Good Bye To Switzerland

In the early morning the top of the Matterhorn appears out of the clouds

The mountain casts a giant shadow over the town

On one last walk through the village this morning 

One last look at the outstanding scenery surrounding us

Our favorite host Fabienne brings us to the train station in the hotel's little electric van.  

Zermatt Switzerland

We arrived by train at midnight.
 This morning we wake up and look out from our hotel deck to see the Swiss Alps rising up into the mist.
The forecast is 90% chance of rain showers.
 But we are going to head up the Matterhorn mountain and try to ski anyway.

This is what we can see of the Matterhorn this morning. After getting our skis we make our way half way up the mountain as far as the gondola will take us to the Matterhorn Glacier. The cable car that goes the rest of the way to the very top is not running due to fog perhaps? The skiing is very tough. The snow is wet and mushy but we ski for a short time down the mountain until we hit a wall of fog. We are totally blinded for most of the run and cannot even see each other as we struggle to keep headed down to a clearing.  Then it begins to pour rain. Somehow we make it to the next stop down the mountain.

Lunch seemed like a very good idea at this point. There was a restaurant on the mountain that saved us. 

Skiers dancing outside on the deck of our restaurant to fun music.
What else do you do when you can't ski? Dance!

We take the gondola back up just to check if the conditions are any better.
 The cable car is still closed and the fog and rain continue.

We managed to catch a short break in the day for photos.
 We really do not dare to ski any more in these conditions and decide to head back down on the gondola.
 But not before one last break for beer and wine on the magnificent Matterhorn mountain.  

Our hotel has just added a new spa where we can sauna, steam bath and jacuzzi when we get back to town.
Now the rain begins to turn to snow. 

We find a great restaurant for a traditional Swiss fondue dinner.

This is a fascinating device for making Swiss raclette.
The bar above melts the top layer of cheese so you scrape the lovely melted cheese onto a plate to eat with bread.

The Bolens breakfast table every morning at our sweet hotel. 

This is the lobby sitting area at our  hotel that always feels so warm and inviting. The hotel is a small family operated  21 room chalet style inn up in the hillside overlooking Zermatt.

Each evening a fire is lit and guests can sit around and enjoy beverages 

We stand on our deck and look out at the mountains. This is the snow on our second morning.

We begin our day with a walk down the hillside into town to explore.

The back of our hotel is behind us 

The front of our hotel faces the Matterhorn mountain. 50 years ago it was the first on this road. The family shows us photos of the building when their grandfather herded goats on this hillside.

The beautiful town of Zermatt is very unique since there are no cars allowed at all.
 Only electric cars are permitted which keeps it all very quiet and clean.

But of course..... we discover a St Bernard on the streets of town.

There are still some of the oldest original homes left in the heart of the city on The Hinterdorf.
Some date back to the 15th century 

You see these some of these old homes up on the mountain side too.  

More Strasbourg

The Notre Dame Cathedral of Strasbourg is world famous. It took 400 years to complete. You can find it in the book  "One Thousand Places to See Before You Die". So we checked one off right here.

These are French Macarons!
Oh my, they are incredible and not anything like the macaroons that we have in the states.
 Little cookie/cake sandwiches with a cream filling that come in many flavors.
So beautiful on display at the Patissiere Ziegler where Libby works as an intern.  

The Patisserie

Libby just finished her morning shift. Hope she brings home some recipes for us.

I keep taking pictures of rows of different colored houses yet the photos never seem to capture how vivid they are 

There are so many pretty old homes along the river. Some look very Alsatian and then right next door ......

We find one that might look more French. Many of these old homes are used as foreign embassies.

We leave Strasbourg tonight to take the train to Switzerland. This has been a very special city.  

Strasbourg at Last!

Finally we are in beautiful Strasbourg, Libby's home for the last 3 months.

Walking through "La Petite France" the old city center was like being inside a fairy tale village.

Standing on top of the"Ponts Couverts" with the rest of Strasbourg in the background.
 It is an old covered bridge where the soldiers could watch out for attacks on the city

The buildings look more Bavarian in style in the old city.
The city was actually once part of Germany 

Libby stands in front of the Syracuse University in France where she takes 2 classes. 

The weather is still perfect so we rent bikes to tour the sights. While we were out on the streets
Michael and I were stopped by the "French 3 Alsace" TV crew and interviewed about our reaction to the bombings in Boston.  They said we would be on TV tonight but we did not get a chance to watch.
Maybe we can find a video of it on the internet later.

This is the front of Libby's house.

University of Strasbourg where Libby takes 3 classes.

Libby with her host mom Micheline on the terrace where they live.

Micheline invited us over for a delicious dinner in her home

Her flat is bigger than our house. Large rooms filled with loads of color and unique art.

Libby's room. This woman loves red, pink and orange.

Dining area where we sat for many hours, enjoyed a great meal and wonderful conversation

Micheline's study. She is a retired teacher who writes books and paints.

The photos do not begin to capture the impact of all the colors in her home.
This hallway glows in the dark! 

Au Revoir Cote d'Azur

At the entrance into the very old city Saint Paul-de-Vence.
We are met with an unusual welcome! 

A morning stroll through this very picturesque hillside city just north of Nice

There are charming and colorful touches everywhere inside the walls of the old city .
We loved this old mailbox.

We keep finding a delightful scene at every turn we take

We are outside the walls looking up at the old buildings perched on the hill
below St Paul de Vence

Flowers in bloom at every point along the way through town

Another dejeuner outside in a garden overlooking the scenery below in St Paul deVence. 

An afternoon visit to the Palace in Monaco.
Luckily the royals were away so we were able to take the tour inside of 15 rooms. 

This Lamborghini comes with snow tires. 

The Palace of Justice in Monaco

The harbor beneath the Palace in Monaco filled with huge yachts 

One more chance to catch some late afternoon sun on the beach in Monaco

The fabulous Casino in Monte Carlo. They forbid photos inside but it is even better than in the movies.