| Jul 14, 2007 - Zurich
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 | | show all 9 | | view of Zurich from Bahn bridge | | view from Lindenhof Park | | looking across the river | | |
| Gruetzi from Switzerland! I have been in Zurich for 3 days now, exploring the city, relaxing and trying to get over my jetlag after a long flight. The plane left Seattle an hour late and then was diverted south due to thunderstorms in the Northeast. Philadelphia was a mess due to backed up flights, so we had to circle for another hour until we were able to land. I was sure I had missed my connecting flight to Zurich, but luckily it was delayed as well. I ran from one end of the airport to the other, arriving out of breath and dripping in sweat, but making it just in the knick of time, whew! What a way to start a trip. Luckily the flight was only about half-full, so I was able to stretch out a bit, but even with an empty seat on each side of me, I am too big to be comfortable enough to sleep. After they served dinner, one of my fellow passengers was walking down the aisle with a full glass of red wine and spilled it all over the front of me, ruining the one pair of slacks I had. My hotel tried to get the stain out but couldn't. The stain remover they used ate a hole in them, but the stain remained.
After checking into my hotel I decided to go out and explore the city, determined to stay awake until at least 8 or 9 so I could overcome my jetlag. It was a beautiful day, and I walked around for a few hours before stopping at Starbucks for a crapaccino (yes, there are Starbucks here). I started nodding off before I was halfway through with my drink, so I decided to head back to the hotel and take a nap. It was only 4:00 pm, but I couldn't keep my eyes open. I didn't wake up into 1:00 am, but I guess I needed it.
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland, but doesn't feel big at all. Its fairly quiet, expensive, and has very friendly people. The last few days I have been exploring the town and doing a little bit of preliminary research before meeting Rick tomorrow afternoon. I booked all my scenic train reservations, did a city walking tour, boat tour of the lake, and took a train ride about 20 minutes outside of town to Uetliberg, a mountain, which has some great views of Zurich and the surrounding area. From the station you walk about 10 minutes uphill to a restaurant and tower you can climb. It was a beautiful clear day and I could even see the Eiger and Jungfrau mountains in the distance. There are a series of hiking and mountain biking trails, all well marked, so I hiked about an hour down to one of the stops on the train line back to Zurich. Today was downright hot, I went down to the lake and spent the day swimming and relaxing. The water is very clean, and not too cold (about the same temp. as Lake Washington). There are quite a few swimming 'clubs', which you pay 6 SF to use (about $5). They have lockers, showers, lounge chairs, a snack bar, pool and decks and floating docks out on the lake. The one I went to was separated, men on one side and women on the other. The area in the middle with the snack bar is mixed, as are the docks and pool. Not sure why, maybe because of the locker areas? At night, many of these swim clubs turn into big party bars, where you can drink and dance the night away (I didn't stick around that long).
Well, it's getting late and I am getting sleepy. I will most likely head back to the lake tomorrow and spend the day resting up before meeting Rick and starting my research. I am not sure I will have much time to update this blog during my research, but I will try and keep everyone posted. |
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