China: Chengdu and Dali
After some rough traveling, we first visited the pandas in Chengdu and then relaxed in Dali. Among the highlights there was a visit to a local market.
China: Hong Kong
Our last stop was Hong Kong, which we reached after an all-night bus trip from Yangshao to Guangzhao (Canton) and a hovercraft voyage down the Pearl River from there. We spent a day and a half in the area before flying back to Los Angeles.
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: Munich, Germany and Lucerne, Switzerland
Munich was our first stop on our Europe trip. We stayed with a family friend and spent time in the city center as well as a church and beer garden just out of town. We then began our time in Switzerland by visiting Lucerne.
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: Southern Switzerland and Milan, Italy
After spending time in the German speaking portion of Switzerland, we made a short stop in the Italian section of the country, in Lugano, before continuing to Milan, Italy.
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.
Europe: Paris, France
Paris was our last stop on three week European journey. We met Sandy’s parents there and the six of us spent four days seeing many famous sights This included Notre Dame, Versailles, Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower, the Musee d’Orsay and the Louvre.