The Day Hike in Switzerland that Did Not Disappoint

In true tourist fashion, my husband and I tried to cram as much as possible into our grand European expedition, topping off Milan, the Amalfi Coast, and Austria with a hot second in Switzerland. Alps! We wanted to be among the Swiss Alps! So we headed to the Bernese Highlands (Berner Oberland in German), a high-elevation area in west-central Switzerland near the city of Bern. Though we only had one full day to explore the area on foot and via cable car, that day did not disappoint! The area was ridiculously beautiful.

We stayed in Wengen, a car-free ski town, at the Hotel Bernerhof, which was nothing fancy but got the job done. Its vintage 1970's lodge feel somewhat made up for its teeny closet-turned-bathrooms. We soon realized that dining in the area was spendy! One night we enjoyed a delicious pasta dinner out on the town, and the next we made ramen noodles in our room.

We started our day hike by walking from our hotel towards the center of Wengen, passing blooming window boxes and neat piles of firewood, all while admiring the imposing mountain landscape just beyond the town.

Leaving Wengen we hiked down towards the valley in which the town of Lauterbrunnen is nestled. Several waterfalls make their way from the mountains to the valley, causing this view to be an impressive and famous one! J.R.R. Tolkien, author of The Lord of The Rings, visited the Lauterbrunnen Valley and modeled his fictional elvish village of Rivendell after it.

We hiked upwards from Lauterbrunnen into the mountains, and at this point I began to feel a bit like Heidi.

Soon our focus turned towards the mountains peeking through the trees. 

Three well-known peaks were in view--the Eiger, Monch, and Jungfrau. The Eiger has the biggest north face in the Alps, so it is an ominous but sought-after challenge for climbers. The Jungfrau (pictured at right) is the third-highest mountain in the Bernese Alps.

After a few hours we arrived in the cheery town of Murren, which was hoppin' because this was the day of the Inferno Triathlon, a feat of athleticism I can't even conceive of, which has a height gain of 3.4 miles! Can you imagine?

Having decided that this was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of experience, we took the pricey cable car from Murren to the Schilthorn, the highest mountain in the area and the location of Piz Gloria, a revolving restaurant which served as a filming location for the James Bond movie, On Her Majesty's Secret Service. We enjoyed our "007" cappuccino...

...and the fantastic view! It had gotten a bit cloudy by this time, proving that no day this side of heaven is absolutely perfect, but we were still able to peer down into the valley below and to enjoy a bird's-eye look at the surrounding peaks. 

The Inferno Triathlon I told you about was completed at the base of Piz Gloria, so we really enjoyed watching runners cross the finish line--when the restaurant had revolved to let us see that location, of course! The runners were spread out quite a ways from each other, to the point that I don't think most could see another person while they ran the final steep ascent. It was very moving to me to watch them because they arrived in our line of sight obviously spent. They ran slowly and looked down at the trail...until their family members came into view! Their faces broke into big smiles at the sight of their spouses, children, and friends, and the cheering of their people seemed to give them new energy to speed to the finish line with heads held high. They ended triumphantly and were met with big hugs from their proud people. The power of our people encouraging and supporting us cannot be overstated!

We had some tomato soup (I know, very exciting.) and rode the cable car back down into Murren, where we took a train back to our home base of Wengen. What a celebration of natural beauty and the human spirit! Well done, Switzerland!

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Skip Right Into The Sound of Music!

I grew up on The Sound of Music, sitting in front of my TV and singing along with Julie Andrews while I wondered what it would be like to live the life of a nun, to be sixteen-going-on-seventeen, and to flee over the mountains from the Nazis. Anyone else? My husband also watched this classic film as a child, so it was a no-brainer to add Panorama Tours' Original Sound of Music Tour in Salzburg, Austria, to our Europe itinerary.

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Our half-day tour began in central Salzburg. Our guide was very informative and entertaining (and actually looked a good deal like Maria! Coincidence?), and this was a singalong tour! We listened to the Rodgers and Hammerstein soundtrack and sang while we drove.

One of the first sites we drove by was Nonnberg Abbey, a working convent where the historical Maria was a nun and also married Captain von Trapp. We also drove by Frohnburg Palace, the yellow villa which served as the front of the Von Trapp family's home in the movie.

Leopoldskron Palace was the filming location for the back of the Von Trapp residence. The boating scene and garden scenes took place here. Lovely view!

Nearby at Hellbrunn Palace was the famous gazebo which was the rendezvous point for Leisl and Rolfe's night-time romantic meeting and the spot where Maria and Captain von Trapp shared their first kiss.

We headed out of the city and towards the Lake District. At one point our bus driver continued to circle a roundabout until everyone on the bus was loudly yodeling! Here is the town of St. Gilgen and Lake Wolfgang, which can be seen in the opening shots of The Sound of Music.

We spent some time in the quaint town of Mondsee...

...where the wedding of Maria and Captain von Trapp was filmed at the Mondsee Abbey Church. It's grand exterior--with chevron detail added before chevron was chevron!--was not seen in the movie, but its ornate sanctuary provided the perfect backdrop for Maria's slow and reverent trip down the aisle in her long dress to the sound of organ music and nun's voices.

We spent a little time sitting by Lake Mondsee eating a scrumptious apple struedel. 

Then we headed back into Austria to the stately Mirabell Gardens. Pictured here are the famous "Do-Re-Mi" steps.

We reenacted scenes from the movie to the best of our memory as we explored the gardens, and this concluded the official portion of our excellent guided tour.

But we continued to explore on our own and identified another bridge on which the Von Trapp children frolicked in the film, and we also found the Residenz Square Horse Fountain, where Maria sang "I Have Confidence In Me."

Feeling as though we'd stepped right into one of our favorite movies was simply the best, but we enjoyed some of Salzburg's other sites as well. We hiked up to Hohensalzburg Castle...

...and enjoyed the view of the city below.

We'd chosen to stay in the town of Grodig, nearby Salzburg, at the cutie Hotel Sallerhof. Aside from an unfortunate do-we-leave-the-windows-open-and-get-eaten-alive-by-mosquitoes-or-keep-them-closed-and-burn-up dilemma our first night there, we were happy with these lodgings and especially with breakfast! And providentially our second night at the Sallerhof, it rained!--no mosquitoes. 

What a lovely little town! Isn't my husband the cutest sitting on that heart-shaped bench? (I'm not sure "cute" is what he's going for, but nonetheless...)

I've got two words for you: wiener schnitzel. This is a thin, breaded, pan-fried veal cutlet served with lemon and parsley, famous in Austrian  cuisine. As in the case of my delicious dinner pictured here, pork is often substituted for veal. (Whew! Not so hot on the whole veal thing.)

Our final day in Austria we decided to hike a section of the Untersberg, which separates Austria from Germany and served as the filming location for Maria to sing "The Hills Are Alive" and for the Von Trapp family to escape over the mountains "into Switzerland" in The Sound of Music. Little did we know as we set out that we'd see more of these "staircases" than we ever cared to on our three-hour journey to the top. The climb was taxing, and we saw few other people, lending an air of mystique to our adventure. 

The view from the top was amazing! We were on a bit of a schedule, so we happily took the cable car back down to Grodig, where we grabbed our luggage, ran to catch a bus, hurried to find the next bus... But that's a story for another day!

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Hello, Ravello!

The legendary Amalfi Coast consists of thirteen towns nestled in the seaside cliffs of southern Italy, giving  tourists endless options of itineraries through this breathtaking region. Greg and I were very happy with the three days we spent in the area several summers ago, having chosen to stay in the higher elevation and less tourist-oriented town of Ravello. From there we took a half-day hike to a monastery and the town of Minori, date night to lively Amalfi, and day trip to the breezy island of Capri. Hop on the back of my Vespa, and let's go!

Rooming in Romantic Ravello

The small town of Ravello had charmed my husband on a business trip several years earlier, so he was excited to take me there.

We'd had quite the day's journey from Milan to the Amalfi Coast, including a train stop at a platform surrounded by trees and not a human in sight! We hiked with our luggage down into the town and then faced another challenge--to locate the bus that would take us down the coast. We finally noticed a tiny sign in front of the pottery shop advertising bus tickets (Because that makes sense, right?), and we were soon on our way. (See photo--would you have noticed that little sign?) Our first glimpse of the Mediterranean Sea dazzled me, but when we stopped in crowded Amalfi for a piece of pizza and another bus ticket, I admit that I was less than enchanted. The surroundings were beautiful, but the place was packed and unfortunately felt a bit like Oceans of Fun on Memorial Day. 

So when we stepped off the bus after our ascent to Ravello, I breathed a sigh of relief. People milled about and admired the gorgeous view of the coastline, but it felt slower-paced, more peaceful, and more authentically Italian.

We'd debated staying in a number of hotels but had decided to go with a property we found on Airbnb, which was less expensive than many of our other options and ended up being simply delightful. It was a bit of a walk from the bus station and main part of town, but we didn't mind this and appreciated that the neighborhood was quiet at night. Check out the amazing view from our window!

Several rooms shared this cozy patio overlooking the ocean, and our host served us pastries and the most wonderful cappuccinos for breakfast each morning.

The most prominent feature of Ravello's town square is its cathedral, which held mass each evening as we walked by; one night we watched a Catholic parade while we ate at an open-air restaurant. This part of Italy is known for beautiful hand-painted pottery and lemons, and there's an abundance of both in Ravello, including these lemons as big as grapefruits!

We visited the Giardini Caffe Calce several times because of its pleasant garden and delicious pizza--cheese for Greg, artichokes for me. Though we waited until 8:00pm to venture into a restaurant for dinner, we received some funny looks...because the rest of the town didn't begin their feasting until closer to 9:00pm! (Don't tell them we usually eat at 6:00pm!)

The Mysterious Monastery in the Clouds

At the suggestion of our host we decided to take a half-day hike to a location I'm calling "The Mysterious Monastery in the Clouds," so named because since we've returned from our trip, I haven't been able to track down any information on this place! It was once either a monastery or convent and is now simply an enigma. We could see this old structure from the entrance to our B&B, so we set out on our journey with a simple map and some lunch.

On our way we gawked at local agriculture, including green beans, grapevines, and tomatoes drying in the sun.

Once out of town we encountered no one on our hike until our descent into the town of Minori several hours later. Well, we did run into a fluffy, white stray dog trotting along the path, and we invited him to join us, but he was on a mission and couldn't be deterred.

We sat down to enjoy some lunch. No PB&J's for us--we'd stashed one of those mouthwatering pizzas in our backpack!

Revived, we continued on our way and arrived at our destination! We explored the area around the old monastery...

...and admired the birds-eye view of the town of Minori and the billowy clouds that seemed almost within reach.

We headed back into the woods and hiked down towards Minori, admiring the lovely greens all around us. Soon we were joined by a pack of pesky bees--not the sting-you-till-you-scream kind but rather the latch-onto-you-and-give-you-the-heebie-jeebies kind. We decided to try to run away from the bees, but they swarmed ferociously right along with us! I felt like I'd witnessed this scene in a cartoon.

The bees left us alone as we reentered civilization. Whew!

I loved seeing the pretty mosaics and carved doors as we walked through Minori's streets with a nice view of the town of Amalfi and the sea.

Here we are with Minori behind us, loving the sea breezes coming our way!

I had to get my picture taken next to this wall of brilliant purple morning glories, but immediately after I'd been photographed, a black snake slithered out of the wall right where I was standing! Yikes! Time to move on down the road!

We stopped to admire Minori's basilica and eat some gelato while we watched locals drive by on their motorbikes. Then we began our climb up the many stairs towards Ravello.

We peered into an interesting cemetery along the way and soon saw Ravello's famous umbrella tree ahead, assuring us we were almost home. We were exhausted after all those stairs when we finally reached our home base, but we'd had a wonderful adventure!

Date Nights in Italy Eat Other Date Nights for Breakfast

One evening we took the bus to Amalfi for a date night! I'm happy to report that though the city was bustling, this was a pleasurable liveliness, not the overcrowded theme park feel of several days earlier. We walked around town, picked up some fruit, bread, and fresh mozzarella, and admired Amalfi's imposing cathedral.

Our dinner of spaghetti with lemon garlic sauce, pappardelle with bolognese sauce, arugula salad with tomatoes, and crusty bread was truly fabulous. After dinner we walked out onto the dock to gaze at the twinkling city lights before heading back to the bus stop.

The Beachy Island that Turned Out to Be Big

I simply couldn't pass up the opportunity to see the dreamy island of Capri, so we caught a ferry in Amalfi for the roughly two-hour ride to Capri, stopping along the way at several of the coastal towns to pick up more travelers. Look at that turquoise water!

All of the towns along the Amalfi Coast seem to have expanded entirely upwards, especially Positano!

When we arrived at Capri, we were greeted with brilliant colors, an awe-inspiring view of Capri's famous "three rocks," and hoards of people. Though I hate to admit it, I think I'd gotten caught up in a travel blogger's idyllic descriptions of the island's beauty and mystique and failed to focus on logistics! It was indeed gorgeous, but it was much bigger than I thought it would be, so it took a long time to get around. (I guess that's the power of the pen, and may we writers steward it well!)

Nonetheless we enjoyed hiking across the island. The first public beach we investigated had about three beach towels occupying each square yard of beach, which is quite simply against my beachy religion!--one must have personal space at the beach. So we located a less-crowded "family" beach and floated in the water there for the rest of the afternoon with Mt. Vesuvius as our backdrop. All in all, it was a day well-spent and completed our Amalfi Coast experience.

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Meandering in Milan: Piazza del Duomo in Pictures

I'm in a travel state of mind these days, reminiscing about a dreamy European adventure my husband and I took several years ago. Our journey began in Milan, Italy, where Greg was speaking at a conference held at the University of Milan. The university and our hotel were just a brief stroll away from the center of the city, Piazza del Duomo: "Cathedral Square." I entertained myself while Greg was conferencing largely by walking around this magnificent piazza and eating gelato. Join me on a brief pictorial jaunt, and make plans to meander through Milan yourself!

When you emerge from the Milan Metro at the duomo stop, you'll be met with the stately panoramic scene you see here--the cathedral in front of you, the monument of King Victor Immanuel II on horseback on your right, and the entrance to Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II on your left.

The square's most impressive feature is, of course, Milan Cathedral, the largest church in Italy and the third largest in the world.

The duomo's intricate Gothic details are impressive! 

Saunter by the cathedral at night to get a different feel for this impressive structure.

For a fee tourists can wander around the inside of the cathedral, which is impossibly grand with its huge pillars, marble floor, and beautiful stained glass windows.

When you're satisfied with your exposure to the duomo, head into the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Italy's oldest shopping mall.

The galleria is vaulted in glass and hosts numerous upscale retailers...

...and a variety of restaurants! My mouth is watering at the memory of this black olive and mushroom pizza, and I also immensely enjoyed the pesto gnocchi and salad with prosciutto and artichokes that Greg and I tried at a deli.

Grab a cup of melt-in-your-mouth gelato to eat while you stroll. Gelaterias exist around every corner, with a variety of tempting flavors to sample. My favorite find was lemon basil...

...while Greg insisted on chocolate every time. Piazza del Duomo and the galleria were full of tourists when we visited, so there was also no shortage of street entertainers, from spray paint artists to people performing interesting acrobatic feats, like these men.

The streets surrounding Milan's piazza are home to numerous buildings and statues of historic and architectural importance. See if you can find yourself in front of the Church of San Fidele or the Statue of Leonardo da Vinci.

Looking for a fun day trip from Milan? Check out my account of the charming town of Varenna here.

Let me know what you discover during your own Milan meandering!

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