After Geneva, we had six nights planned for the Swiss and French Alps. This was the leg of the trip that I was probably the most excited about. While Inna had never been to the Alps before, I had about ten years ago on a five-week tour across Europe with an old college buddy of mine. I couldn’t wait for what was in store!

First up was Mürren, Switzerland. A tiny mountain village nestled up above the valley town of Lauterbrunnen, Mürren was the perfect base camp for some nice hiking.

After two nights in Mürren, we hopped on a train and made our way through the Alps over to Zermatt, one of Europe’s most famous ski resorts. During the summer, it boasts some of the continent’s best hiking trails, not to mention killer views of the stunning Matterhorn.

From Zermatt, we headed westbound and across the border into France, where we stayed in Chamonix for two nights. Chamonix, site of the first Winter Olympics, is perhaps best known for its skiing and mountain activities, but also for being the gateway to the EU’s highest peak, Mont Blanc.

With all the hiking we did, not to mention lugging all my gear around, a week in the Alps was extremely exhausting. But it was definitely one of the most rewarding parts of our trip. I spent seven years of my life in the Rocky Mountains, and I was absolutely blow away by the beauty of the Alps. You truly feel tiny when you’re surrounded by such an epic landscape. It was quite a dramatic difference from what we were about to experience next: the French Riviera.

(To read Parts 1 & 2 of our Euro Trip 2013, click on Archive at the top of the page.)

The next stop on our trip was Geneva. I had never been there before, and our friend Francois lives there, so we had a chance to meet up with him for a bit. He drove us to the top of Salève, which is a mountain that overlooks the city. Unfortunately, it was really hazy that evening and the view was pretty limited.

We spent another day walking around the city and taking in the sights. It’s a beautiful city… almost like a cleaner, smaller version of Paris tucked away at the base of the Swiss Alps. The water in Lake Geneva has a gorgeous aquamarine hue to it and everything feels so fresh. It was definitely a nice teaser for what was to come: one week of village-hopping in the Alps.