2018 Highlights

I’m a little late on this, but given I wasn’t the best at keeping up with blogging this year, I wanted to do a quick roundup of some of the highlights of our 2018.  It was our first full year living in Geneva, Switzerland after moving here in September of 2017, and we finally started to feel settled in.  After back to back winters, moving from the Southern hemisphere at just the wrong time, the spring and summer felt magical as we took to exploring the nearby Alps, both on our own and with the help of friends and family that came and visited.  I could go on and on about all we did and learned this year, but I’ll do my best to keep it brief with the help of lots of photos.

January – Ringing in the New Year in Scotland

We traveled to Scotland, to experience their New Year’s festival called Hogmanay.  This was my second time at Hogmanay, after making a first trip back in 2012 with my friend Jenn.  I was a little worried that the experience might not live up to my memory, but I wasn’t disappointed at all.  I got the chance to take Matt back to the spot where I scattered my Grandpa Richie’s ashes (near Arthurs seat in the Holyrood park), and we marched in the Torchlight parade before singing Auld Lang Syne at Midnight while watching fireworks above the castle.  Not a bad start!

February – Trying to find our Ski legs

Geneva in the winter can feel like an absolute ghost town.  This is especially true on weekends, when nearly everyone leaves the city behind in favor of the Alps.  Despite our upbringing in the flat lands of Indiana and Ohio, we decided to try our luck on the slopes.  It wasn’t pretty, but we found an alternative motivation for flocking to the mountains – sun.  Geneva tends to be very gray during the winter months, but if you drive high enough, you can get above the clouds and bask in the sun.

March – Rainy but delicious Lisbon

In an attempt to get some warm weather, we made a weekend trip to Lisbon, Portugal.  Our plan was somewhat thwarted by some unseasonable rain, but we managed to make the most of the trip. We joined a food tour, and tasted our way through the streets of the beautiful Alfama neighborhood. We got to try lots of different seafood dishes, including anchovies and cod, as well as some delicious egg tarts called Pastel de nata, a favorite in Portugal. In the evenings we got to enjoy some amazing views while relaxing in our Airbnb.

April – Easter in Cinque Terre and a return to Prague

In April we finally got our first real taste of Spring and Summer on the horizon when we headed South to Italy for the long Easter weekend.  We made the drive from Geneva in about 6 hours, and parked the car just outside the car free village of Riomaggiore. Our Airbnb was perched on (and partially in) a Cliffside, with incredible views out over the sea below – the perfect place to enjoy a glass of wine after a day of exploring.

There was plenty to explore too.  Cinque Terre means Five Lands in Italian, and along the coast there are 5 picturesque towns, each connected by a network of trails and roads.  It’s possible to walk between them all, which is exactly what we did one day.  The path wound up and down the hillside, dipping down into each town before climbing again to reach the next.  While there is one more “famous” trail, I’d definitely say don’t get caught up in following this path.  All the trails offered equally beautiful views, and the lesser known ones were much less trafficked.  We got an early start and avoided the crowds for most of the hike, but by the time we got back on the trail between Vernazza and Monterosso al Mare, the trail had become very clogged up.  We took the train back, and enjoyed some Aperol Spritzes at a Cliffside bar back near Riomaggiore.  They were still skiing in Switzerland, but our trip to the coast reminded us that summer was just around the corner!

 

At the end of the month, we also squeezed in another trip to Prague, one of our favorite cities.  I had a mid-week meeting, so we tagged on a few extra days and made a long weekend of it.  Prague is full of beautiful architecture, delicious beer and great museums.  Read more about our first trip here.

May – Tuscany with the Mahons, and a trip to the U.S.

May brought the first of many visitors to come over the summer, my college friends Kelly and Terence Mahon.  After showing them a bit of Switzerland and neighboring France, we headed south once again to Italy.  We flew into Rome, where we rented a car to make the beautiful drive through the Tuscan countryside.  After escaping the chaotic traffic in Rome, the landscape morphed into lush, rolling hills.  We took our time, stopping to take in the views and for an incredible lunch in Montepulciano as we made our way to the town of Greve in Chianti.   I had images in my mind of what Tuscany would be like, and Chianti lived up to them.  Our bed and breakfast was a working vineyard and organic farm, with incredible views out over the surrounding hillsides. We took some day trips to nearby villages, and spent one morning taking a cooking class from the B&B owner and her mother.  Good food, good wine, good views and great friends – this lunch set the bar pretty high.

On the way home, our flight from Rome was cancelled, leaving us to adjust our plans.  Fortunately, we found out while still in Chianti, and were able to return our rental car in Florence, squeeze in quick tour of the city and then train home via Milan.  The stop in Milan afforded us the chance to pop into Luini, a bakery in the center of the city which serves up what Matt has touted as his favorite ever bite – the Panzerotti.

In late May, we hopped back on a plane, this time for a slightly longer journey back to the United States.   It’s always hard trying to see so many people in such a short window of time, but we were lucky to still have a fun, relaxing trip.  My cousin Jake got married, which was a great excuse to get all the cousins back together for some fun.  We then made our way over to Ohio, to visit Matt’s family before splitting up for weekends with our friends.  I headed north to Put-In-Bay, an Island outside Cleveland on Lake Erie, and Matt headed south to Nashville.  As always, the trip went by too fast, but it was worth every minute of jet lag to get to spend some quality time with our favorite people.

June – Hikecation with Bonnie

I will spare you the details, since I have a separate post about Bonnie’s trip to Switzerland, but suffice it to say that this week was one of the highlights of the year.  We had amazing weather and really whet our appetite for a summer full of exploring trails across Switzerland and France.  We already have round two on the books for 2019!

July – Anniversary Trip to Croatia

In July, we snuck in a long weekend getaway to Croatia, one of our favorite places.  After taking a road trip along the coast in 2013, we had been itching to get back and to explore the Islands.  We set our alarms for 3:45 AM, to catch a direct flight into Split, hopped a ferry and found ourselves on the beach by early afternoon.  Vis Island was the perfect place for a relaxing getaway.  Breathtakingly beautiful, yet unpretentious – it was right up our alley.  There was plenty of fresh seafood to be had, and we spent our days exploring several of the Island’s beaches and swimming in the almost unbelievably blue water. Before flying home, we watched the World Cup finals with a few new friends back on the mainland.  Croatia didn’t manage to pull off a win, but that didn’t stop the local fans from lighting off every flare and firework in the country.

August – Lucerne, Lake Como and Chamonix with my Parents

In August, my parents made the journey to visit us.  My dad made a trip last December as part of some work travel, but this was the first time both of them had been to see our new home, and we were excited to share it with them.  After a couple days in Geneva, we headed off to Lucerne, Switzerland, to explore another part of the Swiss Alps. While Mt. Pilatus is perhaps a more popular option, we were advised that it would be extremely crowded the day we were visiting, and provided less trail access.  We were happy with our decision to change our plans to visit Mt. Rigi instead. We took a train up to the top of the mountain, before taking a scenic hike overlooking Lake Lucerne.   Afterwards, we stopped back along the lake front for a quick bite to eat and a dip in the lake.

Next up was Lake Como.  Matt headed back to Geneva and my parents and I hopped on a train bound for Lugano, Switzerland, a town just across from the Italian border.  From there, we took a harrowing bus ride along a windy, narrow rode that took us to the town of Menaggio on Lake Como.  We arrived just in time for a massive heat wave, with temperatures hovering in the 90’s each day.  Fortunately we were never far from the water, and there was no shortage of Gelato to help us cool down.  Our Airbnb required a long walk up lots and lots of cobblestone stairs, but we were rewarded with some beautiful views over the lake.  Across from Menaggio on a small inlet in the lake, sits the town of Bellagio, which is accessible by ferry.  We took the ferry across and spent an afternoon exploring the picturesque streets, and escaping the heat in a quaint wine bar.  By night, we dined on the lake front and sampled gelato.

For the final leg of my parent’s visit, we headed to the French alps for a day trip to Chamonix.  This town was quickly becoming one of our favorites, just an hours drive from Geneva and chock full of amazing trails, good food and views.  We did a day hike across the Balcon Sud (south balcony) trail, which offers some great views of Mont Blanc, and enjoyed an evening in town.

Throughout the rest of the month, we continued to explore trails and fell more and more in love with the Chamonix valley.  I completed my second trail race, a half marathon in France, and continued training for a longer race I wanted to try at the end of the summer. It was a great excuse to use our weekends to get outside and explore.

September – The TMB, Friends in Switzerland and a trip to Spain

Sometime in the summer, I got the idea in my head that we could use a long holiday weekend in early September to hike the Tour du Mont Blanc trail – 100 miles that links France, Italy and Switzerland, leading around the Mont Blanc massif.  You can read more about our journey here, but suffice it to say it was exhausting and exhilarating.

Just after returning from our hike, we had more visitors on the way. We were happy to continue playing tour guide as long as it meant weekends hiking in Switzerland and Chamonix.  First up, we welcomed my friends Shannon and Josh, who made a stop in Geneva as part of a longer Europe trip. After a mini Xavier volleyball reunion in Geneva with Emily Mayers, who had just moved to nearby Monthey Switzerland, we took my friends Shannon and Josh for a weekend trip to Chamonix.  I multi-tasked a training day with a fun hiking day, by having Matt drop me off outside of town so I could do a long run up and over the mountain to meet everyone on the other side for another hike across the Balcon Sud. As usual, Chamonix did not disappoint, nor did the breakfast spread of French goodies the morning after at our Airbnb.

Shannon and Josh headed onward for the rest of their trip, but we weren’t lonely long because the next day my friend Jenn arrived for a week-long visit.  We split her trip in 2 parts, traveling in Switzerland, France and Spain.  First, drove over to Bernese Oberland for a few days, to hike in Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen where we happened upon a cow parade.  Yes, that’s right – each year when the farmers bring their livestock down into the valley for the winter, they dress the cows in extravagant costuming and lead them down a trail.  We had no idea what we were in for, but it sure made an already incredible hike even more memorable. After a quick day trip back to Chamonix (are you seeing a pattern), we flew south to Barcelona for one last blast of summer weather and lots of delicious food.

October – My first Ultramarathon & Via Ferrata

Again, you can read all the gory details in a separate post, but this was definitely a memorable experience.  Between the beautiful scenery and accomplishing something I never thought I’d even attempt, the weekend we spent in the Italian Lakes district was a great cherry on top of a long, lovely summer of hiking and trail running.

We also took advantage of some last warm weekends to try our first Via Ferrata.  Via Ferrata means Iron Path, and basically refers to a trail which makes use of iron hand and foot holds to allow you to move across rock walls, while clipped into a harness.  Our friends Dave and Alex led us across a beautiful one atop Chamonix, which included a walk across a wire bridge with incredible valley views in the background.

November – Friendsgiving

Living abroad means you miss out on some of your favorite holidays and traditions.  When we moved to Switzerland last year, we made a point of bringing Thanksgiving back, even if it meant learning to do a few things ourselves.  This year, instead of hosting, we joined a group of new friends in Chamonix for a feast.  We brought some side dishes and everyone chipped in on the cooking.  About half of the guests were American, and we managed to convince the others that all traditional Thanksgiving meals begin with a recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance, which we said with gusto.  After dinner, Matt and I shared one of our favorite games from the Dunham’s Thanksgiving, which involves dice and fighting over gifts.  We topped off the weekend with one last hike, which turned snowy, reminding us that winter was on the way.

December – Home for the Holidays

After a 2 year hiatus, it was time to make it home again for the holidays.  This time of year can be hectic, and our trip did involve quite a bit of moving around, but it was worth every minute in the car and on the plane to get to share the holidays with our friends and family.  We capped off the trip with another family wedding, celebrating my cousin Shelby and her new husband Kyle.

And that’s a wrap! It’s hard to believe all of this fit within the space of a year, and we’re already excited for the new adventures and challenges that 2019 is bringing us.  I’m writing to you now from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia where we’re starting the year off on a sunny note!  More to come on our Asia adventures soon, but for now, wishing everyone a great start to the year 🙂