Zurich - June 14, 2010

Off the plane from Pristina and into Zurich. It took me lots of internet searching to find a bed for less than $40...for this traveler's budget, that's a lot of money. What I did find was the top room/floor of a hotel that had been turned into a dorm room. It was nice, clean and very convenient. My 24-hour public transportation pass (8 CHF = reasonable) let me get on a tram that dropped me only a few feet from the hotel. I am getting better at packing, but, regardless, I am still wandering around with a large backpack and a heavy briefcase...though I was no longer getting stares for being blond, I'm hard to miss with all that. It felt great to lay down for a few minutes. There was a small balcony with a table, chairs and great view:


And then I went out for a walk. Wow.


Walking along the water...I took pictures of other tourists in exchange for pictures of me.


If there was ever any doubt in my mind, I am now completely convinced that I have obnoxiously expensive taste. Zurich is amazing. Breathtaking. I would love to stay there...I need far more money. I had a bratwurst, a roll, and water for 12 CHF on the banks of Lake Zurich - I decided to say I was paying for the view.


Along my walk I watched lots of small children, swans, boats and musicians. I watched the end of the Japan/Cameroon match at a sidewalk cafe with 20 or so passing cyclists. I found this "ugly duckling:"


Cute, huh? :)

I'm not really sure what else to say about Zurich. Generally speaking, everyone was nice. Oh - I did have an interesting conversation with a man originally from the Congo. It was a bit tricky - I definitely do not speak French - but interesting. He said that the racism in Zurich is fairly extreme - he was comparing his experience to that of his siblings in Paris, and said that Paris was much easier. The guy got obviously disappointed when he misunderstood me and decided I said I had a boyfriend. The extent of the disappointment was enough to keep me from correcting this thought, and I am pretty sure I enjoyed the conversation far more after that point, while he enjoyed it far less. I found that very amusing. Regardless, I had never spoken to someone from the Congo before and his perspective was very interesting. Two last things -

Mountains and Water - outstanding views


And Gnomes!



It was a very good evening. The next morning, I got on a train for Nuremberg...