Cameraless from Spain to Switzerland

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Crossing the border from Portugal to Spain must have been very traumatic for my camera. When we arrived in Sevilla it started acting like an impressionistic artist and then it just died!!! This is the first time I have ever traveled without one and it has been a new experience, both good and bad. Sorry that your view of the sights will now be limited to my meager descriptions.

Seville was as pleasant as ever. There were lots of tourists and lots of trolley line construction in the old town. The walks along the river were more peaceful and beautiful. Our visit to the pottery district in Triana was one of the highlights. One new place that we visited was the Plaza de Espana which was built for the 1929 World's Fair. It is a very large 3 story colonnade with tile murals for each of the 57 provinces of Spain. The murals are lovely, but unfortunately are starting to deteriorate. It was so beautiful that I had to include a few of the photos, even if they were defective!

Our stop in Barcellona was good and the Stones' concert was excellent. The concert was held in the 1992 Olympic Stadium which was not in very good condition. Our seats were good and we were able to walk down to the floor for the portion of the concert when the stage telescopes out into the crowd. It was the closest that we have ever been to the band. The wrinkles were almost larger than life at that close proximity!!

After Spain, we traveled through several beach towns in Southern France. The weather was wonderful, the Mediterranean was a lovely deep turquoise blue, and the villages were charming. Favorite among our list was Antibes and Villefranz. Villefranz is where Tina Turner and Bono live. We watched for them while strolling the streets, but never caught sight of them. We tried to pick out which villa most likely was their's, but who knows if we were right.

Paris was cold and rainy. We spent an afternoon at the Louve doing it at a slower pace and seeing some of the things that we have never had time for in the past. At Notre Dame we were fortunate to catch an afternoon performance of the boy's choir and also an organ recital. The Eifel Tower was packed with tourists, so we sat on a bench in front of the Trocaderra eating crepes and watching the tour groups lead their charges to the top and back.

We arrived in Interlaken, Switzerland on July 1 and will be here until Aug. 1. The first 6 days were also cold and rainy. The weather has finally improved and it actually feels like summer. As usual our days are spent near the lakes or on the hiking trails in the mountains. We had close friends visit us for a weekend and we took them on a whirlwind tour of all our favorite places.

The past weekend Interlaken had an air show that was quite impressive. We watched it from outside the airfield and also from our balcony. It was part exhibition and part competition. I didn't know that helicopters could do flips and fly upside down!!

That's what's happening with us. We would love to hear what is happening with your summer so send us an email when you have the time.

Catch ya later,
RPM

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