Posted by: The Kids @ Saturday, 22 December 2007 02:42 am

Italy was a sad parting as we crossed the adriatic for Croatia. With no idea what to expect we found croatia to be a gorgeous country, with great food, great sites, but the people could be a little friendlier. James stuffed himself on meat of every variety making up for lost consumption in India. the middle of winter isn't ideal for travelling there so we rented a car to avoid transportation hassles. Nad Drove! With the exception of driving on a pedestrian only street, sandwiched between two street trams in the midst of a chrimbo market, we did okay. (we think the lady knocking on our window was telling us what a fine job we were doing). As we drove the highways and byways we saw the sparkling waters and the contrast of war torn houses. There are still remnants of the conflict from 10 years ago. Plitvic National park was the highlight of our trip. We trudged out the first day at the park in the freezing pouring rain. Waterfalls galore! We had the park to ourselves cause not even the woodland creatures were daft enough to brave the rain. The next day we found sunny skies and decided to try for more of the park. The park officials told us the upper half of the park was closed but being obstinate, we went in on foot and saw some of the best the park has to offer. The entire park is mesmerizing with its crystal clear blue and emerald waters and cascading falls and vegetation. A lot of it a bit dead from the cold. Another highlight was the only sea organ in the world located in Zadar. The sea waves push against organ pipes set into the sea wall below the water level. The resulting sounds that bellow up from the holes in the steps, are amazing, soothing, and tranquil. It gives a voice to the motion of the ocean. We finished off our Croatia leg with a couple of nights in Zagreb. We pictured a cold, dreary, post cold war era city but were pleasantly surprised with lots of metro cafes, trendy people, and places to eat. From there it was back into Italy for another round of pizza, pasta, hot chocolate, and gelato in Venice and Milan. James would like to take a moment to worship the hot chocolate from both croatia (practically pudding) and italy.

Good-bye cold, hello freezing! Switzerland greeted us with snow and ice. We took a cable car into the mountains to tackle a couple of hikes. Our first was through a winter wonderland and idyllic town. The road we walked up closed moments after we finished with an avalanche warning. The next started well but pretty soon we were fighting our way through 3 feet of powder. Not wanting to be another Reader's Digest story with a guest spot on Oprah, we turned back. We took a small class in chocolate making after our hike. Gorged ourselves to the point of Nad actually refusing any more.

Travelling this time of year is freezing but it has bonuses. Christmas markets, gorgeous lights, scrumptious food, sinful sweets, lots of Christmas trees, and plenty of cheer. Nad was dreading the cold but all this Christmas has her bouncing off the walls. More meat for james with the Christmas sausages. Milan had the best decor with amazing lights. Zurich had the best market. Florence had the best food. The markets make us feel like we get a festival in every town.

In Lucerne, We shunned skiing and snowboarding for the more sophisticated sledding. What ten year olds do with ease, leaves the older persons battered, bruised, and sore. We conquered the the 3.5 km long sledding run, screaming all the way down. James took it head-first and crashed the same way, repeatedly. After a day of that we limped back to the hostel. That night we finished off our time in Lucerne with swing dancing at a local event.

From Interlaken we headed up the alps to the Top of Europe, Jungfraujoch. It was amazing! As the highest rail station in Europe, its snow swept landscapes leave you breathless. The minus 18 temperatures did a good job of stealing your breath away as well.

We spent Nadine's birthday in Paris. Nad made it through India and beyond with never a soft stool. Her luck ran out in Paris as she ran for the bathroom on her birthday. Saw the sights, ate lots of junk (good junk), James ate escargot, listened to music, and walked our little feet off. After five times in Paris Nadine still finds it beautiful. Today we head back to London for Christmas with Nad's family. We'll spend the new year diving in the red sea before heading back to the the states toward the end of January.

We want to wish all of you a wonderful CHRISTMAS & NEW YEAR!

p.s. James added a new element to the comment section. It's to prevent some of the spam that gets posted. You have to enter the letters from the picture into the box or the comment won't post.



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