Our last and final post about our summer travels. On the one hand it is sad to feel the adventure is completely over now that photos are polished, organized and posted. On the other hand it is SO exciting to feel free to start sharing about our everyday, ordinary adventures here in Cali. So here it is, the last of our travels in 2013.

On our way out of France, we stopped in a gorgeous little town called Annecy. It is set against the French Alps and the closest we ever got to those magnificent mountains. We had planned on spending three days in Switzerland where we would hike the Matterhorn, but we just ran out of time! So we stopped here instead. The first morning we arrived, Landon and I got up early for a morning swim! I chickened out with it being still so cold that morning, but enjoyed just soaking in the unreal experience we were shortly leaving behind. 

This is one of my favorite photos from our trip (minus the sand on the lens). It took us forever to capture with our little gorilla pod wobbling on the floating dock, but i love it! We were really there. And we were so in love. I love remembering how this trip was full of time where we were the only people around for miles and miles. And other times where we were in the middle of the largest crowds and still in a kiss, or Landon's arms we felt like it was just the two of us. This man is my dearest friend and I could not have asked for anything more than to explore and experience the world with him.

I have never before seen such crisp and translucent water in all my life. We are sitting above 8-10 feet of water here and it looks like a foot or less because you can see straight to the bottom. That gorgeous Alp water felt like we were in a fairy land. 

Landon on his swim. It was pretty cold! You can't see it here clearly, be he could barely breathe the water was so cold. 

Landon had to finish up some work at the hotel after our swim and I went exploring the medieval town. 

Then I went back to grab Landon and we were off for another swim! 

Unfortunately the clear skies and warm sun went away as soon as we changed into our suits and instead a large storm passed us by. We didn't want to lose any time so we decided to swim in the storm! Below you can see the storm clouds coming over the mountains. 

And the choppy water. 

And then the sun came out once more.

After we got our fill of swimming we drove to Geneve, Switzerland so that we could catch a small glimpse of that gorgeous country! We walked around the city, admiring how clean and beautiful it was. And were blown away by the city's central river! I have lived in many cities with rivers running through them before like London, Paris, Washington DC, Dublin etc. but never before have I seen a clean city river. This water was like the water in Annecy! You could see straight to the bottom and it looked so crisp all you wanted to do was dive right in and  drink it! 

We were absolutely in love with their water spouts where you could gobble up fresh water from the Alps. I have never tasted anything so good!

Even their money sparkled it was so clean! I couldn't believe it!

In the evening we wandered around a little carnival on the banks of the river and ate the most marvelous ice cream, Swiss Movenpick. 

The next day we drove into Marseille to drop of the car and take a plane to Barcelona. The last leg of our trip. I knew I would miss seeing rolling hills and castles from the car window.

Barcelona we were in for less than 24 hours and we were pretty tired. So we grabbed some groceries for lunch at the beach and went swimming for hours. 

After a long nap we went out for dinner in the city - Paella and shrimp. 

So delicious.

The next morning we flew back to the states. While we were in line for customs in Philly I cried. I couldn't help it. Everything I want my life to embody is so easy to do with the support of European culture. Their way of life is what I dream my life to be like. I missed it dearly and couldn't wait to go back. Someday soon I hope. 

Our travels summed up:

Weeks of Travel: 4.5

Countries Visited: 7

Cities Visited: 49

Museums: 2

Roman Ruins: 2

Live Music Listening: 5

Hikes: 9

Swims: 9

Bodies of Water Swam In: 5

Castles: 16

Trains:18

Buses: 6

Planes: 10

Ferries: 2

Bikes: 1

Canoe:1

Paddleboards: 1

Cars: 2

Camping Days: 7

Nights Slept In Car: 2

Days Without Dinner: 5

Days Without Breakfast and Lunch: 8

Sunburns: 3

Mosquito Bites: 7

Gelato Scoops: 34

We are so grateful we had such an life-defining experience. 

AZ Friends Come For A Visit

I thought I would take a little break in the Europe travels to share a little about life here in California! It has been wonderful living in beautiful Cali that I still feel like I'm sharing vacation photos even though this, for us, is ordinary life. We are so happy to have the opportunity to live in this beautiful state. And even happier that we get to share it with friends who come to visit!

In September when it had just turned to fall in California, Mr. Finter's friends drove down for the weekend. On Saturday Mr. Finter took everyone out to enjoy the different beaches in the area. First they went out to Balboa and then went up to Huntington to find better waves. Although it was windy and cold on the beach (and even colder in the water) the men were excited to get thrashed in the waves! 

Here are a few shots from our adventures.

The four men making their way out to the larger set of waves.

What a windy day!

 

The ladies were all pretty bundled up as it was SO cold that day. And here is Leah's Prince Charming to sweep her off her feet and carry her back to a warm car! 

Tim and Rachel, soon to be married. Isn't this couple so sweet!

We love when our friends come to visit! The moment you left, we said "Oh, can't wait til next time!"

Hiking Cinque Terre Day 2

Our second day in Cinque Terre was a day for me. I wanted to hike until I couldn't stand up anymore! So we set off to hike the pedestrian route between the five coastal towns of Cinque Terre. Unfortunately, there had been a big storm a few months before that caused massive landslides on the coast and we could only hike two pathways linking 3 of the 5 towns. The last two we had to visit by train. But it was still so much fun to hike a little of the way and to see the magnificent view! 

Here we are at the start of the pathway looking back at the first town of Monterosso. This part of the pathway was so polished and safe. But it got progressively less and less polished. 

I can't get over that water!!

Here is a shot of what the pathways looked like linking the towns. They were carved right into the hills with no railing of any kind. The fall off the side they said was 6-8 feet in most parts and up to 30 feet in others. 

The hillsides are covered in absolutely gorgeous gardens. Lots and lots of grape vines.

The stairways along the path were practically vertical. Landon was ahead of me at one point on a staircase and I could have kissed his ankles without much effort because the stairs were so steep. You felt like you were practically laying down on the stairs rather than climbing up them. I couldn't find any good photos of the stairs, probably because I was too focused on making it up them! 

But the views from the tops of the hills were breathtaking!

The pathway also had this amazing "Lord of the Rings" esq bridge over a waterfall.

And here the pathway is over a stream. 

Here is a shot as we came into the town of Vernazza. The second of our journey. 

This is where we caught our first glimpses of the damage from the landslides. 

It tore right through this house. 

We were so hot from the 2 hour trek that we went straight into the ocean. The rocks along the beach looked like they were right out of an spa treatment add so i tried to alleviate some of landon's muscle aches. And then..

I thought I burned him!! Luckily the marks faded after a few hours haha!

For lunch we enjoyed fried seafood and chips!

Here is a look at the beach from up top of the village during the second hike. 

I think this shot is soo cool! It shows how high up the pathway was to the third town of Corniglia which does not sit right on the water, but rather on the cliffs above it. 

This is the view from the cliffs of Corniglia and you can see in the distance the fourth town of Manarola. 

The Cinque Terre region is known for growing lots and lots of basil and making the world's best pesto. 

After our hike I stopped in a a pharmacy to see if they had anything that could help my mosquito bites. Yes! These welts the size of a small child's fist are mosquito bites I got while camping. I went into the pharmacy and asked if they had something for itchy bug bites. The woman proceeded to show me some anti-itch creams. I said I had tried some and they didn't work and she said show me. I pulled out my arm bite and she gasped! In all her Italian glory, her arms were waving about as she said oh no no no no no you need something much much stronger. 

And so as not to end on that note, here is a lovely flower we found on our walk that we had never seen before! So amazing!