Eastern Europe

Maybe it's because I read too many John LeCarre spy novels when I was a teenager, but I have always been fascinated by Eastern Europe.  It always seemed so mysterious to me!  In the summer of 2006 I had the opportunity to visit Hungary, Austria, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic and it was a very interesting trip.  Here are some highlights.

Parliament Building (modeled on the Houses of Parliament in London), Budapest, Hungary

Heroes Square, Budapest, Hungary

Fisherman's Bastion, Budapest, Hungary

Matthias Church, Budapest, Hungary

St. Stephen's Cathedral, Budapest, Hungary

Chain Bridge, Budapest, Hungary

Schonbrunn Palace (modeled on Versailles in France), Vienna, Austria

St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna, Austria

The Hofburg, Vienna, Austria

Belvedere Palace, Vienna, Austria

Hundertwasser House, Vienna, Austria

Mozart Memorial, Vienna, Austria

A random concert at City Hall, Vienna, Austria

Bratislava Castle, Bratislava, Slovakia

Old Town, Bratislava, Slovakia

Valtice Castle, Valtice, Czech Republic

Hradcany Castle, Prague, Czech Republic

St. Vitus' Cathedral, Prague, Czech Republic

Astronomical Clock, Prague, Czech Republic

Watching the World Cup in the Town Square, Prague, Czech Republic

Church of St. Nicholas, Prague, Czech Republic

Charles Bridge, Prague, Czech Republic

I absolutely fell in love with the city of Prague!  I could have spent days wandering the Mala Strana (Old Town).  I think this trip actually increased my fascination with Eastern Europe and I would like to visit Poland some day.

African Safari

Canadian Rockies

London

Alpine Europe

Germany

Spain

A Day at the Pool

Yesterday I was on aunt detail so, of course, Sean and I spent the day at the pool.  It was really nice because it wasn't too crowded and it wasn't too hot.  Last year Sean and I spent a lot of time at the pool because it was so blasted hot!  Sean even found some friends that he had made last year!  I basically sat pool side reading a fantastic biography of Jane Austen.

It was a lot of fun!  After spending the day at the pool, we spent the evening seeing a double feature at the drive-in.  First we saw How to Train Your Dragon 2, which I thought was pretty cute (even though I hadn't seen the first one), and then we saw Maleficent, which I liked even more the second time.  Sean made it about halfway through Maleficent before falling asleep!  I remember going to the drive-in with my parents when I was a kid.  I always tried so hard to make it through the second feature but I rarely did.  To this day, I don't know how Murder By Death ends!

Yellowstone 2014

When I got home from Jordanelle, I had just enough time to do laundry and shop for provisions before I headed out again for a week at Yellowstone National Park (about a five hour drive north from Salt Lake).  I love Yellowstone and I have been planning and looking forward to this trip since April.  Since I am pretty familiar with the park, I had a plan for my time there.  On my first day I visited all of the geysers and hot springs.

Lower Geyser Basin

Midway Geyser Basin (my favorite feature in the park is the Grand Prismatic Spring)

Lower Geyser Basin (I really love the Sapphire Pool)

Old Faithful

West Thumb Geyser Basin (I liked the Blue Bell Pool)

Norris Geyser Basin (I hiked all around the Porcelain Basin which was about two miles)

On my second day in the park I went on several scenic drives.  It was so beautiful!

The Yellowstone River

The Lower Falls

Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.  So Spectacular!

I was able to see lots of wildlife!  You're not really supposed to get this close to the buffalo but I just kept walking towards them!  On a Yellowstone trip when I was ten, I walked right up to a buffalo to get a close-up picture and it freaked my Dad out.  He couldn't yell at me to stop because he was afraid of spooking the buffalo.  If I recall correctly, the picture I got was blurry...

I stayed in a cabin at the West Yellowstone KOA and it was so much fun!  The people in the cabins were outdoorsy, adventurous, and very friendly with lots of stories to tell around the campfire.  I enjoyed sitting on my porch reading.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Yellowstone.  Next time I visit I want to go fishing!

Note:  For two nights I drove into West Yellowstone to see productions at the Playmill Theatre.  On Monday night I saw Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, which was fun as always, and on Tuesday night I saw Les Miserables, which was absolutely amazing!  It is a small and intimate theatre and the performers lead you to your seats and chat with you for a few minutes.  They all recognized me when I returned on Tuesday (I sat in the same seat both nights); one of them kissed me on the cheek and another one hugged me.  I really enjoyed both shows and I highly recommend them if you are in the area this summer.

Go here for more information and to purchase tickets.

Weekend at Jordanelle

Last weekend Marilyn and I took her cute trailer for an inaugural camping trip to Jordanelle Reservoir.  It was so much fun!

This was our campsite.

This is Marilyn's cute trailer.  It was really easy for her to tow it up Parley's Canyon and it was a breeze to set up and take down.  It is quite comfortable and there is way more room inside than it looks like from the outside.  Marilyn is very proud of it.  Just about everybody who walked by our campsite stopped to make a comment about it!

Our campsite was nice with a big fire ring and a picnic table.  The only downside was that it was quite far from the bathroom (which was fun in the middle of the night).  I really enjoyed sitting by the campfire in the evenings.  It is very relaxing.

Some pictures of the Jordanelle Reservoir.  It is a very peaceful place and I really enjoyed listening to the water.  This was the perfect trip to start my summer vacation!