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We have started a new blog for our upcoming baby! Check it out at Baby Bertrand Blog!

Chocolate and Waffles

So our last day was in Brussels, Belgium. We accomplished the top three things…eat waffles, eat chocolate, and see Manekin Pis. The Manekin Pis statue was hilarious and we were shocked that it is such a big deal. This statue even has its own wardrobe. We walked through Grand Place, which is quite amazing and then had more waffles. HA HA

Yesterday we took the Euro Star to London for one last night. Our flight was at 11:15 a.m. and were looking forward to getting home, but not looking forward to the 9.5 hour flight to Houston.

Tulips Tulips Tulips

We boarded a bus this morning and rode about one hour west of Amsterdam to see the tulip fields. On the ride there, we began to see the rows of color. Our destination was a park in Keukenhof, Holland. Tulips are my favorite flower, so you can imagine that I was foaming at the mouth as soon as we entered this garden. Tulips were everywhere, in every shape and color. This park had tulips of all varieties, in many different arrangements and patterns. The pictures below do not do it justice. The tour was three hours of seeing heaven for me and photo heaven for Brad. It was a welcomed change to the day we had before.

Afterwards we were off to the station, platform 13a, to board a train to Brussels, Belgium. Brussels is the last stop for us on our vacation. We cannot believe it has already been two weeks and we will be home in two days.

Shasta

Mercredi Gras?!?!

We awoke on our train this morning and made our way to Amsterdam. Let me start by saying this, Amsterdam is CRAZY right now! Months ago when we planned this vacation we did not know at the time that our first day in Amsterdam was actually a national holiday celebrating the Queen’s Birthday. So today was Queen’s Day and Amsterdam was wild. Picture this – Mardi Gras in New Orleans + orange clothing + beer + boats in the canals + techno music. This city was packed with people on every street and every corner. We didn’t know what to make of it at first.

So after we checked into our hotel, we thought we would try to blend in with the crowds, so we bought beer and headed out to the streets. It was actually a fun afternoon. It was the perfect day to people watch and listen to techno music (if you like that sort of thing). We are told this party will go on all night and I believe it. As I am writing this, I can hear the music in the streets below.

We also visited the Anne Frank house. It was shocking to learn that her and her family spent over two years in hiding in this house.

Tomorrow we are going on a tour of the tulip fields west of Amsterdam. They are in full bloom now and we can’t wait to share the pictures with you.

Shasta

The Overnight Train Experience

Yesterday was a rainy day in Munich, so we didn’t get to do the Mike’s Bike Tour like we had originally planned. We visited one museum and then spent the rest of the day just walking around. We then headed to the train station in anticipation for our first ever overnight train ride.

We had a two-person room on the train that had a sink and mirror……well that is about all that would fit in this room. I guess we were expecting something spacious, but we were so wrong. We were like two mice in a cage and it was hilarious. So, after a long day we were hoping to get some to solid sleep. WRONG!!! We each had a bed that was comfortable, but the train made about a dozen stops during the night. We laughed this morning and said this was something we had to experience, but not sure we could do it again.

Shasta

Hofbräuhaus

It was another warm and sunny day in Munich. We didn’t have much planned so we just thought we would figure it out as we go. We toured the Residenz, which is the former residence of Bavarian Kings and home of the Wittelsbach dynasty. The rooms we toured were trimmed in gold with ornate detail. We also got to view many of the jewels and crowns of these former kings.

Afterwards, we thought we would do the other thing everyone comes to Munich to do….hang out in a beer garden. We walked through the Englischer Garten and at a bridge there were men surfing. For some reason when the water rushes under this bridge it creates large waves and is apparently a hot spot for locals to surf. We included some of these pictures below. We then reached a beer garden near the Chinesischer Turm. We took part in the local tradition and sat there and drank beer.

Our last stop of the day was a visit to the famous Hofbräuhaus. We ate traditional Bavarian food for dinner and drank the traditional big beers. There was music and wall to wall people, and it was so much fun. Our next stop is Amsterdam, which will take an overnight train tomorrow night. Bye!

Shasta

The Disney Castle

Today, we left Lucerne,Switzerland heading to Munich, Germany, which is the next stop on our grand tour of Europe. From all the research we had done prior to leaving, we found out the Neuschwanstein Castle was only and hour out of our way.

The Neuschwanstein Castle was the inspiration to Walt Disney for the Cinderella Castle in the Magic Kingdom. We took the train to the town and took a bus to the castle. We were dropped off at Mary's Bridge, which offers the most aw inspiring view of the castle you can imagine. Next, we took the 15 minute walk down to the castle grounds. We took a ton of pictures and continued down, back to town. We stopped at a small restaurant for bratwurst and fries. We finally made it to the bottom and grabbed a train to Munich.

We got to Munich around 7:30 and checked in. We walked over to the Marienplatz to look around and came back home as we were both beat. More to come from Munich tomorrow.

Enjoy the pictures!!

Brad

Mount Pilatus

Ahh, today was another beautiful day in Lucerne. The sun was shining and the temperature was in the mid 60’s. Our activity today was to going to the top of Mount Pilatus, and at this time of year there is only one way up...by gondola. On the way up we had amazing views over Lucerne and even neighboring towns in Switzerland. There are several viewing areas once you reach the top and there is even a hotel up there. We took in the views and breathed in some Swiss Alp air.

Enjoy the pictures, tomorrow Munich.

Shasta

Folklore in Switzerland

Today was our first day in Lucerne, Switzerland. We arrived by train around noon and were completely amazed. Lucerne looks like something you would see on a postcard. It is a beautiful place and seems to be moving at a slower pace than Paris or London…which we are excited about. We plan to just relax and enjoy the scenery.

We just got back from a dinner & show at the Stadtkeller Swiss Folklore Restaurant. We were told fondue is a big deal here, so we ate that for dinner. The show was so much fun. There was a band that played traditional Swiss music and there was lots of yodeling. Brad and I got called up from the crowd to participate with other in a traditional dance. Very interesting! Then, thanks to my husband, I was called up again with many others and we all had to yodel. Well, we tried. The host started us off and we were supposed to finish the next line in the song. Um, it didn’t go well for me, but at least I tried. It was so much fun and is probably something we could not have done anywhere else but here.

Au revoir Paris

Today was our last day in Paris. It was another warm and beautiful day here so we started out for another long walk. Our first sight was Notre Dame. This church is absolutely beautiful and is filled with large stained glass windows and tall stone columns. Notre Dame is another place that pictures cannot do it justice, and we hope you enjoy them.
We then went over to see the Pantheon. Wholly cow! This is a gigantic structure with large columns with detailed ceilings and walls. We thought the most interesting and bizarre thing about the Pantheon was the crypt, which you can tour, underneath the building. There are hallways of rooms that you can look into and see stone boxes that are filled with the deceased. It was really eerie.
Afterwards we went to the Rodin Museum. Rodin is the sculptor who created The Thinker. When you see the pictures below you will know what we are talking about. This museum also has a beautiful garden that has over 200 rose bushes, but unfortunately, for us, it was too early for them to be blooming.
We wanted to end our Paris trip by eating at a French café. So after walking around we found this little café that seemed to be the perfect spot. And so, for the first time, I had escargot. It was actually pretty good. We didn’t do much after that because we wanted to go back to the room so we could pack for our next stop…….Switzerland.
We are sad to leave Paris because we think it is one of the most beautiful places we have ever been to!

Shasta

French Immersion

We started our day at the Louvre and immediately went to see the Mona Lisa. It is smaller than we thought but still impressive. Next was the Venus de Milo. We also viewed the collections of Monet and Van Gogh. Then we began our double-decker open top bus tour. The bus took us all over Paris and one of our stops was the Arc de Triomphe. This thing is huge. It’s also quite tall, I know this because we climbed 258 stairs to reach the top. We had an amazing view of all of Paris. We also met up with a couple from Lafayette while up there…..WEIRD. I knew the guy, Todd, from business classes at ULL and Brad knew the girl, Jeanne, through an old friend.

Next, was our visit to the Eiffel Tower. WOW!!!!! No words or picture will do it justice. We also went to the top of the Eiffel Tower and had a panoramic view of all of Paris. It was beautiful and we had to pinch ourselves to make sure we were not dreaming.

Now, this is where I day got really interesting. At 6:30 pm we began our guided Seaway Night Tour. It was so much fun. We cruised around Paris on Segways and got to see everything up close and lit. We were a little nervous to start this tour but after minutes on the Segways, we were comfortable and on our way.

There is nothing like Paris at night. It is an incredible sight and we hope you enjoy our pictures (and no, these are not photoshopped!!).

Shasta

Oui Oui Paris!

Brad and I arrived in Paris today after traveling from London on the high speed Euro Star train. We checked into our hotel around 1pm and immediately ran to the door of our balcony and saw this:

The only thing we said to each other was “O my gosh”!

It was a beautiful day here in Paris so we walked the entire afternoon. Our hotel is across the street from the Louvre Museum, so we walked over to check it out. It was closed but we plan to go back in the morning because we want to see the Mona Lisa.

For dinner we decided to walk from our hotel to the Champs Elysees. It was busy, busy, busy, so we sat outside at an Italian Café and “people watched” for a while. During our walk home we realized that the Eiffel Tower is lit at night, so we turned around and saw this….

We also want to note that it is nice to see everyone driving on the correct side of the car and road. Also, Brad and I have been in Paris for about 10 hours and we are now both fluent in French. HA HA!!

Shasta

Saying Goodbye to London

Today is our last day in London so we have decided to ride the double-decker bus all around the city. We saw some amazing things, including St. Paul’s Cathedral. The guide told us it took over 30 years to build and we can certainly see why.....it is HUGE!!! We visited Buckingham Palace and made a quick stop at Harrods. It was Brad’s first visit to Harrods and it was my fourth, go figure.

It was a beautiful night in London so we took the Tube to Westminster to see Parliament at night. It was still early so we sat on a bench next to Thames River and watched as the city lit up. Parliament is something to see during the day, but nothing compared to at night.

Shasta

A Day In England

Today was an exciting day! We were picked up by the tour bus at 8:00 a.m. which began our all day tour. Our first stop was Windsor Castle, which is one of the residences of the Queen. There, we were lucky to see an unscheduled changing of the guard, and it even included a full musical performance by some of the guardsmen.

Next, we drove 2 hours to visit the Roman Baths in the city of Bath. This is an amazing place with lots of history, narrow streets and stone buildings. We were even told that Nicolas Cage recently bought a house there after falling in love with Bath while filming National Treasure.

Our last stop of the day was Stonehenge. I have to say, we were most excited about this part of the tour. We were told that Stonehenge dates back to around 2000 B.C. and still, to this day, no one can confirm its origin or purpose.

Finally Made It

Well, I am finally in London. I met up with Shasta at the subway, or should I say Tube Station, near her apartment. Unfortunately, it was a pretty gloomy day with some rain, but we still managed to get in a few sights around London.

Tomorrow should be fun. We have a trip to Windsor Castle, then to Stonehenge, and finally Bath.

Here are the pictures from today, I promise more to come tomorrow!!!

One Day Closer

Well, Shasta sent another set of pictures today and I am one day closer to London. Tomorrow the Andersons are leaving London and I will be picking them up at the airport. At least now, I have someone to hang with over the next couple days.

And for those that are wondering who the heck Pleepleus is, he is the mascot of a TV show that we love. It's called Three Sheets. It's on the MOJO channel and features Zane Lamprey traveling the world and trying the local drinks and drinking customs....very educational!! Check it out sometime.

Here are the new pictures:

Another Slideshow

Well, I just received another batch of pictures from Shasta. She and the Andersons (Brian and Kacye) have been tearing London apart. They went to the Natural History Museum, which houses the Rosetta Stone, and Trafalgar Square, just to name a few.

So, day 8 of 14 down. It's been a little tough lately, Shasta has doing so much with Brian and Kacye, that I don't get to talk to her much. She was alone today, but of course the internet was terribly slow, so we didn't get to video chat. But, there's always tomorrow!!!

I guess I need to shift to packing mode, I haven't really started yet. Problem is, I will probably start and finish in the same day. And do I really need to be packed by Monday afternoon? We'll play it my ear.

Anyways, enjoys this pics!!

More Pictures

Shasta didn't have any training today, so she spent her time wondering around London and taking pictures. She has a full day tomorrow with training, plus Brian and Kacye (our neighbors) will be getting to London tomorrow to stay with her a few days.

Here are a hand full of pictures she took.

Hot off the Press

Day 3 has come and gone. Here are a few pictures she snapped today going to and from the London CNA office.

Here is a quick history lesson. What many people commonly refer to as Big Ben, is actually the Clock Tower. Big Ben is the large bell that calls the Clock Tower home.

The London Eye was built to commemorate the new Millennium and was opened only hours before midnight. It is now one of the most popular tourist attractions in London.

Enjoy the pictures!

Shasta made it across the pond

So, Shasta made it to London. We talked around 3:30, 9:30 her time. She said the flight went well and the apartment was nice. She was just exhausted from all of it and heading to bed. Anyways, she sent a couple of pictures from the area around her apartment. These really make it feel official that she is there.

The red phone booths scream London!!

I do have a bit of bad news though, it looks as though Shasta has been taking fashion tips from Joey Tribbiani!!!!

What to do now?!?!

So, I had an idea of things that I could do around the house that would help pass the time while Shasta was away. But, my obsessive compulsiveness took over! I finished all of them today. I'm not really good at letting my to do list carry on for any extended amounts of time. When I have things to do, I do them as quickly and efficiently as possible, that way I don't have them hanging over my head the next day. Otherwise, I can't relax or much less sleep. Typically, this is a good thing, but now I HAVE NOTHING LEFT TO DO!!!! Here was my list:

Wash Shasta's Car (check)

Wax Shasta's Car (check)

Clean the bathroom (check)

Vacuum the couches (check)

Clean my gun (check)

Wash clothes (check)

Clean the kitchen (check)

Empty the dish washer (check)

Wash dishes (check)

Balance check book (check)

Update the blog (check)

Well, I guess I will have to look around for other things to do. Maybe caulk the bathrooms, who knows?

It's still day 1 of 14!!!!

She's leaving on a jet plane

The time is now, I just returned from the Houston airport after dropping Shasta off. She's off to London for 2 weeks. I must say, this really snuck up on us! I can't believe she is really on a plane somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean. Now begins the count down of the 2 weeks that we will be apart. Since we've been together, October 28, 2002 officially, this will be the longest that we have been away from each other! But, I do have picture that I can look back to as my last time to see her before she left. (this is at the airport drop off, she looks ready to take on Europe) Day 1 of 14 almost checked off.

I hope Jack and I can handle it!!!!!

Nothing New

Nothing new with the Europe trip, oh......Shasta is going to see a West End Show, Wicked. Other than that, no much to say, just tying up the final loose ends. Shasta leaves next weekend, its really getting close now!!



Here is a pic from my fishing trip over the Easter Holiday!

Shasta's New Laptop

Today we added another computer to our home, a Toshiba laptop. That totals 4 if you include my work laptop, which I am using now while sitting on my couch watching the Rockets vs. Celtics game. Needless to say, we both now each have 2 at our disposal at anytime, and have officially gained the title of Computer Nerds.

So here is a quick run down. Shasta decided she needed a computer while in London. Now we plan to video chat rather than call long distance over the 2 weeks we are apart. She also wanted to be able to email everyone and of course to keep up to date on all the Celebrity Gossip.

I have to say that will be using it too, mainly to download the hundreds of pictures I plan on taking with my BIG camera. That brings up the fact we also bought a new point and shoot camera with image stabilization, a Canon 870is. We thought it would be great for pictures taken of the European countryside on our train journeys.

Gotta get back to the game.

The Extras

Another task to mark off of our to do list. More research let us to realize that due to the length of our trip, there were a few things we need to bring that are a little out of the ordinary. First off, because we are going to be gone for so long, we won't have the room to pack clothes for every day. That means washing clothes in our rooms, which will be new to both of us. This brings up the need for travel washing detergent, a sink stopper and a clothes line, none of which we had, but do now. Other strange items on the list include, eating utensils for picnics in the park, power converters for Shasta's CHI and battery chargers, quick dry travel towels in case we get caught in the rain, as well as rain coats. Stuff sacks for dirty clothes, insect repellent which we hope we never have to use, various single does OTC medications just to ensure no hassles with lose pills, and hidden security pouches for passports and other travel documents and money.


All of the above have to fit in each of out new back packs. We both bought Osprey Packs, Shasta with the Porter 46, and me with Waypoint 80. We decided to use back packs, being we will be transferring trains and having to go up/down stairs to the different platforms and also rolled suitcase don't work well on cobbles stone streets. To give you an idea of what stuff we are bringing other than clothes, check out the picture below.

Planes, Trains and Hotels

Booked my flight (thank goodness for Continental One Pass Miles) so it was free, less all the fees. Shasta's flight was included in her scholarship award package, as well as, a two bedroom apartment for 15 nights in London's South Kensington Neighborhood. We will definitely be taking advantage of this in London.
We also received our EuRail Passes. We will be traveling from place to place by rail, and first class mind you. We also have an overnight journey, which we reserved a 2 person sleeper compartment, should be interesting.
On a side note, our neighbors, Brian and Kacye will be in London while Shasta is there. They plan to stay at her apartment for a few days, which will be great to break up Shasta's expected loneliness.

Below is our itinerary:
3 days in London, England
4 days in Paris, France
3 days in Lucerne, Switzerland
3 days in Munich, Germany
2 days in Amsterdam, the Netherlands
1 days in Brussels, Belgium

Europe for Dummies

We were on the fence on whether or not to use a MotorCoach Tour such as Globus, or take on the vacation on our own.

I think we purchased every travel book we could possible need to make this decision, but after much careful consideration and hours and hours on various Internet sites doing research, we decided we are going to be going it alone. Here is reference material we are working with:

For all the other travelers wondering what sites we used as reference, here are a few:

Trip Advisor

Fodor

Bootsnall

Hotels.com

Viator

Rail Europe

Rick Steve's Europe through the Backdoor

The Travel Channel's: Samantha Brown's Passport to Europe

2008 Europe Vacation

Well, it took very little thought for Shasta and I to decide that we needed to take advantage of her being in London. I will be meeting Shasta in London at the end of her training and we will then take a a simply splendid tour of Western Europe over the next 16 days.

Shasta's Scholarship

As most of you already know, Shasta participated in a National Marine Insurance Scholarship Contest and in August 2007 she received the official letter stating her paper was chosen and she had been awarded the Harold Jackson Scholarship (more info). As the recipient of the scholarship, Shasta will be traveling to London to train for two weeks at Lloyd's of London as well as various other Marine Insurance Markets.