the <a href="http://www.isoz.ch/">International School of Zug</a> in Zug, a town about 45 minutes by train from Lucerne. They took us on a tour of the school, which used to be a monastery. This school has almost 700 students grades pre-k through 8th. They use a method called "Inquiry" in the primary school, which focuses on the student and the teachers' desire to create life-long learners. It is centered on student initiative, meaning the students come up with a lot of their projects and research the questions they have. They also focus on "internationalism"; everything is about embracing world cultures and each individual student from the different cultures within the school. Art and projects cover every wall and window. It's very colorful. It's amazing what students can do when teachers hold a high standard. The students always meet or exceed their expectations. In 5th grade they have an exposition. They are put into groups with a mentor and they come up with a way to help the community--they raise money, do acts of service, or anything they can come up with where they see a need.<br /><br />My quest is to find out how to apply what I learn here to my future classroom. I love the idea of a student-centered classroom, where they students have lots of choices and class is fun for them. I want to teach underprivileged students about the world even though many of them have never been outside of their city or neighborhood. After talking to Dr. Wiese about my ideas, I've decided I will do that through world literature split up into units based on each continent. Based on the unit, I will incorporate art, poems, writing, music, and the culture of the area to our study.<br /><br />My other goal is to break stereotypes. I don't want to just have food days when we eat Mexican food and color the Mexican flag. I want them to really understand and appreciate other cultures. If they can't travel the world, then I want to bring the world to them in a very authentic way. So far this trip has been very motivating and inspiring. I will have to adapt numerous things, especially considering they don't have standardized testing in these schools, but I think that my mind has been open to new concepts. I have noticed that many American classrooms are teacher centered- do what the teacher says, exactly the way she wants it done, many times without any creativity or thought put into what appeals to the students. What are they curious about? What will make them love learning? Where do they excel? When my students leave my classroom, I want them to be able to feed themselves with knowledge, not regurgitate everything I have spoon-fed them. There are still a lot of things for me to learn, but I think with time and the grace of God, those things will come. I want to be a learner along with my students and that's exactly what I will be.<br /><br /><br />After our workshop, Kacy and I went into town. We went to the Picasso Museum and then shopping. The museum was mostly pictures OF Picasso. It was interesting to see how quirky he is and to see pictures of his workshop. That was pretty cool. I was really excited that we got in free to the museum because of our youth train pass.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5070454411179375554" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiReVOyqfgUIkp3Tq88jq8GgsMCArvm09dQsMn7tFYeKmJKWZ7nGTWSdMJClspEw4acszAegYAxnpjaQh89QoqNrW1lOr07UTXlFzlBZpYhLfCXvjiZNEc9W5I8WkfQ9TfNn1j_7mv3Cj24/s320/FRANCE2+001.jpg" border="0" /><br />Well, I need to go to bed, but I put some more pictures on Flickr. If you scroll down and click on the little box with the pictures in it on the right of the screen it will take you to those pictures. Love to all.Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12491568238175556855noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1066345017451522305.post-23036136971453705212007-05-21T13:57:00.000-05:002007-07-16T16:46:16.917-05:00The past 3 daysSorry it has been a few days since I've been able to write or put up a few pictures. I'll try to cram in the last 4 days on here so bear with me<br /><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div> </div><div>Saturday</div><div>First we went to the market in Lucerne. It was wonderful. There were fresh fruits and veggies, flowers galore, bread, and more. Kacy and I split some strawberries. I also bought a chocolate pastry (delicious!) and a pretzel with rosemary on it. Everything was soooo good. I loved it! I really want to go back, but I don't think we will be able to. After the market we got on the bus and then a train to go to Engelberg. The train ride was beautiful. When we got to Engelberg we walked around for awhile then decided to go up to Mount Titlis. It took a couple of cable cars to get there, but it was totally worth it. I have quite a few pictures here from the trip.<br /></div><div>The best strawberries ever!<br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5067090906325760290" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh_wjAhLSvIoEAM7-sspb3p7fa97zV_PI8cN8Q2LzXpC3I925eIvgqkYFVNFLeHTQ9aKfl8rJ4yUsEkkubz2lnCQMrEalYv_Sk5kqG61KL9l3qQK1CZehoVp8aMlR_MgOGhM2g-moi24Af/s320/MtTitlis+001.jpg" border="0" /><br />Kacy and I on the top of Mt. Titlis<br /><br /><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5067092104621635906" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhOTDAZtA4i-67765DH9kFt0sDS_xVlQQuB4SDVpUOWfb-zJLi1ME8_dioHZSUe67JyRTQBjwIGOYeU7NN6n1IAXhIlTv4mhv9v-AHrr8h-6QRqx_phglfLgMLbPuFpBibZDVwkg01kUB7/s320/MtTitlis+003.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div><div>View from the Ice Flyer<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5067094819040967026" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbtwqcJP-h2vBwHUQFL__WmdYvClu7mWOmVMg-HDK_Pa2nmvvqILLv5fyoEP__dc5prqQFwGoeUCnujmDnEsljmWQ6-HOYZ-rfXHqfUbfvdGLpHHBx0cVrYdrUNHZx8DOPMHdJuDK1WBmv/s320/MtTitlis+016.jpg" border="0" /><br />View from the train<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5067091614995364146" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYpwXJo5HtnSyYSBjnPPhRkJOeNqXT_qh46DgVi7TNWA_zWJ5crqvjpQ8aB__dU0ZJE-lzqHm1zGJqEq6856nBALKZvSdjR6xkijwZmeWnJjA7csxhgoaG3cQR35-l_KXX1NLkrxvXoZO6/s320/MtTitlis+004.jpg" border="0" /> Sunday <div>We took a train to the third biggest city in Switzerland-Basel. We didn't have a whole lot of time, but we went to this museum Fondition Beyler, which is a modern art museum. Their current exhibit is Edward Munch, who is most widely known for the painting "The Scream." You know, the one with the ghost looking man with his mouth open and his hands on his cheeks. We also saw Picasso, Matisse, and Monet. It was a lot of fun. I learned some Swiss German vocabulary words from looking at the paintings and trying to figure out what the titles said. After we went to the museum, we ate lunch and then visited a church in town. It was called the Elisabethan Church. Kacy and I climbed countless stairs to the top of the bell tower where we could see the whole city. It was really cool. After that we caught the train and then the bus back home. I think we might go back to Basel on our last free day. </div><br />Poster for Edward Munch<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5067116457086204290" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaLFiszlWg7OqbqDIGQV67aHp2BOUJ3f60mI2KaNpgHSWmXAYheaMXY_6fGIzeEe9e469xZigpTWP5OF9iivJi10vQN6Ll8f-aTDDFG5PfgEi3UtasR-P6ctixE_i-5UKdUdYZxzdXW_92/s320/Switz2+156.jpg" border="0" />Me outside of the museum<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5067117049791691154" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN9x2ZX-is5hEKDxXBtXV-ghK9tnkJ7wAUx8J74Zbt7JD7OSoafJZ_zKdNNTeztOWcDPYbb-jTipnm8_nZdFLYdZ-nv000hq4sKUxN2G8U4UlS9gg-VlXm7StD7dzkWNU5vcxG7AG4ryma/s320/Switz2+160.jpg" border="0" />Elisabethan church<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5067117736986458530" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_KvQh4rt7Mcr-h4PDu63RRcytZLqREX2RHjGYqI2-n1bNahnLeDEdugAzzqHuZNBM_v0_H78ci4tvmvYtXcSdr1Et23GyLM3RVDeW8V1Zt28NCXCVAQ4t7eUb3e2fcjr4740dH8vXogxN/s320/Switz2+167.jpg" border="0" />Me on our way up to the top. It was very tight in there.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5067118746303773122" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPaxm9M8M3H4gk3tMb7zP4ZUCuR2Q3xdD2MYOlVxXgOO48A2kFLV8dxK1E4ZrVmKSk4jkThbJG1XxHJw489sJS1W6AaSqq9WZ1b3A8pBThVlLkE_9-AWbpqL9RzrEnBGejhcp-YmYgSwhm/s320/Switz2+233.jpg" border="0" /> View from the top of the bell tower<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5067119588117363154" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyRRUkdkPsygtN6M4KttbzjFTupStvMFMpQ-Gq23egyLD1cIz3oH9lnZtL1eQceUiYnY_SPqTvrTEruhmDX9gQgw5bRVRxBw3gWXa_XSEVZaMfmRAERQ_U-JLpWEA7CrvPFhB2anEsqLqv/s320/Switz2+180.jpg" border="0" /> Today-Monday</div><div>We went to the International School of Luzern today. It is the most beautiful school I have ever seen. I love it! I got to work with the 3, 4, and 5th graders. My buddy was Anna, and she is adorable. After school we tried to go to the Glass Factory in Hegerswil, but it was closed by the time we got there so we are going to go another day. Here are some more pictures of the school.<br /></div><div><br />The back of the school/Chateau<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5067121963234277858" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQsvDyPwZsgrrCnn3FsjWj2-vKNgN96KGlvcm5wAzd8xrL14UAtPjBuHoxnwNJF-bB0FPhOwCuaNHHLVGdGFc9zWpS9VygaUNb1I9fE0_LtBkO1sjjnMJ7E3mD7FTGzhuZ3YrR5-Dx6HvR/s320/Switz2+034.jpg" border="0" /></div><div></div> Me in awe.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5067122774983096818" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1yf5-cKH0Aq7mQ8s1OfWT1CjpqZHg6LKqZ4ZBVIpVXduq8g0EfBinik1B3KtSQqCxa3T4_6Q9ogBf-I_3FALRkimdzD4A9M0ZbF9XgWP1Al7Cxu8IQLB4WouQ7g2cCXB8Wk44C9Vcj63L/s320/Switz2+024.jpg" border="0" /><br />Sorry that was so long. Also, I responded to your comments from a few days ago. Thanks for those!<br /><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12491568238175556855noreply@blogger.com6