switzerland recap!

i'll be doing a full post on what i learned when traveling internationally with a baby. but for now, here is a recap of our trip!

we departed on july 2 and landed in geneva, switzerland on july 3. my brother and his new wife live about 45min north of geneva. we stayed in the little town of etoy. we spent five days exploring the southwestern region of switzerland. we took a boat to france (just across the lake!) to enjoy crepes. we hiked in the jura mountains. we explored geneva. and we hung out next to lac lemon. it was so wonderful and relaxed yet our days were jam-packed. we enjoyed wine from my sister-in-law's parents winery. we had dinner al fresco each night. my brother passed his french test (meaning he's essentially fluent in french --- SOOO cool to hear and listen to him speak this beautiful language) and we toasted to him with some delicious champagne. it was such a lovely 5 days exploring and adjusting to the time change.

we said goodbye to family and caleb, august, and i headed off to the swiss alps for some family time. we stayed in wengen in the lauterbrunnen valley. i knew it was going to be incredible but ohmygosh it was INSANE. i hardly have words to explain the beauty of that valley/region. i kept feeling so much gratitude that we got to take our little family to this area of the world. we spent more on our airbnb and this was a game changer. pre-baby, caleb and i would have booked a place that was clean and in a good location... and cheap. the views and amenities weren't something we really looked for. however with a baby, you inevitably end up spending more time in whatever lodging situation you have set up. i'm so glad we decided to splurge on our airbnb! our days were shorter due to nap times and we only ate out for lunches. so we saved money cooking breakfast and dinner in our home. we wandered around wengen, went to the top of jungfrau, visited the COOLEST PLAYGROUND EVER (!!!) to celebrate 9 months of august, visited mürren, and got our minds completely blown away by grindelwald.

it was truly the trip of a lifetime that i'll never ever forget. of course moments not captured included fighting jet lag with a baby, an almost lost phone, fighting tourist crowds, and cranky adult moments. but overall it went so much better than i could have ever planned. i fully recognize that not many people get to go on trips like this and i'm so grateful that we do and do not take it for granted.

some photos of our trip below if you'd like to see! :)