Zurich, Switzerland

Trip Start Jul 28, 2006
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Trip End Ongoing


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Wednesday, October 11, 2006

I love riding European trains and the countryside between Paris and Zurich is lovely with small villages, grazing animals and occasional lake or pond. I check into the oldest hotel in Zurich in the midst of old town, its cobblestone streets lined with cafes and shops. What does one eat in Switzerland? Well, if you are from Texas and there is a Mexican restaurant next to your hotel you head there. Not quite Tex-Mex as we know it, but it was different.
The next day I explore Old Town and head to the rail station to reserve my ticket on the scenic train between Lucerne and Geneva I plan to take at the end of my next tour. I stroll down the famed Bahnhofstrasse with its upscale shopping district and names like Prada, Gucci, Dior and so on. Not my style but it is obvious there are plenty of wealthy shoppers eager to buy. Every other building is a bank-not the neighborhood bank you and I use with its constant cars and people going in and out-these are steel, glass and granite structures with very discreet plaques on them declaring they are a bank. Not once did I see someone enter or leave these buildings. Umm, guess what they say about Swiss banks is true.
From there I continue on to Lake Zurich and board a ferry for a trip around the area. It is a perfect day-very mild with bright sunshine and I bask in the sun and view the lovely houses on the lakeshore. I consider going to the art museum but it is too lovely a day to be inside so I continue to stroll the area and the Old town area around my hotel. I am quite impressed with Zurich-the people seem like happier Germans. The streets are clean and flowers are everywhere. I would definitely recommend this as a city to visit if you combined the trip with some excursions in the country like Appenzellerland, the Heidi-like region still filled with cows and painted houses or a trip to the nearby Swiss Alps and its glaciers.
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