Mom and I had a great deal of fun exploring the city. The early- morning bridge by the Grand Palais is from an easter- morning run I took before Mom arrived, but the other three – rather obviously – are from our time together. Notre Dame looked especially lovely surrounded by blossoming trees which were encouraged by the incredibly unseasonal warmth and dryness that France (along with Germany and Switzerland) were experiencing throughout my entire trip.
Notre Dame’s famous rose window.
Scary images to threaten evil-doers up on the clock tower, and views of the fields around town seen from up top.Tiny (and Beautiful!) Liechtenstein
Having been obsessed, as a stamp- collecting child in landlocked southern Ohio, by the world’s smallest countries, it came as a special treat to me to realize that “tiny” Liechten- stein is within easy day-trip reach of Zurich, where I was based for five days after Paris. (The “tiny” comes from a fragment Carrie remembers from a sports announcer who used the adjective in describing the home country of an Olympic skier at some point.) The country is idea: goregous, easily seen in one day with a bus bas for the Liechtenstein bus system, and just generally cute and fun. For an extra fee at the post office, you can get your passport stamped, but at the borders you’re unlikely to see any Liechtenstein authorities. Though the Austrians, when I made the mistake of walking too far down the road toward the border and then asking a question about a monument to “the events of 1945” involving the Russians, did take a great interest in my passport. Must be a boring assignment, the Liechtenstein border.
Factoids about the country: it’s in between Austria and Switzerland, on the upper Rhein (the wide riverbed with only a little water in it is the Rhein; that it was so low in mid-April tells you how bad the summer may be in Europe); it has its own ski area (you’ll see some shots below, both of the ski area and of the Rhein seen from high up) near the highest point, which is something like 2500 meters or so. I feel a bit bad about putting this ahead of my Zurich shots…but after all, how often do you get to see pictures from Liechtenstein? 🙂
Visiting friends in Zurich
Meeting me at the Zurich train station on a Saturday afternoon several weeks ago, college friend Carrie said “welcome to Disneyland.” That was interesting, since Mom had commented that perhaps the French were unwelcoming of Eurodisney because, after all, pretty much the entire city of Paris is “Main Street, France.” That said, it’s true: Switzterland is almost too good, too beautiful, too clean, to be true. Great place to live, if you can get a job or afford it otherwise!
(so much world, so little time....) 
