The Alps and Bavaria

We just wrapped up our first train trip and are getting ready to embark on our second, and very much looking forward to it! We spent the past couple weeks traveling through Switzerland, Austria, southern Germany, and even tiny Liechtenstein. Besides going broke in Switzerland, everything was excellent :)

Eric went up to climb for about a week before Coco and I flew up to Geneva to join him. Traveling alone with her has become much less intimidating as she's gotten older and we've gotten more experienced at it. She was very excited to see Daddy (as always!) and it was nice for us all to be together again. The first few days in Geneva included beautiful weather, riding bikes around town and the lake, checking out the local parks, and me having a little stroke every time we got the bill after a meal. Eric warned me that he'd spent $24 for a plate of basic pasta at a truck stop, we tried hard to be frugal but it was nearly impossible. Took advantage of breakfast at the hotel that was included with our room, although that was counter-productive when I got so full I didn't want to move :) We checked out Cathedrale de St Pierre, the botanical garden, a museum and the old city, and ogled the hundreds of watch shops. Overall our verdict was a beautiful city in a beautiful setting. 

A short train ride away was Bern, and while we just spent 1 day there, it was awesome that we got to see the Saturday farmers market that took over several squares near the train station. Coco ate a couple pints of blackberries within the first 10 minutes :) We walked down to the river after the obligatory cathedral visit, and saw the bears along the banks (in enclosures, not wild!). Then it was on to Zurich. 

More beautiful weather, more watch shops, more expensive living, and more gorgeous scenery. We got bikes again, which is such a great way to explore a new place - especially one that's relatively flat. Through sheer coincidence and no planning whatsoever, we happened to arrive the evening of their annual Street Parade, so the town was literally mobbed with a couple hundred thousands partiers that had been enjoying the day with drinks and music along the lakeshore and riverbanks. Many had managed to lose their clothes in the process, and Coco was insistent that she join them, running amongst the revelers in her Minnie Mouse undies and Crocs. #greatparenting

From Zurich, the next train took us through Liechtenstein to Innsbruck, where Coco and I finally got up into the mountains. Hiked around a bit and was reminded how terrifying a fearless 3-yr old and her encouraging father can be. We all survived, however, and made it back down in one piece. Decided this would be a good place to do the tourist hop-on/hop-off bus, so we got to see an old palace on the outskirts of town that contained one of the world's first museums (just a very large personal collection back in the day). We explored the lovely little Old Town, got to hear an impromptu concert in one of the squares since Austrians (and tourists) apparently love classical music, and I'm sure we must've seen a church in there somewhere. 

The final destination was Munich, and amazingly the good weather was continuing. First stop was a ginormous beer garden, of course, where we paid homage to my roots via sausages and pretzels and lagers. We did that several more times before leaving, and sprinkled in some church visits, park strolling, and museum exploration. Another highlight was the day trip out to the countryside where we got to tour the fairytale castle of 'Mad' King Ludwig II. After having seen so many castles that were built 500+ years ago and have survived wars and sieges and attacks, it was surreal to see a comparatively new one (built in the late 1800's) that hasn't seen any struggles whatsoever. Highly recommended putting that one on your bucket list!

Fingers crossed that the next trip goes as smoothly, and that the weather continues to cooperate. It really makes exploring the cities so much more enjoyable. Will be interesting to see how different it feels in some Eastern European spots that are likely less cosmopolitan than the last trip...stay tuned :)