Bellagio, Italia

Not just a casino and hotel in Las Vegas, Bellagio is one of the most adored cities in Italy. Situated on the well-known Lake Como, it's the perfect spot for a day or week-long getaway. Though it's a small town with seemingly little to offer, it's array of shops, cafes, alleyways, and lake views will keep you more than entertained. It takes about an hour to get to Bellagio by ferry from Como. Most people can take a train into Como, which is a much larger city, and then take the ferry to all of the cities that sit on the lake. Bellagio is probably the one with the most tourists because there are so many enjoyable things to do there.

My mom and I stayed in the cutest and most functional apartment in Bellagio. It was in a great location with air conditioning! A huge plus when staying in Europe during the Summer! We took a hike to an old villa with hilltop gardens that allowed us to overlook the lake and take some great photos, ate the most amazing desserts, bought classic Italian clothes and accessories, and enjoyed lakeside walks on a daily basis.

The Trattoria San Giacomo was probably our favorite dining spot in Bellagio. Every course we ordered was delicious from beginning to end--the tiramisu was my personal favorite. And their wine. To die for! It was the first time I had ever had Moscato D'Asti - Beve, and I could have drank an entire bottle. No, I'm not an alcoholic. As a matter of fact, I don't even typically like wine, but I went around to three wine shops in Bellagio looking for this exact wine to enjoy. :)

 There are lots and lots of steps throughout Bellagio. The town is known for that and most alleys are comprised of them.

Atop the mountain from the gardens of a villa.

 Lake Como. :)

 A shell bracelet I bought that day and delicious desserts at the Baita Belvedere. This is a restaurant at the very very top of the city. The restaurant will send a driver down into town to pick you up and take you to and from the restaurant. It's a long ride up through switchbacks and rocky roads but definitely a cool experience and totally worth it. The food was delicious and actually very cheap! Win win.

For dessert, we ordered Panna Cotta with caramel sauce (on the right) and a Zambione (on the left). The Zambione has yogurt, fresh berries, and cream and the Panna Cotta translates to cooked cream. It's a creamy texture, but sweet, and refreshingly light.

Baita Belvedere also has a machine where you can buy fresh yogurt and milk that they produce fresh every day!

The lake view from the restaurant right before sunset.

We went to Menagio, another city along the lake to visit a famous villa. There are lots of villas on the lake, many of which have been used for filming famous movies, including one of the James Bond movies.

 A bamboo garden at the villa we saw.

Peaking Through The Mist

Super tired tonight so I'm just going to let you enjoy a few more pictures from around Switzerland. :)

Wengen, Interlaken, and Thun. There may be a couple other places thrown in there, but those are the big ones. Enjoy! And good night!

The 'many fountains' of Switzerland

Lauterbrunnen, which translates to 'many fountains' in German, is a town and valley in the Swiss Alps near Interlaken, a central hub for those traveling through the Alps. We hadn't planned to, but we ended up going through Lauterbrunnen almost every day we spent in the Alps. We stayed a short train ride away in Thun, a small town with not much going on to be honest.

One reason why I found Lauterbrunnen to stand out from every other town (learn more about it here) is because it is a town of 72 waterfalls! SEVENTY TWO! There are some you can climb up and around, and maybe you can walk very very close to. Trummelbach Falls has about 10 different waterfalls that you can climb up and around; it gives a chilling close view of the falls and a spectacular panorama of the rivers and valley below.

Here are some views of inside the falls. You take an elevator or cable up, and make your way down to see a series of falls. There are different routes to go down so it doesn't get too congested up there and you get a lot of different views. It gets super super cold in the crevices of the mountains as the water rushes by at a violent pace. It was almost scary to see how fast the water runs down and eventually becomes nothing more than a quiet stream.

Some people brought rain coats to wear because you get so close to the water that you actually get really really wet. It was definitely thrilling though!

After leaving the falls, my mom and I decided to take a walk along a paved road in the middle of the valley. It was unfortunately raining when we were there, but I still found the scenery to be clear and beautiful. It's incredibly calming and picturesque from every angle.

We ran into an American couple while walking who told us about this farm down the road that sells FRESH milk through a machine. They milk their cows every morning and sell the milk for a cheap price to passers by throughout the day. We had to check it out.

The milk was delicious for sure! There were little cups to the side, and you just insert the coins, open the charming metal door, place the cup inside, press the button, and the appropriate amount comes out in no time. It was so much fun to watch, and the milk was so good! So fresh and cold; we got another cup after finishing the first. :)

This is the view from the farm we got the milk from...

The waterfalls were so loud, you could hear them throughout the valley. I love the sound of water though! Waterfalls surround this valley; it was amazing to see.

The Alps finally peaking through the clouds, with ample snow still sprinkled over the top.

I love that valley! And you can see some of the waterfalls running down the cliffs. ...those goats also began to chase me as I was snapping shots!

 Staubbach Falls - another I climbed up and BEHIND

 The view of the valley on the way up the fall...

The stairs leading me behind the fall...

Pretty much behind Staubbach fall at this point! It's hard to see the water in front of me, but it was literally running down the mountain right in front of my face. I could feel it spraying onto me and see it hitting the rocks below. The stairs were definitely a little scary to climb up so I was afraid to look over and drop my camera!

This is actually Gimmelwald, another town in the Alps but much higher up. The valley is far below. This place was so so beautiful. My mom and I talked about just renting a home there for a week and looking out at the view, not even leaving town. You can see and hear all the waterfalls, the cow bells, birds...

The panorama was like a poster. The pictures absolutely don't do it justice so after a while, we decided to put our digital and video cameras away to just take it all in while we could and capture the photo in our memory.

On the way down by cable car, ending an unforgettable day in the hidden villages of the Alps.