Europe 2007 -- Prologue

The idea for this trip to the Alpine countries developed over several years, finally culminating in our choosing and booking this tour last October. My sister Lisa, brother-in-law Bob, Tony and I have enjoyed taking trips together for about the past 10-12 years. We have been talking about going to Europe for quite some time, and we finally agreed on the countries we wanted to visit, the length of the trip, and the tour company to use. We had all had good experiences with Globus in the past, and Globus offered the itinerary we wanted. Lisa and Bob had taken their kids to Europe with Globus 8 years ago, and their trip included a couple of places—Lugano and Lucerne—that this trip would also visit. They were excited to revisit the area. Tony had been to several Mediterranean countries while serving with a squadron aboard the USS Forrestal in the early 1970s, but he had never been to the Alpine countries. I had traveled to these countries with my friend Jan and her cousin Mary during the summer of 1971, and I had always dreamed of returning one day with the man I married. This two-week trip was the consummation of many years of wishing, dreaming, and planning.



Just a caveat regarding the attached Flickr photos….many of the hundreds of pictures on Flickr were taken from the motor coach as we traveled, mainly due to the fact that we spent so many hours on the bus traveling (but not always stopping) through photo-worthy countryside. I did my best to eliminate the glare from shooting through windows, but sometimes it was unavoidable. To view all the pictures, just click on this Flickr link . They are organized chronologically, and most are captioned.





Also, if I’ve made any mistakes in identifying a place or landmark, I would invite my friends from the tour to e-mail me the corrections. This blog can be edited. There was SO MUCH to document, and many opportunities for goofs. And by now I’ve also forgotten some of the more minor places and landmarks that I neglected to make note of. Hopefully, some of our other travel buddies will remember and alert me so I can make changes.

Enjoy the trip. We surely did!