Travel itinerary

So here is where I will begin: the itinerary of the shenanigans from the last two and a half weeks. December 28th to January 13th. Sixteen days (the last day doesn't really count) of exploring (outside), lounging (inside), and laughing hysterically everywhere in between.

Dec. 28th: Airport pickup. Much jumping, yelling, and smiling involved. Picnic dinner (the first of many) on my bedroom floor.

Dec. 29th: A day walking around Montreux. In the pouring rain. We braved the wetness for a while and eventually retreated indoors to drink wine. At 4pm. A quick trip to the train station to pick up Heather, and our party got a little bigger.

[Photo from Carleigh]

Dec. 30th: Morning in Lausanne. In the pouring rain, again. Natalie and her warm car came to our rescue in the early afternoon, and we headed back to Montreux to pack the car and drive up to Verbier, a.k.a. mountain paradise.

Dec. 31st: It was a late morning in the studio apartment. Breakfast around 2pm, movies, and birthday songs for Shenanigans. We pushed the small dining table up to the window facing the mountains and gathered around for what was one of my favorite moments of the entire trip. A fondue feast (thank you Natalie!), lots of cheers-ing with champagne, and a glorious sunset against the mountains. Then came the New Year's debauchery. It. Was. Nuts.

Jan. 1st: Another late morning. While the girls recovered, I spent the afternoon and evening with Andy, Anne and Yann walking around dressed in an 80s one-piece snow suit and sitting by the crackling fire. With little motivation, we happily stayed in that night.

Jan. 2nd: Skiiing, skiiing, and more skiing! It was a success, despite the minor bruises and falls that we accumulated. A final dinner in the studio and a short night last night out at Atelier before falling into bed nearly unconscious.

Jan. 3rd: All packed and ready, we bid farewell to our mountain retreat and spent a quiet day in Montreux. With the help of my elves, I moved on down to the fourth floor--the only floor currently open to clients in the hotel.

Jan. 4th: Day trip to Bern, the capital of Switzerland. Though I'll be honest . . . It was not my favorite city. Cold and dreary and less charming that Zurich or Lausanne. But I suppose that's normal if it is the governing capital. And the freezing temperatures did not help.

[Photo cred Car]

Jan. 5th: Heather left us and we headed off to Zermatt, home to the infamous Matterhorn. And guess what? It was ridiculously cold there too. Thanks to enough glüwein (vin chaud), we managed to stay warm--or barely warm enough.

Jan. 6th: The grand Glacier Express. Just do me a favor and google it. This seven and a half hour train ride is Switzerland's best, and thanks to the clear blue skies, the scenery was dramatic even if every inch of it was covered by several feet of snow. Made it to St. Moritz in time to freeze all over again and turn around to Chur where we stayed for the night.

Jan. 7th: And the road trip begins! From Chur to Locarno and into the deeply cut valleys that are virtually deserted this time of year, we spent the entire day on the road, only stopping again in Locarno to find a bed and breakfast when we were too tired to continue.

[Photo cred Shan]

Jan. 8th: Supposedly it only takes three and a half hours to drive across the entire country of Switzerland. However, when you account for three closed passes, mountain roads, and HUGE tour buses and are nearly impossible to pass, it may take you about seven hours. Or longer. However, it was an impressive drive to say the least, and Skoda (our beloved station wagon) made us proud.

Jan. 9th: Off to Heidelberg, Germany! And thanks to my wonderful friends, we changed train plans into car plans and took Skoda across the German border so that I could tag along. We held our breath crossing the border, but it was a success! Heather gave us a lovely tour of the city including a night out to get a taste of student night life. And Germans who seriously cannot dance. But don't worry, we showed them how.

[I'm pretty sure that Heather took this one, but I was too busy dancing my ass off to be exactly positive.]

Jan. 10th: Two words: blueberry pancakes. It was heaven. We eventually left Heather's apartment to see the castle that looms over the city, and shared a very German meal by the river.

[Photo cred Car]

Jan. 11th: Back to Montreux, but not without making a quick stop at Gruyères to pick up meringues and cream for dessert. We finally said goodbye to Skoda and dedicated our last night in Montreux to drinking wine and watching Gossip Girl.

Jan. 12th: My first day of work, which was painfully quiet. Took a walk with the girls in the sunshine along the lake and relished in the change in weather. Trained to Geneva where we spent one last romantic night together at Natalie's house. A lovely family dinner of spaghetti and salad, followed by complete exhaustion.

Jan. 13th: Four am wake up call and more snow. Natalie, Shan, and Car dropped me off at the train station where we said goodbye (for now) and I caught the 5am train to Montreux to make it in time for work. Sadly, the girls got snowed in and put up in a hotel right outside the airport, but hopefully by the time they read this, the second attempt at traveling will have been a success.

So that's it. The bare minimum. But trust me, there is much more to tell, which is why I will be post-happy for the next week. Hope you're ready!