Denmark, Sweden and Finland

We had planned the trip for a few years, but hadn't been able to pull it through. We're so glad it finally happened, by far, one of our favorite places we've been. Kevin's parents joined us in this adventure as we tracked down some of Kevin's ancestors.

First stop was Denmark. The city was unique

as well as its people

Our next pit stop was Uppsala, Sweden. We rented a cabin on a lake. 

We spent countless peaceful hours fishing, here's our dinner!

Monica loved the pike fish, she still talks about how good it was. Definitely, fresh food!

With the help of some super nice Swedish members, we tracked down Kevin's great-grandfather's siblings

The pretty cemetery in Nashulta, Sweden

We toured Stockholm with its many archipelagos

Monica and Bella got to play Swedish royalty

The got some quality time with Grandma and Grandpa

They overcame their fear of animals (for a few minutes only) and pet a goat

They bonded over long walks

We got to tour the Vasaa Museum, which houses a boat from the 1600's that sank and retrieved in the 1960's

Last stop, Finland. We took a boat ride through the islands off Helsinki

Got to eat some fresh produce and seafood at the Helsinki's farmer's market

and got to see more old boats. The highlight of our trip to Finland was definitely the reindeer meat we had for dinner!

Brittany, France

We went to explore the westernmost part of France, and came absolutely in love with Brittany, France.

We spent countless hours on the beach. We definitely had missed our dose of sun and sand since we left California

The girls learned to dance to Celtic music and joined the crowds of people on the weekly town BBQ

We visited the astonishing Mt. Saint Michel Abbey, but had to tell the girls it was Cinderella's castle to keep them from throwing fits. They fell for it and loved it.

We had to fight the summer crowds through the tiny roads that lead to the abbey

We learned all about raising chickens, not that we'll go ahead and do it.

We enjoyed the centuries' old stone architecture

We visited an old burnt abbey

And stayed up until 1 a.m. to see the live night show that tells the town's history

Tuscany

We don't update our blog very often, so I'm catching up on some old trips and life here in Europe.

We went to Tuscany last July for a week, a much needed break from the busy school life and routine.

First stop, Pisa

We visited Volterra

Monica got her portrait done

We gazed and marveled at wonderful landscaped

We swam 'till we dropped

We visited the amazing Cathedral in Milan

But my favorite part of all was to snap a picture of Bella washing her hands on "the little sink just for kids." 

Yvoire France

Yvoire France is a small medieval town on Lake Geneva.  It is on the opposite side of the lake from us and takes about 1 hour to get there from our house.  It is one of Mary's favorite places to go around here because of all of the cute shops.  It makes for a great day trip.  We took Rob and Aubrey there after church and before they had to fly out that evening.

Me and the Girls on the streets of Yvoire

Rob and Aubrey at the castle at Yvoire

The family in front of the castle

The girls dancing when the clock tower made music

Gruyeres, Switzerland

We’re catching up on our Summer trips this year. On June 6th we headed out to Gruyeres, Switzerland, a quaint little town famous for it’s cheese and fondue. Our first stop was the cheese factory and museum. The cheese is nutty and sweet and it’s become our favorite cheese at home. This is the cheese used in Fondue, and we may go as far as saying we’ve perfected the fondue recipe since we leave out the wine.

Gruyeres Castle

The town of Gruyeres is perched up on a hill

The town has several cheese factories, this cheese factory has tours and a museum

Monica was fascinated with the cheese making

The cheese cellar. The cheese can be aged from 5 months up to 18 months

These girls love to pose!

The town of Gruyeres

The cow bells

Gruyeres’ Castle

Amazing views from the town