Europe, American style

We are quickly approaching the end of our life as Europeans.  Next Tuesday, we move back to the US.  We are pretty sure we won't live in Europe again, but we are sure we will visit.  Just in case we can't make it back too many times, we've spent the last two weeks doing some traveling.  Quick visits to cities for just a day or two each.  While we know this is no way to really see a city, it sure was fun!  Here's where we've been:

Milan, Italy

This was a very quick, one-day visit for "business." Which meant dealing with Italian bureaucracy so Tom could drive when we get back to the US.  Ask him to tell you the story over a beer one day--it's a good one!
Milan was big, polluted, and crowded.  It was probably my least favorite Italian city, but it was still fun to see.  Tom even got to feed a bird!

Dusseldorf, Germany

After we finished packing our boxes, we headed off for two days in Dusseldorf to visit with my cousin.  A city on the Rhine, it reminded us a bit of Portland.  In addition to visiting the city, we explored a park where Neandertal ruins (if that's the right word for them) were found.  We had time to sit outside and enjoy some Radlers while playing games before watching the Germany-Ghana soccer match.  

Maastricht, The Netherlands

It was a quick drive from Dusseldorf to Maastrict for one more visit with our friends and old neighbors before we move back.  We met their newest addition (10-week-old Matej), and tried to learn some Dutch from 2-year-old Isabel.  I think we convinced them that they must visit us in the US next year.  We'll miss the bike-friendly streets and the delicious waffles, but most of all our friends!

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

After all those trips to Maastricht, we decided we must get to Amsterdam even if it was only for one day.  We loved it!  The canals, the picturesque streets, the Van Gogh museum, the beer, the flowers. . . this is a city we will visit again.

Vienna, Austria

Two extra days, and so many places we could have visited!  Vienna was the final decision.  Vienna is another big, busy place with the Danube running through it.  It helped us put Trieste into perspective as an Austro-Hungarian city, rather than an Italian one.  The grand palaces and baroque buildings on every corner were pretty impressive.  So were the coffee houses and the museums--this time Klimt's work was the highlight.  It felt like a place where one should listen to classical music, but since we didn't have time for that we settled for visiting the well-manicured gardens and Mozart monument instead.  

Ljubljana, Slovenia

Ljubljana is on the way from Vienna back to Duino, so we stopped for a stroll and dinner.  Tom always liked the idea of visiting multiple European capitals in one day.  We didn't quite get three, but two is pretty good!  And he was able to get a couple more jars of honey to bring back to the US.  A good stop on the way to Duino.