trip to Europe

In June I was able to take a trip to Europe with my eldest son who graduated from high school and some other friends. To put it bluntly, the trip was phenomenal!

We flew British Airways (my favorite airline) into London Heathrow. We took very little luggage with us so we were able to easily take the tube to Kensington Station since we had a B&B right near there. We got in early enough to walk around a little. And we went to the Gloucester Arms pub for dinner and for our first pints. My son and Tara were the only ones under 21 but both over 18. Jenny and Christine both over 21. Poor jenny. She quickly got the name half pint as that is all she could handle. Most of us had hard cider with dinner. The next day we did a major walkabout. Saw the Thames, Buckingham Palace and a number of gardens.

Our next destination was Paris. We went thru the chunnel. Nice trip. Met a couple (well boss and his secretary) who bought us drinks. We entertained them. We came into the Nord train station which was right near the hotel we were staying in. A very seedy part of town. The next day we visited the Louvre and Notre Damn. Another big walkabout. Before the Louvre we visited an antiques shop that specialized in weaponry. We were able to handle all sorts of lovely pieces. I bought a small silver apple knife. Victorian era.

We then went on to Geneva. Unfortunately and also fortunately at the samr time we could not get a room in Geneva. We stayed in a little town called Devonne les Bains which was wonderful. Attended the Sunday all town market and also went to a local beach. French beaches are topless BTW. One of the girls decided to go native.

From geneva we went to Bologna. This was the highlight of my trip. I love Bologna. the architecture in Bologna is wonderful. Covered walkways are on either side of the street which makes walking outside nice. Bologna is hot in the summer. We saw the Two Towers, many museums, visited the University and walked a lot.

After Bologna we went back to London. We visited the British Library where we were able to handle some historical documents on fencing. We did a major walkbout each day. Including spending a good part of a day at the Portobello Market. We met friends of mine from Europe in London.

All in all a great trip!