Beneath the Alpine Skies

Notes from Switzerland Journey

Some trips leave you with stunning photos. Others leave you with something quieter but deeper, a feeling, a shift, a kind of knowing that stays long after the bags are unpacked. For us, Switzerland was that kind of journey.

We had been thinking about visiting Europe for a while, but we were never quite sure which country to start with. In the end, we chose Switzerland, it represents so much of what we love most: nature, mountains, and quiet landscapes. A couple of years ago, we lost both of our fathers, and not long after, our beloved companion Kayla, who had been part of our lives for thirteen years. Now that I’m reaching middle age, this trip became more than just a holiday. It was a reminder of how precious life is, and how lucky we are to still have time, time to travel, time to see the world, and time to simply be together.

We started our journey by arriving in Zurich, but instead of staying, we crossed immediately into Italy to spend time in Milan and Florence. After soaking in the art, history, and city life, we made our way back north, entering Switzerland through Lugano, a town that felt like a gentle transition between two cultures.

From there, we continued to St. Gallen, where we stayed for several days and hiked to the beautiful Seealpsee, one of the most peaceful places we’ve ever seen. We explored the old towns of Stein am Rhein and St. Gallen, each offering a quiet charm that stayed with us.

After that, we headed south again into the alpine region and stayed in two towns, Spiez and Beatenberg. From there, we explored several villages, comparing the more touristy spots like Interlaken and Lauterbrunnen with quieter places like Brienz, Iseltwald, and Mürren. Each village had its own character, but the slower, less crowded ones often felt more meaningful to us.

Our journey ended with a visit to Switzerland’s bigger cities, Geneva and Zurich, before we finally flew back home, full of stories, reflections, and the kind of memories that take time to unfold.

This trip was expensive, no doubt about that. A once-in-a-lifetime kind of journey. But what we saw and experienced, we carried home with us. And the time we spent together felt far more valuable than anything money could buy. Things lose their appeal after a few weeks. But memories like these stay.

As we moved from place to place, we understood each other a little more. We appreciated each other’s presence in ways that often get lost in our daily life. Travelling reminded us that life is precious, and that every day we still get to spend together is a gift.

We also learned to slow down. In our excitement, it’s easy to fall into the trap of wanting to document everything, follow a tight schedule, and tick off every location. But sometimes, the best moments come from the things that don’t go according to plan, a missed train, a wrong turn, a sudden change in weather. That’s one of the reasons I’ve never liked the idea of packaged tours, where someone else decides where you go and when, and you just follow along like a herd of sheep. Travelling should give space for spontaneity.

Each new place we visited taught us something, through its traditions, its people, or even just the rhythm of life we observed. It reminded us how much we still don’t know and places in the world that we don't know. Instead of making us feel small, that feeling made us curious again. It made us feel alive.

We’ve also documented this journey in these film series. It’s not meant to be a guide or a list of things to do. It’s simply a reflection of the experience, what we saw, what we felt, and how the journey changed us.