This is it: Genova!!

Trattoria in Settimo Vittone

Best gnocchi ever!

Look at that bruschetta!

Piedmont landscape

Steve always made friends at the wine shops! 

Just outside the aquarium in Genova-- gelato stop

Genova Port

Outside the Brown's dinning room window

This isn't a post card.... it's real!

Jenny and Maria

Thatcher smoothly entertaining us and making dinner

Scrumpteous

What can I say?

My yoga buddy

Birthday present from Thatcher- the gorgeous ski poster from Courmeyer

View of their apartment from seaside

Hollis and Anna

Seaside morning walk

Kate, Hollis, Crosby, and Anna

The fam

Having to say goodbye for now....

For as many times as I was able to see my friend Jenny Brown since moving from Dubai, our family hadn't managed a trip to their lovely little town of Pieve Ligure outside of Genova, even though we were minutes from it in Camogli one Christmas. (It was our last drive through the Mont Blanc tunnel, and a final dinner stop in Settimo Vittone was in order. You've never had better gnocchi- I promise!) We had fun visiting the Genova Aquarium and Port, but mostly it was lovely hanging out with their family in their home (dinner was beautiful, Thatcher!) and walking by the sea. Beautiful family, beautiful weekend! We miss you all already!!

Whit Monday Weekend: Alsace

Market in Ribeauville

Coffee stop with Gertine, Tjis and Martin

Castle on the hill outside of Ribeauville

Walk from Ribeauville to Hunawihr

Buddies: Camilla, Anna, Kate and Anne-Marie

Lunching at the Stork Sanctuary

The bold and hungry stork

Christie and Amelia

Steve's morning walk to the castle with a view of Ribeauville below

More of charming Ribeauville 

Dinner at Sylvie's family's restaurant in Hunawihr

More of the Castle in the sky

Yummy lunch at Mark and Sylvie's lovely home

On their deck

Dessert, cheese, and wine....

Hope to see you soon!

Our local favorite

Kids 'playing goat and cow' in Burgundy

Hosts Armand and his wife

Always a leisurely breakfast in the Hostellerie's sun room

We packed a lot in this holiday weekend, and we knew it was getting close to our last trip before having to say goodbye to Switzerland. So, we asked a few additional friends to join us. Our dear Dutch friends from Swiss: Gertine, Tjis (kids Martin & Anne-Marie) plus our old friends from Dubai times: Scott & Christie (Owen, Thomas, and Amelia). The original reason for this trip was a culinary extravaganza put on by the cousins of our Alacian friends Mark and Sylvie. Sylvie's cousin is a wine-maker (note the wine label) and his wife is a professionally trained chef. They host a quarterly dinner at their home in the vineyards honoring local foods and their wines. It was an interesting mix of nationalities, fun conversations, and a very special meal to remember (sadly, we all forgot our cameras.) We spent Saturday at the Parc des Cigognes (storks) in the village of Hunawihr. They are lovely birds who don't mind human attention or our lunch! Later that evening, we dined in this village at Sylvie's family's restaurant on traditional Alscacian foods- yum. After a stroll through the markets on Sunday morning, we were off to long and luxurious lunch at Mark and Sylvie's (and their daughter, Charlotte) house. Then the five of us (Camilla included, of course!) made a final stop in Burgundy to our favorite Hostellerie de Vieux Moulin in the small village of Bouilland. The owners were always gracious hosts- so one last picture of them was in order. Plus, we had to pick up a few more bottles of wine to take back to the US. 

Ascension Trip to Bavaria: Neuschwanstein Castle

Started the day with a proper German breakfast.

Uli, Leonard and Lina Marie take refuge from the rain.

We had to buy ponchos - effective.

Neuschwanstein Castle.

The kitchens of Hohenschwangau Castle - now that's a stove!

Hohenschwangau Castle.

These castles are on hills - good thing we had carriages nearby!

The entry of Hohenschwangau Castle.

1 Euro ponchos hit the spot.

Hohenschwangau Castle from Neuschwanstein Castle.

Climbing to the bridge rewarded with incredible view. Karsten and Leonard joined Steve for the hike.

The castle's surroundings are stunning. 

Visiting the famous Neuschwanstein Castle was always high on our list and we were glad that we could spend the day at this historic place. 

The castle is every bit as beautiful as one sees in photographs. We knew that it was the inspiration behind the Disney castle. What we didn't realize was all the history behind the castle and Ludwig II of Bavaria. Not only was it to be a personal refuge for the regent but also to pay hommage to Richard Wagner.

It is a fascinating place to visit. We enjoyed visiting both Nueschwanstein and nearby Hohenschwangau Castle, the childhood home of Ludwig II and where he lived and watched the construction of Nueschwanstein.