So yesterday was our last day in Cheval Blanc and we used the day to drive around the local wine routes in Côtes du Rhône.  The first and last place we visited had some snobbish people working there so after a few tastes of the local wine we left.  But there was a guy in the middle that was extremely friendly at
Domaine De Mourchon and showed us all the details of how the wine was made and let us taste about 6 types.  It was well presented and we decided to buy a few bottles.  Later on we went back to the B&B rested for a short time and then walked to a local restaurant that was recommended by the owners of the B&B.  As we entered the restaurant we realized we were the only customers of the night and that the full attention of the Owner/Manager, Waitress, and chef.  In short this was a very high class place and we spent more than we wanted but we made the best of it and ordered the somewhat cheaper food. It was an experience but we laughed about skipping out and going to McDonalds throughout the meal. 
When we got back to the B&B we were greeted with a fire in the patio area and candles lit all around the patio area.  It was awesome because they also had a corkscrew out and clean glasses...  We used both to our advantage. :)  It was a great ending to our stay...

Today we drove toward Nice and went drove though Luberon (famous for its fields of lavender) and visited one of the hilltop towns called Rousillon.  Then we headed south to the ocean and ate at a seaside village called Cassis.  As we left we drove along the very high cliffs and pulled over a few times to look at the height and views from the cliffs.  It was amazing.  After that we drove some more, departed ways with Chris and Autumn.  It was about that time we checked our email and found out that we didn’t have a room for the rest of the trip due to some confusion.  We stopped at a local McDonalds for some free Wi-Fi and some Beer (ok it was just for me) and found a new place to stay.  The new place we are at now is very nice and almost half the price.  Thanks to Rick Steve’s book!  So anyways that’s it for now...  Sorry this is so long...

(The following is from Autumn:)

Sorry for the delay w/ regard to posting, but we’ve been occupied by the following… Saturday, it was SO rainy & consequently Chris, Aaron, & Ryan were unable to go “cannoning” so they opted to take a drive w/ me & Cherie instead. Matt & Vicki went to Bern while the rest of us drove to see a couple of castles & lunch in the nearby towns. Sunday, we left Switzerland, (w/ our noses pressed to the rear windows of our cars- ha ha) and pressed on to France. We arrived at our B&B (after some considerable effort on the part of the car’s integral GPS, along w/ a good ole’ map) and were delighted by our accommodations. Today (Monday), we voyaged to some nearby ruins & forts w/in the area. A couple of our highlights were lunch @ a Roman aqueduct; in addition to a gorgeous sunset from the top of a fort from Pont Du Gard (a fort from the Middle Ages).  

Yesterday we took a tram up to the cliffs of the area we are staying (more specifically it was Muren) and hiked for a bit over 6 miles. Tired legs for sure...  The valley of Luaterbrunnen is beautiful.  There were many waterfalls, animals, green fields, small houses, and clouds just floating by.  Thought the trams were full of tourists it seemed like the trail was ours alone for the duration.  It was a bit overcast and cool, but moving along was the thing that kept us warm. So that was our motivation for the most part.  Though the food has been mostly meat, cheese, and beer it seems like we are doing enough activities to burn it off. So that’s a good thing…

Aaron and Chris have been climbing and hanging on just about everything they can so far.  I’m jealous at times, but I’ve been standing by so I can take a picture of it.  Matt has been giving me camera lessons along the way so I’m glad I know how to use my camera better.  Autumn, Cherie, and Vicki have all been in good spirits so everything has been on the up and up.  No complaints!

Here’s some pictures of the hike…

PS:  Can someone tell Dan K. that Matt and the famous Rick Steves’ say hello!

Here is the sledding video...

So for those of you who have been following... Sorry for taking a day off. 

Yesterday we saw some of the most awesome scenery yet.  We went to "The top of Europe" also called Jungfrau Mountain.  (sounds like -- > young frow)  The train ride up was a lot cheaper if we got there early so we rode up with a few tourists but mostly construction workers that took care of the tracks.  As the ride went up to 13642 feet, our ears popped many times and the oxygen was thin so a few of us got light headed and tired.  After we adjusted we explored the ice palace tunnels which were made of nothing but ice.  (Felt like walking around in Supermans ice house.)  The floors were slippery but it just made for more fun as Chris and Aaron ran around and slide across the floors.  After that we went to the Sphinx which is the observation deck and observatory for scientists and such.  We did go outside and go sledding on our butts too.  The whole tope felt like the mountain top scene from Inception.  After that we came back to the hotel, some of slept for a bit we walked under the big waterfall near the hotel and then went out to eat.  That’s it for yesterday; today was a bunch more stuff but Ill wait a little bit to post. 

Thanks again to all those leaving comments!!!!  We appreciate it...

 
 

One more picture...  Its 1:14am here but I had to take one more picture. (Many thanks to Matt for teaching me how to use my camera better) This is the view I will have from the balcony in my room the next few nights. So awesome...

So yesterday was a relatively quick drive to Austria and then we stayed a place called the Ernberg Hotel.  It was a small hotel but I was happy because I had my own bathroom.  The town was a picturesque area with very little buildings, a few horses, and giant mountains around it. I think we all liked everything about it except the fact we had to leave at 8am the very next morning for a castle tour and head toward Switzerland.  Too early for sure...

The castle tour was awesome though.  We saw two.  The Schloss Hohenschwangau (yellow) and the Schloss Neuschwanstein (white).  Honestly the yellow one was ok.  The white one was epic!  It was impressive on many levels.  Before we entered the white castle we took a small hike to a suspension bridge that me Aaron and Matt climbed past and up higher to take some better pictures.  It was awesome though Cherie and Vicki stayed on the bridge to be safer.  If you notice the bridge picture, us 3 guys were in the top right compared to where the bridge was.  It was scary and awesome because we were so high...  My hands were sweating standing up there, but I liked it… J

Matt has some better pictures but here (below) are a few off mine for now...

Other than that we have now met up with Chris and Autumn in Switzerland and just got back from having some food and drinks from a very small bar/restaurant on the town of Lauterbrunnen.  The bar reminds us of Bidwell in Coventry... (nothing too fancy but it will fill you up)

Anyways its late here and I will have more pictures and details of how Switzerland is tomorrow.  Maybe I’ll get one of the others to post next...

I think we are still adjusting to the time difference still but we are managing to have a good time. Such a tuff trip! Kidding of course...

Yesterday we visited the Munich Residenz palace.  The building itself was the most impressive to me though it was filled with many old paintings, crowns, and various jewels in a treasury room.  We soon after went to the Viktualienmarkt which was a spread of small market fruits veggies spices.... and a BEER Garden!  We met some guys from Austria who were very loud and keep pushing us to eat radishes.  Smelly burps…

Later we went to the official Oktoberfest and were amazed at all the tents, food, and rides.  It was the Big E X100!

Anyways, we are checking out of hotel right now and just picked up our rental car.  We will be leaving for Austria later tonight after some more sightseeing.  OK everyone is waiting for me, got to run...