Monday 10/10: CITY OF FASHION
We rode the tram to bus stop and hopped back on our BusAbout tour to drive up to Milan. Unfortunately, we stood by a really annoying girl who was blazing snake charmer music. Chris threatened to chop her headphone cords with scissors, but she didn't hear him. That's probably a good thing. I guess we are sick of being around strangers... we need some personal space.
On our bus ride we saw beautiful views of the French Riviera. Once we arrived in Milan we found a nice local place with some delicious Asian food in an area called Brera. It was a business district so we felt very under dressed next to all of the Milan fashionistas. But I guess backpackers aren't supposed to look like locals.
Despite the fact that we were super tired of site-seeing and especially bored of churches, we had to visit the famous Duomo... I think it's one of the biggest in Europe and maybe the world. I'll admit, it was pretty impressive... but I liked the outside the best. It was nice to just sit on the steps and people watch. But it was especially nice to eat some Kinder-flavored gelato (German chocolate).
Then we walked around to explore some fashion outlets but even the discounted high-end clothing and purses were still 3x my budget. I prefer not to spend more than $100 on any one item...unless it's totally necessary which is almost never.
We then made met our way to our Couch Surfer, Martino's apartment. There we watched some American TV (MTV, Extreme Home Makeover), dubbed with Italian. It was funny because we could almost read their lips. Then Martino took us to a really nice, local Italian place. We ate some delicious Italian pizza, and some fried zucchini for our appetizer. It was some of the best Italian food we've had yet AND he paid for everything! Such a nice guy :)
Tuesday 10/11: GELATO AND DA VINCI
It was a perfect morning...we slept in, ate some cocoa puffs, and then headed to Milan's big flea market. Since our trip was winding to an end, it was the perfect time to pick up some souvenirs for our families. We found a nice Italian painted plate for Oma, a pocket watch with an old car on it for Opa, some jewelry for my sisters... and myself too :)
We really wanted to see the Last Supper painting but everyone (online and on our bus) said that you need reservations at least 60 days in advance! Thanks to Christopher's persistence, we decided to show up anyway and see if they had any cancellations or extra tickets. When we arrived, they said that we needed to book tickets by phone. But we just stood in the front of the desk for a few seconds and then asked if she could check for an extras. She sighed like she was really irritated but then asked how many we needed. We were so excited!! She said they were the last 2 tickets and we should come back at
6:30pm.
To pass the time, we decided to go on a walk. We saw a castle, a big park with gardens and a beautiful arch, and then we ended up in Milan's Chinatown. We were excited at first when we saw all of the purses, hats, jewlery and scarves, but then realized that most of the stores sold their times as wholesale so they wouldn't sell us anything unless we bought like 100+. We did however find some super tasty gelato and Christopher almost bought a skeleton/automatic watch, but decided not to because we weren't sure about the quality.
The Last Supper viewing was extremely structured. Only 25 people were allowed to see it for 15 min and before going in we had to go through a serious of doors and gates. The painting was pretty impressive. It was a lot bigger than expected - a mural across the whole wall. One thing I noticed was that Judas was the only dark one. We learned that Da Vinci used a special technique that made the art fragile and several artists have made repairs on it over the years.
Once it got dark, we visited the Duomo again so we could see what it looked like at night. It was pretty magical to see. Then we headed back to Martino's apartment and boiled some spiral spaghetti noodles. We were craving Alfredo sauce but they didn't have any at the supermarket so we talked to some young college students and they told us to get a cream-like sauce. We also added ham and fresh mozzarella! It was different than American pasta, but it was super tasty!
Wednesday 10/12: CIAO ITALY!
Today I did some resume updating to help prepare me for my big job search when we get back. It felt good to be productive but also a little sad thinking about the fact that our trip was almost over and real life was about to begin. Then we checked out the fancy fashion district: Burberry, Prada, Gucci, Dolche & Gabanna, etc. It was fun to window shop and to see all of the nice displays. 
Since it was our last day in Italy, we searched for awhile to find one last Canoli. It was definitely worth the walk. Then we bought some Italian pasta to take home and found our way to the bus, which took
us to Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland. On the way, we saw gorgeous views of the mountains and even a few trees changing colors. We couldn't believe it was autumn. We had been in Italy's warm weather for so long that it still felt like summer.
Once we arrived, Christopher's aunt Sylvia picked us up at the hostel. There we saw Europe's tallest free standing waterfall that is 300 meters high. Then we ate some dinner at the hostel's restaurant. We both chose some super tasty Rosti! It's one of our favorite meals, ever. It's kind of like hashbrowns with cheese, mushrooms, ham, egg and onion. Yum! Yum Yum!! Plus they had the best glacier water, probably straight from the mountains. After dinner, we drove back to Lausanne to Sylvia's home.
Thursday 10/13: SWISS AUTUMN
Today was really relaxing. It was definitely a welcomed break to all our walking and site-seeing. We had some yummy Swiss bread and Apfelsaft (like Apple juice but with carbonation) for breakfast while we sat on the porch and enjoyed the nice view of lake Geneva. The weather was perfect; in the 60s with a breeze and super sunny!
I decided to have some alone time and took a walk
to look at all the beautiful autumn colors. I strolled along the lake and took pictures of the beauty all around me. It was nice to be alone with me and my thoughts, appreciating and reflecting on all our wonderful experiences and adventures.
The rest of our day consisted of a nap, some tasty soup, sonnenbrot, job searching, spending time with family, and watching Christopher play Harry Potter on the Wii.
Friday 10/14: 360 DEGREE SWITZERLAND
This morning, Sylvia drove us to Leysin, Switzerland. We met her friend, Esther, and also visited Esther's daughter, who lived nearby. We toured her beautiful Swiss chalet! It was so fun to see the inside; it reminded me of a big wooden cabin. She had an amazing mountain view and the weather was just perfect. 
Thanks to her job at the tourist office, we got free tickets to take a cable car up the mountain for free! It was a little foggy and cloudy so we couldn't see Lake Geneva, but the view was still amazing! It felt like heaven. We ate at the revolving restaurant that has a 360 degree panoramic view. It slowly spins while you are eating so that you can get a view of the mountains all around. It spins slow enough that you don't really feel it but fast enough to do one full turn in about an hour. Christopher and I shared cheese fondue. It was super yummy and REALLY filling.
There was a little snow on the ground and some in the mountains which definitely added to the beauty. It was crazy though because we went from hot, sunny beaches that felt like summer straight to snowy mountains that felt like winter. But it was a fun change too. We sent a few postcards to our parents, walked around the town and then ate some dessert. We each got some ice cream; mine had tiny blackberries that were actually blueberries! It was really tasty.
On the way back to Lausanne, we enjoyed a nice drive with more trees changing colors, vineyards up the hillsides, and mountains with the beautiful foreground of Lake Geneva. When we got home, I backed up all my pictures on a flash drive... definitely something I would recommend if you're going on a trip!! It was such a relief to know that they weren't all on one memory card.
Saturday 10/15: MATTERHORN EXPRESS
We woke up extra early to catch the train to Zermatt! Sylvia and Naomi, Chris's cousin and their exchange student came too. We ate yummy pastries and enjoyed eachother's company along the way. when we got to Zermatt, we walked around the town and looked at the all overpriced beanies (60 franks!) and North Face coats (300 franks!)
Then we took a special train up the mountain to see the world-famous Matterhorn! It was so amazing and beautiful. There were yellow trees, a great view of the valley, and a white glacier with beautiful blue skies! I felt like I was on a magical train, like Polar Express or something. It was seriously gorgeous. I must have taken 300+ pictures because I just couldn't stop. It was breathtaking.
We walked around the observatory and saw amazing views all around us. Sylvia was deathly afraid of heights and she totally freaked out when I did a handstand on the ledge (probably for good reason) but I had to. Then we enjoyed some really delicious foods at the restaurant with a great view of the Matterhorn while we ate. I got Rosti again and we tried a new type of soda called Rivella, that's actually made from liquid cream cheese. It was kind of weird but tasty, like Cream Soda!
After the train ride back down, we walked around Zermatt a little more. We wished we had more time 
(and money) to paraglide! It looked so cool. Then we were treated to some of Sylvia's favorite chocolates. They were like heaven!! She sure spoiled us. On the train ride home, we enjoyed the views of waterfalls and a beautiful sunset on the lake. We walked down to Ouchy with Naomi to see the sunset and some ducks and swans swimming around. It was a perfect day with the best people.
Sunday 10/16: FLASHBACK CITY
Today was our last day in Switzerland. We ate our last yummy homemade bread from Marcell and then took a train from Lausanne to Zurich, where we met my parent's friends, Christoph and Christina. They took us around Zurich where we enjoyed the beautiful architecture and buildings along the river. It was a little chilly and foggy, but we were still able to see a lot.
We went to the GrossMunster church with amazing stained glass windows! They were unique and different than all other churches. Christoph told us that they were made from sliced gems. We climbed to the top of the church tower and saw a very nice panoramic view of the city. We also saw the famous clock that has the largest diameter in all of Europe! I was surprised that it was larger than Big Ben.
While walking around, we saw beautiful yellow, orange and red leaves everywhere. I think fall is one
of the most beautiful times of the year. We were lucky that we didn't have to return to school or 
work so we could travel during this colorful season. Our friends took us to a really, really nice cafe! It had red cushion on the walls and ceilings with nice chandeliers and romantic lighting. We ate some Apfelstrudel and hot cocoa... yum! It was the perfect combination for a chilly day.
Then we took a boat ride down the river and to Lake Zurich, and then walked along the lake and through a nice park. We tried some roasted chest nuts (heissi marroni)! I had never had them before, but they were pretty tasty.
When we got home, we started a fire and then helped prepare for dinner. We had a fabulous meal of fresh salad and yummy cheese fondue! Perfect. We also got to talk with Kaspar, their son who I knew when I was younger. My family visited them for a summer and then they came to visit us. I couldn't believe how perfect his English was. He studied abroad in New Zealand so he had a cool Swiss-Aussie type accent. It was fun to see him.
We got to visit with them for awhile and see pictures of their new mountain home. They said that many people are buying second homes in Europe because they don't feel their money is safe in the bank. Such a crazy economy and unpredictable world it is right now. For the rest of the evening we just relaxed and then had fruit salad for dessert.
The whole day was really great to spend with our friends and I was able to reminisce a lot from my family's vacation years ago. I was surprised how much I remembered... I definitely had a lot of flash backs. Switzerland is such a beautiful country. I just love it.
Monday 10/17: BACKPACKING ADVENTURE...FINITO.
We woke up early to have a farewell breakfast with the Maruggs and
then took a train to Lucern and caught our last BusAbout leg. While we waited for the bus, we walked around the city and enjoyed the river, water, bridges and swans. We were there so early some of them we still sleeping, which actually looks really funny if you've never seen it. They just wrap their long necks around and position them on their backs. It's so cute. We made a stop and got some fresh warm pastries, plus some wurst and Strawberry Chocolate Yogurt Sticks...my weakness.
While on our bus ride, we made one last photo stop at Neuschwanstein Castle. It was so beautiful!
JUST like a magical fairy tale :) I could really see the influence it had upon Disneyland's castle. We decided not to take the tour inside since we had already seen a few other castles, but we enjoyed the view from the bridge across the water and looking down on the valley. (I'll admit, the bridge was a little scary. I had cartoon visions of the bridge breaking on one end and swinging down the hundreds of feet below us...luckily, although it did squeak, it was still safe). After snapping our photos, we walked back down the mountain and relaxed by the lake. We also saw some cool posters that showed the castle in winter, in fog, summer, spring, autumn, etc. It was neat to compare the castle in all the different seasons and weather.
Once we arrived in Munich, we met our friends the Gildners who brought our suitcases to the station for us! We weren't expecting this, we were planning on going to their apartment to get them. They were so kind to be so helpful and on top of that...they even gave us money for food!! They were the sweetest people ever. While we waited for our train, we ate a yummy bratwurst! I was so happy. I had been craving one for days. Then we walked around the train station shops and I found the SAME winter hats we had wanted in Milan's ChinaTown... for only 3 Euros! I was so excited.
After a LONG day of traveling, we finally made it to Stuttgart around 11:30pm, where Basti, Chris's cousin, and Oma picked us up. It was so wonderful to see them again. It really felt like coming home. We had a snack, talked all about our trip and then watched The Big Bang Theory til we fell asleep. Such a great show. So happy our cousins have such great taste in funny TV shows. They're the best.
We rode the tram to bus stop and hopped back on our BusAbout tour to drive up to Milan. Unfortunately, we stood by a really annoying girl who was blazing snake charmer music. Chris threatened to chop her headphone cords with scissors, but she didn't hear him. That's probably a good thing. I guess we are sick of being around strangers... we need some personal space. On our bus ride we saw beautiful views of the French Riviera. Once we arrived in Milan we found a nice local place with some delicious Asian food in an area called Brera. It was a business district so we felt very under dressed next to all of the Milan fashionistas. But I guess backpackers aren't supposed to look like locals.
Despite the fact that we were super tired of site-seeing and especially bored of churches, we had to visit the famous Duomo... I think it's one of the biggest in Europe and maybe the world. I'll admit, it was pretty impressive... but I liked the outside the best. It was nice to just sit on the steps and people watch. But it was especially nice to eat some Kinder-flavored gelato (German chocolate).
Then we walked around to explore some fashion outlets but even the discounted high-end clothing and purses were still 3x my budget. I prefer not to spend more than $100 on any one item...unless it's totally necessary which is almost never.We then made met our way to our Couch Surfer, Martino's apartment. There we watched some American TV (MTV, Extreme Home Makeover), dubbed with Italian. It was funny because we could almost read their lips. Then Martino took us to a really nice, local Italian place. We ate some delicious Italian pizza, and some fried zucchini for our appetizer. It was some of the best Italian food we've had yet AND he paid for everything! Such a nice guy :)
Tuesday 10/11: GELATO AND DA VINCI
It was a perfect morning...we slept in, ate some cocoa puffs, and then headed to Milan's big flea market. Since our trip was winding to an end, it was the perfect time to pick up some souvenirs for our families. We found a nice Italian painted plate for Oma, a pocket watch with an old car on it for Opa, some jewelry for my sisters... and myself too :)
We really wanted to see the Last Supper painting but everyone (online and on our bus) said that you need reservations at least 60 days in advance! Thanks to Christopher's persistence, we decided to show up anyway and see if they had any cancellations or extra tickets. When we arrived, they said that we needed to book tickets by phone. But we just stood in the front of the desk for a few seconds and then asked if she could check for an extras. She sighed like she was really irritated but then asked how many we needed. We were so excited!! She said they were the last 2 tickets and we should come back at
6:30pm. To pass the time, we decided to go on a walk. We saw a castle, a big park with gardens and a beautiful arch, and then we ended up in Milan's Chinatown. We were excited at first when we saw all of the purses, hats, jewlery and scarves, but then realized that most of the stores sold their times as wholesale so they wouldn't sell us anything unless we bought like 100+. We did however find some super tasty gelato and Christopher almost bought a skeleton/automatic watch, but decided not to because we weren't sure about the quality.
The Last Supper viewing was extremely structured. Only 25 people were allowed to see it for 15 min and before going in we had to go through a serious of doors and gates. The painting was pretty impressive. It was a lot bigger than expected - a mural across the whole wall. One thing I noticed was that Judas was the only dark one. We learned that Da Vinci used a special technique that made the art fragile and several artists have made repairs on it over the years. Once it got dark, we visited the Duomo again so we could see what it looked like at night. It was pretty magical to see. Then we headed back to Martino's apartment and boiled some spiral spaghetti noodles. We were craving Alfredo sauce but they didn't have any at the supermarket so we talked to some young college students and they told us to get a cream-like sauce. We also added ham and fresh mozzarella! It was different than American pasta, but it was super tasty!
Wednesday 10/12: CIAO ITALY!
Today I did some resume updating to help prepare me for my big job search when we get back. It felt good to be productive but also a little sad thinking about the fact that our trip was almost over and real life was about to begin. Then we checked out the fancy fashion district: Burberry, Prada, Gucci, Dolche & Gabanna, etc. It was fun to window shop and to see all of the nice displays. 
Since it was our last day in Italy, we searched for awhile to find one last Canoli. It was definitely worth the walk. Then we bought some Italian pasta to take home and found our way to the bus, which took
us to Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland. On the way, we saw gorgeous views of the mountains and even a few trees changing colors. We couldn't believe it was autumn. We had been in Italy's warm weather for so long that it still felt like summer.Once we arrived, Christopher's aunt Sylvia picked us up at the hostel. There we saw Europe's tallest free standing waterfall that is 300 meters high. Then we ate some dinner at the hostel's restaurant. We both chose some super tasty Rosti! It's one of our favorite meals, ever. It's kind of like hashbrowns with cheese, mushrooms, ham, egg and onion. Yum! Yum Yum!! Plus they had the best glacier water, probably straight from the mountains. After dinner, we drove back to Lausanne to Sylvia's home.
Thursday 10/13: SWISS AUTUMN
Today was really relaxing. It was definitely a welcomed break to all our walking and site-seeing. We had some yummy Swiss bread and Apfelsaft (like Apple juice but with carbonation) for breakfast while we sat on the porch and enjoyed the nice view of lake Geneva. The weather was perfect; in the 60s with a breeze and super sunny!I decided to have some alone time and took a walk
to look at all the beautiful autumn colors. I strolled along the lake and took pictures of the beauty all around me. It was nice to be alone with me and my thoughts, appreciating and reflecting on all our wonderful experiences and adventures. The rest of our day consisted of a nap, some tasty soup, sonnenbrot, job searching, spending time with family, and watching Christopher play Harry Potter on the Wii.
Friday 10/14: 360 DEGREE SWITZERLAND
This morning, Sylvia drove us to Leysin, Switzerland. We met her friend, Esther, and also visited Esther's daughter, who lived nearby. We toured her beautiful Swiss chalet! It was so fun to see the inside; it reminded me of a big wooden cabin. She had an amazing mountain view and the weather was just perfect. 
Thanks to her job at the tourist office, we got free tickets to take a cable car up the mountain for free! It was a little foggy and cloudy so we couldn't see Lake Geneva, but the view was still amazing! It felt like heaven. We ate at the revolving restaurant that has a 360 degree panoramic view. It slowly spins while you are eating so that you can get a view of the mountains all around. It spins slow enough that you don't really feel it but fast enough to do one full turn in about an hour. Christopher and I shared cheese fondue. It was super yummy and REALLY filling.
There was a little snow on the ground and some in the mountains which definitely added to the beauty. It was crazy though because we went from hot, sunny beaches that felt like summer straight to snowy mountains that felt like winter. But it was a fun change too. We sent a few postcards to our parents, walked around the town and then ate some dessert. We each got some ice cream; mine had tiny blackberries that were actually blueberries! It was really tasty.
On the way back to Lausanne, we enjoyed a nice drive with more trees changing colors, vineyards up the hillsides, and mountains with the beautiful foreground of Lake Geneva. When we got home, I backed up all my pictures on a flash drive... definitely something I would recommend if you're going on a trip!! It was such a relief to know that they weren't all on one memory card.
Saturday 10/15: MATTERHORN EXPRESS
We woke up extra early to catch the train to Zermatt! Sylvia and Naomi, Chris's cousin and their exchange student came too. We ate yummy pastries and enjoyed eachother's company along the way. when we got to Zermatt, we walked around the town and looked at the all overpriced beanies (60 franks!) and North Face coats (300 franks!)Then we took a special train up the mountain to see the world-famous Matterhorn! It was so amazing and beautiful. There were yellow trees, a great view of the valley, and a white glacier with beautiful blue skies! I felt like I was on a magical train, like Polar Express or something. It was seriously gorgeous. I must have taken 300+ pictures because I just couldn't stop. It was breathtaking.
We walked around the observatory and saw amazing views all around us. Sylvia was deathly afraid of heights and she totally freaked out when I did a handstand on the ledge (probably for good reason) but I had to. Then we enjoyed some really delicious foods at the restaurant with a great view of the Matterhorn while we ate. I got Rosti again and we tried a new type of soda called Rivella, that's actually made from liquid cream cheese. It was kind of weird but tasty, like Cream Soda!
After the train ride back down, we walked around Zermatt a little more. We wished we had more time 
(and money) to paraglide! It looked so cool. Then we were treated to some of Sylvia's favorite chocolates. They were like heaven!! She sure spoiled us. On the train ride home, we enjoyed the views of waterfalls and a beautiful sunset on the lake. We walked down to Ouchy with Naomi to see the sunset and some ducks and swans swimming around. It was a perfect day with the best people. Sunday 10/16: FLASHBACK CITY
Today was our last day in Switzerland. We ate our last yummy homemade bread from Marcell and then took a train from Lausanne to Zurich, where we met my parent's friends, Christoph and Christina. They took us around Zurich where we enjoyed the beautiful architecture and buildings along the river. It was a little chilly and foggy, but we were still able to see a lot.
We went to the GrossMunster church with amazing stained glass windows! They were unique and different than all other churches. Christoph told us that they were made from sliced gems. We climbed to the top of the church tower and saw a very nice panoramic view of the city. We also saw the famous clock that has the largest diameter in all of Europe! I was surprised that it was larger than Big Ben.While walking around, we saw beautiful yellow, orange and red leaves everywhere. I think fall is one
of the most beautiful times of the year. We were lucky that we didn't have to return to school or 
work so we could travel during this colorful season. Our friends took us to a really, really nice cafe! It had red cushion on the walls and ceilings with nice chandeliers and romantic lighting. We ate some Apfelstrudel and hot cocoa... yum! It was the perfect combination for a chilly day. Then we took a boat ride down the river and to Lake Zurich, and then walked along the lake and through a nice park. We tried some roasted chest nuts (heissi marroni)! I had never had them before, but they were pretty tasty.
When we got home, we started a fire and then helped prepare for dinner. We had a fabulous meal of fresh salad and yummy cheese fondue! Perfect. We also got to talk with Kaspar, their son who I knew when I was younger. My family visited them for a summer and then they came to visit us. I couldn't believe how perfect his English was. He studied abroad in New Zealand so he had a cool Swiss-Aussie type accent. It was fun to see him.
We got to visit with them for awhile and see pictures of their new mountain home. They said that many people are buying second homes in Europe because they don't feel their money is safe in the bank. Such a crazy economy and unpredictable world it is right now. For the rest of the evening we just relaxed and then had fruit salad for dessert.
The whole day was really great to spend with our friends and I was able to reminisce a lot from my family's vacation years ago. I was surprised how much I remembered... I definitely had a lot of flash backs. Switzerland is such a beautiful country. I just love it.
Monday 10/17: BACKPACKING ADVENTURE...FINITO.
We woke up early to have a farewell breakfast with the Maruggs and
then took a train to Lucern and caught our last BusAbout leg. While we waited for the bus, we walked around the city and enjoyed the river, water, bridges and swans. We were there so early some of them we still sleeping, which actually looks really funny if you've never seen it. They just wrap their long necks around and position them on their backs. It's so cute. We made a stop and got some fresh warm pastries, plus some wurst and Strawberry Chocolate Yogurt Sticks...my weakness. While on our bus ride, we made one last photo stop at Neuschwanstein Castle. It was so beautiful!
JUST like a magical fairy tale :) I could really see the influence it had upon Disneyland's castle. We decided not to take the tour inside since we had already seen a few other castles, but we enjoyed the view from the bridge across the water and looking down on the valley. (I'll admit, the bridge was a little scary. I had cartoon visions of the bridge breaking on one end and swinging down the hundreds of feet below us...luckily, although it did squeak, it was still safe). After snapping our photos, we walked back down the mountain and relaxed by the lake. We also saw some cool posters that showed the castle in winter, in fog, summer, spring, autumn, etc. It was neat to compare the castle in all the different seasons and weather. 
Once we arrived in Munich, we met our friends the Gildners who brought our suitcases to the station for us! We weren't expecting this, we were planning on going to their apartment to get them. They were so kind to be so helpful and on top of that...they even gave us money for food!! They were the sweetest people ever. While we waited for our train, we ate a yummy bratwurst! I was so happy. I had been craving one for days. Then we walked around the train station shops and I found the SAME winter hats we had wanted in Milan's ChinaTown... for only 3 Euros! I was so excited. After a LONG day of traveling, we finally made it to Stuttgart around 11:30pm, where Basti, Chris's cousin, and Oma picked us up. It was so wonderful to see them again. It really felt like coming home. We had a snack, talked all about our trip and then watched The Big Bang Theory til we fell asleep. Such a great show. So happy our cousins have such great taste in funny TV shows. They're the best.
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