One day of unrestricted travel for one of us aboard the unparalleled Swiss Rail system! We've booked these passes for our entire stay in Switzerland, so we plan to be whimsical about how we spend our time; no schedules to meet! Trains are frequent enough that in most cases you can simply arrive at the station whenever and go wherever.

Our long-established hotel in Lucerne is located near the center of the old town, on the banks of the River Reuss!https://www.weisseskreuzluzern.ch/en/

Our most exciting accommodation, family owned for generations, is the Traditional Hotel Julen of Zermatt. We've booked a "half-board" deal, so breakfast is included as well as dinner at any of their three restaurants!

A day trip to the beautifully-preserved ruins of one of the largest cities of the Roman world! Remarkably intact, the archeological site includes the Temple of Celsus, a 25,000-seat ampitheater, and luxury housing complete with frescoes and mosaics. This site combines Greek, Roman, and even early Christian history; it was home to Paul for several years, and his later Letter to the Ephesians is addressed to this community.

For Switzerland; a fund dedicated to taking longer, more scenic routes for their own sake. We don't have much of a fixed itinerary in Switzerland, so this'll be more of a spur-of-the-moment thing.

At some point, I'm sure we'll be enticed by some shop full of legendary Swiss chocolate!

One way or another, we'll end up with an opportunity to sample Greek wines! Santorini looks like a likely candidate with its Assyrtiko grapes.

Somewhere in the Greek isles, we'll find a cute cafe overlooking the water, enjoy a light Mediterranean lunch, and think of you!

Bougatsa is a Greek breakfast pastry filled with cheese and custard. Supposedly for many Greeks, bougatsa isn't just a food; it's an essential element of their morning ritual. The most popular version has semolina custard filling and is served hot and cut into pieces, with powdered sugar and cinnamon on top!

Holly loves bakeries, and Confiserie Bachmann is beloved local institution within Lucerne. It's most famous for its Nuss Stengel (a fluff pastry wrapped around a core of nut-meal). We'll be sure to stop by!

A traditional Valais restaurants associated with the Hotel Julen, our stop in Zermatt! https://www.julen.ch/en/restaurant-schaeferstube/

A well-loved traditional Valais restaurant in Zermatt owned by the same family that runs our hotel! https://www.julen.ch/en/restaurant-julen/

We'll take the long way from Lucerne to Zermatt via the famous St. Gotthard Pass. Notable to train nerds for its spectacular engineering (bridges! spiral tunnels! dramatic cliffs!), this has been on my (Drew's) bucket list since I was 12.

At some point, somewhere in Switzerland, we'll stop for lunch in a picturesque spot and think of you!

A boat trip from the port of Mykonos to Delos, the mythical birthplace of Apollo and Artemis! At one point this island was so sacred that it used to be illegal to be born or die there - pregnant women and sick people were kicked out.

As the site of one of the largest volcanic eruptions in recorded history, the Santorini Caldera is a leading candidate as the source of the legend of Atlantis - and a gorgeous sight! This tour sails around to explore the caldera and its settlements, and includes swimming and lunch.

Holly loves Baklava; I'm sure we'll find one or several opportunities to stop for some!

Drew's brother-in-law's family hails from the Greek island of Chios, notable for its Mastika liqueur; the resin from which the liqueur is produced only grows there and nowhere else. We won't visit Chios but we're curious to try it, so we'll try to snag a bottle or a taste of it somewhere along the way!

At least once, we'll sit and watch the sunset while sipping drinks from the bar!

This traditional Lucerne restaurant is frequently described as "Gemütlichkeit" -- german for a feeling of coziness, familiarity, and that all's right with the world. Sounds great!