Alicia Altmueller

Freiburg Germany in December

A quick weekend escape to Freiburg was exactly what we needed. We did lots of walking through the small streets, stocked up at my favorite farmer's market, had amazing coffees, great food and lots of relaxation. For those headed to Freiburg, here were our food stops: Cafe August

Lichterschwimmen

Since 1962, the city of Zürich has hosted the Lichterschwimmen during Advent. Mr. Obi, a teacher started this tradition with his students. It continued to be such a loved event that the City of Zürich now coordinates, along with the current lead teacher. Ms. Lanz and her students make 800

Linfa Treat

Well, as you most of you know, gluten free has been essential for a few of our household members for many years. In addition, we need lactose free and vegetarian (and mostly vegan for one of us) and it can sometimes feel like a chore to eat out. Often one

December in Milan

Stephan and I were lucky enough to at the last minute hop a train after work to Milan. A little over 3 hours and we were from the city center of Zürich to the city center of Milan.We did exactly what our favorite thing is to do in a

Mulouse

Stephan and I took a little escape to Mulouse for a night. We hopped into the car last Friday after work and drove to France without much traffic. We got to the hotel with time to check in and walk to the Christmas Market to see the lights. We walked

Fog in November

It is fog season here and even though it is a bit of a nuisance - I do find it beautiful. In a strange way, it makes things feel quiet and cozy. Here are some photos taken during the day. In one photo at the lake you can see the

Innsbruck in October

The colors of the trees and the mountain snow - says everything that needs to be said.

Fall Colors in the Neighborhood

Pumpkin Time Again

Each year one of the bigger local farms: Jucker Farm puts on a pumpkin display. It is always a favorite little walk there, stroll through the farm, check out the display and lunch from their kitchen. I also always pick up some of their oat milk - it is the

Vienna in September

Happy to report, I spent some time in Vienna in September. It happened to be a great time for weather and events.

Sopron, Hungary

In all the years I have been coming to Vienna, I never visited Sopron. Well that changed this month. Hopped on a train in Vienna and an hour later it stopped in Sopron. Even though it is a small city, it has played an important role in history. * It was

Animals of the Valais

I was very fortunate to spend time with my friend at her Chalet this summer. Though I still haven't seen a wild goat, I did get to see a bunch of animals in the area - mainly in Grächen. (I guess technically one time I did see one

Valais Blacknose Sheep

These are the cutest sheep in the world. They originate from Valais (a region in Switzerland). They are white except for their faces and little spots on the legs (think back and front of knees if they were human). Their faces are so dark that you cannot see their eyes

Glaciers

This summer we were able to see a lot of Swiss Glaciers in our hikes. So today I will post just photos Glaciers. To me they are beyond magic.

Visp - Part 2

Back in November, I visited my friend in the mountains and she picked me up in Visp. We did a quick walk through the town. This time she, Stephan and I were up in the mountains using the train and we had an hour to walk around Visp to catch

Sunday Hike - Palfries

This Sunday we hit the trains and headed to the Sargans region. We went to Palfries and took the gondola up to the top. We were lucky to get a trip up as we didn't know we had to reserve a spot.

Saas Fee

While visiting my dear friend, we went to Saas Fee for the day. There we got to feed the Marmots. The town of Saas Fee is absolutely lovely. The glaciers are spectacular. We hiked a bit to where all the Marmots were hanging out. There were four of us -

Weekend in Grächen

Spent the weekend at my friend's chalet in Grächen. We were busy. First, we went to Saas Fee to feed the marmots, Friday we went to Zermatt and Saturday we hiked around her trails. Lovely weekend with a great friend.

Wooden Cows

In July to celebrate M's birthday, we went to the famous wooden toy factory in Switzerland - Trauffer. You get to immerse yourself in the feel and pride of the family run business. Nestled in a small town outside of Brienz. There we spent the afternoon, having lunch,

Mailand

This past weekend we took the train to Milan. I cannot believe we have only been once before when we first moved here. It was a direct train that took about 3 hours and change. It was the perfect amount for a weekend. On Friday and Saturday we spent portions

Murg - Quinten - Weesen

This past Sunday, we took another glorious hike. We took the train to Murg and walked around there for a bit until the ferry took us across the lake to Quinten. Quinten was adorable and a place I would like to visit for more than a walk through to the

Appenzell with Cousins

Last week we had cousins from Vermont come to visit. It was a quick trip with time spent in our neighborhood, Zürich and Appenzell. It was a hot day in Appenzell, but a clear day with amazing views at the top of the mountain. Looking forward to their next visit.

Zermatt and the Matterhorn

Took Stephan and myself long enough - but we finally made it to Zermatt to see the Matterhorn. We could not have picked a clearer day. We went as far as we could by train and did some amazing hikes. Joined by our dear friend Birgit - we were so

June Strolls in the Neighborhood

No words needed to describe the beauty - just photos.

Vienna Pride

Stephan and I were fortunate to be in Vienna for a quick trip the same weekend at the Regenboden Parade. To be honest, it was exactly what we needed. We spent an afternoon surrounded by pure joy and love. We got in some 20,000 steps in walking the city