Zurich

Final post about our Eurotrip - Zurich! Everyone we told we were going to Switzerland was right...it is so expensive! The franc was about equal to the dollar when we went, so we thought it would be nice to look at prices and know the conversion rate right away. Hmm, maybe in this situation ignorance would have been bliss. I ordered a coke at our first restaurant without looking at the prices first - goodbye five franc! Best coke I've ever had. 

We stayed at a hotel throughout our time in Zurich, located just outside the city. It was equal to the price of a hostel, so we figured why not? We got a free shuttle to and from the airport, and walked 10 minutes to hop the train into town. 

Day 1: Touring Zurich

 first shot of Zurich!

 cute square 

 lake in Zurich - on the other side is a village on a hill with mountains in the background. it is so beautiful! the fog and snowy mountain tops unfortunately make for kind of a "blah" picture

 we came across a really cool building that actually turned out to be the financial building of Zurich...still neat!

 i love the simple benches yet detailed walls

precious town

Day 2: Train ride to Engelberg 

About a two hour trip (with three trains and a bit of waiting). The ticket paid for itself with the views on the way there! So pretty. Mountains the entire way and we could not have asked for a nicer day!

 riding a gondola up the mountain - this is Engelberg! in a valley surrounded by mountains

 we rode this to the highest part of the mountain. it's called the "Titlis Rotair" after the name of the mountain, Mt. Titlis. it turns 360 degrees as you go up the mountain so you can see all angles - very cool 

 these little guys were at the top of the mountain (10,000 ft) - impressive! i have to say i'm jealous of their skills

 view from the top

 did everyone know i'm quite the skier? 

(i sure wish - someday! going here was almost inspirational to become a skier)

At the top we enjoyed hot wine and swiss chocolate ice cream... absolutely perfect. 

Day 3: Lazy day

I have no pictures from our third day in Zurich because it was a 110% lazy day. We felt we had a few excuses: 1. We'd been on the go for the past eight days 2. We were in a nice hotel. Compared to our hostels, we were living the dream! 

Day 4: Final day - into Zurich one last time

We originally just came to get lunch. It took about 40 minutes of walking to find a restaurant that was 1. open, and 2. affordable. After eating we decided to go back in search of a chocolate shop we passed a few days prior. On our way we saw a bunch of people lining the streets, mainly parents with their children who were dressed in costumes. What could be going on? A parade, we presumed! It was carnival here, too! We got a spot and waited for it to begin.

 Alas... a biker band, everything we'd been hoping for!

 much of the people in the parade were in costumes similar to this...i mean, a little scary, but still fun

 another band

 we discovered their parades are very interactive. the people in the parade were going up to people, messing up their hair, or jumping in front of them. this guy grabbed Katie and tried putting her in a wheel-barrow of hay...it was hilarious. she got feisty and laid on the ground so as to not become a part of the parade! documented. 

more confetti! 

And that concludes Eurotrip number one! 

I arrived back in Dublin from Belfast a few hours ago - it was an interesting place to visit. Quite industrial and a lot of murals. A post for another day... I need to get to bed! Sean just boarded his plane to head over here :) 5am is going to come way too early!