Switzerland: A Hidden Gem of Natural Splendor

French, German, and Italian are common languages shared by both the Swiss as well as the Italians. There is a fourth language, Romansh, that is spoken by the Swiss in the Lombardy region of the country. Both countries rich in culture, yet vastly different given their history and geography.

Switzerland is by far one of my favorite country that I've not only visited, I had the good fortunate of living in during my graduate studies. This first trip had stops around Zurich and Geneva, visiting some friends of mine also living aboard from the U.S. Outside of the bustling large cities, the true gem of Switzerland are the Swiss alps, where you'll witness breathtaking views from Interlaken and The Surrounds, my favorite. Zurich is a much larger city than Geneva, I think of it more as the economic center of the country, where you find industry and more of a German language given the proximity to the German border. Geneva is more of an international city, hosting the largest global organizations on the planet, along with the beautiful Lake Geneva to explore and more French given the proximity to France's border. There's so much to do in both cities, I would suggest you visit both and determine for yourself which side of this beautiful country you enjoyed most:)

Now, of all the countries I had visited during my first European experience, I had the most fun in Italy. I'm not sure if it was a combination of me figuring out how to travel on my own in Europe, or pure exhaustion from the trip and starting to let loose, but Italy just blew me away. I'm thinking it was the terrific trip itinerary where I had time in Venice, Florence, and Rome. The major stops, and would certainly not suggest one overlook Milan or the eastern sea coast. But these three cities, along with day trips to Pisa and Tivoli. The incredible sites, food, music, people, and just overall culture struck me as the kind of lifestyle I would consider emulating. There's no wonder the Italians have some of the highest life expectancy in the world (average years 84). The Mediterranean diet, weather, lifestyle, mobility, and maybe the wine, who knows! I just thoroughly enjoyed these sites, taking in the modern and historical landscape, just check out those images of the colosseum. The photos from back in the day speak for themselves, just go!

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Grossmunster

Lake Geneva

Interlaken

Chamonix

Streets of Venice

Sunset Gondola Venice

Duomo (Florence Cathedral)

The Uffizi

Tower of Pisa

Colosseum

Trevi Fountain

Tivoli