Last Year at this time...weeks 2&3

Days 9 - 11: Bruges, Belgium Relaxing, beautiful. One of our favorite places. We walked around town, took a boat canal ride, went on a 4 hour bike tour outside the city limits. Watched the chocolate demonstation, and learned how diamonds are made (no wonder they are so expensive!) It was a lovely and quaint town w/enough to do for days.Day 12: St. Andrews, Scottland Spencer fulfilled one of his dreams...playing at the coveted St. Andrews golf course. It was cold and windy, but he was able to pull out an 86. Day 13: Edinburgh, Scottland We rented a car here, kinda scary! We toured Edinburgh Castle, and that was enough of this busy town.Days 14 - 21: England Wow, we did a lot here in England. We met up w/our friends and awesome tourguides Josh & Hayley. Thank you a million. First we drove through the Lake District. Did a few little hikes, it was beautiful and perfect weather, then made our way to meet Josh.We visited the birthplace of Shakespeare.
In London, saw Platform 9 3/4. (we love Potter)
London, England. We took a Duck Tour (amphibious DUKWs) and saw WICKED. So great. Acting, singing & story was very entertaining. Meet Josh, Hayley and Chester. They took us to have some relaxing afternoons at the park. Also driving around we saw these Rape Fields, they were in bloom when we were there, lemon yellow, beautiful fields.While in London we visited the Tower of London and the Tower Bridge (LF) We really enjoyed this tour.
Also went to Nottingham, city of Robin Hood (ate delish Indian food) and parted w/Josh & Hayley at the University of Oxford (RT)To end our trip we went to the London Temple. The grounds were amazing and it was the perfect end of our 3 week journey. We learned a lot, had priceless experiences, and are ready for another big journey...

Last Year at this Time...week 1

WE WERE ON A TRIP OF A LIFETIME. We put our slideshow up, but never explained exactly what we did, so here you go, obviously in the short, not detailed form.

Spencer and I had the opportunity to Backpack through Western Europe for 3 weeks. We visited 7 countries. It was adventurous and amazing. We had great experiences and learned a lot.

Day 1-2: Prauge, Czech Republic. This was one of our top 2 favorites. City of Prague and a statue on Charles BridgeDay 3: Salzburg, Austria. We took the Sound of Music tour, then ate authentic German food (don't recommend either!) Day 4: Munich, Germany. We went to a Nazi Concentration Camp. It was a very humbling experience. This is the large creamatorium. Sad.
Day 5: Rothenburg, Germany. Known for its well-preserved medieval old town. In the Middle Ages, it was an Imperial Free City. This city is encircled with a large brick wall w/a walkway. Very neat. Day 6: Train ride from Koblenz to Mainz, Germany. We LOVED the riding the trains and subways. Very organized, nice and relaxing.Day 7-9: Paris, France. We saw ALL of Paris here (it felt like). The first day we toured the Catacombs, then rode up the Eiffel tower. The next day we started at the Notre Dame, then over to the Sacre Coeur. From there we saw the Louvre, walked through the Champs-Élysées, then to the Arc de Triomphe. Of course we ended at the Eiffel Tower. (we liked the view from the Arc better than the Eiffel)Stay tuned for weeks 2 & 3 to come

(Click HERE to see more pictures and in full size)