Are we in France or Switzerland?

- Chamonix -

Last weekend I went snowboarding in Chamonix, France, with Trevor and a big group of his friends from Kaiserslautern.


Chamonix, France, is just west of Switzerland and just north of Italy. Geneva is about an hour north of Chamonix.


Chamonix is the valley below Mont Blanc, the tallest peak in Western Europe. The yellow line indicates the Italian boarder.


Behold the Alps!


Trevor Gunderson: expert snowboarder, day #3.

Sean and Trevor take the easy way up.

Team Elite closes down the second hill of the day!

- Geneva -

I also went to Geneva to visit Chris and his good friends Selim and Ingrid.

Overlooking Geneva from Lac Leman.

Sailboats and mountains - does it get much better?

Yellow Cow watches United Nations Building and mountians.

Selim and Chris keep a look out for Frankenstein!

Chris, me, and Selim under the sequoias.

Welcome to Siberia...I mean Prague!

Prague (Praha in Czech) is slightly southwest of Oberursel, but of a different climate entirely.




Old Town Hall ain't afraid of no ghosts!


"Where are you from?"
"Hawaii!"
"Who ME? No, where are YOU from?" (Andreo)




Chris feeling foggy on the infamous Charles Bridge.

Buildings loom at large in the Little Quarter.

A view from Prague Castle.

The changing of the guards at Prague Castle.

Gargoyles on St Vitus's Cathederal.

Stained glass windows in St Vitus's Cathedral.

Flying buttresses support the back of the cathederal.

Town Hall Clock, created by Jan Tarborsky in 1552.

Staromestska subway stop.

A few shots from the largest gathering of fur garments I have ever seen.

Fur reads the paper.

Fur shares a secret.

Fur strikes a pose.

Fur runs to catch up!

More from Portugal!

New Years pictures from Chris' camera.

Me and Katinka at the beach.


Mola mola in the Oceanario de Lisboa.


Chris cooking meat on a hot rock - and why not.

Fabian and Chris share a tender moment.

How do the waves look, Fabian?

New Years in Portugal

For New Years I visited Katinka, who shared many adventures with me in Hawaii, and her boyfriend Fabian in Cascais, Portugal. Chris came all the way from Hawaii to hang out with us, and Fabian's friends Floppy, Boris, and Felix were there as well.


Cascais, Portugal, located just west of Lisbon

- Back in the ocean! -

Katinka getting ready to surf

Chris is excited


Boris, Floppy, and Fabian heading out to the water


Does that look like fun or what?


Katinka post-surf


Good one, Fabian!

-Exploring the coast-

Katinka and I went for a run along the beach north of Cascais

To our own little swimming beach

The lifeguard shack

Katinka on a New Years Day hike

-Into Lisbon -

Chris, Katinka and I spent a day exploring Lisbon. We took the train from Cascais into the city - this is the view from the train.

Chris and Katinka

Like a perspective drawing in 9th grade art class

The sidewalks of Lisbon were all very intricately designed cobblestone

-Lisbon in tiles -

Many of the buildings in Lisbon were decorated in the most amazing ceramic tiles

Chris and Katinka with a view of the city