Back to school assignment: High point of your summer.

I don't generally travel in summer, so my high point was booking flights to Paris for next March at an incredibly low price. Was bouncing around for several days after that!

We had dinner at the Jules Verne restaurant on the Eiffel Tour. We were celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary. The setting was gorgeous, the service was friendly and flawless, the food extraordinary. In short it was a perfect evening with my sweetheart.

Being in Spain when Spain won the World Cup. Totally unplanned but certainly a lot of fun watching the game with everyone in the town square.

Top magic moment (defined as something I'll smile about for years to come): My wife getting into one of the fountains at Peterhof and a guard (not a life guard) blowing his whistle at her to get out. As you know it was hot in Russia this summer. My wife asked our guide if it was okay to get into the fountains. The guide (thinking she was joking) said sure, so my wife waded in and a brief scene ensued. Russia in general was a hoot, more so because everyone is overly serious. I learned the way to get the middle-aged women workers in the museums to lighten up. Say "Yellow Blue Bus" (only bus should be pronounced more like vas), it means "I love you" and can actually elicit a very rare Russian smile.

Spent a month in Paris. Rented an apartment for the first time in my favorite neighborhood (Ile Saint Louis). It was so much fun to be there for that long - everyday was a highlight. Just being there is heaven for me.

I spent a month in Italy, but I think the highlight of the trip was hiking some of the less crowded trails in Cinque Terre. The view from above the villages is gorgeous and every time I feel stressed I think about that magical blue sea and I immediately return to having peace of mind.

Stayed in the states this summer. The definite highlight was crossing something off the bucket list [INVALID] seeing a Cubs game at Wrigley field. The Cubs won, and my son is now a Cubs fan. I got to drink an Old Style in the stands. Definitely one for the books.

True...count your blessings and travel while you can, as you posted. This summer for me, being in London in early June...a great time. Most of all, being driven around in the old Mark Brandenburg so that I could see a few of the historical Prussian villages around Berlin near Potsdam...something American tourists would hardly ever see.

Maureen copied off of me and then turned her paper in first. No Europe for us, but a great Cubs game, preceded by a cook out at my son's apartment with his friends, and followed by a night at a blues bar. Great kick off for vacation. Really, Maureen, just one Old Style?

Great question, Thomas! In fact, it was visiting your country, Austria: the culture and history of Vienna, the peace and beauty of Hallstatt, the Karwendel Alps above Innsbruck, and a little Mozart at the Mirabelle Palace in Salzburg...magical. I can't say enough about Austria. Came right home and bought a bottle of Gruner Veltliner and a bottle of Stiegl! At Maureen: you have NO idea how fortunate you are, not to attend a ballgame at Wrigley, really, especially this year, but to do so and actually have the Cubs WIN, too. Wow!

Can I have an extension on turning in my paper until after this weekend please? I am going to my favorite fest and want to write about it. The only travels I did was in May, and that would be the high point of my Spring.

Okay, in my defense, we were late to the game since we had to stop and get a Chicago pizza before going to Wrigley. I had a beer there, too, does that get me out of trouble?

I just returned home last night from almost a month in Europe with my husband and 14 year old son. The trip was filled with highlights...it was truly wonderful. We visited London, Rome, Berchtesgaden, Munich, Rothenburg, Berlin, Normandy, Paris, Madrid, Sevilla, and Granada. My husband had had no desire to visit Europe and it took me about eight years to get him to do this trip, so probably the biggest highlight for me is that he has fallen for Europe and is already planning future trips! You can check out my blog for more details of my trip, the website is http://embracing-the-journey.blogspot.com/, but for now here are a few highlights: visiting Ostia Antica because the train to Pompeii was booked; Berlin...my favorite big city; walking on Omaha Beach and visiting the American Cemetery...when I turned the corner and saw the crosses, it took my breath away; Sevilla...so beautiful, needed more time there; and finally the connections made with local police officers...my husband is a cop and brought patches to trade and it so added to our experience. Honestly, I could write a book.

The highlight of my summer? Not only am I still employed, but I got a raise. A little one, but still a RAISE!

Thomas, so far the highlight of my summer was my trip to Italy, Greece (including two of the islands), Switzerland, France & Germany. I haven't made it to Vienna yet, but it's "on my list". I have been to Salzburg and Hallstatt and really enjoyed my time there, so I'm looking forward to Vienna. Cheers!