Pro-tip for photographers: traveling with other photographers will ensure that you have photos of you in the totally awesome places that you visit. Today we left Milan and drove through the Alps into Germany. By the end of the day, we had driven in five countries. That is just unreal to me, I totally wish that they made you stop at the border of each country - it certainly would have helped me on my goal of filling up my passport before it expires! The first part of our drive, from Milan to Bellinzona, Switzerland, could be summed up as "I bet this is really pretty in the summer." A heavy fog had settled on the area and didn't look like it had any intention of leaving until May. We stopped at the famed Lake Como hoping to photograph the lakeside town, but the fog was so thick on the lake, it left us so disappointed that we didn't even bother parking the car and I hopped out and took a couple quick photos looking for anything that might work for his series while Josh circled the block.
For someone who has never been to the Alps, coming from Milan or further south may find it a little depressing in winter. The beautiful green pastures are covered in snow, or just grey. The tall, snow-capped peaks surrounding the city might look ominous or dreary. I was excited - it started to look more like my beloved Austria. Memories flooded back as we drove through little dorfs (villages). I was absolutely floored by the scale and beauty of the mountains. We stopped above one village, no idea what the name is, and took some of the most beautiful pictures. The area was simply stunning.
The transition from Italian-speaking Switzerland to German-speaking was quick. All of a sudden, castles ruins stood atop mountains and Edelweis was spotted on building. We popped in to a grocery store for lunch and I was stoked to have a gouda, salami and rye bread open faced sandwich - I had eaten those soooo often when living in Germany and Austria.
The time flew away from us and it was quickly dark, leaving us to pass through Liechtenstein with little more than a view of the castle on the hill lit up. My phone carrier kept notifying us every time we crossed country borders and was frequently the only indication we had.
In Fuessen, we were greeted with a town full of adorable German architecture lit up and sparkling in the snow. The castles of Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein were lit up in the mountains in front of us - those will be tomorrow's adventures!
