Thursday 29th July- First Full Day in Zurich

The day began well, with a hot shower and full continental breakfast, which we were more than happy to take advantage of in the hotel!

We then proceeded to walk in the pouring rain and our summer attire to Central Station, where we were able to purchase the Zurich Day Card, enabling us unlimited travel access on the trams and buses for the remainder of our time in the city.

Still in the pouring rain, we went back to the Internet café of the previous night, and booked the remainder of the hostels for the rest of the trip.

With all the boring admin stuff out of the way, we decided to get lunch back at the main station, having also booked the remainder of our train reservation tickets, before exploring the city. Lexi and I opted for the cheap and cheerful Nordfish sandwich, whilst Kat and Hannah went for the oddly British-looking fish and chips in newspaper.

We spent the afternoon in the Zurich Museum, which was full of the history of the ‘Magic Mountains’. In the Victorian era, it was widely believed that the Swiss Alps had many healing properties, and that it was a destination in which you could regain a full recovery from whatever ailed you. The museum shows many pictures of naked sunbathing in the snowy mountains, to cold compress baths, and naked skiing; apparently all good for the benefit of your health!
Another wing of the museum was dedicated to religion and traditional craftsmanship of Switzerland. Row upon row of wooden statues depicting Jesus on the cross were displayed, alongside many pieces of antique furniture, including some beautiful hand made wooden painted sleighs.

As we emerged from the museum into a surprising bout of sunshine, we wandered through the city to the lake at the bottom, where we were able to view the Opera House overlooking the water. It was at this point that Lexi and Kat were reminded of their distaste for birds, as they both managed to sit in an impressive pile of bird poo on one of the wooden benches!

After several pictures and a general feeling of contentment at watching the mountains rise above the water’s edge, their caps dancing across the ripples of the water, we headed to a supermarket to get some dinner. Unfortunately, due to the exchange rate, we couldn’t afford to eat dinner at a restaurant more than once in Zurich, therefore we were forced to fend for ourselves and cook in the communal kitchen provided at the hotel.

Being slightly unadventurous, we opted for good ole spag bol, and an impressive amount of Swiss chocolate for our dinner, andheaded back towards the hotel. It was at this point that the heavens decided to open and torrential rain poured mercilessly down upon us as we wandered through puddles back to the hotel.

Kat and I were in charge of making dinner, in front of a sign which read that ‘cooocking must be done with the window open’!

That night was a quiet one, where we watched a kid’s film about a Loch Ness Monster in German!