The Männlichen Royal Walk in the Swiss Alps is a short but steep hike with great views and friendly cows. It’s only about a mile long but your calves will feel it! At the end of the “walk” there is a lookout point shaped like a crown where you can…
I really wanted the name of this post to be something less mundane because paragliding in Lauterbrunnen was anything but boring, and definitely deserves a pithier title! Here’s our experience though, in a straightforward nutshell so I figured I’d go with a straightforward title. There, now we’re done with the…
Much like our planning for the Swiss Riviera, when it came to booking a stay in the Swiss Alps we were stymied by the myriad possibilities. Every little town seemed to have its own pros and cons and it was hard to figure out just which one was going to…
Gruyères, Switzerland may be the most wonderfully idyllic place you’ve ever been (or imagined). The town is so cute and compact that it feels like a Disneyland version of a Swiss town. There is one main street and it is veritably bursting with charm but also only about half a…
The Lavaux vineyards on the Swiss Riviera will take your breath away. Even if you’re an old hand at visiting wine regions in other parts of the world, the sheer immensity of the vineyards spreading in tiered levels around you is a totally unique experience. If you don’t believe me,…
In this case, “worst” is very relative as I’m pretty sure every town in Switzerland belongs somewhere on Unesco’s World Heritage list. But for our trip we were looking for the best town to stay in as a base where we could day trip to others. In my research though,…
I did plenty of research before heading over to this most-French of all North American cities but there were still some things that we weren’t quite prepared for. Below are four surprises we encountered in Quebec City. Consider yourself forewarned! 1. Quebec City is hilly. VERY HILLY. It is not…
Or rather, Johnson City is the OLD Fredericksburg. While Fredericksburg is still a nice place to visit, it has seen some changes over the years, from sleepy Texas town to mostly-sleepy-except-for-the-raging-tourist-invasion-that-is-Main-street. One of the big draws of Fredericksburg was the opportunity to visit the hill country wineries. When there were…
There’s really nothing like Texas hill country cycling – cruising peacefully down quiet backroads, with tall grass and wildflowers waving from the sidelines. If you have road bikes or even plain old commuter bikes, load them up and drive to Fredericksburg, Texas. Just a few blocks from the tourist hubbub…
Life isn’t all bad, all of the time. As a counter to a previous entry about life in Japan, I’m reposting another scene from my time living in Fukuoka. This time, it’s a throwback from my old blog and a good reminder to me about people just being people –…
