The hangover is one downside to travel.
Besides the bathrooms on trains.
Coming home is my least favorite part about any vacation. The harsh reality of a travel hangover: waking up without a mountain view, fighting jet lag, and realizing you can no longer subside on bread, cheese, chocolate, and wine. Or can I…?
With a sad heart I left Lucie in Zurich on Saturday morning. I had one last espresso (with the little chocolates they always serve them with) and bought a pretzel for the plane ride. I became addicted to “bretzels” on this trip.
Even the creamer is prettier in Switzerland
9 hours later I was back in Atlanta. 2 hours after that, I was home. Another crappy thing about coming home is customs. ATL has the WORST set up – it took nearly an hour to get though it! Finally home, I was exhausted from the travel. My body was on Swiss time and thought it was 11pm.
Instead of sleeping, I forced myself to acclimate by taking a jog. It was probably the slowest 5K I’ve ever run, but it did feel good to enjoy the sunny day and move around after sitting for so long.
But this is Monday and I’m supposed to be talking about marvelous things! One of the most marvelous things about the trip was getting to help celebrate of Lucie’s birthday. I was so excited that I sang “Happy Birthday” to her from bed first thing Friday morning. I’m sure she appreciated my impeccably on-key rendition.
We had a lot to do to prepare for her party, but not before we twerked it out at her gym. You’re welcome, Arman.
Post-twerking we hit the grocery store to buy party supplies. This presents an interesting problem when your mode of transportation is a bicycle. I now understand why Europeans typically only buy food for 1-2 days!
♫ Side note: I want to ride my bicycle was stuck in my head the entire trip! ♫
Loaded up with food and booze, we walked our bikes back to Lucie’s flat. The champagne was on the back of my bike – I was terrified I’d drop it!
We met up with Lucie’s friend Syliva to prepare a wonderful phyllo veggie thing, guacamole, and a few quark dips (I loved Lucie’s curry one!). With the help of Sylvia’s co-workers, we paraded trays of food and bags of champagne and beer down the street to Lucie’s office like the foodie pied pipers. I wish I had a picture of THAT!
Everything was delicious, but the BEST thing was Lucie’s Mom’s chocolate cake. I could have eaten the entire thing by myself! It was wonderful to meet all of Lucie’s coworkers, friends, and her mom. She is loved by some incredible, warm people – and rightfully so!
Check out Lucie’s recap, complete with picture evidence it was a successful party here.
Also marvelous is waking up the day after a fabulous party and leaving for a quick trip to France! I stayed one night in Dijon and did a little wine tour (more on that to come).
A few of shots from my travel day there:
Lucie made a delicious zucchini and cheese quiche for breakfast
On the train to France drinking coffee from an “American snack” stand in Basel
Stopping to watch a man playing in the park along the canal in Dijon
My first Air B&B experience
Following the owls while window shopping through Dijon
Chocolate shops. Enough said.
I was only going to eat half of this cheese read before dinner. #fail
Dinner at L’Epicerie & Cie – Eggs poached in red wine, mustard and bread, and duck with a cherry sauce and (over cooked) gnocchi. And a glass of rosé.
***
As sad as it is to come home, I’m ready to get back to a routine!
Have you ever had a travel hangover?
What are your most loved and hated parts about coming home?
Coming is home is the worst! But after a few days (especially after the unpacking and washing of clothes) it’s kind of nice to get back to the routine. Your trips sounds wonderful!! My friend used to live in Basel and we visited her there (was about 12 years ago) and did quick trips to Germany & France- simply amazing!
Oh, the clothes washing was glorious… I was really starting to stink!
What a gorgeous trip, Switzerland seems like it is straight from a story book 😀
And I agree, the travel hangover is MUCH worse than a monday or a regular one – it hits right there that there is no more fun times left except routine…
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
That is just so depressing!
Totally agree. Coming home from vacation is the hardest and the worst, especially when you have to deal with things like customs and immigration! I have loved seeing your photos. It looks like you had an amazing time and I want to hear more!
Travel hangovers are the worst! I usually feel so broken after a holiday that part of me wants to return to routine, but its just so DULL then! Tip: drinking coffee out of sachets from hotel rooms for the first few days 😉
I have a ‘I’m-being-left-behind-hangover’!! 🙂 Seriously, my flat is so boring without you. I really miss our mess.
So here’s your first Switzerland task – the pretzels are called BUTTERSILSERLI. Say it.
Buttersilserli has just been added to my vocabularly.
Sounds so much more delicious than pretzels (they look better than in America too).
Laura it must feel so good to be trusted enough to cart that champagne.
I’d actually trust you more than myself!
Ah! I couldn’t remember anything but bretzel but I knew there was a word for the little ones!
I miss our mess too. Wahhhh! 🙁
Looks like a seriously amazing time! What an awesome experience! I feel like any vacation I have some type of hangover-ish feeling trying to get back in the swing of things!
I hope you also took plenty of Swiss chocolate back with you 🙂 I hate jet lags.. but the more you travel long-distance, the more you will get used to it! And props to your for running despite being tired! I would’ve gone straight to sleep
TOO much! I’m like a walking chocolate shop. 😉
I love reading your recaps, Laura! It sounds like you had a fabulous trip. Travel Hangover is the worst…especially when it comes in the form of jetlag!
The vacation hangover is the worst. The laundry and unpacking doesn’t help.
Just FYI, when we hang out, I’m getting booty implants. now YOU’RE welcome.
I think the travel hangover is a pain, but also somewhat mental- being back to ‘reality’ and the real world. Eggs poached in red wine sauce…..oh man, I hope you got some epic #strangebutgood inspiration over there!
I’m just going to stuff your booty with eggs as implants.
how much fun! Now “I want to ride my bicycle” is stuck in my head. Thanks.
and the um older I get the more badworse 🙂 my travel hangover be!!!!
I hate unpacking. I try to make myself do it right away, otherwise I procrastinate forever!
Same here! I was (mostly) unpacked that day I got home.
i’ve had many. I also have travel withdrawals, which is happening now. you’ll need a good week to recover, but so worth it!!
Switzerland looks awesome!
Awww, I’m glad you had a good time! And ugh, the travel hangover – never fun.
Oh I always hate coming back from vacation. I had vacation hangover all last week. Sounds like you had a fantastic trip!
Coming home from vacation is the worst! I feel like I need a vacation AFTER my vacation to do laundry, grocery shop & get my head back in the game.
Seriously! I was so glad tyo have 2 more days off before starting my job.
All the pics on IG – what an amazing trip Laura! So glad you got to go!!! Beauty everywhere!!!
Coming home is the hard part of any vacation! 🙂
Thank you! Travel keeps me sane. 🙂
What a wonderful trip!!!!!! I’m so glad you had such a great time and applaud you for going on a jog after dealing w/ customs!!!! We need to grab dinner one night you’re free:)
Yessss! Let’s catch up soon. Carol said she wants in too!
Looks like a fabulous vacation. It’s always fun to try new foods while away too. The hardest part about coming home is coming home-LOL! And jet lag.
Great photos! I was excited to read about this trip!
That is the worst part of travel….coming home. And that travel hangover is a bear. The worst part for me is unpacking and doing laundry. Then sad because most times I have to put all the beach clothes away.
The part I love the most about coming home is our pets. I miss them all like crazy when we leave but thankfully we have great house sitters.
The laundry is bad, but at least this time I could be happy to put away the cold weather clothes!
So glad you had a fun trip! Can’t believe you went for a job after you landed. I would’ve passed out!
The thing I strongly dislike about coming home is unpacking and laundry. I dread it!
That’s me above!!
This is why I always have at least one trip planned in advance, so I never feel sad to return home. I can’t wait to go to Paris in a few weeks!
Lucky you!!! I’m planning Italy in October – you should bounce down for some carb-loading! 😉
I’m going to Italy in August! Move your trip forwards 😉
Argh – I can’t. It’s for my mom’s birthday. 🙁
Coming home is always like a kick in the butt back to reality – but those travel memories wouldn’t be so sweet if we stayed there all the time! How was your Air BnB experience!? I’m really curious and want to try to use it for an upcoming vacation!
It was good! A bit awkward being in someone’s home, but I was only there to sleep for 7 hours so it was the perfect solution.
It looks like your trip was so amazing! How nice that you could celebrate Lucie’s b-day, too!! You are a champ for running a 5k when your body felt like it was 11 p.m., too!!
Great pictures. I’m so jealous, it looks like you had such a wonderful time. Coming home is hard, it’s like getting hit smack in the face by reality 🙂
That’s the perfect description. Sigh.
Wow so jealous of your travels and eats! Take me in your carry on next time?? 😉
Come on!
I always get a travel hangover and swear you sometimes need a vacation from the vacation! I love traveling and seeing new things, I swear you grow and learn so much more by seeing other places! I am so happy you enjoyed yourself and got to celebrate Lucie’s birthday! Lots of love and I look forward to seeing your wine tour xo C
You really do need a vacation post-vacation! 🙂
It is always the worst when you try to adjust back to normal, so glad you had a nice vacation though!!
Travel hangover sucks. I won’t be doing much traveling this year. Mark just took off 6 days (for a total of 12 days off!!!) to come spend time with me for a staycation. That’ll be my vacation this year. Might go to the Badlands in the fall, or maybe to Florida or TX over spring break. I wanted to do FL this summer, but given the circumstances (the long, strange trip), it was a bit much to ask Mark to let me go. But the plan was to spend time in Atlanta. So you were part of my non-planned vacation. 😛
That’s awesome you got so much time with Mark! I think you should defintiely go to Flordia.. via ATL!!!!!!!
TRAVEL HANGOVER IS THE WORST THING EVER!!!!! Lime juice doesn’t even cure that shit! 🙁
Yes to the travel hangover! I was doing a project in Singapore & China for awhile and coming home was always brutal. It was a 16 hours time difference. I felt hungover for a week. It was a struggle to recover. It’s funny to me how coming home is harder. It always seems like traveling somewhere, it’s easier to adjust.
Yes, I completely understand travel hangovers. I recently went to Disney World for a wedding and coming back absolutely stunk…helllllo, real world. I did myself a great disservice and didn’t take the day off from work the day after I came home (I came home on a thurs, and worked Friday) and thus was less than pleased. Oh well, you live and you learn! Your french cheese biscuit thing looks like something I could polish off in about 30 seconds, AKA amazing. Glad you had a fun trip and some birthday shenanigans!
That is a tough lesson! I’m much better about it now… but I still get tempted to just stay on vacation an extra day. 🙂
I hate coming home too. Especially from Europe. And if you find a way to move over there, you better have enough plans for Kirk and I to move with you!!
There would be a room with your names on it!
I pretty much hate everything about coming home! I know other people LOVE coming home after travel and they appreciate their homes all the more: that is not me. The trials of getting home seem harder than getting to Europe too, but perhaps that is because I am not excited?
It looks like a wonderful trip! I am so impressed you stayed with someone you had not met: so brave!
Agreed! I could have stayed there forever.
This makes my soul sing. I feel like you and I should do what our hearts both clearly desire and give up work so we can travel, eating and adventuring, forever. Good plan? Great. Meet you at the airport.
I’m game! Are you coming back to the states anytime soon?
Yes.
Here???
Do you mean Atlanta? I don’t know. I honestly have no idea where I’ll go or how long I’ll be in the States. I’d like to, very much, but I have to figure out time and finances :S
Excuses! 😉 Let me know if you end up anywhere close. I’m traveling a wee bit myself. Miss you!
I think you can subsist on bread, cheese, chocolate, and wine. I do it all the time, although I do throw in some fruit and veggies and call it good.
It’s amazing how much you can eat over there without feeling any repercussions. I ate and ate when I was in Croatia, Greece and Belgium with no problem. First meal back home though was instant Blah. I swear their food is better. Less crap, just the good stuff.
It is amazing! I ate like a horse. I think it’s because you’re so much more active while you’re there. No cars!
Ugh train bathrooms…
Anyways, my most hated part about coming home is unpacking. Seriously, I leave that shi* for days. Until I need underwear bahah.
This was like the most inappropriate comment ever…
NAh… Mehgan tends to leave the most inappropriate comments. Or Broccoli. But I appreciate them all! LOL!