Honeymoon - Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland, June 2007

I asked a friend, what is the prettiest place you have ever visited?  She said, "Murren, Switzerland."  That little town is in this vallely.  Waterfalls, snow-capped mountains and glaciers.  It is like Yosemite, but with the addition of quaint towns.  We stayed in Lauterbrunnen, right next to the impressive Staubach waterfall.  You can't help but be awe-struck when you see the Swiss Alps in all their glory.

Honeymoon - A Gasthaus in Germany, June 2007

We should have stayed in Lake Como an extra day, but we were off to Germany.  We stayed at a Gasthaus (German B&B) that we saw on the side of the road.  It had the some of the best food we had tasted on the trip.

Honeymoon - Lake Como, June 2007

We decided to visit this beautiful lake in the Italian Alps after seeing a mural of the town Bellagio on an Italian restaurant wall.  It was incredibly beautiful.  The lake scene in Star Wars Episode 2 was filmed here at this villa.

Honeymoon - Parma, June 2007

We had to stop in Parma, Italy to get some authentic PARMESAN cheese, my favorite cheese.  We also discovered European-style tart frozen yogurt here.  It's yummy with fruit on it.  

Honeymoon - Siena, June 2007

When I asked Italian natives what city they would visit, they said, "Siena."  When we saw it, I had to agree with them.  I loved the town square, which was set up for the famous Palio horse race, which was coming in a couple of weeks.

Honeymoon - Volterra and Monteriggioni, June 2007

Volterra is an Italian hill town close to San Gimignano.  It is famous for alabaster, and we made sure we bought some while we were there.  We also visited a small walled hill town named Monteriggioni, which used to be an arsenal.

Honeymoon - San Gimignano, June 2007

It was another great challenge finding our way to San Gimignano, a charming Tuscan hill town known for its many towers.  I don't think I have ever been more stressed following signs that say, 'this city this way' and roundabouts everywhere.  We stayed at a monastery (actually a nunnery) and we needed to get there before the nuns went to bed.  It was a beautiful location within the ancient walls of the town.

Honeymoon - Bevagna and Assisi, June 2007

Bevagna is a quaint Umbrian town in Italy. We missed a medieval festival because it was so hard to find this small town, but we enjoyed it.

Next we visited Assisi, home of the famous St. Francis of Assisi.  There is a statue of St. Francis under my parents' rose tree.  It didn't start blooming again until they put St. Francis under it. So it must be true about his influence over plants and animals.  Ha ha, we are not even Catholic!

Honeymoon - Herculaneum and Pompeii, June 2007

We took the boat from Capri to Sorrento and then took the train to Naples and saw the museum that holds many of the original artifacts from Pompeii and Herculaneum.  We spent the night at Villa de Misteri hotel, which was right next to the ruins of the house with that same name.  We went to Herculaneum first and then to Pompeii.  The ruins were amazing!

Honeymoon - Amalfi Coast, June 2007

     We took a boat from Capri to Sorrento, and then we took the precarious bus ride along the Amalfi Coast.  The cliffs were breathtaking, especially if you are afraid of heights.  The town of Amalfi was charming.            We visited Positano, made famous by the book "Under the Tuscan Sun", and took a boat back to Capri.

     The first picture is of Neil with  Positano in the background on the boat back to Capri.

     The 2nd picture is of me on the beach at Positano.

     The 3rd picture is of bouganvilla in the town of Amalfi.

     The 4th is of the Amalfi cathedral.  Amalfi use to be one of the largest cities in Italy until it was hit by an earthquake in the 1200's.

Honeymoon - Capri, June 2007

The Isle of Capri was awesome!  We stayed at the Hotel Weber near the Faraglioni Rocks.  The views of the cliffs and the blue sea were incredible.  We stayed there for 3 days, and could have stayed for a week or more.

Honeymoon - Milan, June 2007

Next we were on a plane to Italy.  We stayed in Milan, saw the Duomo (cathedral) and then took a plane to Naples.  From Naples we went to the Isle of Capri.