ZURICH - CITY OF CLOCKS

ZURICH - CITY OF CLOCKS

FAVOURITE PHOTO -

ZURICH WAS THE BEGINNING OF OUR BIG EUROPE TRIP.

6 WEEKS OF DISCOVERY! HOW DOES ONE PICK PLACES TO SEE?

HUBBY WANTED TO SEE GERMANY AND SPAIN. HUBBY LOVES
MOUNTAINS AND GARDENS.
I WANTED TO VISIT PARIS AND BRUGES BECAUSE I AM THE ULTIMATE
ROMANTIC AND I HAD A VT FRIEND IN AMSTERDAM.

WE BOTH LOVE 'OFF THE BEATEN PATH' PLACES WITH INTERESTING
SCENERY - MOROCCO AND A TRIP INTO THE SAHARA DESERT WAS
THROWN INTO THE MIX.
OUR TRIP WAS COMING TOGETHER.

THE PLAN THEN BECAME CLEAR -

FLY INTO ZURICH
DRIVE THROUGH GERMANY
CONTINUE ON THROUGH BELGIUM
DRIVE UP INTO AMSTERDAM
STAY IN A HOUSEBOAT IN AMSTERDAM
TRAIN TO PARIS
FLY TO MARRAKESH
RETURN TRIP TO THE SAHARA DESERT WITH A BERBER NOMAD
VISIT A PLACE ON THE COAST CALLED ESSAOUIRA
THEN TO CASABLANCA TO FLY TO MALAGA SPAIN
TORREMOLINOS, ALHAMBRA, RONDA, VALENCIA
TRAIN TO BARCELONA
FLY HOME TO PERTH

YES! A LOT TO PACK IN.... BUT WE ALSO STAYED A FEW DAYS IN SOME
PLACES SO THERE WAS SOME DOWN TIME TOO.
WHEN YOU HAVE TO DO LONG HAUL FLIGHTS FROM AUSTRALIA AND
PAY HUGE TRAVEL EXPENSES, THEN WE HAVE TO PACK IN AS MUCH
AS WE CAN WITHOUT MAKING THE HOLIDAY TOO BUSY...
SOMETIMES A DIFFICULT JUGGLE ACT

ZURICH, OUR FIRST DESTINATION WAS STUNNING!!

IT IS A VERY CLEAN CITY, NOT TOO BIG BUT COMPARED TO SOME OTHER
PLACES WE VISITED, WE FOUND ZURICH TO BE A LITTLE EXPENSIVE...
HOWEVER WITH VIEWS LIKE THIS .... WHO CARES ABOUT THE EXPENSE!!

WE BOTH LOVED ZURICH!

ON HOLIDAY THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING NEW & INTERESTING TO EXPERIENCE.
IN ZURICH IT WAS THE CLOCKS. WOW!.... CLOCK CITY!!
AND I COULDN'T GET ENOUGH OF THEM!
I ALSO ENJOYED LISTENING TO THE CHIMES. I HAVE A GRANDFATHER CLOCK
AT HOME.... MY PRIDE AND JOY THERE IS SOMETHING ABOUT CLOCK CHIMES
THAT I REALLY LOVE. EVEN FROM OUR B&B ACCOMMODATION WE COULD
HEAR THEM. SO NICE!! I WILL UPLOAD A VIDEO HERE WHEN I WORK OUT HOW.

HUBBY BOUGHT AN AUTHENTIC SWISS WATCH HERE AND I LOVED THE WATCH
THAT I PURCHASED FOR MY DAUGHTER SO MUCH THAT I BOUGHT ONE FOR
MYSELF TOO.

RAPPERSWIL
www.zsg.ch/en/

THE HIGHLIGHT IN ZURICH WAS OUR TRIP TO RAPPERSWIL. I DISCOVERED THIS
PLACE ON PATRICK'S PAGES ON VT (Tripack). SADLY NO VT'ERS WERE AVAILABLE
AT THE TIME BUT WE HAD A FANTASTIC TRIP ON THE FERRY TO RAPPERSWIL
AND ENJOYED A WANDER AROUND THE QUAINT COBBLESTONE STREETS WITH
CUTE GIFT SHOPS AND FUNKY BARS AND RESTAURANTS

ALPENTRAUM B&B
www.alpentraum.ch

I WOULDN'T STAY ANYWHERE ELSE WHEN VISITING ZURICH. GREAT LOCATION
BETWEEN THE AIRPORT AND ZURICH, IT HAS A LOVELY QUIET GARDEN SETTING,
THE BED WAS SUPER COMFORTABLE, PUBLIC TRANSPORT IS CLOSE BY AND IT IS
INEXPENSIVE. THE HOSTS WERE ATTENTATIVE AND HELPFUL.

FUNNY AUSSIROSE STORY

HOW EXCITING! FIRST TIME IN EUROPE!! FINALLY!! WE WERE HERE AND THIS IS
MY FIRST SIGHTING OF THE FAMOUS SWISS ALPS!
HUBBY WAS IN HIS ELEMENT AS HE LOVES MOUNTAINS.
WOOHOO!! WE HAVE ARRIVED!! SWITZERLAND!! ..... EUROPE!!!!

I HAD NOT SLEPT FOR GOODNESS KNOWS HOW LONG!...... WE ARRIVED AT 8AM
AFTER TRAVELLING FOR 12 HOURS FROM SINGAPORE AND 5 HOURS BEFORE THAT
FROM PERTH. SINGAPORE AIRLINES ARE BY FAR MY FAVOURITE AIRLINE!!!

WE WERE RIGHT NOW RUNNING ON PURE ADRENALIN!

OK.... FIRST FUNNY SIGN AND HERE IS THE STORY -

WE ARRIVED IN ZURICH AND JUMPED INTO OUR HIRE CAR FULL OF EXCITEMENT.
HUBBY FORGET TO SET OUR NEW TOM TOM GPS.....
BIG MISTAKE!

SO.... HERE WE ARE EXITING ZURICH AIRPORT AND PAST THE FUNNY SIGN -
"AUSFARHT" - translation in Australian - "Wind from Downunder" - HAHA

HERE WE ARE ABOUT TO ENTER A SIX LANE HIGHWAY.... STILL LAUGHING OUR
HEADS OFF!!
HUBBY SAID...."WHERE ARE WE GOING?!!"
MY REPLY..... "OH SHIIIIT!! .... JUST KEEP DRIVING!!"

LUCKILY WE WERE HEADED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION TOWARDS ZURICH CITY.
UPON ARRIVAL, WE FOUND A PARKING SPACE IN WHICH TO SET UP THE GPS.
THANK GOODNESS IT WORKED AND WE PROCEEDED TO DRIVE BACK THROUGH
THE CENTRE OF ZURICH CITY AND TO OUR BED AND BREAKFAST LOCATED IN
BETWEEN ZURICH AND THE AIRPORT

THIS TOM TOM GPS WAS TO BE OUR GUIDE FOR THE NEXT WEEK OR SO AND
ALSO IN SPAIN AND IT WORKED A TREAT! I AM SO GLAD THAT WE BOUGHT IT.

AFTER DROPPING OFF OUR LUGGAGE, WE WALKED DOWN TO CATCH THE TRAM
INTO TOWN. ON THE WAY THERE WAS A LOCAL PUB...... AHHHH, TIME TO STOP
AND CELEBRATE OUR ARRIVAL IN EUROPE!..... TASTE A LOCAL BEER AND SEND
A FEW TEXT MESSAGES TO THE FAMILY.

WE CAME BACK TO THE LOCAL A COUPLE OF TIMES AFTER A BIG DAY SIGHTSEEING.
LATER THE OWNER OF THE B&B SAID THAT THIS WAS THE DODGY PART OF TOWN.
OK... THAT WOULD EXPLAIN THE STRANGE LOOKS WE RECEIVED BY THE LOCALS...
BUT WHO CARES?!! WE WERE ON HOLIDAY, THE BEERS WERE CHEAP AND
REFRESHING..... AND WE WERE HAVING FUN!!

I WAS BLOWN AWAY WITH THE STUNNING SCENERY WHEN WE ARRIVED IN ZURICH!
THE RIVER AND BRIDGES WERE AWESOME! AND THE CLOCKS WERE JUST LOVELY
WE SAT AT THE HOTEL ZUM STORCHEN FOR A LITTLE WHILE, HAD A COUPLE OF BEERS
AND ENJOYED THE VIEW AND AMBIENCE. THERE WERE QUITE A FEW TOURISTS LIKE US
DOING THE SAME.

WALKING AROUND THIS AREA WITH LOVELY VIEWS OF THE BRIDGES AND RIVER
JUST ADDED TO OUR EXCITEMENT AT BEING HERE IN ZURICH EUROPE!

ZUM KROPF
http://www.zumkropf.ch

NEXT DAY WE WERE CHECKING OUT THE BACKSTREETS AND LOVELY ARCHITECTURE AND
WE SAW A CUTE STAIRCASE LEADING UP TO A NICE VERANDAH WHERE IT LOOKED LIKE
QUITE A FEW PEOPLE WERE ENJOYING LUNCH SO WE VENTURED UP.

I AM GLAD WE FOUND THIS RESTAURANT BECAUSE NOT ONLY DID WE HAVE LOVELY
SHADY SURROUNDINGS AND A NICE VIEW BUT THE FOOD WAS FANTASTIC!!
THE PRAWN COCKTAIL STARTER WAS FRESH AND COOL.
AND WE WASHED LUNCH DOWN WITH A LOCAL RED WINE WHICH I MUST SAY WAS REALLY
GOOD. IN FACT THE LOCAL ZURICH WINES BOTH RED AND WHITE WERE PRETTY GOOD.

ZURICH STREET SCENES

I ENJOY STREET SCENES WHEREVER WE GO.... SO HERE ARE SOME THAT I PARTICULARLY
LIKE INCLUDING THE TRAM TRANSPORTATION. WE GOT A ZURICH CARD. YOU CAN USE
THIS FOR ALL SORTS OF TRANSPORT AND ALSO ENTRY INTO MUSEUMS ETC.
CHECK OUT THIS SITE - www.zuerich.com/en/visit/your-city-travel-pass

LASTLY, AN OLD BUS AFTER HUBBY'S LAST NAME.....
ALSO AN OLD FAHT!! LOL.

TRUSTY TOM TOM GPS LOADED...... NEXT STOP UBERLINGEN.