It is hard to believe it is already August. It seems like I am perpetually traveling..but I am not complaining. 🙂 Caroline came July 7th, we spent a week traveling through Switzerland, and then joined the rest of the Todd family in Lake Como for Gama’s 80th birthday.

Caroline hopped off the Plane from LAX with some dreams and… huge bags of stuff for Bryan and me (Thanks Barrie). Caro and I spent the first couple of days exploring Amsterdam while she acclimated to the time. If you know Caroline, you know that she is extremely trendy and knows all of the best places to visit in any city. So, we visited. We went to the best brunch spot in Amsterdam, Bakers and Roasters, and my new favorite coffee shop in my neighborhood, CT Coffee and Coconuts. If you put Caroline in a coffee shop with good vibes, she can be there for hours! We also went to the Anne Frank house and did a boat cruise around the canals. I loved showing her my new home.

After a couple of days in Amsterdam, Bryan, Caroline and I visited Zürich for the weekend of July 9th. Zurich is not only bustling, but also quaint. On Saturday, we rented a little speed boat and went out onto lake  Zurich for a full day of sun and swimming  — we had a blast.

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After Zürich, Caroline and I headed south to Interlaken. We explored Interlaken the first day, and then took trains up to the top of the alps!

Even with the rain, Caroline and I loved the beauty of Grindelwald. We played a TON of “Kings Corners,” ate, drank, and more kings corners. We visited an amazing glacier gorge. The gorge was gorgeous!

Our last, and favorite, Swiss stop: Zermatt.

The best highlight of Zermatt was seeing the Matterhorn. It is WAY better than the ride at Disneyland and more majestic and gorgeous than you could imagine. We took the train up and hiked to the best viewing point.

If you visit Zermatt, you must go to the restaurant, Snowboat. We ate there twice and were only in Zermatt for two days! For dinner, we went to this music bar called gees and had the best time.

Switzerland was absolutely stunning. Our pockets may be empty, but our hearts are full.

After Zermatt, we met up with the entire Todd family in Lake Como for a week. Our villa was a dream and right on the lake!

On Monday, we surprised Gama was a boat ride to lunch at hotel Tremezzo for her birthday. One of the fanciest places in Como, the hotel is sensational. Her cake was a work of art!

We spent most of the days lounging by the pool and biking into town. The Todds and Dahls also hiked to the top of the mountain (hill?) across from the lake to a beautiful lighthouse. It brought back memories of hiking to the lighthouse when I studied abroad and visited Como.

Adventuring through the alps was a once in a life-time experience…I will be dreaming about going back for a long time.

Until next time!