Perfect winter landscapes in Melchsee-Frutt

In the beginning of March I went on a beautiful hike through the pristine white landscapes of Melchsee-Frutt in Central Switzerland. A pleasant ride by train, bus and mountain cableway, will take you from Zurich up to Melchsee-Frutt in about 2.5 hours. Once you arrive at the summit station you’ll find yourself in the middle of a white plain, surrounded by snow covered mountains, well at least when you’re going there in winter season.

A panorama platform, which is built 40 meters above the lake. An elevator will take you down.

My dad took me on this hike. He sure knows all the good places, he’s definitely one of my favorite hiking buddies.

With my camera, before it broke.

After hiking for about an hour you’ll arrive at Tannalp. Have a drink or even something to eat at the restaurant that’s located there. A circular walk will take you back to the summit station of Melchsee-Frutt. As it was already March, we lucked out with the weather, though everything covered with snow, the temperature were already warm enough, so we didn’t have to rely on our winter jackets the whole time. As time moved on, clouds came up and it started to snow gently, but that didn’t lessen the beauty of this hike, which I’m sure, must be beautiful in spring, as well as in summer and fall, that’s when you’ll be able to see the lake, which in winter is covered in snow.

My dad.

Pretty rolling hills.

An ode to San Francisco

It’s already my fourth time in this buzzing and colorful city and it’s, hands down, my absolute favorite of all cities. I love everything, the old and modern architecture, the colors, the food, the people and nature.

Can you guess, what my favorite place/sight of the city is? You name it, it’s the amazing Golden Gate Bridge. I just love that contrast of the red against the blue of the ocean. This time around I was lucky to capture it from the Marin Headlands, almost without fog hiding it. What a success, since fog is a pretty common phenomenon in San Francisco. It was still cold and windy though.

A pretty flower stand in the Financial District.

On of my favorite buildings is the Transamerica Pyramid. It's one of San Francisco's landmarks. Unfortunately it's not open to public.

One morning I had a really nice breakfast at the restaurant Café de la Presse in Union Square right in front of the Dragon's Gate, which is the official entrance to China Town. For the first time in my life I ate a Croque Madame, a french classic in San Francisco, I loved it. ;)

I enjoyed the view from the terrace of the San Francisco Art Institute for the first time. It's quite awesome, but also a bit inconvenient to overlook the city, since once you are on the terrace, you have to climb over a mural to really see something, but it was worth it...

Also a first time experience, overlooking the city from Twin Peaks, the view is breathtaking. 

And an all time favorite are the Painted Ladies. Have you ever watched Full House or seen the movie Mrs. Doubtfire? Than I'm sure you know these pretty colorful houses. Luckily they finished renovating Alamo Square Park, so I walked around a little.

On the day I had to go home, I went to Baker Beach, also a first time visit. The waves were quite impressive.

After stopping by at Baker Beach, I went for a delicious breakfast and some shopping to Union Square.

Oh how I love San Francisco, did I mention it already? ;))

It was the perfect ending to an amazing and fun trip. Travelling really teaches me spontaneity and flexibility and that there's a reason for everything. There's something about how it shapes and grounds me and oftentimes forces me to step out of my comfort zone. 

On to the planning of upcoming trips. I'm already excited, what 2018 has in store. Stay tuned and happy New Year everyone!!