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!
Frisia and East Frisia
Yes, the town church where they live has settled into the ground unevenly. Picturesque, no? 
After Switzerland came sections of the north-sea coastal zones in Germany and Holland, where Jens (exchange student chez moi in HS, with whose family I then lived for a year post-HS) and his family now live. The region (like a county) in Germany is east Frisia; in Holland it’s Frisia. They have a lot in common, historically, geographically and linguistically. Flat green fields and fresh sea breezes everywhere, canals dotted with little boats, modern and classical windmills all around – these can be counted on in this part of the world. Highlights: overnight camping in Groningen, Holland; overnight camping in the fields behind a friend’s house after a party and campfire to celebrate his 50th birthday.
What did we do in Groningen? Camp, eat “Mexican” (it tried, really it did) food in a really fun restaurant and finish the evening by playing dopplekopf (German card game that’s easier to learn than bridge, but probably harder to play well than bridge) together; began the day by drinking tea outside our tent, then sat in the main town square eating sandwiches, drinking more tea…and playing more dopplekopf. Now that’s my kind of weekend!
(so much world, so little time....) 
