Aloha Hawaii!

Living in Switzerland in pretty sweet. It’s got mountains, lakes and hiking paths that lead to breathtaking views. But it doesn’t have pineapples…or coconuts…or palm trees. I like palm trees. I miss palm trees. I also miss drinking cheap Pina Coladas while looking at palm trees.

After nearly two years in the Alps, it was time for a real hardcore island vacation, and what better place to do this than The Big Island, Hawaii.

I’ve been to Maui and I’ve been to Honolulu before, but I’ve never been to the Kona. I’ve also never had to fly there from Europe, which is really, really far away from Hawaii. 

This was something I didn’t consider when planning the trip, but think about how far away the island is from the US and then add in another 24 hours of flying and train travel – and you pretty much get how sore my butt was after sitting that long.



But once I landed and saw my friendly neighborhood palm trees, it was worth it. It really is a heavenly place.



The previous times I had been to Hawaii, I’ve stayed in hotels. This time I decided to stay with my trend of staying like a local in an AirBnB, and it was a blast.

My private veranda at the AirBnB

My first few nights I stayed in this Sylvia and Karen's Balai Kona Tropical Paradise (see listing here) that had an outdoor shower. If you haven’t tried this, you need to consider it on your next trip to the tropics. First of all, it’s refreshing. And secondly, it totally makes sense as you don’t have all that extra humidity in your house (it’s already pretty humid there to begin with). 

Door to my outside shower

My room had its own bathroom (inside) which is still a necessity for me when traveling. For some reason, I’m okay with sharing a living area, but like my own private toilet. And the hosts of the house were very helpful in mapping out my day for me.

Inside the shower. They had little fairy lights for night showering. Much cuter in real life.

I think I saw more of the island than I would have due to their suggestions – and also got the insider’s guide to the best happy hours, best place to run, best place to swim with dolphins in the wild (for free) and best place to sit and watch the sunset.

Strolling through Vevey

With so many cool places to visit, you often forget about the amazing things in your own backyard. I too am guilty to this. Since moving to Switzerland, I’ve done trips to France, Italy, Prague and other places, but I haven’t really explored here.



With the My Switzerland App, I learned that you walk from the town of Vevey to Montreux – all along with the lake. I had been to Montreux for the Christmas Market, but Vevey was uncharted territory. And because they say it’s one of the “pearls of the Swiss Riviera”, I had to check it out.




It turns out Vevey is an unexpectedly interesting place. They weren’t exaggerating when they said it had a beautiful waterfront promenade. Lined with flowers and palm trees, you forget for a moment that you are in the Alps.




Then there is the giant fork. If you’ve been there, then you know what I mean. The fork is…well it’s funny…and unexpected…and for some reason the humor of having it there, along with the chairs set up on in the rocks so you can relax while looking at it, feels very Swiss.





The fork, like many other regular forks, is made of stainless steel. But unlike regular forks, it is 8 meters high and stuck in Lake Geneva. It is in fact, the world’s tallest fork. It was created for the Alimentarium, the world’s first food museum.

Visiting the other Bellagio

This weekend it was time to visit the other Bellagio.  You know…the one that’s not in Las Vegas; but the one that’s in Italy on Lake Como.

Instead of taking the train, I decided that I would drive this time.  Let me say that there are pros and cons to driving. 

The pros include being able to drive around the lake and staying in a little AirBnB outside of the tourist area.  The cons include having to drive on narrow roads that are very winding and not being able to find parking in the city.  

Actually, that is not true. You could find parking if you park like an Italian.  How they do it is they pull into an impossibly tight spot and then back up and gently push the car behind them to make room. The Canadian in me could not pull this off. Purposely backing into someone's car and pushing it, just did not work with me.  So instead, I had to park far away and walk into the heart of the village.

Sleeping in an old convent

Rather than staying in a hotel, I decided I wanted to live like a local so I rented a place via AirBnB called L’appartamento Gloria (see listing here https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/2745463) .  It was located just up the hill from Bellagio (all of Bellagio is up a hill) and used to be a convent in the old days.

It was super cute and the little village it was in was ancient and all made out of stone.  There were few roads big enough for cars.  Instead, the village was made up of narrow pathways.

I admit there wasn’t much for eating out in the area – but that’s what you get when you want to live like a local, but there was a little bakery, grocery store, a pizza place and a fancy restaurant about five minutes away.  These worked for me as I was only there for three days. 

If you are looking for 5-star fare, then you would need to drive down the hill to Bellagio, where you would have lots of places to choose from.

Bellagio is as cute as the photos

The Bellagio in Vegas is famous for its dancing fountains and posh interiors.  You won’t find any dancing fountains in the Italian version.  But you won’t be disappointed.  The village isn’t big, but it’s jam-packed with cuteness. 

There are pastel-coloured buildings that line the lake, steep narrow staircases that take you up the hill into the shopping and restaurants, tiny cafes where you can relax while people watching and little bakeries, butcher shops and wine shops. 

It’s a maze of wonder.  And because of its close-knit quarters, evening strolls would be romantic – which could be why so many people honeymoon there.  The pace is slower than Rome and Milan.  And when the moon is out and you’re sipping coffee under the stars at a sidewalk café, it’s easy to forget the rest of the world exists.

The Matterhorn really is impressive

One of the great things of living in Switzerland is that you don’t have to go far to see the Alps.  I can actually see them from my balcony at home. However, you do have to get on a train or rent a car is you want to see the really cool mountains close up.  

This weekend’s conquest was the Matterhorn.

With an elevation of 4,478 meters and a prominence of 1,040 meters, the Matterhorn is one of those mountains that are unmistakable – and they always are covered in snow even in the middle of the summer.  

To get there, you head to Zermatt, and then the fun begins. 

During ski season, naturally, skiing is the thing to do, but in the summer, Zermatt is still pretty busy.  There are numerous hiking trails to pick from.  In fact, there are over 400 km of marked trails around the area. 

I admit some of the trails are a little intense though, as you could be walking straight up a mountain (great glute workout) and down again (not fun for the knees).  Others are more flat and will lead you through the valley, which is amazing in the summer as it’s full of wild flowers. 

What will amaze you though is that even if you are dying while walking up a steep path, some old couple in their 80s will pass you with their little walking sticks and knapsack full of cheese, bread and wine for their picnic at the top.  Swiss genes are truly amazing.

If you are more adventurous, another way to see the area is to hike hut-to-hut.  I haven’t done this yet, but maybe one day.  

All over Switzerland, you’ll see these little huts/houses in the middle of no where.  Some have running water; some don’t.  Basically, you hike all day, spend the night in one of these huts, and then continue hiking in the morning.  I think it’s a pretty civilized way to camp – and you don’t have to lug a tent with you. 

The good news is that it doesn’t matter which trail you pick, you won’t be able to miss the Matterhorn.  Its majestic peak is high above the others.

De-stressing amongst the Lavender Fields in Provence

 One of my favorite books is “A Year in Provence” by Peter Mayle. I read it in my early 20s and at the time, decided I would move to Provence at the age 35 and open up a little bistro from my home that overlooked my imaginary vineyard. As a back up plan, I would paint ceiling murals in homes (apparently, that trend only caught on in my dreams).

My 35th birthday has long come and gone, and I’m still working full time. My dream of a bistro has now evolved to opening a wine bar in my 50s (destination still unknown). In the meantime, I am continuing and quite enjoying my worldwide research on where their amazing wine bar will be.

But I still love Provence -- especially when the lavender is in bloom.

 My favorite part is rolling down the windows of the car and letting the smell waif in as you drive past the fields. It puts me immediately at ease and I forget all the pressures I have. For those few minutes, I am completely in the moment and at the disposal of those purple blooms.

Did someone say road trip?

One of perks of living in Switzerland is that Provence is no longer a once in a lifetime trip. It’s a 5 hour road trip, and sometimes driving 5 hours through the French countryside along really small and winding roads to meet two friends for a girls’ weekend is just what this adventurer’s soul needs.

The destination of this weekend: La Lauren Bed and Breakfast, which is located in the heart of France’s lavender area.

La Lauren is not your average bed and breakfast. It’s a 17th century farm house located right beside a field of lavender. The closest village is Ferrassières and the house is waaaay up a hill so your take in the whole Plateau de Sault. Basically, you get a spectacular view of the country and lavender fields in the distance.

Frankly, it’s magical.

I met my girlfriend and her sister there, and was blown away.

 Immediately, I decided I needed to come back and do weekend of intensive writing or hold a yoga/creative retreat at this house. But a part of me wanted to be selfish and not tell you about it so that I could have it all to myself. Really. This place was better than having champagne and chocolate cake for breakfast. It was decadent.

There’s not much to do in the area, but sometimes that’s the point of a girls’ weekend. We drank French wine, took photos with the lavender (warning….the fields are full of bees and they don’t like you hanging out there), ate amazing food and talked until sunrise.

Because that’s what girls do.

Hiking the Fiery Furnace in Moab

Fiery Furnace in Utah

A natural labyrinth of narrow passages  -- that’s how Arches National Park in Utah describes the Fiery Furnace. Other websites describe the 3-hour hike as an extremely rugged scrambling area.  And then there are the photos of the red sandstone walls and pillars that make up the trail. For a desert lover like me, it’s irresistible.

Then there is the whole limited access thing, which only makes it more tempting.  First of all, they only let 50 people into the area each day.  And getting a permit is difficult as they do sell out – so you can’t just wake up and say “hey, let’s hike the furnace today.” 

Secondly, there is a whole untouched aspect to the Fiery Furnace – mostly because there are no marked trails.  There is nothing like checking the “trail condition” and see the words “nonexistent.” In other words, getting lost is extremely possible - and happens often.

Discovering the Fiery Furnace

I planned to hike the furnace in June - naturally during a heat wave because that's how I roll and a little scorching heat has never stopped me from doing something. And I had a 4 pm flight that day. Both these things meant that getting lost in the Fiery Furnace was not a good option for me.  

Plus, I read on forums that cell phone reception was a little sketchy in the area. 

Thankfully for people like me whose internal compass is not always reliable, there are guides who will take you through the furnace.  

I hired a guy from Moab Hiking (http://www.moabhiking.com) to take me around and he was fantastic.  He had me jumping over crevices, scrambling up rocks and stretching myself over large cracks so that I didn’t fall in. 

We started at 7 am when the park opened and by 10 am it was already 110 degrees so I was happy for early start. The hike is not long in terms of distance, and my guide said he customizes it based on the fitness levels of the person – so less scrambling if you aren’t used to it and more intense if you have been training for a marathon like was.  

However, regardless of your fitness level, the Fiery Furnace is a beautiful hike. 

Getting to the Fiery Furnace

One of the reasons it took me so long to make the trek to the Fiery Furnace is that it is in the middle of nowhere.  From Phoenix it’s an 8-hour drive.  From Las Vegas, it takes 7 hours. And from Salt Lake City it takes a little over 4 hours.  Yeah... it's far no matter how you look at it. 

I decided to do the Grand Junction option. 

There’s a direct flights from Phoenix to Grand Junction.  And from Grand Junction, it’s takes just over 2 hours to get to the Arches National Park and the Fiery Furnace. It's a pretty drive.  I did it at sunrise which made it spectacular.

Because I was arriving at Grand Junction at 9:30 pm and needed to get up at 4:30 am to meet my guide at 7 am, I rented a room through AirBnB.  My host was Pat, a woman in her 70s who is an inspiration to all of us with adventurous heart – and those who want to be.

She’s been a ranch hand and a trail rider.  She’s also an author and a poet.  Anyone who thinks getting old is boring needs to spend a few days with her and you will be cured of that misconception.  Especially when she tells you she just did a horseback riding trip in Australia and had a book published.  

I'm just saying, when I grow up, I’m going to be just like her.

Here’s her airBnB listing: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1361015