Jackson's first shave

 With a co-ed mixer looming, Jackson decided it was time to shave his "mustache!"  Exact date was Sept. 23, 2026...

2026 July Italy & Switzerland

 

We picked up the kids from camp and headed to the airport on Thursday. Our flight was scheduled for 6:30, so we were able to enjoy lounge access once again. The flight was slightly delayed, and we arrived in Rome around 12:30 p.m. The ten-hour flight felt especially long because it overlapped with our normal sleeping hours, and none of us slept very well.

After landing, we faced a long customs line and finally made it out around 2:15. Our host was waiting for us when we arrived at the apartment at about 2:45. He was incredibly kind and welcoming and gave us a tour of the apartment, which has two bedrooms, a kitchen, a living room, and three bathrooms.

After settling in, we headed out for gelato. The gelato place Ernesto had recommended was on the other side of the Vatican. Along the way, we passed beautiful plazas lined with pillars and sculptures. We also stopped at a grocery store to buy breakfast supplies before trying a nearby restaurant that Ernesto had recommended for dinner. The meal was excellent.

After dinner, Jackson, Will, and I decided to walk to Castel Sant’Angelo to watch the sunset. We strolled along the Tiber River and admired the beautiful bridges spanning the water. Jackson marveled at how, less than fifteen hours after leaving camp, he was standing beside the Tiber watching the sunset over Rome. It truly felt like another world.

The first tour I had arranged was a guided tour of the Colosseum at 8:30 the next morning. We left early and saw the long entrance lines, but our guide led us to a much shorter queue and began the tour. Although I had visited twenty years earlier with another guide, I appreciated even more the incredible engineering and craftsmanship of the Romans, who built this marvel nearly two thousand years ago.

We visited the arena floor and the second level while learning about the Colosseum’s history and how it survived into modern times. Our guide explained that the site was not fully protected as a museum until the 1980s, and one of his friends had even played hide-and-seek there as a child.

After the tour, we explored Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum. The views from the hill were spectacular. We then found a restaurant near the Colosseum called Nova and enjoyed another wonderful meal. In the afternoon, we wandered through Rome, visiting Trajan’s Column, the Trevi Fountain, and the Pantheon.

It was one of the busiest weekends of the year in Rome, and crowds seemed to be everywhere. Around three o’clock, we returned to the apartment to relax before heading out again for dinner at six. Our restaurant was located alongside the secret passageway the popes once used to escape to Castel Sant’Angelo when necessary. It was a charming place with an engaging waiter, and after dinner we climbed a nearby hill to watch another beautiful sunset.

On Sunday, I had planned a high-speed train ride to Naples and a guided tour of Pompeii. I had passed through Naples once before on the way to Capri, but that trip had involved a four-hour bus ride. This time, the high-speed train would take only an hour and twenty minutes. Traveling at speeds of up to 300 km/h, it saved us a tremendous amount of time.

We arrived at the meeting point right on schedule, where a bus picked up about twenty people for the tour. Pompeii is only about thirty minutes from Naples’s train station. Our guide, Francesca, was wonderful. She led us through the back entrance, avoiding the long lines at the main gate. The rear entrance is near the amphitheater and the training grounds.

After seeing the casts of the victims and hearing their stories, we came upon a beautiful stone street lined with ancient houses. It was an incredible sight. For a moment, I felt transported back two thousand years to a bustling Roman city. We stopped at several excavation sites and saw artifacts that had only recently been uncovered.

What impressed me most were the remarkably preserved frescoes on the walls and the intricate mosaics on the floors. It was amazing to see how much care the ancient residents put into decorating their homes. Walking against the flow of the crowds, we eventually reached the forum, the center of the city, before exiting through the main gate.

The harbor that once connected Pompeii to the sea now lies far inland. It seems that centuries of volcanic activity have raised the land, causing the shoreline to recede from the old city walls.

After returning to Naples, we grabbed a quick lunch and wandered through the old streets. As we explored, we came upon the Duomo, Naples’s magnificent cathedral. The building was beautiful and full of history.

Following our original plan, we headed back to Rome and arrived home around five o’clock. Will wanted to visit Castel Sant’Angelo, while the other three of us stayed at the apartment to rest.

Will managed to explore the castle without buying a ticket and also witnessed an Italian Air Force flyover celebrating the conclusion of the Rally di Roma. He returned with an amusing story: he thought he had spotted one of my Chinese coworkers from Texas Instruments. Vivian and I tried to figure out who it could have been, but in the end, we still had no idea. Although I had no intention of posting anything on social media to investigate, I remained curious.

On Monday, I was fortunate enough to secure tickets for a 10:30 guided tour of the Vatican Museums. By logging on right when the tickets were released, I was able to get a perfect time slot that let us sleep in and avoid waiting in line.

Our guide was a cheerful red-haired woman whom we immediately liked. Although I had visited the museums twenty years earlier, I was still surprised by how crowded they had become. At times, there was barely enough room to move. Fortunately, our guide carefully selected the highlights, allowing us to appreciate the most important works of art.

I especially enjoyed the classical sculptures and Raphael’s paintings in the Vatican rooms. By the time we reached the Sistine Chapel, however, all of us were ready to escape the crowds. The chapel itself was magnificent. We stood there admiring the astonishing realism and beauty of Michelangelo’s paintings while listening to stories about the rivalry and collaboration between Raphael and Michelangelo—history I had never known before.

After the tour, we rewarded the kids to stop at our favorite gelato shop, Gelateria del Monte. Their flavors were excellent.

We were very grateful that our host allowed us a late checkout at three o’clock, giving us time to return to the apartment, eat leftovers for lunch, and pack. We left around 2:30.

Thinking I had come up with a brilliant idea, I bought tickets for a hop-on, hop-off double-decker bus so we could enjoy one last tour of Rome on the way to the train station. Unfortunately, when we reached the bus stop, we learned that suitcases were not allowed onboard. Even though we had only one suitcase, the rule still applied.

So we split into two groups. Three of us boarded the bus, while Will carried the suitcase to the subway station and rode the metro to Roma Termini. In the end, everyone got what they wanted: he experienced Rome’s subway system, while the rest of us enjoyed the views from the top deck of the bus.

We arrived at Termini about an hour early, waited for our train, and then boarded for Florence.

We arrived at Florence Campo di Marte station and, after waiting a while for a taxi, decided to take the bus instead. The bus ride was longer than expected, making about fifteen stops before reaching our apartment.

The apartment was on the fourth floor and had three beds, with one in the loft. After checking in, we walked to a nearby restaurant for dinner since it was already after seven o’clock. Dinner was a little slow but, as always in Italy, very good. By the time we finished eating, it was around 8:30, so we strolled along the Arno River to catch the sunset. The river was beautiful in the evening light, and the bridges were crowded with people enjoying the view. We did not make it all the way to Ponte Vecchio that night and instead headed back to shower and get some rest.

The next morning, I had booked a bike tour through Tuscany with Giovanni from Fiesole Tuscany. We took an Uber back to Piazza Mino, where we met him. Giovanni was kind, gentle, and wonderful with the bikes. He was especially patient with Norah, who was still too small for an adult-sized electric bike. Her smaller bike had less assistance and was noticeably slower.

Tuscany is full of hills, and our tour began by winding through parts of Florence that still preserve traces of the ancient city. We saw Roman roads, the remains of an amphitheater, and old bath house. Giovanni led us along quiet back roads and pointed out Monte Ceceri, where Leonardo da Vinci is said to have experimented with his flying machines in his fifties.

As we climbed one hill, Giovanni pointed toward the homes of Dante and Beatrice, his first love. Near Dante’s house, he stopped beneath a fruit tree. I noticed black, pink, and yellow fruit hanging from the branches and asked what they were. He told us they were plums and picked several for us to try. They were the best plums we had ever tasted, growing wild along the roadside.

We continued to a church associated with Dante’s writings before stopping at a small farm to buy fresh bread, mozzarella, tomatoes, fruit, and vegetables. We then cycled to another farm surrounded by vineyards, olive trees, and kiwi plants. There, Giovanni prepared a picnic for us beneath the shade of the kiwi vines.

It was one of the highlights of the trip. We enjoyed a salad made from cucumbers, carrots, basil, and tomatoes, along with caprese sandwiches filled with fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil. The local wine completed the meal. It was such a special experience, and all of us thoroughly enjoyed the tour. We all learned to use olive oil generously.

Afterward, we went to a hill overlooking Florence from Giovanni's recommendation. We walked to bus number 7, rode back into the city, and then took the tram back to our apartment to rest.

Later that evening, we headed back out for gelato before walking from Ponte Vecchio to Piazza della Signoria, where we saw the replica of Michelangelo’s David. We also stumbled upon an outdoor symphony performance. The square was bustling with people who had gathered to listen to the music.

From there, we walked toward the Duomo. Tired from the day’s adventures, we stopped for dinner and waited for the evening light to soften. After dinner, we wandered around the cathedral square, where crowds had gathered to watch a soccer match between Argentina and Egypt. The excitement of the game energized the city.

As sunset approached, we climbed all the way to Piazzale Michelangelo. A talented street musician was performing an impromptu concert, and we sat on the steps listening to her sing while Florence slowly glowed in the fading light.

The Duomo towered above the city, dominating the skyline. Very few buildings rise above four stories, making the cathedral feel even more majestic. Watching the sunset from Piazzale Michelangelo became one of our favorite experiences in Florence and is something we would highly recommend.

We were unable to find a bus back to the apartment and ended up walking another two miles home. 

The transit day was the one I had been worried about for weeks. Because of construction work on the railway between Florence and Domodossola, we had to abandon the straightforward route and instead take slower trains with several connections.

Our day began with a thirty-minute tram ride to Florence’s main train station, followed by a high-speed train to Milan. We had an hour to wait at Milano Centrale, which is the most magnificent train station we have seen so far on this trip. We grabbed a quick lunch at Wagamama, where I had rice for the first time since leaving home, and it tasted surprisingly good.

From Milan, we boarded a regional train to Novara. The region around Novara is famous for its rice fields, and from the train windows we could see vast stretches of farmland covered in water. We had about forty minutes before our next train, and while Will walked to a nearby church, the other three of us enjoyed ice cream in the town square.

Our next train carried us from Novara to Domodossola. Along the way, we passed a beautiful lake that had a quiet charm of its own. Although it is only about one-seventh the size of Lake Como and far less famous, it looked absolutely lovely. We also saw smoke from a fire burning on a mountainside near the tracks. The scenery outside the train windows was spectacular, though much of the route wound through tunnels.

We arrived in Domodossola at 3:45 p.m., and the connecting bus to the next station was scheduled to leave just three minutes later. We grabbed our bags and sprinted through the station. At one point, someone ran toward us asking whether we knew where the bus stop was, but we did not think much of it until we realized that we ourselves were on the wrong side of the station.

After asking for directions, we took off running again. Just as we reached the correct bus stop, we watched the last blue bus disappear around the corner. We waved desperately, but the driver did not stop.

The next bus would not arrive for another forty-five minutes. We waited in the blazing sun. Although we were already in the Alps, the elevation was still fairly low, and it felt surprisingly hot.

Eventually, we boarded the bus to Spiez and then continued by train to Kandersteg. By the time we arrived, it was already 6:30 p.m. We had spent ten hours in transit, traveling on seven different segments of public transportation, and everyone was exhausted.

Kandersteg immediately struck us as beautiful. Our apartment was conveniently located just a few minutes from the train station, restaurants, and the supermarket. We headed out in search of dinner, but because it was high season, our first choice, Restaurant Ritter, was fully booked. Instead, we found a nearby Swiss restaurant, where we enjoyed our first traditional Swiss meal.

We ordered cheese fondue and soon discovered that Swiss fondue really is just melted cheese and bread. We ended up ordering extra vegetables as well. More importantly, we discovered Swiss cider and an incredible chocolate dessert. The meal turned out to be a wonderful introduction to Switzerland.

The next morning, we started late, leaving around nine o’clock after breakfast in the apartment. Our plan was a warm-up hike to a mountain hut that had just reopened after renovations earlier that year.

The hike from our apartment to the hut took about two and a half hours. The scenery was dramatic and spectacular. Towering rock faces rose thousands of feet above us, and wildflowers of every color lined the trail. We noticed dark purple droppings along the path and wondered what the animals had been eating. Waterfalls were everywhere, and we passed several of them as we climbed.

When we finally reached the hut, I was amazed by how comfortable and well equipped it was despite its remote location high in the mountains. I asked one of the staff members whether they had an English menu. Smiling, he replied, “No, ma’am—this is a Swiss hut.” Then he helped translate the German menu for us. It was the first country I had ever visited where I could not rely on either English, Spanish, or Chinese and truly needed help understanding the language.

We ordered cider and pastries, and the prices were surprisingly reasonable. Three pastries and cider came to only twenty Swiss francs. Curious, I asked one of the staff members how they transported supplies to the hut. He casually answered, “By helicopter.”

As luck would have it, while we were descending later that day, we actually saw a helicopter landing beside the hut.

While we rested, one of the staff members asked whether we had discovered the little pool just fifty meters away. We had not. It turned out to be a small basin formed by damming a mountain stream, perfect for soaking our feet in icy water.

Another staff member suggested that we continue twenty minutes farther to a viewpoint overlooking Oeschinensee. Since we had missed the lake on our earlier hike, we decided to follow her directions. The extra detour turned out to be one of the highlights of the day. Looking down from high above, we saw crowds gathered around the turquoise lake while we enjoyed the panoramic view in peace.

These unexpected discoveries made the hike especially memorable. On the return trip, we chose a different route through another part of town, bringing the total hike to about nine and a half miles.

Along the trail, we saw mostly German families with young children, along with many groups of Scouts. Curious, I asked where they came from. Some were from America, while others were from Paris. Kandersteg is home to an international Scout center, which explained why Scouts seemed to be everywhere.

Back in town, we stopped at Coop to buy groceries. It was packed with hikers and tourists. The day before, we had managed to secure a reservation at Restaurant Ritter for seven o’clock. After half an hour of rest, we headed there for dinner.

The food was phenomenal. I loved how beautifully each dish was presented. I ordered rösti with liver, Jackson chose schnitzel, Norah had pasta with meat sauce, and Will ordered a salmon poke bowl. Every dish was excellent. We finished the evening with ice cream, which was rich and delicious.

The following day, we chose a hike near Selden. Because the trailhead was inaccessible by public bus, we had reserved a private shuttle in advance, and they accepted cash only. We caught the shuttle at 8:50.

The small bus wound through tunnels and past waterfalls before dropping us off in a spectacular valley. We had two hiking options: one recommended by our host and another described in walking hiking website that led to a large glacier. We chose the glacier route.

The valley was surrounded by towering waterfalls, including one particularly impressive cascade fed directly by the glacier above. The beginning of the trail was relatively flat, but the final section climbed steeply up a rocky slope.

At the top, we were rewarded with breathtaking views of the enormous glacier. In the distance, we could see mountaineers using ropes and crampons as they made their way toward the mountain huts above.

It was one of the best hikes of the trip. We encountered very few other people, and the silence made the valley feel wild and remote.

Although we had originally booked the 5:10 shuttle back, we were able to catch the earlier bus and returned to Kandersteg ahead of schedule. After some rest, we headed to dinner at the Ruedihus.

Ruedihus is a beautifully restored three-hundred-year-old farmhouse that now serves as both a hotel and restaurant. Outside, there is a Ricola herb garden showcasing the plants local farmers once cultivated for medicinal purposes.

After dinner, we enjoyed one last stroll back through town before returning home.

On Saturday, we started our day by checking out of our condo. The apartment had been perfect for our trip, but checkout was at ten o’clock, so we packed up and left around 8:30, storing our luggage at the hotel in front of the apartment.

We headed to the Allmenalp cable car and rode the steep lift up the mountain. As we climbed, we spotted people scaling the cliffs on the rock face. This is what the locals call a via ferrata. Once at the top, we took a short hike across the valley. The scenery was magnificent: towering mountains, high alpine meadows, and the constant music of cowbells echoing through the air.

Paragliders seemed to favor this spot as a launch site. We watched one man carefully prepare his equipment and then effortlessly glide into the sky. Soon afterward, several more followed. It was amazing how easy they made it look.

After finishing the hike, we took the cable car back down. We had hoped to ride another cable car to Gemmi Pass, but the bus had just departed, and the next one would not arrive for another forty-five minutes. Instead, we walked back into town and had lunch at Restaurant Ritter once again. I loved the restaurant so much that I could not resist returning one last time.

Over lunch, we reassessed our plans and decided to continue directly to Zurich and explore the city there. After the meal, we picked up our luggage and headed to the train station.

Our original plan had been rather ambitious. We intended to travel to Spiez, take a boat across Lake Thun, continue onward, and eventually make our way to Zurich. When we arrived in Spiez, we found a bus heading toward boat dock. 

Unfortunately, once we reached the dock, we discovered that the boats departed only every two hours, and the next sailing was still an hour and a half away. Once again, we had to change our plans. To make matters worse, we now had to drag our luggage uphill from the lakeshore to the train station. We hurried as fast as we could and managed to catch a train just in time.

Eventually, we arrived in Zurich and checked into the Hyatt Place at The Circle near the airport. After settling into the hotel, we looked for ways to make the most of our brief stay in the city and decided on a short boat cruise on Lake Zurich.

Even that small adventure involved some confusion. We had to switch trains and find the correct tram platform, but we could not locate it until the tram suddenly appeared. We ran after Tram 11 and jumped aboard just in time to reach the boat dock.

The boat ride was delightful. We saw people swimming, relaxing along the shore, and enjoying the lake from every angle. Watching so many locals spending time in the water made us decide that next time we visit Switzerland, we should definitely set aside time for a swim.

After the cruise, we stopped at a nearby ramen restaurant for dinner and then climbed Lindenhof Hill to watch the sunset over Zurich. As darkness fell, we walked back to the Hyatt and settled in for our final night abroad.

On Sunday, our flight was delayed by two hours. Surprisingly, the delay worked in our favor, giving us enough time to enjoy breakfast in the Primeclass Lounge. Thanks to my American Airlines card, we were able to get in.

And just like that, our trip came to an end.

Over the course of the journey, we explored ancient ruins in Rome, wandered through the streets of Florence, biked through the Tuscan countryside, crossed northern Italy by train, hiked among glaciers and waterfalls in Switzerland, and watched unforgettable sunsets over cities, lakes, and mountains.

There were crowded train stations, missed buses, language barriers, and long days of travel, but those challenges became part of the adventure. Looking back, what I will remember most are the moments we shared together: soaking our feet in icy mountain water, listening to music in Florence, marveling at Rome’s history, and discovering places that felt impossibly beautiful.