Country #40 - Monaco

The Quick Country

After the beautiful train ride back to Zurich, Switzerland I changed trains at the central station to go to Zurich Airport. It was a quick ride and I arrived in plenty of time to make my flight to Nice, France. The airport was fine but I found the smoking lounges inside to be so strange. That is one thing that I will never understand about Europe no matter how many times that I visit is their obsession with smoking. There were a few designated lounges clouded with smoke throughout the airport and it was just disgusting to see.

After the relatively quick flight, I arrived in Nice! Nice is an amazing place that I would highly recommend and I was sad not to be able to stop into the city. The water on the south coast of France is as blue as can be and the views out from Nice are incredible. For the rest of the day, I’m on a very tight time schedule like I was this morning! From the airport, I walked to the airport train station which is a bit hard to find, especially with construction going on, but thankfully there were signs showing the way. I took the train from there to Monaco, and once arriving in Monaco it was a sprint to quickly see the country.

This was definitely my fastest stay in a country so far at only thirty-five minutes, and by the time I arrived back at the train station I was dripping sweat. Monaco is a very downhill sloping country, so the walk down to the visitors center was a breeze. When I got there the staff were so helpful in providing my passport stamp and in being my witnesses. From there I walked down the street to the main casino and heart of Monte-Carlo. I was able to take a few more pictures and have mine made before speed-walking uphill for fifteen minutes in the hundred degrees heat back to the train station. It was such a hike, suitcase in tow, but I made it in time to catch the train back to Nice.

Luckily I have spent a day in Monaco before which was enough to actually see the entire tiny country, so I will post a few pictures from that trip as well to give you a better idea of Monte-Carlo. It is a really cool country to spend a day in and is not difficult to get to from France or Italy, and is easy to fly to if you fly into Nice. I definitely recommend you see the fancy cars, casino, yachts, and beautiful coastline views if you ever have the chance. I was sad not to be able to stay, but similar to Nice very thankful that I had had the opportunity to visit before.

Once I took the train and arrived back in Nice I just had a few minutes to transfer onto my train to Paris where I will be spending the next day and a half. The train ride was beautiful for the first hour or so riding along the coast. Afterwards, it was dark and I attempted to sleep and watched Netflix. I arrived in Paris really late and the protest occurring on our train tracks and delaying our train by over thirty minutes didn’t help. I never actually saw this but supposedly it was a thing. I took the metro from Paris Gare de Lyon to the Opera Station where my hotel, Hotel Malte, was just a short walk away.

I was greeted warmly and given a beautiful room with a kind welcome note, yummy French treats, and some amazing chocolate. It was such a nice welcome after an incredibly long four country day, and I cannot thank Hotel Malte and the Astotel group enough for sponsoring this night of my trip! I fell asleep very easily and am looking forward to exploring Paris tomorrow!

40 countries down, 156 to go.

To learn more about Hotel Malte click here.

Country #39 - Liechtenstein

The Quaint Country

I had a very early morning this morning as my train left Zurich, Switzerland at 6:30am. Special thanks to Hotel Kindli for making my morning much better than it might have been - they allowed me to have an early breakfast in the lovely dining room! I was also able to secure two witnesses and spend time talking with them. The breakfast was a super helpful start to my day and I really appreciate them having it ready so early, along with providing incredible accommodations throughout my stay!

The walk to the train station took about ten minutes and I found my train with a few minutes to spare. The train ride itself was breathtaking - the train rode along Lake Zurich for almost an hour. I arrived in Sargans where I then had to transfer and take a bus to Liechtenstein. It was a quick transfer (about five minutes) but luckily the busses sat just beside the train platforms.

The bus ride took about twenty minutes and was through gorgeous Swiss countryside. I arrived in the heart of tiny Liechtenstein at 8am. I had an hour to kill before the tourist center would open and I could get a passport stamp from them. I walked through literally the entire town. I took pictures in front of the Liechtenstein National Archives building, walked to the beautiful Vaduz Cathedral, appreciated the art installations in the town, marveled at the Castle Vaduz that sits above the city (and is currently occupied by the Prince of Liechtenstein), and just enjoyed the stunning countryside that surrounds Liechtenstein. Afterwards, I still had about twenty minutes to kill so I just sat and waited outside of the tourism center.

Once they opened I met Moris, who was so cool and I really enjoyed talking with. He has traveled a lot and is moving to Brooklyn soon! I purchased a few small souvenirs and got my passport stamp and still had thirty minutes to kill. I talked some more with Moris, sitting in the comfy chair on the porch of the cute tourism center. After a bit longer I headed back to the bus stop to go back to the train station. I barely missed the first train back to Zurich (by like ten seconds) but luckily the next one left only three minutes later.

Liechtenstein was so tiny but I had a nice two hours in the city. It would be okay for a day trip but definitely not more. Everyone that I met was very kind and it was definitely a unique place to see. It was very beautiful as it was surrounded by the mountainous Swiss landscape. It was definitely a unique stop on my trip for sure. My next stop is another tiny one - I’m headed to Monaco!

39 countries down, 157 to go.

Country #38 - Switzerland

The Cheese

Today was a long day but filled with a lot of rest. I left Hotel Bristol around 7:00am to make my train to Mulhouse Ville in France. Thankfully the train station was just around the corner! After a two-hour train ride I arrived in Mulhouse Ville I had to wait for three hours before transferring onto my two-hour train to Zurich, Switzerland. When I arrived in Zurich it was not much more than a fifteen-minute walk to my hotel, Hotel Kindli. However, that walk involved a few hills and by the time I arrived I was definitely out of breath.

My first impressions of Zurich was that it was just as I had imagined: beautiful, quaint, and very Swiss. Hotel Kindli was located right in the heart of town and I received a very warm welcome. My room was very cozy and I really loved the unique style of Hotel Kindli. Thank you so much to Hotel Kindli for sponsoring this night of my trip! By the time I arrived I was exhausted and actually accidentally fell asleep for a few hours. I guess the jet lag plus the long travel day got to me! When I woke up it was dinner time so I decided to find a Swiss meal for dinner.

I would have preferred fondue but unfortunately for one person, it is very hard to find at a reasonable price. Honestly, anything is hard to find at a reasonable price in Switzerland. I love the stunning country but that conception is very true. It was like $5 for a bottle of water at any restaurant or store on the street so I waited to buy water in a grocery store for much cheaper. Anyways, I found a restaurant that met my needs of being Swiss and inexpensive and, bonus, all about cheese!

It wasn’t hard to choose Raclette Factory AG once I found it. I love Raclette cheese and this unique spot tried to serve the meal for a reasonable (but still not inexpensive price) at a trendy location in the heart of Zurich. I really enjoyed my meal which was basically just really good melted cheese with a few potatoes. My only qualm was that the service took forever - I know that this is a European thing but it took longer than it even should in Europe, especially for a casual restaurant.

After dinner, I walked around for a bit before heading back to my hotel to get a good night’s sleep before really exploring the city tomorrow.

The Lake

I’ve been to Switzerland once before, to Zermatt to see the Matterhorn, but never to Zurich. I loved the small town feel of Zermatt (and highly recommend it), but I was happy to find that even in the much bigger town of Zurich that I still got the quaint Swiss feel I had in Zermatt. I think I am stating to catch a cold so I slept in way past when I should have but I still had plenty of time to make it a great day. I started by walking up to Lindenhof which was a hill right up the street from Hotel Kindli. It had amazing views out over the city and I really enjoyed watching a cute puppy play frisbee.

From Lindenhof, I made my way to Bahnhofstrasse which is the high street in Zurich. I had a nice walk down it for a bit, and then made my way to St. Peter. St. Peter is famous for the large clock face that can be seen all around this side of Zurich. Inside it was a very small yet beautiful church with white walls inside. From St. Peter I then went to Fraumünster Church. No photos were allowed inside but it was very unique. The most famous part of the church are the Marc Chagall stained glass windows which definitely lives up to the hype. They are so unique and unlike any other stained glass windows, I have ever seen. It’s a shame Chagall only started to do stained glass so late in his life! There was also a nice small museum under the church which was nice to learn more about the history.

After Fraumünster I headed to the Bellevueplatz area. It is mainly just an intersection but I found a small place to eat lunch - I had an inexpensive sausage called spezial servelat. It was really good and so was the bill for Switzerland! I didn’t buy water though because $5 is insane for a bottle - I asked for tap water like an obnoxious American but I’m sorry Switzerland has some of the cleanest water in the world it is a waste to spend that much. Anyways I got my tap water and all was well. I then made my way down the street to Movenpick to try famous Swiss gelato maker. From a self-proclaimed gelato snob’s opinion, it was actually quite good!

I ate my gelato as I walked along Lake Zurich. I never realized how big Lake Zurich was, but it is giant. I walked for about an hour and barely even touched the surface. I enjoyed my walk immensely, though. The lake was beautiful and it was so interesting to people watch as there were so many locals out enjoying the lake and the parks and other public spaces along it. My hour-long walk back was just as enjoyable minus the gelato.

When I got back to town I walked to Grossmünster, another prominent Zurich Cathedral. Unfortunately, it was already closed, but the outside was still very pretty. Afterwards, I just spent time walking through the streets of Zurich. Specifically, I enjoyed walking down Niederdorfstrasse, one of the main typically Swiss streets. I then walked back along the water to Hotel Kindli where I called it an early night. I have a super early morning tomorrow and by this time tomorrow, I will have been in four countries in one day so the more sleep the better!

38 countries down, 158 to go.

To learn more about Hotel Kindli click here.

Country #37 - Luxembourg

The Caves

This morning I had a 7:00am train out of Frankfurt, Germany towards Luxembourg. I didn’t have a direct train but instead, I connected to a double-decker bus in Saarbrücken. I got the front seat on the top level so I had a great view for the beautiful drive through the countryside. I arrived at the main train/bus station in Luxembourg and walked about three minutes to my hotel, Hotel Bristol. Thank you so much to Hotel Bristol for sponsoring this night of my trip! I checked in and left my luggage before setting out to explore Luxembourg City.

Within minutes of walking, I was blown away by the beauty and views in Luxembourg, and there was much more to come over the next few hours. My first stop was lunch in the heart of the city where I had a great crepe. While eating a tiny marching band walked through the city which was adorable and definitely a unique sight. After my meal, I first walked to Place d’Armes, the central square in Luxembourg City. It was very cute and there was a market going on. The heart of the city is not very large and it is a very walkable city. From there I walked to City Hall and then visited Cathédral Notre-Dame. The doors were closed so I was unsure if it was open, but I was very glad to see someone walk in. It was a very pretty Gothic church well worth going to see. Afterwards, I walked past Palais Grand-Ducal which was, in my opinion, the exact building I would think of when I think of Luxembourg.

I walked past Palais Grand-Ducal on my way to the Musée national d’histoire et d’art Luxembourg (MNHA). It was a great museum! It was really large but I loved the design of the museum. The bottom few floors are only in French which was not ideal, but I enjoyed walking around the floor about Luxembourg’s history as well as the art floor and the special exhibit about Portugal. After the museum I walked to Chemin de la Corinche, which is known as “the most beautiful balcony in Europe.” I don’t know if this is true, but it is definitely up there. The view was amazing - it looks out over the idyllic historic houses in the Grund area as well as the Neumünster Abbey Cultural Exchange Center which is just gorgeous.

After taking plenty of pictures I made my way to one of the most unique stops on my trip so far, Casemates du Bock. Casemates is a series of tunnels built into the side of the Luxembourg City that looks out onto the Grund area. It was so cool to spend an hour literally walking in the side of Luxembourg City. The tunnels span quite a ways. There are a few dead ends and twists and turns, but I really enjoyed walking through the entire tunnel system, as well as seing the views when being on the main floor of tunnels.

After Casemates du Bock I decided to visit MUDAM Luxembourg, Luxembourg’s modern art museum. It is a little ways out of town, but I am so glad that I made the trip! The good news is that on weekends the city bus system is free to use for anyone! So after a fifteen minute bus ride I was dropped off right by both the EU Court of Justice and the European Investment bank which were both unexpected and interesting to walk by. The buildings themselves were really cool! I arrived at MUDAM and was immediately so glad that I decided to visit. The museum itself was architecturally unique and I loved the style of modern art inside - big, bold, but thought provoking works. I’ll post some photos of my favorites. After finishing MUDAM and drinking a lemon soda in the cool museum cafe I walked to catch a bus back into town.

I was dropped off near the top of the Grund area which I then walked down through. The houses were so cute as was basically the entire area. I was glad to find a bus to take me back uphill because it had been a long walk down. I got off the bus basically right in front of Hotel Bristol and ate dinner across the street at a really cute Italian place called Bella Napoli. I of course had pizza - it was very filling after such a long day filled with walking. I made my way across the street to my hotel where I moved my bags into my cozy room where I fell asleep quickly. Looking forward to tomorrow - I’m headed to Zurich, Switzerland!

37 countries down, 159 to go.

To learn more about Hotel Bristol click here.

Country #36 - Germany

The Rain

After a few days at home, I’m on the road again! I’m going back to Europe for about a week where I’ll be visiting Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, and France. I flew from Birmingham to Dallas this morning and then went to eat lunch with my Aunt Donna and grandparents before my flight to Frankfurt. Everything was going great until I got to the restaurant and realized that it now looked like I might not get on my flight to Frankfurt. I was flying on a family pass again, which if you have been reading the blog you know comes with its own source of stress. I’ve decided from here on out though that I’m only going to use them to fly out and then buy my tickets flying back to the U.S. to avoid getting stranded in a foreign country again (i.e. Italy)  as much as I can. Using a pass to fly out of the U.S. is also ideal because if you are lucky enough to get business class the flight out of the country is the one you need to sleep on.

All of that aside, I panicked at lunch attempting to find any other way I could get to Europe. Flights from Dallas to every other American Airlines hub in the U.S. all looked bad, so I was stuck flying out of DFW. I finally found a flight that looked okay, from Dallas to Amsterdam where I could then take a train to Frankfurt from. The problem was it was an hour earlier than my Frankfurt flight, so I had to leave lunch right after ordering and only just saying hi to everyone.

I got to the airport and went to the Amsterdam gate, by which time the direct flight to Frankfurt started to look like I would make it again. I asked the gate agent for his advice because it was such a toss-up situation, and I decided to, after all of that, just try for the original Frankfurt flight. Which, it turned out, was the right decision. I made it on and the person in the middle seat next to me ended up being a no-show which was so nice on such a long flight that was otherwise almost completely full.

I tried to sleep as much as I could and arrived in Frankfurt to a brand new Taylor Swift song - if you know me you know that this was a really big deal. I definitely had mixed feelings upon my first listen of Look What You Made Me do after a nine-hour flight while walking through the Frankfurt airport, but after a few listens it grew on me substantially and now I know all of the words so all is right in the world. Anyways, Taylor Swift news aside, I easily went through immigration and customs and took a bus to the other terminal where I then took the train into town.

After a short train ride, I arrived at the central station, which thankfully was within a five-minute walk from my hotel, Le Meridien Frankfurt. When I arrived I was greeted by Christina, who I had communicated with via email to arrange my stay. She was so kind, and we sat and had coffee (I had OJ) while waiting for my room to finish being prepared. I really enjoyed talking with her! I then met Anouschka, who showed me to my room along with Christina, and she was so sweet as well! She gave me a great introduction to the city that was so helpful for when I explored later in the day. While we were walking to my room they let me know that there was a surprise in the room, and I had no idea what to expect! The room itself was beautiful - it was huge with a TV that swiveled to face either side of the room, a giant sitting/desk area, and a great view out at the city as well. I still didn’t know what the surprise was, but then we entered the bathroom.

I was floored! Someone who works at the hotel is an artist, and she drew a map of the world on my bathroom mirror, with the countries that I had visited so far colored in and Germany highlighted. It was so thoughtful I couldn’t believe it! After an incredible introduction to the hotel and everyone who worked there, this was the icing on top of only the beginning of my stay. It was so sweet, and I am so thankful to them for everything. Thank you so much, again, to Le Meridien Frankfurt for sponsoring this night of my trip!

After the great introduction to my room I then promptly fell asleep for a few hours. I know it’s not the best thing to do after a flight, but it was very necessary to help me get through the day. I had a great nap and then set out to explore the city! I walked to the Main river where there was a really cool festival going on all along the water! My first stop for the day, though, was the Städel Museum. It had art from the 1800s to modern, which is my favorite range. I especially loved the modern art floor. It was my first art museum in a while (not counting the Vatican which I don’t because it is a whole different situation) and I was so excited to just relax and spend time walking through.

After the museum, I walked along the river through the festival! It’s things like this that just make me fall in love with Europe - a picturesque festival set along a river that I was not expecting in the slightest. I found a bratwurst for dinner before making my way to the main bridge, Eiserner Steg. From Eiserner Steg I took tons of pictures of the town as well as the river. I could tell that it was about to start pouring rain at this point - I called my dad to load the radar because mine was not working and he gave me a few minute prediction. Literally the second I put up my camera it started to pour. I found a ledge to stand under while I got my rain jacket out of my backpack. Here’s a tip - always carry a rain jacket in Europe, because you literally never know when it will rain and it allows you to keep walking. Mine also takes up less space than an umbrella and it’s not going to fly away.

It wasn’t just rain, though. After a few minutes of the pouring rain, it started to lightning as well. I made my way across town in spurts, stopping every few minutes to go in a store or stand under a large awning. I headed to Zeil, the main shopping street in Frankfurt. As it was almost night time shopping centers were really my only option for something dry and open. I stopped at Galeria Kaufhof Frankfurt An der Hauptwache. It was kind of like a Harrods or Saks with lots of floors and a food hall. I walked up to the panoramic top floor, but it wasn’t really an option to look out at due to the pouring rain.

After a few minutes of walking through I made my way next door to MyZeil. It was the coolest mall ever! I honestly have no idea what stores were in the mall, but I was just amazed by the architecture. It was curved glass and really hard to describe but here is a picture to help. I never thought I would think a mall in Frankfurt would be so cool but here we are! It was awesome, especially with the rain falling on it.

Eventually, the rain let up enough for me to walk to the idyllic old part of town, Römer. Römer is what a lot of Frankfurt looked like before World War II. It’s such a picturesque area and amazing to think what the city used to look like when it all looked like Römer. I also walked by the Frankfurt Cathedral which was obviously closed but very unique from the outside. From there I walked through the financial district of town, which Frankfurt is known for, on the way back to my hotel. I was still sopping wet from the rain, but it was definitely worth it to be able to see more of the city.

I arrived back at my hotel and after a long day and a lot of jet lag fell asleep pretty easily. I have a 7am train tomorrow to Luxembourg, but I had a great day exploring Frankfurt for the first time! I have a very mixed track record when it comes to visits to Germany, so I was very glad to have such a great trip to Frankfurt. I visited in the fifth grade on a choir trip with my mom and only remember good things about Germany, but my only other trip to the country was to Berlin with my brother last year. It was an absolute nightmare, and if you want my advice I would never visit Berlin if you have any choice in the matter. It is the only city in Europe I have truly had a horrible time in from start to finish. Not that it matters now, thankfully, because I had an incredible time in Frankfurt!

36 countries down, 160 to go.

To learn more about Le Meridien Frankfurt click here.