Switzerland (Kandersteg) - Aug 2024

For our 25th anniversary of getting engaged, we decided to go back to where it happened.  After spending two weeks in Italy, we went to Kandersteg for ten days.  We drove there from Modena, taking the car train from Goppenstein through the tunnel into Kandersteg.  The train ride only took about 15 minutes.  

Oeschinensee

Accommodation

Scout Center - We got the Atas room in the Kanderlodge - it's a large room with its own bathroom so we did not have to share.  When we arrived, we got a bottle of champagne and two Kandersteg water bottles at check-in and then in our room, they placed our towels in the shape of swans with two heart shaped tins of chocolate - they did this to celebrate our engagement anniversary and probably to thank us for our donations!! The room was great - they pushed the two twins together for us and we had a table with two chairs and a large wardrobe so that we could unpack our clothes.

Scout Center

Activity

Our main focus here was hiking but we also got a little down time to relax and read.  While here, we did the following:

Doldenhorn Hike - the first day that it was not raining, we did this hike as a 'warm up' hike.  The hike down the other side taking you into Kandersteg was closed due to the landslide so we hiked in and out the same way.  Our hike up was all cloudy / misty but the hike down was sunny and gorgeous.  It took us 4 hours, going 6 miles and 2.5K elevation gain.  We had lunch at the top - the manager (or owner - not sure) was super nice and welcoming.  We had a vegetable/leek soup with bread, sausage and cheese and a rosti with fried egg and cheese - both very yummy! We learned that next year (in 2025) they will expanding and remodeling the hut and thus will have to shut down the hut for the year. So we took photos as the next time we are back, it will look very different.

Doldenhorn Hut

Oeschinensee Loop / Oberbergli Hike - We had intended on hiking up to Bluemlisalphutte but Shawna was not feeling well.  So we did the Oeschinensee Loop hike and made it about 400 feet above Oberbergli (just when the hike starts to get steep up the scree to the ridge) - this is the higher mountain cafe above the back of Oeschinensee.  We took the high route on the way out and then the lower route on the way back.  On our way back down, we stopped to have a drink at the mountain hut and then walked down to the lake and had lunch at the lake (see below).  In total, we walked 8 miles and gained 2.5K elevation.  

View from Oberbergli Hut

Boating / Engagement Re-enactment on Lake Oeschinensee - We had intended to do this activity on Sunday, the day of our actual engagement anniversary, but the weather did not cooperate so we did this in the middle of the week.  We brought cheese, bread (bought from the bakery) and champagne (one of the bottles was from our time in Siena with Ewan and Sharon and the other bottle was provided by KISC when we checked in).  We took the gondola up and got to the lake early with the worry that they would run out of boats so we sat on one of the benches to take in the beauty.  We then rented the boat for an hour - which they now limit to only one hour - so, after we told the guy our plans to re-enact our engagement, he gave us a little extra time.  Keith rowed while Shawna prepped lunch and poured champagne - we made it out to the waterfalls and had our lunch.  Then Keith re-proposed - this time asking for another 60 years!! Of course, Shawna said yes! We took the gondola back into town and then relaxed back at the lodge for the rest of the afternoon.

Engagement Re-enactment on Oeschinensee

Eiger Trail Hike - We had done this hike the last time we were in Switzerland and just loved it - in fact, we would put it as our second favorite hike (after Oeschinensee)! We went back to do the hike - driving first to Grindenwald and then we took the train to Alpiglen where we started the hike doing it one way to Kleine Scheidegg.  We took the higher route up to Eiger Glacier where they now have a gondola that goes to this point from Grindenwald, allowing people to catch the train to Jungfrau without having to go to Kleine Scheidegg.  We had seen this being built in 2019 - the last time we did the hike - so was cool to see it mostly finished (they are still building out a restaurant).  The facility is quite impressive.  We then hiked down to Kleine Scheidegg, passing along Fallbodensee, which is a man made lake.  We celebrated the hike with brats and beer (see below) and then took the train back to Grindenwald and drove back to Kandersteg.  

Eiger Trail Hike

Allmenalp Hike - We hiked up to Allmenalp, taking the longer route up.  The trail is part trail, part gravel road with beautiful views of the surrounding valleys. It took us 2 hours and 20 minutes to go 4.2 miles and 2.2K elevation.  We had lunch at the top at the cute hut (see below) and sat for a while to take in the views and to watch the paragliders who took off from the hill just above where we were sitting. We then took the gondola down which is an experience in itself - small gondola that only fits about 8 people that you have to press a button to get to the bottom, down a steep slope! It's a must do!!

Allmenalp Hike

Schwarzgratli Hike - We took the Sunnbuel gondola up to the valley that leads to Gemmi Pass and then hiked past the Hotel Schwarenbach up to Schwartgratli Pass. We had intended on hiking down Ueschinentall Valley back to Kandersteg but we reached a very steep party with steep drops that freaked Shawna out so we hiked back the same way we came.  In total, we did 10 miles and 2K elevation gain.  It was a beautiful hike and was nice to see a new part of Kandersteg that neither of us had hiked before.  We had lunch at the hotel on the way back down (see below) before taking the gondola back down to the valley.

Schwarzgratli Hike

Restaurants

We had intended on doing more cooking at the Kanderlodge but when we assessed the equipment in the common area kitchen, we opted to do simple things there while also enjoying some of the local restaurants.  We had most breakfasts at the lodge in our room - yogurt, coffee, etc - and we had two dinners there - out on the deck, we had cheese and crackers one night and salad another night.  We also dined at the following places:

Marmotte - Great place for pastries in town.  We went here for breakfast two mornings to have cappuccinos and a few croissants.  

Marmotte

Schweizerhof - We went for lunch and had a great Greek salad and coconut curry soup!

Ruedihus - Had dinner here at our favorite restaurant in town.  We had fondu, raclette and rosti with a bottle of wine - all very tasty. We loved it so much that we went back for our final night.

Ruedihus

Adler - We went for lunch and had a salad (just OK) and udon noodles with veggies (tasty).

Doldenhorn Restaurant - We went for dinner to celebrate our 25th engagement anniversary. We had gone here the night we got engaged.  And while a nice restaurant and nostalgic to us, we continue to be disappointed by the food here - so we both agreed, we don't need to go back.  We shared a fish trio appetizer that was tasteless, a truffle risotto that was pretty good and the lamb which was just OK.  

Doldenhorn Restaurant

Doldenhorn Hut - Had lunch here during our Doldenhorn hike. See info above. 

Des Alpes - Had dinner here.  We are worried as the reviews were mixed but we were pleasantly surprised.  Shared a goulash soup and pizza - both pretty good.  

Berghotel Oeschinensee - Had lunch here after our hike.  Shared a chili and pasta (needed a break from Swiss food) - both pretty good.  Also had a nice cold beer.  Sat out on the deck and enjoyed the views.  

Berghotel Oeschinensee

Au Vieux Chalet - Had a great dinner here.  We shared lamb chops, sliced pork in a mushroom sauce and rosti.  All delicious and the restaurant is very cute. We would put this place in our top three.

Bergrestaurant Kleine Scheidegg - We had lunch here after our Eiger hike - having brats, rosti and beer while sitting on the patio, looking at the majestic mountains.  Best lunch!!

Bergrestaurant Kleine Scheidegg

Ermitage - Located near the gondola to Oeschinensee, we had dinner here.  Had raclette (which was better than Ruedihus), a goat cheese salad and tomato soup.  All very good.  

Allmenalp - Had lunch here after our hike at the top of Allmenalp.  Such a cute place.  We had vegetable soup with bread and brat with a cheese plate - so yummy! And the views are incredible.  

Allmenalp

Nico's - Located on the other end of town from the scout center, we dad dinner here.  Restaurant is very nice, staff were super nice and food was delicious.  Now putting this restaurant in the top three and one we would go to again for a 'nicer' dinner.  We shared a delicious salad, ravioli and a trout dish - only downside was the fish was whole so we had to pick around the bones.

Hotel Schwarenbach - Located in the valley that leads to Gemma Pass (up the Sunnbuel gondola), we had lunch here after our hike.  Great views but the food was just OK.  We had a veggie soup and a salad.

Italy - August 2024

After our time in Germany, we spent two weeks in Italy - Lake Como, Siena and Modena.

Lake Como

We drove to Lake Como from Zurich (had stayed at Mike and Connie's the night before) and arrived around 6pm.  The drive was beautiful. We checked into our hotel, Le Stanza del Lago Suites, a small, cute, boutique hotel located within a 5 min walking distance to the old part of town.  Our room was quite large, clean and modern with a king sized bed, sofa and table with a chair. The villa also had a small pool which we never used.  Breakfast was included which was mostly continental items.  After getting settled, we walked to dinner, Osteria Brillo, which is a cute place - we shared a duck salad and a simple but tasty pasta.  

Le Stanza del Lago Suites

The next day, we did a 5 mile, 2.6K elevation gain hike up to the town of Brunate.  The hike was very steep in sections and was not a pretty hike at all.  We had a few views through the trees of the lake below but it wasn't until we got to the town of Brunate at the end that we had nicer views.  The trail was also not well maintained.  We stopped to have lunch at Trattoria del Cacciatore - a bit out of town but had outside seating with nice views.  We shared two pasta dishes which were simple but good.  We then took the funicular back down into town.  

View of Como

That evening, we walked around old town, popping into the cathedral and the Catholic church.  There are some cute alley ways and squares.  We then had dinner at Crianza - a very cute restaurant.  We had mussels as an appetizers and two pasta dishes - one of the pasta dishes was not the best but the other dishes were very good.  

Como Cathedral

Siena

We drove to Siena, taking us about 4.5 hours, where we stayed for five nights with Ewan and Sharon who flew in from England.  We stopped at the Coop supermarket in Siena to get some cheese and bread and then went to our accommodation, Palazzo del Papa Suites, which is a nice villa just a few miles outside of town that is converted into a few apartments.  We got a two bedroom apartment which was quite modern and comfortable - the best part was the courtyard outside which had a picnic table and chairs and a few lounge chairs overlooking the valley below.  The owner was quite nice and very funny.  We were able to check in early so Shawna could do a call and then we drove to Pisa to pick up Ewan and Sharon.  On the way back, we stopped again at the Coop and got food for dinner and some breakfast items.  That evening, we just hung out on the courtyard - having salad and rotisserie chicken while also enjoying wine and beer and the scenery.  

Palazzo del Papa Suites

Dinner in courtyard

The next day, we went for a walk around the area and walked into Siena where we explored the old town.  We first stopped at La Trofea, a pizzeria on the main square, where we had some beverages.  We then got some gelato at Nice which was very good.  We walked around the Palazzo del Campo (the main square) and went inside the Siena Cathedral which had some very impressive architecture and art.  Inside the cathedral, we were also able to go into the Piccolomini Library which has impressive frescoes telling the story of Pope Pius II.  We stopped at Archivio del Gusto for a couple of cheeky beers and then went back to our place to relax. That evening, we had dinner at Bella Napoli, a pizzeria just a few km away from our hotel.  We sat outside and shared a pizza which was tasty.  

Palazzo del Campo

Siena Cathedral

We went for a 8km hike along the Elsa river near Colle di Val d'Elsa, about 20 min drive from Siena.  The water was a beautiful blue color and thankfully we went early to beat the crowds.  We had to cross the river a few times using stepping stones.  It was a nice walk.  That afternoon, we did a wine tour and tasting at Castello de Fonterutoli, a winery about 20 min north of Siena that primarily makes chianti and a few other reds as well as a great sparkling wine under the Mazzei label.  The winery was quite large, producing 1.2M bottles per year.  We went to the wine bar that was located up the road from the winery to get a bottle of wine to enjoy on their deck.  Unfortunately, the views were not great but we did enjoy the wine.  Ewan also bought a few bottles to take home as well as a bottle of red, Siepi (their most expensive one), for us to enjoy that evening. When we got back, we had dinner out on the courtyard again - drinking the wine from earlier and eating salad, chicken and cheese!

Elsa River Hike

Mazzei Winery

We went back into Siena the next day and we saw that they had started to prepare the Palazzo del Campo for the Palio horse race, a famous race that has been going on for almost 400 years and occurs twice each year.  The race was to occur a week from when we were there so we were bummed we would miss it.  We climbed the tower (400 steps) in the square (Palazzo Pubblico) which offers nice views of the town below. We then walked around town a bit and visited the Basilica Cateriniana di San Domenico, which is a large catholic church dedicated to St Catherine.  The outside of the building was quite impressive but the inside was sparse.  That evening, we went into Siena to have dinner, first having a beer at one of the cafes in the Palazzo del Campo and then dinner at Campo Cedro.  The food was very good - we shared the scallops for an appetizer, a rabbit filled tortellini for our pasta and a turbo fish dish for our main.  

View from Palazzo Pubblico Tower

For our last full day in Siena, we went back into town to visit the Museo Opera, a museum associated with the Duomo cathedral that showcases art and statues from the cathedral.  We also climbed the Facciotone which is a facade and tower connected to the cathedral that was never finished. To get to this, we had to go through the museum. From the top, we could see even better views of the town. We then drove to Monteriggioni, a small medieval, walled town dating back to the 1200s that is about 20 min from Siena.  The town is quite cute with several restaurants and shops and we were able to walk on parts of the wall.  After this, we went back to the Elsa river so that Ewan and Sharon could take a dip in the river - there were so many people who were doing the same so we didn't stay for long.  That evening, we had dinner at Osteria Da Divo where we sat downstairs in tables that are carved into caves.  The food was quite good but the service was rushed.  We had shared a risotto and a pork dish.  Before going into the restaurant, we saw the band and procession of one of the contradas (there are 17 contradas or communities in Siena) who are part of the Palio race.  After dinner, we walked around a bit more and had one more drink before heading home.

View from Facciotone

Dinner at Osteria da Diva

On our final morning, we got up super early to see the trials of the horses - we had found out the night before that this was happening.  We got to the main square at 5am and sat in the wooden bleachers with the trials starting around 6am.  The trials allow them to decide which 10 horses would be selected for the final race.  We watched three rounds - and in one of the rounds, one of the horses was severely injured - we are not sure if the horse made it.  A horse ambulance came out on the track and they took the horse away.  It was quite interesting to watch and it whet our appetite to come back to see the race someday.  We got back to the villa and packed up and then took Sharon and Ewan to the train station before driving to Modena.

Palio Race Trials

Modena

We arrived at our hotel, Best Western Milano Palace, in early afternoon.  We were originally booked at another Best Western but found out a couple weeks prior that the hotel was undergoing renovations so they switched us to this hotel which turns out is nicer.  The room was a tad small but modern and clean.  We grabbed lunch nearby at Osteria di Modena Rossi - nothing fancy but the food was pretty good.  We shared a caprese salad and two pasta dishes.  We were quite tired from the prior few days so we opted to just relax at the hotel for the rest of the day.

The next morning, we went for a 1.5 hour walk around town.  The old part of town is pretty small so it did not take us very long - there are also not many sights to see so we walked by the cathedral, down a few of the streets and then walked around the old part of town through the park to mostly stay in the shade since it was quite hot.  We then got ready for the main event of the day which was lunch at Osteria Francescana, a three Michelin star restaurant that was the #1 restaurant in the world for quite some time.  We had tried to book this restaurant with Keith's family when we went to Italy with them a few years prior but could not get a reservation.  This time it was easier since it was just two of us and we went for the lunch option.  We had the 12 course tasting menu which was paying homage to multiple cuisines across the globe along with a wine pairing of 8 different wines.  The restaurant was quite nice with small intimate rooms and the service was very attentive but not too stuffy.  The food overall was really good but we would put a few other restaurants that we have been to ahead of this one.  The experience took three hours and so we went back to the hotel afterwards, napped and then stayed in for the evening, choosing not to have dinner.

Lunch at Osteria Francescana

The next day, we did a fantastic food tour with Paulo.  We were picked up at 8:30 and we first went to the San Silvestro parmesan factory where we learned about the production of the cheese as well as the requirements to be considered an authentic parmigiana reggiano cheese.  It was quite fascinating.  We got to taste three different ages of cheese - all very good.  Our next stop was Leonardi prosciutto factory where we also learned about the production of multiple types of prosciutto.  There we had a tasting of seven different types of prosciutto and a 180 month old parmesan.  There was plenty of food.  We also had a bottle of Lambrusco wine.  We then went to a small producer, Boni, of balsamic vinegar where we learned about the multiple steps in aging the vinegar in ever increasing smaller barrels.  We got to taste a few of the balsamics - all very good and quite expensive! Our last stop was Fattoria Moretto, a small producer of Lambrusco wine.  We got a tour of the wine making process and then tasted 4 different Lambruscos along with a white and rose sparkling wine.  Such a great day and great tour.  

Food tour

Our final day was spent visiting the home and museum of Pavarotti where we saw memorabilia from his life.  The audio tour took about 45 minutes and while interesting, was not as informative about his life as we would have liked. That said, it was still cool to see.  After this, we went to the Ferrari museum in Maranello - the one that is located outside of Modena and focuses more on the history of the cars and racing.  There is a different museum in town, which we did not go to, that is the former home and focuses more on Ferrari's life.  We probably did not appreciate the museum as much as an avid fan of cars/racing would but it was still interesting to visit. 

Pavarotti House

Ferrari Museum

We had lunch at Franceschetta 58, the bistro restaurant owned by the same chef as Osteria Francescana.  It was a small and colorfully decorated restaurant and the food was really good.  We shared the burger for an appetizer (which were tiny but very flavorful), the tortellini in parmesan creme sauce for our pasta and the lamb cooked two ways for the final entree.  We also shared a yummy cake with cherries for dessert.  The service was also great -- all around a great way to end our time in Italy.

Quotes we liked from Franceschetta 58 Restaurant

We spent the afternoon relaxing and catching up on things and then the next day we head out to drive to Switzerland (Kandersteg). 

Germany, Italy, Switzerland - July/Aug 2024

After we left Sweden, we went to Germany for six nights.  We originally planned on staying another two nights but decided to do a detour to Italy for two nights to see Rakesh and Ria as Simran had recently passed away.  When we originally planned this summer trip, we knew we would be in the Munich area late July/early August as Shawna wanted to meet up with one of her Georgetown University friends, Stefanie, who lives in Frankfurt.  We got a call from the Snarrs at the beginning of the year asking where we would be at this time as they knew we would be in Europe.  We told them Germany but at the time had no specific plans.  Well, funny enough, they planned on coming to Germany to see Taylor Swift (Eras Tour) and to make a family trip out of it.  And since we also wanted to see T Swift in Europe, we bought tickets as well!

Munich, Germany

We arrived into Munich and after getting our rental car, we immediately drove out to Augsburg, an hour outside of Munich, to see the town where Shawna's mom grew up.  Shawna had previously written down a few places we needed to see and so we ventured out to track these places down:

• Lauterlech 18 - the apartment building where Shawna's mom lived as a child until she was fourteen years old.
• St Ursula Catholic School - where she went to school - it is located on a very cute cobble stoned street. 
• St Ulrich Church - where she says she got married to Shawna's dad (Jim). There are two churches on the site - one small Episcopalian and another large Catholic Church.  However, when we went inside, neither one looked like the picture that Shawna had of her mom's wedding.  So, we are not sure if this is the place where she got married. 
• Rathaus - while nothing significant to Shawna's mom, we walked around the main square to see the town hall and the beautiful colorful buildings around the area.  It was quite busy with tourists and a wine festival that was underway.
• Staatstheater - where she went to operas with Shawna's grandfather.  Unfortunately, the building was under massive renovation so we could not go inside.
• Konigsplatz - a square with a park where she went to dances with her friends. We walked around this area a bit.

Augsburg

St Ursula Catholic School

We drove back to Munich and checked into our hotel, Adagio Aparthotel, which is located north of Olympiapark where the T Swift concert was to be held.  It was the cheapest option we could find close by.  Our room was small but clean and functional with two twin beds, a table with two chairs and a small kitchenette and bathroom.  We were a bit tired so we just walked around the corner to Yasoroku86, an Asian fusion restaurant, where we had chicken curry and beef udon noodles - both tasty.  

Olympiapark

The next day, we met up with the Snarrs who had arrived a couple of days before. We toured the BMW Museum with them - although, we really just walked through and looked at some of the cars - didn't really learn much as we didn't read any of the exhibits!  We then grabbed lunch - brats and beer at one of the beer gardens in Olympia Park. Not the best beer garden but it was quick and easy! We all went back to our hotels and got ready for the T Swift concert.  

BMW Museum

Kim and the girls got floor tickets so they had to stand in line a bit longer to get into the arena.  We got seats since Shawna would not be able to see much on the floor - our seats were great - just a few rows up on the left side of the stage and under the canopy.  We got there early, not knowing how hard it would be to get into the arena so we got a beer, took photos and sent love notes to a few people (e.g. Ruby) to let them know we were there.   Ruby had made us friendship bracelets that we could trade but we liked them so much, we did not give them away - one woman did each give us one of her bracelets! 

Taylor Swift Concert

The opening act was Paramour - they were pretty good but we only knew a couple of the songs.  So we grabbed a slice of pizza and one more beer before Taylor came on.  The bathroom lines were super long so we never got to go to the bathroom which then limited our beer drinking!  Taylor started on time and went for over 3.5 hours - we stood up for most of it and sang along with 70K other attendees.  Turns out there were another 40-50K people outside the arena in the park on a huge hill listening along as well! The concert was truly amazing - the best we had been to.  We got back to our hotel around midnight.

Taylor Swift Concert

Garmisch Partenkirchen, Germany

The next morning, we drove down to Garmisch, where we stayed for two nights with the Snarrs.  Garmisch is a very cute town near the Austria border and close to the mountains.  Kim rode with us as their van was a little cramped! When we got to Garmisch, we went to the Partnachklamm Canyon which is a really cool canyon that you can walk along with rushing water below.  The line to get in was long but it went by pretty quickly.  After walking the canyon, we did the loop hike up Eckbauer mountain and back to town.  At the top, we had a few beers and snacks at the snack bar near the gondola.  

Partnachklamm Canyon

Hike to top of Eckbauer Mountain

We then checked into our AirBnB which was really nice - four bedrooms with a large living room and kitchen and a nice balcony with great views of the mountains.  The only downside is that there was no A/C and while convenient to restaurants and shops, it was a bit noisy at night when we had our window open to let in fresh air.  That said, we enjoyed our stay there.  That evening, we had dinner at Fischers Mohrenplatz where we sat outside and had gulasch and knodel (potato dumplings) - food was tasty.  We had a few more drinks after dinner at Louis Cafe.

View from our AirBnB

The next day was a tour of castles.  We drove an hour to Neuschwanstein Castle (the Disney fairy tale castle) where we took the horse and buggy up to the castle and did the tour.  Since the castle was not finished nor lived in before King Ludwig II died, it had very little furniture inside and was not ornate.  However, the setting is just beautiful - located on the top of a hill overlooking the valley.  After the tour, we walked over to the bridge to get a front view of the castle and then walked back down to the car.  

Neuschwanstein Castle

We drove about 50 minutes to Oberammergau and had lunch at Dorfstuberl - we sat outside and shared some sausages and spaetzle.  We ran out of time to walk around but were able to get a glimpse of the cute town - this is the town where the Passion Play is performed so we will be back in 2030 to see that.  We then drove another 15 minutes to Linderhoff Palace, the smaller but very ornate home of King Ludwig II.  We toured the castle and then walked around the beautiful grounds.  Unfortunately, the grotto cave was closed. That evening, we had dinner at Bungalow 7 which was about a 10 minute walk from our apartment.  The kids were a bit tired of German food so we opted for burgers which were very good. 

Linderhoff Palace

Lecce, Italy

We got up super early and drove to Munich airport (where we left our large suitcases at left luggage) to fly to Brandisi Italy. Rakesh picked us up and drove us 30 minutes to Lecce where we stayed for two nights at the La Fiermontina Luxury Home which is a small boutique hotel in the old part of town.  Our room was very nice and there was a wonderful breakfast included which we enjoyed both mornings. 

La Fiermontina Luxury Home

We quickly checked in and then did a food tour in Lecce for a couple of hours which allowed us to also see some of the sights in town.  Our first stop was at South East Cafe where we had a pastry filled with creme.  We then went to Golosita dal 1942, a small Italian grocery store where we tried olive oil with some cheese and prosciutto.  We also got a glass of rose.  The owner was very interesting and funny! We went back to this store after the tour to buy a bottle of wine which we later enjoyed at the hotel.  Our next stop was Tentazioni which is a gelato place but we had a savory pastry with cheese and tomatoes.  Our last stop was at Messapia where we had a pasta with chickpeas and a few fried dough balls with a glass of wine.  Overall, the tour was not the best - food was just OK and the guide was not very chatty or informative - we had to ask a lot of questions to get information from him.

Lecce Colosseum

After the food tour, we stopped at the sister hotel to our place, Palazzo Bozzi Corso, where we got a tour by the manager and then had a cocktail at their rooftop bar.  The place is beautiful and we learned about the owners parents who were friends with Yoko Ono.  We made one more stop for another cocktail at Cocktail Bar Saloon Keeper 1933 where we sat outside and did some people watching.  Back at the hotel, Ria went to bed and the three of us sat outside to drink the bottle of wine we had purchased earlier.  

The next day, Rak had arranged for a private tour to take us down the coast.  The woman who arranged excursions for our hotel was our guide and we also had a driver.  We first stopped in Otranto, a cute down on the coast - we walked around and saw the castle and went inside one of the churches. We made a few very quick stops along the coast to take pictures and then went to Lo Scalo, a great restaurant overlooking the water.  We swam for about 10 minutes in the Adriatic and had a wonderful lunch of salad and grilled fish - the food was fresh and amazing.  We drove down to Santa Maria di Leuca where we walked around the main church and drove back to Lecce.  The scenery along the coast was beautiful.

Otranto

Santa Maria di Leuca

That evening, we had dinner at our hotel at Zephyr Restaurant. We had a few cocktails on the patio and then sat outside by the pool. We shared a tuna tartare appetizer, a pasta for our next course and scallops for our main - everything was delicious.

Dinner at Zephyr Restaurant

The next morning we took it easy - had a later breakfast and then sat by the pool for two hours with Rak.  He then drove us back to Brandisi to catch our flight back to Munich.

Munich, Germany

We got into Munich around 8:30 pm so took a cab to our hotel, Aloft, where we stayed for two nights. The hotel was great - very clean, modern with decent sized rooms. The hotel was across from the train station and very convenient to walking to the old town.

The next morning, we walked around the old town for a couple of hours to get some exercise and to see some of the sights like the Frauenkirche, Rathause (Town Hall), St Peter's Church, and the outdoor market. We also walked around the Englischer Garden.  

Munich Rathaus

We met up with Stefanie, Shawna's friend from Georgetown, around noon and went to lunch at Restaurant Laurin Sudtirol, a cute place near the outdoor market.  We shared a very delicious salad and ragout pasta.  We then went to a cafe for a coffee.  

Lunch with Stefanie at Laurin Sudtirol

That evening, we went to the Adele concert at a pop up arena outside of town that they built for her to do a 10 night concert. Shawna had seen on Facebook that Adele was going to be in Munich while we were there so she messaged Stefanie to see if she would be interested in joining. She got tickets during the pre-sale by setting her alarm at 3am in the States! The concert was amazing - we had floor seats nine rows back from the right stage so while we could not see her up close when she was on the main part of the stage, we did see her when she walked down the right wing of the stage.  There were very large (700x100 feet) screens where we could see her as well.  The show went on for two hours - her voice is amazing and she is quite funny.  Truly another exceptional concert!! And we totally lucked out that it did not rain (it had rained earlier) since all seating was outside.

Adele Concert

The next morning, we met up for a quick breakfast at Coffee Fellows, a cafe just a couple of blocks from our hotel - it was like a German version of a Starbucks.  We chatted a bit more and then did a video that we sent to Kelly as we had tried to call her the day before but she was not available.  We said our goodbyes and then we went to the train station to get a train to Zurich.

Zurich, Switzerland

We took the train from Munich to Zurich which took 3.5 hours.  We were in the first class car so that we had more room and a table.  We did some computer work and read the entire way! In Zurich, we walked about 15 minutes to the rental car place and then drove to a nearby park to call our parents.  Since we had not eaten, we grabbed some cheese and bread at a grocery store at the train station and had that at the park as well.  We then drove to Uster, a town about 30 minutes from Zurich, where Mike and Connie live and where we stayed for one night. The town is in a cute valley around a nice lake.

Brunch with Mike and Connie at their house

We sat outside for a bit to catch up with them and then went for a walk to the lake. Connie made a great dinner of salad and pasta which we had outside at their house - their son and girlfriend joined us.  We stayed up until 1:30 in the morning talking and laughing! The next morning, we had a nice long brunch of bread, cheese and meats out on their patio - and did a video call with Wendy, Dave and Jan! We drove away around 1pm to Lake Como.