Well... we crashed so hard last night, everyone slept well and we actually got up and out pretty early today. Breakfast was bread, cheese, and prosciutto we had bought at the grocery store. And ultra-luckily (since a lot of places are closed on Sunday) we used the personal espresso maker in the apartment... it was _really_ good and a life saver.
Here's Cindy, Bailley, and Madison in the kitchen before we head out.
So we head down to the lake to actually see it in the daylight. It's really pretty with all the mountains surrounding it. There are lots of boats, but that wind was cold so I'm not sure I'll be able to get anyone to agree to a boat tour :)
We walked down the lake and crossed the river to get to Bahnhofstrasse... one of the most expensive streets in the world. It was a great walk and it was the perfect day to do it... by that I mean Sunday when all the shops were closed. Most places you couldn't even see prices, but we did spy some 20,000 CHF watches and an ink pen that was almost 1,000 CHF.
Luckily I found a way to pay for those glitzy watches and have enough leftover to pay for the vacation... what?!?... not real? Dang it... I guess I will be going back to work next week.
We walked all the way through that part of the town and then crossed the river to hit a fondue restaurant on the way back. There are so many beautiful steeples and clocktowers down all these small, typical European, cobblestone streets. This may be my favorite picture so far... the Limmat River with the iconic bridge and buildings as a backdrop.
We found it, it was open, and we were NOT denied like at the fondue chalet. Restaurant Swiss Chuchi Zurich made some top five fondue lists I've read, so I figure big blue cows must be the marker to find when searching for food.
And it did not disappoint. Raclette with bacon, stuffed chicken and rosti, a traditional fondue, and a house specialty fondue. We did Texas proud on this one... we tore it up. Oh yeah... then Bailley and Madison split an apple strudel. At that point we *had* to start walking back or we were all going to fall asleep at the table.
We came back and took a short break before heading back out to the little holiday market area. We all just grabbed something small to eat and walked around and looked at different booths again.
Madison and Bailley admiring what _will_ be their ice rink. It's not open yet. It feels brutally cold to a Texan, but I guess it's not _really_ that cold.
Abigail and Cindy with part of the little holiday market as a backdrop.
At night everyone is drinking this hot, spiced wine: glühwein rot. Yeah... on a cold night... that's about right for sure.
Right outside the grocery store, between the little mulled wine stand and the holiday market was this cute little park with a pretty fountain. I think that's the big difference in the US versus these old European cities... its not necessarily the buildings and places but the spaces in between those. I know they've been doing it way longer, but there are just layers and layers of art and beauty.
Well... pretty solid day two. I'm fixing to break into some local beers I got at the grocery store so I had better sign off. Tomorrow I think we are going to learn the tram system and start exploring a little further out. We may also take a day trip out of Zurich... we probably need to look at the weather and pick a day for that. Fun fun... more tomorrow.
Jim
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