Zurich

We were so glad we stayed an extra day in Switzerland! It was one of those magical days with perfect weather and an exciting new city. I felt so lucky to be here!

Our hotel lobby was the nicest I have even seen, with modern beautiful seating and sound dampening walls and ceiling.

After our lovely breakfast, we were out in the city. With seemingly no effort, we walked over 9 miles yesterday. The buildings looked so different than any I had ever seen.

The Limmat River runs through Zurich, the largest city in Switzerland, with about 1.3 million people. According to Wiki, it was founded over 2,000 years ago by the Romans, but settlements were here over 6,000 years ago. The Alps are visible in the distance, the backdrop of the beautiful Lake Zurich.

Everyone was out yesterday, soaking up the sun, enjoying the fresh dry swiss air. It was exactly how you thought it would be.

The lake was full of swans and species of ducks I had never seen.

This church was started in 1100 and though it did not have any of the ornate carvings, was still spectacular and welcoming.

We just kept wandering because the city felt so engaging. Long electric trams moved people quietly through the city.

We stopped at a Sweet and Sour stand and had the most delicious sweet and sour chicken and rice. There was quite a line but the very nice man was serving up food on china plates.

The language on the signs here is German, but you hear German, English, British English, Italian, French….and several I didn’t recognize being spoken. Everyone has perfect English; it felt nice to speak English without having to apologize!

Right by the lake was a WWII bunker. The Swiss, being surrounded by fighting countries, remained at the ready and had quite a history in the war although they stayed neutral. I imagined what it must feel like to not always be against so many countries and their people.

An older part of the city had adorable little shops. This chocolate store was the most beautiful candy shop I had ever seen. And the chocolate was delicious!

Katie called just as we were relaxing by the water again. I explained to her how clean the city was and how happy everyone seemed. Whereas in Italian you could see tough emotions crossing people’s faces frequently, here people were smiling and had a spring in their step.

And then I heard a loud yell, then another…..seething angry shout. I looked up just as a man was coming at Mike. It’s true. It had been the man who yelled first, then Mike yelling back, then the man who looked at once angry and afraid. Mike put his hands up in peace and we backed away as other people looked over. I felt shaky and sick. Katie said in my ear, Just 6 more days Mom.

Probably he was mentally ill, but as he had just been relaxing at the water’s edge we will never know what set him off. We regrouped at the hotel and bought train tickets to leave. Mike put in the wrong email address and it’s like we are just done. We figured it out and today is another travel day but I don’t feel anxious. Swiss trains are perfectly on time and it’s easy to find someone to help.

So we leave Zurich, where even the grass in the parks has daffodils and crocus growing in them <3