Catching up

Okay, so we've done a horrible job keeping this blog up to date with our most recent trips. We keep hoping we'll get the time to write something witty and interesting, and put all the pictures in context. But honestly, that's not going to happen anytime soon, so rather than just keep putting off what we'd LIKE to do, we'll just put up what we WILL do.

So, to catch everyone up, here are the trips we've taken since March, along with some great photos!

March












Milan - Beautiful weather in March, a Da Vinci masterpiece (we got to go in and see the Last Supper), and shopping galore. What more could you ask for? Oh yeah - Gelato!

More pics at http://picasaweb.google.com/keshava/20080301Milan














Rapperswill - A tiny tourist town on Lake Zurich. My buddy Aaron (fellow BCGer spending time in Europe) came down from Stockholm, and we all took a trip down the lake, and walked around a town that looks like it was made for Disneyworld!

More pics at http://picasaweb.google.com/keshava/20080308Rapperswill













Zurich - Right next to Keshava's office is the oldest and tallest church in Zurich, the Grossmunster. From the top, you can see great views of Zurich's skyline.

More pics at http://picasaweb.google.com/keshava/20080308ZurichSkyline













Colmar - Right across the border of France, it's set in the heart of the Alsace wine-making region (and has the Pinot Noirs to prove it). It's also famous for its "Petit Venise" district of canals, and as being the birthplace of Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi - the sculptor who designed the Statue of Liberty

More pics at http://picasaweb.google.com/keshava/20080321Colmar

April












Rheinfalls - The largest waterfall (by volume) in Europe is only an hour away from Zurich. So when Josh came to visit in April, we took a quick visit. It's no Niagara, but you can take a boat ride to a rock right in the middle of the falls, and see it flow all around you. Oh yeah, there's also a 1200 year old castle there too - Schloss Laufen.

More pics at http://picasaweb.google.com/keshava/20080406RhineFalls




























Krakow - I ended up on a project in Krakow, Poland for three months (and lived on the only vegetarian food they had - pierogis). But for one weekend, Diana came out to visit, and we had a chance to see some of old Eastern Europe, including the largest old town square in Europe. The church in the square - St. Mary's, is probably my favorite church we've seen so far in Europe.

More pics at http://picasaweb.google.com/keshava/20080419Krakow













Auschwitz - No matter how much people told us about their visits, we weren't prepared for it being so REAL when we visited. Horrifying and tragic, it was still a valuable experience.

More pics at http://picasaweb.google.com/keshava/20080419Auschwitz

May
























Lake Como - We met up for a long weekend with two couples who were friends from business school - Astrid and Val, and Leon and Anna, along with each of their adorable daughters, Lola and Alexis. For four days we had good times, great food, and gorgeous weather as we visited Bellagio, Varenna, and Mennagio around the lake. And although we never saw George Clooney, we still had a blast!

More pics at http://picasaweb.google.com/keshava/20080501BellagioLakeComo

Even more pics at http://picasaweb.google.com/keshava/20080502VarennaLakeComo













Luzern and Mt. Rigi - Luzern is supposed to be the most beautiful city in Switzerland, and it's only an hour away, so we spent Mother's Day exploring the city. Then we took a cogswheel train to the top of Mt. Rigi, where gorgeous views of the Alps awaited us. Next time we're going to try and actually hike it!

More pics at http://picasaweb.google.com/keshava/20080511LuzernAndMtRigi













Antalya - Part of the Turkish Mediterranean, Antalya is where all the Germans seem to go for their holiday, so we got a chance to try out our "hoch deutsch" on the locals. Fortunately, the people were extremely friendly, and so we were able to manage without offending anyone!

More pics at http://picasaweb.google.com/keshava/20080524Antalya




























Perge - Less than an hour away from the seaside resorts of Antalya is Perge (pair-gay), which joined the Roman empire in 200 BC, but was a Greek settlement for almost 800 years before that! There are amazing ruins there, including the remains of the Roman market and an arena that held gladiator combats.

http://picasaweb.google.com/keshava/20080525Perge

So that's it - we're caught up on European trips now.... But keep an eye out, because over the next 5 weeks we're visiting Lisbon, Vienna, and Prague! Hopefully we'll see more of you all in pictures soon too - come out and visit us!