Okay, I think I finally get the “hype”! Freddy’s best friend came to town, so naturally we hopped in the car to check out some of the more well-known Swiss ski mountains on a blue-sky weekend.

Oh, Paris. I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from this oft-romanticized French city, and was wary of getting my hopes up. But then, after a nearly 5 hour train trip from our mountainous abode, we landed in the city and began the lovely process of falling in love.

Obi, upon realizing that the canals were not, actually, going to be come his swimming playground, pulled himself up by his leash and began charging around the maze of the city’s corners, taking inspiration from the many leash-less Venice-native dogs we crossed paths with during our hours in the city.

With magnificent castle grounds to explore by foot or on borrowed bikes, thermal springs baths open 24/7 and private wine tastings available in the basement wine cellar, this place was a dream. I’m fairly certain even Obi put on a pout when he realized we weren’t actually moving in permanently.

I don’t think either of us were really cognizant of how much we missed scrumptious plates until our first meal in Italy. Though many of the restaurants were closed during our visit for the winter holidays, we were able to enjoy our fair share of delicious meals during our visit.

Smack dab between Florence and Siena and just outside the small town of San Donato in Poggio, Castello di Valle was everything we’d hoped it would be. Our friends and their sweet pup joined us for just under a week at the castle, and we spent our time meandering the olive grove grounds, going for walks in the fog, eating delicious food and lounging by the fireside.

Ah yes, Florence! Though this city deserved much more than the day-trip we devoted to it, we what we could to see all the best of Florence on the day after Christmas.

En route to Tuscany we decided at the very last second to take the slightly longer coastal route down from Switzerland, skirting the western Italian coastline and the city of Genoa. Seeing the Mediterranean sea for the first time in many years felt like greeting an old friend, and we craned our necks between tunnels and covered bridges to get every glimpse we could of the glimmering blue.

December arrived promptly and brought winter along with it, dusting (then pounding) us in bright white snow and delighting our eyes with bright Christmas lights and sparkling sunsets.

Fall is lingering here in the mountains. Excluding one spattering of snowfall, we’ve been lucky to drag out the autumn season with reasonably warm and blue-sky days.

Though we were there for work, the memories that will linger from our 2-night trip are mostly of warm food, hot coffee, and the golden colors of fall.

Ah yes, every time I come here this city reminds me that it could almost feel like home. Sometime about this place feels cozy even in its massive city maze.

After taking a cable car up quite a ways with Obi and our friend Eric and his pup, Snow, we meandered across the hillside a good long ways — passing many a stream for Obi and Snow to play in — before enjoying a late potato-and-cheese-filled lunch at a hut restaurant atop the mountain.