I’ve loved Murten since my very first trip to Switzerland. It was a short drive through the country side and is always so welcoming and friendly. The town has a great medieval old town feel to it - still mostly surrounded by a wall. It is also where I found my favorite Prosciutto pizza and gelato.

Words cannot express how truly joyful and at peace I am within the walls of these historic cathedrals. There’s an instant sense of calmness, no matter how chaotic or over-populated it feels outside those doors. There’s such a rich history to them. The centuries they’ve survived as the world changed around them. The hope, faith and pure joy they’ve provided to visitors form around the world. No matter how many others things I have on a long list of pit stops, these cathedrals will always be first on the list.

With beautiful cathedrals comes some of the most beautiful stained glass that I’ve been lucky enough to see in person.

This beautiful castle sits on the Lake Geneva, right next to Montreux. The only downside was the rain which made it almost impossible to see the breathtaking view that surrounded Montreux…next time.

The last time I visit Trummelbach Falls I left without any photos. Both cameras died right before I got up to the falls. This year I was determined not to let Trummelbach beat me. I brought 2 fully charged cameras and my iphone. Both the phone and my smallest camera were in waterproof casing and my DSLR was covered and READY! Unfortunately, I didn’t account for the slick ground (because why would caves following a waterfall INSIDE a mountain be slippery) and my camera almost suffered for it. Thankfully, it wasn’t too bad and my lens and camera are still happily capturing photos.

It took everything I had to not run down the hill singing…which I do majestically, thank you.

Zurich was the most touristy of the tourist areas that I went and my least favorite. Nevertheless, it’s still beautiful and we had amazing weather while we toured the city.

Quite possibly my favorite stop during my time in Europe. Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany, although very touristy and busy, was well worth the little trek and long wait for the scheduled tour. I can’t imagine building an entire castle for just me…but if I suddenly become wealthy enough to do so, I might consider it.

The Hotel Uto Kulm, in the car-free mountain town of Uetliberg, was amazingly relaxing. Every now and then I could hear waves of people come and go, nothing too exciting. Being able to glance out the window in my suite to see a panoramic view of Zurich, more than made up for it. After a fantastic dinner, I wandered up the observation tower (one of the highest public observation towers in Switzerland) to watch the sunset and then wandered up one more time to watch the sunrise the next morning. This was definitely a perfect end to an awesome vacation.