My son is alive!
Okay, a little dramatic and over the top, but it's sure good to know he's still kicking it up in Europe. Throughout his travels thus far, I've yet to hear hide nor hair of him. But my philosophy in his regard is no news is good news. Before he left out for Europe, I'd told him not to worry about calling home unless he just wanted to, because I wanted him to know it was okay to just focus on where he was at the time and enjoying the experience, not worrying about back home and all.
So I sent him off with various denominations of pounds, Swiss francs, and euros and with a Visa cash card for extra reassurance so he felt comfortable spending money for food and souveniers without concern of running out of cash. The nice thing about the card is that I can track where he's spending that money and "follow" him throughout his travels.
Only problem is that he hasn't used the dadgum thing! I was beginning to wonder if it wasn't working or if he felt okay spending the money, or what. I'd previously called the bank to let them know the dates he'd be gone and where he'd be so that he wouldn't have any trouble using it when needed.
I'd had a problem like this when I went to Alaska once and the card wouldn't go through because it got flagged by security - I rarely ever used the thing, but a quick call fixed the problem - couldn't be mad or anything, but learned a valuable lesson.
So this morning there was a lovely post reflected in my email - a card transaction. Oh goodie! Of course, it was a souvenier shop in Zermatt, Switzerland, a village near the base of the Matterhorn. I just knew he'd love this portion of the trip. :-) Snow, mountains, and cooler temps are our favorite treats.
So where did we last leave off? Oh yes - they left Paris and arrived in Switzerland on Friday. That was an early morning and a long drive. They were allowed to spend the late afternoon/evening to themselves in the town of Crans-Montana.
Saturday was a morning all to themselves, if they wanted to sleep in a little or get up and around to explore Crans-Montana (I'm wondering what his decision was). At noon they boarded the coaches to tour the Chateau du Chillon (better known as the Castle of Chillon), incorporated into the Lord Byron poem, "The Prisoner of Chillon." A lovely stroll around Lake Geneva to the village of Montreux with a stop at an ice cream delicacy shop along the way completed their afternoon.
After dinner upon their return to Crans-Montana, they prepared for their two-hour sundown Concert in the Alps. Can you imagine the sound of instruments and voices floating in the mountains of Switzerland?
Then Sunday was their incredible day of sight-seeing in Zermatt at the Matterhorn. First it was a thirty-minute cog rail ride from Tasch to Zermatt, then boarding the funiculaire for an IN-mountain ride. Disney's could not possibly match such incredible adventure and breathtaking beauty as the real thing. Deep breath!
While exploring Zermatt, they might have happened upon the famous Climbers Cemetery to view the historic markers or the old log granaries where residents would pilfer "mazot" - thin circular stones, to stop rodents from illicit grain harvesting. Dinner that evening was a special treat, as the Ambassadors were honored guests at the annual Swiss Folklore Celebration, an evening planned with folklore, music, laughter, and general all-around foolishness for their Swiss send-off.
Today it was once again an early morning as they loaded the coaches to spend time in Liechtenstein on their way to Austria.
Just a little more than halfway there - I'm just glad to know he's made it this far.
Okay, a little dramatic and over the top, but it's sure good to know he's still kicking it up in Europe. Throughout his travels thus far, I've yet to hear hide nor hair of him. But my philosophy in his regard is no news is good news. Before he left out for Europe, I'd told him not to worry about calling home unless he just wanted to, because I wanted him to know it was okay to just focus on where he was at the time and enjoying the experience, not worrying about back home and all.
So I sent him off with various denominations of pounds, Swiss francs, and euros and with a Visa cash card for extra reassurance so he felt comfortable spending money for food and souveniers without concern of running out of cash. The nice thing about the card is that I can track where he's spending that money and "follow" him throughout his travels.
Only problem is that he hasn't used the dadgum thing! I was beginning to wonder if it wasn't working or if he felt okay spending the money, or what. I'd previously called the bank to let them know the dates he'd be gone and where he'd be so that he wouldn't have any trouble using it when needed.
I'd had a problem like this when I went to Alaska once and the card wouldn't go through because it got flagged by security - I rarely ever used the thing, but a quick call fixed the problem - couldn't be mad or anything, but learned a valuable lesson.
So this morning there was a lovely post reflected in my email - a card transaction. Oh goodie! Of course, it was a souvenier shop in Zermatt, Switzerland, a village near the base of the Matterhorn. I just knew he'd love this portion of the trip. :-) Snow, mountains, and cooler temps are our favorite treats.
So where did we last leave off? Oh yes - they left Paris and arrived in Switzerland on Friday. That was an early morning and a long drive. They were allowed to spend the late afternoon/evening to themselves in the town of Crans-Montana.
Saturday was a morning all to themselves, if they wanted to sleep in a little or get up and around to explore Crans-Montana (I'm wondering what his decision was). At noon they boarded the coaches to tour the Chateau du Chillon (better known as the Castle of Chillon), incorporated into the Lord Byron poem, "The Prisoner of Chillon." A lovely stroll around Lake Geneva to the village of Montreux with a stop at an ice cream delicacy shop along the way completed their afternoon.
After dinner upon their return to Crans-Montana, they prepared for their two-hour sundown Concert in the Alps. Can you imagine the sound of instruments and voices floating in the mountains of Switzerland?
Then Sunday was their incredible day of sight-seeing in Zermatt at the Matterhorn. First it was a thirty-minute cog rail ride from Tasch to Zermatt, then boarding the funiculaire for an IN-mountain ride. Disney's could not possibly match such incredible adventure and breathtaking beauty as the real thing. Deep breath!
While exploring Zermatt, they might have happened upon the famous Climbers Cemetery to view the historic markers or the old log granaries where residents would pilfer "mazot" - thin circular stones, to stop rodents from illicit grain harvesting. Dinner that evening was a special treat, as the Ambassadors were honored guests at the annual Swiss Folklore Celebration, an evening planned with folklore, music, laughter, and general all-around foolishness for their Swiss send-off.
Today it was once again an early morning as they loaded the coaches to spend time in Liechtenstein on their way to Austria.
Just a little more than halfway there - I'm just glad to know he's made it this far.
2 comments:
My daughter is on this same trip right now and they are going to the Matterhorn today! It was so nice to read your blog and see that your son hadn't used his visa card yet at this point. I've had the exact same thoughts about my daughter's non-use of her card -- is it not working? Is she afraid to spend the money? I haven't heard anything yet but like you am assuming that no news is good news. It's nice to know someone else went through this and survived!!! --Mom of an Oregon Ambassador of Music
That's fantastic to hear that your daughter is on this incredible adventure too! My son arrived home absolutely spent but so happy, having made some really good friends and memories to last a lifetime (along with 638 pics, see some recent posts for examples). They were constantly on the move while there and with only three or four hours sleep a night in many instances, it took a good four days or so for him to catch up with himself. She will come back so changed and in an amazingly positive way. Congratulations to your daughter and feel free to touch base if you need any further reassurance in the meantime. :-)
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