Berzerker Zürcher

Last stop on Les Tour de Binghams: Zürich!

Enjoying our Truffles du Jour from Sprüngli.

Weather doesn't get much better than this here...

Grossmünster and Limmat River

Anyone who visits us gets a trip to Sternen Grill and either a St. Galler Bratwurst or Spezial Servelat and Gold Brüli.  Rain or shine, snow or scorching heat you will eat here...  I think Maddie thought the mustard packed a little too much heat.

Grossmünster (the church, not us)

We had so much fun with them!

It was no surprise that everyone was up for a boat trip on the lake.  These three grew up on ski boats every summer.  Going to miss it this summer!

London... What's a freakin' Beefeater anyway?

 Next stop on les Tour des Binghams: London.

 Maddie is the ultimate Royals watcher.  Every store we saw that had Wills and Kate memorabilia we had to stop.  Oh, and not just for her.

 

Roux Sham Beaux at Piccadilly Circus.

 

Our Beefeater tour guide at the Tower of London. Best part of the tower... the crown jewels of course!

 

Clay with a hurty bear skin hat.

 

 

New exhibition in West Minster Abby... Pics of the Royal Wedding. Maddie sporting her Princess Di/Kate's engagement ring.

Outside Westminster

 

 

 

 Can you spot Clay?

Parliament and Big Ben.

 

 After a ten minutes of me complaining about walking, this is where it got me!

 We loved all the names of pubs we saw in the city.  Chris and Clay found this one for us to eat at.  Re-built in 1667 after the fire, the oldest pub in London, its called Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese.

Here is a list of other fun pub names we saw:

The Hung Drawn and Quartered

Hoop and Grapes

Prince of Whales

The Wheelbarrow

Elephant and Castle

The Elephant's Head

Bag O' Nails no.6

Paris, Oh la la!

Every year Chris has a conference in Paris and every year I try to go. Paris is very near the top of my all time favorite places. There were a couple of extra reasons this year was so fun...

#1- Chris got me tickets to the French Open at Roland Garros. After an hour of being lost (thanks to the concierge's lame directions) I finally found my way there. Oh and I have no idea who this is... but he was cute.

#2- Chris's co-worker's wife (Cyndy) and I went to Versailles. Weather was amazing! The gardens looked like painted backdrops for movies. So beautiful it didn't even look real.

#3- Maddie & Clay!!!! Chris' niece and nephew came and spent a week with us in Paris, London and Zurich.
So what is the first thing I did with them after they were settled? Took them to see the Eiffel Tower. They had both been to Paris 12 years ago when Chris' whole family came to pick him up from his mission.

Who's bright idea was it to put them on a boat after a 13 hour flight? I think we all got a "cat nap" on the Bateaux Mouche.

Our desserts from La Duree. Nothing beats a Parisian patisserie.

Meeting friends on the metro.

Ahh, the Louvre...

Maddie and I used a person in a wheelchair to get front row access to Mona Lisa. Not proud, but it ultimately worked.

They were all getting a little peeved at all the pictures I was taking.

Inside the Conciergerie. More peace signs. Really?

Sainte Chapelle (The King's Chapel)

Nothing like some mussels from Brussels.

Come on Clay, just do a high kick!

Sacre Coure Basilica. Well, I didn't want to feel left out!

Les Invalides

Musee Rodin

Gard Nord (train station)  Good-bye Paris, Hello London!