Our Day in Zurich; On the Way to Lucerne

We have enjoyed our time at the “Old Mill” Airbnb tremendously and will miss this slice of paradise. But we must move on. Since we have been exploring less touristy areas, we figured we should go to Zurich on our way to Lucerne.

Zurich is a global center for banking and finance and lies at the north end of Lake Zurich. Since I am a “small-town girl” and do not care for shopping or big cities, we will go to Altstadt, the old town area of the city.

Upon arriving in Zurich, my first thought was that I was so glad we chose to stay out in the country, instead of in the city! Hustle and bustle everywhere you look. We parked the car and headed to the cobblestones to avoid the newer city vibe.

Our first order of business was a toilet; too much water and coffee! As usual, to use a toilet you must first purchase something, but considering my low energy level, another cup of coffee was not a hardship. We found a lovely little shop with delicious-looking sandwiches and had a very expensive bathroom stop! On the upside, the coffee and sandwiches were great.

We eventually meandered deeper into the cobbled streets and came across Grossmünster church. It is a Romanesque-style church; construction began around 1100 and it was inaugurated in 1220. The twin towers are regarded as the most recognizable landmark in Zurich.

I enjoyed the stained glass and murals very much. The pipe organ was lovely and the coolness of the building was appreciated.

Onward we trucked and came upon a street that had a “Papa Joe’s, A Coiffeur Michele, and a Hotel California” all in a row! I am easily amused!

Walking down by the water, which is a real treat, we saw swans swimming in Lake Zurich and a curry bratwurst cart; of course, even though we had just eaten, we had to give it a try. The bratwurst was good, but not as good as the “World’s Best” in Stein am Rhein”!

It is another hot day which makes tourist-ing difficult for this old lady. I find it sad that CML has stolen my enjoyment of the sun and made heat intolerable. Oh, well, onward we go!

Fortunately, we found another church! Churches mean an escape from the heat. Fraumünster was built on the remains of a former abbey founded in 853. Unfortunately, there was a charge to go into the church, so we just enjoyed the murals surrounding it; the murals were all in the shade and the stone buildings were cool, so it was a short reprieve from the heat. They were very appealing to my eye.

Between the heat, the people, and the traffic and noise, we had all had enough of the city. Walking back to the car, we came across floating docks with sunbathers all milling around. There appeared to be little space for movement, but I am sure they were all taking advantage of the sun and warm weather and did not mind.

Barfussbar is one of the most popular “Badi” bars among Zurich residents. It is the original Art Nouveau swimming bath and is open to only women during the day, allowing everyone inside from early evening on.

The name Barfussbar is taken literally; shoes left at the entrance and occasional dancing; barefoot, dancing, and open air. 

Along our path to the car, we ran across men playing chess, with very large pieces, in the park, and views of the city.

I was so happy when we reached the car and the air-conditioning. I have had enough of the city and I am looking forward to our Airbnb in Lucerne.

Forgive the brevity of this post but the heat and the city have knocked the stuffing right out of me!

Night y’all!

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