Zurich ● Switzerland: University

The third and final day in Zurich was the prettiest by far. For the first time since we arrived in Europe, I actually was a little hot -- and believe me, it was a much welcomed change. Who would have thought May would be so cold over here?!

We kicked off our morning with a short uphill tram ride to check out the University of Zurich. The views from above were incredible. Besides the hundreds of students moving around the campus and grabbing lunch from the dining hall, it was hard to believe I was at a college. Definitely a far cry from the University of Florida.

After, we hopped on a different tram that took us as far south as possible. We walked the path back to the hotel, stopping to snap pictures of the flowers and sailboats around one of the popular parks. It seemed like everyone and his mother was out today in Zurich. I think they had all been waiting anxiously for just one solid day of no rain or clouds so they could lay out in the grass, run or boat.

Part way through the walk back to the hotel, we stopped at Cafe Odeon for drinks. The remodeled cafe was the place where Lenin originally developed many of his plans for the Russian Revolution. We ended the day with dinner at Cafe Schlauch, a small restaurant hidden behind a gate and a narrow walkway in one of the cobblestone alleys. The food was great, and the people were so nice -- something we've noticed pretty much everywhere in this city.

It's been real, Zurich. But now it's off to Lucerne in the morning! 

University of Zurich

Drinks at Cafe Odeon

Zurich ● Switzerland: Main Street

Zurich is the epicenter of beautiful people, well-tailored clothing and world-class shopping. Spending the day on Bahnhofstrasse on the left bank, I definitely had the full experience of all three. Sunday had been slow and quiet. But today it was crazy around lunchtime.

Later in the afternoon, we took a quick spin on one of the water taxis. The boat maneuvered under Zurich's low bridges and brought us out to the main lake. The views of the Swiss Alps in the distance looked better in person than they ever could on a postcard.

After four full days of too much good food, we decided to keep dinner simple. Attempting to "do as the locals do," we went to Coop, one of the major supermarkets in Zurich. We tried to do the whole self-serve you-weigh-it thing, but couldn't quite figure it out. And we certainly weren't going to use up one of our "Help Us We're Americans" cards on a problem like that. So we settled for some pre-packaged sushi (honestly, everything just tastes better over here) and ate it down by the water. 

To top off the night, we went to Jules Verne Panorama Bar for drinks. The swanky bar is inside an old observatory deck, 11 floors above the city. From our seats, we had a nearly 360 degree view of the Monday nightlife. Not at all a bad way to end the night.

Macarons from Sprüngli

The city by night

Zurich ● Switzerland: Intro

When I studied abroad two years ago, my friends and I planned on visiting Switzerland but ran out of time. This Eurotrip, I made sure both Zurich and Lucerne were on the itinerary.

Zurich was beautiful from the second we stepped out of the train station. And for the first time in three days, blue skies were trying to break through the clouds. The city is exactly as I imagined it -- cobblestone roads, winding alleys and amazing views from bridges that span the water.

For lunch, we stopped at a restaurant serving traditional Swiss fondue. From there, we went on our own personal walking tour and learned how quiet the streets of Zurich are on Sundays. After a nice Mother's Day dinner off of Bahnhofstrasse (the main road on the left bank), we stopped at another cafe closer to our hotel for a piece of cake. By the time we leave Wednesday, I'm convinced we will have eaten our way through the city. But when food is this good, you just have to do it.

View from the train to Zurich

Prosecco & Pear Fondue at Swiss Chuchi

Dachau ● Germany

One of the most infamous concentration camps from the Holocaust lies 2o minutes outside of Munich. From 1933-1945, thousands of people from all over Europe were sentenced to Dachau, stripped of their freedoms and tortured. 

Except for the occasional click of a camera or creak of a floorboard in the main living areas, there is an eerie quiet throughout Dachau. The camp is many things -- it's a symbol of sadness, suffering, tragedy and broken hearts. But it's also the best example of the powerful nature of hope and emotional strength in humans. 

Thousands died a horrible death at the hands of the SS at Dachau. But their memories live on through every flower placed along the gravel paths, every person who takes the time to visit the camp, and every person who leaves Dachau feeling the importance of peace and tolerance. More than anything, Dachau is a reminder to never allow a period of time as horrible as the Holocaust to happen again.

Wreaths left by countries to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust

Memorial at Dachau

Fence around Dachau

Last beer at the Hofbrähaus, one of Munich's oldest beer halls

Celebration in the city center after Bayern München won the championship

Schwangau ● Germany

The rain moved into Munich today, and it shows no signs of letting up anytime soon. I had really hoped to escape it by taking a day trip to Neuschwanstein Castle, about two hours outside of the city by train. Unfortunately, the clouds kept right up with the train. 

When we arrived at our stop in Füssen, we braced ourselves for a wet day. Two bus trips, a beer and a slippery walk later, we made it to the entrance of the castle, ready for our tour. The palace on the mountainside was built by King Ludwig II, who was declared mentally insane by the government less than a year after he moved into the castle. All of the rooms were surprisingly modern, and it was evident that he had spent entirely too much on the little details.

Once back in the city at night, I navigated through the subway system (and maybe asked a few police/locals for help) to meet up for drinks with my best friend Jordan and her UF study abroad group. I couldn't believe my luck that we happened to be in the same city overseas at the same time. It ended up being the perfect night at an Irish pub downtown, and it gave me the hope I needed to believe that life really can be fun post-college...

At the base of the town beneath Schloss Neuschwanstein 

Michelle, Jordan and I at the Irish pub. Love these girls :)

Munich ● Germany

Exactly two years ago, I studied abroad in Florence, Italy. Today, four days after graduating from the University of Florida, I returned to Europe to travel for 25 days through Germany, Switzerland, Italy and France.

The 9-hour flight felt surprisingly short. Before I knew it, I was in a taxi from the Munich airport passing the old Olympic stadium heading toward the city center. After arriving at the hotel, I found out my mom's flight was delayed in New York, causing her to miss her Berlin connection. While waiting, I ditched my bags and explored Munich for a few hours.

Once we settled in, we headed toward the city center for dinner. We ate at probably the most tourist-y restaurant possible (think Disney World). But hey, after a day of traveling we were starving.  

By the way, every single stereotype you've ever heard about German food is, in fact, 100% legit. If you're into beer, meat and cheese, Germany is your place. Luckily I was able to find a pasta dish with asparagus (apparently this time of the year is famous for great white asparagus). 

Like every country Europe, Germany brings to light a different way of life -- and I'm loving it so far.