Switzerland
We spent over a week in Switzerland over Thanksgiving and it was magical. My soul feels full again, like it is now replenished from the beauty of the country and the quiet, chill, calming vibe that comes with it. My favorite moments were hiking through the forest in Lausanne near Lake Geneva, being so overwhelmed by the amount of Swiss chocolate everywhere, waking up to snow on our last day, eating the most delicious vegan soups, and finally visiting Christmas markets (been on my bucket list for awhile). We slept a ton, walked a ton, and truly loved the cold, crisp air and the quiet charm of the country. Switzerland will always have a piece of my heart!
Lauterbrunnen & Schilthorn
We kicked off our first day in Switzerland by taking a few trains to the beautiful Swiss village in Lauterbrunnen. From there, we took a few gondolas to the top of Schilthorn (Piz Gloria) to get a view of the Bernese Alps. It was absolutely stunning, and I was so grateful for the clear blue skies that day. The town itself was very quaint, quiet, and adorable - exactly what I picture a small Swiss town to be. It was well worth the many planes, trains, and automobiles that it took to get us there!
Zurich
We stayed in Zurich and absolutely loved it - despite being a bustling city it still retains it’s old world European charm. We loved Bahnofstrasse area and I visited Cafe Augustine Juice Market several times because of their delicious vegan soups and fresh juices. While in Zurich, we visited the Christmas markets which were absolutely adorable, University of Zurich to see where Albert Einstein studied, West Zurich to see the viaduct shops and Freitag Tower, FIFA World Football Museum to see the history of soccer, Fraumunster Church to see the beautiful stained glass windows, and Lindenhof Hill to see the gorgeous view of the city. Almost every day we went to the bookstore to read for awhile and then get Joe and the Juice after.
Bern
We spent a few hours in Bern, the capital of Switzerland, where we were on a mission to visit Einstein Haus, Albert Einstein’s former apartment where he lived from 1903-1905. It was where he developed his Theory of Relativity. It was a small, cute little apartment in Old Town Bern, and I couldn’t believe he actually lived there. We also visited the patent office that he worked at, which was a short walk from his apartment. Bern was a more bustling city with lots of cute restaurants and shops and it was very neat to get a feel for it through Albert Einstein’s eyes.
Lucerne
Perhaps one of the towns with the most character, Lucerne felt like I was in a movie. It was so picturesque - from the medieval buildings to the old bridges to the street lined vendors selling cheese and fruit, it was breathtaking. It reminded me of the Old Town in Stockholm - tons of little shops and cafes in one place. We spent a half day here before returning back to Zurich, since it wasn’t that big.
Basel
We initially weren’t going to visit Basel but I am SO glad we did. It ended up being one of my favorite places we visited. Just a short 1 hr train ride from Zurich, it is an artsy French-speaking city on the Rhine River and absolutely amazing. I was surprised by how big it was, and loved seeing how many vendors, shops and cafes it had. I bought a vegan chocolate chip bun from a stand and it was delicious. We also loved the red-painted Town Hall in the heart of the city, with its gorgeous hand paintings. We had to walk over the Rhine River as well, which was stunning.
Lausanne
Our last big day trip was a 2.5 hr train ride to Lausanne, the most adorable city on Lake Geneva. This was probably my favorite day trip because the city itself was nestled in the hills with so many shops and cafes. There were also a ton of French people which made it feel like we were in France. We hiked through the forest to Sauvabelin Tower, a really neat wooden tower that provides a great view of the lake (on a clear day, which we didn’t have). We were sweating on the hike up to it, despite it being in the 30’s! We also visited the Escaliers du Marche, some very old steps and of course, Blondel Chocolates, which was our favorite chocolate shop of the trip. The chocolate was DELICIOUS! Lausanne is a must-see when visiting Switzerland.
