Heidelberg Castle

I think Heidelberg is my favorite castle that I visited in Germany. It had beautiful architecture, lots of interesting stories and fun facts, and had a nice ratio of castle to ruin.

This facade in the castle was designed with sculptures of the royal family to show the family’s power.

Frederick V married an English princess named Elizabeth and to impress her, he built a round theater, like the Globe theater, at Heidelberg Castle. What’s left of the theater can be seen on the left side of this photo.

I love how layered this castle is. It’s obvious that it was built over time in a variety of styles. However, it is all united in a similar red stone color. I’m sure these walls have lots of stories to tell!

Castle toilets were originally built overhanging the exterior wall so that the waste would fall directly into the moat!

Hohenecken Castle Ruins

There are castle ruins everywhere in Germany. These ruins were a short drive from the Byroms’ house and after a quick hike up a hill, we arrived at this cool old castle. It’s amazing to think about what it would’ve been like in its heyday.

This part of the castle had the knights’ hall on the first floor and the chapel on the second floor. In the back corner was the kitchen.

This castle was built in the 1200’s, altered and extended in the 1500’s, and destroyed by the French in 1688/89 during the war of palatine succession. It’s made of local red sandstone.

I was amazed at the variety of windows in the castle. Some of the windows even had a stone seat on the inside.

The view from the kitchen to the courtyard. There was a huge fireplace on the opposite wall.

If walls could dream… they’d dream of 800 year old castles that are still standing!

Interlaken, Switzerland

After visiting Neuschwanstein, the Byroms and I went on a road trip to Interlaken, Switzerland for New Years. It was such a beautiful drive!

Interlaken was a cute little town along the river between two lakes. There were a lot of fancy shops and restaurants in town and even an iceskating rink!

We spent New Years ice skating and playing board games. The next morning, we drove back to the Byrom’s house and stopped at two super cute Swiss towns along the way: Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen.

Grindelwald, Switzerland

Grindelwald was a really beautiful ski town in the mountains of Switzerland. I’m sure in the summer there’s great hiking.

Lauterbrunnen

There are 72 waterfalls in the Lauterbrunnen valley! Everywhere you looked, there was a waterfall. It was like Yosemite but without Half Dome.

The most famous of the waterfalls is Staubbach Falls, which drops almost 300m into the valley. In the summer, you can walk up to the base of it!

If walls could dream… they’d dream of 72 waterfalls.

Bacharach

I visited Bacharach with the Byroms and it was such a cute little town! I would definitely recommend stopping there if you’re ever in the area. The “downtown” area had a bunch of old historic houses and then there was a castle and some really cool church ruins up the hill (pro tip: drive up to the top and park at the hostel so you don’t have to climb a million stairs!)

Stahleck Castle

The castle is converted to a hostel now which is super cool. You’re allowed to walk into the courtyard even if you aren’t staying there. It is a super cool mix of stone ruin and traditional wood construction and the view was incredible.

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Ruine Wernerkapelle

This was one of the coolest ruins I’ve seen. Halfway between the town and the hilltop castle, the ruins of a gothic church sit hauntingly beautiful.

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We ended the day trip with some delicious apple strudel!

If walls could dream… they’d dream of abandoned gothic church ruins.

Neuschwanstein Castle

I spent the second half of my winter break with some family friends in Germany. We went to visit Neuschwanstein Castle, the castle that famously inspired Disney’s castle. There were a lot of people and we almost didn’t get tickets but it was cool to see such an impressive castle. My favorite part was the king’s bedroom because of all the incredibly intricate carvings. They didn’t allow photos inside, though. Sadly, the interior of Neuschwanstein was never finished because the king died during its construction.

If walls could dream… they’d dream of being in Neuschwanstein!

Oslo

After leaving Berlin, my friend Mattea and I went to visit her cousins in Norway! They were so nice and let us participate in some of their Christmas traditions including singing carols around the tree (outside at night in the cold!) with their neighbors and eating lots of Christmas cookies.

Opera House

Of course, the number one thing on my Oslo bucket list was the opera house by Snøhetta! It lived up to all my expectations and was quite slippery trying to walk up the ramp in the icy snow! But I survived and am very inspired.

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Norsk Folkemuseum

The Norwegian Museum of Cultural History was an unexpected highlight of the trip! It was so cool to get to see a bunch of traditional Norwegian buildings. The old church was incredible and it had such detailed carving.

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Architecture Museum

Of course, I had to go to the Architecture Museum. It was actually really cool! They had a bunch of old hand drawings by famous Norwegian architects and an exhibition about the future of architecture in Norway.

Sledding!

Mattea’s cousins insisted we go sledding at Korketrekkeren. I was wary at first but it was so fun! It’s a 2km long toboggan run and you take the train back up the top. There were incredible views of the city lights along the way.

If walls could dream… they’d dream of sledding down a mountain in Norway!

Berlin

I visited Berlin for three days this December with my friend Mattea. We stayed at an AirBnB near the central train station and had so much fun exploring the city. Berlin is big but the public transportation is inexpensive and easy to navigate. There is so much history in this city and plenty of free sights and museums to keep your budget in check!

Brandenburg Gate

One of the most famous landmarks in Berlin, the Brandenburg Gate is a must-see destination in Berlin.

Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe

A block away from the Brandenburg Gate is the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. Designed by Peter Eisenman, this memorial rests in between sculpture and architecture. One thing I hadn’t realized just looking at pictures before I went there is that the ground slopes up and down and none of the columns are exactly straight so it is very disorientating to walk through.

Gendarmenmarkt Christmas Market

If you’re in Berlin for Christmas, you have to check out the Gendarmenmarkt. It’s one of my favorite Christmas markets so far and they had the best food! Mattea and I got some carrot ginger soup that was to die for and we also had some traditional Spätzle.

Checkpoint Charlie and the Topography of Terror Museum

A short walk away is Checkpoint Charlie and the Topography of Terror Museum. Checkpoint Charlie is the best-known Berlin Wall crossing point. A block from there is the free Topography of Terror Museum which had a lot of historical information about the war and its impacts.

East Side Gallery

The East Side Gallery is an open-air mural gallery on a section of the Berlin wall. It’s a little farther from the city center from everything else but it’s definitely worth it if the weather is nice.

Otto Weidt Museum, Dolores Mitte Burritos and Alexanderplatz

The perfect finale to our trip to Berlin was Alexanderplatz. We went to the Otto Weidt Museum. Weidt owned a workshop in Berlin for blind and deaf people. When the war broke out, Weidt risked his life to protect his Jewish employees and hid some of them in his factory. And the best part: the museum is free! After the museum, we got some delicious burritos at Dolores Mitte and then wandered around the Alexanderplatz Christmas market.

If walls could dream… they’d dream of being torn down in Berlin.

Schwyz, Lucerne, and Basel

After leaving Zurich, my friend Kate and I stayed with my family friends in Schwyz and did a day trip to Lucerne and then flew out of Basel. It was a busy trip but so much fun!

Schwyz

Schwyz was such a cute little town! They had some great traditional buildings and it was so fun to wander around the town. In the summer, it would be an incredible place to hike.

Lucerne

Lucerne was super walkable and more touristy than I had anticipated. It’s a cute little town on a lake with lots of scenic streets. Exploring the center of town, you can find so many cute buildings. There are two famous old covered bridges in town, Kapellbrücke “Chapel Bridge” and Spreuerbrücke. If you visit Lucerne in summer, be sure to check out Museggmauer, the historic city wall towers.

My favorite church in the town was Jesuitenkirche, a beautiful baroque church. It doesn’t look like much from the outside, but when you enter you’ll be blown away.

Basel

Basel was a really cute town too. We arrived at the train station which is right near the center of town. We wandered around and went to a bunch of Christmas markets and looked at old buildings. Some of the houses are from as early as the 1400s! I would recommend going to the Pfalz lookout a great view of the city or to walk along the Rhine and see the houses there.

If we’d had more time, I would’ve loved to go to Weil am Rhein just across the border in Germany and see the Vitra Design Museum, or to take a day trip to Ronchamp to see Le Corbusier’s chapel there.

If walls could dream… they’d dream of traveling all around Switzerland!

Zurich

Switzerland is one of the most beautiful – and expensive! – countries I’ve been to. It’s definitely worth the cost, but here’s a few of my tips after visiting Zurich, Lucerne, Schwyz, and Basel this Thanksgiving break with my friend Kate.

Zurich, the largest city in Switzerland, can seem daunting to navigate. However, I found that the easiest way to get around was to buy a day pass (less than $10 a day) and ride the trams.

Included in your transportation pass is the Polybahn, a fun way to get up to the University of Zurich. The views from the Polyterrasse at the top are amazing!

To all my architecture nerds out there, if you’re in Zurich you HAVE to go to the University of Zurich Law Library by Santiago Calatrava and ride the elevator up and down to really experience this marvel of engineering.

While you’re up at the University of Zurich, check out their Zoological Museum. It’s free! And they have a very well designed display of animals from around the world. Often, zoological museums are creepy or stuffy but this one is in a beautiful modern building.

Before heading back down the hill, we stopped for some caffeine and sketching at Buchmann Beck, a cute little coffee shop near the university.

Back down by the lake is a pavilion designed by Le Corbusier. It was closed when I was there in winter but it was still fun to see.

In the center of the city, we walked around Bahnhofstrasse and went to some Christmas markets and we had the most delicious macaroons at Confiserie Sprüngli!

At one of the Christmas markets, we saw a performance by the Singing Christmas Tree, an adult choir group that sings in a giant tree! Sadly, they sang pop songs not Christmas carols which I thought was kinda strange.

We got raclette from a market stand and it was so delicious! It’s a Swiss dish where they melt cheese over potatoes, pickles, and onions. Sampling local foods is one of my favorite things about traveling.

A funny thing that happened on this trip is that we had problems with the towels in our AirBnB, and then when we were walking around downtown, we did a spin-the-wheel thing at one of the booths and I won a towel!

If walls could dream… they’d dream of Calatrava’s feats of engineering.

Ireland

Ireland is such a beautiful country with incredible landscapes and fun cities. I went to Ireland for four days with my friend Janet in December. Here’s some of our favorite (and thriftiest!) things to do in Ireland.

National Gallery of Ireland

The National Gallery was one of my favorite museums. All of the National Museums are free (The National Gallery, Natural History Museum, and the National Museum of Archaeology) and right next to each other. I would definitely recommend checking out these museums on a rainy day in Dublin. If it isn’t raining, check out St. Stephen’s Green Park across the street too. And then if it starts raining again, head into the Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre.

Dublin Castle and Chester Beatty Library

You have to pay to go into the Dublin Castle so we just looked at it from the outside. It’s right next to the Chester Beatty Library Museum which had a great collection of old books. Admission is free!

Temple Bar Neighborhood

Temple Bar is the most popular area of Dublin, with lots of pubs. Our hostel recommended a pub on the outskirts of Temple Bar to watch some Irish dancing and it was so fun! There was a group of locals who danced a few numbers and then invited all the tourists up and taught us a dance.

Also in Temple Bar is the Gallery of Photography. If it’s raining, this is a super cute little gallery. It’s free too!

Cliffs of Moher and Galway Tour

Definitely worth a little splurge! We did a day bus tour and it was so much fun!! A great way to see some countryside and we had plenty of time at the cliffs and in Galway to explore the town.

If walls could dream… they’d dream of visiting the Cliffs of Moher!