Friday, May 22, 2009

Flat Stanley's Grand Tour of Europe!

Flat Stanley and I went all over Europe for two and a half weeks!  We went to Paris and Nice (in France), Geneva and Interlaken (in Switzerland), Salzburg (in Austria), and Frankfurt (in Germany).  We met a lot of neat people and had a great time!  Here are the pictures:

Here we are at the famous Eiffel Tower in Paris.

This is in front of the Opéra Garnier, where the movie The Phantom of the Opera takes place.

This is in the Tuilleries, near the Louvre Museum.

Flat Stanley and I are in front of the world-famous Musée du Louvre, which holds many famous paintings and sculptures.

This is in front of the Notre Dame Cathedral, also in Paris.  It is famous for its Rose Window (the round one in the middle) and for the stories written about the cathedral.

The Palace of Versailles was not far from Paris, so we went there for part of a day.  Many kings and queens lived there, including Louis XVI and his wife, Marie Antoinette.

Versailles is also famous for their beautiful gardens.

This is the Arc d'Triomphe, at the end of the Champs-Elysées, a very long road in Paris.

Flat Stanley and I inside the Musée du Louvre.

We next went to Nice, in the south of France, on the Cote d'Azur (which means Blue Coast).  The water is so blue!

Flat Stanley decided to get a tan, and even met a very nice French girl!

The Principality of Monaco, a very tiny country, was close to Nice, so we went there for a few days.  Flat Stanley and I are in front of some very expensive yachts!

We next went to Geneva, Switzerland which has the headquarters of the United Nations.

This is at a very famous scientific research center, right outside of Geneva called CERN.

Switzerland is famous for their many mountains, called the Alps.  We're on top of one, right outside Geneva, called Mount Saléve.

Next, we went to the small town of Interlaken, right in the middle of the mountains!  The big, white mountain in the background is Jungfrau, one of the tallest in Europe!

This is close to Interlaken, in the town of Grindelwald.  The mountain in the background is Eiger, one of the scariest mountains in Europe-- not many people have made it to the top!

This is Lake Thun, next to Interlaken.  The lakes there are glacier-fed and very, very COLD.

Our next stop was in Salzburg, Austria.  Here we are on top of the Hohensalzburg, a very large fortress overlooking the city.  The people that took our picture recognized Flat Stanley!

Our last stop on our long journey was in Frankfurt, Germany.  They were holding a boat racing festival, called the Drachenboot.  Here we are on a bridge over the Main River.

I hope you all have enjoyed seeing Flat Stanley's journeys as much as I have had writing about them!  We'll both be back in Kentucky in a few days!


Thursday, April 23, 2009

Flat Stanley's Trip Around Britain

Two weeks ago, my mom and her friend Mary came to visit me in England.  They took Flat Stanley with them to Bath, Windsor, London, Edinburgh, and York.  He visited a lot of places and here are his pictures!

The first place we went was Bath, in Southwestern England.  It is famous for its Roman Baths, where the water is naturally heated and is supposed to be good for you.  Here is Flat Stanley with some of the Roman women!

Here he is by the largest Roman Bath.

We had a full English breakfast every day!  It included tea, eggs, sausage, tomatoes, mushrooms, bacon,  beans, and toast.  Yum!

Next, we went to Windsor Castle, where the Queen of England lives on the weekends.

Here he is with her famous guards.  They don't move much!

Mom, Mary, and Flat Stanley went to London next.  Here he is on a double decker tour bus.

They went to the Tower of London, where the Crown Jewels are kept.  Flat Stanley is with a Yeoman Warder, also known as a Beefeater.  They all live within the Tower of London.

The building where the Crown Jewels are kept.

This is in beautiful Kensington Gardens.

In front of Kensington Palace, where Princess Diana and Prince Charles once lived.

Can you see Flat Stanley?  He's in front of the British Museum, where the Rosetta Stone and many other  important historical works and artifacts are kept.

This is in the Room of Enlightenment at the British Museum.

This is Queen Elizabeth's official residence, Buckingham Palace.

These are the beautiful gates in front of Buckingham Palace.

Here is Flat Stanley in front of Westminster Abbey, a very beautiful church in London.

Flat Stanley even went to Hogwarts!  Here he is at Platform 9 3/4, just like Harry Potter!


Next, Mom, Mary, and Flat Stanley went to Edinburgh, Scotland.  Here he is at the very big Edinburgh Castle.

Here is Flat Stanley in front of the Royal Scottish Dragoons Museum, within in the Edinburgh Castle.

Flat Stanley even got to see a bagpiper in a kilt, on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh!

Finally, Flat Stanley met a Viking in York, England!  He wasn't vicious at all!

Flat Stanley greatly enjoyed his trip around England.  He's going on another trip very soon!

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Flat Stanley goes to Italy!

This past week, Flat Stanley and I traveled with some friends (Carly, Katie, and Cat) to Italy.  We went to Rome, Florence, and Pisa.  Here are some pictures!

 
Flat Stanley and me outside of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, Italy.  It is the largest church in the world!
 
Here we are atop the Pincio overlooking the Piazza del Popolo.  The dome in the background is St. Peter's Basilica, where we were earlier.
 
We had lots of great gelato on the trip.  Gelato is an Italian ice cream.
 
This is in front of the Roman Colloseum at night.  The Colloseum was an ancient arena, where they held gladiator fights.
  Next, we went to Florence, which is in the Tuscany region.  Here we are on a bridge over the Arno River.
 
This is on top of the Piazza del Michelangelo, which overlooks the city of Florence and some of the Tuscan countryside.  It was a rainy day, but still very pretty!
 
It was a prettier day in Pisa, where we went to the famous leaning tower! Some people even went up to the top!
Flat Stanley has also been to Bath, Windsor, London, Edinburgh, and York, all in the United Kingdom.  I'll put his pictures from that trip up soon!

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Flat Stanley's First Trip!

Flat Stanley went on a two week trip recently to Hungary, Austria, and Belgium with my two friends, Carly and Ted.  They're from California.  Here are some pictures they took with Stanley in Europe.

Here is Flat Stanley and Ted in Budapest, Hungary.

Flat Stanley is hiding behind a tree in Vienna, Austria!

Flat Stanley and Carly in Brugge, Belgium.

Flat Stanley, my mom, my mom's friend Mary, and I are going on a trip this weekend in Bath, England.  So look for some pictures next week!