This weekly wrap-up covers our journey from September 8 to September 14. After spending one more day with Megan’s mom on Sunday (hiking and then thermal baths—can’t complain!), we traveled to Bern on our way to Liechtenstein, then took an overnight train from Feldkirch, Austria, to Slovenia. We arrived in Bled on Saturday morning.
Favorite thing we ate: This might surprise you (because we love cheese, bread and potatoes), but we don’t actually love Swiss food. It’s often pretty bland, but the rösti we shared in Bern was pretty dang good [pictured above]. It tasted like a big plate of cheesy, crispy hash browns (the best), and we ordered the pear variation, which added something sweet to make the dish special.
Favorite thing we drank: In Vaduz, you can visit the Cellars of the Prince of Liechtenstein for a wine tasting. We tried four wines (two from Liechtenstein and two from Austria) for only 9 CHF each, which seemed like a pretty good deal (especially for such an expensive area). Honestly, it wasn’t the best wine we’ve ever tasted, but it was a unique experience.
Favorite thing we did: Jonathan booked a “garden hut” Airbnb in Bern [above left] pretty much solely based on the fact that there was a big cheese cauldron you could soak in [above right]. The host was quite surprised we wanted to use it; we actually had to clean it out ourselves because it wasn’t ready. (Apparently we’re the only guests who have ever expressed interest.) But it was great! We built a fire underneath and sat in it like a hot tub for an hour or two.
Biggest splurge: Speaking very generally, Bern and Vaduz are not the most financially appropriate destinations for a RTW trip. So our biggest splurge was probably continuing to explore Switzerland and Liechtenstein without staying with family (as we had in Montreux).
Best deal: After spending so long in Switzerland, the prices of Slovenia were a welcome change! After a long overnight train, we asked our hostel in Bled for a breakfast recommendation. They sent us to Art Café, which served a variety of yogurt bowls and delicious toasts for less than 5 euros each [pictured above].
What we’re reading: Jonathan finished Save Me From Dangerous Men by S.A. Lelchuk on audio and is reading The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith. Megan read The Testaments by Margaret Atwood [above left] and started Danubia: A Personal History of Habsburg Europe by Simon Winder.
Total walking distance: 45.73 miles (We hit 5 miles every single day this week! That hasn’t happened since … well … ever. We’ve had a few weeks where we’ve hit 5 miles on 6/7 days, but there’s usually one travel day that slows us down.)
Up next: More of Slovenia, followed by Bratislava and Vienna!
Featured image: Bern, Switzerland
