About two weeks ago I happily boarded the plane to meet my parents and brother in Alsace. They had come to check out the European hotel management scene (Henry's specialty), a family reunion, and finally, a visit to Naples. I'm afraid I have time only for the first part today, but I promise to record my other memories and pictures asap.
The first leg of our Euro-road trip was approximately 6 hours to Nîmes, a sunny city in the south of France with some well preserved Roman ruins at its center. (I should mention that, as much as Naples is growing on me, it is always wonderful to get some fresh air elsewhere, walk litter-free streets, and drive more politely).
We were pleasantly surprised to find that we had caught the tail end of the Nîmes feria (Spanish festival). Our stroll downtown started with a taste of Spain:
I must admit my mom's Paella is better, but I simply couldn't pass up those shrimp and mussels staring me in the face. As we digested during our post-meal walk, our eyes feasted on the architecture all around us:
-the Roman amphitheater-
-loved the wrought-iron work on the balconies-
-happy family-
-i know this does not count as architecture, but we loved these really big overalls all the same-
We saw all of this in a very festive environment, taking it in along with music, dancing, Spanish-themed markets, etc. It was a great throwback to my study abroad days in Sevilla and inspired me to book the real thing sometime in the near future...
Near the end of our promenade we explored the local gardens a bit:
-happy to see (big) little bro again-
The following day, before heading to Switzerland, we stopped by the Pont du Gard, an impressive aqueduct dating back to the Roman Empire (and a World Heritage Site!).
Of particular interest was a gnarly olive tree near the bridge...does that stone really say it was born in 908?!
Next on the agenda was Montreux, Switzerland--a charming resort town with breathtaking views (even for the likes of me...I am partial to the Amalfi Coast) of the snow-capped Alps overlooking Lake Geneva Bay.
My interest (stomach?) was piqued by the local Musée de l'Alimentation (food museum), so I spent a few hours in the building next to this giant fork:
It wasn't the most intellectually stimulating of museums, but there was a nice homage to chocolate, as well as a few old books with rather odd themes...
Our last evening in Montreux, as we were looking for dinner through the raindrops, we took shelter under a pavillion where the Swiss Lakes Classic Car Show just happened to be going on. I figured hubby would appreciate a picture of this "lady in red":
I, on the other hand, appreciated my Swiss mountain dinner of pungent fried cheese and potatoes:
Eventually our whirlwind road trip came to a close and we found ourselves off to Alsace again. We were all exhausted--especially dear old Dad, who had driven practically the whole time--so we were happy to sit back and relax in the Loetschberg Tunnel. Inaugurated in 2007, this tunnel is "the world's longest overland tunnel" (http://www.huliq.com/24815/switzerland-opens-worlds-longest-tunnel-under-alps). It cuts travel time that would be otherwise be spent rounding mountain and lake curves by hauling parked cars through a 21-mile-long tunnel (literally) in the Alps.
-what it looked like as we emerged from the mountain-
-snowy peaks against the clear blue of the sky-
-waterfall cascading between the rocks-
Until the next installment, buona giornata!
Oh wonderful cousin ! =)
ReplyDeletei'm so glad to see that you had a nice family meeting in southern France.
Waiting to see the second part of your Euro road trip ;-)