We couldn't have found a cooler beverage spot in the town square-you can even slide down the pole!

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Sacred Valley View

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Cusco,Peru

We just landed in Cusco and we are on our way to the Sacred Valley where we will spend the next two nights before heading up to Machu Picchu. We are drinking lots of water as we are all a little light headed from the high altitude. We have a heard a few fireworks going off but not sure what kinds of celebrations are in store for tonight, New Years Eve. Hope we can stay awake!!
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Funeral Procession through town

On our way out of town we had to stop for the procession carrying the casket and flowers down the road
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Old Year's Stooges-an Ecuadorian tradition

Here are the kids in front of a group of these paper mache "stooges" that you find on every street corner for sale before New Years Eve. From what we figured out, they paper mache stuffed dolls (often stuffed with old clothes from the past year) and design them to look like politicians to cartoon characters and then burn them at midnight on New Years Eve in a way to start the year anew. Many businesses and shops and homes have them displayed outside and they are even tied to the front of cars. They come in all sizes and sell from $15-$200. We are leaving for Peru tomorrow so we won't get to see all of these bonfires but I bet it will be something to see.
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Cathedral de Guayaquil

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Guayaquil River Walk

We made it back here this afternoon and turned in our rental car. We have an early morning flight to Peru. We are talking a walk around the town square and enjoying the night.
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Evening Street Show

We are having dinner in this very busy surfing town of Montanita. There are all kinds of characters here, including these street performers putting on a show.
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This beach session is interrupted by a cattle run

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No Reservations...

I liked this mule carrying the pineapples on the road searching for a hotel. You got to distract yourself when stopping every few minutes to look at the place you want to lay your head for the night. And looking at the room ahead of time is a must. In fact I just got the thumbs up from Doug so looks like Hotel Montanita is our place! This a surfers hotspot so looking forward to watching the kids bodysurf.
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Fisherman pulling in their nets as the birds wait for a free lunch

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A fellow Lincolnite's House

We stopped in a small beach town in Ayangue to see our friend's house who is building here. What a great place up on a cliff with incredible Pacific views.
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Mmmm..Lunch is shrimp ceviche and fried plantain and rice (the kids are starving)

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Getting Buried

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Dinner entertainment

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Salinas Beach

We made it to Salinas and found a hotel with this nice view. It is the high season right now, but we missed the humpback whales by a couple of months, darn I would have loved to see them. The kids got their swimsuits and we are ready to stroll the beach.
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I don't think these bags are gonna fit

We made it to Guayaquil, Ecuador last night around 1am and got to the hotel. Definitely a long day of traveling. We have 3 days now to see Ecuador. Doug got our full size SUV and this is what he came back with! We only ended up taking 1 out of our 6 bags with us-we will be back to the same hotel in 3 days so will pick the rest up then. Now we are heading to Salinas, a popular beach town on the Pacific Ocean. Its about a 2 hour drive (but we have already added an hour since we got lost...boy does that make the trip fun :))
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Olivia and Lily during our layover

We are waiting for our delayed flight in Miami. Thank goodness we brought some entertainment. We have been here 5 hours now, but looks like we will be heading out in the next hour or so. I can't complain though, we are surrounded by several families trying to make their way back to JFK or the East Coast with no luck so far. I feel so bad for them just waiting around all day at the airport for a way back home.
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Macchu Picchu Bound

We are heading to the airport this morning on our way to South America. We had a great Christmas with friends and family and looking forward to a hectic vacation. I think only once during our 2 week trip are we staying in a hotel for more than one night-yikes! We will definitely be living out of our suitcases. We have 3 flights today before we make it to our stop for tonight, Guayaquil, Ecuador. We should be there by 10pm tonight.
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Anne Frank's House

This was no doubt the single best museum I have ever been to. It is the house that Anne Frank and her family hid out in when German forces occupied Holland. So moving and just unbelievable what that family and all of the Jewish people went through. And told from an 11 year olds point of view. Completely sobering to stand in her bedroom after reading her diary and knowing her story as the whole world does.
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Zaanse Schans

This is a very pretty little town with lots of picturesque windmills. Too bad we couldn't get better pictures with the rain.
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Dutch Gouda Cheese-Yummy!!

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A traditional clog maker

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Thank goodness it comes in kid sizes!

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The streets of Volderdam

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Here I am eating cod from the village

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Dutch homes in the village of Merken

Touring the small dutch village of Merken. There are about 2000 residents (and we are told a lot of inbreeding) The homes are tiny-so you definitely know your neighbors!! This village has been here since the 13th century with homes built on stilts until the water was pumped out--by windmills, of course.
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Holland's Countryside

Today is our last day here and we are taking a countryside tour. We are heading to Volendam, Marken and the Windmills. We are going to a traditional cheese farm and of course a clog maker! I have to get some clogs, right??
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Hollands version of the SUV

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Da Cathedral

Built in the 15th century it took 170 years to complete. Done in Baroque and Gothic architecture
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Rubens Painting

Antwerp is the hometown of Peter Paul Rubens and several of his paintings hang in Da Cathedral
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Antwerp, Belgium

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Time for some Belgian waffles

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The Steen-A medieval castle in Antwerp

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On to Belgium

Today we took the train from Holland to Belgium, a town called Antwerp. A beautiful, gothic style city. It was only an hour and a half train ride, and very comfortable. This is a picture of the gorgeous train station.
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The flower market

Here is Doug at the flower market where the sell thousands of tulip bulbs. Sunday we took a canal cruise and spent time at the Van Gogh museum. Then we ate in Chinatown for dinner-great meal!!
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Its Gay Pride weekend in Amsterdam!

Wow--they are out there and proud! We watched the boat parade where they had 80 boats decorated going through the canals of Amsterdam
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On our way to Amsterdam-no kids this time!!

Here we are on our flight to Amsterdam. The kids are staying with my parents and here we are leaving on Friday and coming home on Wednesday.
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The very dangerous rapids of Niagara Falls

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Niagara Falls

We are spending the weekend in Niagara Falls, Ontario. We just got off the Maid of the Mist boat ride and it took us right under the falls! We got wet, but what a blast!
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Just the beginning of the Gardens

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Palace of Versailles

This morning we took a plane from Rome to Paris and spending out last night a walk from the Palace of Versailles. The place is so opulent--we toured the enormous gardens and watched the water fountains set to music-just beautiful. Today must be 90 degrees out and we easily walked 5 miles today. The kids have been troopers-even though this is no Disneyland. They have seen lots of stuff and so have we. We leave for home tomorrow--and there is nothing like sleeping in your own bed!!
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Inside the Basilica

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In front of the Swiss guards that protect the Pope

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St. Peter's Basilica

We finished off Rome with a tour if the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel (AMAZING) and the Grotto of St. Peters where all of the popes graves lie. It is all just unbelievable to see the opulence. I have to say we are toured out!!
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More bones

Today is our last day in Rome, and Italy. Finally a completely cloudless day (it rained on us pretty good yesterday afternoon). We just plan on making our way to the Vatican (we missed the Pope speaking on the Italian holiday by one day!) and seeing the Sistine Chapel and St. Peters Basilica. We head to Paris for a final night tomorrow and then home.
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Capuchin monk cemetery

Everything from the picture frames to the light fixtures here are made of bones from 4000 monks that departed from 1528 to 1870--kind of eerie, but with this and the torture museum we went to in Siena, we are keeping the kids interested!
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Throwing our coins into Trevi Fountain so we can return to Rome someday

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Trevi Fountain

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At the Coliseum

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Eating more Gelato-and it was free!! Today is an Italian holiday

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Another incredible tasting Italian meal

We are in Rome now for the next 3 nights. We are staying right in the heart of the city by the Spanish Steps. We plan on touring the city in the morning and taking it easy tonight.
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Fresco inside the brothel of Pompeii

There were several raunchy frescos inside the brothel of Pompeii-crazy!!!!
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The Ruins of Pompeii with Mt.Vesuvius

Today we drove about an hour to see the ruins of Pompeii. Mt. Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD and completely covered the town of Pompeii, leaving the residents covered in ash and many bodies preserved when the town was discovered many years later. We saw several bodies they had restored back with plaster--very eerie. It is pretty amazing to see all the frescos still on the wall and the tiled floors in houses that many years ago.
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