British VIrgin Islands, Virgin Gorda, June, 2009

As soon as school was out, we headed for Virgin Gorda and 10 days of snorkeling and relaxing on the beaches. The water was much warmer than in Feb. and very calm, just perfect for snorkeling. We had a great day at the Bitter End, sailing and sailboarding and going out to Necker Island on the big snorkel boat. Josie and I had a spa day at Little Dix and Dave took the kids to the Baths to roam around the boulders.

Mangoes on Spring Bay

We had a terrific house overlooking the water; the kids were in the pool all the time although it was like a bathtub in the heat.

A great way to get around !

This just happens to be Necker Island, owned by Richard Branson......he didn't invite us for tea!! (but the snorkeling was great.....)

We had lunch at Leverick Bay.......

More pictures of Virgin Gorda from previous visits may be seen on earlier blogs......
Ben and Jessica sang this song with a choral group at their school- Banjo Man!!

Cruising the Rhine and Mosel, May 2009

Our Grand Circle cruise began in Basel with the opening day of a fabulous Van Gogh exhibit at the Kunstmuseum. We had a day pass for the trolley and rode all over Basel; it was a Sunday and little traffic. We visited the Munster Cathedral where Erasmus is buried and which has a marvelous terrace overlooking the Rhine, shaded by chestnut trees with pink and white blossoms. The city was filled with wisteria and lilac- white, lavender, and purple.

The 120 passenger Rhapsody
http://www.gct.com/gcc/general/default.aspx?oid=233466&linklocation=home_t2t

The town hall or "Rathaus" in Basel



The Fab Four - my new friends Betsy, Jackie, and Shirley from FL....Sally and Dottie joined us and somehow I didn't get their pictures!!

STRASBOURG
Strasbourg, FR was our next stop where we had an early morning boat ride through the city which has several very old locks and a covered bridge. Again, masses of wisteria and lilac.

The Astronomical clock in the Munster Cathedral in Strasbourg is a mid-nineteenth-century version of the original fourteenth-century clock. The seven different stories indicate the month and year, the time by the sun, and GMT, while angels turn over hour glasses, a crock crows thrice, and the twelve apostles parade before Christ.

These Alsatian buildings are typical

On to the Black Forest (Swartzwald) and Baden-Baden, the spa town. Very misty and lovely ride up the narrow road into the mountain. The 19thC town is full of old hotels and the spa Casino was the site of the April NATO meeting attended by Obama.

Just across from casino in Baden.

Look at the size of this asparagus from Bonn!!

Koblenz
This is called the German "corner" where the Rhine turns into the Mosel.

View from Cochem Reichsburg Castle which was destroyed by the French and rebuilt in 1930s by wealthy Frenchman. Taken over by the Nazis in 1941, it was given back to Cochem in 1945.

Lovely day in Berncastel- May Day which is holiday in Germany.

I was up and out early on May 2 in Berncastel to take pictures before the crowds arrived.

LUXEMBOURG

We visited the American Cemetery in Luxembourg. http://www.abmc.gov/cemeteries/cemeteries/lx.php It was a beautiful clear spring day with a slight breeze to ruffle the flags. General Patton is buried alongside his men of the 3rd Army.

As we stood there with our local guide, a veteran, the carillon began to plan.

Not far from the American Cemetery is the German Cemetery where four times as many German boys were buried, by Americans as there was no German army left to do it.

They are buried 4 to each grave with names, birthdates, and date of death.

I was interested to see all the German Kleins that were buried there.





In Nijmegan, the Netherlands, we visited the Liberation Museum. Nijmegan was mistakenly bombed by the Allies in Feb. 1944. Operation Market Garden as it was called, was to capture the bridge at Arnhem which proved to be "The Bridge Too Far".

http://www.rememberseptember44.com/

Nijmegan

Kinderjik- a UNESCO site of 19 windmills

If you are interested in the Dutch management of the North Sea flooding, you might enjoy reading about the Delta Works: http://www.deltawerken.com/English/10.html?setlanguage=en


The Antwerp home of Rubens, who designed it with his beloved Italy in mind.
http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/fnart/arch/rubens_arch.html

The Fab Four in Antwerp

February in the BVI and March visit with Noah

Thanks to Gretchen for this shot of our beach at Guavaberry. There are more pictures in the earlier blog section "Virgin Gorda".

Grammie heaven....... time with Noah in March

Noah is holding his favorite toy- a dustpan and broom. Need a clean-up? Noah's your guy........

Maximizing water time.....with Dad.

and with Mommy....... at Sat. morning swim class.

This is a peaceful moment at Spring BayA day before, it was all rock 'n roll with high surf and huge waves breaking over the rocks.

January, 2009 Club Med Punta Cana, the Dominican Republic

Club Med with Ben was an adventure!

We were joined by Peg, and Eric and Sally's daughter, Katie who is the same age as Ben. The weather was terrific, the setting spectacular, and the kids had a fine time! The Grandmothers lolled by the pool or on the beach, sipped margaritas and lattes and read books.......


The circus school featured a trapeze and Ben took right to it.



Nerva was THE MAN and Ben's big buddy.

Archery has long been a favorite

A little lazer action......Ben is under the sail.

Ben’s Day at Club Med

9:15 Archery
10:15 Circus School
11:00 Pool games
11:45 Lab
12:30 Lunch at Samana
1:15 Lab (read…computer games)
2:00 Kayak/ snorkel/Catamaran
3:00 Hip Hop/ Rehearsal for show
3:45 Rollerblade/pool
4:30 Crazy event
7:30 Dinner at Hispaniola
8:30 Evening Event- scavenger hunt, rollerblade, show

More circus school




The area for the big kids is called The Ramp

Showtime and Ben and Katie took to the boards in an Irish Jig. The kids put on a great show and even the 3 and 4 yr. olds took part with great enthusiasm!

What talent!!

How cool was our week ???