Zurich, Switzerland

Zurich

Friday, May 16, 2014

2:53 PM

We didn't really know what to expect when we got to Zurich, Switzerland. We were without a doubt actually prepared to be totally discombobulated like Croatia. However, it went much smoother. We immediately exchanged our Kunas for Euros, then Euros for Francs. We navigated out of the airport and found the public train transportation without delay and headed to our hostel. With impressive timing and without much guidance we made it to our hostel "Langstars". The hostel has its own bar and restaurant where we checked in at. We were greeted with smiles, helpful guidance, a free drink card, and a chocolate bar. Not too shabby, eh? From here we settled into the reality of what a hostel actually is. 3 bunk beds in one room, a hallway with two private rooms, and one shared toilet and shower. It's almost like the dorms but for anyone 18-35. Also, to clarify it's nothing like the movie Hostel (yet). We then set out to explore Zurich. We walked to old town and happened to stumble upon H&M. Despite my strongest efforts, I had to sneak away with one article of clothing. The old town was stunning. A picturesque cascade of colored buildings over a river with tall clock towers and church steeples all with the Alps in the distance. We walked around a lot here stopping every twenty feet or so to stop and gawk at the next beautiful structure. On our way heading back we walked past an outdoor restaurant with live music and decided to stop for a drink. It was marvelous: the atmosphere was perfect and inspiring in that Claire and I both entertained the notion of moving to Europe and raising families here.

The hike up the mountain to the nearby town of Uetliberg was what made me fall in love with Zurich. However, before we left, we cashed in on the hostel's free breakfast and ate with one of our hostel-mates Alice, a woman from London. She was incredibly helpful and pointed out several destinations for us to make sure that we saw before we left. She was friendly and chatty, so much so that we were running semi-late to catch our train for our hike. Somehow Claire in I managed to navigate this world-central rail-hub in a matter of 8 minutes running to the opposite end and happened to get directly on the right train as it was leaving. Our sense of accomplishment was enormous, literally we were so proud. We decided to get off a stop early as a travel book recommended to get an extra hike in. As soon as we did we found out quickly that we would have to navigate up this mountain by ourselves and that we would only get help from a few signs along the way. It was a perfect day for hiking; the sun was shining and there was a nice breeze. The trails were beautiful, and every once in awhile we would get a glimpse through the trees of the stunning view to come. 

After about forty minutes we made it to the town. We hiked up to the top of the mountain with the rest of the people all itching to see the picturesque view we were promised. The view surpassed my imagination. Standing atop the mountain you had a panoramic view of the city of Zurich and the lake on one side, and the other beautiful rolling hills with the Alps in the background. We walked around on the mountain top for about an hour taking pictures mentally and with our cameras at every angle so that we would not ever forget this stunning moment. We couldn't get enough of the area; It was incredible, so incredible that Claire and I climbed a big rock where no one else was and laid there taking in the fresh air and phenomenal surroundings for at least an hour. After we finally realized we were monopolizing the view and resting place, we climbed down and rejoined society. We tried some Swiss beer and snacked on some french fries and sandwiches we packed along atop the mountain at a picnic table. Finally, having memorized every square mile in visible distance, we headed back to the city. We were extremely tired and took an hour to change and recharge at the hostel. For dinner we went to a recommended place near our hostel called Little Italy where we had fabulous ravioli paired with "Swizly Swiss Cider" (say that 5 times fast). As service is in Europe, we sat there after our meal chatting for about 45 minutes before we asked the waitor for our check. 

Deciding to be more social than the night before, we headed down to the hostel bar where another live band was playing and met up with another hostel roommate, Laura from Germany who was a photographer for a German band that was playing there for a music festival. In no time, we met all the members of the band who were our age, and a few of their friends. We all decided to go to the festival that was still going on which was lively, and best of all, free. We got to know these people pretty well and really enjoyed learning their perspective on Europe, Germany, and Switzerland. They made us feel better by saying that they didn't really understand the German here either- that the Swiss influence changed the language drastically. It was a really fun night, and on our way back to the hostel we all stopped at a McDonald's where I saw immediately the inflated prices of Zurich- notorious for being one of the most expensive cities in the world. Thus far, Claire and I had done a lot of nature sight-seeing and hadn't paid for much except for meals and transportation. However, at this McDonald's the cheapest thing on the menu was a cheeseburger which costed 3 francs. In US Dollars this is $3.36. You won't find a dollar meal here, folks. After getting back we met more of our hostel mates- one was from DC and the other from China. They were extremely friendly and we exchanged the usual information- where we were from, where we were going, and where we'd been. It was kind of cool- by the time we had gone to bed we were decent friends with everyone staying in our room that night.

The next morning we were really exhausted and slept in a little bit as our roommates all were awake at the crack of dawn to depart. When we finally got up we started to head on foot in the direction of the famously beautiful Lake Zurich. About half way we decided to stop and eat along the river outside where there was a cute band of older men playing instruments. It was adorable- as I was sitting there eating my Zander-filet fish and chips I could look to to my right and see the river over a ledge, and to my right I saw the band. We then continued on to the Lake. It was filled with quaint little sailboats and in the distance you could see the Alps. We strolled along the path, naturally stopping for delicious swiss chocolate ice cream until we saw a little boat rental place. Knowing fully well that we could in no circumstance operate any kind of motorized water device in this massive lake, we rented a little peddleboat for a half hour. We peddled out close to the center, and just floated around. It was a perfect, sunny day and I could feel the sun-burn forming on my shoulders. After this we decided to walk the distance of the side of the lake we were on and encountered many locals just sunbathing, reading, or playing yard games. Deciding that after three days we were practically locals, we laid down in the grass facing the lake to take a short nap in the sun. We could not get enough of the beautiful day- we continued walking until we reached the furthest shore on our side and saw the most breathtaking view of the Alps beyond the lake. We stood there for quite a while until we turned around to head back. On our stroll back we encountered a baptism in the lake with a church chorus rejoicing it. This was so cool- I recognized many of the Hymns and we sat witnessing it until it seemed about done. 

As we neared the river we kept our eye out for a tourist shop so that I could collect my usual souvenir- a painting or picture of the city. We found one in our entire stay. This was crazy to me! It went to show that Zurich wasn't a very touristy place and now reflecting back, that was something I appreciated. As we crossed the river to continue home we heard lovely voices. In a church there was an a Capella group that looked about our age singing in Italian. We stopped to listen to them for awhile- it was beautiful and so ironic because minutes before we stumbled upon them Claire had just been saying how she wanted to hear some singing in another language a Capella. So, so crazy. Finally, after we made it back to our hostel, cleaned up, and swiftly headed out the door again to try traditional Swiss food- their cheese fondue that you dipped with potatoes and bread. Walking into the restaurant we were greeted with an immediate funky smell of cheese. The waitress brought us our dinner which was a pot of literally boiling cheese over a little heated pad and the things to dip into it. We liked it, but were relieved when we stepped out of the restaurant to get out of the strange stench. We wrapped up our night early as we had a super early flight and had to be up at 4:30am.

Waking up this early was a struggle; however we managed to make it on time to the train station, find the correct train, validate our tickets (which we had learned the night before we had not done all trip- yikes!), and make it to the airport on time. The airport was the most confusing thing I've ever been in- there were many levels of check-ins, and we almost missed our counter. Before we boarded the flight to Florence we made sure to make a pit stop at the famous chocolate store Sprugli to grab their famous dessert creation. Although at this time it was literally 6:15am, we still ate it with no shame. It was indeed fabulous.

It was hard for us to say goodbye to Switzerland- we absolutely loved this lively city with one of the most naturally amazing views I'd ever seen. We boarded our little propeller plane (not known for the smoothest  flight) and took mental snapshots of the area around us before we departed for Italy.