Off to the neutral land we went on Wednesday morning! I was
really excited for this trip since it was the last two days with my brothers
and I knew Zurich would be gorgeous.
Our plan was to take a train from Milan to Zurich, and it
was a great change from flying because you could really see all the landscapes
going from Italy to Switzerland. The mountains and hills were everything you’d
expect in Switzerland… and more! We saw waterfalls, the ice capped Alps, horses,
chickens and goats on the farms and lots of rivers and lakes.
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| Waterfall |
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| Farmland |
Finally arriving in Zurich our plan was to check in the
hostel, grab some grub and head to Lake Zurich before it got dark. We stayed at
City Backpackers Hostel Biber. The location was smack dab in the center of
everything, it was perfect.
After having lunch, we headed to the lake. Pictures don’t really do justice… but trust me on
its magnificence. We walked along the edge to try and find a boat tour or
paddle boats to rent so we could get on the lake. We found a place to rent
paddle boats for an hour and went for it! It was the coolest thing, I love
being on the water (i'm truly my mothers daughter) so it was the cherry on top
of the day. Marty and I paddled as David lounged in the hammock type chair on
the paddle boat. Marty and I did some doughnuts and made it pretty far out, we
even hit the wake of a few boats, which was exhilarating in our tiny paddle
boat. Thee were sail boats and other paddlers cruising the lake given it was 60
degrees and sunny. It felt like a summer on lake Michigan... Expect better since
we were in Switzerland!
We then checked out Lindenhofplatz which is where the last bits of the old wall of Zurich stands. It is an elevated park where there were bocce ball, life-sized chess and plenty of room to relax and hang out overlooking Zurich from above.
Sunset was a great sight in Zurich, and a perfect picture taking opportunity!
Once it started to get dark, we went back to the hostel to find a
place for dinner. We ended up at Johnniter which had a lot of sausages and
meats. It was quite a unique place off of Niederdorfstrasse, a pedestrian street with
lots of shops and restaurants. It was decently crowded but our waitress was a
pleasure. She didn’t speak any English, mostly German. I ordered a Leffe blonde
lager and the goys had some German beers. My beer was so good and reminded me
of Two Brother’s beer, Ebel Weiss, because it was had a banana/fruity flavor.
I got pumpkin soup made from Syrian pumpkin seeds which was
cool and then I had a grilled Swiss sausage with onion rings and it was
delicious and very filling. My sausage was gigantic. Dave got veal and potatoes
and Marty got pork and potatoes. WE al really enjoyed our meal. A couple from
California sat across from us which was fun to see and chat with fellow
Americans. They suggested we go to the twin towers which we planned on doing
the next morning.
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| Syrian pumpkin soup |
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| Grilled Swiss sausage |
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| Swiss Francs! |
Before going back to the hostel we stopped in a liquor shop
and Marty and
I got Swiss beers to drink
along the lake. We tried Quollfrisch beer and Feldschlosschen beer. They were
both very smooth and tasty and a great way to close out the night.
The next morning we got breakfast at Heinrici which was a
cool coffeeshop next to our hostel. We all got a croissant and coffee. They had
cool designs form using the steamed milk that topped the cappuccino.
Next stop was to the Bahnhofstrasse which was a mile long
streets of high-end shops. It was like the magnificient mile but European! We
stopped into some chocolate shops and the boys got some cool truffles to try. I
had to refrain but I picked up some chocolate bark for my
Mom instead. We window shopped mostly and
then made our way to the twin towers.
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| Swiss chocolates |
With an hour to kill before the boys train, we went in a
music store called Musik Hug It was awesome, we checked out the piano
floor and drooled over the gorgwous and pricey pianos.
We grabbed a quick lunch afterwards. I got a sandwich from
Ass Bar – interesting name, I know – it hit the spot. The boys got flatbread
sandwiches which were supposed to be must try in Zurich. Then I walked with the
boys to the train station around 12:30 since their train was a few hours before
mine. Not going to lie, I choked up a bit while saying goodbye. I was so sad to see them go after such a
quick visit! They continued on to Germany and both made it back to the states
later that week. Next time we will see each other back in the states, but their
time here was so great and I wish I could do it all over again!
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