Zurich, 2022 (Days 1,2)

Greetings from Zurich, Switzerland. Land of decadent chocolate, gripping mountains, alpine lakes and perfectly soft pretzels…can you tell what I have been indulging in? Obi and I flew Swiss Air on Friday night for an overnight flight from JFK to Zurich – gratefully despite the travel woes inflicting thousands of people around the world right now, our flight was smooth sailing and our luggage also arrived just as we walked up to the carousel. Leading up to the flight I had done a few hours of research on neck pillows – never having owned one I walked the line of being envious of those that looked so comfortable sleeping on the plane with a relaxed neck – while – simultaneously thinking that it’s an utterly unnecessary item to travel with when space is so limited. By the time we got through airport security (which was also pretty smooth and the crowds reminded me of pre-covid travel which felt good) – I was still questioning if I regretted not buying a neck pillow or if I ultimately made the right decision to not get one. I think Obi was ready to give it a try (and probably stop me from my conitual fretting) and, so, he bought each of us one – in the airport and Hudson News. And well, not to dwell too much more on this subject – having a neck pillow on an overnight flight really was so much better. It’s not perfect and it didn’t help me sleep – but at least when I leaned back and closed my eyes I was much more comfortable with, than without. So…yes, now I will be one of those people with their neck pillow sweetly tucked into its travel case hanging from my backpack bobbing along, ready for action on the next long flight. We made it to our hotel by early afternoon – and luckily the room was ready and so we settled in. I should add that after taking the train from the airport to the Zurich HB, we needed to ride a local tram to our hotel. I was just marveling at the efficiency of the train system and the clarity of signage when we realized we had got on a tram (#4) headed in the wrong direction. We hopped off and crossed the street to ride the same tram (#4) going back. The next one arrives and we board – only to see that once again, it was the wrong direction and indeed the first tram was actually correct. Too funny – so we get off again (back where we started) and wait for the same tram (#4), again. This time we go two stops and noticed it’s turned in a direction we don’t need and once again, had to get off. This time we look at the map to notice a new route and that we actually needed the #3 tram, not the #4. So, now, boarding our fourth tram in a four block radius, the #3 – we arrive at our hotel stop in about 10 minutes. That was a good laugh. After some quick rinses we denied ourselves the very essential sleep (we both desired) and ventured out to see the “old town” – and explore the city attractions. We picked up a local free city map – which is the ultimate tourist trade mark, and wandered. It was a wonderful outing, meandering along canals, scenic bridges, swaying weeping willows and taking in the stunning views of Zurichsee (lake). My instinctual chocolate radar guided us to a specialty shop and we picked out some truffles for dessert. We also found a shop outside one of Zurich’s famous churches, Grossmunster, that sold dried fruit and bought some candied Kumquats. They were sweet at first with a bitter tingle left to linger in your mouth. The church was a wonderful place for a moment of respite, my eyes were burning and so I sat in silence – with them closed- allowing the lids to rest. The deep red and orange stained glass windows were magical. We ate dinner at a Greek restaurant around the corner from our hotel – the salad was mostly traditional though it was served with a type of whipped feta instead of chunks. I think I feel asleep in about 30 seconds – and woke up 9 hours later:) Good as new, ready for our next adventure.

Sunday, was a great day. I wanted to visit the mountains and go exploring for a day – getting out from the city center was key. I conducted a lot of research at home into some towns accessible by trains and we decided to visit Linthal and ride the steepest outdoor tram to the Braunwald (a car-less ski resort) town. From Braunwald we decided to hike to the Oberblegsee. We left early enough in the morning with a mad dash to the main station to catch an 8:43 train. We had just enough time to grab two käse (cheese) pretzels (yes, I am using a lot of my German skills to communicate and get us around) for breakfast. Once we boarded the train we were in a swarm of hikers – and I was suddenly in my happy place. I knew we were headed to the right place – when literally every passenger in our car had hiking gears, boots, polls, packs, H2O hoses and functional sun hats. The women in our seat quad both confirmed we made a good choice in terms of our destination. The hike was a solid balance of incredibly alpine scenery – lush green grass, Swiss cows with ringing bells around their necks to be heard in the valley, jagged mountain cliffs up above, paragliders in the clouds, wild mountain flowers and a cool breeze. The trail took us just about an hour and half to a most beautiful fresh alpine lake. Yes, this lake is filled from the snow melt drifting down from the mountains. It’s perfectly clear and crisp. I stripped down to the essentials and jumped in. The lake drops quickly getting deep fast – but you hardly notice floating at the surface looking out to the scenery and allowing yourself to forget all your troubles. It was a perfect hike to a perfect location. While getting lost at sea, a raft of baby ducks paddled over for an inspection. I imagined they wanted to play. Obi challenged me to some rock skipping competitions to which I humbly lost (barley getting one skip in) – he was exceptional and getting the rock far out into the lake with many consecutive skips – well done Obi. It was hard to leave such a serene place but eventually needed to make a move and walk back into town. On the way we stopped at the alpine cafe and each got a cool drink to refresh ourselves and carried on. The sun was stronger on the return and we noticed patches of melting asphalt. Today’s adventure left me longing for more, so I’ve planned tomorrow’s activity, kayaking! Obi will be working at the Google office tomorrow, so I will rent a kayak from a local place we stumbled upon, to paddle out into the Zurich lake. I can’t wait. Tomorrow night we fly to Hamburg.