After our whirlwind train journey the day before, we finally slept in a proper bed—and woke up to a calm, snowy view of the Amsterdam port outside our hotel window. Snow falling quietly, ships docked in the distance… it felt like the city was exhaling after all the chaos. Breakfast was slow and comforting. Fabio,…
If you’ve been following our winter trip story… the Netherlands was supposed to be the calm, final leg. We booked our chalet until 3 January, but planned to check out on 2 January and fly to Amsterdam from Geneva. My sister kindly drove us to the airport, and we thought we’d squeeze in a little…
After ten days of moving hotels, hauling suitcases, and doing the usual December travel cardio, it was time for our annual retreat to the Alps—this time with my sister’s family. We’d spent the last two years in the South Alps, mostly because it was closer to her home and we didn’t want to spend more…
We decided to do a day trip to Bern the day after Christmas—because Switzerland has this magical habit of “coming back online” immediately after the 25th. Shops reopen, streets feel lively again, and you don’t spend the whole day staring at closed doors while pretending it’s romantic. Bern delivered. The train from Montreux to Bern…
I finally saw that mountain. The Matterhorn. The one that has been staring at me from Toblerone wrappers since I was a kid (and yes, Toblerone was my favorite growing up—so this felt oddly… full circle). I’ve been to Switzerland twice before: So this time, we made it happen. Getting to Zermatt: Overnight Train → Zurich →…
When I first sketched our itinerary, the plan was simple: fly from Budapest to Zurich (or Geneva) and call it a day. Efficient, predictable, and… honestly, a little boring. Then I discovered a far more interesting option: a night train that links Budapest and Zurich. The kind where you board in the evening, go to…
I’d been to Budapest once before—January 2023—on a private trip with my hubby and his work colleagues. It was an ambitious 10-day “collect countries like Pokémon” itinerary that had us on the road every day. Budapest was one of our stops: we came in from Vienna, with a pit stop in Bratislava, and only had…
Three weeks, four countries, one missing husband (new job = zero leave), and enough winter layers to qualify as portable insulation—welcome to our Winter Trip 2026. We kicked things off in Budapest (because I once saw the Danube for half a day and immediately fell in love), rolled into Switzerland by night train, then did what all sensible families do: parked ourselves in Les Gets for a full week of skiing and hot-chocolate therapy.
And then… the Netherlands decided to remember it’s allowed to be winter. Our Geneva–Schiphol flight was cancelled, everything was fully booked, and we pivoted into a very scenic, very long train detour via Germany—because getting Fabio back to Enschede for his Monday exam was non-negotiable. The itinerary got wrecked, NS trains stopped, and we were “stuck” in Amsterdam… which honestly turned into a magical snowy wonderland. Chaos? Yes. Regrets? None. And Schiphol drama is now officially part of our family lore.
