Europe 2019

Day 1 Lake Como, Italy. Arrived at Milan 6am Italy time and took 2 trains to Varenna. Obviously had excellent coffee lakeside. Walked around and toured Villa Monastero. The gardens were absolutely stunning. Varenna is a tiny waterfront town with cobblestone walkways and little bistros and gelato shops down all the tiny, very hilly alleys. Hardly any cars. Pizza/salad lunch was SO delicious. Took ferry over to Bellagio- the pearl of the lake. Back for antipasti and wine and 13 hours of uninterrupted sleep.

Day 2- Varenna. Began the day with a 6 mile hike starting with a STEEP climb to Castillo Vezzio, a beautiful castle perched right on the mountaintop with stellar views. We then took a crazy loopy path to the Sentiero del Viandante. We got lost 800 times as the path was only marked by these little orange signs once every .25 mile or so and it included teeny tiny alleyways through even tinier towns, mule cart paths, and hiking trails. It was like a scavenger hunt! We had no less than 5 locals tell us the way. Quite a few beautiful little shrines to Mary along the way and so fun to go through the towns along the coast and see locals just hanging out in the street. Next up a boat ride to Villa Balbianello where Star Wars and James Bond were filmed. All rounded out with wine and pasta in Varenna Piazza at Quattro Pass.

3. Our big adventure. So... when I picked Lake Como as one of our dream destinations, I did not know it is a HUGE biking Mecca. People travel from all around the world to ride these “hills”. Naturally(read: amazing wife) I signed us up for a 40 mile ride/climb. Me on an Electric bike, J on his fancy speedy bike. They brought us the bikes from Bellagio and got us situated. While I wasn’t around the guide states- you know this ride is really hard right? And also, if she uses that bike battery the whole climb- it will die before she gets to the last *biggest* climb. It will not last the whole ride because you picked such a long one. Ok.... Challenge accepted. I will use my legs to crank this thing (which by the way, is about twice the weight of Justin’s bike) So, off we go. We pass through quaint little Italian towns with old men sitting out front just chatting away. People are walking around with their groceries at a slow Italian pace. As we get higher we get into the “wild” where it’s basically nothing but you, the panorama of Como, and the intoxicating smell of tomatoes and fresh basil. It’s an awesome ride. My little battery is doing just fine about half way up and I am crazy sweaty but enjoying every minute. Got up to 30mph, before I panicked and braked! About mile 26 it starts to rain lightly. No biggie. About mile 28- total pour down, so, praise the Lord, we find a tiny church and take shelter for about 20 minutes. It let up slightly, so we decided just to go for it. We climb. Climb. Climb. I am DYING - battery or no. Said battery then suddenly drops from 15% to 6% Basically I just prayed to reach the top. And- we did. In the rain. With 2% battery life. It was cloudy but still breathtaking. 7200 foot climb. Then, we flew, in the rain, back down 7200 feet. We were FREEZING, WET, exhausted- but we did it. After that, the only moving we did was to pour more wine and go get Pizza. And after that 2100 calorie burn- man did I enjoy every single cheesy, delicious bite! #detailssoiwontforget #sorrysolong Also, they call lettuce “rocket” here. I’m going to start calling my salads that. Much more appealing, no?

4. Did you know Lago Di Como is 1345 ft deep!!! That’s like oceanic y’all. It’s a glacial lake. We rented a boat and cruised for a couple hours. Stunning Villas and small coastal towns dot the coastline. Every town seems to have an ancient church and when they ring the hour, the beautiful bells sound for miles off the water. The sound is magnificent. One of the villas pictured was just bought by a London hedge fund officer for 45 million Eruo. So, you know- if you are looking for a “Lakehouse” ... Most every large villa has a botanical garden attached. Some of the old nobility owners let people tour the gardens just to pay for the garden maintenance. George Clooney’s Como villa is actually quite small in comparison. Hotel Du Lac. If you ever visit- please stay here. It is absolute perfection and we got to know all the friendly staff by name. The breakfast buffet on the terrace with unlimited cappuccino was unreal. Ate lunch at our favorite “gas station” and stocked up on some Italian goodies for home. Took the ferry to Menaggio where we began our “moderate” 7 mile hike. All Trails (app) LIED. We went straight UP via one million switch backs for 2 grueling hours. Climbed 2200 feet. But, the wide expanse at the top was simply jaw-dropping. We even FaceTimed the kids from up there! I could have easily spent the day just sitting there watching the tiny boats leave white trails as they drove the lake. The ferry boats back and forth, back and forth. Watching the myriad of butterflies and grasshoppers covering the grassy knoll at the top. Quiet except the toll of the hour. But, per our normal, we are “maximizers” and after 15 minutes had to RUN down the hill to catch the ferry home in time for a world record fast shower and our dinner reservation. Mom, so sorry but I could not get fancy for our patio dinner 😉. Wine, pasta, gelato. Repeat.

5. Left beloved Como and headed to Switzerland by train through Lugano to Lucerne. 4 hours by train passing some beautiful Swiss countryside on the way. The trains are clean and cool. The train station restrooms- enter at your own risk, or I would advise just skip all together 😬. Walked 4 blocks through the city to our hotel right in the middle of town. Feels a bit like NYC, but once you reach the river/lake, the comparison ends. The old world meets the modern here. The famous 13th century Chapel Bridge greets you as you enter the lakeside promenade. It’s art work depicts stories of the city’s beginnings and evolution. Hundreds of people gather to see the bridge and watch the river flow beneath it, a surprisingly fast clear current rushing through the city center. From the bridge you stroll along the shore, cafes and restaurants bustling with hungry tourists, all paying INSANE priced to fill their bellies. We found a hamburger... for 50 CHF (dollars). We were starving so found one of the more casual but very Swiss establishments, Rathaus Brewery. We decide to try the local cuisine and got a pretzel prosciutto sandwich and a “sausage/mozzarella salad” which was really only salad if you added, for extra $, the “garnish” of lettuce. It was actually all quite delicious and very unique. We then climbed up to the tower wall to get a view of Lucerne and the lake. We also found 2 churches, which actually both were being used! We have been here 5 days, seen many churches, but no churchgoers. The large Jesuit church was holding mass with a choir singing their praises to God, the melody filling the high, domed, and beautifully painted ancient ceiling with adoration. Next we walked to the Lion Monument- dedicated to Swiss mercenaries that fell during the French Revolution. We visited one of the MANY museums (though, admittedly we prefer nature) called the Rosengart. It houses many of Picasso’s works (amazing, but what a strange dude) as well as my personal favorite genre, impressionists. Monet. Cezanne. Serat. Fabulous. Also interesting to note- there is NO shopping on Sunday in the whole city. Headed to Co-Op grocery store for light dinner and wine. Cheaper!!

6. Mount Rigi, Queen of the Mountains. So far, my favorite day! Started off early with 3 shots of expresso and popped by Macchi bakery down the street to get a picnic lunch. (For only 8 CHF!) Grabbed ferry to Vitznau, a stunning hour ride across Lake Lucerne. On the way we made friends w. Captain Marcel, whose family has been in Lucerne for over 800 years! He gave us the hiking routes to take for our next adventure! We arrived at Vitznau, and took the oldest cog railway in Europe (1870) part of the way up the mountain to Rigi Kaltbad. From there we began our trek across to Rigi Scheilegg, panoramas of Switzerland, including its highest peaks, France and Germany on our right the entire way. I cannot even really describe the beauty and sheer vastness of it all. It begs the question, how can one doubt the specific, intentional power of the creator? As we crossed the ridge into the less touristed area (thanks Marcel) we basically only saw a few Swiss locals enjoying their holiday, and my personal favorite, the cows! They are everywhere, their giant bells ringing loudly, though soothingly, across the valley falling into harmony with their occasional mooing and constant buzz of grasshoppers. (Hear video) As odd as the mixture is, it is amazingly beautiful and peaceful. We sat at the top of one of the ridges just soaking it all in. J and I don’t “sit” very much, or well, but this was worth the quiet reflection- time to grasp your own insignificance in comparison to the vastness, yet, realizing that you are loved by the one who created you, and have been given the gift of this specific, glorious perspective of the world. We hiked, then, to the far peak, ate our yummy picnic, (tramp was randomly at the peak restaurant!) took a STEEP cable car down to the valley floor, then decided, sure, let’s try to summit! The locals looked at us as if we were crazy, but, 10.3 miles in, 4500 ft of climbing, we made the top of the Queen, Rigi Kulm. The back side of the mountain hike up was full of magnificent tall pines, and waterfalls (we happily drank from) pouring crystal clear cool water down to the lake. From Kulm, we took the cable car, CRAZY STEEP, down, sunset ferry back.

7. Mürren, Switzerland. After required 3 shots of expresso headed to the train station to catch the train from Lucerne to Interlaken. Made it with 2 whole minutes to spare! The ride was a leisurely jaunt through the Swiss countryside and the views grew increasingly more rich and fairytale-like. You pass about 4 lakes or “sees,” most of which reflected the high green peaks through the turquoise shade of the water. (Pic 1). Then hopped on a cable car from Lauterbrunnen valley up to Mürren, a small resort village midway up the mountain. One coop grocery, 2 carless lanes, and 6-8 little shops/ restaurants hug the main area from the steep drop just feet below. Otherwise only hotels and ski chalets cover the rest of the town. Since half the day was behind us we took the next cable car up to the Schilthorn, one if the highest peaks in the region. We, and hundreds of Japanese tourists coming up from Interlaken. Many keep on going to Jungfrau, the “Top of Europe” We, generally speaking, despise crowds, and crowded spots, so our time up top was short, but I will say that the Japanese know how to take pictures! This, obviously, a huge bonus for me that wants 5 different angles and 2 poses. And you don’t even have to ask! They already know! We got our view of the big 3 peaks and headed in down to do a small hike before dinner. Yet again, the station master eyes us and gently reminds us the time of the last cable car back down - aka - are u sure u want to start that hike now? Yep - because I’m married to a crazy triathlete overachiever which I mostly love, but really despise when I am DYING hiking up a hill with a 166 HR and his is only 86. 🙄 we made it a couple miles to “Mirror Lake” and I took one million pics, then headed back to the cable car, 1 hr early. I breathed a sigh of relief. Not getting stuck up here! Celebrated our 15 year Anniversary with dinner at out hotel, Hotel Eiger. We obeyed the waiter and got all Swiss dishes (except the crazy good salad). Cheese Fondue was a huge treat. It’s a Swiss Fare- local cheese melted with wine, garlic, and Schnapps that u dip w bread.Followed that with a reindeer filet. (Don’t tell our kids). Best meal in decades!

8. Mürren. Wengen. Cliffhanging Adventure. Well, today we decided to really take the plunge and do the Mürren Via Ferrata meaning “Way of Iron” We were both a little nervous but the thrill was too great to resist. You basically climb on the edge of the cliff from Mürren to Gimmelwald with Lauterbrunnen Valley sitting 4000 feet below your feet, which, at times, are essentially just hanging out over the valley. A 1/2 “ diameter rebar footstep stuck inside the mountain face holds you up from step to step as you look straight down to the valley floor. Obviously, you are also clipped to a cable at all times, but the drop is pretty astounding as you make the 3 hour trek. There are also 2 tightrope walks which cross you over waterfalls, the water, at least, obeying gravity by plunging down below. We actually loved this part and just stood out in the middle a while. The scariest, though was the suspension bridge. It swings with the wind and at one point you only have one hand hold. But. It. Was. Awesome. I would do it again tomorrow. Thankfully, we had a beautiful afternoon yet to spend so we trekked to Wengen via train and then climbed up to another peak, Kleine Scheidegg. We took the less traversed path and only saw about 6 people once we got into the higher area. It was a tough, long 3000 ft climb, but the open meadows at the end with Mount Eiger showing us her North Face with nothing to block our view was worth the miles. She also had 4-5 MASSIVE waterfalls pummeling down in their white, foamy glory. And, of course, cows. To top it off, right above our train ride home, was a beautiful little reservoir, reflecting Eiger and Monk just like a teal shaded mirror. The good Lord created some magnificent views. So grateful and thankful to see them and hope you enjoy them too. #wanderlust

9. Lauterbrunnen Valley, Switzerland. Today was a “rest” day.. My legs are still burning from yesterday so a nice easy, 30 mile ride through the valley was just the thing. 😂 It actually was a really relaxing trip. We had ebikes and you could go as hard as you wanted (Justin turned on the motor like 4 times in 7 hrs 😂) or basically use the motor the whole way. I did enough to make a dent in the large quantity of cheese I’ve been eating! We did a tour through Flying Wheels Interlaken to tour the area, have a delicious picnic lunch, and ride through the “valley of 72 waterfalls”. Sure enough, there were waterfalls everywhere including the famous Trummelbach Falls, where the falls are actually inside the mountain. The video here doesn’t do it justice. 20,000 liters per second go through that gorge. Jokingly I asked our awesome guide George if people canyon (like doing really crazy water slides inside gorges) in there. They do! But only in the winter months when the water is low, and only for military training. Umm. Pass on that! George, our guide, was an awesome part of the whole experience and let us glimpse into the local Swiss tradition, and also his own love of extreme sports (so much around here). BASE jumping, Canyoning, paragliding— all daily occurrences in the valley. They have 20,000 base jumpers a year!! Now, those people, are crazy! We saw Gimmelwald, Lauterbrunnen, Mürren, and quite a few towns in between. Finished up the day by walking to see Lake Brienz. That color. Amazing!

10. Oberhornsee, Switzerland. One of my top 5 life experiences. We hiked 15.3 miles, 8 moving hours, through jaw dropping, dreamlike terrain. I have never seen the like. Ever. We got an early start from Gimmelwald, knowing it would be a long day, so I woke up with daybreak through my open window. We descended down to the valley just as the first light of the sun crested the mountains on the other side. It shone its bright yellow rays through the thousands of pine needles, dew bouncing it back like tiny little mirrors. The light was sideways and diffused, throwing everything into a warm glow. The photographer in me was so excited our hike slowed to a crawl. We reached the bottom to find small meadows with streams running through them, everything there the greenest of greens. We started up the other side, a steep 2000 ft climb that opened up to the great wide open -180 degrees of fields, rocks, mountain faces, glaciers, and waterfalls. Magnificent. We crossed and wound around the ridge, following the mountain, as the terrain changed w each turn. Stopped for lunch at Obersteinberg, a 2 building town sans electricity. Our backdrop was a massive waterfall. Tolkien stayed here when writing Lord of the Rings - this place as inspiration for the Elven realm. Onward, upward 2k more ft through grassy knolls with huge boulders sprayed in like they were thrown down from heaven. Waterfalls and raging rivers we crossed and walked alongside. The last part of the climb was a field of flowers, growing on the steep mountain face. Finally, the top, right under the glaciers sitting in the mountain saddleback, is the lake. Stunningly beautiful clear turquoise glacier melt, a reflective surface for the glory of the mountain tops. I lost count of how many waterfalls we crossed on the way home by way of the opposite mountain. The roaring or humming of the water changed as you moved but the sound was ever-present. We went right under the one we watched at lunch. It seemed so far away at the time. A little taste of heaven this place. “In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land."

Hopped across the pond.. All hail the Queen! St. James Park, Buckingham Palace, Oxford Street, Kensington Palace, Westminster Abbey, Churchill War Rooms, Liberty London. History and people and monuments everywhere. Bit of a culture shock after being alone on a mountain for the better part of 2 days, but don’t worry, there was enough shopping to cure it 😉. Or window shopping at least!  J had to work for 2 days so... I shopped... and then we ate... again!  We ate a different nationality of food each night. My favorite was a Japanese place.  Each morning a yummy breakfast with MORE coffee too of course.  The last night Justin surprised me with tickets to see Hamilton at Victoria Palace.  SOOO cool and SOOO good... Now I know what all the hoopla was about!  Finally headed back home with an entire row (and really the better part of the plane) all to myself.  WHAT A TRIP!