Well my trip to Switzerland was a swift one!
I arrived Monday evening, August 11, and
left Wednesday evening, August 13,
so I really only had one full day there.
But, it was a great full day in Zurich!
Here’s a recap!
I arrived Monday around 7:30 p.m.
and was picked up by my friend Rahel and her sister Dominique,
who I was staying with.
It was cold and rainy outside and took us a while to get out of the airport,
so we just grabbed pizza and went back to their apartment to hang out!
It was really nice to just rest and spend some time with Rahel.
The next day we got an early start, and met Rahel’s sister-in-law, Ashley,
(who is from Alexandria, LA)
and went to a mountain that overlooks Zurich, Uetliberg.
We could climb up to the top of this tower and look out over the city…it was BEAUTIFUL!
There was all of Zurich laid out in front of us on one side,
the gorgeous lake and all the red-roofed buildings,
and then you turn around and you see the snow-capped Swiss Alps!
It was quite breathtaking!
It was a lot of walking to get to that little mountain look-out, but it was well worth it!
Next, we went back into town and walked around a bit.
She showed me the main shopping street (she told me the name but I can’t remember).
We stopped in at Sprüngli and tried a few delicious chocolates,
and we got an assortment to indulge in later!
We continued our walking tour of Zurich by going to the lakefront,
the opera house,
Gross Meunster church.
Gross Meunster was really cool because it has two tall towers and you can walk to the top of one and get a great panorama of the city!
The view was wonderful…however it required many more stairs…
and might I add that these were the most treacherous and frightening stairs I have ever seen!
The old stone spiral stairwell was never meant to accommodate more than one person…
so shoving a bunch of tourists up there gets a little dicey.
If you were going up and someone else was coming down there was trouble.
It’s a spiral staircase, so the steps get infinitely smaller the closer to middle you go.
So what you are forced to do if someone else wants to come down while you’re going up,
is stop and squeeze your feet onto the tiny little step,
and then wrap your arms around the center post,
like you’re hugging it.
It was quite awkward, and at any moment one tap from an extra large purse could be disastrous.
But the view was incredible, one of those postcard views!
After that, we continued our walk and saw Zwingli’s church
(one of the major figures of the reformation)
and more of the Old Town of Zurich.
Next, we returned to the modern age and went to Coop City,
which is a big store similar to a Target.
As some of you may know, my luggage situation has been quite the ordeal this summer,
and my rolling suitcase finally bit the dust upon arriving in Zurich.
So I bought a new one!
It’s not the style or design I wanted,
but it does have FOUR wheels,
and IT’S AMAZING!
That afternoon we met up with Ashley (sister-in-law), Dominique (sister) and a friend of theirs for a drink at a really cool little outdoor bar/restaurant.
Then we continued to walk around the city before meeting up with some more people for dinner.
We went to dinner at, what I thought, was a really Swiss restaurant.
I was completely lost on what to order,
so Rahel and her boyfriend, Toby were in charge of selecting my dinner.
It was pretty simple,
sausage and potatoes,
but it was delicious!!
After that we went to a bar that overlooks the city to sample our chocolates in style!
Wednesday we woke up to a rainy and chilly morning,
but that was no problem,
it just kept the rest of the tourists away!
We took the train into Rapperswil, a village on the other side of the lake.
It was really quaint and charming, with lots of old buildings and cobblestone streets.
It was beautiful…even in the rain!
Then we took a boat back to Zurich.
It was so nice to sit inside the cozy cabin of the boat,
drinking hot chocolate, talking and looking at the view.
After that it was time to head back to the apartment and then make for the airport.
I had no problems with checking in or security…especially with my new awesome luggage!
My flight from Zurich to Frankfurt was delayed by about 30 minutes,
and I only had an hour layover anyway so I ended up missing my flight to Milan.
But it actually worked out REALLY WELL for me!
I was originally planning to fly into Milan through Linate airport, arrive around 10 p.m.
Anna was flying into Milan Malpensa airport around 8 a.m.
So my plan was to spend the night in the airport and go meet her in the morning.
But because I missed my flight I was then rebooked on a flight leaving at 7 a.m. and arriving around 8 a.m. in Milan Malpensa,
AND I got a free night’s stay at a hotel in Frankfurt,
including a free dinner and breakfast!
So all in all I think I came out with a plan much better than my own!!
Praise the Lord!
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