When our Vienna stay ended, we got on a train from Vienna to Zurich, Switzerland. The train ride was about 8 hours long, but the scenery along the way made it worthwhile. All the small towns along the railway amazed me. Some had snow, some sat in green fields. But almost all of them had a cute little church. Getting the churches on camera proved difficult in a fast moving train, but I caught a few. Here are some of the beautiful scenes between Vienna and Zurich.
Day One - Tour of Zurich
Zurich is a beautiful city tucked between the slopes of the Alps. It has Roman roots and originally relied heavily on the Limmat River. Zurich is known for its art galleries, chocolate factories and as the teaching home of Albert Einstein.
Zurich was a basis for the Protestant Reformation in the 1600s. It managed to stay out of both World Wars by claiming neutrality, becoming a banking and insurance hub around that time.
Our hotel room in Zurich left little to be desired, so I don’t have pictures of it. It was the perfect location, however, for us to catch buses and tours.
The first day we took a tour of Zurich that was a combination of bus and walking. The bus took us to the main harbor, old town Zurich, across the Limmat by ferry, and up a mountain for a fantastic view.
The Harbor
The main harbor is located on Lake Zurich. It has beautiful views of the Alps, homes and fountains.
Old Town Zurich
Historic Fraumunster Church, or church of the women. Known for it’s glass windows, this church was attached to a convent.
Fraumunster Church
Fraumunster Church.
An old town square. The architecture is a little different than some of the other prominent cities we have been to.
One of the 12 historical guilds of Zurich. Different guilds represented different aspects of trade and politics, such as carpentry, spices, weaving, etc.
This is where life began, at the church steeples across the river. This is one of the oldest churches built around 1220.
Zurich has over 1,000 fresh water fountains in the city. They collect mountain spring water and make it available to the public for free. Anyone can drink directly out of the fountains, or fill their water bottles endlessly.
Another fresh water fountain.
The Ride Up the Mountain
The first two pictures are from the bus on the ferry. Then we took a cable car to the top of a mountain. It fit 30 people so our whole group could go up at the same time. At the top of the mountain we found fabulous views and a snack at the little restaurant. 🙂
Day Two - Trip Around the Area
Another bus ride on day two, but this time we went to several small towns around the area. The ride into the mountains alone was amazing, but then we stopped at Interlaken, Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen.
Parasailer in the square in Interlaken.
Interlaken
Grand Hotel, Interlaken
Grindelwald
Grindelwald was the highlight of the whole Switzerland experience. The town itself is magical. Our guide told us that the homes look like coocoo clocks, and I noticed that was true!
We took a cable car up a ski mountain. The falling snow made it a picturesque, once in a lifetime experience. There was an avalanche warning, but it didn’t stop skiers or tourists from enjoying this amazing day.
At the top of the mountain, we ate at the quaint little skiers’ restaurant. We enjoyed cheese fondu, something the Swiss people love.
This restaurant keeps a “plastic tube” next to the building for extra warm room to dine.
Lauterbrunnen
This town is tiny but special. It is surrounded by super cute streams, cabins and mountain sides. The town contains welcoming bed and breakfasts and charming shops. The picture with Jeremy and I shows one of the more famous waterfalls in the area. It is small in the picture, but as the snow melts is becomes impressive.
Swiss Food
In addition to Lindt chocolate, we tried a couple of other Swiss specialties. As I said earlier, fondu is a favorite. They also love hot chocolate of course. And rosti, a potato side dish is classis Swiss.
Veal with Rosti
Cheese Fondu
And that is our experience with amazing Switzerland! We will never forget the snow capped Alps and the crisp mountain air. It was an opportunity of a lifetime.
Thanks for keeping up with the Travel Trilogy! I hope you are enjoying! As always, I so appreciate your interaction with my posts. Up next, Venice!
Stunning pictures! I hope we get there sometime!!
Beautiful scenes! I hope I can go there in the future.