Photos taken from the weekend of July 25, 2008:
My trip to Switzerland was a spontaneous one to say the least. I had been battling a cold all week and figured I should rest over the weekend. But…Late in the afternoon on Friday I decided I was going to suck it up and just go somewhere regardless of how I felt. My logic was if I kept myself occupied I’d probably beat the cold faster then if I just sat around and dwelled on it. So I hopped on a train that evening…3 hrs later I was in Zurich. After arriving to my hotel and checking with the concierge, I quickly realized a full weekend in Zurich would be too much given its relatively small size. I decided to take a 9hr guided coach tour into the mountains of Switzerland on Saturday to ensure I got a true sense of what the country was about. Boy did I. I can easily state with confidence that Switzerland boasted the most amazing natural beauty I had ever seen. It seemed every photo I took could be used for a postcard. Zurich was impressive also but nothing compared to my journey into the mountains. Here are some of the spots I managed to visit over the weekend:

1. Aare Georges (Walked through the georges on a secure footbridge which provided some unforgettable visuals.
2. Grimsel Pass (Incredible wild landscapes)
3. Dead Lake (breathtaking scene)
4. Rhone Glacier (altitude 2300 m. Walked through a 100 m long blue ice tunnel to reach the Ice Room – a fascinating experience which turned my mild cold into a very bad one. Well worth it)
5. Furka Pass (altitude of 2431 m. Felt my ears pop on the drive up.)
6. Gotthard massif and the Urseren Valley (Spectacular views)
7. Devil’s Bridge at the foot of the St. Gotthard Mountain (Such a cool place. The bridge was a modern marvel of its time. It’s still quite impressive if you ask me.)
8. Visited 5 of the 9 churches in Zurich. My favorites:
St. Peter’s Church boasts the largest clock face in all of Europe.
Grossmunster which is the most recognizable church in Switzerland.
Fraumünster was probably my favorite as it had the most amazing stain glass displays I had every seen.
9. Lake Zurich (Video clip below of the lake says it all)
10. Lindt Factory (Just cool to see the building where all the magic happens)

Here are some of my favorite photos followed by the full photo gallery of all the pictures taken:

Click to view entire gallery…

Photos taken from the weekend of July 11, 2008:
I was fortunate enough to have some company for my weekend excursion to Sweden which made for some good times. My itinerary was in place and my colleague Emma Jan was along for the ride. The old town had a very familiar look and feel as much of Europe which was a bit disappointing. But…What really separated the country from the rest of Europe in my mind’s eye was the uniqueness of each of the islands that made up the country. It was almost surreal. It seemed almost a different theme dominated each of the islands we visited. Sweden is comprised of 14 major Islands which are connected by over 50 bridges (according to my tour guide) which makes the most enjoyable mode of transport the water taxi. We took full advantage of a hop on / hop off tour and hit just about all the major locations you must visit in Stockholm. Here are the locations we hit in order of my favorite locations:

1. Vasa Museum (incredible war ship that sank in 1628 and was salvaged 333 years later.)
2. Stadshuset (The City Hall which is where the Nobel Price was founded. Also where the award ceremony is held every year.)
3. Take a water taxi. So beautiful to look back at the city from the water.
4. Kungliga Slottet (The Royal Palace – Amazing Chapel)
5. Walking Around Stockholm’s Djurgården Island (Very scenic walk)
6. Skansen (Open-Air Museum – It’s basically a zoo. Mainly for kids but I hadn’t been to a zoon in ages. Nice time)
7. Gamla Stan (The Old Town)
8. Nationalmuseum (The National Museum of Fine Arts)
9. Nobel Museum (The Nobel Museum)
10. Nordic Museum (Didn’t go in but the building was quite impressive. Right behind Vasa Museum.)

Some of my favorite pictures followed by the full photo gallery of pictures taken: