Bern

....feels like a scene in a storybook setting. I've been told that if you've seen Bern you've basically seen all the German cities of Switzerland, such as Zurich. The bear is the country's symbol, so naturally as the capital, it has bears!

All the buildings had this same pea/olive green color 

Important Building

The Clock Tower

Geneva

I find it hard to imagine that my mom once lived in Geneva. It is a very small city. And while it holds almost every international agency and has to have ritzy hotels and restaurants, there are few bars and even fewer clubs. That translates to: limited nightlife scene. I can't imagine myself ever living there... well atleast not until my hair has gone white.

Geneva is calm and quiet.... Since its in Switzerland it is known for dairy... fondue and raclette. But French-speaking Geneva isn't at all like the other cities in Switzerland. So what's there to do there? Visit the UN, go to the many parks full of beautiful flowers, walk under the Je D'eau (which by the way can be seen from your airplane seat apparently), look at all the expensive cars, walk along the lake, feed the ducks and swans, eat cheese, eat chocolate, wander through old town, and go to the beautiful rolling green hills.

Yep, that's Geneva.

Lake Leman & Jet D'Eau

Elisabet and David took me to the beautiful French countryside

Thanks Anna, my fabulous host!

My first cheese fondue and raclette!

The Tourist.

That the native does not like the tourist is not hard to explain. For every native of every place is a potential tourist, and every tourist is a native of somewhere. Every native everywhere lives a life of overwhelming and crushing banality and boredom and desperation and depression, and every deed, good and bad, is an attempt to forget this. Every native would like to find a way out, every native would like a rest, every native would like a tour. But some natives -- most natives in the world -- cannot go anywhere. They are too poor. They are too poor to go anywhere. They are too poor to escape the reality of their lives; and they are too poor to live properly in the place where they live, which is the very place you, the tourist, want to go -- so when the natives see you, the tourist, they envy you, they envy your ability to leave your own banality and boredom, they envy your ability to turn their own banality and boredom into a source of pleasure for yourself." -Jamaica Kincaid

Segovia

The second must-do day trip from Madrid is the 30 minute AVE train ride to Segovia, which like Toledo, is also a World Heritage city. Segovia is well known for its ancient Aqueduct located at la Plaza de Azoquejo. It was built in the first or second century and is in perfect condition. This Roman aqueduct once transported water from a river in the mountains to the city. The Alcazar of Segovia and the elaborate Cathedral are both deserving of visits as well. Segovia is known for "cuchinillo" which is roast suckling pig. We didn't actually eat any, but every restaurant serves it. Even if you just google 'cuchinillo' Segovia comes up! Segovia was yet a again an appreciated day out of the capital. Pictures, pictures, pictures...