Day 11

Today started off on the wrong foot, with some tollgate shenanigans and me ending up going 20 minutes out of my way having to backtrack after taking the wrong exit on the autobahn.

Still, for a day spent mostly driving, it wasn't that bad.  The scenery remained beautiful and I had a lot of time to think about stuff.  I didn't come to any ( Read more... )

Day 8

After weighing my options, I decided today would be all about Salzburg, so I made a beeline there, only to discover that it was raining.  After some thinking on it, I left the rental car at the Park-n-Ride outside of town and took the bus in, planning to spend all day in the Old Town.

I missed out on going to the Hohensalzburg Castle, but I ( Read more... )

Day 6

That light snow I drove through yesterday?  Well, now the mountain pass is shut down due to snowfall!

Today is Liechtenstein day, and I had to take a slightly more circuitous route to get there, as a result of said pass closure.  Not that I minded; one of my favorite parts of this trip has been driving over, between, or through mountains.

( Read more... )

Day 4

Did not sleep well last night at all.  Had, like, 14 micro-naps and just couldn't seem to get comfortable.  Woke up really burned out.

As such, I decided to limit myself to one real activity: Chillon Castle.

The castle itself was nice, but I felt sick and kinda spaced out for most of it, so I'm not sure how much I actually enjoyed and how ( Read more... )

Day 3

Blergh.  I think I may be coming down with something.

A 9-mile hike probably wasn't the best way to deal with that, but I survived the Gorges de l'Areuse, walking the full route from Boudry to Noiraigue.  I think it may have been one of the most physically punishing things I have ever done, but I also think it was totally worth it.

2/3rds of ( Read more... )

Day 2

Waking in the early morning-even before sunrise-I planned my day (which couldn't begin until ~9:30, because my first destination didn't open until 10).  Breakfast was plain, but free, so I had no complaints.

Then I made my way to the Castle Habsburg, of the Habsburg Dynasty fame, and spent some time touring the grounds.  Then I ate at the ( Read more... )

Day 1For my 2019 Big Vacation, I decided to wiggle my way through the Alps in central Europe: Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and Austria, with small excursions into pieces of France, Germany, and Italy as well ( Read more... )

I can't believe I'm even actually considering this ( Read more... )

On Tuesday, I returned from 2 weeks in Japan with some of my friends: Jeremy, Caroline, Katy, DJ, Becky, and Nahal ( Read more... )

A month and a half ago, I drove about 2,500 miles across the face of England, Scotland, and Wales ( Read more... )