This past summer we took a family trip to Switzerland and Germany. And when I say family trip, it’s with capital letters. There were fourteen(!!) of us. Quite a crew. Restaurants were able to accommodate us and no-one got left on a train so I’d say we did pretty good traveling in such a big group, even if my measure of success is narrow.

Our grand adventure feels like forever ago but I finally had some 35mm photos developed which has bubbled up the old vacation memories. Most of (out of not many to begin with) film images are only so so, so here’s a few of the decent ones along with some phone captures. I won’t relive the whole itinerary. Instead here are a few highlights.

Switzerland: stayed in the Interlaken area, specifically Wengen, a car-free village. It was truly like being in a Technicolor movie. I’ve never seen such greenery and the wildflowers come in every single color. Breathtaking views, as you’d expect, but nothing really prepares you for the actual feeling — like being charged with a jolt of electricity. So much hiking, including to the top of Europe, which looks like something from a Bond movie. I got my steps and then some. We picked the teeniest wild strawberries along the way. Icy blue streams everywhere; kids, watch out for the Kropemann. Spent a good ten minutes watching the cutest stoat dig around in a garden, and a fox chow down on… something. Cows! Sheep! Bells! We had a crazy run-in with a helicopter delivering grass on the mountain. If you’re not afraid of heights go paragliding. It was very hot (hotter than it was in Texas at the time) and there were some unexpected sunburns. BIG sudden thunderstorms at night. Sanbitter is not my thirst quencher, but it comes in a really cute bottle that I brought home. And there were more biting flies than I would have thought. Last, be prepared to take trains and trams and download the schedule to stay on top of transfers.

A++ for nature. B for food. A- for transportation. B for history and culture.

The second leg of our trip was in Germany: we stayed in Munich at an AirBnb. Lots of old churches (saw the Jeweled Skeleton of Saint Munditia in one). Watched the Rathaus-Glockenspiel do it’s a thing, and I couldn’t help but imagine what a cruel punishment it would be if those weren’t actually life-sized dolls up there performing, but real people. No-one would know from down below. This means I’ve watched too much Black Mirror. Had big beers and soft pretzels as one does. Marveled at the many Fanta flavor options. Counted all of the dachshunds I saw and wanted to steal them all. Celebrated my birthday with dinner for two at the very excellent Gabelspiel. Had a very somber experience at Dachau and contemplated how we don’t seem to learn from history. Went to Neuschwanstein castle near the Austrian border. It’s just beautiful and strains the brain thinking about the work that goes into all that detail and artistry (and they didn’t even finish!). If we were allowed to take photos I would share the wonderful hand-painted furnaces from each room. King Ludwig (deemed “mad”) loved a good castle… or five. Germany was hotter than Switzerland.

B- for nature (natural drop after Switzerland). A for food (helped immensely by birthday dinner). B for transportation. A for history and culture.

European Vacation

Good Medicine: Ina Dyreborg