The Last Day

Isaac:
Looking back on our two month trip through the continent of Europe, I have a list of the things I liked, disliked, hated, and loved for all the things that we did. I shall now show you that list.
Loved: Being with family in Tuscany, taking a gondola up to the top of Der Dachstein and having a snowball fight on the glacier in Austria, the hikes in the canyons and the underground city in Cappadoccia, the Greek island of Hydra, reading books on the Kindle.
Liked: Riding the ferry boat on Lake Constance, going to the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City and the Byzantium Cistern in Istanbul, the night train from Venice to Vienna with the sleeping car, Ephesus (because it was very interesting and historically significant), the Parthenon, the Pantheon, the Coliseum, Herculaneum
Disliked: Ephesus (because of the sun), the Blue Mosque
Hated: The time we walked all the way to the Tokapi palace in Istanbul only to find it was closed, Venice

Ezra: I think Isaac did a good idea. I think I'll be a copy cat.
Loved: when we had a huge feast in Tuscany, the cookies that Baba got for us that looked like mustaches, MEOWSERS (I mean the cats that we saw everywhere), riding the mechanical bull in Istanbul and swimming in the Aegean Sea.
Liked: the gelato they sold in Europe (Isaac was obsessed with Straciotella)-- I also liked their popsicles--, steering the motorboat on Lake Constance
Disliked: when we got lost in Venice, and also how there was so much smoking in Europe
Hated: Writing in my journal, when I saw a cat and I had to leave and the cat looked at me like, "Why are you going?"

Jacob:
We went on a big trip. We went to the mountains. I rode on an orca in the pool. I loved riding the gondola on the mountain. I also liked watching the water taxis in Venice. I loved doing a snowball fight. I loved having ice cream. The cookies didn't count as dessert. I didn't like going in interesting churches because it takes so long because everybody keeps going. I loooooved seeing Nana and G-pa. I loved seeing Uncle Dan and making fingerprints on his sunglasses. I loved seeing Uncle David and Aunt Carey and my cousins Henry and Johnny. I hated walking in the streets when they were hot. I liked trying to catch jellyfish but our sticks didn't catch them. I loved looking at the submarine but I didn't go on it. I liked resting my feet on the subway. I liked climbing the giantest mountain. I loved my stick Chickenfoot. I hated the anthill that was inside the house in Istanbul. I liked picking the ripe mulberries. I hated being in the Coliseum. I loved playing games on Mama's phone. I disliked getting sweaty.

Elizabeth: I'm sure I can't improve on the above lists, but I can say again how wonderful it was to see family and friends in new places, and how happy I was to be walking, biking, swimming, climbing, swinging, see-sawing and running (except when we were running for the train, which happened...a few times). I also LOVED ONEBAG.

The trip by the nouns and numbers, by Peter:

Things lost: blue food bag, Isaac's goggles, one deck of cards, at least one of Jacob's socks, Jacob's pajama top (he had some wild nights), a scarf

Planes flown: 9 (so far - excludes the 2 flights tomorrow)

Trains ridden in: 18 (so far -excludes metros -- 1 train tomorrow).

Cars rented: 4

Gondolas traveled in: 1 in Venice and 1 in Ramsau (both very well-suited for their specific terrains)

Boats/Ferries: 11

Hot-air balloons/Zeppelins: None! Are you crazy?! What a bad idea.

Other forms of transportation taken: metro, tram, bus, taxi, funicular, bicycles, vaporetto (water taxi), feet, Mama and Baba's shoulders.

Countries visited: 5 (or 6, if you count the 10 minutes we spent walking around on the platform in the Zurich train station)

Pictures, if you're interested: http://flickr.com/gp/stieplechang/09yx4k/