One Night in Zurich

Our departure from Lausanne coincided with the first day of the Queen's 70th Jubilee, so it seemed fitting to break out my How Majestic Swatch for the trip to Zurich. 

Once again, way finding in Lausanne foiled us: we had thought we were walking to the nearby Metro station to take the train to the train, having learned our lesson in trudging uphill on arrival. Nope. We somehow missed the station entirely. Oh well, at least the trip back was all downhill--every cobblestone of it. So much easier.

The trip to Zurich would take a bit more than two hours, so we settled in to our train habits: Penn and I slept, Harper read, and Ned listened to podcasts.

On our first day in Lausanne, we decided to switch up our Zurich stay from an old town hotel to an airport hotel recognizing a few truths: we were there for just one night; had to find time for COVID tests (offered at the airport); had to accommodate Penn's getting up at 2:30 am to watch Game 1 of the NBA finals; and had to get to the airport early anyway. It was a great decision--our new place, Radisson Blu, was connected to the massive Zurich Airport transit station and just a 10 minute train ride to central Zurich.

So after dropping our bags, getting swabbed, and grabbing lunch at the mall that is the transit station, we jumped a quick ride to Zurich for an afternoon of sightseeing. Harper and Penn found some shopping, so we wandered on. Zurich is Switzerland's largest city and sprawls out quite a bit, but it's old town is lovely and very walkable, filled with winding side streets, squares, and beautiful buildings. It spins off from the Bahnhoffstrasse, long-called the most expensive shopping street in the world, filled with luxury brands and store guards, and winds along the Limmat River to Lake Zurich. Some snaps from our stroll.

 

 

 

 

The easily visible  St. Peter's Church has the largest clock face in Europe and takes a great picture!

 

We met up with the kids and finished our walk to the lake, where we could plop down, enjoy yet another simply gorgeous view, recognize how lucky we were, and still acknowledge that after 14 days of unforgettable travel and adventures from the rugged shore of the Atlantic Ocean to the top of the Alps, we were tired. And, there were a surprising number of swans!

 

Faced with walking back up Bahnhofstrasse to dinner, we seized on an alternative: yet another form of public transportation--the tram! It ran right along the river on a true blue early evening.

Our dinner was at Ristorante Positano, a remarkable Italian restaurant where everything could be prepared gluten-free! The menu was in German; the decor was supercool; the server spoke German and was gracious and kind; and the food was amazing. The cheesecake dessert Penn ordered was so good, that we ordered a second. What a perfect meal to end our trip. 

 

Our short walk back to the train station was graced by a soft sunset.

 

We were tired and happy and had 14 days of forever memories big and small to slide us into one last night's sleep in Switzerland. Plus, in the span of two weeks, we were able to fly, drive, walk, climb, swim, sail, and take a several trains, a gondola, a subway, a bus, a tram, and--bien sur--a tuktuk.

We took ourselves on this vacation believing we knew what we would find. We could never have anticipated the beauty, grace, generosity, and around-every-corner surprises awaiting us. Now we take ourselves back to the US with enormous love for and gratitude to both countries and the wonderful people and places we met.

Takk, Iceland! Danke and Merci, Switzerland!