Zurich

Our last day in Zurich, actually our last day in Switzerland, was primarily filled with wandering around to see more of the city. We slept in and had a slightly slower morning before grabbing our bags and heading to the main train station. We had to go through the station to get to center city so we decided it would be easiest to put our bags in a locker to save time by not going back to the hostel. 

We were then able to wander freely and headed directly for the Chinese Gardens which were in a park just outside of old town Zurich. The first thing we saw in the park was lake Zurich and headed right to the water (without even noticing the Chinese gardens to our left). There were boats and a great view of the city which we enjoyed for a second until we started paying more attention to the ducks and other birds. A dad and (toddler) daughter duo biked up and started throwing loaves of bread to the ducks (yes I meant loaves, that wasn’t a typo). We didn’t understand throwing pieces that big, but we enjoyed watching the ducks all come over to eat. 

When we realized we were running out of time, we decided to actually go see the garden like we intended to and we’re happy to find it right behind us. We had a great time wandering through the gardens and loved all of the detail in the architecture and seeing the pond with all the different colored fish. 

Instead of going all the way back, we took the tram to the edge of the old town and walked back through so we could see the Opera House, more of the river, some shops, and some of the churches. When we got back to the grocery store near the station, we picked up food for lunch and had a picnic outside the national museum before going back in to pick up our bags and catch our train. 

Unfortunately, there was a crash which caused our train to have to take a detour which caused our arrival to be delayed an hour, but we have officially made it to Innsbruck and got dinner and beer before getting organized and ready for bed.

We weren’t very happy with our initial bed placement, so we asked for a different room. To our luck, we ended up getting a free upgrade (from a mixed 6 bed dorm) to a 4 bed dorm which we had to ourselves last night. They told us there would be other people coming tonight, but it was really nice to have a night with a room to ourselves so we could watch some of a movie (we had to rewatch Sound of Music before getting to Salzburg) and get a good night sleep. We were smart enough to grab food and coffee for breakfast when we were at the store last night, so we had an easy breakfast waiting for us when we woke up. 

After a short train ride, we ended up in old town Zurich and had a really good walk around the city to see some of its popular sights. We got off at the station right before the center city so we could walk in and initially just wandered around looking at the stores and restaurants. When we got to river, we were a little more intentional with where we were walking. Our first stop was the top of Lindenhof hill which has a gorgeous view over the river and the city. From there, we continued down the water a little farther before crossing the river and walking back toward the main station. On our walk, we saw lots of cool buildings including St Peter Kirche (a cool clocktower), the Grossmunster (church with twin towers), the Swiss National Museum, and the Lindt Museum. 

Before heading to our tour, we stopped at a grocery store to pick up sandwiches, apples, and pretzels for lunch before making our way to the bus station. We booked a bus trip to the Black Forest and Rhine Falls which gives us free time at both stops. The bus ended up being really cool with windows on the ceiling and tvs that were streaming a video from the front of the bus (what the driver was seeing). Our tour guide was also amazing and gave us lots of information about Switzerland as a whole as well as information about what we were passing along the way. Some of the things she pointed out were the airport, the university hospital, a  vineyard, and an apple orchard. We passed into Germany with ease, the boarder nothing more than a small river.

In Germany, our guide pointed out the nuclear power station and the breweries in the Black Forest (there are about 1000) before also giving facts about Germany. We learned that most of the Black Forest houses are built with long roofs to protect the house in both the summer and the winter. Soon before we arrived at our first destination, we passed the Schluchsee Reservoir which provides water for all the nearby towns and is also a popular place to go for water sports as well as hiking and biking. 

Our first stop was Titisee-Neustadt which is a town in the Black Forest that has about 11,000 residents and was named after a king that visited the town and loved it so much that he gave the town his name. The bus parked on the side of the highway and we followed a trail into the town where we first stopped at a Cuckoo clock stop for a demonstration. We got to see a series of clocks that showed the progression from wood clocks to the current cuckoo clocks and the mechanics inside of cuckoo clocks. It was really interesting and fun to learn about. I think the most interesting fact was that the cuckoo clocks were initially built by farmers in the winter when they needed another source of income and it was a family business because each family member specialized in their own piece of the clock which, when put together, made a beautiful cuckoo clock. 

After the demonstration, we had some time to explore Titisee, walk along the lake, and try the famous Black Forrest cake (delicious!). We were very glad that we got to spend some time there, it is a gorgeous small town right on a large lake in the Black Forrest. We met back up with the tour group just in time to watch the wall of the cuckoo clock shop (which is actually a functional clock) coo and sing in the next hour. 

We headed back up the trail to the bus and got lots more information including getting to see the Feldberg mountain which is popular for hiking and biking in the summer and skiing in the winter. Our guide also told us that the pine trees (which are clearly very tall and strong) were used in the ship building industry in Holland. We also passed a very cute yellow building that we were told is a typical Black Forrest brewery. 

As we approached the Rhine Falls, we got a glimpse of the falls. We both rushed for cameras, and Isabel got hers first. She handed it to Stephanie who had the window seat and as she went to hit the button, a train blocked the entire window. By the time the train passed, there were trees blocking the view. It was annoying but also a little funny how bad the timing was. 

Regardless of the missed picture, the better view was down from the water. The bus parked at the top of the hill and we went down to get on a boat ride that goes right up next to the falls. The view was amazing and it was so much fun. After the boat ride, we quickly went into the souvenir shop before taking a few final minutes to enjoy the falls. Then we had to board the bus to head back to Zurich. 

The bus ride back was shorter but did include a shortcut back through Germany. We were primarily passing fields and farms including lots that were full of sunflowers. Until about 5 minutes before we got back, I would’ve said it was an uneventful ride. Unfortunately, one of the girls sitting at the front of the bus couldn’t make it the last 5 minutes and puked all over the bus. The smell was enough to make it unbearable and we couldn’t get to the bus station fast enough. We were off that bus (via the back door) before the door even finished opening and did our best to forget about it while we walked over to the grocery store to pick up food for dinner. 

We made delicious sandwiches and had chips with hummus and a large piece of watermelon which we enjoyed before heading up to get ready for bed. We are no longer alone in the room but our roommates seem quiet so hopefully we get a good night sleep. Tomorrow, we will spend most of the day in Zurich before heading to Innsbruck.