It’s Faraway Friday! This Friday we are seriously crushing on Switzerland–a land of Alps, cheese, chocolate, and bread you just wanna shove in your carry-on to enjoy at home! Here are 10 of my favorite photos from a country I once considered my home away from home!

10. Awesome Water Fountains

Did you know you can drink from any fountain in Switzerland (unless otherwise noted!)? You can! How many other places in the world can you fill your water bottle with pure Swiss water from a dragon?

9. Generations-old Family Farms

The house in this picture dates from the 18th century, and the original owners’ descendants still live there and work the family farm! I was fortunate enough to stay here on more than one occasion and help out myself!

8. Heidiland

If you are an avid reader (or a Shirley Temple fan), you will want to visit Heidiland in Chur, Switzerland! It’s up in the mountains with views like this one for miles around. There is a Heidi House that has been set up just like the one in the book, complete with grandpa and wheelchair for Clara.

7. Stumbling on Random Castles

My friends used to take me on hikes when I would visit, and almost every time we would stumble upon a random castle! This one dates back to who knows when and is near the French border!

6. The Music Box Museum

There is a whole museum dedicated to beautiful, intricate music boxes! Some are small, but like this one, some are quite large! Some date as far back as 1750.

5. Chocolate

4. More Chocolate

3. Bread

European bread tastes different (and I believe better!) than American bread. But there’s something extra special and delicious about homemade bread from Switzerland. It’s extra soft on the inside and extra yummy with their homemade jams, jellies, and butter!

2. Traditions

The Swiss are very proud of their history and traditions! They have lots of parades, like the one in the picture, and they often dress up in traditional clothing for weddings, festivals, and the like. I just love it.

1. Mountainside Towns

Switzerland is delightfully sprinkled with moutainside towns, usually accompanied by a lake or river. Picturesque, lovely, and quaint are all words that come to mind when I think of beautiful Switzerland! This is a view of the town of Thun from a castle on a hilltop.

What do you think? Are you ready to plan your trip to Switzerland yet?