Au Revoir (french); Tot ziens (flemish); Sayonara and Aloha L.A! ______________________________


Hi everyone!

As most of you know, Ray has accepted a 2-year assignment with Toyota's European Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. For those of you who do not know, Belgium is located next to France, Germany and the Netherlands. The home of NATO and the European Union, it is considered the "gateway to Europe" with its easy access to many European countries. (Hint, hint--good excuse to come and visit!)

Ray started his new position in February, 2008. The girls and I arrived here in late March. We are living just outside the city of Brussels in the commune of Tervuren, Belgium.

Although we are sad to temporarily leave our family and friends, we are excited for this adventure. What an opportunity to leave our tiny box and experience life outside of America!

Monday, June 1, 2009

Spring Fling in Italy XII: Homeward through Zurich



We left beautiful, sunny Venice and headed towards our final stop before going home -- Zurich, Switzerland.





We decided on stopping in Zurich because it was about mid-way between Venice and Belgium. Plus, it would be a great experience to spend a little time in Switzerland and take in the natural beauty of the Alps!



On the way, we passed through Verona (the setting for Romeo and Juliet), where I really wanted to stop at. But since time did not permit a proper visit, Ray was nice enough to at least do a drive-thru. As expected, it looked like a beautiful town, but alas, "Juliet's Balcony" will just have to wait for a future visit..



Our drives through Switzerland took us through some breathtaking scenery. We saw so many quaint little Swiss towns, that I was left a little disappointed when we arrived in the big city of Zurich. However, don't get me wrong - Zurich was lovely.

The girls enjoyed the beautiful koi pond in the center of the hotel lobby and were able to feed the fish on several occasions. Although they should have been fed only once a day, the hotel staff couldn't resist the girls asking for more fish food! Good for the girls, but bad for the fish!



Since our hotel did not have an executive lounge, we ate dinner in the hotel restaurant. And what a surprise! We had heard that Switzerland was expensive, but were shocked to find that our dinner was more than the hotel stay!

After checking out the next morning, we headed into town to see what Zurich had to offer. It was a beautiful day and it just so happened that the Zurich marathon was taking place. Which meant plenty of food booths and a carnival-like setting!



We walked down to Lake Zurich where the girls had fun feeding the swans. DS and PS ate their sandwiches while enjoying the lake view and were treated to chocolate-dipped fruit kabobs.







We also bought some fresh, hot roasted candied almonds - yum!




Soon enough, it was time to hit the road for the 5-hour drive back to Brussels. And, since the next day was a school/work day, we didn't want to leave too late.



It was time to say farewell to Switzerland and end this wonderful vacation...



Belgium welcomed us back with heavy rain and wind. Our beautiful Italian holiday was officially over! After 18-days on the road, it felt a little strange to be back at home , however it was nice to be back in our own beds again!

We will always remember our first time in Italy and the wonderful experience it was for our family.



Arrivederci per ora, l'Italia!!

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