A little late to publish these last days of our trip. If you are an AT subscriber, please unsubscribe if you want. This blog is more of a personal journal of life adventures. Cheers
Thursday, December 26, 2013
We started the day by packing up and cleaning the apartment. Christmas cooking resulted in a lot of dirty dishes.
We left the apartment by 10:45 and decided to look for a quick lunch place recommended by Will Farley. After 20 minutes of looking, we gave up and ate döner kebab. We walked to the train station to store our luggage since our car rental wasn't until 3. Unfortunately for us, it was 5€ per bag. Woof. We didn't want to spend 4 hours sitting at the train station, so we bit the bullet and paid to store our bags. We wanted to spend some time in the Duomo since we hadn't been in it yet. As we walked there, the rain began; it got harder and harder. We found shelter under sidewalk awnings like everyone else. Kendall and Bo didn't have rain gear, so Kendall bought an umbrella from an old gypsy lady. As you would expect, the umbrella broke in less than a minute...another reason to hate the vendors. Emanuele, our host in Rome, told us that these Pakistani and Bangladeshi vendors are actually linked to the mafia, and street selling isn't exactly legal.
The Duomo was closed for a few hours, and to go to the top cost 10€ anyway. We definitely were going to pay that. We waited for the rain to pass in an street shop overhang. I saw a guy about to buy an umbrella, so I walked past and told him that the umbrella was crap and ours broke in 1 minute. The sales guy who barely spoke English ended up following me and wanted to fight. He poked me with his umbrella right the face. Bo and I ended up walking away but the guy kept following us. He got really close to Bo, so Bo turned around and told him to leave us alone. We eventually left and he stopped following, but it was a few very intense minutes. We quickly checked our luggage out of our lockers and barely made it back to the airport bus station to get the rental car. I was ready to get out of Florence. The car rental went smoothly and we were finally out of Florence.
We left the apartment by 10:45 and decided to look for a quick lunch place recommended by Will Farley. After 20 minutes of looking, we gave up and ate döner kebab. We walked to the train station to store our luggage since our car rental wasn't until 3. Unfortunately for us, it was 5€ per bag. Woof. We didn't want to spend 4 hours sitting at the train station, so we bit the bullet and paid to store our bags. We wanted to spend some time in the Duomo since we hadn't been in it yet. As we walked there, the rain began; it got harder and harder. We found shelter under sidewalk awnings like everyone else. Kendall and Bo didn't have rain gear, so Kendall bought an umbrella from an old gypsy lady. As you would expect, the umbrella broke in less than a minute...another reason to hate the vendors. Emanuele, our host in Rome, told us that these Pakistani and Bangladeshi vendors are actually linked to the mafia, and street selling isn't exactly legal.
The Duomo was closed for a few hours, and to go to the top cost 10€ anyway. We definitely were going to pay that. We waited for the rain to pass in an street shop overhang. I saw a guy about to buy an umbrella, so I walked past and told him that the umbrella was crap and ours broke in 1 minute. The sales guy who barely spoke English ended up following me and wanted to fight. He poked me with his umbrella right the face. Bo and I ended up walking away but the guy kept following us. He got really close to Bo, so Bo turned around and told him to leave us alone. We eventually left and he stopped following, but it was a few very intense minutes. We quickly checked our luggage out of our lockers and barely made it back to the airport bus station to get the rental car. I was ready to get out of Florence. The car rental went smoothly and we were finally out of Florence.
Bo brought his GPS, so the drive toward Como, Italy went fine. The rain was still bad at times though. We were surprised when we hit a couple tolls on our way to Como. One of them was 20€! That is outrageous; the unexpected cost of traveling. We finally made it to Como, but it was dark so we couldn't see the mountains around us. Once again, we used airbnb and the location was literally right downtown. It wasn't a typical airbnb, but rather a hotel-like room. It took me a while to find a parking spot. We wondered across the street to a nice pizza place, the best pizza so far. After dinner, we strolled around downtown for a bit, but eventually we turned in for the night. Today was a crazy day of rain, near-mafia fights, almost missing our bus, and other unplanned detours. We were all tired.
Friday, December 27, 2013
I woke up early to make sure we weren't parked in an illegal spot, so I ran over there at 8am. Afterwards, I grabbed some coffee and walked to the shore of the lake near out apartment. The mountains were beautiful against the blue sky and water. Everyone was still asleep, so I took my time. When we were ready for the day, we walked over to a little café where our breakfast was included with our stay. It was good coffee and croissants. We walled around for a while and the girls shopped a bit. Lunch was a small cafe where Bo and I got burgers. Afterwards, we boarded a boat for a Lake Como tour.
We sat on the back of the boat and were amazed by all the scenery. We came around the bend and saw the Swiss Alps towering above the lake! With the small towns scattered about the steep banks, it was one of the prettiest places I have seen. The boat tour was an hour, and I probably took at least 100 pictures. We returned to Como and hour later. Though Como was a beautiful town, it was mainly shopping. I was ready to continue into more mountains...Switzerland!
We drove out of Como and immediately entered Switzerland. We got gas, stocked up on groceries, and began our trek into the mountains toward Lucerne. The drive was amazing with picturesque mountains all around. I'm glad Bo brought his big camera because he takes tons of pictures. Lucerne wasn't really that long of a drive, but our place was hard to find. We ended up following a crazy farm road until we found it. Fortunately, it was in a nice neighborhood and our GPS just took us a bad way.
Our host who barely spoke English showed us around her place. It was a new modern home with more space and household items than we would ever need. She eventually left and we ate dinner, drank beer (Lucerne beer!) and wine, and had a great time hanging out late. I can't even remember when we actually went to bed.
We sat on the back of the boat and were amazed by all the scenery. We came around the bend and saw the Swiss Alps towering above the lake! With the small towns scattered about the steep banks, it was one of the prettiest places I have seen. The boat tour was an hour, and I probably took at least 100 pictures. We returned to Como and hour later. Though Como was a beautiful town, it was mainly shopping. I was ready to continue into more mountains...Switzerland!
We drove out of Como and immediately entered Switzerland. We got gas, stocked up on groceries, and began our trek into the mountains toward Lucerne. The drive was amazing with picturesque mountains all around. I'm glad Bo brought his big camera because he takes tons of pictures. Lucerne wasn't really that long of a drive, but our place was hard to find. We ended up following a crazy farm road until we found it. Fortunately, it was in a nice neighborhood and our GPS just took us a bad way.
Our host who barely spoke English showed us around her place. It was a new modern home with more space and household items than we would ever need. She eventually left and we ate dinner, drank beer (Lucerne beer!) and wine, and had a great time hanging out late. I can't even remember when we actually went to bed.
Saturday, December 28, 2013
Bo and Kendall slept in while Julie and I took a walk around the neighborhood. It was cold and crisp outside. We didn't have that much of a plan for the day, so we ended up driving into Lucerne. The town seemed like a little Christmas village in a dream. Huge mountains in the background, icy clear lakes, Christmas decorations, and a small farmer's market. We walked around for a while just enjoying the day. Everything was very expensive, so we ended up eating lunch at a bistro with paninis and ate them outside. A meal at McDonalds was 12 CHF, so that should give some perspective (about $11).
We walked around a while more, found a cool mountain shop, and checked out the Lucerne chapel. At 4, our host Magna and her friend met us to show us around the town. Her friend Edna spoke really good English, so we were able to communicate well. They wanted to do dinner at a fondue place, but we declined because it would have cost 40 CHF each. Ouch! They gave a quick tour of the city, especially the part we hadn't seen yet. After we said our goodbyes, we headed back to our place for the night.
Saturday, December 29, 2013
Our morning was spent packing, cleaning a bit, and getting ready to leave. We were so thankful for our place in Lucerne. Magna was such a great host, and her place was incredible. We headed out of Lucerne and drove toward Interlaken. The drive wasn't too long, but it was snowy. It actually seemed fairly short because we finally figured out where the AUX input was to the car to play music. The drove through the snowy valleys listening and music, staring at the mountains, and trying to stay on the road (yes, it was snowy). We came up over a mountain pass that was really windy and quite treacherous. Interlaken was down below. We weren't exactly sure what to do in this town, but I knew there was some good hiking. We drove around town a bit, then took a small mountain road near the lake and found an amazing little walking path along the lake. It a short little hike, but the views were breathtaking.
We came upon a hut right against the lake with a bench, a fire pit, and a perfect view of the lake with the rugged mountains behind it. It was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. We stayed a while and took so many pictures. I really couldn't leave. We eventually made our way back to the cars. It wasn't exactly the kind of hike I thought we were going to do, but it ended being way better than we had planned. No matter where you look in Switzerland, it will be pretty...
We drove back down into Interlaken for a quick bit of lunch. This town, like the rest of Switzerland, was very expensive. It was a Turkish restaurant, so Bo actually knew how to communicate with the owner...so random to have this restaurant in Interlaken, at least for us. After lunch, we start the long drive out of the mountains. I was sad to see the mountains in the rearview mirror, but we were off to Basel, Switzerland, the town where we were being hosted by Julie's grandparent's friends. We arrived in Basel just before dinner and checked into our hotel. There was lots of confusion during the days prior about if we were staying with them, if they got the hotel for us, if we were eating with them, etc. Basically, we had no idea what to expect.
Basel is on the Swiss/French/German border. Our hotel was actually on the French side, so I get to check another country off my list! We checked in and relaxed a bit before driving over to the Funchillings. They had expensive wine, great salad and a Swiss dish similar to beef stroganoff. It was really tasty. The conversation was great. Matt's granddaughter and her fiancé invited us over for drinks at a local bar after dinner. The bar was full of young people. It was near the university in Basel. We stayed a while and talked with Julia and Seral about life in Switzerland, the US, music, culture, and other things. After that, we headed back to our hotel for the night. It was a long, eventful, and very scenic day.
Sunday, December 30, 2013
We woke up early because we had been invited by Matt to get breakfast at a local "farm to table" type restaurant where ALL the food and merchandise was made on site. Fancy enough, it was called Funchilling Farms. Apparently his family history goes way back to this place. It was a giant operation with farmers market style shopping, pastries, bread, wine, veggies, fruits...everything. The restaurant was attached and took up two giant rooms. We waited for a table for a while (it was packed), but eventually got a table. Matt treated us all to a great local breakfast of cheese, fresh OJ, bread, yogurt, jam, salami, coffee, etc. We talked for a while with him and his grandson who came with us.
After breakfast it was time for the Basel tour. Matt knew everything about this city because he had lived here his whole life. We trotted all around looking at old buildings, bridges, restaurants, and other sites. It would be hard to summarize the whole tour because we did so much. Matt was an amazing host and treated us to all kinds of food. I had some of the best bratwurst I had ever had. That night Julie and Seral invited us over to their apartment for fondue! We cooked together, listened to music, and talked for hours. We really loved hanging out with Julia and Seral and would love for them to visit the states. Basel is an great city, and I would love to go back.
Monday, December 31, 2013
This was our last day in Switzerland (even though we woke up in France), and we had a long drive ahead of us to Munich. Matt gave us directions to avoid as many tolls as possible. We packed up at the hotel, hopped in the car, and started on a way toward Munich. The drive across Southern Germany was actually really pretty. We passed through rolling hills and farmland and could see the mountains to the south. With the music cranking, we made really good time through the countryside. From where we stayed, the total drive to Munich was a little over 5 hours. After stops for meals and gas, it took up the majority of the day. We came into Munich around dusk (which in the winter here was quite early). The hotel we picked out was by the airport. What we didn't realize was that the airport was about 45 minutes on the other side of the city from the way we came. We drove straight through the city center and well beyond the metropolitan area before we arrived at the hotel. The hotel was even PAST the airport another 10 minutes or so in the middle of nowhere (so it seemed). It had gotten dark by the time we arrived, and the icy cold fog set in heavy. I sore it was like the fog was frozen in mid air it was so cold and bleak. The hotel we booked was actually only for three people, so we did some sneaky unloading and eventually all got to the room in stages. Of all the rooms and places so far, this was by far the smallest. It was a full size bed with a pull out couch that took up any remaining room we would have had. Being the last night, we didn't even care.
Our plans to go out to downtown Munich for New Years Eve quickly was shot down by a 100% vote to stay in. We were tired, the train was expensive and long, and it was extremely cold outside. Bo and I decided to take the car down the road to find some dinner to-go. Our quick errand turned into a game of survival. We both left our phones and GPS in the hotel and kept taking more and more turns to find any sign of civilization. After finally reaching a restaurant (who's kitchen was closed...), we attempted to make our way back to the hotel. The roads were getting slick by this point, and every turn looked the same. We were lost. In our attempt to find our way back, we found a gas station with beer and wine, so that was a plus. We took every major turn until after an hour and lots of trial and error, we finally made it back to the hotel. It was honestly a little terrifying not knowing where we were in the cold darkness.
The rest of the night was spend hanging out in the hotel room and eating pizza FROM the hotel restaurant (duh...). I was glad of our choice to stay in. It was fun to celebrate new year together. We had a blast laughing the whole night. When midnight hit, we hit the bed...probably smart since our flight was early the next day.
Tuesday, January 1, 2014
The sound of my alarm was the last thing I wanted to hear. Julie and I packed up in the darkness. Kendall and Bo were continuing there trip south with the rental car, so they didn't have to get up just yet. Bo was nice enough to drive us to the airport. We eventually got to the airport after some terminal confusion. We were sad to say our goodbyes to Bo, and we were so glad to have the opportunity to travel with them these past few weeks.
Julie and I checked in and boarded our plane. To our surprise, we had a wonderful upgrade to business class for our flight home! We must have picked seats close enough to have a random bump to the front of the cabin. We have no idea why, but we didn't ask questions. Let me tell you, this was plush. We had sleeper seat/beds, our own console with a gift bag, blankets, full pillows, the works...We settled in our unexpected thrones and got comfortable for the 10 hour flight home. If there is any flight to be randomly upgraded to business class, it's this one. The food was some of the best food, and not just for airplane food. It was ACTUALLY great food. I was shocked. This little surprise was just the cherry on top of an amazing trip. After three weeks and nine cities later, we were finally ready to be home.
Our morning was spent packing, cleaning a bit, and getting ready to leave. We were so thankful for our place in Lucerne. Magna was such a great host, and her place was incredible. We headed out of Lucerne and drove toward Interlaken. The drive wasn't too long, but it was snowy. It actually seemed fairly short because we finally figured out where the AUX input was to the car to play music. The drove through the snowy valleys listening and music, staring at the mountains, and trying to stay on the road (yes, it was snowy). We came up over a mountain pass that was really windy and quite treacherous. Interlaken was down below. We weren't exactly sure what to do in this town, but I knew there was some good hiking. We drove around town a bit, then took a small mountain road near the lake and found an amazing little walking path along the lake. It a short little hike, but the views were breathtaking.
We came upon a hut right against the lake with a bench, a fire pit, and a perfect view of the lake with the rugged mountains behind it. It was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. We stayed a while and took so many pictures. I really couldn't leave. We eventually made our way back to the cars. It wasn't exactly the kind of hike I thought we were going to do, but it ended being way better than we had planned. No matter where you look in Switzerland, it will be pretty...We drove back down into Interlaken for a quick bit of lunch. This town, like the rest of Switzerland, was very expensive. It was a Turkish restaurant, so Bo actually knew how to communicate with the owner...so random to have this restaurant in Interlaken, at least for us. After lunch, we start the long drive out of the mountains. I was sad to see the mountains in the rearview mirror, but we were off to Basel, Switzerland, the town where we were being hosted by Julie's grandparent's friends. We arrived in Basel just before dinner and checked into our hotel. There was lots of confusion during the days prior about if we were staying with them, if they got the hotel for us, if we were eating with them, etc. Basically, we had no idea what to expect.
Basel is on the Swiss/French/German border. Our hotel was actually on the French side, so I get to check another country off my list! We checked in and relaxed a bit before driving over to the Funchillings. They had expensive wine, great salad and a Swiss dish similar to beef stroganoff. It was really tasty. The conversation was great. Matt's granddaughter and her fiancé invited us over for drinks at a local bar after dinner. The bar was full of young people. It was near the university in Basel. We stayed a while and talked with Julia and Seral about life in Switzerland, the US, music, culture, and other things. After that, we headed back to our hotel for the night. It was a long, eventful, and very scenic day.
Sunday, December 30, 2013
We woke up early because we had been invited by Matt to get breakfast at a local "farm to table" type restaurant where ALL the food and merchandise was made on site. Fancy enough, it was called Funchilling Farms. Apparently his family history goes way back to this place. It was a giant operation with farmers market style shopping, pastries, bread, wine, veggies, fruits...everything. The restaurant was attached and took up two giant rooms. We waited for a table for a while (it was packed), but eventually got a table. Matt treated us all to a great local breakfast of cheese, fresh OJ, bread, yogurt, jam, salami, coffee, etc. We talked for a while with him and his grandson who came with us.
After breakfast it was time for the Basel tour. Matt knew everything about this city because he had lived here his whole life. We trotted all around looking at old buildings, bridges, restaurants, and other sites. It would be hard to summarize the whole tour because we did so much. Matt was an amazing host and treated us to all kinds of food. I had some of the best bratwurst I had ever had. That night Julie and Seral invited us over to their apartment for fondue! We cooked together, listened to music, and talked for hours. We really loved hanging out with Julia and Seral and would love for them to visit the states. Basel is an great city, and I would love to go back.
Monday, December 31, 2013
This was our last day in Switzerland (even though we woke up in France), and we had a long drive ahead of us to Munich. Matt gave us directions to avoid as many tolls as possible. We packed up at the hotel, hopped in the car, and started on a way toward Munich. The drive across Southern Germany was actually really pretty. We passed through rolling hills and farmland and could see the mountains to the south. With the music cranking, we made really good time through the countryside. From where we stayed, the total drive to Munich was a little over 5 hours. After stops for meals and gas, it took up the majority of the day. We came into Munich around dusk (which in the winter here was quite early). The hotel we picked out was by the airport. What we didn't realize was that the airport was about 45 minutes on the other side of the city from the way we came. We drove straight through the city center and well beyond the metropolitan area before we arrived at the hotel. The hotel was even PAST the airport another 10 minutes or so in the middle of nowhere (so it seemed). It had gotten dark by the time we arrived, and the icy cold fog set in heavy. I sore it was like the fog was frozen in mid air it was so cold and bleak. The hotel we booked was actually only for three people, so we did some sneaky unloading and eventually all got to the room in stages. Of all the rooms and places so far, this was by far the smallest. It was a full size bed with a pull out couch that took up any remaining room we would have had. Being the last night, we didn't even care.
Our plans to go out to downtown Munich for New Years Eve quickly was shot down by a 100% vote to stay in. We were tired, the train was expensive and long, and it was extremely cold outside. Bo and I decided to take the car down the road to find some dinner to-go. Our quick errand turned into a game of survival. We both left our phones and GPS in the hotel and kept taking more and more turns to find any sign of civilization. After finally reaching a restaurant (who's kitchen was closed...), we attempted to make our way back to the hotel. The roads were getting slick by this point, and every turn looked the same. We were lost. In our attempt to find our way back, we found a gas station with beer and wine, so that was a plus. We took every major turn until after an hour and lots of trial and error, we finally made it back to the hotel. It was honestly a little terrifying not knowing where we were in the cold darkness.
The rest of the night was spend hanging out in the hotel room and eating pizza FROM the hotel restaurant (duh...). I was glad of our choice to stay in. It was fun to celebrate new year together. We had a blast laughing the whole night. When midnight hit, we hit the bed...probably smart since our flight was early the next day.
Tuesday, January 1, 2014
The sound of my alarm was the last thing I wanted to hear. Julie and I packed up in the darkness. Kendall and Bo were continuing there trip south with the rental car, so they didn't have to get up just yet. Bo was nice enough to drive us to the airport. We eventually got to the airport after some terminal confusion. We were sad to say our goodbyes to Bo, and we were so glad to have the opportunity to travel with them these past few weeks.
Julie and I checked in and boarded our plane. To our surprise, we had a wonderful upgrade to business class for our flight home! We must have picked seats close enough to have a random bump to the front of the cabin. We have no idea why, but we didn't ask questions. Let me tell you, this was plush. We had sleeper seat/beds, our own console with a gift bag, blankets, full pillows, the works...We settled in our unexpected thrones and got comfortable for the 10 hour flight home. If there is any flight to be randomly upgraded to business class, it's this one. The food was some of the best food, and not just for airplane food. It was ACTUALLY great food. I was shocked. This little surprise was just the cherry on top of an amazing trip. After three weeks and nine cities later, we were finally ready to be home.
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