EmilyV227

Honestly, I was expecting more from Cinque Terre. The weather was gorgeous….but it was SUPER crowded (we were there in September), and the towns were kind of dirty. Lots of graffiti everywhere. In addition, we saw a man pass away on the hike—which I’m sure tainted my view of Cinque Terre as well. After attempting CPR on him (I was assisting), the paramedics finally showed up 45 minutes later. I would not attempt the hikes unless you are in semi-decent physical shape and be warned that there will be minimal medical attention if anything should go wrong….it is not a casual hike that some believe it to be.

Gimmelwald, Switzerland was one of the most amazing places I have ever been! I HIGHLY recommend going there. I also spent a night in Interlaken—while nice, it did not hold a candle to being up IN the Alps. To get to Gimmelwald you must take a local train from Interlaken to Lauterbrunnen. Then you take a bus from Lauterbrunnen to Stechelberg and take a lift up to Gimmelwald. It is breathtaking. I highly recommend Esther’s B&B in Gimmelwald. Not only was it relatively cheap and very comfy, but we met fantastic people while we were there.

Growing up in Chicago I went to the Shedd for the obligatory field trip, however, I fell in love with this place. I am not an “animal freak” or anything, but I just think this is a great place to visit when you go to Chicago. I recommend it to everyone visiting. I actually have been here about 2-3 times in the 5 years since I left Chicago—there is still stuff to see each time! Especially now that they have the new shark exhibit.