Our trip to the ALPS...otherwise titled I wish I spoke French

We returned Sunday night from our trip to Europe. It was a blast. Switzerland is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. Our hotel was up in Champoussin which is one of the hottest ski spots in Europe, and its almost embarrassing to say we went there and never skied. We did go see several castles, some cathedrals, went to the place where cheese was invented, ate delicious food and lots of pastry, thought we were going to freeze to death the first night, listened to the Primary Program in French, and had a terrific time. Megan was a big hit. Europeans don't seem to have many children so every where we went people were very excited to see her. She was a very good girl and took her first real steps while there. We also spent a little time in Germany and France and made it to the border of Italy. We met so many nice people. My only regret was that I don't speak any French and that woud have been very helpful.

I can honestly say that it was the best Thanksgiving we ever had and we didn't even really celebrate it. Our friends Miro and Joanna came up from Italy and spent a few days with us and they were kind of shocked that we were skipping it. But hey, we were thankful, just not eating turkey and pie, instead we ate lunch in a bar in France and had the most delicious potatos ever, the beef tasted a little too much like wine for my tastes, and the cheese was a little strong, but the experience was terrific.

I have to say that before this trip I just assumed that since America is the land of of Promise, everything is better here. I was wrong. While we do somethings very well, we could learn a lot from our European neighbors. It was a good relization for me. I am proud and happy to be an American, but we need to be opend minded and not above using some of the ideas of other countries, to fix some of our problems. I was very interested in the Swiss Healthcare system and No, its not really socialized, it similar to Mitt Romneys plan for Massachusets. Insurance is mandatory. Anyway, Pete and I would consider moving to Switzerland for a time if the opportunity was there. Then I could work on my French...and German too!