Vienna is grand and stunning. Every building looks like a museum. Every street is deserving of a photo. Even the windy, damp, gloomy weather to which we arrived couldn't interfere with my excitement. Add to this great food, the best classical music we've ever heard, and friendly people who willingly speak English when your broken German won't suffice, and you've got a city in which we would happily live.
In 2015, we started in Vienna, and then took trains to Bratislava, then Prague, and eventually back to Vienna. The nice thing about Vienna is that it easily lends itself to side trips. In 2016, we returned and visited Budapest, with a night in Bratislava on the way back, of course. This year, we did bookends in Vienna for our trip to the Balkans.
Austrian Airlines was having a sale, which is how we ended up visiting Vienna the first time. I put this airline on par with British Airways and Turkish Airlines. First, the flight was direct from Chicago. Second, they have a bidding program in which you can bid to upgrade to Business Class. We were lucky enough to get it on the way in, but a full flight prevented it on the return. Even in coach, though, the food was actually good, and the games and movies kept us entertained the entire time. They even had Back to the Future in their classic movie section--need I say more?
We were originally planning a road trip across New Mexico and northern Arizona, but during said planning, fate stepped in and insisted we learn instead. We ended up in Berlin.
Following our trip to Jordan over a decade ago, I had a realization: Every trip we took was shaping me. I was coming home with much more than just fond memories--I was accumulating knowledge, tastes, preferences, understanding, and experiences that were slowly changing me into the person I think I'm supposed to be. This idea has its roots in my philosophy of travel: It's a duty. Do your homework, learn, and share what you've learned once you return. These things make you a good cultural ambassador. While learning can happen anywhere you go, there are certain places where it happens more intensely, where the knowledge you've consumed is indelibly impressed upon your soul. There is no going back. You are changed. Places such as Bosnia, Vietnam, Jordan, and Svalbard have had this effect on me, and as of last week, so has Berlin.
I suppose its mark was even stronger because it caught me off guard. I mean, I already knew about the rise of fascism in Germany and World War II. I already knew about the Cold War, and the iron curtain dividing the country and the capital. After all, I am a history teacher. Berlin, however, holds nothing back. Berlin has no secrets. Instead of trying to censor its past shame, it puts it out there for everyone to see--a daily reminder not to fall for bombastic political rhetoric and to never loosen your grip on democracy. These reminders are spread throughout the city like a pulsating vascular system whose every beat works to keep the memories alive, thereby preventing society from slipping into old patterns. Some are small and subtle. An imprint of the Berlin Wall bisects Potsdamer Platz. Three small brass plaques embedded in the sidewalk on Friedrichstraße mark where victims of the Nazi regime used to work and what fate each suffered. One hundred thousand of these exist throughout the city. A plaque marking the location of the 1933 book burning sits adjacent to a university library. These are small but powerful statements about morality. We just need to listen.
I think all of the collective and historical trauma that Berlin has experienced in the last century is at least in part the reason that Berliners are so open-minded, inclusive, and easygoing today. Love and humanity are pretty solid ways to come together, heal, and move forward. So, if you couldn't tell, we loved Berlin and highly recommend it. We had been to five other places throughout Germany, and I never had this much to say until Berlin.
Back in 2013, we found Lufthansa to be a big disappointment. On our 2026 trip, it was much better. Within Germany, it's easy to get around by train, and pop across the border to visit neighboring countries. On our trip to Munich, we visited Innsbruck, as well. On our trip to Düsseldorf, we started in Cologne, and from there took a train to Aachen, moved on for a few days in Brussels, and finally Amsterdam before returning to Düsseldorf. They're all close enough that it was easy to do in a week.
Switzerland is a beautiful country with an excellent rail network that allows you to reach remote towns like Gruyères fairly easily. Gruyères was by far the highlight of the trip, and not only due to the cheese (although the raclette is a reason in itself to go!). It's a medieval town in the foothills of the Alps. Most people visit it as a day trip, but in our usual fashion, we chose to stay the night. By late afternoon, we had the town to ourselves. At night, we watched a heavy rainstorm in our cozy wood-paneled hotel room, with the windows open. At the time, we fell so in love with Gruyères that we thought we would have our wedding there. My point is: we highly recommend it.
Given that it's been so long since we took this trip, I'm a little conflicted on giving any recommendations at all. This trip was also before I began taking meticulous notes on what we did. Below are a few places I remember fondly.
Note: We recently spent several hours in Zurich during a long layover. It was only enough time to visit some churches and cafes. I added one recommendation below.