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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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!
Louisiana Museum
On Tuesday, my studio and I took a trip to the Louisiana Museum by Vilhelm Wohlert and Jørgen Bo. It was so beautiful! I love how it connected with the nature and had so many windows and natural elements. The museum also has a newer wing but it was closed while we were there to set up a new exhibit.
I would recommend anyone visiting Copenhagen for more than a couple days, visit the Louisiana Museum. They have a really nice cafe too with beautiful views of the coast.
If walls could dream… they’d dream of visiting the Louisiana Museum.
Bagsværd Church
Bagsværd Church was designed by Jørn Utzon. He is a Danish architect famous for designing the Sydney Opera House in Australia. I visited the Bagsværd Church with my studio last Monday and it was incredible to finally see it in real life.
It was a rainy morning and I entered the church from the side door, so I was greeted by a sheltered yet airy hallway. It was so nice to be out of the rain but still in the natural light. You can notice from this photo the modularity of the building. The wall panels and structural columns all fit together easily and even the benches fit in the module. The doors aren’t holes in the walls but rather other panels attached to the wall panels.
After walking through this beautiful hallway, I made my way into the main space. This has the famous Bagsværd ceiling. Utzon was inspired by clouds at the beach to make these forms but they work very well to softly reflect light into the space. It was so interesting seeing such a modular and rectangular building with such an organically shaped roof but it totally worked. Utzon uses materials very honestly and doesn’t hide how things are made. The concrete ceiling shows its wooden formwork and the concrete columns are left unpainted.
The lighting quality of the ceiling was just incredible. Even on a slightly overcast day like this, it was well lit inside. On short winter days when services are before sunrise, they have to rely on artificial light but aside from that it works very well.
If walls could dream… they’d dream of the ceiling in Bagsværd church.
Europe Packing List
What do you pack for two weeks in Europe? I traveled to Barcelona, Southern France, and Switzerland this summer before heading to Copenhagen to study abroad. Here’s my packing list.
I got the Osprey Porter 46 Travel Pack. I picked this one because it is carry-on size for flying and it has nice pockets, including a laptop sleeve, a large main compartment, and smaller pockets on the front. Because it is a travel pack, it unzips to load it from the front like a suitcase rather than the top like a backpacking backpack, which helps it stay organized. My only complaint is that the back panel wasn’t super stiff and so it would bend and sit weird on my lower back, not sure if it’s my fault and I need to pack it differently or it’s just a fault of the design. All in all, love the backpack and it fit everything well! Also, having a backpack not a suitcase in Europe is so nice with the cobblestones and stairs.
I also brought a Jansport backpack that I wore on my front. I wish I would’ve brought a smaller backpack or even a big purse because it was just too big and awkward.
What’s In Your Backpack?
First, and definitely most importantly, is my sketching stuff! I brought watercolors and inkpens, a pocket sketchbook, a watercolor sketchbook (not pictured), and a travel journal to write about my trip.
I also brought a Danish phrasebook. While it wasn’t much help in France, it was fun to start learning some Danish on the trains and once I got to Denmark, it was really helpful, especially for decoding menus when you don’t have wifi!
I brought my camera, of course, with the kit lens as well as an 85mm lens and a new 14mm lens.
I also brought my Instax camera and have been collecting a polaroid from each city I go to! It has been so fun.
Don’t forget the cables and converters! Phone charger, battery, and camera charger plus an extension cord for hostels just in case the outlet isn’t conveniently located.
Travel Essentials:
It’s pretty much impossible to travel, especially on an overnight flight, without a neck pillow and headphones! I just wish I would’ve brought my “regular” headphones and dongle (thanks a lot Apple) because I couldn’t plug my headphones in to watch movies on the airplane.
Another thing it’s impossible to travel without: your passport! I have one of those necklace passport holders, dorky and awkward but it keeps it safe. I brought my phone and wallet too, of course (not pictured).
Are Packing Cubes Worth it?
I’m not sure if I’m sold on packing cubes yet. They are helpful for organizing your stuff but as you wear stuff and it migrates into the dirty laundry bag, it gets harder and harder to repack your backpack.
Anyways, in the big packing cube I packed three pairs of shorts, one pair of leggings, two dresses, one long sleeve shirt, one cardigan, and my swimsuit. In the small and medium packing cubes, I packed my socks and underwear. In the clear packing cube, I packed nine long sleeve shirts. I also had a jacket and umbrella (not pictured) in my backpack.
Not pictured: two pairs of shoes. I wore my Keene’s and packed my Saltwater sandals.
I had a travel towel from REI which packed really small which was great! It was so nice to have when hostels either didn’t have towels or had really small, scratchy towels. It is really soft and my only complaint is that it takes a while to dry, so don’t shower right before you have to pack up. I also packed my toiletries (not pictured) in a typical toiletry bag. Don’t forget to put your liquids in a plastic bag if you aren’t checking your backpack!
Finally, I packed some fun American treats to give my host family when I got to Denmark!
I mailed the rest of what I would (winter clothes and school stuff) to my host family in Denmark and it worked out perfectly!