Zurich

Back to Switzerland we go! Bryan had a training seminar in Zurich for work so we decided to make a quick trip out of it. We had passed through Zurich before but hadn’t seen much but the train station. We’ve had a busy month which didn’t allow us to “prepare” for the trip but we decided to relax and not book our day up or to be on any time constraints. It ended up being the perfect plan and a great city to do so.

We are complete budget travelers. So when Bryan, imagine this, sweet-talked his way into an upgrade at the Marriott, we were stoked. Although we did stay at a nice place in Zermatt, we haven’t stayed in a luxury hotel since our move to Europe. No complaints there, as we usually don’t spend any time in our accommodations except to sleep. It was so nice to have, not one, but two flat screen TVs with 5 English channels and a big, fluffy, king-size bed! It’s the little things in life sometimes. Our room was on the top floor in an Executive Suite. This meant not only great views of the city but access to the Executive Lounge!

We both wanted to relax before a night on the town and decided to take advantage of the free food and beverage at “The Lounge” to hold us over. Some American couldn’t quite figure out how to open the bottled beer (it’s like a pop top that you have to break the seal on) so we offered some assistance. This nice southern gentleman asked to join our table, which we obliged. As an expat, we’ve found it’s nice to talk to Americans and hear the stories and insights of their travels. It’s also nice to discuss the different cultural experiences through the eyes of someone that’s native to the same culture as us. This wonderful gentlemen and his wife, who soon joined us, were from Tennessee. Well, the hours rolled by and we abandoned our plans to explore Zurich by night. After 7 or 8 eight beers each we decide to call it a night in fear of ruining our sightseeing the next day. We had such an unexpected, fun time with this lovely and hysterical couple at The Lounge…the best part being that we saved ourselves a 150 Franc bar tab! Way to go Bryan for scoring an upgrade.

The next morning, The Lounge also provided a complimentary (as is everything) breakfast buffet. Amazing! The eggs were perfect, American bacon as well as European delights like sweet-filled croissants. Perfect way to start our full day in Zurich! (If you haven’t noticed, I try to fully describe the food we encounter throughout our travels because it’s simply delicious and I love food in a non-gluttonous way.) So with no plans in mind we headed out towards the city. As you’ll notice in the Facebook pictures, I have no idea where, specifically, we were taking pictures as there are no captions like in my other albums. Usually I’m aware of sights and monuments, but this trip we opted for total relaxation and spontaneity. As mentioned, Zurich provided the perfect opportunity for this with plenty of shops, cute streets and architecture, and beautiful views of the water and mountains.

We started by walking towards the main station to Bahnhofstrasse. It’s a mile of shops and restaurants that lead to the lake. We noticed  5 H&M’s and can’t imagine how they fill them all. There were adorable, over priced boutiques that were fun to look around in. Surprisingly, there weren’t an over-abundance of tacky souvenir shops. We knew the prices in Switzerland were going to be high but I was disappointed in the price of chocolate….completely ridiculous. I was also disheartened when we didn’t find the “Florentine” chocolate we had discovered in Zermatt. Maybe it’s a local thing native to Zermatt. I’m sure if you venture farther away from the water and main streets that prices decrease.

A great little place we stumbled upon, though I’m sure it’s mentioned in guidebooks, is “Lindenhof.” It’s an elevated park with great views of the river below. There’s also the St. Peter-Kirche with Europe’s largest clock face. At the end of Bahnhofstrasse, the horizon opens up to views of the lake with the Alps in the background.  I’m not sure if it’s a seasonal or permanent occurrence, but there was a carnival taking place at the waterfront. It was fun to walk around and Bryan won me a prize J.

We crossed over the bridge to the other side of the river and enjoyed a waterfront lunch. Along the east side of the lake is Zürichhorn, a park the offers peaceful shady spots to relax in. We walked back towards our hotel on the east side of the river and explored the small streets with even more shops and cafes.

As is true for any vacation, the weather really made our day. It was sunny but cool and perfect for walking around outdoors. We really didn’t do much other than meander through the streets and stop at whatever shops we were interested in. We spent time enjoying the views and each other’s company.  Bryan and I spent the last hour of our day just sitting in a park people watching and enjoying the outdoors. I don’t have many suggestions for Zurich other than to ensure you plan a trip when the weather is good for being outdoors and taking in the scenery. I can’t imagine needing more than a day or two in the city. Overall, we had a nice, relaxing getaway and really enjoyed Zurich.