Europe - Crans-Montana, Switzerland

As we were traveling by bus to each destination, we would look out the windows and say, "oh, a castle!  Oh, another castle!  Oh, look at that castle!"  It was picturesque and mind-boggling at the same time.

Crans-Montana is a small ski-town.  We rented these "scooters" (beefy wheels and disc brakes) and took the ski lift up to the first drop-off.  We had a great time riding down the mountainside.  Shayne took to this like a duck in the water - I was slower and more cautious.... but I still did it!  Dave did the ride with us and we sure had a great time the three of us - we even did a little "black diamond" portion - by accident of course.

At the bottom of the hill, we inspected Dave's flesh wounds (yeah, he had a little incident)

We went to Castillo Chillon, in nearby town Montreaux

It's a two seater!

Our lunch - bread, cheese, grapes, and the grossest crackers ever.  Evidently you can't judge a cracker box by it's cover.  We walked along Lake Geneva and had ourselves a little picnic with my dad.

 The next day we went to Zermatt - another ski town known for its spectacular view of the Matterhorn.  This town is unique because they have outlawed all gas driven vehicles - everything is battery powered - the garbage trucks, the buses, everything.  And I heard from a ski pro the other day that this is an AMAZING place to go ski...  we'll have to go back someday!

Enjoying our first 'braut"

The people of Switzerland were the best audience of all the places we performed.  They were so animated and loving the kids and the music - it was really, really fun.  The next night they did a party for us!  They served us a cheese Fondue - a favorite of mine!

They brought in traditional dancers, musicians, and even these Alpine Horns to perform for us.  They also let us try the Alpine horns!

  These three women are sisters and they were the highlight of the night - funny and talented!

Europe - PARIS (say it with the right accent!)

Sacré-Cœur Basilica 

We heard a story about a martyr who was beheaded and picked up his head and walked to the next hill to die.  Here is a statue representing him.

We paid a little extra to be able to walk around in the basement (full of statues) and then walk up to the top!  I loved how worn the stairs were from the main floor to the upper levels - thousands and thousands of priests have walked these steps over the past 100+ years.

A view from the top

It was sad to see the graffiti (scratched in) throughout this amazing building.

We had an afternoon at the "Louvre".  We had to elbow our way to the front of this room - it was packed and felt like Black Friday.

A view of the Louvre from one of its windows.

There is a tradition to put a lock on the chain-links of this bridge.  Actually - there were several bridges covered with locks.  We got to walk on this bridge the next day - see below. 

On our boat tour of Paris.

My parents

We had an early start to get to the Eiffel Tower before it opened.  Many groups have come and haven't had enough time to go up.  We got there while lines were relatively short!  Shayne and I walked up stairs to the first level then took the elevator to the top.  I really enjoyed the Eiffel Tower! 

My favorite pic

Walking around after looking for a good lunch.  Shayne got a Croissant and I opted for a strawberry tart - yummy.  

At the park where the band performed, we had to have a traditional Crepe.  We had one with ham & cheese and another with strawberry jam.  The ham/cheese was my favorite.

 The choir students would join the band for the last number while a few of the students went throughout the audience to shake their hands and say thank-you for coming.  It was very touching and evidently, we're the only group (other states do this tour) who do this and it's a favorite of the locals.

Notre Dame

Another favorite picture.  We walked past a little sidewalk cafe and all the parents had normal food and the kid had Escargot!  So, Shayne grabbed the camera to get a picture of this "kid's meal" to show our kids.  The boy made a face that we couldn't have paid him to make at that very moment... absolutely classic.

On the lock bridge - can we find a spot?

We found one and sealed our love with a kiss and a toss of the key...

Shayne "enjoying" Escargot.

Europe - London!

We had the opportunity to accompany the "Ambassadors of Utah" (as chaperones) to Europe this summer.  My parents were in charge of making this trip happen and obviously, that was our connection to this amazing adventure.  We both left thinking - this is going to be cool to see Europe, but going with a group of high school kids just doesn't seem ideal.  Well, it proved to be GREAT and AMAZING and honestly - words can't describe the amount we saw and did, nor can I say enough about the caliber of students we traveled with.   It was truly AWESOME.  The students performed (choral and band) in every city we visited and the concerts were fantastic.  The audiences were fantastic!  I'm so grateful we got to do this trip.  I'm including a few of my 1,000+ pictures - I think I need a new hard drive just to save all the pics that my dad and I took on our own cameras!  Enjoy the sights...

Windsor Castle

St Pauls Cathedral

Millenium Bridge (you've seen this in Harry Potter, well, if you watched Harry Potter)

The London "EYE"

Lining up to see the "Change of Guard" 

In front of Buckingham Palace

I liked their lingo around town...

We loved this huge building - I believe it's just a government building - but it was magnificent.

These are the capsules on the EYE, we're in one ourselves.

 The view from the EYE

The Black Friars Corner - just a really neat building.

Having the beloved "Fish-n-Chips" - best ones in London according to our food sources.

*noted, Shayne wants this tombstone for his grave. 

One of the fans early to the concert.  He had a Utah flag and a US flag in the other hand - this place was filled up during the band concert.

The Rosetta Stone - the stone that changed what we know about ancient languages since it had 1 message in 3 languages, including Egyptian.  

Inside the theatre before the "Lion King" musical.  It was spectacular.  But also hard to stay alert after walking and moving all day long!!