From Crème Brûlée To Gelato:
ONE VERY SWEET JOURNEY

ENJOYING WORLD CHAMPION GELATO IN
SAN GIMIGNANO, ITALY...IT DOESN'T GET MUCH SWEETER THAN THIS!

SHELLEY, LESLEY, SHARON, RANDY, JASON, ADAM
(daughters, Mom, Dad, son-in-law, son)

Rick Steves' Best of Europe in 14 Days       June, 2006


IT'S TRUE...IT'S TRUE...THE BEST OF EUROPE IN 14 DAYS!
At the Fontana di Trevi on our wedding anniversary... what a thrill!
You wonder. Is it truly possible to experience the depth and breadth of Europe on such a whirlwind tour? To get a feel for all of the places you are scheduled to visit? You betcha.  Ignore those who say too much, too fast. If you are trying to decide on a tour, most bang for the buck, and fit it into a two week time frame, then this is the tour for you.  If you are wondering whether a tour guide is right for your style of travel or independence, don't.  Your guide will leave you in awe. You may never want to travel again without such a guide. If you are wondering about the ages of the tour members, don't.
This tour attracts folks who are young at heart, no matter the age, from teens to retirement. 
Our prediction is that you will all be friends by tour's end.  You will laugh.
You will giggle. You will be amazed. Your eyes will brim with tears of joy.

How can we find all the right adjectives to describe this trip of a lifetime?  After researching, planning, and saving, our dream was realized.  We were so fortunate to be able to go on this great expedition together with our grown children who had vacation time and semester breaks. From the melt-in-your-mouth Crème Brûlée at our first sidewalk cafe in Paris, to yummy gelato in Roma, and every single morsel of art, architecture, friendship, and food in between, I speak for all of us when I say that this was completely and totally a dream come true.  We encourage you to TAKE THIS TRIP! 
Whether you are a single, a couple, or a family like ours, you will have a ball.
These tours fill quickly, so plan ahead.

Our advice is simple. Just put on your money belt, fill it with passport and ATM cards, pack a few clothes, grab a small digital camera, along with extra memory card and batteries,
put on your walking shoes, and get to the nearest airport.

Our hats are off to Rick Steves, as well as our guide, Ferdi, our driver, Richard,
and all the Rick Steves' staff for making this journey so unbelievably sweet, splendid, special,
glorious, giddy, delicious, wonderful, easy, magical, remarkable, poignant, joyous, and fun.
This experience is one that our family will treasure always.
PLANNING YOUR OWN SWEET EUROPEAN ADVENTURE?
COME ON IN AND SEE WHAT WONDERFUL THINGS AWAIT.
AS FERDI TAUGHT US..."ALLONS-Y, ANDIAMO, LET'S GO!
Make voyages! Attempt them... there's nothing else.   Tennessee Williams.
Hope our travel journal is easy for you to navigate and enjoy. It's designed at 800, but the borders are  added for those of you with wide screens.
***  Please overlook my wavering back and forth between past and present tense. It's so easy to feel like you're in the present when you relive all these memories.
All photography and text © 2007 by Sharon Richard. All rights reserved.