Crêpes, Castles, and Cow Bells

I returned from my travels around Europe about a week ago.  Driving over 2000 kilometers in five days, Dad and I traveled from Paris through the French countryside into Switzerland down to Italy and back up to Germany just in time for me to catch a plane and Dad to attend his business meeting.  While it may sound like a whirlwind of a trip, the pace felt quite relaxed as we meandered from place to place. 

This past weekend, I spent some time organizing photos from my Russian and European adventures.  Nearly 3000 pictures later, I decided it was best to put an assortment up on my Picasa site rather than squeeze them into a blog entry.  If you are interested, you can go to this link: http://picasaweb.google.com/jeninnz. 

All in all, it was a great trip.  The Eiffel Tower was impressive.  The castles were incredible.  And the French villages couldn't be more storybook-like.  But, I think one of my favorite parts of the trip was the Swiss cows.  All the cows wear bells.  So, as you drive through the Alps, there is a soundtrack resembling windchimes.  Here's a video so you can get a taste of it:

I have to admit, while I absolutely LOVED my time away, it was also nice to return to Joensuu.  Alpina was waiting for me just where I left her.  The ground was lightly sprinkled with snow.  And the familiarity of the unfamiliar Finnish language almost made me feel at home.