Sunday, March 16, 2008

We woke fairly early on Sunday, our last full day in Switzerland , and finished re-packing our belongings before heading down to the Krone for breakfast. The morning was quiet and it felt as if all the locals were enjoying sleeping in. Or, perhaps, they were at church.

After breakfast we went back to the Magic Hotel to reclaim our luggage and I snapped a few last photos of the local area as Travis checked us out. We were then on our way to the train station to depart Luzern for our final destination, Zürich.

The train ride to Zürich was uneventful though the scenery between the two cities was quite enjoyable.

Upon arriving in Zürich, which was a city of a wholly different size and magnitude than what we had experienced in Switzerland thus far, we gathered our bags and headed off the train. The Zürich train station is a massive, multi-floored underground station that contains supermarkets, a full-sized mall, and restaurants in addition to the train ticketing areas and train arrival/departure depots. Massive.

It took us a bit of time to make our way to the front of the station and then to proceed around the building to the main exit out to the city scape. Upon exiting the building we were very near the banks of the Limmat river on the other side of which we would soon find our last hotel of the Switzerland vacation, the Hotel Limmatblick.

Travis came across info on the hotel while surfing the Web for Zürich hotels and we were both amused by the use of dogs on the site. The first floor of the hotel is occupied by a modern, art-deco cafe with the reception desk situated directly between the open-view kitchen of the cafe and the seating area of the cafe. Actually, quite a neat setup and one that was obviously based on the need to use every available square foot, or rather, meter, of space.

Travis checked us into the room and we traversed our way around the cafe tables, along the narrow kitchen prep area, and to the small elevator located near the back of the cafe. Up to the fourth floor, across the hall, and we were soon in our room.

Of our three hotel rooms this was the smallest though by no means cramped or uncomfortable. The wood floors provided some warmth to the otherwise neutral colored walls and furnishings. The standard writing desk, chair, and mini-bar all accounted for we decided to check out the view of the city from our window. A remote control was supposed to open the electric shutters and expose the window but after trying for about ten minutes I decided, one, we either didn't know how to operate the three-button machine or, two, the remote, shutters or both we malfunctioning.

Gathering our ever-present day equipment we decided to go explore Zürich rather than fool around with the shutters any longer. Travis did let the front desk know that they weren't working and they offered to move us to another room but we decided all was good and we would forgo the view from the room. We wouldn't be spending much time there anyway.

Again armed with walking tours from Frommer and Fodor, as well as the "The Official Zürich Guide" from the provided folder of literature found in our room, we headed out to see the sights of the city.

Throughout the late morning and afternoon we explored the beautiful city and viewed, among much, the massive Lake Zürich at the edge of the city, a church founded in 853 ACE (Fraumünster), Europe's largest clock face on St. Peter-Kirche, and the Bahnhoffstrasse on which every conceivable high-end, global merchant had a significant presence. (As it was Sunday, however, none of the shops were actually open for business save the tenants in the mall at the train station. For that reason we walked back to the station to do some shopping, explore a bit more, and pick up our souvenirs.)

As later afternoon began to wind down into early evening we decided to look for dinner and again consulted our guide books for suggested establishments. As with the shops, a large portion of the restaurants and cafes were closed for business, although, many did open up later in the evening.

After reading the reviews of many restaurants we opted for one more final meal of a Swiss tradition, fondue, and decided on Hotel Adler which billed itself as the best fondue in the city. Although the hotel was shown on the maps in the Fodor guide, and it was in close proximity to our own hotel, we had a most difficult time locating it. In fact, we were about to give up and head to a different eatery when one final turn on the twisting streets of the Old Town landed us in sight of the Hotel Adler sign across an open platz. Alas!

The restaurant and hotel certainly had the Swiss-flare down pat and the food was equally as impressive. This time around we opted for the house fondue, which, unlike in Zermatt, only consisted of the cheese without any additional ingredients. Paired with a hearty Swiss beer it made for a delightful and very filling meal.

After dinner we decided to pay a visit to a cute little bar/pub we had meandered upon while in search of the Adler. It was a small (read, very small) place but quaint without any smokers for the time being. Outside it had begun to rain which impeded us from taking any more photos for the time being and with all of the shops closed, and us not quite being ready to finish up our final night in Switzerland, the bar was the only option. I enjoyed a glass of wine and water and Travis had a beer while we listened to a mix of Swiss and US music coming from the radio. After a bit the bar filled with locals and they began selecting various songs, all US, from the jukebox located against the back of one wall. The group was drinking "American style" mixed drinks, which, to my amazement, were priced anywhere from $11 to $20 a drink. Something that we had noticed on menus throughout the country.

As we sat at the bar and people watched I thumbed through the Zürich guide and we decided to visit another bar not too far from where we were. The group in the bar was having a good time and seemed very friendly. At one point, one of the guys noted me looking through the guide and asked, in English, if there was anything he could help us find. A nice gesture, I thought.

Travis finished his beer and we were off to a second bar. It was still raining off and on and the streets were cold and wet. We headed inside a neat bar/cafe on the ground floor and adjacent to another hotel and quickly noted we were two of only six people in the place. A little more upscale than our first bar, they even provided us with fresh, spiced olives here. I ordered a different type of Swiss wine and Travis tried another Swiss beer. We sat, enjoyed the olives and Swiss beverages, and mused about our adventures in Switzerland and not wanting to have to leave tomorrow.

After the drinks and olives were gone we slowly put on our coats, gloves, hats, and scarves and headed out to head back to the hotel. It was still raining, quite hard now, but the arcades running along the length of the river provided us with a dry path. Reluctantly we headed to the Hotel Limmatblick and off to sleep knowing that in less than six hours we would be headed back home.