Open water swimming in Annecy and Fete Des Guides in Chamonix.

A fantastic two-day, 210 km bike ride around Lac Leman (Lake Geneva), courtesy of Jenn and Donn et al. Claire's first HUGE ride! Many sore bums, but we had such a good time and made all sorts of new friends.

Claire gets an action packed birthday with paragliding and downhill mountain biking. Many bruises and mishaps occur, but she survives. The best part: she really wanted to do these things! As always, we gorge on great food at the end of the day.

A hodge-podge of photos from our first few weeks in Chamonix.

Claire spends a week swimming 5km a day through the Cyclades Islands of Greece. For fun, of course.

Another attempt to inject old-world culture into our lives devolves into lots of eating and drinking. We are lousy tourists.

Delicious slow food! A definite highlight of our travels. If you ever come to Italy, this tiny and deserted ancient village is a must-stop if you really want to get a taste of Slow Food.

Complaining most of the way, we force culture down our throats. But, oh, the food...

We head out for our first climbing trip in Europe: a fantastic little spot on the edge of the Italian Alps. Great people, great food and Donn finding nowhere decent for his hammock.

From Bangkok to Geneva... and Donn pats! We rushed off right away to travel with Claire's parents for a few days.