It feels like a dream already. Sometimes I catch myself thinking “Did it really happen?” when looking at the photos from our first big European holiday. I keep coming back to these images because all the stress and chaos of travelling so far away with a 3.5 year old for almost six weeks is now all but faded in the distance, and all is left are these beautiful memories.
So I thought I’d blog them, these memories, so I have something to come back to again and again. I hope you enjoy these photos too.
I am starting with Switzerland, the country where our trip started. We flew into Zurich, and it felt like a fairy tale from the moment we found ourselves in the middle of the old town, all jet lagged and wide-eyed. We only had one night there at the start of the trip, but we explored a little bit more a few weeks later when we were ready to fly home.
We also spent two nights in the village of Grindelwald in the Alps (a dream come true for sure). The weather gods were not overly kind during our stay there but the mountains are spectacular and magical and powerful in absolutely any weather, so no complaints here. After we left Grindelwald and started driving towards Italy we stayed in Locarno for one night which is still Switzerland but I kept getting confused because everybody spoke Italian and it felt like Italy and it looked like Italy but no, it was Switzerland. The history of Europe fascinates me.
So I will let the photos tell you more. I wouldn’t be able to express the magic of it all in words anyway.
Here they are, our perfect little Swiss moments.
This little person is a very good traveller, and I am so proud of him.
Zurich welcomed us by grey skies and dry warm weather, and we were so thankful.
Hello, Swiss Alps!
As I sat on the lush green grass, my hiking boots off, face up to the sun, on our second day in Europe, recovering from the jet lag and the weeks of stress and sickness that struck our whole family right before we were due to leave Australia, I was looking at that breathtaking landscape thinking that there are some moments in life that you want to etch into your memory forever, and this was one of those moments. I don’t think I’ll ever forget that feeling.
Hands down the most spectacular playground we have ever been to.
We went up to Mannlichen on our second day in Grindelwald, and the weather was not so good. Not good at all. But the clouds parted for a few short minutes, and I took these photos, and I think they are some of my favourites from the whole trip.
The view is supposed to be absolutely jaw-dropping hence the royal crown. Just not on that particular morning.
So this gingerbread house half way up the mountain is actually someone’s home.
The main street of Grindelwald.
Madonna Del Sasso, a beautiful monastery nestled above the city.
And so it began, the daily consumption of gelato.
The pretty colours of Locarno.
More photos of Zurich on our way back a few weeks later. It was rainy, cold, and so very beautiful.
This boy really embraced the hotel life. He keeps asking us to please go and stay in all those fun places again. It’s been six months and he still asks.
Some information on where we stayed in Switzerland:
Novotel Zurich City West – it is a bit further from the city, but our car rental company was right across the road, and, also, I will be forever grateful that the room was ready when we arrived in the morning quite a few hours before the check-in time, and it meant the world after travelling from Sydney with a child who was recovering from a horrible tonsillitis.
Hotel Tschuggen Grindelwald – it was cosy and quite basic but much more affordable comparing to other hotels along the main street, plus the family who run it are so lovely, and their breakfast was so good (those Swiss cheeses from the pastures just up the mountain from the village – oh my!).
Hotel City Locarno – very close to everything, very clean and modern. We loved it.
Hotel Du Theatre by Fassbind Zurich – I absolutely loved this hotel. It is VERY central and close to everything – the main train station is across the bridge, the tram stop is right next to it, and it is right on the edge of the old town so step right onto these beautiful little streets of old Zurich.
