The End: Concluding Thoughts
Trail of the Witches
Favorite Meal of the Trip
Les Bougresses, Paris
gazpacho, mashed potatoes au gratin with fish, crème brulee, rosé wine
Favorite Meal of the Tour
Hotel Oberland Restaurant, Lauterbrunnen
escargot, kase spatzli, Swiss pinot noir
Favorite snack
Apple strudel at the Stadtalm Café
Favorite drink
Kir, final happy hour, Chamonix
Favorite Hotel
Cavillino D'Oro
Disappointments
No Mary’s Bridge
No Pollat Gorge hike
No hiking in the Swiss Alps
No view at Aiguille du Midi
No trip to Helbronner
The "We'll Have to Come Back" List
Füssen
Lauterbrunnen (hiking, Bern, Ballenberg)
Chamonix
Lake Geneva and Château de Chillon
It seems appropriate to top this page with another view from our favorite day of the trip, and to include a few more favorite shots that did not make it onto the previous pages.
Hohensalzburg fun
Daily reminder
One of the things I really appreciated about this tour was the level of organization; the daily reminder is a good example. But everything was well thought out from the breaks to the happy hours to the interesting snacks and drinks to share.
Austrian lake channeling the Norwegian fjords
Go for the amazing natural beauty -- just amazing vista after amazing vista.
Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau
And the opportunities to learn...historical, cultural, culinary, natural...
Roman water pump
Culinary education
Ever seen a glacier? Here's the Mer de Glace from a distance.
Mer de Glace up close
The weather was mostly great on this trip, but it failed us on a few crucial days. I really appreciated that Rick, Trish, and Hilde did their best to make sure we still had a good experience even when it wasn't the experience we were hoping for: the Bern and Ballenberg stops are good examples. I wasn't expecting to do either on this trip, and now I would like to go back and see more of both.
Unlike these people we were not inclined to go climbing at Aiguille du Midi in this weather.
I think the best thing about a My Way tour is that it frees you from having to figure out hotels and transportation. I've done it myself, but it's time-consuming and sometimes painful (U.S. credit card doesn't work on European web site anyone?). This lets you focus on the fun stuff. So would I do a My Way tour again? Absolutely! I recommend it. (And one of these days I'm going to do a fully guided one again, too).
Much thanks to Rick, Trish, and Hilde for their parts in a great trip!!!
I hope you've enjoyed this scrapbook at least half as much as I enjoyed putting it together. And as Rick likes to say, "Keep on Travelin'"
I leave you with morning in the Tuileries