The travels of Tim and Megan: Switzerland

Zurich

We awoke on Thursday to find that Zurich had been dusted with snow overnight, which made the city even prettier but also meant grey skies and very chilly temperatures. By this stage, we were getting adept at the on-and-off-with-layers dance so the cold wasn’t too much of a problem for us.

Since we only had one full day in Zurich we awoke extra early to fit in as much as possible. As it turns out, not much opens in Zurich before 10am! However, once 10am chimed we were able to visit two lovely churches, first the Grossmunster (big church) where we were able to climb up one of the towers via a rickety and worryingly narrow staircase. It was worth the effort, as the views from the top were spectacular, as you can see below. Then we were off to the Fraumunster (girl church) for some excellent stained glass window action (no photos allowed).

After paying homage to these two famous sights of Zurich, we enjoyed a hot chocolate and a snack at the Gran Cafe - very nice, fully recommended. We were then free to wander the cobbled lanes and the wide expanses of the high street. We were impressed by how clean the city is (actually spotless) and what a rich and sophisticated life its inhabitants seem to have – it was a bit of a paradise really. The city was, as you might expect, littered with places to buy watches and army knives. Tim purchased a Wenger Swiss army knife which is sure to come in handy... There were also many souvenir shops selling traditional Swiss cuckoo clocks - very fun but not sure it would look so good in our lounge!

To round off the morning, we walked up a little hill just across the river and got another good view of the city centre and down to the south where Lake Zurich begins. After some lunch we visited the National Museum. This was rather disappointing, as very few exhibits were labelled in English (despite claims that everything was in English) and the exhibits themselves were pretty dull and poorly laid out. Perhaps we have been spoiled by London's fine museums?!

After the museum, a little more exploring and a ride on the tram, we went to a beer hall for dinner. This was quite an experience; it was absolutely packed and there were people lining up outside (in the snow) to get in!!! Megan got to try what we were told was some of the finest sausage in Switzerland. For our entertainment, the big screens were showing a replay of the 2006 Champions League final, we made sure we left while Arsenal was still leading... Then we made our way around a few bars to round off the night.