small trips around a big world
Every year on the last Sunday in July, the cantons of Berne and Valais meet on the famed Gemmi Pass to celebrate their brotherhood by bringing their sheep together for a friendly shepherd's festival. The Gemmi Pass, linking the Bernese Oberland with canton Valais, is steeped in history. One of the most frequented north-south mountain routes during the... Continue Reading →
The fall colors in Switzerland's Loetschental valley are spectacular. We first discovered this secret paradise during Chris's birthday trip exactly a year ago, waking up to mountains aflame with brilliant orange larchwoods. This was the scene we were anticipating when we returned on the same weekend a year later, but instead, we watched from our little... Continue Reading →
I had my weekend sights set on the newly opened World's Longest Suspension Bridge, connecting Grächen to Zermatt on the breathetaking Europaweg. So on Friday evening I put my computer away, hoisted my pack over my shoulder, and jumped on a three-hour train to Visp. From there I climbed on a yellow post bus that... Continue Reading →
"It's amazing that we were in Berlin this morning, and now it's like we're in another world", I said. "Who would have thought that after just a taxi ride, a plane, a train, another train, a third train, and a bus, we'd somehow manage to get somewhere far away!" my dad replied. "And yet, we're still... Continue Reading →
It's a challenge to spend an entire weekend in Geneva when there are so many beautiful places just a short train ride away. Rochers Des Naye is one such place, recommended to us by a Swiss couple we met in a mountain hut, and makes for an easy 1.5 hour daytrip from Geneva. I caught an early train to Montreux, hoping to set... Continue Reading →
My best friend Laura was in town, and I wanted to plan a weekend adventure befitting of nearly 20 years exploring the world together. Hiking around Mont Blanc, the highest peak in Western Europe, seemed the obvious choice. Sitting at over 15,770 feet with magnificent valleys stretching into France, Italy, and Switzerland, the Mont Blanc... Continue Reading →