Ciao! We’ve been and will be all over the place lately! After getting back from Munich, I took a girls trip (shout out to Andrew for always working so hard) to Cinque Terre and Rome with one of my closest friends Marcie for the weekend. It was a quick trip with endless options for things to see and do. Knowing Andrew and I will be back to Rome in a month made it easier for me to take my time and not try to cram several sites in. The trip made me that much more excited for when we return. I’ve never seen so many immaculate scenes in one place. I instantly had chills as I stepped into the Pantheon. The way the light flows in from above is indescribable and something I don’t want to forget. We spent a good amount of time here attempting to absorb everything we could. We slowly wandered street after street, taking our time to enjoy the city but easily still seeing so much. Our favorite meal was by far the pasta at Trattoria Da Enzo, a small local spot with a charming feel. The vibe of the city changes so much from day to night. Wherever we’re visiting, one of the coolest things is to see how different something can appear depending on time of day.

We hopped on the train to Monterosso in Cinque Terre for the day. It’s a journey to get there but was nice to break up all the walking with a day laying by the water in such a beautiful place. Cinque Terre is composed of five cities with a train to take you to and from each (or hike between them if time permits!). We visited the two northernmost cities of Monterosso -a resorty vibe with a large beach and Vernazza -claimed to be the most photographed city of the five. Vernazza was our favorite of the two. It had a small secluded beach, walking through a crevice in the mountain to reach it.

In preparation for our trip to Croatia and Slovenia this week we’ve been booking accommodations, found some fun spots, and looked into the details of our travels. We will be travelling to a new city every few days over the course of two weeks and there’s quite a bit to think about. Driving laws (we are renting a car for the stay) and finding ferries that allow us to transport said car are among them.

August in Switzerland is the time to travel! Much of the population goes on vacation this month, kicking it off with the Swiss National Day on August 1st. We celebrated at our friends Mark and Kelly’s, who have a stunning lookout over the entire city and surrounding ones. With the Swiss Psalm playing in the background we watched as the fireworks lit the sky above each city. It was fun to be able to see where Switzerland ends and France begins, seeing the shows strung down the edge of Lake Geneva.

Since moving, we’ve gotten used to overhearing conversations but not comprehending them. Lausanne isn’t known as a tourist destination therefore most are speaking French. When we visit somewhere that is more well known as being a go to city for travelers, it’s refreshing to hear English speaking. We will continue to work on our French skills, it’s definitely not a fast process. Comfort is found in familiarity and it is nice to have every so often, but growth is made when you’re put in uncomfortable situations and experiences. We find something to appreciate any time we find ourselves outside of our comfort zone and have learned so much already from the language to the culture here in Lausanne, Switzerland!

Unrelated news: we have a new addition to our blog.. a gallery! We will post some of our favorite photos from all of our trips to come. If interested, click here and see what we have thus far!