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Benelux (Plus) Vacation Recap
For anyone tuning in for the first time, this blog series catalogs a month-long trip, primarily through Belgium and the Netherlands, with a few days spent in Switzerland, Luxemburg, and a smidgen of Germany. Each entry offers photos, observations, and reflections from one traveler after a limited time in each location. Experiences and opinions may…
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Bern, and Thoughts on Switzerland as a Whole
Bern, like the entire country, gets a mixed reaction. The city is small, clean, and almost charming. The contrast comes through seeing bridges over a tree-lined river, with streets full of drab, grey buildings extending outward, and the buildings themselves interrupted by vibrant flowers and painted fountains. It’s pleasing to see pristine streets and buildings…
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Zermatt, Switzerland
Another few hours and multiple trains lead to the town of Zermatt, less than ten miles from the Italian border and the Matterhorn that lies along it. The village seemingly wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for the draw of the surrounding mountains. Everything is geared toward tourism, with clearly more hotel rooms than residences, and…
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Grindelwald, Switzerland
This mountain village lies around three hours by rail to the southwest of Zürich. It’s reportedly quite popular with hikers and sightseers in the summertime, as well as with skiers in the winter, but in autumn, virtually everything shuts down. A 25-minute gondola ride to the Grindelwald First station puts visitors in the best location…
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Belgium to Switzerland (the slow way)
Brussels is just a 45-minute train ride from Antwerp, but an entire day was dominated by needing to catch a departing bus there at 9:45 PM. That bus was scheduled to arrive in Zürich at 7 AM, four hours ahead of Annette arriving at the airport from the US. Missing it was not an option,…