Europe

Zurich, Switzerland

day one

We arrived in Zurich, Switzerland! The flight was good, not great, but good! Aaron slept the entire 11 hours…I was so jealous! I, on the other hand, maybe slept 3. Sleeping tips welcome!! When we got to the airport, security was very easy. We grabbed our bags and made our way to the area designated for public transportation.

After about a 30-minute drive, we arrived at our hotel. SO CUTE! It’s a small boutique hotel with only 40 rooms and a small French restaurant on the ground floor. Our room had a little balcony with gorgeous French doors and a big glass chandelier. It was so quaint…we loved it! Would 100% recommend it and will definitely go back!

It was still fairly early when we arrived to our hotel so we quickly unpacked, changed and started to explore the city. We ended up finding a great restaurant in the downtown area for dinner. I got the leek and potato soup with a side salad and Aaron got the meatloaf with potatoes. He said it was the best meatloaf he’s ever had! My soup and salad were also amazing! We aren’t sure if this is common in all areas of Switzerland, but at least in Zurich and Luzern, the restaurants seem very farm-to-table; with their own gardens and farms as their main source of food. Everything tasted incredibily fresh. (After taking the train twice now through Switzerland it is apparent that farming is a huge part of their culture. The train rides have offered never ending views of farmland. So beautiful!!)

Okay, back to our first night…after dinner we walked around, checking out the night life and went back to our hotel to hopefully get some sleep. Falling asleep was very easy, but we both woke up at 2 am and couldn’t go back to sleep until about 5 am…also a common theme so far on this trip! Praying we start to acclimate here soon!

day two

We dedicated the entire day to exploring the city. We had to have walked 10 miles at least! It was so much fun and beautiful! We walked along the lake and the river, crossed lots of cute bridges and ate more yummy food. We also checked out the Swiss National Museum. Aaron and I didn’t know much about Switzerland and it’s history, so we thought this would be a great place to visit. I highly recommend doing this when you arrive to a new country or city. It was very informative!

That afternoon we took a nap and went out to dinner at our hotel’s French restaurant. It was also very good! I got a pasta dish and Aaron got the lamb shank. After dinner we went for a nice, but very cold walk to a local bar. We found a fun place and had a few drinks!

day three

We got up early and went to Luzern. We had many people recommend us visit this city and oh my gosh…I am so glad we went!! We had to take the train to get there, so we got to the train station early to figure out the transportation system. The train ride was very comfortable with GORGEOUS views! About 10 minutes into the ride we saw the Swiss Alps peep around the corner. I have no words for this experience. It’s one you must experience on your own one day. UNREAL.

Once we arrived in Luzern, we found an information area at the train station and were given a map of the city that showed an easy walking tour we could do on our own. I couldn’t stop snapping photos! Every little corner of this city was pictureous! The textures and details at every restaurant, home, and shop were impeccable. So adorable!

The city was pretty dead because it was a Sunday. Almost nothing was open, including restaurants, but we found one that was our favorite place we ate at all weekend here in Switzerland. It was called Mill’Feuille. It sat on the river, overlooking the water and the Swiss Alps. The entire restaurant was packed! We were very lucky to find a spot, and even when we did we only had an hour until our seats were reserved for someone else. (We have found here that you need a reservation for every meal you eat. The Swiss are very prompt and planned people. Not a lot of room for spontinatity!) Aaron and I both had the pumpkin soup and fresh bread…OMG, best soup we’ve ever had!!! Hands down! We wanted to order 5 more bowls! I am going to try and re-create it when I get home. It will be a fun memory to think about each time we try and make it.

After lunch we started to make our way back to the train station and head home. Aaron slept on the train ride back and I sat quietly listening to all the people and families around me speaking multiple languages, and enjoyed the beautiful views.

When we arrived back home we decided to go to a traditional Swiss restaurant in the heart of the city. We also received many recommendations from others to check this place out. We both ordered traditional meals and loved them both! We also ordered a couple beers and enjoyed the company we shared with a man who had lived in Zurich since 1962, and a younger man who had just flown in from NY for a job interview. It was a very nice evening. After dinner we walked back home and went to bed.

day four

We got up very early, packed up our stuff and prepared for a long travel day to Lake Como. This was our last day in Zurich. We ate a very yummy, traditional European breakfast consisting of yogurt, fruit, crossiants with homemade jam and coffee (tea for me!) We said our goodbyes to our adorable little hotel and got on the train to eventually arrive in Lake Como.

Zurich, Switzerland…we will be back! You we’re so good to us! Now off to ITALY!!!!!!!

Where we stayed:

Where we ate:

What we did:

  • Our hotel was very close to Lake Zurich. We spent lots of time walking up and down the lake/river watching young families playing with their children, men fish, and witnessing first hand the beautiful fall colors.
  • Day trip to Luzern, Switzerland: We headed straight to the tourist center at the train station for all city info. There were lots of options. We wanted to take the tram up to the Swiss Alps but it wasn’t in our budget. You can also take boat rides on the lake. We decided to take the self-guided walking tour and loved it!
  • Swiss National Museum
  • Checked out an area called: Lindenhof
  • Walked all around the old town of Zurich

(Stay tuned…Como, Italy is up next)

xoxo, madison naomi

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