Zürich, Switzerland

So we finally reached the endpoint of our Swiss tour: their largest city, Zurich. It is home to just under 500,000 and has the largest airport and train stations in the country. I found Zurich to be kind of “yuck” compared to the other major European cities. It didn’t really have a lot that stands out.

Mrs Bear had been to Switzerland before to help teach medical procedures to physicians… She had discovered a hotel on a hill above Zurich and signed us up to stay there.

What can I say … my wife has great taste. Perhaps the best illustration was their lobby clock. It revolves around a pendulum above the outstretched arm that makes the lower counterweight turn in a circle, which runs the clock. Amazing !!

Just outside the hotel, a small cog railway car took us down the hill where we could connect to larger trams that ran through downtown. All of these rides were free !! Zurich’s transportation system was as good as any I have witnessed.

On the other hand, I wasn’t thrilled with the architecture… only the Opera House stood out.

Zurich’s main claim to fame was their shopping streets, which Mrs Bear stated was the most expensive group of stores in the world !! I have no idea if this is correct, but the area didn’t really appeal to me.

At one end of the city was the beginning of Lake Zurich, with residential neighborhoods fanning out on both sides of the lake. Once again, there was an extensive setup of commute options on the water that connected to trams on the shoreline.

We found a great restaurant in town, in a building dating back to the 14th Century. It was used originally as a storage depot for weapons, and claimed to have stored William Tell’s bow. In general, the food, like the language, is very close to its German roots. The beers are good and local, but I concluded that the wealth of sausages and other slab meats would harden my arteries in a year.

Too soon, our stay ended and it was time to head home. I am hoping this will not be our last trip to the Swiss Alps … it was everything I imagined they would be.