Switzerland Trip

Egg-Slut. The first thing I ate in Switzerland.

A couple friends, my wife, and I set out for Switzerland at the start of the new year. We landed in Zurich, were our friends sister was living, and got a tour of her favorite spots in the city. Top of the list for me was an insanely good Kebab place (mit&ohne kebab), and an amazing korean breakfast sandwich shop (K-Street Toast). Also, there were tons of clock towers - any direction you looked you could spot at least one clock tower.

One of many clock towers in Zurich

After Zurich, our fearless leader (my wife), drove us to the base of Mount Rigi where we took a gondola to the top, and did the small 1 mile hike at the summit.

Chillin' above the clouds at Rigi Klum.

After enjoying the views, we drove down to Lucerne where we’d stay the night. Our hotel had a beautiful view of the lake, and was a short walk from the city center. We grabbed some drinks at nearby bar, had an amazing dinner, and then as we stumbled home we realized there was an annual light show festival happening in the city. We spent the next hour or so walking along the canal and looking at the different light displays.

View from our hotel in Lucern.

One of the many beautiful buildings in Lucerne.

A light display on the tower of the bridge in Lucerne.

The next day we woke up early and headed for Mount Pilatus. We took another gondola to the top, and then made the short walk to the summit. The views were stunning, and we spent an hour or so taking pictures and enjoying the scenery. A tunnel was carved into the side of the mountain that also offered some incredible views. There was a small cafe at the top, and we grabbed some hot chocolate, gluwein, and snacks before heading back down.

Hard to capture just how high up we were. The view was incredible.

Friends walking through the tunnel at Mount Pilatus.

We then continued on to Grindlewald, and spent the night in Interlaken. At Grindlewald we lucked out again and discovered that we had arrived at the start an international ice sculpting competition. We grabbed some hot chocolate, more gluhwein, and watched the artists at work.

Pretty houses in Grindlewald.

The view from our hotel in Interlaken.

Average views to Interlaken.

The next day we drove to Broc to visit the Cailler chocolate factory - picking up plenty of chocolate to bring home. We then headed to Gruyeres to visit the Gruyeres cheese factory. The cheese was amazing, and we got to see how it was made. We also visited the Gruyeres castle, and has some fondue at a local restaurant. There was also a small museum dedicated to the artist H.R. Giger, who is best known for his work on the Alien movies - as a big Alien fan this was a highlight.

My buddy and I heading into the fondue restaurant.

The courtyard of Gruyere castle.

A sculpture outside the H.R. Giger museum.

We ended our trip on a high note with two days of Skiing in Zermatt. Due to high wind and not a ton of snowfall, the skiing was okay but the views were incredible. We got lunch at michelin starred restaurant Chez Vrony. It’s a ski-in restaurant with a beautiful view of the Matterhorn. The food was ridiculously good. Sitting in the sun, under the Matterhorn, eating incredible food, and drinking wine with friends was an experience I won’t soon forget.

The Matterhorn. The view from the ski slopes in Zermatt.

The view from Chez Vrony.

Drinks with friends mid-mountain. I skipped the shots and had a beer, but I thought this was funny.