A scouting trip

We left Monday morning for a road trip to Utah. We had a vague idea where we wanted to go (around Zion) but we had no precise plans, no reservations and no research on the Internet done in advance. 

At first, it was hard for me to let go of controlling all the aspects of our trip. Like, finding the most amazing hikes, the perfect deal on accommodation and the must stop restaurant, which is hard to believe since I have done a lot of traveling in the past, not knowing where I would be the next day! Actually, that is how I ended up in San Diego... but that is another story! 

It is a relaxing feeling to just let go of all the planning, go with the flow and follow the road. Not having an agenda gives you more time and leaves the door open for opportunities. We let ourselves be surprised with what came our way.

We drove in and out of Zion wanting to find a place less traveled. We ended up in the small mountain town of Duck creek. It was surprising to find most of the motels there, full. I guess people come here for fishing, hunting and enjoying the outdoors. This little town is also conveniently located between Zion national Park and Brice national Park. Local knowledge makes all the difference. We ended up finding a cabin for three nights, with a kitchen and two bedrooms. We also gathered great information to visit the area.

We started the next day by visiting some caves. We traveled a few miles on a dirt road, driving through beautiful meadows, expecting to see a horde of buffaloes anytime. No buffaloes but we saw many deers in this area. Arriving at the caves we found that we were the only people there. We felt like real adventurers walking and crawling freely through those underground caverns. We had so much fun!

Next, we took a hike along the flank of a mountain to arrive at a cascade. The view was gorgeous, we could see mountains and valleys indefinitely. 

Behind the cascade we found another cave. We had to do a little bit of a rock climbing to get to it which made it even more special. To add to this already wonderful day, we found some quartz crystal and geodes along the trail on the back.

We finished the day at a small lake, fishing for trouts. Well, I didn't fish but everybody else did. We came back to the cabin with three nice rainbow trouts. Thanks to Ben and Bill!

This day was amazing and even more so beacause we didn't have any expectations, everything was a surprise :-)

More pictures in the gallery...

4 countries in 2 days

England, France, Belgium & now The Netherlands. 

We left London Monday morning. Driving on the left side of the road with a "normal" car, we headed to Dover to hop on a ferry. From Dunkirk, France we drove to Brussels that afternoon. It was mostly a stay "gastronomic".

Mussels & French fries, waffles, chocolate and beer. 

Now, here we are in Amsterdam for three nights, staying in a house boat on a canal. We parked the car not to touch again until Friday and rented four bikes. 

I jumped out off my skin

Saturday morning, I got up early to go hike along the crest of the Jura mountains. I went all by myself but the great thing, here in Switzerland, is that there are no coyotes, no bears and no rattle snakes. So I felt pretty safe and relaxed hiking on the trail until I stepped close to a fresh cow patty :-/ Hundreds of BIG black flies that were feasting on it took off at the same time...making a loud HISS. They scared me half to death ! I felt pretty silly jumping away. Thank goodness I was alone on the path. They should have a warning sign " beware of the patty flies" They probably would if we were in California ;-)

Then, I had to walk through a pasture (opening an electrified wire and closing it behind me) with lots of BIG cows in the way. They wouldn't let people walk by the cows if they were dangerous, right? That is what I told myself anyway. I soon found out that they were curious but thankfully also very skittish.

I made it to the highest point from where I had a full view of the "lac leman" and the "vallée de Joux" on the other side. Gorgeous!

Three hours and fourty minutes later I was back to my car...happy and safe. 

Venezia

This was not my first time in Venice but it is every time a special place to visit. It blows me away to think that the entire city is built on top of wooden pillars planted in the lagoon floor.  My favorite thing to do there is getting "lost" through the narrow streets, especially away from the touristy areas. You never know what you are going to see...a small courtyard with a cafe, a bridge over a canal, great architecture, laundry strung across the alley, a piazza with an enormous church or a dead end into a canal. There is always signs taking you back to landmarks like the Rialto bridge or the piazza St Marco so you can't get really lost even without a map.

Everything is done by foot or by boat here. It was very interesting to sit at a terrace along the grand Canal and watch the traffic of boats and gondolas. The gondolas have priority over all the other boats. They seem the hardest to maneuver. We saw all sorts of delivery boats, water taxis & buses,  a freezer boat, police & firefighter boat, funeral boat and a construction boat with the crane.

We rented an apartment on the fourth floor with a view of the rooftops. Nothing was plumb or level and the floor was on a slight slop. A charming old building !

Below is a picture of Burano, an old fishing town on a nearby island. It is such a fun colorful town. It has a Disneyland feel to it and it is just as crowded ;-) The story says that the fishermen's wives, being tired of their husbands mistaking the neighbor's house for theirs, painted the façade of their home with vivid colors. That way the fishermen, after a day at sea and a few drinks with friends could better recognize  their own home !

Ciao !

Venice

Right now we are visiting Venice. It is a very interesting city because instead of having roads, there are just canals. So everybody either has a boat or walks.

We are staying in an apartment. It is really cool because it has an intercom. Near the door on the outside there is a button and a speaker, which is connected to a phone in the apartment. There is even unlock the door for whoever is trying to get in! Here's some more pictures of Venice:

Hiking

We went on a hike today. The flowers and the trees were so beautiful. It was really fun seeing all the different kinds of flowers and how different color they were purple, yellow, white, and pink.
Eva

Packing

Today we are leaving for a three months trip to Europe !!! So exciting...

We are now sitting in San Diego airport, relaxing after a crazy week of packing and getting ready. 

The bus will stay put at our friends house until September when we return. 

This week was also busy with a school play that Ben and Eva were part of. 

Ben received an award for being an outstanding sound technician. Just bragging ;-)

The final performance was last night. Our plane taking off at 8am this morning, did not allow for much sleep (between 2 & 4 hours). It is all worth it though. The show was amazing and fun and we are off for some great adventures. 

Here' s my star :-)