My first impression when we were descending was that area surrounding the Zurich airport is rural, not suburban, despite the fact that the airport is not far outside of the city. I laughed when I saw on the Zurich airport website shortly before leaving that the airport offers tours of the "picturesque airport property" that last an hour and a half and that cost 8 Swiss Francs, but now I see that the countryside is actually very beautiful, and a tour might be worth the 8 francs on a long lay-over. The airport was extremely modern and clean inside, and it was nearly empty. I thought customs might take an hour or more but it took 2 minutes or less. I wandered around the airport to see what was there and then struggled with the primarily German-language train ticket machine. I was fairly certain when I got on the train at the airport that it was the right one, and luckily I made it to the Zurich main station without any problems.
A train passing by the National Museum of Switzerland in Zurich, the first photo I took
Right outside of the main station was the Swiss National Museum, which I believe is closed on Monday, but which I took a picture of. I also wandered down Bahnhoff Street to look at the shops and then down to the river, where I took some pictures. I was supposed to take the tram to Jennifer's house, but since I had a map with me and it wasn't very far I decided to walk. I took some photos along the way since the buildings are all so quaint and decorative and even the sidewalks are fancy and clean with cobblestone borders.
Zurich is located along a beautiful lake
My first impression of Switzerland is that everything seems orderly, clean, efficient, and designed with attention to the last detail. I noticed a lot of smaller-size cars and bikers, and there were a lot of places where you could pick up healthy fast food like apples and cherries.
Being in a German-speaking city by myself for the first few hours was a little overwhelming, especially when I was trying to buy my train ticket, use the ATMs, and navigate the tram network. I'm really glad that Nicole and I will be traveling together soon. I think we are going to have a lot of fun.
I am glad to have a chance to use the computer. The Crowne's have been very hospitable and I feel clean and relaxed since I just took a shower. I am looking forward to seeing the city more later today and wish I had more time to see everything there is to do here, but am also excited to see Interlaken tomorrow.
can you post some photos?
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