Adam Walker ’04, ’09 shares his adventures as first-time Traveling Wildcats host

Posted July 25, 2024

From sampling rich, authentic Swiss chocolate; taking a cable car ride to a mountaintop dinner; witnessing Leonardo da Vinci’s famous masterpiece, The Last Supper, in person; to spotting George Clooney’s Italian villa — Adam Walker ’04, ’09, K-State Alumni Association president and CEO, brought back a treasure trove of memories from his first time hosting a Traveling Wildcats trip.

Walker recently hosted the K-State Alumni Association’s Traveling Wildcats trip “Swiss Alps & the Italian Lakes” with his wife, Rebecca Walker ’08. We asked him to share some of his favorite memories and experiences from his travels. Plus, learn how you can embark on your own Traveling Wildcats adventure!

Day 1 - July 3

The night before, we packed and double checked our travel list, and snuggled our little one, Landree (2), one last time, and we gave our older daughter, Addy (13), hugs and kisses before saying goodbye.

The morning of the trip I woke up at 6 a.m. and got my run in since I would not have an opportunity the rest of the day (I knew that 24 hours of travel were ahead!). When we checked in with our airline, Rebecca found out that her checked bag (that we weighed at home) was five pounds over, so we scrambled and put items into our carry-ons…$200 fee averted!

While waiting, we met Bryan and Lou Ann, fellow K-State travelers, and quickly found out all the friends we had in common. We had lunch in Chicago during a three-hour layover with Tim and Tina (from the state of Washington), and Don and Melinda (from Sacramento). We had great conversations about random topics such as sasquatch, swampman and teaching. For the record Rebecca is a believer of sasquatch…not sure about swampman.

After we boarded the plane, we ate a nice dinner provided by the airline and thankfully slept for 5-6 hours.

Day 2 - July 4

After a breakfast bagel on the plane, we landed in Switzerland, went through customs and met our travel director. We waited for a few other travelers while having a Swiss coffee and chatting with fellow travelers arriving.

During our bus ride to St. Moritz, we stopped half way at a "gas station" buffet (the most amazing fresh food buffet I’ve seen on the side of a road!). This was a beautiful 2.5 hour bus ride through small villages and mountains with sharp teal blue lakes and cows (with cowbells) grazing on the green pastures.

We enjoyed an evening reception with wine and appetizers, then an overview of the trip and Switzerland and a meet and greet with our travel director, Chicara. We had dinner at a local restaurant with a delicious poke bowl on our own.

Day 3 - July 5

We started the morning with coffee on the porch overlooking a beautiful mountainous valley and watching the sunrise.

After breakfast with the group and a history lecture, we embarked on a walking tour of the city. We stopped by a chocolate shop, which the locals said was the best (Läderach).

There was no scheduled dinner on our itinerary, so Rebecca and I offered to lead an adventure to a nearby town on our own with most of our fellow travelers. We enjoyed a cable car ride to the top of the mountain Muottas Muragl for a lovely dinner overlooking the Swiss valley.

We missed the last bus after dinner so we took a chance on another bus (the same bus number — so surely it would just take a longer route back, right?) that ended up in a random town. When the bus stopped at the last stop for the night, the driver gave us the one-eye look of “why are you still sitting on the bus?” He explained that this was the last stop and the bus would be heading back to the facility, but luckily the town had a train station and he guided us to which train to take.

Our public transportation card provided us with the ride and we arrived back in St. Moritz with a (now funny) story to tell! This was after our tour director said we couldn’t get lost in St. Moritz — we proved her wrong and all joked about what ended up being a harmless/funny experience for us all. We never once felt unsafe or worried.

Day 4 - July 6

Following our two-hour scenic train ride through the Swiss Alps to Tirano, Italy, we enjoyed a wonderful Italian lunch with local red wine, potato/cheese/green bean appetizers, ravioli, and tiramisu for dessert.

Once back in St. Moritz, we watched the European cup soccer match: Switzerland vs. England at the local Bobby Pub. It was a packed crowd and ended with Switzerland losing on penalty kicks.

That night we slept with the windows open, listening to the peaceful sound of rain all night.

Day 5 - July 7

Today we walked through St. Moritz in the rain and did some shopping. We stopped at a local shop for chocolate gelato and hot chocolate (real melted chocolate in a cup!) on “world chocolate day.” Thickest hot chocolate ever!

We relaxed in the sauna and played cards in the afternoon, and then attended an evening cocktail reception with fellow K-Staters and a Q&A with Swiss locals.

We sampled a three-course meal with wine, fusilli pasta, chicken, potatoes and vanilla mille-feuille. I was able to get in an evening three-mile run/walk around the lake.

Day 6 - July 8

After a bus ride though the mountains with hairpin turns, we arrived in Bellagio, Italy, and ate a lovely lunch overlooking Lake Como.

During our boat ride around Lake Como, we saw George Clooney’s villa (he wasn't home — that we could tell). We also got to learn more about Como during our guided walk around the town.

Day 7 - July 9

Today it was time to explore beautiful Stresa, Italy! We boarded a private boat and toured three islands, viewing gardens, enjoying pizza and shopping, and touring a palace.

Day 8 - July 10

We woke up early at 5:45 a.m. (10:45 p.m. local time back in Manhattan!) to board a bus for Milan. We took a guided tour that included Leonardo da Vinci's famous masterpiece, The Last Supper; an opera house; and a chapel that took over 600 years to build.

After risotto for lunch, we explored Milan and did some shopping (Italian fashion is great!).

Day 9 - July 11

The group took a short bus ride to the Italian countryside for local Italian cooking demonstrations — pasta making and tiramisu! After eating their creations for lunch while enjoying stunning views, the group returned back to Hotel La Palma for an afternoon of leisure.

That evening, we hosted a cocktail reception where we said farewell and gave away our K-State flag. Many hugs and farewells were exchanged, and our tour director commented on how much she enjoyed the group, how everyone got along so well, and overall how the trip went very smoothly.

Day 10 - July 12

Another early morning wake up as we prepared to begin our journey home. We ran into a traffic jam caused by rain and an accident, but our driver was quick to reroute us and arrived at the airport with plenty of time.

We boarded our eight-hour flight from Milan to Newark, New Jersey, and then after an extended (eight-hour) layover, we boarded our flight home to Kansas City, then a two hour drive back home, arriving at 1 a.m. central time…26 hours of travel!

It was a fantastic trip with K-Staters, many of whom are now lifelong friends. It was a great way to explore various parts of the world with no hassle and guided tours with fellow K-Staters that made for lovely company. I can see why many are multiple repeat travelers with the Traveling Wildcats program. Hope you join us soon on a trip with more stories to share!