Our Trip to Zurich, Switzerland

I have always wanted to visit Switzerland – to experience the beautiful mountains and lakes. These days however, the largest city in Switzerland is known for two things above all else: a high quality of life and banking, which both Zurich and the rest of the country are abundant in to the point of obsession. The banking might be dull, but then again it’s probably a major contributor to that quality of life. 

Of course for the casual tourist like me and my husband, neither these things are of particular interest. Zurich is a beautiful city with pricey boutiques and a selection of enticing churches and museums. You can also find alluring sights around like exploring Lake Zurich. I have to say that Zurich is one of the most expensive spots in Europe and also lacks that one stand out attraction that makes it a must see. I guess most visitors love the city for its mix of well-maintained history and cutting edge modernity. 

It was an easy transition from Munich BHF to Zurich BHF. The train ride was about 4 hours and the view was quite spectacular as we moved through several of the quaintest towns along the way. The only disappointment was that by the time I would turn the camera on, the great views had passed. 

We reached Zurich Haupthahnhof and we exited into the sea of people. This Zurich landmark is the biggest in Switzerland and the busiest in Europe. Just above the main entrance is the statue of Helvetia, the national symbol of Switzerland. 

15 mins walk later with heavy luggage on our sides, we checked into Hotel Rotheus. Our hotel and room was facing the main street and we could hear the sounds of the street. It was a 3 star hotel a few minutes from the main city. The room was actually pretty nice. It was spacious and modern. The bedding was extra comfy (especially after sleeping two nights on the rock they call a bed in Munich) and really nice textured paint on the walls. The bath is also very spacious with excellent lighting. 

After checking in the hotel we were ready for some Swiss action and Swiss food. We freshened up (very so briefly) and took out our tour map and found ourselves a classy fine dining restaurant – Volkshaus. From the outside the restaurant looks like the average restaurant in Sydney. But once we walked inside, we were thrown away with the classiness of the restaurant. We looked down and realised how under dressed we were! I was in my scruffy jeans, a worn out top with a cardigan and a pair of Nike. The menu was in a foreign language so we did not understand a word of it. A kind waiter came over and tried explaining the menu to us. Since we wanted authentic swiss meal, the waiter recommended a fish dish for me and a steak meal for John. The meal was very average, unfortunately the bill wasn't. 

After dinner we stopped by a café for some hot chocolat – I have to say for a country which is known for chocolate, the hot chocolat I had was far too disappointing. We quickly paid the bill and walked back to our hotel unimpressed. 

After a long hot shower, I received a text message from our alarm system provider in Sydney. Apparently there was a glitch with the test alarm signal with our back to base service. Being me, I was paranoid and worried that our house was broken into. I called the alarm provider to understand more about the situation and they needed someone to test the alarm and phone line in the house. That just made my day a little more frustrated. Luckily we had Nikki. Nikki had a set of the house keys and quickly agreed to drop by our house to check later that evening. Everything was fine – but with my luck nothing is ever fine. Nikki forgot to switch off the lights when she left the house. Our neighbor contacted us soon to inform us that. So with that in mind, I got more paranoid that the house would burn down. 

After a very disappointing first impression of Zurich and a horrible paranoia night, we woke up fresh the next morning and decided to make our way to the main shopping street. Passing the Limmat River that splits the sity, we went for a brief walk through the town centre and grabbed a little something to eat and drink. Another disappointment was that I could not locate a café that serves chai latte (oh how I miss Sydney). 

After breakfast we went straight for the main shopping street – Bahnfostrasse to gaze at the windows. I turned to John and told him how middle class we were. There was nothing in Bahnfostrasse that we could afford. The abundance, the extreme wealth, the “over the top” while elsewhere in the world people murder for a slice of molded bread. 

Spotted a weird sculpture by Max Bill who is a famous Swiss architect, painter and designer. In the middle of the 20th century he was an influential figure in graphic design. This sculpture - Pavillon Skulptur is a granite sculpture that was installed in 1983. Its massive pillars from high arches which we can walk through represents Max Bill's bold concept of city design. We walked across the river and into Neiderdorf. It’s filled with narrow pedestrian areas with great architectural record of the city’s history. The details there are so beautiful that they remind of cake decorations. There are frescoes on the sides of buildings and throughout this area. I have started a secret love affair with beautiful European architecture. At one intersection we spotted the tall spire of the Peterskirche. We went up for a closer inspection. Construction of the church began on the 8th century but it has undergone many transformations since. 

Slowly we strolled to the east side of River Limmat and came across Zurich's Town Hall. The building overhangs the river with a bridge called Rathausbrucke located next to it. The main entrance is beautifully adorned with golden lions. In the 19th century, it was the seat of the cantonal and municipal parliament. We walked back down to the river and continue along it. The city’s great focus was obviously the Zurich River. Along the river there was a large gathering of swans and ducks. Burkiplatz is a popular attraction for tourists like us. From the promenade we admired the view of Lake Zurich's calm waters and the fascinating panorama of the Alps. There is also a statue of Ganymede and Zeus, in the form of an eagle being taken to Mount Olympus. By now Zurich doesn’t seem that bad. With the fresh air and all of this walking around, we worked up an appetite. 

In surge of a place to eat, we walked in a street parallel to the river on the Grossmunster side. The street – Niederdorfstrasse housed a lot of Italian restaurants. So many in fact, it looked like we were in the Italian quarter. In the end with a budget in mind, we picked Spaghetti Factory. We were treated with very friendly service. Our waitress spoke very good English. The quality of food was average, simple and classic. 

After lunch, we continued on with our tour of Zurich. We walked towards Heimplatz and spotted the Gates of Hell which was placed near Kunsthaus. Gates of Hell is one of French Sculptor Auguste Rodin’s most notable works. The sculpture is 6 meters high, 4 meters wide and 1 meter deep. It took the sculptor 37 years to complete this great project. We then strolled along Kunsthaus Zurich which was opened in 1910 and houses an important collection of both international and Swiss artists. Masterpieces of the Late Gothic, Flemish, Baroque and Modern era are displayed here including outstanding works by such famous artists as Van Gogh, Picasso, Claude Monet and many others. 

The next stop was at Grossmunster which is one of the most outstanding religious buildings in Zurich. It had an immense impact on the country’s Protestant Reformation. The construction of the monastery began around 1100. Its most famous feature is its twin towers, the symbol of Zurich. The interior of the church is amazing, with the organ and the stained windows. We walked back closer to the city to Paradeplatz which is located in the middle of Bahnhofstrasse. Parade Square is most often referred to as the money magnet of Zurich, due to its many luxurious boutiques, bank buildings, hotels and galleries. 

After another coffee break we decided to take a slow walk back to the hotel for a break before dinner. We returned to the city as the light grows dim. The city’s lighting is coming on and the mood changes to something more intimate. Sighh the Grossmunster is so dramatic at night. The lighting makes it look even larger and taller in the day. 

We decided to stop at Sam’s Pizza for some old fashion American pizza for dinner. John insisted that we order the family size pizza so when the pizza arrived we both gasped at the size of it. I thought to myself there was no way we could finish it..but we did. Well, John did. Yes, my monster as a husband finished 90% of the pizza as I was full after the first slice. After dinner we walked back to the hotel. I honestly have no idea how John made it back to the hotel after all that food. 

The only thing we bought in Zurich was a large bottle of Evian, Swiss cream cookies, several fridge magnets, a swiss knife (a gift for my boss) and a bottle of contact lens solution. I have decided from the start not to spend money shopping in Zurich (one reason being we blew our spending budget in the Swiss restaurant) and the other reason being how insanely expensive Zurich is. I came across a scarf that cost over 1200 CHF! We are talking here about $1400 AUD for a bloody boring looking scarf!! So did I enjoy Zurich? It was an experience yes but would I go back? Well the honest answer is no.