The Stone Family

This will be Allie and Tyler's last blog from Europe. Yesterday we got up early in Lucerne and got the first train to Basel. From Basel we took the fast train to Paris, where we switched trains for Brussels, Belgium. We have really enjoyed the trains. In Brussels we checked into the world famous "Holiday Inn, Brussels Airport" It is amazing how all international airports and the areas around them look the same. Honest to God, when we walked to the Metro Station to take a train into central Brussels, it looked a lot like Fitchburg. Brussels looks and feels a lot like Paris, and like Paris it has a thriving city center filled with museums, cafes, plazas and great "street life." We had a nice dinner at a sidwalk cafe and then continued to explore ... read more

For those of you who did not notice, we added an additional entry for our last couple of days in London. The blog is unsurprisingly entitled ... Last Couple of Days in London. Take a look We had a beautiful day in Lucerne Switzerland, but as the Swiss use Swiss Francs, we are on our 4th set of currency in 2 weeks (US Dollars, British Pounds, Euros and Swiss Francs). At breakfast at our Hostel we met a SLU grad, who lives in Germany. We also had the best hot chocolate in the history of the world. Tyler snaked several packages to bring home. Tyler also got himself a new hat. We hiked to the top of the town and explored the battlements protecting Lucerne from invasion. We then made our way down to the river ... read more

Today was an "off day," but despite the lack of a plan, we had a wonderful time. We skipped breakfast in the apartment. Instead we jumped on the Tube to the Borough Market at London Bridge. For those of you from Madison, the Borough Market is like Saturday's Farmer's Market on steroids. Vendors sold everything from fresh produce to corned beef sandwiches to "turkish delights," a chewy fruit candy. We wandered for hours, eating breakfast as we walked, and purchasing supplies for a picnic lunch. Collectively, we purchased about $50,000 worth of food, but we had a great and memorable time. From Borough Market we walked along the river to the Millennium Bridge (which was featured in the 6th Harry Potter film). We crossed the bridge and visited St. Paul's Cathedral. We then hopped on the ... read more

Hi everybody, this is Allie and Tyler. Our parents flew home today, but we are continuing our European travels, so we are taking over the blog. This morning we took the Eurostar from London to Paris. When our dad was researching Eurostar tickets, he learned that the London to Paris price was about $300/person, but that if you purchased non-refundable tickets for a train leaving London before 7:00 a.m., you could get the tickets for $66. Needless to say, we were out of bed and on the Tube before the sun came up. Arrived Paris on a chilly, rainy summer day. We checked into our hostel and started to explore the city. Our hostel is located near jardin des Luxenbourgh, a large and beautiful park near Notre Dame. The park has several well-used tennis courts. They ... read more

Today's blog requires a little background information. Our children (like most children their age) grew up with Harry Potter. First with the books, then with the films. Allison, in particular, is a huge fan. After completion of the final Harry Potter film, instead of tearing down the sets, Warner Brothers elected to organize the sets (and props and other Harry Potter paraphernalia) into 2 large sound stages at WB's Studios London and give tours. Ed and Lisa learned about the tours and purchased tickets in advance. But they neglected to tell their children. On the itinerary for the trip, Sunday, June 30 was reserved for a "visit to Watford Cathedral to see historic tapestries." First of all, there is no Watford Cathedral and there are certainly no tapestries. From friends and from advertisements around London Allison ... read more