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.

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.

Italy - June 2022

Dodds Clan Lake District

For Keith's dad's 80th birthday celebration, the Dodds family (all but Boone) did a two week trip to Italy - a week in the Lake District and then another week in Parma, Cinque Terra, Pompeii and Rome.  Graham flew into Chicago on Friday midday, came to our house, had lunch (cheese and crackers) and then we went to the airport together where we met up with the rest of the Dodds clan who flew in from Dallas.  Our flight left after 9pm and it took close to 9 hours to get to Milan.  We flew business class along with Keith's parents with the rest of the family in coach.  After we had our dinner on the plane and a few glasses of wine, we both slept until about an hour before landing.  

Once at the Milan airport, it took about an hour to get through passport control - the line was quite long.  But the worse part is that it took over an hour and a half to get the rental cars - apparently their system did not like the fact that Keith had booked two cars under one name and it turns out that while we booked a 9-person van, they did not have anything near that size and was going to give us three cars.  With 9 of us total and lots of luggage, we needed quite a bit of space.  We ended up getting one smaller car from Avis (where we originally booked) and a 9 person van from Europcar that Shawna ended up getting by walking across the hall and renting one on the spot.  We finally got on the road around 3:45pm and got to Gignese in the Lake District around 4:30pm.

Accommodations

Gignese VRBO - The town of Gignese is about 15km up the hill from Stresa which is one of the main towns on Lake Maggiore.  We got a seven bedroom, five bath house with a pool and beautiful views of the valley and lake below.  The house was quite large, very clean, and worked well for our size family.  There was a ping pong table in the basement that the kids used quite often.  While it said there was air-conditioning, only one room had it but we didn't need it as it was quite cool at night.  We had breakfast here each morning and Graham also cooked a wonderful dinner of pasta, asparagus and watermelon salad.  On our second day, we returned to the house late to find out we had no water - turns out the whole town didn't have water due to an electrical problem.  We stayed two nights without water and gave up and found another place.  The owner felt terrible and only charged us for one night.

VRBO

View from house

Porto Valtravaglia VRBO - We found this place last minute since our original place didn't have water and we stayed two nights (we needed three nights but it was only available for two).  Located on the other side of the lake and right across from the lake, this place is a three-story house that seems like it is in a cartoon with many colorful and secret rooms.  The first floor had two bedrooms, a kitchen and dining room.  The second floor, which we never used, had another kitchen, dining room, and living room.  And the third floor had four bedrooms, most of which had single beds - we stayed in the one room with a double.  There was a pool in the front and table tennis in the back.  Graham cooked another dinner here - sausage and raclette with potatoes - yum!

Laundry drying at second VRBO!

Parma Hotel (Star Hotel du Parc) - We stayed here one night about 1 km from the city center.  Typical large, European style hotel - rooms were bigger than expected, clean, and had AC and running water!!!

Cinque Terra Hotel (Hotel Margherita) - This hotel is located in the old part of Monterossa - we stayed here four nights on this trip and had stayed here when we went to Italy with Kim and Tom in 2008.  We each got our own room with a balcony.  The room was small but not too bad, very clean and had great AC - the only downside was the bed was uncomfortable.  We had breakfast included which we had every morning - eggs, bacon, continental items, etc.  

Hotel Margherita - Cinque Terra

Pompeii Airbnb - We found this place in a town about 30-40 min away from Pompeii - the only house that could fit our group that was somewhat nearby.  We only stayed one night.  The exterior of the house was great with a really nice pool and garden.  However, while the interior was very clean, it was dated, a bit dark, had no AC and we also had no hot water for our shower.  They also had not supplied us with towels so Shawna had to convince them to bring us some.  The owner was very nice and tried to fix things as soon as we reported them but we would not stay here again.  

Pompeii Airbnb

Rome Airbnb - We got a 5-bedroom apartment near the Colosseum.  The place was spacious and decorated very colorful.  The AC was only in the common area but we had ceiling fans in each bedroom.  The main complaint here was that it was a bit noisy outside so we could not keep our windows open at night.

Activities

Lake District

We arrived at our house on Saturday early evening.  We got settled, went for groceries, and then walked/drove into town for dinner.  The place we wanted to go to was booked so we found another spot but that place only took cash so we then had to find an ATM to get cash.  After dinner, we returned to the house and we all crashed as we were quite tired from the trip.

On Sunday, we thought it was going to rain all day but we lucked out and it turned out to be a beautiful sunny afternoon.  We drove into Stresa and booked a private boat to take us to the three islands of Isola Madre where we toured the gardens and palace, Isola Superiore (aka Pescatori) which is quite cutesy and is where we had lunch, and Isola Bella where we toured more gardens and another palace.  While all of the islands were beautiful, the last was the best with beautiful gardens.

Lake Maggiore

Isola Superiore

Isola Bella

Kandersteg

On Monday, we drove about 45 minutes and then took a train to do a day trip to Kandersteg.  The kids had really liked it when we went there three years ago so decided to do a mini-reunion tour.  We hit all of the hot spots - gondola to Oeschinensee, lunch at the lake, mountain coaster rides, boat ride along the lake (where the Josie and Owen dove in for a quick second - quite cold), walk to the Scout Center and dinner at Rudihaus!  It was a gorgeous day - sunshine, a bit chilly but nice and beautiful views!  We got back home around 10pm - long day but worth it!

Mountain coaster

Scout Center

Oeschinensee

Boating on the lake

Lake District

On Tuesday, we drove into the cutesy town of Cannobio and walked along the waterfront and then went to a nearby grotto where we had an amazing lunch.  After lunch, we drove back to Cannobio to rent paddle boards but the place was not open.  So we walked around a bit more and then headed back to the house to let in the technicians to take a look at the water; however, when we arrived, the owner had messaged me that they were already in the house (had climbed through a window) but had not found a problem in the house. So they were checking nearby pipes to see if there was a problem in the aqueducts.  That evening, we just stayed home and had a light meal of cheese and crackers.

Lunch at the grotto

On Wednesday, we had to change houses so we packed up and drove an hour to the second house on the other side of the lake.  After getting settled, we drove north to a campground and rented paddle boards for a little over an hour.  The lake was very calm so it was easy to paddle.  

On Thursday, Keith, Margaret, Josie and Owen went to a water park in Locarno while the rest of us drove up to Valle Verzasca where we walked around the beautiful gorge with a river so clear you could see the bottom and walked around the medieval looking town.  We had lunch here as well.  Quite picturesque.  We all met back at the house, cleaned up, and went out for a nice dinner.

Valle Verzasca

Parma

Since we could only get the second house in the Lake District for two nights, we needed one more night somewhere before we went to Cinque Terra so we decided on an impromptu trip to Parma which helped to split up the drive.  It took about three hours from the lake.  Once we arrived, we checked into the hotel and then walked into the city center to have lunch and meander the streets.  There are lots of cute alley ways and beautiful buildings.  That evening, we had dinner at a food truck festival that was occurring in the park - everyone got their own dish and then we sat at one of the picnic tables to eat.

Food Truck Festival

On Saturday, we did a food walking tour for three hours which was really good and informative.  Our guide was a 'level two' Parmesan sniffer where she could smell the cheese and tell us the different smells - like what kind of grass the cows ate!  On the tour, we stopped at a cafe for a coffee and a couple of sweets, a salumeria (Salumeria Garibaldi) where we tried a few different prosciuttos, ham, and salami, a restaurant (Panino D'Artista) where we tried a flight of parmesan (18, 24 and 36 months aged) and a few types of pasta, and a gelato place (Ciacco).  After our tour, we drove to Cinque Terra.

Parma Food Tour

Cinque Terra

We arrived late afternoon on Saturday and had to unpack the car at the roundabout at the top of the hill of Monterossa and then had to lug all of our luggage to the hotel which thankfully was not too far away.  Keith and Margaret parked our cars along the road since there was no room left in the parking garage.  After we checked into the hotel, we walked around the town a bit and then showered and went out for dinner.

Monterossa

On Sunday, we hiked to the towns of Vernazza and Corniglia, walking around each of the towns and having lunch in Corniglia.  It took us a little over two hours to hike to the first town and about 1.5 hours to hike to the second.  The trails between the next two towns were closed due to mud slides so we could not hike the entire five towns.  After lunch, we took the train back to Monterossa and some went swimming with others resting before dinner.  

Vernazza

Hike on Cinque Terra Trail

On Monday (Josie's birthday), we were supposed to hang out at the beach in the morning and then kayak in the afternoon but it was quite windy (our kayak tour was even canceled) so we took the train to Vernazza and walked around some more.  We then took a train to Riomaggiore where we had lunch and then to Manarola where the kids, Graham, and Margaret swam in this protected area and a few of them also jumped into the ocean from some pretty high rocks!

Vernazza

Swimming in Manarola

On Tuesday, we took the train to Santa Margherita where we met up with Linda and David (Linda is a cousin of the Dodds family) who was also visiting in Italy.  We walked from the train station to Portofino, a beautiful, high-end ocean side town, stopping along the way for the kids, Margaret and Keith to swim in the ocean. The walk to Portofino took about an hour - we had lunch here and then took a boat back to Santa Margherita and train back to Monterossa.  

Portofino

Pisa / Pompeii

On Wednesday, we had a very long drive (7 hours) to Pompeii so we got an early start, leaving around 8:30 am.  When Keith and Margaret got the cars for us to pack up, we learned that someone had side swipped the van and the driver side mirror was completely broken! We stopped about an hour away in Pisa to take the obligatory silly photos - it was more impressive than we had remembered (both Keith and Shawna had been there separately in 1998).  We stopped again for lunch outside of Florence at a great pizza place.  We finally got to our AirBnB about 6:30 pm. 

Pisa

On Thursday (Shawna's birthday), we did a three hour tour of Pompeii which was fantastic - our guide was quite informative and we got to see areas (including a new museum) that we did not see the last time we were there in 2018.  We went inside one of the spas, and saw houses of the rich, middle class, and poor, shops, bars/restaurants/bakeries, and the red light district where you could pick your sex position from a menu of painted positions on the wall.  After the tour, we had lunch at one of the cafes right across from the site.  

Pompeii

Rome

After touring Pompeii, we then drove the 2.5 hours to Rome where we checked into our apartment and then had to return the cars which was an adventure! We tried to return them both at the train station (nearest to our apartment so we did not have to go all the way to the airport) to find out, after driving up seven flights and scrapping the van even more, that they would not take the van there.  So Keith dropped off the car and then hopped in with us to return the van at a location in the burbs - luckily and unknown to us - we had insurance on the van so we did not have to pay for any of the damages.  Margaret was ecstatic, to say the least, to finally get rid of the van!

Colosseum

On Friday, we did a 2.5-hour tour with Marina Vandenberg (she came recommended by the guide in Pompeii) of the Colosseum and the Forum.  Our guide was funny, trying to make the kids laugh by re-enacting parts of the stories she told us.  After the tour, we walked to Trevi Fountain and had lunch nearby and then some of us walked to the Pantheon where we did a quick view inside.  We then got a yummy gelato and walked 30 minutes back to the apartment to rest up before dinner.

Forum

Trevi Fountain

Pantheon

On Saturday, we did a 2.5-hour tour with Marina of the Vatican - visiting the Vatican museum and the Sistine Chapel. There were so many people there that it was hard to enjoy the experience but it was cool to see the Vatican again.  After the tour, we walked around the main market and then went to the square to see St Peter's Cathedral and the window where the pope addresses the audience for masses.  After lunch, some of us (Margaret, Keith, Shawna and the kids) went to the Catacombs of St Callixtus and did a 45 minute tour - it's the largest catacomb in Rome where at one point over 500K people were buried and also where some of the popes were originally buried.  They have since removed the bones as tourists were taking them so we only saw the spaces where some were buried.

Vatican

On Sunday, we all left for the airport early as we had mid-morning flights.  Graham, Keith, and Shawna were on the same flight to Chicago while the rest were on a flight to DC connecting to Dallas.  The Chicago crew got home around 1pm but the rest got stuck in DC for one night and flew out Monday morning so it was a long trip for them.  All in all, it was an amazing trip, filled with fun activities, funny stories, and fond memories together!

Restaurants

Lake District

Osteria delle 3V - Located in Gignese, this restaurant is quite cute with copper pots hanging from the ceiling.  We had dinner hear, sharing a charcuterie appetizer, prosciutto and mushroom pizza, and a pasta with sardines.  The pasta was a bit too fishy for us but the rest of the meal was good. 

Ristorante Italia - Located on Isola Superiore, this is a great place with plenty of outdoor seating.  We had lunch here and shared wine, smoked pink trout carpaccio, caprese salad and the grilled perch with butter and sage for an entree.  The food was fantastic.

Ristorante Grotto Sant'anna - Located near Cannobio overlooking a grotto that fed into the river.  We sat outside and had an amazing lunch of pasta, salad, trout and pork along with some really good wine. Best meal of the trip thus far!

Albergo del Sole Pizzeria - Located in Porto Valtravaglia on the lake, we had lunch here - pizza - pretty good.

Pasticceria Dei Portico - Located in Porto Valtravaglia right next to our VRBO, we had breakfast here twice - great pastries and coffee.

Grotto al Ponte - Located in Valle Verzasca, this was a tiny place that only served cheese, charcuterie and bread but had nice views of the river.  

Ristorante Tiffany - Located about 15 min north of Porto Valtravaglia and right on the lake.  We had dinner here - great food and views but unfortunately the service was not the best.  We shared the trout appetizer, a pasta dish, lamb for entree and cheesecake for dessert.

Tiffany Restaurant

Kandersteg

Berghotel Oeschinensee - Located on the lake, we had lunch outside on the deck. We shared the charcuterie plate and the spaetzle with sausage.  

Ruedihus - Our favorite restaurant in town - it's a very cute, traditional Swiss chalet.  We had an early dinner here before we got the train back.  While we were not really hungry, we still managed to share a cheese fondue and rosti.  Yummy but we were quite full afterward. 

Ruedihus

Parma

Bar Caffe Cavour - We had a late lunch here - pizza and caprese salad.  Nothing spectacular.

See places we went on the food tour above.

Cinque Terra

Tosca Bistrot - A great bistro on the main street of Monterossa.  We had dinner here two nights - sharing mussels and capers salad and pasta.  Very good.  

Ristorante La Posada - A great restaurant with outdoor seating and nice views in Vernazza.  We had lunch here after our hike.

Enoteca da Eliseo - A wine bar on one of the side streets in Monterossa.  Keith and Shawna had a glass of wine here before dinner.  

Pizzeria La Smorfia - A great pizza place located on the side streets in Monterossa.  We had dinner here one night, sharing a pepperoni pizza.  

Bar Centrale - We had lunch here in Riomaggiore - not the best place but it was the only one that could take a group of our size by the time we were ready to have lunch. 

Porto Roca - This restaurant is part of a hotel on the cliff in Monterossa.  We had dinner here one night with nice views of the ocean below.  We shared a yummy lamb dish.  

On the walk to Porto Roca

Ristorante Pizzeria da Nicola - Located on the square in Portofino, we had lunch here - really good pizza. The waiter was also quite funny.  

Enoteca Internazionale - A wine bar located on the main street of Monterossa.  We had a few glasses of wine here before dinner.  

Rome

Mercato Centrale Roma - This is a food court in the train station this is quite good.  We each go our own food and then sat together and had a couple of beers with dinner.  Shawna had a yummy burger and Keith decided to treat himself to the 'best and most expensive' steak.  

Il Ristoro dal Patriota - We had lunch here, sitting outside, near the Trevi Fountain.  We shared mussels and prosciutto with mozzarella.  

Antico Arco - Shawna had reserved this place to celebrate our joint birthday.  We sat outside and had a wonderful meal - sharing the amberjack tartare for an appetizer, the ravioli for our second course and the lamb for our entree.  Definitely the best meal of the trip!

Obica - Shawna and Keith had gone here during our prior trip to Rome so we went back for lunch, sharing the mozarella tasting for the table and a cacio Pepe pasta for our entree.  Yummy food but a bit noisy. 

Trattoria Vecchia Roma - We went here for our last dinner of the trip and oh boy what a mistake.  It was crazy noisy and the food was not the best.  We were so surprised as it had great reviews.  We did have a funny waiter though!