Who knew - Paris?

Amy and I were not sure how we felt about Paris when we stepped off the speed train from Geneva.  Honestly, we were probably a little bit nervous that we would be judged for our more than sub-standard French (fair enough). However, the moment we found the nearest metro station - which is remarkably similar to the New York City subway system, complete with dirt, graffiti and gobs of people - we felt at home. We stayed at a quaint  hotel near the Arc de Triumph. The hotel staff greeted us a with a warm "Bonjour!" and sent us on our way with some helpful dinner recommendations.


We grabbed a bite to eat that first night at a diner-esque place where could have been sitting in Old Paris 50 years ago. The wait staff were more than friendly.  Hhhmm - note to self.  We watched as lovers, groups of giggly girls and families gathered around tiny Parisian tables to share a glass of wine, smoke to their hearts content and/or consume a wide array of scrumptuous desserts.  Its unclear to me how French people maintain their trim physiques when they consume delicious wine, bread, crepes and pastries with great frequency. On a random side note, I have to say that while the Swiss might know how to do cheese, the French have beat them hands down when it comes to bread and carb products.  Hello mana from heaven!

With our bellies full, we left the cafe intending to hit the hay early as to ensure maximum energy for touristing the next day.  But before we knew what hit us, we turned a corner and the glowing glory of the Eiffel Tower caught our eyes; we were transfixed.  The immense structure was sparkling like a shiny diamond ring.  Our early night promptly transformed into "Operation find that Tower!"  Like pilgrims headed for Mecca, we stumbled, took wrong turns, considered stopping for rest and reniforcements, and prayed for the strength to make it - okay, perhaps a bit dramatic, but really, we walked through the romantic, star-lit streets of Paris for about an hour with nary a map to finally stand before the shining beacon.  It was amazing. So much bigger, sparklier and beautiful that we could have imagined.  Now I know the Tower was only built in 1889 to serve as the entrance for the World Fair and that Parisians originally thought it to be quite ugly, wanting to tear it down until they realized it was a good anchor for antennas and that millions of people would eventually pay gobs of money to come see it, BUT it was love at first sight for Amy and I.  It was a wonderful evening, to say the least.

 Our first day in Paris was a tad bit rainy and grey, but we found ourselves smiling from ear-to-ear.  We hit up the Bastille (or what there was to see of it), ambled along the Seine river, visited Notre Dame (with hoards of other tourists) and even found an American store.  Amy was beyond herself excited to find a real live Mountain Dew for the reasonable price of 4 Euros.  We also rode the Roue de Paris (60 meter Ferris wheel that provides spectacular views of the City).

Saturday night we had the great pleasure of meeting up with our super-fun Swedish friends Esteban and Markus, and Esteban's cousin Carlos and his partner Pelle.  We shared a lovely meal in Marseille and caught a late-night drink or two.

Sunday rounded out the trip.  We walked the Champs Ellyses, photoed the Arc de Triumph, strolled through the Jardin des Tuileries and found ourselves at the Musee de l'Armee, originally the Hotel National des Invalides.  WOW - this was a rad museum.  We had no idea what we were in for.  Apparently, in 1670, Louis the 14th decided to create a resting place for disabled and aging soldiers.  The Hotel des Invalides set an example for the rest of Europe to emulate. The 4000 residents shared space and made uniforms, shoes and tapestries to keep themselves busy.  The more severely injured were spared work duties so that they could be cared for in the on-site hospital.  While the building was eventually turned into a museum, the hospital still remains in operation today.  The highlight of this museum was visiting Napoleon's tomb.  I have never seen so much marble in one place.  It was stunning.  And the larger than life statutes were imbued with such life, I would not have been shocked if one of them struck up conversation with me.  It was truly a sight to be seen.

We boarded the Sunday evening train still slightly in shock that we loved Paris - yet another fabulous European experience.  The final explanation point was our first-class train tickets home. For some reason (ahem) we had to purchase first-class tickets for the second leg of this trip, according to one Ms. Amy T-G.  UMMM, I loved it! The brought us a fancy meal, we had lots of leg room and super comfy seats.  Now I could get used to that.

Swissin' up the Ghers

Of all our family visits to Geneva, the Ghers may have lucked out with the sun coverage. Good thing because Buzz Gher travels equipped with multiple cameras and he is not the happiest of campers without some good lighting.


Similar to our other guests, we commenced the Gher travel itinerary with an SBB train trip.  Swiss travel at its finest - immediate relaxation (well sorta of - Amy and mom immersed themselves in thrilling novels, I fretted over an interview with UNAIDS and dad sat poised, clicker finger cocked to capture an image at any moment).  We did have an interesting experience with a man on the train who wanted to talk about all things spaghetti.  "Spaghetti avec meatballs, spaghetti avec fromage, spaghetti, spaghetti, J'aime spaghetti". We stepped off the train rubbing our bellies, oddly craving carbs.


Our goal for the trip was to hit every snow-capped mountain top within reach of a day's travel.  We nailed it - Matterhorn at Zermatt, Jungfraujoch at Interlaken, Mount Saleve at Geneva (oh actually, Amy and the rents were turned away from that mountain - not open on the weekends in the Winter, who knew?)
It was truly amazing to see the glorious sun, snow, and peaks for miles. Peep even managed to make it into a few shots.

While my father was excited about the scenery, my mom may have been more excited about the fondue and raclette. I know I have blogged about this before, but the SWISS HAVE SOME SERIOUSLY GOOD CHEESE!!  As you will see here, it was quite a day in Gruyère eating up hot bubbly cheesy goodness.  It was so good that the famous Gruyère castle was an afterthought (note the absence of a photo).


All in all, another great family trip. Everyone was happy all around!

PS-I should probably mention that my mom and Amy took a side trip to Barcelona for my mother's 60th birthday.  I would add a photo here, but OH wait, I did not get to go on that fabulous trip. JK :-) They drank lots of sangria, hit up the Sagrada Familia, saw real live Flamenco dancers - sounds like it was a doozy.  Awesome that Amy celebrated with my mom in full spirit and rad that mom had the best birthday ever!!