With no travels scheduled before the end of July, I’m going to look back at some memorable trips from the years before I started Greg Travels. First up – an impromptu Memorial Day weekend jaunt to a country that has since become my favorite place in the world – Switzerland.

In May of 2018, I was a couple months into a contract in Colorado which had me traveling back and forth from home in South Florida each week. I’d always wanted to do a travel consulting job, and I was adjusting to the regular Sunday evening / Thursday afternoon four-hour flights and constantly packing and re-packing my bag.

In the week leading up to Memorial Day weekend, the forecast for South Florida was bleak. Five consecutive days of persistent rain. Where could I go other than a waterlogged home? The seed was planted and I started looking at where I could cash in some miles for a trip. Switzerland, a country I’d never visited, popped up. Hmm…

Thursday, May 24, 2018

By the time Thursday came around, I was leaning towards making the trip. 30 minutes before I left the office for the flight home to Florida I pulled the trigger. Booked. Miami to Zurich and back. Leaving in 24 hours. During that four-hour flight home, I started doing the planning – I would only have a few hours on Friday morning to do laundry and figure out hotels, transportation and “what to do” in Switzerland for the three days I’d be there.

Friday, May 25, 2018

I woke up early on Friday and immediately started laundry and began packing. I found a good hotel in the center of Zurich and booked it. Headed to Barnes & Noble to pick up Rick Steves’ Switzerland. Clerk: “Oh when are you going to Switzerland?” Me: “In a few hours.”

I left for Miami around noon and settled in at the airport I’d just returned home from the previous evening. Time for an overnight flight to Vienna on Austrian Airlines followed by a connection on Swiss to Zurich:

Saturday, May 26, 2018

Without much sleep on the flight, I put into play my proven method for combatting jetlag – keep moving until bedtime. After checking into the Hotel Fassbind and dropping my bags, I set out to explore Zurich.

On the flight over, I read up on sights to see and was surprised to see that Fifa’s football museum was in Zurich and open on this Friday. The World Cup in Russia later that summer was featured prominently.

I took a boat trip on Lake Zurich and finished up with a classic bratwurst before wearily heading back to the hotel for a deep sleep.

Sunday, May 27, 2018

I woke up looking to discover Alpine Switzerland and headed to the train station to inquire after guided tours. My sister had loved Interlaken many years prior, so I booked a bus trip to Interlaken and Grindelwald. This would prove to be my favorite part of this impromptu trip and the inspiration for a week I spent in the Lauterbrunnen Valley in 2023. I’d thought I’d seen mountains during my couple months in Colorado, but I’d seen nothing like the Alps until this day.

After a few hours in Interlaken, the bus took us up to Grindelwald, and I truly fell in love with the Berner Oberland.

Monday, May 28, 2018

For the final touring day of this brief adventure, I researched and found a good ridge hike near Zurich. A quick train ride took me up the ridge to the starting point, and I set off on the approximately 5 mile hike overlooking Lake Zurich.

Post-hike, I headed back to Zurich and did some final touring (and eating).

Tuesday, May 29, 2018

With the impromptu adventure nearing an end, I checked out of the hotel, headed to the airport, and flew direct back to Miami.

Luckily, I didn’t have to travel to Colorado that week, but when I headed back the following week, I had some stories to tell of how I spent my Memorial Day weekend in 2018.

PS. – I swore that day in the Berner Oberland that I’d return for a longer visit one day. Plans in 2020 and 2021 were scuttled by the pandemic, but in 2023 I finally made it back. You can check out the beauty of the Lauterbrunnen Valley in this video: