From Zurich, With Love

Whirlwind vacations are definitely our thing. (Let's be honest, month long trips would be our thing too if we could go on them) 

Last month, to celebrate the decade that we've been dating (I KNOW, right?), we took a romantic almost-week long trip to Mallorca, Spain. But this post isn't about that. (Yes there will be a post about that). This post is about the one hour we spent wandering around Zurich during our layover. 

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We had the taxi driver drop us off "anywhere good" in Zurich, which ended up being by this beautiful river. 

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As we crossed the bridge to see what was on the other side (there's a chicken crossing road joke in there somewhere) I noticed little locks hooked to the sides. I'd heard of the "love locks" in Paris but didn't realize there was a Zurich equivalent. 

taken via my iPhone X

Sadly, I don't carry a lock around with me and we never came across a little shop to buy one at (wasted opportunity if you ask me... I'm sure in crazy capitalist USA there'd have been a thousand lock vendors next to the bridge selling them at a 200% price increase). 

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I guess our love will have to survive without commemorative Swiss locks. 

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Across the bridge were a bevy of swans (yes, I looked up swan venery words, there's actually a few but I like bevy best) including a couple (not pictured) baby black ones. They flittered and preened and begged for bread in a very elegant and aristocratic way. I kept my croissant to myself. 

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We contemplated taking their public transportation system, which actually looked both efficient and entertaining. The (trains? trams?) were incredibly quiet, slinking by each other, crossing lanes and tracks, doors opening without a sound, people slipping in and out without any identifiable method of payment. It looked like we *did* somehow have to pay though, and without having any idea how much it would cost or how long it would take us to get anywhere, and with not enough time for that particular adventure, we decided not to jump on. 

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We slowly made our way towards "the lake", the must-see area according to the taxi driver, taking any opportunity to walk up an interesting street or peer into shop windows.  

taken via my iPhone 

taken via my iPhone 

taken via my iPhone 

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Personally, I thought the view at the river was the most appealing place, but what do I know? 🤷

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The carousel was awfully cute. 

via my iPhone 

Everywhere we went, Swiss of all kinds were eating their lunches outside. It was noon on a Thursday and these Zurichians were serious about enjoying their afternoon break. 

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Probably the biggest surprise was finding the one other American tourist in Zurich. After hearing so much Dutch and German and French, when I first heard American English I didn't even recognize it. We took a picture of the poor guy somewhere around here, after witnessing his poor selfie attempts. 

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One hour-ish later, we were in an Uber on our way back to the airport for a quick meal (yes, Swiss chocolate was involved) and our connecting flight to Mallorca. 

via my iPhone 

Stay tuned for Mallorca adventures 💜