Monday:
I found a little cafe to start the morning with pastries and a cappuccino—one last attempt at Italian coffee.
Waited in line to get tickets for the Duomo (the main cathedral in Florence) and chatted with two very nice women from Ohio who had noticed my ND jacket. The lines were very long, but I was able to explore both the clock tower and the cathedral. The clock tower stairs were the most disorganized climb I’ve done in Italy so far—there was no management and the stairways were very narrow so people kept running into each other as we simultaneously tried to go up and down. At least the gorgeous views made up for the claustrophobia! The church was very pretty too!
Had gnocchi with tomato and basil for lunch and chocolate cake for dessert—delicious!
The Basilica of San Lorenzo was next; clearly the brick domes were all the rage in Florence!
Next, the Church of St Croce which seems to be Italy’s version of Westminster Abbey in regards to their being many famous people buried or memorialized there.
I then walked along the Arno River at the sunset (gorgeous!) and walked across the Ponte Vecchio to hike my way up to the Piazza Michelangelo.
There I found the bronze Statue of David (as close as I was going to get to the iconic statue since all the museums in Florence were closed.)
It’s crazy how fast it got dark! It was pitch black by 6:00 PM, but at least it made for nice views of the city all lit up.
Lasagna for dinner and gelato for dessert, of course!
Save for the few families I saw, you never would’ve guessed it was Halloween. Nevertheless, I headed back to my Airbnb for the night.
Tuesday:
The day began with another train ride, this time to Venice with a stop in Verona! Verona is gorgeous and I enjoyed exploring the cozy little city, including the Verona Arena—the third largest amphitheater in the Roman Empire!
But the main draw is the house of the dell’Capello family (which served as the basis for Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet) and Juliet’s Balcony.
Had a fantastic pizza and some sort of pyramid shaped dessert before getting back on the train.
Upon arriving in Venice, I was able to see the city all lit up before finding my Airbnb across the bridge on the mainland.
Still full from lunch and tired from traveling, I decided to stay in for the night and headed off to bed.
Wednesday:
Made it back across to the “islands” (Venice is a group of 117 small islands—every time you cross a bridge, you’re on another island!) I was eating my breakfast as I walked to the free walking tour I had booked when a seagull swooped me to try and steal my croissant. Learned my lesson not to eat outside in Venice!
Nevertheless, I made it to the starting point of our tour and the tour guide started by having us introduce ourselves. She asked where in the US I was from:
“Arizona”
“Arizona, that’s south and middle, yes”
“Southwest, right next to California”
“Do you have coast?”
“No…”
“Then you are middle!”
Not to be outdone, the Oregonians who spoke after me were quick to assure her that they had coast. She told us all that she would walk fast since she was raised in the Soviet Union, and that we’d better keep up. It was a fantastic and very entertaining tour just walking around and seeing how pretty Venice is while learning some of its history (The Republic of Venice is the longest lasting democracy in history, surviving 1100 years before being conquered by Napoleon.)
When we finished the tour, our guide had several restaurant recommendations and I made my way to the nearest one for tagliatelle and chocolate mousse.
I then walked over to St Mark’s Square (the largest plaza in Venice) and took a gondola ride over to another island across the canal.
Not long after, it started pouring rain so I took refuge in a beautiful church until the storm had passed.
Once it stopped, I headed on back across the way and back to the mainland to get my bags before heading to the train station. The rain started up again and it became impossible to find a restaurant open. I managed to find a pizzeria that had stayed open; it was definitely not on par with the other pizzas I had had, but it was food.
I headed off to the train station and through a very convoluted mess of trains and buses (Venice to Bologna via bus, 3.5 hour layover, Bologna to Milan via train, Milan to Visp via train) I eventually made it to Switzerland by morning and with very little sleep!
Thursday:
My first day in Switzerland began with more traveling! I grabbed some breakfast and started the bus/train journey that would bring me to Zermatt, home of the famed Matterhorn in the Swiss Alps.
Talk about an idyllic little town! There’s so much green, the clearest water, great views of the mountains, and the only traffic seem to be people riding perfect little Swiss bicycles!
After walking around and exploring the town, yet another train brought me up the mountain range to a lookout spot that rendered me speechless. Not only were my Disney dreams of seeing the Matterhorn fulfilled, it was also one of the prettiest places I’ve ever been! Definitely one of those spots that reminds you just how blessed we are to live on such a beautiful planet! At the same time, I also had to be very careful—walking through snow at ridiculously high heights is not the best combo for someone as clumsy as me.
Somehow I got by without falling and made my way towards the visitor center‘s restaurant for lunch—Alpine macaroni, which is served with applesauce? Weird mix of flavors, but I love applesauce so no complaints.
I caught the train back down the mountain, glad for temperatures to be above freezing again—even if only slightly—and through yet another series of buses and trains arrived in Geneva for the night. Made my way to a nearby Swiss restaurant and somehow the waiter and I started speaking Spanish? Not quite sure who initiated it, but it was nice to get a break from Italian, French, or German! I was the only person there so he told me his favorite dishes and I just ordered those, which ended up being Swiss chicken and some sort of chocolate/banana pie for dessert!
He also asked where I was from since my Spanish was so good so that was a nice ego boost to end the night! I made my way through the rain back to my room in the Airbnb and got some much needed rest.
Friday:
I didn’t set an alarm for the morning and ended up sleeping until 10:30, a little later than I expected, but clearly I needed it! Besides, it was pouring rain anyways. Hoping to avoid the rain for a little bit, I decided to grab an early lunch and returned to the same restaurant as the night before since the waiter had suggested I return for the weekend buffet. The buffet theme ended up being Brazilian , not Swiss as I had been expecting, but, nevertheless, it was delicious!
I journeyed over to see the UN, but the grounds were sadly closed.
I instead walked through a nearby park with a pretty view of Lake Geneva, and saw the US Embassy. The difference in security between some of the embassies made me laugh: ours looks like a fortress, but I definitely accidentally ended up in the Italians’ on my walk through the park.
I waited out the rain in an art museum in the park and finally headed downtown to walk around.
Got to see some great views of the lake, a clock made of flowers, a few churches, and memorial to the Protestant Reformation.
I also found a statue of Frankenstein‘s Monster, since the story takes place in Geneva!
I then managed to find a place to eat for dinner, which was rösti (Swiss potato pancakes that tasted like hash browns) and hot chocolate. Very much a breakfast for dinner vibe, which was nice since real breakfast doesn’t seem to exist in Europe! Meringues with double cream were for dessert and then I was on my way to the train station to catch my train to Bern! Once there, I made my way to the Airbnb and headed off to bed.
Saturday:
Bern is the capital of Switzerland so the day began with a walk by the Swiss Parliament, and some great views of the city.
I grabbed some pastries for breakfast and started exploring downtown, including a few churches, the clock tower, and several colorful water fountains.
I walked up to the garden overlooking the city, which was gorgeous, and tried to see the bears that live in a large enclosure along the river (bears are the symbol of Bern) but I realized they were hibernating, so I got a picture with a bear statue instead!
I toured the small apartment Einstein lived in while working on his theory of relativity and enjoyed the Einstein Museum, which had all sorts of interesting artifacts like his Nobel Prize and his American naturalization certificate.
Next, I found a street vendor selling döner (a traditional German meat wrap) and enjoyed a late lunch. He spoke very little English and my German is terrible so other than knowing it was chicken, I have no idea what all was inside. It was very good though and for a reasonable price, which is super hard to find in Switzerland.
I got a piece of Swiss chocolate and boarded my train to Zurich.
Upon my arrival, my dad‘s friend, Charlie, met me at the station and took me to dinner at one of his favorite Asian restaurants. It was a fantastic dinner with lots of funny stories and laughs! He walked me back to my Airbnb and I headed off to bed.
Sunday:
Without much to see or do in Zurich, I was able to relax for the day before my flight. The morning started with yogurt and toast with hot chocolate for breakfast.
Then I just spend the rest of the day wandering through the city, seeing a few churches and walking along the river.
I grabbed a late lunch—schweinschnitzel, which was pork instead of chicken, so not quite as good as the one in Austria—and headed off to the airport.
I eventually made my way back to Toledo, immensely grateful for a fantastic fall break and proud I had managed to do it all (and enjoy it all) while traveling solo!
Vi amo e mi mancate tutti,
Je t'aime et tu me manques,
Ich liebe und vermisse euch alle,
Bryce