​We docked in Brooklyn, and after sorting out the rental car at the airport, we drove north to New Paltz, NY to spend an afternoon & evening with Tera’s sister.  This past week has been spent travelling to Palmyra to see the Hill Cumorah Pageant, onward to Niagara Falls, next to our friend’s lake cottage northeast of Toronto, then back into New York to visit our friends in Potsdam, followed by one final evening in New Paltz. Today we head to back to the city for an evening flight to Salt Lake City where we will be reunited with our two college kids, and where we plan to settle down for August and September.

​Highlights:

1. Seeing Expat friends in their own cultural habitat
2. Sacred Grove and other church history sights in Palmyra
3. Impressive Niagara Falls
4. Lake fun in Stoney Lake with the Hodges
5. Reuniting with the Carls again
6. Escape Room in Cornwall, Canada
7. Roomy American mini-van

 
Lowlights:

1. Rainy evening for the Hill Cumorah Pageant

​(Click below right to Read More and see Pictures . . . .)​

As our European tour was coming to a close, we drove back up to Wassenaar (in a single 11-hour driving day from Chamonix) to overnight before flying to Southampton to board the trans-Atlantic cruise on the Queen Mary 2.  

​Highlights:

1. Seeing friends for one last time in Wassenaar
2. The luxury of the Cunard Cruise line
3. Fine-dining on the Queen Mary 2
4. Wearing our finest thrift clothing every evening on the cruise
5. Long days at sea filled with everything and nothing
6. No shopping, cooking or cleaning
7. Entering the New York harbor in the twilight of dawn

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​(Click below right to read more . . . . . )

After our travels in Italy, we hopped on the 45-minute ferry from Sardegna to southern Corsica and spent two days there.  Then another overnight ferry from Corsica to Genoa led us to a day’s drive through Monaco up to Chamonix, France where we stayed in a fantastic Airbnb in a valley village of Vallorcine to visit our friends the Inamdars.  The mountains and valleys and glaciers of the Chamonix and Mont Blanc area were simply stunning and great way to finish our European tour.

Highlights:

1. Corsica is a Beautiful place
2. Mountain lake of Bavella
3. Hilltop village with Airbnb and incredible views
4. Cap du Corse and black stone beach
5. Drive to Monaco
6. Incredible Vallorcine Airbnb chalet
7. Fun activities with our friends the Inamdars

​​(Click below right to read more . . . . )

After our wonderful weekend in Switzerland, we headed south to Italy.  We drove through Milan to Cinque Terre, then through various towns in Tuscany (Lucca, San Gimignano, Siena, Orte) followed by a few days in Rome.  We took the overnight ferry from Civitavecchia to Sardegna for a few days to finish our Italian tour. In this post, I’ve asked Tera and each of the children to join me in writing up some of the highlights so you’ll get to hear from them as well.

​​(Click below right to Read More and see Pictures . . . .)

After 3 fantastic weeks spent in Spain and Portugal, we set off on a bit of a sprint across the Iberian Peninsula and France.  We were excited to see our good Swiss friends Isa and Alain and their two girls, who we met while living in the Netherlands, and to see Switzerland again.  So, we set off for two 9-hour days of driving with some minimal sightseeing along the way.

(Click below right to read more . . . . . )