I had a great week in Germany and Switzerland and want to share photos from my time there, which capture better than words why I love these little getaways to Europe.
Spring Break Germany & Switzerland – A Photo Essay
We just wrapped up a nine-day trip to Germany and Switzerland. I ended up cancelling the Copenhagen part of the trip due to a family obligation…so stay tuned for the way we flew home, which was not on SAS.
Recall that my son headed to the Swiss Alps to go skiing while I stayed behind with my daughter at my in-law’s house in the Black Forest of Germany near the Swiss-French border. Augustine had a great time…a fabulous time, in fact. He’ll share about his experience in a future post.
But before he left we had a few days together. I spaced out my work so we could go into town for coffee or ice cream or go on long walks at night. One day we even rode bikes to Basel for coffee (Augustine has clearly outgrown his bike!). It was cold, but not wintery cold, and spring blossoms were starting to bloom. It’s such a nice part of the world and a place I hope to spend a lot more time in as I grow older.
With Augustine off to Switzerland, it was just Claire Marie and me. She was enrolled in a sports camp and spent each day from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm at the camp. That left me time to get most of my work done during the day and then spend time with her in the afternoon and evening.
Typically, I’d get up early and work from 7-9 am and from 9:30 – 2:00 pm. Then I’d make myself lunch and go workout…no break, even in Germany!
After exercising, I’d grab some döner for some post-workout protein, then enjoy an afternoon coffee before picking up Claire Marie.
I’ve not been able to take my daughter on the sorts of trips I took Augustine on when he was the “only” child, so this week began to make up for it. Even though it was just ice cream and walks, time is the currency of love and we certainly spent a lot of time together.
We also went Basel together on Palm Sunday to attend church, via train (since Claire Marie is too young for a nine kilometer bike ride) and had great time. However, after church when tried to get back, we found our train was canceled due to Vandalismus in Deutschland (“vandalism in Germany”), which made for a much longer trip back via tram.
Whenever I’m in Germany I walk so much more than when I’m in the USA…it’s “time-consuming” in the sense that it takes longer to walk a mile than drive a mile (duh), but I find it so much more fulfilling to log 20,000 steps a day without stepping onto a treadmill.
We’ll return to Germany this summer, where the kids will spend an extended period with their German grandparents. Until then, I’ll just dream of my restful days in Germany.
Is Basel your favorite city in Switzerland?
I still prefer Zurich, but Basel is a close second. Bern and Lucerne also aren’t bad (notice all are part of Germanic Switzerland).
Nice photos and thoughts.
THis is what Belize is for me.
Beautiful photos!
Germany is a great country with kids. Spent a lot of time in Munich in the Biergartens with playgrounds and great food. Such an underrated destination.
Love your photos. Brings back memories of when my kids were a little smaller.
What a wonderful spring break. CMK is growing so quickly and I’ll be looking forward to Augustine’s ski report.
The story behind the phone booths, which come with free national calls https://www.blick.ch/schweiz/totgesagte-leben-laenger-hier-telefonierst-du-gratis-und-anonym-id19957398.html
Very interesting. Thanks for sharing link.
Switzerland, a true wealthy railroad country, still remains one of the most livable places on the planet.
Assuming one can afford it, yeah.
Matthew seems to have found the best of both worlds, live across the Swiss border in Germany. Enjoying what Switzerland has to offer from time to time while paying German prices (unless that part of Germany is also expensive).
It is expensive, but not as expensive as CH.
I agree.
Indeed, Matthew Klint is a very lucky man. All the best to him and his family!
I think we all have those special places we keep going back to. Mine is Alaska and London. Going back to both again this summer.