Switzerland//Schilthorn & Summit High Breakfast

Our last day in Switzerland was jammed packed, because we were waiting for the perfect day (clear and sunny) to go to the Schilthorn viewing point. We woke up so early to go see the best view of the alps from the Schilthorn summit. Which included taking a cable car straight up the mountain side, which is not for the faint at heart. The summit has a panoramic view of the  Jungfrau, Mönch, &  Eiger peaks of the Alps.  While up there we got to experience at buffet breakfast at Piz Gloria, one of the world's highest revolving restaurants. It was crazy because your view was constantly changing, because we were constantly moving! It was such a fun experience. Did I mention that a James Bond Museum was there because on of the Bond movies was filmed there? Such a fun experience! Here are some of my favorite pics below! 

After we made it back down the mountain, we ended up making a last minute decision that was our favorite part of the trip. (it may or may not have involved flying over the swiss alps) Cannot wait to tell you about that in the next post! 

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Switzerland//Schilthorn & Summit High Breakfast
Switzerland//Schilthorn & Summit High Breakfast

Our last day in Switzerland was jammed packed, because we were waiting for the perfect day (clear and sunny) to go to the Schilthorn viewing point. We woke up so early to go see the best view of the alps from the Schilthorn summit. Which included taking a cable car straight up the mountain side, which is not for the faint at heart. The summit has a panoramic view of the  Jungfrau, Mönch, &  Eiger peeks of the Alps.  While up there we got to experience at buffet breakfast at Piz Gloria, one of the world's highest revolving restaurants. It was crazy because your view was constantly changing, because we were constantly moving! It was such a fun experience. Did I mention that a James Bond Museum was there because on of the Bond movies was filmed there? Such a fun experience! Here are some of my favorite pics below! 

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North Face Trail, Murren Switzerland
Murren, Switzerland: Trummelbach Falls
Murren, Switzerland: Trummelbach Falls

After leaving Rothenburg, Germany (see the amazing medieval cuteness here.) We headed south through the German countryside to Switzerland, which honestly ended up being one of our favorites spots of the entire trip. If you are considering a trip to Switzerland, just do it!! It is absolutely incredible. I planned the entire trip based off of recommendations from a few friends and family, but mostly through the Rick Steves Switzerland guidebook!! (If you don't know who Rick Steves is, read more about him here!! He is worth knowing about if you are traveling around Europe!! )

So unlike the rest of the trip where we moved from city to city, we decided to settle down in the charming village of Murren in the Berner Oberland Region overlooking the Lauterbrunnen Valley. If you are familiar with Switzerland, then we were really close to Interlaken. We stayed at Hotel Alpina for 4 nights and 5 days!! Would highly recommend that hotel! The views were absolutely incredible of the Swiss Alps. We arrived later Thursday night with just enough time to check in and grab dinner!! 

Storybook Village: Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany
Storybook Village: Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany

Rothenburg ob der Tauber, the quaintest, cutest, storybook town in the heart of Germany. I squealed multiple times throughout our time here just from all the cuteness. If it looks a little familiar, this town helped inspire the creators of the Disney movie Pinocchio! It also happened to not get bombed flat in WWII which helped preserve the medieval cuteness. There is a wall lining the entire city that we got to walk on, and the doors are big enough so a horse drawn carriage could fit through!! It was seriously just so charming. 

Mosel River Valley: Cochem, Germany
Mosel River Valley: Cochem, Germany

Our first day in Germany after we traveled to Kierspe (see more on Kierspe here.) We arrived in Cochem late that night after driving through lots of winding mountain backroads. One of the main reason's I picked the Mosel River Valley over the roaring Rhine River Valley was that it was closest to the Burg Eltz Castle that we wanted to visit, (to see all of its medieval glory click here. :) And also because it was less touristy and quieter. It casually has its own small castle on the top of the hill. Cochem is known for its wineries and because of that most of the wine is local! Its half-timbered traditional German architecture was incredibly quaint and beautiful and completely stole my heart! We woke up the next morning from our lovely hotel, Pension Gunter to head to the Burg Eltz Castle. After we returned we walked around Cochem and had a dinner & gelato date. Here are some of my favorites from our day in Cochem :)

Burg Eltz Castle // Germany
Burg Eltz Castle // Germany

To say all of my medieval castle finding dreams came true once we visited the Burg Eltz would be an understatement. Burg Eltz, an over 850-year-old intact castle just outside of Cochem, Germany, was like stepping into a medieval movie, but in real life.  Somehow since 1157 AD, this castle has remained untouched by wars and stayed within the same family for over 800 years!! CRAZINESS! Surrounded by forests that feel enchanted, and far away from any major city or roads, it is the real deal. I only wish I could show you pictures of the inside (photography wasn't allowed on the tour.) so you could see the grandeur and how crazy it was that everything was still intact. Chase and I hiked down the hill to see this glorious view of the Burg Eltz peeking through the trees. I definitely squealed multiple times just wondering how this place even existed still! Here are a few of my favorites. 

Kierspe, Germany & Cologne, Germany
Kierspe, Germany & Cologne, Germany

Hey guys! I can't wait to share all the fun memories from our trip to Europe a few weeks ago. We started off our European road trip through 3 different countries (well really, 4 countries, if you count Liechtenstein) by flying into Cologne, Germany and renting a car to travel to a tiny farm town named Kierspe. Going to the town that shares our last name has been on Chase's bucket list forever and it was SO FUN to knock that off!! We had to travel on the autobahn to get there which was an experience all in itself, but once we made it to Kierspe we quickly realized that there wasn't a whole lot here other than the Kierspe family crest and some cool road signs that said Kierspe! Haha but it sure was fun to walk around and explore the small downtown area, meet some locals and watch them laugh at us as they attempt to decipher our terrible German. 

Top 6 things to do and Restaurant Recommendations in Tampa!
Top 6 things to do and Restaurant Recommendations in Tampa!

Hey you! If you are reading this then you are most likely coming to Tampa for the National Championship Game (or here already in which case Welcome :))  where Clemson University and some other team that will not be named are playing :) Let me just say we are so excited about that! YAYYYYY!!! When Clemson beat Ohio State last week we were ecstatic! Then we were even more excited when we realized that all our Clemson Tiger family will be heading to Tampa where we have lived for the past 2 and a half years !! Chase and I are hosting our parents, brother, grandmother, in-laws, and two other couple friends in our small rental home, which will be a little cray cray but also an absolute blast!!  I know that this upcoming weekend will be jammed packed, and I would love to show each of you around individually, but think of this post as a "virtual tour" of things you should check out and restaurant recommendations just because I want you to get the most out of your experience in Tampa, and I know I always appreciate a good recommendation! :) Without further adieu, here are some of Chase and my favorite things to do in Tampa: 

Day 5 San Gimignano, Italy
Day 5 San Gimignano, Italy

San Gimignano Day 5

Before going on our trip I asked a lot of people advice on where to go while in Italy. I had so many people tell me to check out San Gimignano as a day trip from Florence. So after doing some research we thought it might be a really fun trip to see a little bit of the Italian wine country (which we unfortunately couldn't fit into this trip but gives us an amazing excuse to come back) and it definitely didn't disappoint . 

Day 3 &4 Florence, Italia
Day 3 &4 Florence, Italia

Once we arrived in Florence we quickly realized that we were not in small quaint town anymore, but in fact in a huge city with lots of cars and people. One of my first memories of Florence was walking up to the Duomo (the main cathothic church of Florence) and just being in awe of how massive and beautiful it is. The Duomo is located right in the heart of the city and can be seen from any street corner. That night before dinner we did a Rick Steves audio tour of Florence, grabbed dinner, and had some amazing gelato afterwards while seeing the Duomo lit up at night.