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, August 18, 2008

Summer Holiday, Part I: Road Trip!!!

Well, we made it!!!

After weeks of Jo Ann's careful planning, the time had come to do as our fellow Europeans do and embark on a Summer holiday. We decided to take a road trip through Germany, The Czech Republic, Hungary and Austria. Jo had spent countless nights staying up into the wee hours and doing all of the trip research, getting recommendations from acquaintances, making all the hotel reservations and scheduling our complete itinerary. Basically, all that the girls and I had to do was show up! Sweet!!!

We left town on Saturday, August 2nd and headed towards our first stop in Trier, Germany. Jo Ann had wisely plotted our first few destinations within a 2 hour drive from each other, so that the girls would become accustomed to driving long distances without making us too crazy. As added insurance, we also brought their "Leapsters" (just like Game Boy's, but educational - you know Jo Ann!) with us so the girls had something to do while we motored down the autobahn.

To be honest, I was a little apprehensive about some of the "hotels" we booked on our trip. When I think of hotels, I think of gleaming towers with marble-floored lobbies, a front doorman, jacuzzi tubs and 24 hour room service. But, as you will see, the quaint hotels in Europe can not only be quite charming, but provide a very memorable experience and personalized service that you rarely get with today's modern resorts.

In the coming few days (maybe weeks), we will begin to put our experiences into words, the 1,500+ pictures in some type of order and share with you all the wonderful time that we had on our first (summer) European holiday.

But, for now, here's a picture of us in our favorite spot in Budapest, Hungary...

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