I am currently in Germany and I must say I miss Switzerland. Interlaken was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been in my life. This cute mountain town was a much-needed break in our journey; although there were tourists we didn’t see them. We stayed at the Alp Lodge hostel in Interlaken, which has been one of my favorites to date. Our stay included a free breakfast; every morning I would eat breakfast out on the balcony with one of the best views I have ever seen. I might sound repetitive, but honestly the views were unreal! On the first day we took a boat ride on Lake Thun; which happened to be free with our Eurorail pass. This two and a half hour cruise gave us spectacular views of not only the lake, but the gorgeous mountains around us. On the second day we took a 20 minute train ride to see the Trummelbach falls, which were located inside of a mountain. There was an admissions fee, but it was worth every penny. The falls were phenomenal! I can’t even describe the beauty of Switzerland and pictures don’t do it justice at all. On the third day, we took a very leisurely hike in Interlaken. Although our stay in Switzerland wasn’t filled with anything very glamorous, it was one of my favorite countries. I must say I fell in love with the quiet mountain life and the breathtaking views that were everywhere you looked.
Tag Archives: Holiday
Tuscany
Florence, Italy was on of my favorite cities so far, it was just as nice as Venice, but in a different way. We stayed at David’s Inn hostel, which was right in the center of the city. It was a very nice hostel with recently updated furnishings and decorations. The first night we meet a guy who told us about this great spot with live music that overlooks the whole city and gives a great view of the sunset; we ended up going to this spot every night, it was absolutely gorgeous. The views were fantastic! We mainly just wondered around and explored the city, but one day we did a day excursion. We did a wine tour through Tuscany. This was probably my favorite part of the backpacking trip so far. We book the grape escape wine tour at a really good price online before we left. The tour took us to a wine tasting school first where we tasted not only wine, but also olive oils and balsamic vinegars. We learned a little bit about paring with different foods and the proper way to taste the wine. We then went to a local winery where we were taken on a tour of the production of wine. After the tour we were treated to a traditional Tuscan style lunch over looking the beautiful Tuscan countryside; we also got more wine and cheese. The tour continued with a trip to the little town of San Gimignano, where I ate the best gelato I have ever had! The little town was what I pictured an Italian town to look like. I am so glad we did this tour because it gave us the chance to explore a side of Italy that we wouldn’t have had the chance to see without renting a car.
Vienna, Austria
After visiting the beautiful city of Prague we took an overnight train to Vienna, Austria. This was defiantly a change of pace for us. The train ride was not pleasant at all, none of us got very much sleep, but we arrived safely none the less. We arrived in Vienna very early in the morning. Since we were not able to check into our hostel until later that afternoon, we got to explore the city without any tourists around. This was an excellent chance to see the city in a different light, without any other tourists around, because they sure did show up that afternoon. During the first day we just wondered around touring the city as we went. On the second day we went to the Schonbrunn Palace, which was my favorite spot in Vienna. The gardens at the Palace were free so we spent several hours just exploring them and soaking up the sun shine. We were able to have an authentic Austrian meal as well that afternoon at a place our hostel recommended; it was delicious! I must say our adventures are becoming centered around food a little bit 😉
southerner2londoner 