Zurich, Day 1

(This is entry 3 of 3 for today. Read below for parts 1 and 2.)

Before I get started, I just wanted to mention that Zurich was the only city in which we didn't really have any definite must see things or any true plans, so we figured we'd play it by ear. We really were here to visit with our old co-worker, Doug, and his family (Audrey, his wife, and Abe, his 1.5 year old son). If they had time to show us around, then that would be great, but we would understand if they were busy.

Anyway, we had directions on how to get to Doug's place, but we had a hard time getting the right ticket for the tram from the ticket machine. We finally figured it out, hopped on the tram, and got off at the right stop. The next direction to Doug's place told us to hop on a trolley that runs up the hill to where he lives. The trolley reminded me of the inclined railroad in Chattanooga, just on a smaller scale. It was a pretty steep hill, and it was amazing to see that a transport to get up that hill has been around for a number of years. Quite fun!

We found Doug's place late in the morning and were greeted by Audrey. The first thing I noticed was the view from their living room. You could see pretty much all of Zurich from there, including the lake. Beautiful. Their apartment is also very quaint and cozy, and we really appreciate them allowing us to stay with them for these two nights.

Audrey also said that she was going to be making us both lunch and dinner, which was completely unexpected but greatly appreciated. Doug walks to work, so he walked home to have lunch with us. We ended up having fish and pasta, which were very good. I should mention that before lunch we decided to have a little bit of a rest period to unwind after the train ride.

Doug ended up having to go back to work, so Audrey took us around Zurich, which is a beautiful city. The Limmat River had the bluest water out of all the cities we've been in so far. Lots of great architecture. Anyway, we followed a tour we found in a travel guide to hit the high points of the city. We went in a couple of churches (which, of course, didn't allow pictures) and walked through "old town".

Eventually Doug met up with us since Audrey had to leave to go to a meeting, and he ended up taking us back. But first we had to go look out over Lake Zurich (Zurichsee), where we could (barely) see the Alps. But the view was amazing.

The weather was fitful all day. It would rain, then stop, then rain, then stop. But the rain never really lasted for more than a couple of minutes. As a matter of fact, during one bout of rain, we ended up stepping into a little cafe so Abe could have a snack. I ended up getting a hot chocolate which, apparently, is rarer than you think in Switzerland (a country known for its chocolate). But I definitely wasn't disappointed with what I had! I also ended up buying some Swiss chocolate items, as well.

With the tour complete, we went back to Doug's place for dinner. Audrey had made us this very delicious chicken salad with cranberries. Afterwards we just hung around and talked to catch up. Now we just have to decide what we want to do tomorrow. Apparently we're hiking somewhere.

It was so great being able to see and catch up with Doug and his family. They are doing very well here in Zurich. Abe is growing up very fast, and he is a very cool kid with an energetic personality. I keep trying to teach him to say DUDE and it's cute when it comes out "doooooooooooooood". Good times.

It's sad to think that the Europe trip is coming to a close. Just three days left...

(This post was actually posted at 11:14PM Zurich time.)