Switzerland and Paris were the best bits
Switzerland had the winter views and the outdoor stuff. Paris was an easier ending: good food, city lights, easy to settle into.
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Europe / 31 Dec 2019 - 12 Jan 2020
Europe Winter 2020
A fast winter run from Milan into Switzerland, through Germany, Amsterdam and Brussels, ending in Paris. Switzerland and Paris are the parts I remember best.
Beautiful route, but I moved way too fast. New city every one or two nights, plus road time, trains and luggage. Full, expensive, and sometimes tiring.
Europe in winter, yes. But mostly I learned how much moving around a trip can take before the luggage starts winning over the views.
Jakarta to Milan, then Zurich, Lucerne, Interlaken, Montreux, Bern, Frankfurt, Koln, Amsterdam, Brussels and Paris, then home.
Switzerland and Paris are still the best parts. Switzerland was extra expensive, but the winter views made it worth it. Paris was an easier ending: city lights, macarons, and one proper lunch at Kong.
Beautiful, but too much moving
OK for a first winter lap of Europe, but next time I'd slow down and do fewer cities properly.
The trip
Start with the good bits
Switzerland and Paris get their own pages. The rest is a quick sampler.
01 / Switzerland
Winter beauty, high cost, worth it
Montreux sky, sledding in Beatenberg, clear water, mountain roads. Also: Switzerland is expensive for a reason.
Start Switzerland
02 / Paris
An easier ending
The Eiffel Tower in winter light, Pierre Herme macarons, lunch at Kong. Finally slowed down at the end.
Start Paris
03 / Route sampler
Milan to Brussels in fragments
Quick bits from Milan, Germany, Amsterdam and Brussels. No full pages yet.
Jump to route samplerMontreux cotton-candy sky
The sky I picture first whenever I think of this trip.
Lake Blausee crystal clear water
Crystal clear water. Still hunting for a proper photo of it.
Beatenberg sledding
Simple winter fun. Less sightseeing, more actually being in the snow.
Range Rover upgrade
Surprise rental upgrade. Road trip instantly better.
Route Sampler
Milan, Germany, Amsterdam and Brussels, the quick version.
The trip was more than Switzerland and Paris, but I need more to say about the middle cities before they get their own pages. For now, here's how fast we moved.
