China: Beijing and the Great Wall
Beijing was the first stop on our three week trip. We visited the Forbidden City in addition to our day trip to the Great Wall.
Email: Greetings from Beijing
Yesterday we went to the Great Wall. It is a portion of the wall that sees very few visitors. With all the buses and subway, it cost us Y66 or $7 per person. Pulling the whole thing off wasn’t easy though.
China: Kunming and the Stone Forest
After leaving the relaxation of Dali, we visited Kunming, another large Chinese city. The major highlight of this visit was a day trip to the Stone Forest.
China: Yangshao
Our last stop in China proper was in Yangshao, a short distance from Guilin. Here we enjoyed a variety of activities, including biking and hiking.
Switzerland and More: Europe by Train and Foot
We took a three-week trip to five countries in Europe, using the train and bus as our primary modes of transportation. Our children were six and nine during this trip, which was their first taste of extended international travel in a hostel setting.
Europe: Grindelwald and Kandersteg, Switzerland
We spent four days in the heart of Switzerland taking several different hikes. These ranged from day hikes to overnighting at two different huts nestled in the Swiss Alps.
Europe: Zermatt and the Matterhorn, Switzerland
Zermatt is a classic Swiss town in a fairy tale setting with views of the Matterhorn mountain in clear weather. We were fortunate to see the mountain from the town center as well as during day hikes.
Europe: Luxembourg
Luxembourg, although a small country, provided enough sights to keep us entertained for four days. We visited several castles, military and abbey museums and took day hikes through the beautiful Little Switzerland region.