Back in August 2015, Jef was invited for a two-and-a-half month artist residency in Brittany, France and thereafter we traveled to Geneva (Switzerland); Milan, Florence, Rome (Italy); and Barcelona (Spain) to maximize our 90-day Schengen Visa, before we flew back home on November 14, 2015. That trip provided great inspiration and growth in Jef as a fine artist and also opened a lot of opportunities in his art career. Because of this, France and Europe have always had a special place in our hearts and we have always wanted to go back. But because of travel restrictions during the pandemic in 2020-2022, we were unable to. Now that we have settled into the new normal, we became more confident to go back.
So I would like to share our recent adventures, our countless hikes to the many wonderful and inspiring sights of Europe from August 12 to October 11, 2024. As I have mentioned before, we especially love connecting with nature, hiking, enjoy mountain and lakeside views, so those were our main considerations in visiting places included on this trip. On our way, while waiting in terminals, while on trains, while we stop to rest or look at the scenic views and upon reaching our destination, Jef still works or sketches when possible.
For this TRIP, we covered 11 countries (more than 6,500km and over 77 trains, excluding cable cars, funiculars & boats):
Bern, Interlaken, Brienz, Spiez, Kandersteg, Mülenen, Grindelwald, Mürren, Lauterbrunnen, Wengen, Lucerne, Zurich, & Stan Am Rhein (Switzerland)
Liechtenstein
Domodossola (Italy)
Innsbruck, Vorarlberg, Salzburg, Hallstatt & Vienna (Austria)
Budapest (Hungary)
Bratislava (Slovakia)
Prague, Hrubá Skála, Kutna Hora, Cesky Krumlov, Karlštejn & Morina (Czech Republic)
Berchtesgaden, Dresden, Kurort Rathen, Nuremberg &Frankfurt (Germany)
Luxembourg
Dinant, Belgium
Paris & Nancy (France)
We tried to cover as many cities and towns as we could in each country. I have to admit, it was also very tiring since there were instances when we had to wake up as early as 3AM and travel 3-4hrs, by train and connect to a bus, funicular, cable car or boat then hike to our destination and do the same going back to our hotel, just so we could do a day trip to some places. But despite the lack of sleep and exhaustion, it was all worth it.
If I am to cover all the places we've visited, this post would be incredibly long, so I will divide it into 4 parts. And at the last part (
part 4) of this post, I'll share some of the artworks inspired by and accomplished in this trip.
Jef and I would like to thank our followers and especially our collectors. With your continuous support, we are both able to get renewed inspiration and growth thru our trips and continue to do what we are most passionate about, doing art.
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| Jef sketching during our flight via Emirates from Dubai to CDG, Paris. |
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| having breakfast an hour before our 9AM arrival to CDG, Paris |
Video of Jef working at the airport, during our flight and arrival to Paris,
August 12-13, 2024
(for videos, click the play button twice):
Upon our arrival and check-in at our hotel near Gare du Nord, we immediately set out to visit Basilique du Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre and Place du Tertre which is a small cobbled square lined with cafes where artists gather, show their art and do portraits of tourists.
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| Stairway along Rue Paul Albert leading to Basilica Sacré-Cœur |
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| Halle Saint-Pierre art museum for contemporary and experimental art |
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| along Rue Charles Nodier, on our way back to our hotel |
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| Jef working in our hotel balcony on the late afternoon of our arrival |
We stayed in Paris overnight and while still groggy and disoriented from our jetlag, we travelled the next day to Bern, Switzerland.
BERN, SWITZERLAND
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| We spotted this unique face-like feature of one of the mountains inside our train on our way from Paris to Bern |
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| Bern Station |
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| Parliament building/Bundeshaus |
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an amazing view at Bundesterrasse |
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| Bundesterrasse |
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Zytglogge/Astronomical Clock |
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| Zytglogge/Astronomical Clock |
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| along Kramgasse |
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very colorful and artistic Zähringer fountain |
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| along Kramgasse |
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Kreuzgass fountain |
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| view of Bern center at Rosengarten |
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| with Einstein's statue at Rosengarten |
And here's a video reel of Jef sketching at Rosengarten, Bern on a hot summer afternoon of August 16, 2024:
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| beautiful Bern Cathedral facade |
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| Bern Cathedral |
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| Bern Cathedral |
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| Bern Cathedral |
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| Bern Cathedral |
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| Bern Cathedral |
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| Bern Cathedral |
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| Bern Cathedral |
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| Bern Cathedral |
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scenic Aussichtspunkt Terrasse |
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| Amazing views of the whole city of Bern at the viewing tower located at Mount Gurten's summit |
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| viewing tower at the summit of Mount Gurten |
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| view of Bern at the viewing tower |
INTERLAKEN, SWITZERLAND
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| these huge cow bells were displayed in one of the barns we passed by |
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| one of the street intersections in a neighborhood near Schlosspark |
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| neighborhood near Schlosspark |
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| bridge along Marktgasse where you can view Aare Dam |
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| Aare River |
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| a neighborhood near our hotel in Interlaken West |
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| view of Lake Thun on the trail going up to Harder Klum |
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| view of Interlaken Ost/East and Interlaken West (between Lake Thun and Lake Brienz) atop of Harder Klum |
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| Harder Klum |
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| Lake Brienz on the background |
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| I loved this pair of wooden sculptures along the trail going up to Harder Klum |
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| Lake Thun |
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| Lake Brienz |
ISELTWALD, SWITZERLAND
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| Even though it was so cold and raining that day, we still tried to go out and explore. So glad we did since there were so few tourists walking around. |
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| Iseltwald pier |
BRIENZ, SWITZERLAND
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| traditional houses at Brunngasse, some more than 300 years old. |
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| View of Lake Brienz. Brienz is also known for its long tradition of woodcarving. As you stroll along it's streets and along the lake side, you'll see a lot of wood carvings scattered along the area. |
Unfortunately, we were not able to experience the Brienzer Rothorn scenic train. A week before we arrived, there was a strong typhoon which caused significant damage to the town of Brienz. One of them are the train tracks which were washed out and it would take months to repair, so the scenic train was closed for the whole summer-autumn season and would resume on summer-autumn 2025 (according to the locals).
It was raining the following day so we decided to rest at our hotel. Here's a video of Jef working:
KANDERSTEG, SWITZERLAND
From Interlaken West, we travelled almost 1.5hrs hours by train, connected to a bus, then gondola and hiked another 20 mins. to reach a hidden gem, the turquoise blue lake Oeschinensee.
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| Oeschinen Lake was enveloped with very thick fog in the early morning of Aug. 19, 2024 |
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| We felt hopeful on our hike up to the viewpoint as the fog started to dissipate at around 10am |
“A walk in nature walks the soul back home.” –Mary Davis
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| Our hike up to the view point took us another two hours |
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This is like a scene from a fantasy movie. |
“Choose only one master—nature.” –Rembrandt
MULENEN, SWITZERLAND
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| crystal clear Blausee Lake |
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| We especially love thick forests where roots or branches of trees tease our playful imagination, where we somehow feel like there is an entity close by. Do you see an eye looking at you? |
SPIEZ, SWITZERLAND
DOMODOSSOLA, ITALY
From Interlaken West. we did a day trip to this small border town of Italy. Domodossola is most famous for the Sacro Monte Calvario, a site of pilgrimage and worship close to it that has been also recognized as UNESCO heritage site.
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view from our moving train to Domodossola
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| view from our connecting bus to Domodossola |
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| As we hiked up the picturesque stone paved raod to Sacred Mount Calvary, there were around 15 chapels/Staziones scattered along the path/trail, each containing life sized polychrome wooden sculptures depicting various religious scenes, with fresco paintings on the internal walls. I am assuming the locals wanted to preserve them since all of them were locked and you can only view them from the windows. You can view some in the video/reel of Jef which I will include at the end of this section. |
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| castle ruin at the top of Mattarella Hill |
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| the view of Domodossola at the top of Mattarella Hill |
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| inspired by the gorgeous view of the Swiss Alps in the distance, Jef sketched for a bit while resting. |
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| On our way back, we decided to explore Domodossola's historic center |
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| This house stood out for it's very artistic and well preserved design. |
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Santuario della Madonna della Neve and monumento ai caduti
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Monumento ai caduti |
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Balconate di via Carina |
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| Aldstadt/old town |
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Domodossola centro storico |
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| a beautiful and well preserved balcony |
Here's a video/reel of Jef sketching at the castle ruins as well as the interior of Sacred Mount Calvary on Mattarella Hill. I've also included shots of the life sized polychrome statues and fresco paintings inside some of the chapels/Staziones:
GRINDELWALD, SWITZERLAND
Pfingstegg
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| view of the majestic mountain as we arrived at Grindelwald Terminal |
Jef resting and getting ready to sketch at the top of Pfingstegg
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view at the top of Pfingstegg |
Here's a video/reel of Jef sketching at Pfingstegg:
Schynige Platte:
“Mountains, according to the angle of view, the season, the time of day, the beholder’s frame of mind, or any one thing, can effectively change their appearance. Thus, it is essential to recognize that we can never know more than one side, one small aspect of a mountain.”
— Haruki Murakami
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| view from the scenic steam train |
Grindelwald First, Bachalpsee & Faulhorn summit
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| Grindelwald First Cliffwalk |
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| hike to Bachalpsee |
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| Bachalpsee |
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| resting hut at Bachalpsee |
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| Bachalpsee |
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| house of one of the locals along the trail |
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| hike going up to Faulhorn |
On our ascent to Faulhorn, we stopped to rest at one of the benches which had a tin can attached to it. It contained a small notebook and pen where hikers can reflect and leave messages. While I was scribbling on the notebook, Jef also sketched for a bit:
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| one of the huts along the way |
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| As I looked back, the view of Bachalpsee slowly fades in the background |
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As we ascended, the cold became more and more apparent with the presence of snow
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| View at Faulhorn summit. It's not that obvious in the photo but I am standing on high elevation and the valley below is very deep. With the thick fog, we only saw silhouettes of the vast mountain ranges on the horizon. |
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On our hike back to Grindelwald, we met
a very friendly dog running far ahead of his master |
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| one of the crystal clear springs along the trail |
We were super exhausted from this hike to Bachalpsee and Faulhorn so we decided to stay in our hotel and rest the following day. Here's a video of Jef working:
Männlichen
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| We were having so much fun |
“Unleash your inner child, be a little wild.”
— Laura E. Brusseau
The earth has music for those who listen. —William Shakespeare
Jungfraujoch
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the new Eiger Express Gondola to Eiger Glacier
Then from Eiger Glacier, we took the Jungfrau Railway which travels underground through the Eiger and Mönch mountains to Europe’s highest railway station/Jungfraujoch.
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| view of the Aletsch glacier at the Sphinx Observatory |
Then from Jungfraujoch, we took the train descending to Kleine Scheidegg.
MÜRREN
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We found this bench by coincidence and the message on this bench especially touched our hearts. This is one of our favorite spots where you can view the magnificent Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau mountains.
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Here's a video/reel of Jef sketching on this bench:
LAUTERBRUNNEN |
Staubbachfall Waterfall |
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Staubbachfall Waterfall |
WENGEN
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| from this viewing terrace in Wengen, you can still view Staubbachfall Waterfall
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| view of Murren from Männlichen |
LUCERNE
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| view from our moving train as we passed by Lungern |
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| view from our moving train as we passed by Lungern |
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| view from the panorama terrace |
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Zytturm
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| Lion monument |
We spent the rest of the afternoon at the Lion monument and as we were waiting for the sun to set, Jef worked for a bit:
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Chapel bridge/Kapellbrücke
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| Hofkirche St. Loedegar |
Jesuitenkirche
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| aldstadt/old town |
ZURICH
THE MIGHTY RHINE FALLS
The earth does not belong to us; we belong to the earth."
- Chief Seattle
STAN AM RHEIN
Of all the places we've visited in Switzerland, we've never seen such a high concentration of old houses and buildings where the paintings of the exterior walls were well preserved. It's a very artistic and colorful old town.
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| the view from across the bridge, as we approach the town |
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| a lucky cat charm |
LEICHTENSTEIN
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view from Aussichtspunkt Känzile |
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| Vaduz Castle, the official residence of the Prince of Leichenstein |
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| If you happen to watch the documentary of YES Theory (Youtube channel) about their visit to Leichenstein, you'll know why I took a photo in front of Mr. Walter's, Adler restaurant. |
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| super bright yellow Parliament building |
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| St. Florin Cathedral on the background |
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| Cathedral St. Florin |
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| we passed by this antique shop on our walk going to Alte Rheinbrücke bridge |
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very old yet well preserved wooden Alte Rheinbrücke bridge on the background |
