Vermont in the Fall: Mini Guide

We’ve been lucky to visit a lot of beautiful places in New England since we moved to the east coast, but Vermont in the fall tops them all. Both times we’ve gone the second weekend in October and were blown away by the fall colors.

Our first year we stayed in Killington and planned to spend most of our time in Woodstock (I’d actually recommend staying outside of the main towns you want to visit. Not only can it save you money, it also bakes in fall drives). It wasn’t quite peak in Woodstock, so we drove up to Stowe one of the days and the color was amazing there. This year we stayed in Ludlow and the color was pretty close to peak, so we spent most of our time in Woodstock, and also crossed the state border into New Hampshire to check out Dartmouth College.

Woodstock

Downtown Woodstock: the cutest shops! My favorites are Woody’s Mercantile, Clover Gift Shop, F.H. Gillingham & Sons, and The Yankee Bookshop.

The Village Butcher: We loved their sandwiches on sourdough bread! They’re labeled “Village Butcher Shop” on Google Maps. Check the hours online before you go, when we were there they were closed Sundays and Mondays.

Mon Vert Cafe: My favorite lunch spot in Woodstock. They also have baked goods. This spot draws long lines, so I’d go right when they open or try placing a pickup order while you shop around town. Check the hours online before you go, they aren’t open every day of the week.

The Foundry at Summit Pond: a great dinner spot outside of Woodstock in Killington. It’s pricer but we’ve shared plates family style so we could try multiple things on the menu. Call in to make a reservation.

Stowe

Smuggler’s Notch: Such a beautiful drive!

Stowe Recreation Path: My favorite thing we did in Stowe. We just picked sections of the path to walk and it was so dreamy with all the leaves falling down.

Gondola Skyride at Stowe Mountain Resort: This activity is on the pricer side, but seeing the fall colors from a bird’s eye view is pretty magical, especially if you’re there on a clear day.

Historic Downtown Stowe: Some fun shops and a beautiful historic church. We found a ton of Maple themed things in one of the stores—pretty much every kind of syrup imaginable.

Switzerland 2022

Switzerland has been at the top of my bucket list for years, and it was one of those places that overdelivered on my expectations. We lucked out with great weather for the majority of the trip and were so charmed by Swiss culture. I feel so lucky that I was able to experience this travel dream in real life!

We were there the last weekend of August through Labor Day, or ten days total (eight and a half if you don’t count time flying). Switzerland is a small country, so it was easy to do everything we wanted to in that amount of time. We basically did one big loop: Zurich, Lucerne, the Jungfrau Region, Zermatt, then back to Zurich to fly home.

We got the Swiss Travel Pass which allowed us to take trains and public transit throughout the country (we got our passes at the Zurich airport once we landed, but you could save time by getting them online in advance). It may have been cheaper to book individual train rides, but the travel pass was worth it to me because it was so convenient to not have to stop and get individual tickets or plan a ton in advance. We’d just hop on a train or local light rail and have our travel passes ready to show to a conductor when they came by. Swiss public transit is so efficient and we only experienced 1-2 delays the whole time we were there. Plus, all the trains had giant windows that let us soak in the beautiful views. We didn’t get in a car the whole time we were in Switzerland!

Swiss flag outside the Sphinx Observation Terrace, entrance included in the “Jungfraujoch – Top of Europe” pass

Zurich

We spent time here mostly because we flew into and out of Zurich. If I could redo the trip, I would skip our first night in Zurich and just train to our next destination. A half day in Zurich is fine in my opinion, unless you want to explore away from the city center (which we didn’t, so I can’t speak to that). All that said, everywhere in Switzerland is beautiful and it was so fun walking around Old Town Zurich. We went to Babu’s Bakery & Coffee House for breakfast the first and last mornings of our trip and it had the coziest atmosphere.

Swiss windows above some restaurants in Old Town Zurich

Lucerne

We did two days in Lucerne but we probably could have spent one day there and done all the things we wanted to do. It’s about an hour train ride from the Zurich airport so it would also make a good first stop if you’re flying into Zurich.

One thing we learned while we were there is that each canton (or state) in Switzerland has its own bread, so it was fun going to bakeries across Switzerland to see what kind of baked goods they had. Lucerne had a ton of bakeries and they had my favorite types of baked goods out of all the areas we visited.

Walking around Old Town Lucerne

Gelato from 10’ Dieci Gelati & Caffè in Old Town Lucerne

Chapel Bridge & Old Town: Lucerne is SO CUTE. Chapel Bridge is in the center of the city and covered in flowers during the summer.

View of Lucerne from Nölliturm tower

Musegg Wall & Towers: Nölliturm tower has an open viewing platform so you can get a bird’s eye view of the city. It’s a bit of a walk from the city center, but it’s free to climb the towers and I thought it was worth it for the views.

Lake Lucerne

Lake Cruises: Most lake cruises are included with the Swiss Travel Pass, so we took a boat ride over to some neighboring lake towns one of the afternoons we were there.

Mount Pilatus Golden Round Trip Tour: This is a loop journey from Lucern to Mt Pilatus and back. You take a series of gondolas, cogwheel trains, and a boat ride (although the boat schedule was operating at half capacity the day we were there, so we took the train back instead). The Swiss Travel Pass gives you a small discount on the Golden Round Trip Tour ticket. If you only do one day in Lucerne, you could do this first thing in the morning and you’d still have time to walk Old Town Lucerne afterwards. However, I felt the scenery in Jungfrau and Zermatt was better, so if I had to skip one paid activity from our trip, this would be the one I’d cut.

Jungfrau Region

If I could only do one thing from our Switzerland itinerary, it would be Jungfrau. It’s hands down the prettiest place I’ve ever been. I think three days is the perfect amount of time to spend in this region. We did four, but I got sick one day and we still got to do everything we wanted to do. We got the Jungfrau Travel Pass for the days we were there and that got us onto all the gondolas and cogwheel trains (the Swiss Travel Pass gives you 50% off gondola rides but they’re still expensive even with the discount, so it was worth it to get a Jungfrau Travel Pass which got us unlimited rides in the region). You also get a small discount on the Jungfrau Travel Pass with the Swiss Travel Pass. 

We stayed in Wengen and LOVED it. The prettiest views right from our hotel and it just felt less touristy since they don’t have cars there. We were really glad we stayed in Wengen over some of the bigger towns like Grindewald.

Lauterbrunnen

Lauterbrunnen: a pretty mountain village with waterfalls. Definitely worth taking the cogwheel train to. You can also access Mürren and Wengen from Lauterbrunnen, both are cute no-car mountain villages with beautiful views of the surrounding mountains.

View from the gondola ride up to Grindelwald-First

Grindelwald-First: We did the Bachalpsee hike and the “first cliff walk” by Tissot.

Paragliding: I got sick the day we were supposed to go so my husband went on his own. He loved it but we later saw people paragliding from Grindelwald-First and Lauterbrunnen and we thought those locations would have had even better views than where he went in Interlaken.

View from the Männlichen gondola stop at the start of Panorama Trail

Panorama Trail: This was my favorite hike of our trip. If you start on the Männlichen end and hike to Kleine Scheidegg, it’s a downhill walk (you can hop on a cogwheel train at Kleine Scheidegg so you don’t have to double back to the start of the hike). You could hear cowbells ringing down the mountainside pretty much the whole hike—it was so dreamy! If you don’t want to hike, the views were incredible just from the Männlichen gondola stop, and the cows seemed to congregate there as well. There’s also a really cool playground at the gondola stop if you’re traveling with kids.

View from the Sphinx Observation Terrace, entrance included in the “Jungfraujoch – Top of Europe” pass

Jungfraujoch – Top of Europe: A train ride that takes you to Europe’s highest railway station. Once at the top, it’s like a winter wonderland. Some snow sports are available, or you can walk through the ice caves (included in the ticket price) and walk through snow to take a photo with the Swiss flag.

Zermatt

Zermatt was a close second for me after Jungfrau. It had my favorite city center of all the towns we visited, and beautiful scenery. We did two days in Zermatt, which worked out well because it was rainy and cloudy the first day we were there and we couldn’t see the Matterhorn at all (the clouds cleared the next morning and we were able to get a better view). We were also on the last leg of our trip so it was nice to take this area at a slower pace. But one day is enough to see Zermatt’s highlights if you’d rather add more cities to your itinerary. We stayed city center and it was totally worth it! We loved walking the town and listening to the local church bells chime the tune to “Three Blind Mice”.

View of the Matterhorn from Gornergrat, close to the Riffelberg train stop

View from the top of Gornergrat

Blacknose sheep on Gornergrat

Gornergrat round-trip train ride: This was my favorite paid activity we did in Switzerland. It’s a hop on/hop off train ride that takes you to the top of Gornergrat, a mountain next to the Matterhorn. Each train stop offers a different view of the Matterhorn and/or opportunities to hike. Once you’re at the top, you get a final grand view of the Matterhorn, plus a 360 degree view of the surrounding mountain range. It was seriously so stunning. In the summer, there’s also a flock of Blacknose sheep that you can find through their GPS tags. We hopped off the train to follow the sheep in the morning, and then did a little hike to get up close to them in the afternoon before hopping back on at another train stop.

Say Cheese!: We saved fondu for Zermatt because we heard they do it best there, and it ended up being our favorite meal of the trip. We got a cheese fondu pot for dinner and a chocolate fondu pot for dessert. We were able to get a reservation same day, but I’d recommend booking in advance just in case. One thing to note about Switzerland is that food is really expensive. $100 was a typical dinner bill for the two of us, and most of the meals we ate were pretty average (i.e. we weren’t trying to splurge on good food, that’s just how much a normal sit down meal cost there). Switzerland is a hodgepodge of the cuisines that come from neighboring countries, so even locals we talked to agreed that you can get better food on the other side of The Alps. I liked this place because the food was good, plus it felt like we were paying for a quintessential Swiss experience, since fondu actually did originate in Switzerland.

Nikon F100 and Yashica Mat 124G on Kodak Portra 400 film.

Film Favorites: Maine 2022

Maine has been on our bucket list for a long time, and it definitely lived up to its “vacationland” tagline. We did a five day road trip along Maine’s coast, stopping in a bunch of little towns, including Portland, Bar Harbor, and Acadia National Park. Every town was so cute and charming, and the drive was beautiful—Maine is definitely in my top three favorite east coast destinations! Here’s a list of the best things we did on our trip:

Portland: My favorite part of Portland was the Portland Head Light. We went in the afternoon to avoid rainy weather later in the day, but I’d love to go back someday for sunrise or sunset (and hopefully fewer crowds!). We loved climbing down on the rocks to the right of the light house and sitting while listening to the waves come in. We also walked along the cliff path to the left of it, which in my opinion, delivered the best views for photos. We got donuts at The Holy Donut for breakfast and checked out the nearby town of Kennebunkport for lunch.

Acadia National Park: We went to Sand Beach and Thunder Hole, biked the Carriage Roads, got popovers and blueberry lemonade at Jordan Pond House, and hiked Beehive Loop Trail.

Bar Harbor: We rented a room at The Central House, which ended up being the perfect location. It was within walking distance from everything we wanted to do in town. Bar Harbor had my favorite main street of all the towns we visited, with plenty of shops, restaurants and ice cream places. There’s also a beautiful park that overlooks the harbor. We watched sunset from the docks one night, and walked The Shore Path overlooking the water.

Pentax 645n and Nikon F100 on Kodak Portra 400 and Ilford HP5 film.

Boston Mini Guide

I’ve only been to Boston a few times on short weekend trips, so I’m calling this a “mini” guide. Here’s a list of things I’ve done and liked when I’ve gone:

Things to do in Boston:

Freedom Trail: A 2.5 mile walk that connects sixteen Revolutionary War historic sites. If you ever get turned around, just look for the red brick line that cuts into the middle of the sidewalk and you’ll know you’re heading in the right direction. We followed a map online when we went, but it would be cool to download a walking tour podcast to listen to.

Boston Public Garden: A beautiful spot in the city. It would be fun to do a picnic lunch here! Don’t miss the Swan Boats at the pond if you’re there in summer months (you can actually ride them and it’s not that expensive! I’ve never ridden them before but it looks like it would be a fun experience for little kids). There’s also a Make Way for Ducklings sculpture based on the children’s book, since the story is set in the garden and other parts of Boston. Boston Common and the Boston Public Library are also within walking distance from the garden.

Harvard Square: There are lots of fun restaurants and shops in this area, and Harvard’s campus is just across the street. We liked visiting Harvard Book Store and grabbing lunch at SOURCE.

USS Constitution Museum: Another free activity! The USS Constitution is the oldest ship in the world still afloat. You can walk through all the levels of the ship and hear from guides about its history.

Kayak the Charles River: The best thing we’ve done in Boston. You can rent canoes or paddle boards as well, but we rented a double kayak and got a lower rate by going in the evening. This is a really fun way to see the city, especially if you’re going during the summer months.

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: Not your average art museum! Although I like visiting art museums, the interior of the building itself is what first made me interested in going. Then I learned that the biggest art heist in modern history took place in this museum in 1990. Thirteen works of art were stolen and the thieves just cut the canvases out from their frames. The mystery of who stole the art has never been solved, and the art has never been recovered. You can still see the empty frames from the robbery on the walls. There’s a documentary on Netflix about it if you want to check it out before going. Tickets for the museum are $20/adult. Book your time slot online in advance.

Fenway Park: Most things in Boston are the oldest in America, and Fenway Park is no exception. I’m more of a Yankees fan (if we’re being honest, I’m not much of a sports person in general), but it was still cool to see the oldest MLB ballpark. 60 minute guided tours are $25/person, and you can book your tickets online in advance. Download the MLB app to show your tickets, and report to the gift shop across from the stadium about ten minutes before your tour’s start time.

What to eat in Boston:

Flour Bakery + Cafe: This is a great spot for a quick breakfast, or to grab some snacks for your day. Their brioche au chocolat and parmesan chive scone are our favorites. They have a bunch of locations throughout the Boston area.

Levain Bakery: My favorite NYC cookies are now in Boston! I love the Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chip flavor.

Sweetgreen: This chain isn’t unique to Boston, but it’s still one of my favorite lunch spots when I’m in a city that has one. They have really good salads and bowls if you’re looking for something lighter to fuel your day.

SOURCE: Their pizza was really good, and we also liked the blueberry souffle pancakes for brunch. Be sure to make a reservation online in advance.

TIPS:

Street parking is free on Sundays—you don’t have to pay the parking meters (although actually finding street parking is another issue entirely, be sure to give yourself ample time before you plan to be somewhere to find parking). Boston also has a subway system if you want to avoid driving or need to give your legs a rest.

Everglades National Park Mini Guide

A winter escape to Miami gave us the perfect opportunity to check off the Everglades, my 20th national park! We had planned for one day in the Everglades, but after forgetting sunscreen and getting sunburned on the beach in Miami our first day, we decided to forgo a second beach day and visit the Everglades two days in a row, which meant we got to see more of the park. After visiting three of the four main areas, I’d recommend Shark Valley the most. It’s an easy day trip from Miami, and gives you a good taste of the Everglades.

Things to do in Everglades National Park:

Airboat Tour: There are three airboat tour companies close to the Shark Valley entrance of the park. We opted for Gator Park, but I read a lot of good things about Coopertown Airboats in my research. This was a pretty touristy activity, but it’s one of those things that’s unique to the park, so I thought it was worth doing. I’d recommend searching for Groupon deals before booking directly with any of the companies.

Ride Bikes through Shark Valley: If you can only do one thing in the park, I’d recommend this activity the most. We didn’t even do the full loop and we saw twenty alligators. Just make sure to bring water, sunscreen, and dress like you’re going to be doing a sweaty workout. We went at noon in February and it was so hot! If I were to go again, I’d go first thing in the morning when it’s cooler out. You can rent bikes for $22/day from the Shark Valley visitor center parking lot. A bunch of the bikes had baskets on the back, so you can store your water bottle, snacks, camera, etc. for the ride.

Main Entrance/Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center: This was my second favorite area in the park, and arguably the most pretty. We did two easy walks: the Anhinga Trail and Mahogany Hammock Trail (pictured above). Be forewarned that the parking lot for Anhinga Trail is home to vultures that are attracted to the rubber edges of car windows (weird, I know). There’s a box of tarps near the restrooms that you can use to cover your car, but the vultures didn’t seem deterred by the tarps at all. We ended up parking off the road before getting into the parking lot to avoid them altogether. The Mahogany Hammock Trail felt like a tropical forest, but seemed to be more buggy than other spots in the park, so be sure to put on bug spray if you opt to go. On your drive before or after you visit this side of the park, Robert Is Here is a fun stop for milkshakes or smoothies.

Flamingo: If you want to see manatees in the Everglades, this is the spot to see them. It’s another hour drive (each way) from the main park entrance, and the water was more murky on this side of the park, which made the manatees kind of hard to see. If I had to skip one area of the park, this would be it, unless you book a kayaking tour or another activity while you’re there.

Biscayne National Park: Biscayne is within an hour’s drive from the Everglades (depending on what side of the park you’re on), so if you want to cross off another park in the same trip, it’s totally doable. Most of Biscayne is underwater, so the best way to see the park is by booking one of their water activities (snorkeling, kayaking, etc.). We opted for snorkeling and I wished we would have done kayaking instead—I think you can find much better snorkeling at other destinations.

Everglades travel tips:

Consider going in winter months. We were originally planning on going in May, and I’m so glad we opted for February instead. Anything hotter than the temperatures we experienced would have been rough (it was high 70’s/low 80’s, but it felt much hotter than that with the humidity). We also didn’t encounter too many bugs, and the manatee population is bigger in the winter months so we got to see more of them than you would in the summer.