Zurich

Public transport is so colorful.

     Zurich, being in Switzerland, is surrounded by mountains. And when one is in Switzerland, generally you’re expected to climb said mountains. Not wanting to disappoint on such a central cultural experience, we woke up early on Sunday and set off to catch a train to Uetliberg, the closest mountain to the city. The train runs right up the side of the mountain and lets off a ten-minute walk from the peak. We took a leisurely stroll through the woods and eventually made our way to the summit. The view from the top was absolutely stunning, if a bit misty. In one direction, Zurich and the lake spread out before us. In the other direction, rolling hills were dotted with little villages. A few of use braved the climb up to the observation platform, which offered an even better view.
   

Birds everywhere.

     Our two goals when we returned to the city were to acquire food and a Swiss watch for one of our friends. As we started walking down the main road from the train station, the first shop we came to was closed. So we went to the next one – also closed. As was every store on the street. Apparently Zurich takes the day of rest very seriously; not a single store was open on the entire street. It gave us the opportunity for some great window-shopping, but the number of closed chocolate shops was singularly disappointing. The street ends at the shore of the lake, where we consoled ourselves with a beautiful view of the swans gliding across the lake. We walked over to the opera house across the bridge and checked out the richly decorated lobby. (Sneaking into theatre lobbies has quickly become a motif of this trip.) We were more successful in acquiring food than watches. Part of the group split off for fondue, while a friend and I went to get some hotdogs. The place we ended up had been recommended by a friend back home (whose family lived in Zurich for two years) as one of his favorite places to eat. Their hotdogs come in hollowed out baguette with ketchup squirted down the hole – in my opinion, the ideal way to serve it. After lunch, we stopped by the church I had photographed the night before. Unfortunately, it was closed early for a private concert, but we got some beautiful pictures of the exterior.

     A quick stop back at the hostel to grab our bags and then we were off to the bus station for our bus to Munich. This ride was uneventful – nothing could top the band of German guys from the first bus. We got into Munich late and walked through a light drizzle to our hostel. The bar on the first floor was hoping (and playing a great selection of early 2000s music), so we hung out there for a little bit before turning in for the night.