Europe Trip - Video Highlights

My stepbrother, Dave Suich, put together this fun little video with footage taken on the trip (using his Flip camcorder). There were a total of 7 of us that traveled together, so you'll see all of us in the video at some point. The video is a little under 4 minutes long and touches on most of the cities we visited. Enjoy!

Vacation Highlights

Alles Gut In Switzerland!

Thanks to the world wide web, we are writing this on a train from Bern to Geneva (Switzerland). Our destination is Aix-en-Provence (France), where we begin the French part of our trip.

The 3 days we spent in Switzerland (the Berner Oberland area) were amazing. Just as we had been told by many people, Switz is breathtakingly beautiful at every turn. Staying in Lauterbrunnen was like living in a postcard. We can't wait to share pictures! While there we hiked in the Alps and took a train to the "Top of Europe," the Jungfaujoch, at 11,333 feet. We walked out on a glacier while it was snowing and experienced ICE COLD like we've never felt before! Yesterday we visited the quaint medieval town of Thun and took a relaxing cruise on the beautiful Thunensee, with the snow-covered Alps in 360-degree view.

Everyone in Switz (including other tourists) is very outdoorsy....lots of hiking poles & backpacks - we are getting a real education in outdoor fashion & equipment. The most popular activity besides hiking seems to be paragliding by jumping off the Alps. At any given moment you can look up and see a handful of colorful parachutes spiraling in the sky. Last night in Interlaken we saw a few of them land smoothly in a grassy meadow.

In the past few days we have experienced temperatures from one extreme to another - so we are looking forward to the steady warmth of Provence!

The only slight snag so far is that I (Sarah) seem to have caught a cold, but I am medicating & hanging in there.

We are having a wonderful time!

The Haydens In Europe!

As many of you know, the Haydens are taking our 4th trip to Europe this summer! We feel so excited and blessed to be able to travel around the globe -- it's definitely our favorite pastime! Below is a basic itinerary of our trip (July 10-26), with links to our accommodations and sights we'll be seeing. We'll post pics and updates along the way, if possible -- and definitely when we get home! Au revoir!
Friday, July 10
Depart LAX for Zurich, Switzerland 7:50am

Saturday, July 11
Travel from Zurich to Lauterbrunnen by train
Accommodations: Hotel Staubbach
Afternoon: Tour Lauterbrunnen

Sunday, July 12
Tour Jungfrau region, hike
Sleep in Lauterbrunnen

Monday, July 13
Tour Jungfrau region, hike
Sleep in Lauterbrunnen

Tuesday, July 14
Travel to Aix-en-Provence by train
Sightseeing/sleep in Aix-en-Provence
Accommodations: Hotel Cardinal

Wednesday, July 15
Travel to Cassis by Train
Sightseeing/sleep in Cassis
Accommodations: Hotel Le Clos des Aromes

Thursday, July 16
Visit/hike the Calanques and sunbathe
Sleep in Cassis

Friday, July 17
Travel to Arles by train
Tour Arles (Roman Arena, Forum Space, Van Gogh Museum)
Accommodations: Hotel Regence
Saturday, July 18
Visit the morning market, watch a bullfight
Sleep in Arles

Sunday, July 19Travel to Les Baux by car
Tour the countryside, visit fortress ruins and local sites
Accommodations: Hotel Mas D`Aigret

Monday, July 20
Drive to St. Remy
Tour Glanum ruins/drive the countryside
Sleep in Les Baux

Tuesday, July 21
Travel to Avignon
Visit Millau Viaduct/Pont du Gard
Sleep in Avignon
Accommodations: Hotel Medieval
Wednesday, July 22Sightseeing in Avignon (Market, Palace of the Popes, City Square)
Sleep in Avignon

Thursday, July 23
Travel to Paris by bullet train
Sightseeing in Paris
Accommodations: Hotel du Champ de Mars

Friday, July 24
Sightseeing in Paris
Sleep in Paris

Saturday, July 25
Sightseeing in Paris
Sleep in Paris

Monday, July 26
Depart Paris for LAX
Arrive at LAX 3:51pm

Thanks to Rick Steves, once again, for helping us plan a fantastic itinerary and travel like locals!