For a long time in well over 20 years we didn't spend our vacation in North America but decided - also to accommodate a few work related interruptions for my husband - to visit some close-by attractions.
We live in Switzerland, so basically everything in Europe is close-by.
We spent the first week in Paris, France. You may read more about this trip here.
Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel at the Louvre was actually built before the more famous Arc de Triomphe at Place de l'Etoile at the far end of the Champs Elysées. We didn't even go into the Louvre to see Mona Lisa. I'm showing you this picture because we enjoyed the "Bubble Man's" performance. Soap water is a liquid. Boom!
Another great spot to experience art without standing in line and paying a lot of money is to visit the Stravinsky Fountain just outside the Beaubourg aka Centre Georges Pompidou. Pieces by Niki de Saint Phalle and Jean Tinguely are placed in a fountain for everybody to enjoy.
The next week we did some kind of Switzerland tour - explore your own country because it's beautiful! We traversed the highest (8,000+ feet) Swiss Alps pass with a paved road, the Nufenen (German name, la Novena in Italian). It leads from Ticino (Italian part of Switzerland) to the canton of Valais. It was super scenic, and the gorgeous weather didn't hurt either.
I wasn't able to find out if this small body of water has an actual name, and whether it's even a real lake or just a large puddle of melted snow.
Next stop, Zermatt. Why do people go to Zermatt? To see the Matterhorn (on your right on the photograph)! If you have a little time and money (CHF = USD 115 per adult) you take the Gornergrat cog railroad that takes you up to 10,285 feet.
On our way to the French part of Switzerland we stopped at one of the most scenic spots at Lake Geneva, Château de Chillon, amongst the most visited castles in Switzerland and Europe. It had successively been occupied by the house of Savoy and the Bernese between 1500 and 1800.
The Jet d'Eau, the large water fountain situated at the point where Lake Geneva, empties into the Rhône, that is jetting 500 liters (130 gallons) of water to an altitude of 140 meters (460 feet). Back in the day it was used as a safety valve for a hydraulic power network.
On the day of our visit we were lucky enough to experience a sunny and warm fall afternoon, strolling along the lake.
I'm always trying hard to show you the most fabulous pictures - I am pretty pleased with the partial rainbow I am able to give you here :-)
Those were my
Happy Halloween!
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