Zurich, Switzerland

The TAP airlines flight from Porto to Zurich took only two hours, and I barely remember anything. As you know from the previous post, I’d barely slept the night before, so any chance I had to take a nap, I did, including the thirty minutes I had before boarding that plane. No one will judge you for napping on the floor at an airport. And if they do, you won’t know, since you’ll be asleep, so it really doesn’t matter, does it? Just remember to set your alarm so you don’t miss your flight.

  

This visit to Zurich consisted of a five-hour layover on my way to Vienna. I find long layovers to be a great way of exploring some of the city. Main advantages: you don’t have to pay to stay anywhere, and you’ll have much more fun than being stuck at the airport. So if you have a layover of five hours or more, get out there! Visit a few attractions, take some pictures and have a drink or four before heading back to the airport, all while keeping an eye on your watch. From Kloten Airport, you can take the S-train to Zurich HB (Hauptbahnhof), the city’s main train station. The round-trip ticket costs 12 CHF (a little over 12 dollars) which is a lot of money for a 15-minute train ride. It is nevertheless the cheapest option. I wasn’t in Portugal anymore, so I knew I had to dig a little deeper into my pockets. The economy in Switzerland is one of the strongest in Europe. Everything in this country is super expensive, including the $10 espresso that I refused to buy despite how exhausted I was.  

The first impression that I got from the Swiss was that they don’t seem as friendly as the Portuguese, for example. They’re very focused on what they’re doing, and they don’t smile too much. Since I only had five hours, I wasn’t going to have enough time to make friends. I had to move fast. I went directly to the Information counter at Zurich HB, and asked the agent, in clear English: “Hi, I only have three hours to explore before I have to be back at the airport. Where should I go?” You can choose to do some research online instead. I think asking a local, especially someone who works with tourism, can yield more effective results. The woman said that Old Town wasn’t very far from there, and there were some government buildings on the way. She also mentioned Lake Zurich. Still no smiles.

I should have brought the nice weather from Portugal. The lingering rain made my visit slightly less pleasant. I grabbed the free map that the agent gave me and exited the station. The plan was to see whatever I could on the way to Old Town, then eat something (hopefully cheap) and walk to Lake Zurich. Three hours was plenty of time for that. 

The first part of the plan wasn’t that exciting. I didn’t really know where I was going, I guess reading the map upside down may have played a role there. Walking in the wrong direction isn’t so bad if it’s before midnight and you notice that you’re lost within the first ten minutes. Lesson learned, I’m never getting lost in Europe again (wrong!). For someone who travels as much as I do, I should have better sense of directions. As I walked back, this time in the right direction, I saw a few nice buildings, showing an architectural style nothing like what I had seen in Portugal. I couldn’t tell you exactly what they were, but they were nice.

I was impressed with the amount of Italian restaurants I found in Old Town Zurich. They are also cheaper than the restaurants with German names. I ended up at the Spaghetti Factory (Schifflände 6, 8001 Zürich, Switzerland), where a cold Fridolin Kunderd Dunkel welcomed me, holding hands with a small serving of fettuccine with pesto. Total cost? 18 CHF (over $20).  I missed Tasquinha Bracarense. The Swiss do have very good beer, so I give them credit for that.

Lake Zurich was right down the street from the Spaghetti Factory. It is a massive lake, and supposedly one of the cleanest in the world. I overheard a couple speaking what sounded like Standard American English, looking around for someone to take a picture of them.  I did my good deed for the day, and we talked for a bit on the way to the tram stop. They had been in Zurich for three days, and were sad to admit that there really wasn’t much to do or see there. It is a pretty city, but it’s not much of a must-go tourist destination. I have to go back to Zurich for that very reason, hopefully with enough time to meet some locals and explore what that couple wasn’t able to. It was time to head back to Kloten Airport, where I took a 30-minute nap (right by the gate) before boarding my plane to Vienna, Austria.