photo journal: switzerland holiday vibes

why is everything so much cuter in switzerland? i am slowly sorting through our photos from the holidays, and wanted to share a few favorites from around all of the different little villages and towns...

9 things to do during winter in paris

PARIS IN JANUARY
is pretty dang cold ... and likely rainy ... but honestly, it's still amazing and a little bit less crowded which is cool. for those of you who don't know, i studied abroad here 8 years ago so it holds a special little place in my heart. i haven't been back since, and i truly forgot how much i love this city. it feels so much like new york to me, with of course the chic european flare. coming here at 28 felt a lot different than being there at 20 – i appreciate the food scene much more than i ever did, and love all the new interesting things popping up around the city. 

TRAVELING TO PARIS ANY TIME SOON?
see our << FULL TRAVEL GUIDE HERE >> – but these are 9 of my favorite things we did on this trip...

• BRUNCH at holy belly [hipster tourist trap, but the food was good and it is fun spot to be]. if the line is too long, there is a cute cafe called le pouch or a juice bar next door.  biglove cafe is also a italian cafe worth checking out. 
• COFFEE: fragments espresso bar, kistune and boot cafe are all worth a visit for a caffeine boost 
• LUNCH: frenchie to go [get here early to grab a window seat] if you're in a rush or on a budget try l'as falafel
• TREATS: every bakery in paris is good, but these fancy eclairs are a fun treat to splurge on 
• COCKTAILS: cozy up at candelaria or le mary celeste
• DINNER: clamato or septime [and a drink before at the wine bar across the street] 
• BEAUTY SUPPLIES: city pharma  gets pretty busy and crazy, but it has the cheapest high quality products by far - stock up! biafine & biafine with SPF, A313 and bioderma facewash are some of my favorites. beware, most of the employees will not speak english with you – having pictures on your phone of what you want is helpful. 
• SACRE COUER & MONTMARTE: one of my favorite neighborhoods to wander. pop into a brasserie for a snack and glass of wine [tip, set your map to la maison rose to get to sacre couer – it's a much better way to walk]
• UNDERRATED PARK place des vosges park is in le marais and a fun change from the other more famous parks 
• FLEA MARKET [only saturday – monday]: for more tips on how to shop this awesome spot, visit our travel guide
   

Y O U  M I G H T  A L S O  L I K E:

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how to avoid the tourist trap at neuschwanstein castle

A LITTLE BACKGROUND:
this castle is straight up crazy. built on the side of a mountain deep in the german countryside, the 19th century romanesque revival palace was commissioned by king ludwig II of bavaria as a retreat, paid for out of his personal fortune [and other controversial ways]. we actually really enjoyed learning more about the king, they knew very little about him and what they did know can be read in more detail here. after his death in 1886 the castle was immediately opened to the paying public and since then more than 61 million people have visited here. 

GETTING THERE:
we rented a car out of munich, as we wanted the flexibility to stop along the way and it was cheaper than 2 train tickets. there are buses and tours running what seems like hourly – but i don't think this is the route you want to take. the tour groups seem very forced and crowded – i get anxiety just thinking about it. [car rental: $40 for the day and $6 for parking]

HOW TO AVOID THE TOURIST GROUPS:
when we read that there are over 1.3 million visitors per year, we were a bit hesitant to spend our time and money getting there to see it. [in the summer time this number gets up to almost 6,000 a day!] luckily, we were there in the winter and technical off season – but what's important to know, is that you can actually avoid 98% of the tourists by just getting a little active. if you take the time to hike up the trail, there are stunning views of the castle with absolutely no tourists. the only other people we encountered was a couple painting the castle with watercolors – my kind of crowd. 

GOING INSIDE:
we pictured the inside looking like your average stone-y castle and questioned whether paying to enter would be worth it. we often don't pay to go inside places unless it really feels right – because we're on a budget and it can be a waste of time. BUT, the inside of this place is EXTRAVAGANT and crazy and absolutely worth it. if you have time after the short hike, going on the inside tour is pretty nuts. you're not allowed to take photos, but a quick google image search will leave you inspired. 
 

^^ on the way home we stopped to try a local beer and cream cake... another perk to having your own means of transportation! 

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mini travel guide: munich, germany

BERLIN VS. MUNICH
earlier this year we visited our friends in berlin, a city notoriously known for it’s history, energy, creative culture and wild party scene [ check out our city guide here ]. munich on the other hand, quite honestly was never really on my radar. i had only heard tales of oktoberfest and mainly pictured lots of pretzels, lederhosen and steins of beer. opposite berlin in many ways, the city is more known for being the capital of bavaria, fairly strict, very clean, economically strong, and of course biergartens a plenty. i hadn't heard people rave about it nearly as much – that being said, we absolutely loved every minute of our time here and found it to be the most underrated western european city we visited. 

MUNICH HOLDS ON TO A COZY SMALL TOWN VIBE
with its charming old town and medieval, gothic & baroque buildings – it really puts on an impressive architecture tour. munich oozes with history and tradition, yet the war was far kinder on their 16th century buildings compared to most of germany. the creative scene here is strong  and growing, too. from interesting museums to concept stores to unique bars & restaurants, we are lucky enough to know some locals that gave us the insider's tour.

another huge perk for munich is their proximity to the alps and northern italy, both only a couple hours by car. on a clear day you can see the alps behind the skyline and the mountain culture is a big part of bavarian tradition. i immediately knew this would not be my last visit to this cool city and i am already looking forward to coming back.

SCROLL DOWN FOR OUR MINI TRAVEL GUIDE
 

CAFES

• cafe kosmos right next to the central metro station (Hauptbahnhof) and usually packed with locals grabbing drinks after work. 
• hoover & floyd Had cake here - supes coz
• cafe vorholzer great views of the city and is actually on the rooftop of a university building. it's amazing!
• schumann’s tagesbar OG cafe and long time local's favorite. great for morning coffee or an afternoon meal on their sunny terrace. 

BIERGARTENS & OTHER DRINKS:

• biergarten viktualienmarkt an absolute must – in the middle of it all and so so cozy. the currywurst (pictured) is out of this world!
• augustiner-keller biergarten with towering chestnut trees and outdoor seating for almost 5,000 people and many  lederhosen-clad locals eager to imbibe late into the night.
• hey luigi candlelit tables and great gin options. great vibes here and some of the best cocktails in town.
• waldwirtschaft 20 minutes south of city center, is this outdoor biergarten overlooking the valley and river with live jazz in the warmer months and the best spare ribs in town.
• goldene bar coffee, cocktails, meals or cakes... this place is awesome and one of our favorite stops. the coziest place to hang and relax, it’s right next to the surfing river, so i'd stop here before or after.

EAT

• dallmayr huge indoor market that has really good local delicacies. if the weather is bad, then this is a great place to stay inside and explore. there is a munich eataly now too and it's amazing! 
• königsquelle classic interior with a cozy outside patio, known for a really good schnitzel.
• fei scho vietnamese with a bavarian twist – very funky, hip and good!
• nudo italian fusion spot serving really good homemade dishes. great for lunch or a place to start your evening.
• pommes boutique typical belgian fries along with a long list of sauce choices and an organic currywurst that is delish.
• jodlerwirt kitschy bavarian bar & restaurant that has live music often and fun atmosphere for group dinners.
• super danke! creative juice and smoothie  shop with a couple locations around town.

* the metro system is very reliable and the best way to get around, they also have uber which is convenient too. 
 

EXPLORE

• englischer garten their equivalent of central park, but not as pretty in the winter months. There is an outdoor biergarten here called the seehaus which is pretty to sit at and have a beer on a warm day.
• lenbachhaus & brandhorst two really great museums with really cool exhibits, some modern and older stuff too. Munich has a few world reknown museums (alte pinakothek, deutsches museum, etc) but depending on your taste, you may find the older ones a bit boring.
• müller´sches volksbad a really nice bath house in a beautiful old building and area along the isar river.
• vikktualienmarkt daily food market and square, developed from an original farmers' market into a popular market for gourmets and more.
• eisbach the famous surfing river and you will find surfers here year round. can't leave without checking this out! 
• hike from schliersee to tegernsee take a 90 minute train (or rent a car) to the small village of schliersee and hike from lake to lake in the alps. it is beautiful and both towns are very cute.
• neuschwanstein castle ~2 hours by car or train, our next post will explain our visit here in more detail 
• christmas market: if you're visiting in the winter time, this is a must. read more about our 4 favorite european christmas markets here

HISTORY

• marienplatz the city's main square and where you can see the famous rathaus building.
• st. peter’s church munich's oldest church – climb the 306 stairs on a sunny day for some of the city's best city views.
• nymphenburg palace  200-hectare palace estate with ornate design, symmetrical baroque gardens and lots of history.

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5 things to do & see in salzburg, austria

salzburg! aka the home of mozart and sound of music. i would love to come back to this city in the warmer months, as our two days here were very cold and very rainy. that being said, it's worth popping by any time of year if you're in austria because it is very cute and the mountains are stunning. in my opinion, 2-3 days here is plenty. here are some must-do's if you're headed here. 

 1. WANDER THE OLD TOWN & GRAB A SCHNITZEL:
the cobble stoned streets are obviously adorable and never get old. get lost and stumble into a schnitzel spot. we ate here (Alter Fuchs) and liked it.

2. WALK UP TO THE VIEW POINT AT MONCHSBERG
the walk takes about 30-45 minutes and gives you great views over the entire city. depending on the weather, this might be a fun place for sunset. if it's rainy, it's a great thing to do before grabbing beers at augustiner bräu. which leads me to... 

3. GRAB BEERS AND SNACKS AT AUGUSTINER BRAU
in an old church, st. augustiner mülln monestary turned brewery (dating back to 1621!) these guys have it completely dialed in. with an outdoor beer garden, indoor beer hall & a couple of food stands... pick your mug size off the wall, buy a ticket for beer, rinse the mug out & bring it to the guy at the tap. prost! 

4. TAKE A DRIVE: DAY TRIP TO HALSTATT AND THE EAGLES NEST

• halstatt: the train is temping, but getting behind the wheel gives you the opportunity to stop and take pictures/explore wherever you want. we thought halstatt would be our highlight destination, then we ended up stopping in a completely random town in gosau valley after spotting a tiny pink church high on a hill and fell in love.
  our car was about $40 for the day. 
• eagles nest: we didn't get a chance to see it, but heard only great things. read more about the daily tours here. 

5. GET IN THE MOUNTAINS! 
it was too cold for us to hike, but mountains surround the entire city and it's clear that in the warmer months, this would be an amazing way to explore. we slept at a little bnb that was 4 minutes by train from city center and loved it – haus christine is in the beautiful countryside with mountain landscape views and the staff couldn't be kinder.