Europe5

Venice

Only 5 minutes into Venice's Piazza San Marcos and Teddy got bombed on by one of their multitudes of pigeons. Maybe he should have carried an umbrella like these Chinese tourists. (note, it was 98 degrees at this time)

Despite all of those romantic movies about gondolas, this is the reality of it. They're expensive ($80/hr), crowded, and floating in dirty water. I opted to happily cruise around the island on a motorized water taxi instead for only $8/hr. We dined at a romantic restaurant next to one of the canals. Teddy was very, very thirsty.

Interlaken

Switzerland is gorgeous. If I could only visit one place in Europe, it would be Switzerland. The houses in Switzerland actually do look like this adorable house in this photo. This is my favorite photo from Europe.

Aside from the pure blue alpine waters, quaint Swiss chalet, and lofty snow-capped peaks, what makes Interlaken so special is that it's the metropolis of college-age backpackers. That means lots of neat, friendly hostel lodgings, cheap beer, and sign-ups for all kinds of outdoor adventures!

For less than $50, you can sign-up with an adventure group that outfits you in a wetsuit, life vest, and helmet; gives you a quick lesson in white-water rafting basics; and takes you on a wild ride in the icy-cold Swiss Alps. This is how I look after half a mug of Swiss beer.

On our second day in Switzerland, we went ice-climbing. With ice axes and crampons, we hiked up the glacier, Steingletcher Sustenpass, with the Swiss Alpine Guides. Teddy adored ice-climbing. This is one of his celebratory swings on his way back down.

Teddy took this amazing picture of an ice waterfall, falling down into a mysterious abyss.

(One of our guides from the white-water rafting trip was sadly involved in a fatal accident after we left Europe. He was leading a canyoning trip at the time, which is where you don on a wetsuit and literally ride down the river and its waterfalls like a giant water slide. Unfortunately, the heavy storm failed to turn them away from their trip and when a log jam upstream broke loose, a huge wall of water came crashing down and swallowed its victims.)

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