Twenty-four Hours in Zurich

Over a year in planning....departure day finally arrived.

Switzerland, here we come!

Zurich skyline, right before a rainstorm

Last year's great trip to Ireland left me wanting to travel more.  So not two months after returning home, my good friend Kim and I booked another trip with Rick Steves Tours, this time to Switzerland.  (Why Switzerland?  Mountains - and chocolate!)  With over a year to prepare, it gave us ample time to wait (not so) patiently.

Departure pic at Portland airport

September 12th found Kim and I at Portland International Airport, awaiting our flight to Europe.  To pass the time, we made sure to get a classic "departure" photo - our feet against the iconic Portland Airport carpet.  Portlanders have an unusual love for this quirky carpet pattern, and it's a common local ritual to photograph your feet standing on it when departing or returning home from a trip.

On the plane!

Finally the time came to board our plane.  After a long flight to Amsterdam and 3-hour layover in its airport, Kim and I excitedly settled into our seats for the last leg of the journey.  A mere hour and half took us from Amsterdam to Zurich.  When the aircraft began its descent into Zurich, I was glued to the window, marveling at the beautiful Swiss landscapes.  Such lovely green country!  I couldn't wait.

First view of Zurich

Although our tour would begin in the town of Lucerne, Kim and I decided to arrive a couple of days early and spend one night in Zurich.  After deplaning, our challenge was now to locate the train station, determine how to buy tickets, and catch the correct train to the downtown core.  

Colorful shutters

We'd read that Switzerland's extensive train system was the way to get around this country.  Trains travel to nearly every small village and all corners of Zurich.  They even had a train making frequent trips between the main downtown station and the airport.  So instead of hailing a cab, we decided to try taking a train to our downtown hotel.  After a tiny bit of confusion, first finding the station, and then attempting to purchase our tickets, we found the correct platform.  Now which train did we board?  Everything was in German so Kim and I asked a few bystanders.  Nobody was willing to help (language barrier maybe?) until another American traveler finally took pity on us and pointed out the correct destination on the overhead screen.  Only once safely on board the right train did I finally begin to relax a bit.

Caught in the rain

Disembarking at the extremely busy downtown Zurich train station, it took Kim and I several minutes to find our bearings.  The train station housed a gigantic underground shopping mall, which was quite disorientating.  Making our way past all the shops, we jumped on an escalator hoping it would take us to street level.

A very busy Zurich intersection

Although we popped out onto the street in the opposite direction of where we needed to be, thanks to Google maps Kim soon guided us to our hotel.  We had a huge top-floor room, with three beds and lovely skylights that framed the adjacent buildings.  Although we hadn't slept much on our flights, it was still afternoon, too early for bedtime.  So to combat jet lag, Kim and I decided to take a walk around town.

Polybahn funicular

Our friendly hotel desk clerk had given us a map of the downtown core and graciously marked a few restaurants and attractions.  First up, a trip to the local grocery store for bottled water and munchies.

The funicular comes right out of a building

As we quickly learned, Coop, the local Swiss grocery chain, was our ticket to inexpensive (and tasty) pre-made sandwiches, bread, cheese, and chocolate.  Deciding to forego dinner at an expensive restaurant, we instead snacked on our Coop purchases, trying out some of the local cheese.  And of course we also bought a few of the regional chocolate bars to sample.  (Rumor had it the Swiss were known for their great chocolate.)

Beautiful metal business sign

Hunger now satisfied, Kim and I went out for an early evening walk near our hotel.  Low clouds signaled impending precipitation, but we donned our raincoats and hoped for the best.  We discovered a gorgeous local church, interesting colorful buildings, quirky cobblestone streets, and lots of stairways and alleyways.  We even passed a short funicular train that carried people a few blocks up a steep incline.  Climbing a short hill brought us to a sweeping overlook with a nice view of the Zurich skyline.  But what were those dark clouds coming at us?

Zurich waterfront

A boom of thunder signaled the impeding storm.  Fat droplets started to fall, quickly soaking Kim and I.  A large building stood nearby, and we quickly ducked inside to escape the deluge.

Images from a lovely waterfront stroll

The building turned out to be part of the local college and we watched groups of students come and go while waiting out the rainstorm.  When the skies finally dried, Kim and I ventured outside again.  By now the effects of our long flight had begun to catch up with us, so we decided to head back to our hotel and turn in for the night.

Say cheese!

Kim and I slept as well as two people who've just flow halfway around the world could manage.  Finally we both rose and decided to check out the hotel breakfast offerings.  Wow - our first venture into Swiss breakfast buffets was a good one.  Not only did the place have cappuccino machines, they also offered an extensive spread of meats, cheeses and yogurt.  And the best flaky croissants I've ever tasted!  They were so good, I snarfed down two.

Boats at the ready

Overfull from such a good breakfast, Kim and I headed back out to walk off some calories and explore more of Zurich.  Our hotel desk clerk had marked a chocolate store on our map, so we decided to try and find it.  But since the hour was still early, and the place wasn't yet open, we decided to first walk along the river and see the sights.

Reflections

We ended up across the Limmat river, opposite of our hotel.  Kim and I admired the colorful buildings and tall clock tower reflecting in its calm waters.  A wide, cobblestone walkway paralleled the river here, and we followed it a ways.

Wide riverside walking path

There was so much to see!  So many cute buildings, adorned with colorful flowers.  Interesting doorways and intricate metal signs.  We ducked down one alleyway because it caught our attention.  Then a unique building led Kim and I down another street.  We kept up our meandering, following whatever attracted us.  (We both joked about having short attention spans!)

Many places were adorned with lovely flowers

The day being Saturday, we came upon a farmer's market on one of the pedestrian bridges.  One booth was selling all kinds of local cheeses.  I looked over the extensive selections, but had no idea which one to buy.  So we moved on.

Swiss flags were a common sight

When it started to rain, Kim and I ducked into a nearby bakery where she ordered a latte and I got a water (which I managed to spill all over myself!)  The bakery items all looked so good, but still full from breakfast, I wasn't the least bit tempted.

Beautiful waterfront, despite the cloudy day

After our coffee break, Kim and I continued on through downtown Zurich.  We passed a lovely church with a beautiful clock tower.  We walked into a courtyard area and admired the intricate sculptures on the stone columns.  (Later I learned this particular church was called the Fraumünster)

Interesting fountain

Flea market, covered from the rain

We came upon several city blocks, the streets closed to traffic, where vendors had set up a flea market.  There were all sorts of used wares, but the majority of the booths were selling clothes.  Due to the wet weather, most of the items were covered with plastic sheets or umbrellas.

Stone bridge and Grossmünster cathedral

We came upon a massive stone bridge with twin cathedral spires rising from the opposite side.  Of course, Kim and I had to go check it out.  I later learned that this particular church was called the Grossmünster cathedral.  We went inside and marveled at the beautiful interior.  But no photography was allowed, so you'll just have to take my word for it.

Lots of boats docked here

Back across the stone bridge, we saw many tour groups stopped at a tall statue of a man on horseback.  At the time, we had no idea the significance - the statue's base read that it was commemorating a man named "Hans Waldmann" who was a Burgermeister.  Kim remarked that was the advantage of taking a tour, you learned all about the items of interest.

Bridge and Hans Waldmann Statue

I took so many photos of Zurich that I liked - I tried to thin down the number for this blog post, but didn't succeed in culling many.  So enjoy the next few images without my commentary.

Fraumünster church steeple

The Fraumünster was full of interesting carvings

Hans Waldmann statue

Interesting building - boats went into the arched entrances

More beautiful Zurich buildings

Cobblestone street

Stairs for pedestrians, the other for vehicles

Lots of interesting alleys to explore

Cuckoo clocks in the souvenir shop

Limmat River

Flower booth at farmer's market

I loved the blue-shuttered building

View with both church steeples

Fall colors just getting started

We ended up at a souvenir shop, and while Kim looked around at the bags, I admired an entire wall of cuckoo clocks.  There were also lots of cowbells, watches, and Swiss army knives for purchase.

Zurich train station

For a good three hours, Kim and I had a wonderful time exploring Zurich's downtown core.  But with an early afternoon train to catch to Lucerne, we finally had to cut our walk short and return to the hotel to fetch our luggage.  On our way back, we both realized that we never did make it to the chocolate store our desk clerk had recommended.  Oh well.

Join me for my next post where I journey to the gorgeous city of Lucerne.