{ take me back } switzerland

I had so many comments on the picture I posted for hello, december and I'm slightly depressed that we still don't have snow in Utah so I decided to go back to Switzerland this week!

I know, it's so different from the sunny, beachy, and green locations that I have chosen over the past month. But here's the thing. I don't want warm and I don't want sun. I want snow! So here we go, this is probably my #1 favorite place that I've been in my life so far.

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As soon as Tristan told me that we were going to Europe over Christmas, I just KNEW we had to make it to Switzerland. I've heard nothing but amazing things about it. My mom did a study abroad and she said it was her favorite. And I've had friends who have also said it's their favorite. Plus, who doesn't want a white Christmas? So I begged and begged and finally we found a way to make it part of our trip. And I'm so glad!

We spent three days in Switzerland. We stayed in the same hotel in Interlaken all three nights but if I could do it over again, I would switch it up each night. I'll mention as we go along where I would have liked to spend the other two nights.

The hotel we stayed in was called Neuhaus Golf and Strand Hotel - I would highly recommend it! The rooms are small and quaint, nothing special but good for the price. The views from our hotel room... beyond amazing. The service there was unreal. The workers were so nice, we made instant friends with our waitress that first morning at breakfast. Speaking of breakfast, delicious. The grounds of the hotel were beautiful. There were swans roaming around constantly. It does kind of smell like farm but I think that just added to the experience. The lake would be so fun to go on during the summer, it looked freezing but beautiful while we were there. The only downfall I can think of was the wi-fi. It only worked in a few specific spots, none of which included our rooms. But, if you're like me and prefer to disconnect on vacation, this isn't that big of a deal.

The first location I would recommend is Lauterbrunnen. I got this recommendation from Meg Miles. She got engaged here! How dreamy right? It's located right against the cliffs. I would love to go in the summer when you can see all the waterfalls!

Lauterbrunnen is where you should try Rosti, a traditional Swiss dish. We went to Hotel Oberland Restaurant to get ours and it was amazing! Plus they put whip cream stars in our hot chocolate which was a definite bonus in my opinion.

Gimmelwald was my all-time favorite town. It was quiet. We didn't see a single person. It was snowing. And it was dreamy. It wasn't touristy it just felt like authentic Switzerland. To get there you take a cable car literally straight up the mountain. You can't help but be in awe the entire time. This is a place that I would have loved to stay the night. Either here or the next town, Murren.

Murren was also a quaint little town. It was a little busier because it is where one of the James Bond movies was filmed. It's so pretty though. Especially in the winter, it was like a Christmas wonderland. No joke, parents were pulling their kids in the old traditional sleighs on the roads. Can you imagine living a life as simple as that? I would love it.

Jungfrau - the top of Europe. This was the most expensive thing we did in Switzerland but in my mind it was so worth it! If you can fit it into your budget, I highly recommend it! 

You take a train literally through the mountain to just less than 14,000 feet elevation. Through the mountain! Once you get there, you have a 360 degree view of mountains, mountains and more mountains. It's unreal. We took a million pictures. There is also a lot inside the mountain. There is an ice castle (my personal favorite) and a lot set up to celebrate Christmas. There is also a lot of history along the walls. Because you can imagine having to build a train track through the mountain, there must be a lot of history behind that. I recommend eating at the restaurant there. You are on the cliff and have the most amazing view. Plus, it was delicious.

We also briefly went to Grindelwald and Kleine Scheideig. If you want to go skiing (which I would highly recommend if you don't live in Utah or Colorado) Kleine Scheideig was a complete ski town.

Finally, for some of the bigger cities in Switzerland. Thun and Bern. I would have loved to spend a night in Thun. It was such a gorgeous city! You could get lost there (we did :) and see so much. We spent time at a Winter Market where I got to dip my own candles. Perfection. If you go during the winter definitely spend some time in the winter markets. They are everywhere and they are a lot of fun! And did I mention how people take their dogs with them everywhere? I absolutely loved that about Europe! Why can't the states be like that?

Bern, the views... amazing. They have a train there that is similar to UTA here in Utah but it just goes straight through the city and there are no guardrails or anything to warn you it's coming! People were literally feet away as it honked it's way through the city. My favorite part about Bern was watching the old men play giant chess. It's cold outside but that doesn't keep people from getting out. The city was bustling.

If you have the chance. Go to Switzerland! There are still so many places that we didn't have time to explore. Zermatt - aka The Matterhorn! Zurich and Geneva. Have any of you been other places in Switzerland? I'd love to know because I plan on going back! Maybe in the summer next time :)

For more pictures of Switzerland, visit my original posts here, here, and here.