WoW 12: The Alps and Schnitzel

Deadlines

We put pressure on ourselves to finish this blog post BEFORE 2023. But as you well now know, that did not happen. The holiday season is a joyful and busy time of year, yet we still pressured our selves, “We need to get this done”. But we kept pushing it off. Why? Not because we are lazy, but because it didn’t NEED to be done. This blog post is meant to document our travels as a family. It is for us to look back on over time and reflect on how grateful we are for our time together and our ability to partake in those journeys. So why pressure ourselves on something that has no time constraints? Parenthood has taught us to manage our priorities and to say no to what isn’t as important, so we can say yes to what is. This blog IS important to us, but its not something that we want to strain ourselves with. Something that we strived for midway through 2022 and decided to take the full plunge headed into 2023 is managing priorities. Focusing on what is most important to us. We hope that this inspires you to do the same!

Now, on to our beautiful trip to Switzerland and München.

The Journey

Our plane ride TO Europe wasn't so bad. We flew in and out of Munich.  Our flight just so happened to be during our baby’'s bedtime and we were able to use an inflatable foot rest from Amazon that we blew up and placed at our tikes feet space so that he could lay down and stretch his legs. We learned from our overnight flight to Italy that the car seat on the plane was not the move because he was very upset he couldn’t lay on his stomach to sleep so we pivoted, and it worked. We also took the blankets provided by Delta, and tacked them behind the head rest, and on the tray table. This created the perfect little dark space with minimal light shining in. This paired with our travel sound machine made for some good sleep. It's a good thing too, because our arrival and road ahead wasn't so smooth. 

After getting our rental car loaded with our luggage we realized that we never grabbed our travel crib *Le Sigh*. We had walked a long way to our car after deplaning. Neither of us had sleep or coffee (our cards were being declined and we couldn’t figure out why). The little guy had already been very patient as we mustered through the airport only to extend this time retracing our steps for another hour, and we still had 5 hours in a car to go to drive to our first stop in Switzerland. After a few pit stops and funny moments using body motions to ask where the bathroom was, we decided to go find a park to let ourselves stretch our legs and burn some energy. It's always remarkable seeing life through a child’s eyes. One of our favorite parts about traveling with Anderson is that it always reminds you that friendship at a young age has no language barrier. They all understand the concepts of fun and play together regardless of the language they speak. Finally, after many winding roads and beautiful mountainous backdrops, we made it to our first destination, Interlaken.

Interlaken

We stayed in a beautifully designed home with a wall of windows to see the beautiful landscapes that Interlaken puts on display. The backyard flowed right in with the Aare River while mountains covered the rest of the sky. It was breathtaking. Even our 1 year old realized the beauty. Each morning, when we opened up the shades he looked out the window in awe. He even looked out the window and said “oh wow” once which melted our hearts. I feel as if we could do a whole write up on our rental and location. The windows, as huge as they were, had automatic 100% blackout blinds on every pane. This made for a smoother transition to the 6 hour time change for our family. You can’t put a price on that. 

Interlaken had lots to offer nearby. We loved the simplest of things like our daily strolls along the river with mountains off in the distance. Not far from where we stayed was a park where you could sit and watch paragliders soar the skies from all different directions and ultimately land 20-40 feet in front of you. They really did come in from all directions which left us wondering, where the heck are they all jumping from? One jumping spot was no doubt from Harder Kulm which we visited twice. Unfortunately,  we didn’t visit it twice for its beauty, although we could have, had it worked out that way. For our first attempt at viewing the city from the top of Harder Kulm we took the train, the Harderbahn to the top. Unfortunately, we only saw clouds. This spot is known for its beautiful views with a restaurant and food kiosk to enjoy along with it. All we enjoyed on our first trip was cold beers and some Swiss meals. You couldn’t see but 2 feet in front of you as we were quite literally, in the clouds. After looking online and seeing the views we should have seen, and talking to some friends we decided to go back up two days later. The outcome couldn’t have been more perfect. It was sunny, in the mid 60s, with minimal clouds in sight. We enjoyed cold beers and Swiss meals, along with epic scenery of the two lakes, Lake Brienz and Lake Thun on either side of Interlaken. 

Our next adventure consisted of 72 waterfalls. The Lauterbrunnen valley walk was in a little town about a 20 minute drive from Interlaken. It was a rainy overcast day, but Tara strapped Anderson to her back and covered him with an umbrella and it turned out to be the perfect adventure regardless. The walk consisted of a long path with little farm buildings along the way with waterfalls filling in the spaces in between. Don’t be alarmed if you hear a bunch of random cracking sounds. For a while we couldn’t figure it out, it was raining, so we thought maybe it was thunder or maybe an animal running its antlers on trees. Then we saw some fire range signs. Guns going off in an alley among mountains make some interesting sounds and echoes. The path is 4 km long, and was not very crowded (could have been the weather). It was also very accessible. The path was entirely paved and did not have a considerable incline or decline.

Bachalpsee was our next adventure and we were not prepared for what we had signed ourselves up for. Bachalpsee is one of those epic nature scenes you dream about. It’s a lake on top of a mountain with an epic view. While we were not prepared for it, we did however get lucky. We didn't arrive at our parking spot to start hiking up to Bachalpsee until late morning. We parked at a city recreational hub. Inside they had maps and people available to help assist you in finding the start of your hike, since there were many. We asked where we could start the Bachalpsee hike and the lady went on to say that there would be no way we could hike it, we were too late. She said to make it to the top and back down before dark, we would have needed to start by at least 6am. We were a bit bummed and confused at first, and we thought our adventure was over. She then said we could take a gondola to get us most of the way up. So we did just that. Little did we know, we still had quite a ways to go. We still hiked for 4 miles from the Gondola out to the lake. If we had hiked that whole way up, we would have literally never made it. Especially with a young child on our backs who was not having the hike one bit. He screamed bloody murder for about 30 minutes straight until falling asleep as we made our way to the epic mountain lake. Our little prince was carried to the top of the mountain. He even slept through the whole time of viewing the mountain lake and the walk back. At least we got our peace and quiet with a beautiful view. It was rather cloudy so it wasn’t the same view you may see in famous pictures, but it was still worth the hike, tired legs, and screams on the way up. 

You can be well assured that if you are consuming dairy products in Switzerland that the cows producing the ingredients are roaming some of the most beautiful lands we have seen. During our time in the mountainous Bernese Oberland region of central Switzerland we witnessed clear water tinted with vibrant greens and blues, mountains higher than the clouds (Quite literally), and adorable cows on every corner. It was a trip that we will never forget.

If you plan to partake in any hikes, we recommend getting the Jungfrau travel pass. This will save you money. We didn’t realize this pass existed until it was too late. Jungfrau Travel pass

Münchén

Munich or München, the city known for its epic Oktoberfest celebrations (which we strategically avoided) can be described in one word, historical. 

Lucky for us we were able to explore it with our friends from Berlin, which made it even more fun. These were the same friends we used to frequently travel to Portland, Oregon to visit, but they have since relocated. It was great to be in Germany with a native speaker. We did not travel to Berlin because of the longer distance between Interlaken and Berlin. 

Anyways, back to Munich. Everything there was traditional, and has been done for 500+ years. Augustiner, Hacker-Pschorr, Hofbräu, Löwenbräu, Paulaner, and Spaten are all traditional breweries from the Munich area. Fun fact, according to the Munich long brewing tradition since around the 1400s, a beer is only considered a beer if it includes malt, hops, and water. Anything else added or used and it would not be considered a beer. Consistent would be a word I would use. Any restaurant within the city was serving a dunkel, weiB, or lager from one of the 6 original breweries. 

Do not count on good Mexican food in Germany, do not. Our friends who are living there confirmed. Throughout our travels, Mitch had been practicing his German and it had been going fairly well. Once we arrived to Munich after a long drive we noticed a burrito place across the road that had great reviews. We had just done a 5 hour car ride with a toddler from Switzerland with a pitstop in Lichtenstein and didn’t feel like wrangling him to sit still at dinner so it seemed wonderfully convenient. Mitch called to order burritos only to realize he had no idea how to say all of the burrito toppings. He scrambled to pull up Google translate and it ultimately failed. He accidentally ordered 5 burritos, which over the phone sounded like the German word for two which is “zwie”. When he went to pick up the burritos he was able to mention that he was picking up two burritos and it was clear the workers had made five giving very confusing and “uh oh” looks. Anyways, The burritos had no flavor, no meat, and the salsa was about as bland as porridge. We ended up dumping it and hitting the local McDonald’s. We hadn’t had McDonalds in years and Mitch was for a lack of a better word, obsessed. 

What food you should look forward to when traveling to Munich is good pretzels, schnitzel, spätzel and wursts. Our rental spot was just down the road from one of the largest and oldest street markets in the world, Viktualienmarkt. This market has been “in business” since 1807! Talk about tradition. It had many different food options, all 6 brewers with huge beer gardens, cheeses, wines, fresh fruit, souvenirs and more. It was rather remarkable. Thanks to having our favorite Germany staying with us we were spoiled with the traditional culinary tour even when we were at our home base. She stocked us up with a traditional German Breakfast. This consisted of an assortment of fresh baked breads, cheese spreads, cold meats, and a variety of fresh and pickled veggies. It was like charcuterie taken to the next level. While it sounds simple, it makes you think, why don't we have this? This is a tradition that we have brought back to the states, though we typically have it as an option for quick tasty lunches. 

While traveling as a family of 3 has presented new and harder challenges, the memories we have made so far have been absolutely priceless. We had the best time exploring Germany and Switzerland together.

Notables:

Stays: Interlaken AirBnB,Münchén VRBO,​Google Maps List, Starback Approved Travel Items

WoW 8: Wrapping up the year with dessert…I mean in the desert.

This year wasn't all that travelers hoped for, yet in some kind of sick and twisted way it was. People got out and explored all of the beautiful terrains and glistening lakes and oceans that mother nature has to offer rather than concrete jungles. Maybe this is the push that brings our world to the tipping point where we ALL decide to SAVE what's left.

What we learned this year was traveling is really important. It's good for the mind, body and soul. We ended up traveling more this year than we thought we would. We took precautions, quarantined before and after, and had a blast. We started our trip to Thailand with the U.S pretending the virus didn't exist, and came back to a destroyed country on multiple accounts. We were able to get out to Oregon to see our family and a surprise visit from a close friend. This not only raised our spirits in these trying times, but it raised theirs and you can't put a price on that. We FINALLY made it to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan which was absolutely gorgeous. Then ended our year in the deserts of Arizona...

We arrived in Arizona at around 10:00PM MST time, 12:00AM our (EST) time. We weren't able to leave the airport until around 11:45PM MTN time, 1:45AM our time due to some issues with car rentals. We finally arrived at our BnB at around 1:45AM MTN time, 3:45AM our time... If you know us…we are not ones to stay up late so this was a big deal. As we drove into what seemed like a black hole for 2 hours to Sedona we had no idea what we were going to wake up to. We could barely tell what our BnB looked like. Little did we know, we had driven into a mini paradise that provided a view from anywhere within the city limits. The BnB, Sunset Chateau, also surprised us with a new freshly served breakfast each morning as well as other great accommodations that we wouldn't have gotten at a traditional hotel or even Airbnb. The decorations made us feel right at desert. We were pumped to have stumbled across it. Oh, and the view of the Sedona red rocks was right outside our window.

A couple of things we didn't know about Sedona, well pretty much everything.

1.You can see the Red Rocks from anywhere in the city

2. They have great coffee

3. They have great food

4. There are dozens of hikes for all levels within a 15 minute drive. 

During this trip we were able to connect with some long lost friends of ours and it couldn't have been better timing. They were our tour guides for the day. We had some fantastic pastries and coffee at the Kickstand Kafe, explored the Devil's Bridge, and had no regrets at the Sedona Beer Co. Although the brewery had one of our favorites displaying in their toilet (pictured below), we still thoroughly enjoyed the food and brews (Well I did, Tara can’t drink). 10 out of 10 would recommend. The Devil's Bridge was pretty spectacular as well. As you wait in the long line to get on the bridge as only a few can be on at a time, you start to get a little nervous looking at the narrow width of the rock with a pretty sizable fall below if you lost your footing. You also have a long opportunity to  look into an endless canyon of trees and a polarizing view of towering red rocks. Once you actually get on the bridge, you realize that it's not as scary as it looks and there's some room for error.

Unfortunately we only had a day and a half to explore Sedona, but on the way out we walked the Fay Canyon trail. This was a nice leisurely stroll with epic views. While it sucked to leave Sedona so abruptley, the drive to our next destination in Flagstaff was unreal. We drove through the red rocks and down winding roads with snow falling overhead making it the picture perfect quest. And yes, it snowed. There was as much snow in Flagstaff as there was back in Michigan. And guess what, it was even colder!

Side note - Many national and state parks prohibit the use of drones… I thought that I could get way cooler pictures and videos this trip with my drone than with our camera… since it was a quick trip, I only brought the drone (Palm to Face). The times I could get my drone out, the wind would just blow it away.

The Grand Canyon was our sole purpose of this trip. For the past year we have been trying to make it out to the Grand Canyon to finalize the wishes of a person dear to our hearts. Our previous attempt was cancelled due to COVID. Our original plan would have been longer, and hit more destinations, but we were happy with the outcome regardless. This lead us to Flagstaff which seemed like a normal town with tons of food and coffee options. Other than the small downtown area we walked around, and coffee shops we consumed caffeine from we didn't see much. 

Flagstaff was really our portal to a quicker drive to the Grand Canyon. Well… it was supposed to be quick. The last 2 miles into the Southern Rim of the Grand Canyon took about 3 hours due to icy roads. Apparently, there was a section where cars were sliding backwards. Anyway, when we finally made it to the canyon and to canyon views, we could tell it would be epic, but it was really hard to see anything because of the snowy storm clouds . What we could see had a great contrast of reds and whites that seemed to go on for miles. The longer we were there the more we could see. We decided to walk the icy Rim Trail as it was the safest option considering the slick and ice covered conditions. Near the end of the trail we walked out to the canyon where we decided this would be a spot to remember and took some time just taking in the vast openness. A few short minutes later the clouds started to clear from the canyon, and small glimpses of sun began to peak through the bed of clouds. As we walked back to the main canyon area each viewpoint got more and more clear. We finally were able to see how Grand this Canyon was. Delays, ice, and snow, we wouldn't have done it any different. It was a rare beautiful site that marked the end of our quick desert trip and like dessert, we wanted more. We would eventually like to make our way back and see the northern portion of the canyon maybe without snow and venture further along to Utah.

Lets hope 2021 safely re-opens the world so we can travel abroad again!