The Ultimate Mother-Daughter Trip

ZOE HERE

At the start of the summer, around June 3rd, my mother and I set out with two tickets on Korean Air flight towards our first stop in Europe, Zurich. Boarding the flight, we were told that we had been bumped up to Business Class seats, making our time in the air now a whole lot more enjoyable. We were then ready for our journey towards Europe!

Next Stop: Zurich

We began our Mother-Daughter Trip visiting my Godmother, Sharon Altmeyer. Due to her current stint in Zurich, Switzerland, we were incredibly grateful to be able to reunite with Sharon and get an inside perspective on what it is really like to live in this City.

Day 1:

I began my morning with an early 4am wake up due to severe Jet Lag coming from Seoul. Although my fatigue affected me later in the day, it was nice to watch the sunrise in the beautiful and sweet Altmeyer apartment. Once the rest of the group awoke we dived into our delicious first breakfast. Overall, the food was outstanding in all of the European countries we visited; however, I found these morning breakfasts were my favorite meals. Savoring Fresh Croissants and Lattes along side colorful eggs sold everyday in the local markets was the best way to greet the day!

After our first big breakfast, we set out exploring the city and seeing how it contrasts with familiar Seoul. We spent the majority of the first day learning about Sharon’s lifestyle and the unique aspects of the Swiss culture. Walking through the small streets and colorful buildings along the old cobble-stone streets was remarkable. I liked seeing how the little bits of Zurich that reminded me of the states (such as the Brandy Melville store which became yet another stop which had to be seen) contrasted with the elements of the City that were completely its own, like the big open street where the Guilds festivals are held.

Our next adventure was the trip to the “Knie” Circus at 2 pm. Before this though a little bit of Swiss chocolate was crucial to increase our energy to the level of the circus. Not knowing what to expect, we found our seats and watched the stage as many different animals, acrobats, clowns, and trapezists

came out to perform. We found the show to be humorous and enjoyable. Unfortunately, I was not allowed to take many pictures during the performance.

To finish our first day in Europe we met up with my Godfather, Sharon’s husband Mark, and went for drinks at the sweet dock bar near their apartment before heading off to an authentic Swiss dinner of Weinerschnitzel and off to bed early to energize for what tomorrow would bring!

Day 2:

On our second day in Zurich, we ate a similar breakfast at around 8:30 and headed to the train station to Basel, one of the other main cities in Switzerland. We took the 50 minute ride into Basel and hopped on our next 45 minute train right into France to visit a small town called Colmar.

Colmar was a beautiful town surrounded by dollhouse-looking architecture. The town was filled with small shops where we could go in and practice a bit of our rusty French tongue. We walked around for almost 2 hours visting the different parts, such as what they called Petite Venise. This area was similar to the rest of Colmar but the buildings were all surrounded by a small canal, much like Venice.

After exploring, we went to a lovely restaurant for lunch where we ordered a variety of fish as our main meal and looked out at the simple lifestyle of this French town. We then headed back on the train back into Zurich to finish off our second day in Switzerland with a dinner at a nice, local Italian restaurant nearby.

Day 3:

Despite our usual routine, the three of us left earlier to reach the food market near Sharon’s apartment. After exploring the market and its large variety of cheeses, bread and flowers for sale, we sat down and enjoyed some coffee, hot chocolate and yummy carrot cake! The market was simple and quite different from the hectic street markets that we are used to in Asia.

Soon after out breakfast in the market, we walked again towards the train station, but this time heading through Germany into a town called Stein am Rhein. Stein am Rhein is a small town in northeastern Switzerland. This town was particularly interesting because it was dramatically different from what we had experienced so far. The buildings, although alike in structure, were decorated with old medieval pantings as you can see in the images below.

After finishing up walking around Stein am Rhein, but before we made our trip back to Zurich, we stopped for a lovely bite to eat at a yummy crepe place.

However, we took a different mode of transportation for our trip back to Zurich . The three of us walked down towards the water, and waited for a boat cruise that would take us to the famous Rhein Falls. We got on the cruise and enjoyed the hour and a half or so ride to the falls with some warm tea and biscuits. Time flew by as the boat stopped at different locations along the journey to the falls. However one stop was certainly longer than the others. The three of us found ourselves waiting for almost a half hour on the boat, expecting to continue onwards to the Rhein Falls. Little did we know that we were already there and just had been stalling on the boat for what seemed like forever!

After this realization hit us, thanks to the help of a boat cruise employee, we got off the boat and rushed to the empty toy train which was to take us to the falls. At this point the three of us must’ve looked ridiculous as we were riding through this town on a goofy little train and laughing uncontrollably at our unexpected journey to the falls.

However, the view was worth it! Seeing the wild flow of water against the small castle on a nearby mountain (as you can see in the images below) was outstanding and a view I know none of us will forget!

Day 4:

The fourth day was our last full day in Switzerland. Our goal was to check off more and more parts of the country we had yet to see, and we did just that. Today we were traveling to Lucerne. Lucerne is a city in Switzerland which is known for its mountains. Our goal was to get on the cogwheel train that would take us up Mount Rigi.

Once we got up to the peak of the mountain, the drastic change in temperature was felt through my thin layers. Despite runny noses and goosebump-covered arms, we had an amazing time fighting the cold and running down the mountain in hopes to heat up, while we looked around and took in the outstanding view which you can see below.

Once we reached the base of the mountain we took a gondola down with a friendly group of Korean tourists. It was fun to be able to pickup the few phrases we could understand from our past two years in Korea. This short ride in what felt like Korea town reminded us of home in Seoul, while we got to experience such an amazing new place.

Before getting on a boat and heading towards the town of Lucerne from where we could catch a train back into Zurich, we stopped by the water and enjoyed a delightful lunch in the sun.

We got to Lucerne and walked around the town, stopping at the unique hat store and then bought some delicious ice cream cones that helped us run to make our train back into Zurich.

To finish off our last night in Zurich, we ate yummy take-out Brats and salad and sat at the table, taking in the beautiful views out of the Altmeyer apartment.

Day 5:

Next Stop: Amsterdam

On our fifth day in Europe we stuffed our clothes back in our luggage once again and rode the train back to the airport. Our stress level rose a bit due to the immense amount of weight that my mother’s suitcase contained, but after shuffling some face masks and Korean books into my suitcase, the weight limit was met and the bag checked. Before boarding the plane we stopped for amazing macaroons and more Swiss chocolate and that made it all worth it!

We then took off in our small (scary!!) plane towards the Netherlands and closer towards my life-long goal of seeing the Anne Frank Museum in Amsterdam!

We arrived in the airport and drove to the charming Pulitzer Hotel. Once we were settled in, we took a short break before heading on out to the famous Van Gogh Museum.

The Van Gogh Museum holds 200 of his paintings, all of which were explained in a detailed and engaging audio guide that the three of us listened to. The museum was filled with different stories and memories of Van Gogh’s life, information on how those experiences changed him and how that is reflected into his artwork. It was truly an amazing exhibit and I encourage anyone to go see it if you ever find yourself in the Netherlands!

To finish off our first day, dinner! The three of us walked along the canal before stopping in at a delicious, and appealing cafe called George’s Cafe. The food here was delightful and it was a great end to our first day experiencing Amsterdam.

Day 6:

We awoke to the sound of rain pouring down on our hotel, a common event one sees in Amsterdam. However, we did not let the rain stop us! We spent quite some time finding a cafe called Bocca Coffee which served great coffee but sadly did not have a large amount of breakfast options on the menu. After our short morning coffee, we made our way towards the Anne Frank House.

The Anne Frank house is a Museum which captures a young girl’s life in hiding as a Jew during the Holocaust. After reading all about her, and many other Jewish victims’ experiences, I finally was able to see the scene in real life. It was incredibly interesting to see their home or what is known as “The Secret Annexe,” along with the overall lifestyle of this family. The trip to the Anne Frank House was extremely memorable because it gave me an everlasting look at such a crucial event in history. Along with the Van Gogh Museum, I strongly recommend this Museum as another crucial site to see!

We ended our tour at the museum and set out for lunch at a nearby Açai Bowl cafe. Once we regained our energy with some ginger shots we set out for the local flower market and the Rijksmuseum.

The flower market was a short stop but it was nice to see all of the blooming buds and the variety of tulips for sale.

The Rijksmuseum, however, was a much longer stop. We purchased more audio guides and dove right in to the art shown here. A few of my favorite paintings exhibited at the museum were ‘The Night Watch’ and the ‘Milkmaid.’ Both of these pieces were captivating with their incredible detail and story behind them.

We finished the day with a quick stroll in the large and famous Vondelpark before heading back to the hotel for dinner.

Day 7:

Next Stop: London

We began the morning with a goodbye coffee with Sharon and sadly parted ways as she went on exploring other countries in Europe and my mother and I headed to our last stop, London.

Before our noon flight we ate at a wonderful brunch restaurant, “Corner Bakery.” The meal was just what both of us needed as we set out for the airport.

We then got to the airport and to our gate at British Airways. The plane was again small but it was a short flight so not too unbearable! Shortly after we landed in London, we were taken to the Duke’s Hotel. The Hotel felt very simple and old which was a nice change of pace from where we had been staying.

We walked all around the famous spots of London, which was conveniently right outside our hotel. We ventured through Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, and Buckingham Palace before hopping in line to get on the London Eye. The Eye gave us an amazing perspective on the city and helped us navigate London the rest of the trip. We were also just lucky enough to have gotten one of the most beautiful afternoons we had experienced in Europe yet, while surrounded by the amazing view.

To finish off the night we ate at an exquisite sushi restaurant. We sat at the bar and enjoyed all types of Japanese food there while we made friends with the kind man who was making these artistic dishes.

Day 8:

The next day began with a quick morning breakfast at the Duke’s Hotel before we set out walking throughout the city. Once outside we walked for around 2 hours, taking in the new atmosphere around us. Our first stop was the London Tower Bridge. Not knowing what to expect, we walked right into the scene with audio guides in hand and went around the site, through the armor exhibit, torturing chamber, and much more.

We then walked along the London Bridge and headed in the direction of our next stop: The Tate Modern Museum, (Yes, Another Museum!). This museum was particularly unique because of its distinctive architecture and the modern nature of its collection compared to the other museums we’d visited. My mother and I spent time gazing through different pieces of work from Henry Bond to Andy Warhol. All pieces were original and rare, having been gathered from many other museums.

We ended our tour of the Tate Museum and began to walk back towards the theatrical part of town, where we would have dinner before seeing a play. Along the walk we saw Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre which was another interesting site to see because of its uncommon structure and design.

To finish off the night, my mom and I went to the show that was playing called “The Play That Goes Wrong.” This play was suggested by Sharon for us and was a total hit! We found ourselves laughing the entire time and referring to it later on. The play was composed of a small cast whose slapstick style humor kept the audience laughing for the entire 2 hour show. Overall, we found it to be a great change of pace from what we had been doing, and an amazing taste of the famous theater culture of London.

Day 9:

It was our last day in Europe, but we made it count! My mom and I left our hotel early and walked on over to the nearby museum of Churchill’s War Rooms. This exhibit goes down as another one of my favorite experiences in Europe. Having a basic understanding of who Churchhill and his allies were from my 9th Grade History course, I was able to absorb all the information and connect it to my previous learning which made the experience most memorable. Another reason why this exhibit was so interesting was because of the way it differed and yet related to the other secret hiding scenes we had seen in Amsterdam at the Anne Frank Museum. Touring Churchill’s Cabinet War Rooms was a great start to our last morning and gave us a much necessary perspective on the history of the city.

The next stop was our trip to Westminster Abbey. We had lots of fun learning about the Royal Family and how the royal line of power works. The building was filled with beautiful tombs and statues of size that can only be truly appreciated in person, and we are extremely grateful we were lucky to be able to do so!

We ended the night with an enjoyable dinner at a yummy Italian Restaurant with a good family friend of my mother’s, Lew Lukens. The dinner was quite tasty and it was great to see a familiar face in the city of London!

Day 10:

Next Stop: Home

We set out the next morning for a quick brunch and then straight to the airport for our flight back to the States. We were sad to leave such a wonderful continent that was filled with a wide range of traditions, events in history, artwork, and unique cultures, but we knew it would not be our last time visiting!

This trip was one I will never forget because of the many places I got to see thanks to such great people who gave my mother and I the ability to explore the fascinating cities. I am incredibly thankful that I got go on this European adventure with my mother. This was one trip I will never forget!