La Crosse, Wisconsin - Home Sweet Home

Eventually, we each manage to find ourselves back where we started, back home.  I last stepped foot in LaCrosse, Wisconsin 13 years ago.  It's a small place, population approximately 51,000.  Not much has changed.  Although a few of my old haunts (the movie theatre I worked at during high school) have been torn down.   It is strange to see a familiar place the way an outsider would.  Its comforting and disconcerting at the same time.  I was there less then 3 hours, but managed to wander many of my old paths.  Who knows when I'll be back, if ever.  I'm just grateful to have had one last day back home.

Fried Cheese curds, delicious and disgusting at the same time.  

A panoramic view from the top of Granddad's Bluff



The city sits across from Minnesota on the Mississippi River.  The best part of growing up on the Mississippi is that you will always know how to spell it.

A slice of downtown, if you squint you can see Jules Coffeeshop, which is where most of my misspent youth was spent.  The shop still smells the same as it did when I was in High School, and the locally owned bookshop next door is still one of the best places to browse for a good book.

Salzburg, Austria - Happy New Years 2014!

The Von Trapp family home

A quaint Austrian village on the lake.

The Church where Maria was married and became a VonTrapp

A view from the fort on the hill

A town filled with marionettes.

Austria, Australia, potato, potah-toe.
Mom and I took off for Salzburg for an old school, cultural New Years Eve celebration (yes, I know it really isn't a party city).  We followed in the footsteps of such great luminaries as Mozart (even catching a concert of his music in one of the old castles) and Julie Andrews.  The hills are alive in Salzburg, Austria (and after a day of hiking through them, I am convinced this is more than just a song lyric).  And there is something for everyone.

Copenhagen, Denmark

Two days in Copenhagen, hosted by my dearest friend Michelle.  We spent the days riding bikes through the city, seeing the sights and the nights searching for the mythical hygge…which I believe we found while bar crawling in the company of new friends, delightful dinners and a quick jaunt to the Tivoli to watch some skyward inspiration.





Saas Fee, Switzerland - Christmas in the Alps

View from our cabin window

The Swiss vending machine humor is fantastic (see pregnancy test next to the pack of cigarettes).

The weather in Zermatt was lovely, so much so that we had a perfect view of the Matterhorn.

View from the bus as I escaped the Alps for Geneva

Merry Christmas from the Swiss Alps!  The weather outside is frightful (at least on Christmas day) but the fire inside (and the raclette!) are delightful.  And since we have no place to go (well, except I need to be in Geneva tomorrow to catch a flight to Copenhagen) let it snow, let it snow, let it snow (and when you think the roads are about to close, feel free to pack your bags, and RUN to catch the last bus so that you won't miss that flight.)