An Afternoon in Zurich

So, the EuroFadoks have been fairly lazy the last couple of weeks and haven't gone on any out-of-town adventures.  We did go to the Basler Museumsnacht last weekend, which was a super fun cultural experience, but other than that we have simply been chillaxing.  That's right, chillaxing. That word is now in the Oxford English dictionary along with bromance and frenemy.

In the absence of any new wanderings, this is a post from the vault.  During our first weeks here in Switzerland, we were not allowed to leave the country while our visas were being processed.  We took this opportunity to take a day trip to Zurich to visit some friends who live there with their young son.  The train ride takes less than an hour from Basel on the typically clean and efficient Swiss rail system.

As always, Austin came along, and doesn't he just look tickled pink to be on the train?

This bulbous blue babe is a modern guardian angel overlooking the interior of the Zurich Bahnhof.

Zurich is a bustling metropolis compared to Basel.  Despite being Switzerland's largest city, it is still very walkable and also has amazing public transportation.  Starting from here, we sauntered through the heart of the city, following one of Rick Steeve's walking tours.

Dogs are allowed at parks in Zurich!  All over Basel, there are 'no dog' signs posted at the entrances to every park and playground.  Every canton has its own laws and regulations and, in Zurich, they remain very dog-friendly.

The Limmat river runs through the center of Zurich.  This is a view of one side, taken from the bank on the other side...in case you thought we took it from the middle of the river, that would be incorrect.  It was taken from the bank, not the middle of the river.  Sheesh.

We climbed up to some nice viewpoints overlooking the city.

This park is located on the site of an old medieval castle.  When Switzerland unified about 500 years ago, they destroyed many of the large castles to prevent any resurgence in  feudal power or monarchy.  No one person would ever hold ultimate power here!  So they tore down the castles and put parks in their place.

This is a restaurant famous for feeding and watering some of the great European writers, such as Goethe.

This extremely narrow stairway leads down to the remnants of a Roman bathhouse.  As you can tell, Austin could not wait to have a hot soak.

Here is what is left of the Roman baths.  Fascinating, we know!!  We could just stare at those chunks of rock all day!

Silly.

After our walking tour of the city, we met up with our friends David and Johanna and their son, Jascha.  We took to the train up the local mountain and did some hiking in the misty forests.  At the top of the mountain was this fun rolley contraption.  You put the equivalent of a lunch tray down on it, have a seat, and off you go!

Veronica is a pro at this game!

Wheeeee!

Austin is enjoying his first taste of European stick.  He looks a little critical, but he is such a stick snob.

We had a great time in Zurich on that trip.  It was fun to hang out and do a little exploring in an entirely different city and still be able to make it back home for bed in less than an hour.  We hope this post finds you well!

Die EuroFadoks