Zürich, Switzerland

Kiran and Chris were spending a month in Zürich and so I decided to visit. Quick summary: Switzerland is filled with sparkling glacier-fed lakes, towering mountains, charming towns, and expensive everything.

The scenery along the Limmat river and the harbour area of the Zürichsee, although the locals all shorten it to Zürisee. The church spires of St. Peter’s Kirche and Frau Münster are visible in the background.

The Swiss have very funny names for places sometimes. A sweet picture of Chris and Kiran on top of the Üetliberg (pronounced OO-ET-LEE-BEERG) with great views of Zürich and the surrounding countryside.

On Saturday we followed part of the “Weg der Schweiz” (the path of Switzerland), part of the Vierwaldstättersee. The “Weg der Schweiz” derives its name from the negotiations taking place at this lake in 1291 which lay the groundwork for Switzerland. Three cantons agreed to defend each other against advancing armies. William Tell of the legends is also rumoured to have landed in the area. It was a pretty laidback combo of hiking, boat trips and a funicular.

View out onto the Vierwaldstättersee.

Going up the funicular.

As a very early birthday present from my Dad, Kiran, Chris and I went to dinner at a fancy Italian restaurant with a beautiful view overlooking the Zürisee.

Hamming it up outside the restaurant.

Sunday we enjoyed the sunny weather and headed to the charming town of Rapperswil.

Other miscellaneous:

• In comparison with Germany or even Canada for that matter there are flags everywhere, including on the hats of McDonald’s employees. People are pretty darn proud of being Swiss.
• The national soft drink is Rivella. I was unsure at first since it’s 33% milk serum, but it’s surprisingly good and tastes kind of like liquefied rocket candies.

• Everyone was pretty excited about the America cup sailing competition going on against New Zealand. I find it a little ironic that Switzerland, a country with no coast, has won the world’s most prestigious yacht competition twice in a row.