After a long 4 hour train ride I arrived in Zurich last night at 10:45. I headed to the hotel right away to get some rest. I had two days ahead in which to see a lot of things in Zurich. Theresa had been planning on meeting me here but unfortunately is sick (probably from hosting so many of us from the States over the past several months) so I’d have to navigate on my own.
Unfortunately I wouldn’t get to the hotel as quickly as hoped. After a taxi ride dropped me off at the Leonick hotel instead of the Leonardo hotel I was told I could walk to my hotel. I was a bit peeved about the fact that the no more than five minute taxi ride had dropped me at the wrong hotel at midnight and had cost 20 Swiss Francs (which is roughly $24). So I took off on foot and walked about 15 minutes up what may very well have been a mountain in the Swiss Alps. My hotel was in the university district. It was comfortable and an easy 5-10 tram ride to the central part of Zurich. The trams, reminding me of the Muni in San Francisco, was so convenient and ran quite frequently.
I woke up Saturday morning with a few key things to see. Should I buy that watch I’ve always wanted? Not in this economy and even while the Euro is at a low against the dollar it is still more expensive. Should I buy chocolate…of course. I went into Central Zurich and began walking the Bahnhof Strasse. This street is the main thoroughfare with shops and no cars. As I walked through town I realized that Zurich has several things en-mass. There are banks, watch stores and chocolate and more banks and more watch stores and more chocolate. I couldn’t believe how many banks there were in such a small area. I had this urge to open a Swiss bank account, or at least see if I could get access to someone’s Swiss bank account. I thought of my friend David who is spending a good deal of time in Zurich and thought he must have interesting secrets about peoples’ money!
Zurich is a beautiful town with church spires and many historic buildings and sites. It is situated at one end of Lake Zurich and as you stand at the foot of the lake you can see the Alps off in the distance. The town is very small with two sides separated by the Limmat river. I wandered up to the Lindenhof park and took in the view of the entire city. Once back in the streets of the old town I was reminded very much of Gamla Stan, the old town of Sweden. Small little car-less cobblestone streets with lots of shops of all sorts. I had been told that Zurich is very expensive. Let me tell you, listen to anyone that tells you it is expensive. They aren’t lying. I heard that a good meal could be found at the top floor of the Manor department store for a reasonable price. The food was great with a number of choices and I was able to secure a seat with a view on the terrace (70 degree weather). I’d hate to know what the expensive places for lunch charge as this lunch cost me roughly 25 Swiss Francs ($30) for pasta, salad and a bottle of water. Youch!
In the afternoon I wanted to make one important stop. Café Schober. The oldest café in Zurich with supposedly the best hot chocolate in all the city. Walking in old town is a bit confusing so I didn’t find it right away. The main street Munster Strasse has a million little streets off of it. After an hour of looking, which wasn’t a horrible way to see other shops and sites, I found it. Closed! It was being renovated and wouldn’t be open for quite some time. What a bummer.
I made my way to the Grossmunster Platz to see the famous church and saw many of the Platz and churches the city is famous for. I headed off to dinner at a small café in the old town section. Then back to the hotel for a rest which turned into a night in with horrible stomach sickness. I guess par for the course when you are traveling and eating different things. This morning I awoke and decided that since I still wasn’t feeling well and had seen so much of Zurich in one day that I would head to Munich early. Off to the train station and onto the train…but not before a stop at Sprungli, the most famous chocolate shop in Zurich for some treats for when my stomach is feeling better. My original train to Munich was scheduled for night and I was now excited at the opportunity to see the countryside of Switzerland and Germany during the day with the leaves turning and the Alps it is one of the most beautiful train rides I’ve experienced. I now know where all the Swiss cheese comes from. Lots of cows in Switzerland!
