The Hills Were Alive

A month ago tonight, I was packing excitedly for our - Ma, Andrew and I's - European trip to Paris and Zurich.

I had recapped some of the highlights from our Paris leg and as the mineutia hits me in the late afternoons these days, I think back to the beautiful Swiss Alps.



We took the train from Paris to Zurich, a four-hour train ride to be exact. We had always wanted to take a train country to another. The beautiful weather that greeted us in Zurich lasted for the rest of our amazing three-day weekend soujourn.

Zurich is a tiny modern city by a beautiful lake. It is so convenient to get around by tram; in fact, I was impressed with their public transit system.



We spent the first day walking around town, exploring the Banhofstrasse shopping mile and taking a leisurely late afternoon boat ride around Lake Zurich.

The highlight of our Zurich stay - and to me, the entire trip - was our full-day excursion to the top of Jungfraujoch, one of the Swiss Alp peaks.



We departed Zurich from the bus terminal and the two-hour drive took us through Lucerne and Interlaken. My eyes were glued to the window, just staring out at the beautiful mountains and the wide sprawling flat green carpet. Tiny waterfalls - made from melting glaciers atop the mountains - sporadically cascaded down the tall mountainside - and the turquoise glacial lake water hypnotized me.

The one-hour ride to the top of Jungfraujoch was fun. Andrew, Ma and I took turns being silly to the camera, poking out of the tram. We absorbed the views, as the houses got smaller below us and the majestic white-capped mountains emerged.



There was an ice palace atop that we got to explore, which was quite cool. When we exited one of the palace doors, we found ourselves atop a snowy peak - and we had to wear sunglasses to shield our eyes from the blinding white light.



Standing atop the peak - at 13,500 feet above sea level - with Ma and Andrew, I felt so blessed to be soaking in this amazing moment. I said a silent prayer to express my thanks for this trip of a lifetime, made all the more enjoyable because it was shared with two people that I truly care about.

Oh, to live in Paris

In my short time in Paris, I find myself quickly getting lost in daydream - wondering what it'd be like to live in this beautiful city.

We began Day 3 walking in the Tuileries Gardens. With an espresso and a croissant in hand, I enjoyed the cool, cloudy morning mixing in with locals and tourists. I joked the tourists were taking pictures of shrubs (my photo's above), while locals were sitting on chairs around the fountain. I imagined that I was sitting on a chair, scribbling ideas onto a notepad.



After passing by Place de la Concorde, we strolled along slowly for the rest of the morning down the quays of the Seine, enjoying the river's calm. I imagined living in one of the beautiful buildings along the Seine; enjoying long walks every day or, hell, even getting the inspiration to jog!



Along our walk, we passed by interesting portable street vendors (above) that populated a strip of the street. They sold everything from old books and magazines to prints and postcards. They were a nice contrast to the fancy boutiques across the street.

We were hit with bad luck and rain in the afternoon - as several venues we wanted to see were unexpectedly closed; one of them due to flooding. At this point, I got pretty crabby. So we went shopping in the Galleries de Lafayette. One store sold these cool Mickey Mouse shirts - seriously - so I just had to buy one.



Our day ended with an uphill ascent towards Sacre Coeur (above) - located by the textile district of Montmatre. The climb to the top was absolutely worth it - as it revealed a beautiful view of the city below (see video below)



The rain continued relentlessly, so we quickly made our way back down. We stopped by a nearby supermarket. I wanted to make a home-cooked dinner, because I was so sick of eating out.

When we got home, I was still feeling crabby, because our day did not go as planned. But as I chopped the vegetables, the familiar feelings of being at home were conjured up.

As my pasta sauce finished boiling, I looked out the window to Paris 21 storeys below. The rain stopped and the sun came out for the day's final moments. My crankiness faded, because I felt - at that moment - as close as I ever would to what it'd be like to live in this city.

Windy Panorama Atop La Tour Eiffel

Another highlight from a busy Day 2 in Paris was the Eiffel Tower.

You can access this world-famous landmark from many parts of Paris - but the best way to experience it is to get off Trocadero subway station and walk up the steps to Place du Trocadero. The view from there (above) is just stunning.

As you walk closer to the tower, you reveal the gardens below and a pathway to the tower. Our second afternoon was cold and windy - so we stopped by for an espresso and to enjoy the view.

When we reached the Tower's base, I looked up. The 1889-built lattice tower is more impressive and grander up closer than it is from afar or in people's pictures.

You can walk or take the elevator to the three viewing levels. The second level provided the best panorama (see video below). It was far enough so everything looked grand, but not too far - like the third and highest level - so that everything looked too miniscule.

Looking at the city from above, I felt very appreciative to be spending the moment with Ma and Andrew.

Losing Ma in The Louvre

I'm not an art lover, nor know much about it. But we couldn't leave Paris without seeing the world most famous Louvre museum - our first stop on Day 2 (May 31).

Upon stepping into the courtyard of the Louvre Palace, Ma's face just lit up and she walked off by herself, eyes looking up mesmerized by the sculpted walls. I was awed too. The pyramid in the middle - completed in 1989 - was a nice contrast.



For a mere 9 Euros admission, you get to see so much. You really can spend a whole day at The Louvre, discovering every room and collection. We only budgeted a morning - so we headed first for the two most popular works: Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo (above).

But there were so many other cool stuff inside. I found myself especially transfixed by the paintings - from the 13th to early 19th centuries. I especially liked the ones that had an air of whimsy and mischief.

After viewing the Mona Lisa, we lost Ma. I got slightly panicked, because there were literally multiple directions she could have gone. After searching for a while, we headed back to the entrance, where we said we'd meet if we lost each other.

Staring at the sea of hundreds of people for half an hour, it was like finding Waldo when Ma emerged. We then ate a light sandwich from the museum cafe before continuing with our day.