The pictures are;
Austrian Alps,
Heidelberg Castle,and my friend Dannielle that came to Vollendam Holland to meet me!!What a treat!!!!


This was a wright up one of our fellow vactioner Roselyn Redekope from Niverville put in the Carrillon.

European Vacation:
A group of area residents recently returned from a wonderful vacation to Europe. It was a Trafalgar Tour called “European Explorer” that began with a few days in London, England which included a panoramic tour of the city by motor coach, with stops at Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey and St. Paul’s Cathedral, where Prince Charles & Dianna were married. The highlight of the afternoon was a visit to Windsor Castle, the residence of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. They did not get to join the Queen for tea, but they knew that she was there, since her flag was flying that day. The three-hour tour of the state apartments and surrounding areas of the castle with its ornate décor, furnishings and artwork was extremely interesting . Some of the other highlights enjoyed by some of the group were: walking to Kensington Palace, the former home of Charles & Diana, a cruise on the Thames River, shopping at Harrod’s department store, etc.
From London, the group continued on to Dover, where they crossed the English Channel by ferry and had their first view of the “White Cliffs of Dover”. The rest of the tour had many and varied highlights, the first of which was a visit to Paris, France, where they toured the city, went on a cruise on the River Seine and were able to see many of the old historic buildings along the river, the Statue of Liberty, ornate bridges, Notre Dame Cathedral and the Eiffel Tower beautifully lit up at night. The next day they went up to the second level of the Eiffel Tower to view the city and toured the amazing art museum, The Louvre.
Everyone was impressed with the beauty of Lucerne, Switzerland and the surrounding Alps. Following a scenic ride by cogwheel railway up the steep slope of snow-covered Mount Rigi they enjoyed an outdoor lunch on the deck of the restaurant and a spectacular view of central Switzerland and the beautiful Alps.
Then it was on to Italy, with overnight stops in Milan, Rome, Florence and Venice. They toured certain areas of each of the cities by bus and had guided tours of many points of interest. Some of the highlights were: La Scala Opera House and the Cathedral of Milan; the Colloseum, Roman Forum, St. Peter’s Square and Cathedral, the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel with its famous ceiling painted by Michelangelo; the Holy Cross Cathedral of Florence, where Michelangelo, Galileo, Rossini and Machiavelli are buried, with monuments to each of them; a boat cruise down the main street of Venice and the Grand Canal, which used to be the most famous street of Europe, a visit to a glass-blowing factory, the Doges (Dukes’) Palace in San Marcos Square and the most enjoyable gondola ride down the narrow canals, serenaded by an Italian singer accompanied by an accordian player. It was almost too exciting to believe!
In Innsbruck, Austria, their tour guide had arranged a tour of some of the old, traditional mountain villages of Tyrol by horse-drawn wagons. The scenery was beautiful and everyone enjoyed the ride.
From there, it was on to Germany, where they were treated to a cruise on the Rhine River past the rock where the famous Lorelei supposedly sat, a visit to the Heidelberg Castle and Cologne Cathedral (Koelner Dom) where the three Wise Men are supposedly buried. Overnights were in Munich and Mannheim.
The last featured stop was in Amsterdam, Holland, where they took a cruise down the canals, visited a diamond cutting and polishing factory and had a wonderful dinner at a restaurant next to the sea in an old town called Volendam, a name familiar to many of them. This area was significant to many of them, since this was the country where the Mennonites originated.
The next day the group headed through Belgium to Calais, France, where they crossed the channel back to London. In all, there were 45 people on the tour, led by an excellent tour guide who was fluent in nine languages and went above and beyond the call of duty to make the trip a fantastic one for everyone with memories to last a lifetime. By the end of the tour everyone was tired, but elated to have been part of this exciting experience.