Zürich, Switzerland

At the beginning of March, I visited my friends Tony and Stacy in Zürich. They had recently moved there from the US and were eager to show me around.

I was really impressed with the famous Swiss efficiency; especially the traffic reports that you can receive while driving. Whether you're listening to a CD or the radio or nothing at all, the traffic report channel will turn on (whether you like it or not) and tell you where there are potential traffic problems. It's really helpful. The only drag is that it tells the traffic situation in all of Switzerland and isn't specific to your exact location.

I was also really impressed by the quality of the food. Of course, everything is outrageously expensive (to insure that the best food is being sold), but at least it tastes good!


We took a walk around the city and along the beautiful Lake Zürich (Zürichsee) that goes through the center of the city. We also stopped at Sprüngli's Confisserie to have some Luxemburgerli. They are these tiny hamburger-shaped desserts that come in a variety of flavors such as vanilla, chocolate, hazelnut, pistachio, strawberry. Truly unique and delicious.

We also went to see 'The Reader' (Der Vorleser) at the movie theater. It is about a young man who meets an older woman and they become intimately involved. Her sudden disappearance and his discovery years later that she worked as a Nazi guard in WWII is something that he struggles to deal with for the rest of his life. It was a good movie and it sparked some interesting conversation afterward.


(This building-above- is the Centre Le Corbusier)


The next day, we went to the mountains. It was really beautiful. The weather was great and it was quite warm. We had prepared by wearing several layers of clothing and ended up taking almost all of them off right from the beginning because the sunshine heated us up. The best part was the way we got down, which was by sledding. I've downhill skied before, but this was something entirely new and was so much fun. Sledding down a mountain, not something I do very often.


I had a really nice time in Switzerland. I sort-of wish I were Swiss. The lifestyle is so healthy and it is a beautiful place. Oh well, maybe in my next life.