When Rachel and I were originally planning our trek through Europe, we were originally going to go from Paris to Munich to Salzburg, but when we couldn't find any couch surfers in Munich we just substituted a couple letters and went to Zurich instead! (Z for the M and r for the n for those of you wondering) Our initial decision to skip Switzerland was purely based on financial reasons, as Switzerland is very well-known for being a tad pricy, and wow was it ever expensive. It ended up being part of our entertainment in our two days in Zurich as the Swiss Franc to the U.S. dollar is very similar which made it easy; here are a few examples of some prices:
- 24 hour metro pass: 13.30 (not bad)
- 20 oz. Coca Cola: 5.00 (minimum, we saw it as high as 22.00!)
- 12 oz coffee at Starbucks: 7.90 -_-
- 6 inch Veggie Delite at Subway: 8.50
So essentially..... we were about as frugal as can be, but it got to a point where there was no point in trying anymore. We did pretty good though I think, Rachel budgeted her trip and she ended up under her total for Paris as well as Zurich so not too shabby.
We arrived to Zurich at about 10:00 pm so our first night consisted of getting to Phillip's flat and falling into bed. The next day we started off by walking around the city, stopping at the Grossmünster and Fraumünster Churches, walking through the narrow streets of the Old Town district, and eating at a famous place in Zurich called the Sternen Grille. It is known for being "cheap", and for two bratwursts, fries, and a Coke we paid 25 Francs, which actually is very good for Zurich. The bratwursts were awesome too! Lake Zurich is also very picturesque as well, so we spent a little time walking beside the lake on our way to one of the coolest things I think both Rachel and I have ever done.
The highlight of Zurich was definitely a thermal bath that our Couchsurfer host recommended that we do. It is on the rooftop of an old brewery that has been turned into a hotel. Hands down one of the coolest things I've ever done. It was about 30 bucks for as much time as you wanted to spend between the rooftop bath or the baths inside that are a bit hotter than the rooftop bath. The baths had full body jets and lookout points to view the beautiful city of Zurich. Obviously, picture taking isn't allowed once you're inside, so if you want to see pictures of the place here is the link: http://www.thermalbad-zuerich.ch/index.asp?chglang=en&kat=home and yes it is as good as the pictures look. We sat up there for a little over 2 hours until our pruny fingers couldn't handle it any more! The relaxation was definitely needed after a packed 3 days in Paris, so the rest was very much needed. Once we were all rested we figured we could go and enjoy a little bit more of Zurich!
The rest of the night was very relaxing as we walked through a few Christmas markets on our way back to the train station to catch our bus, including a Christmas market in which an elementary school choir sings Christmas carols! But that's not all, they sing carols on a stage that is shaped like a Christmas tree, with their costumes and hats acting as the ornaments decorating the tree. I mean all of the songs were in German, but it was still a cool and unique thing that was very festive. We also indulged in some of the local hot drinks at this market. A couple that we met on the train to Zurich recommended a few things for us to try, and one of them was Jagertee. While neither Rachel or I had any idea what it was, I was excited to try it if it had Jagermeister in it :) Only problem was, it tasted nothing like Jagermeister. It honestly tasted like spicy nail polish remover that burned the top of your mouth... not good. I had two sips and left it and had a few sips of Rachel's Gluhwein instead. I still cringe at the taste of the Jagertee. YUCK!
The next day we got up early and climbed a 900 meter mountain peak that overlooks the city. We read about it in a little "Guide to Zurich" we picked up in the train station, which made the climb sound moderately easy. While the icy path didn't help, it was definitely more difficult than moderately easy! It was nice that there were rocks mixed in with the ice for us to get a decent grip, but neither of us had the proper shoes to be climbing up icy paths. After about 30 minutes of slipping and falling our way up the Uetliberg, we finally reached the peak. And let me tell you, the view was breathtaking. Coming from Minnesota, I've never seen anything close to a mountain range, so to have a view of the city on one side and then a view of the Alps on the other was magnificent. Pictures don't do it justice, as I have come to learn about a lot of things. While the cameras on the Iphone are very good, sometimes I wish I would have brought a nice camera to better capture the moment. It's just crazy to realize that, "Holy shit, we're staring at the Swiss Alps right now." Just amazing.
With our next three stops being near the Alps, I know this won't be our last view of them. I think while we are in Vienna we are planning on getting on a train early in the morning just to ride it and enjoy the views. It is a famous rail that is known for being a scenic route, so that should be really cool too.
Our next stop is Salzburg, Austria. Thankfully we are going back to dealing with Euros (never thought I'd say that). Rachel's already been to Salzburg with her mother earlier in the summer when they traveled a bit before her semester began, so hopefully she remembers enough to lead us around a bit. Doubtful though ;)
Over and out
- Zach
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