Trip Report: Our Epic European Summer (in Numbers)

Heidelberg (Photo by Hunter)

People who know that we went on this trip have asked how it was, and I've just been saying good or OK because the reality is that there were parts of this trip that were amazing and memorable and some that were really challenging that I hope to forget (but not before I make notes on what to do differently next time). And since not enough time has passed to forget, the most neutral answer is to say that it was OK and explain what I mean. But what I should really say is that it was epic--unlike any trip we've taken as a family.

For the past 14 summers with Hunter and 11 summers with Paloma, the majority of our family trips have been some form of road trip, tent camping, or short domestic flight to one destination, max 2 destinations, and we'd be gone just a few days to a couple of weeks. We switched things up by taking the kids on their first international trip in summer of 2024 (Denmark) and our dream trip to Maui last summer, but due to lack of time off for Isaiah, both trips were still under 2 weeks. This summer, however, Isaiah had more time off (because he saved up and rolled days over from last year), so we were able to go away for longer, which meant we could see and do more! 

More accurately, we could travel all over to see more people. One of our main objectives this trip was to see family and friends spread out between Germany and Switzerland. And yes, they are neighboring countries, but getting from point A to point B (and back to A then on to C), taking into account everyone's schedules, and the limitations of booking flights with points and miles made our itinerary a little complicated. Plus, we thought a pit stop in Paris on the way to Frankfurt would be a great idea, we wanted the kids to ride the Bernina line in Switzerland all the way down to Italy, and Hunter had a camp in Czechia to get to at the end of our trip. 

The thing is, that much running around over 3+ weeks is a very different experience from renting a villa in Sicily for 3 weeks. (I mean, I can only imagine since I've never actually rented a villa in Sicily for 3 weeks, but a girl can dream.) When you see and do a lot over a few short weeks, it can all become a bit of a blur, which is exactly how Paloma described our trip when I asked her about it. 

With this post, I hope to make the trip a little less blurry, for posterity's sake. In a few years, we can pull up this post and remember what the heck we did on our epic trip to Europe!

Now, here's our trip in numbers (a mix of highs and lows, from greatest to least rather than chronological order):

2,269+ (the number of feet Morteratsch Glacier has retreated since our last visit):

16 years ago, I wrote about our walk to the Morteratsch Glacier. It was a cloudy day in May, and I don't remember anyone else being on the trail with us. Today, the area has been completely redone with new signs showing how much the glacier has receded and more amenities at the train station. Our most recent visit was a warm, sunny day in July, and the trail was full of visitors on foot and on bikes. The one thing that hasn't changed is how sad it is to think about how this glacier is shrinking, and soon it may disappear completely. 

When we visited it many years ago, we could go right up to the glacier with very little effort, and stand right outside the ice caves. My memory is foggy, but I think we had to climb a little to get a closer look, and my mom stayed back. And since I in fact made the climb, it means it wasn't that much of a climb. This time around, no one in our group bothered to make the climb to get a closer look. It had receded so much that it was too far up to get near the ice, and no one was prepared for that kind of climb. (I got the stats from this NBC article published last year. I used the figures comparing 2010 to 2023, and I am sure it's receded even more in the last 3 years.)

196 (the number of bridges and viaducts we crossed):

16 years ago, I also wrote about our experience on the Bernina Express, but this time we did things differently. Instead of riding the train north from Tirano to Davos (which isn't even a route the Bernina Express offers anymore), we rode the regional trains south from Chur to Tirano. The main perk of the Bernina Express is its beautiful panorama cars (indicated with a "PE" on the timetables), but it also has mandatory reserved seating. What we were looking for this time around was the flexibility of riding the regional trains that run every hour (indicated with IR, R, or RE on the timetables) that offer the same route as the Bernina Express. You can "hop on and off" as you please: for a quick peek at one of the stops (if you can keep it under an hour, you just catch the next train), a nice lunch, or a longer exploration, such as a walk to the glacier I mentioned above. 

Another positive for the regional trains is that some carriages have windows that open, so you can feel the fresh alpine air or take photos without glare. On the first train we took (IR 38 from Chur to Samedan), we spent a significant part of our journey in a photo compartment with no seats but windows that lower (which we noticed was indicated with an "FW" icon while reviewing our itinerary in the SBB app). 

Tip: If you decide to have part of your group stay with your stuff at your seats so you can spend almost the entire ride from Chur to Samedan hanging out in the photo compartment, beware that you will need to close the windows while traveling through the very long Albula tunnel, between Preda and Spinas. It gets very loud -- ask me how I know!

131/112 (the number of steps down to and up from the Catacombs of Paris):

I've wanted to see the Catacombs ever since my sister went when she was in middle school (during a trip with an org called People to People), but it never worked out. This time, we made it a priority, and it was worth the wait. My sister-in-law booked the tickets for us a week in advance. You don't enter and exit in the same place because it's not a loop. Instead you go in one direction through some of the tunnels and rooms where the skulls and bones of millions of Parisians have found their final place of rest. 

Photo by Paloma

101-105 (the highest temperatures in °F): 

The entire first week of our trip was pretty challenging due to these high temps. Our first stop was Paris, and we arrived during a record-breaking heatwave. According to one site I checked, it reached 101°F our first day there. Using the free stopover perk when booking an award flight with Flying Blue (KLM/Air France) seemed like a great idea back in October of 2025, when we expected normal temps with a max in the low 80s. I know Europe can be really warm in summer, but somehow booking accommodations without AC didn't seem problematic. Major fail. We ended up ditching our vacation rental at about 6pm the last night and booking a hotel with AC right outside the ring.

Look, I've been to Phoenix in the summer. I survived because houses have AC, cars have AC, stores have AC, and you don't really walk anywhere. Also, I live in Seattle now. We just don't deal with that kind of heat, so the thought of moving onto our next destination without AC was dreadful. Thankfully, before we left Paris, I was able to cancel the Airbnb we had booked for our time in Leipzig for a full refund and book us a hotel there with AC. It was actually a really cool hotel right near the city center that I highly recommend. It has a super modern lobby/common area that includes a shared kitchen offering endless bubbly water and coffee as well as a game room and a spacious dining area. 

Anyway, it was so hot in Leipzig that it reached 105°F on our 2nd day in town. Our first day we rode the tram to our friend's place, but by the 2nd day the tram had to suspend services because the "tar-based bitumen sealant" on the tracks had softened and bubbled up so it looked like giant tar turds on the street. To escape the heat that day, we went to a very cool (both in temp and vibes) stone monument called Völkerschlachtdenkmal, got takeout to bring back to the hotel, and played Monopoly in the common area.

10+ (the number of amethyst chunks we "mined" in Germany):

Our family in Germany took us to this really fun spot in Idar-Oberstein, which is apparently home to the only gemstone mine in Europe open to the public. At Steinkaulenberg mine, there are several experiences on offer, including a guided tour of the mine, which we skipped. Instead, we chose two hours at "gemstone camp" digging around the waste material of the actual mining done in the area. If you dig a hole deep enough and whack the earth with a pickaxe hard enough, you might hit the jackpot! (Thank you, Isaiah!) On the other side of the "mining" field at Edelsteincamp is a different experience that does not require tools. It's more like an easter egg hunt for gemstones from around the world.

7 (the number of pieces of luggage SBB transported for us):

Rather than take all our luggage with us on our Sunday train trip from Chur to Tirano, we dropped off our luggage at Romanshorn station on Saturday, and then thanks to the SBB luggage service, our pieces were available for pick up at Tirano station on Monday morning. Using this service allowed us to hop off the train in Pontresina for lunch, and then again at Morteratsch Glacier for the walk I've already mentioned. What would have been super useful to know beforehand was that the Hotel Morteratsch located right at the train station offers bag storage to the public for a small fee. Near the toilets, we noticed a sign advertising this service after we had already finished our walk and everyone was tired, achy, and sweaty from carrying our backpacks filled with our overnight things.

I know our train journey is dominating this list, but it was one of the highlights of our trip!

7 (the number of different types of ground transportation we experienced):

In addition to renting a car in Switzerland, riding in the cars of friends and family as well as making good use of ride share companies (like Bolt), we rode several types of public transport: high-speed trains (ICE and TGV); regional/commuter trains (RER in Paris, S-Bahn in Frankfurt, RhB in Switzerland, and the pendeltåg in Stockholm); the metro (Paris, Milan, Prague, Stockholm), trams (Leipzig and Prague), city buses (Prague and Stockholm), and shuttle buses (to the BGY airport and ARN airport).

Prague Metro

Prague Metro

Stockholm Metro

5/6/7 (the number of countries we stepped foot in for more than an hour):

We've agreed not to count Austria because we only made a quick trip across the border (from our friend's place in Switzerland) to pick up dinner. And even though we only spent like an hour and a half in Luxembourg City, we decided to count it because we did walk around and take in some of the charm of the old town. Other than that, all of us were together in France (Paris for 2 nights); Germany (Frankfurt for 1 night, Leipzig for 5 nights to visit friends, and near Landstuhl with family for 7 nights); Switzerland (5 nights in canton St. Gallen with a dear friend plus outings to Appenzell and Rorschach as well as a day on the Albula and Bernina lines of the Rhaetian Railway); and Italy (Tirano for 1 night, Milan for 2 nights). The kids and I got to visit Prague, Czechia. Plus, Hunter's camp was in Vidnava, Czechia. Finally, Paloma and I spent 2 nights in Stockholm, Sweden before catching our flight back to the U.S. 

Free Pubic Transport in Luxembourg

Sitter River in Appenzell, Switzerland

Prague, as seen from a pedal boat :)

4 (the number of times my hat flew off my head and people helped me chase it down):

I had thought about buying a hat with a strap, but in an effort to spend less, I decided to make use of what I already owned. Perhaps I should have just bought the hat with the strap.

Völkerschlachtdenkmal

3.5/4.5/5/5.5 (the number of weeks we were away from home -- Isaiah/me/Hunter/Paloma):

Isaiah had to come home first because he had to go back to work, so we parted ways in Milan. I took Paloma and Hunter on to Prague on my own, where we said goodbye to Hunter because that's where his 10 days of Orienteering camp began. Paloma and I spent another week together (mostly in Prague), then I dropped her off in Orlando to hang with her bestie. Isaiah and I had a kid-free long weekend, then Hunter came home, and finally Paloma came home.

Milan

2 (the number of mountain cable cars we rode): 

I don't think it existed when we lived in the area many years ago, but there is a tourist pass called the Bodensee Card and it includes access to several mountain cable cars. We made use of our pass in the Appenzell region and rode the cable cars round trip to Hoher Kasten and Ebenalp. If the Säntis cable car had been open, we would have used it there too! (Our friend told us that one time they maximized their pass by riding 3 cable cars in one day -- goals!) Because we got a 3-day pass and planned to do only one or two activities per day, we did the math and found that due to kid discounts at our desired sites (such as $0 for kids to ride the cable car at Hoher Kasten), it only made sense to buy passes for Isaiah and me, and using them did indeed save us some money.

If we get to go back to that region again, we'll return to Hoher Kasten and only get tickets for the ascent. Then we'll hike down to the Ruhesitz mountain inn, rent scooters, and ride 3km down to the bottom. (Our friend and host in Switzerland whisper-mentioned scooters right before we left for the day, but after getting us lost on the way to the valley station parking lot, I completely forgot to look into the scooter rentals. They are bookmarked for next time!)

Hoher Kasten

2 (the number of alpine coasters we rode):

One was luge-style (in Germany) and one was on rails (in Switzerland), and they were both so fun! Bookmarked for next time is this one because it's the longest alpine coaster in Switzerland!

countless (the number of times I was humbled by as well as thankful for strangers):

Even though I consider myself lucky to be an English speaker and we were visiting places that use English as a common language in tourist settings, I still felt sheepish asking for help at train stations. Even more humbling was visiting places (like the local swimming pool near our hotel in Prague) that do not cater to tourists and fumbling with coins and entrance tickets (and locker room instructions in Czech). On the other hand, I am so thankful for people like those who pointed me in the right direction when my face said "help!" or the fellow traveler who heard and understood the announcement that our train's track number had changed, recognized that we did not in fact hear or understand the announcement, and advised us on which track to change to. 

0 (the number of regrets):

While I would certainly do things differently if I we could do it all over again, I do not regret going on this trip. Despite the lows on this trip that included a telehealth visit with a German doctor followed by a midnight visit to a 24-hour pharmacy (we're fine; don't worry) and losing the seats we reserved on the ICE train to Leipzig because our train carriage became unavailable for some reason, all our issues had more or less reasonable solutions. For example, we got rebooked on the next train after speaking with an agent at the Reise office at the Frankfurt train station. (By the way, if this happens to you, just know that calling DB does not help! You must visit the travel office in person to see if they can rebook you.) As I said before, this was an epic trip--so different from any other trip we've taken before. And we learned a lot!