PART I
A city rich in history with a flourishing art and food scene, Zurich certainly took us by surprise. After an overnight flight (thanks to Lufthansa’s unforgettable business class) and a short stay in Frankfurt, we headed to Switzerland’s largest city by train. On arrival we checked into the new 25 Hours Hotel West and immediately set out to explore. Despite the fact that our trip was just 3 days, Zurich Tourism had orchestrated a brilliant itinerary that gave us a very impressive taste of what Zurich has to offer.
We spent a day getting to know the up and coming part of the city called Zurich West. Similar to some neighborhoods of Brooklyn, it was an industrial part of the city that is now teeming with trendy pop up shops and beer gardens. One in particular, Frau Gerold’s Garten, was packed with locals watching the Swiss football team play in the World Cup. We climbed 8 flights to the top of the flagship Freitag store, built from 17 stacked shipping containers, and when Switzerland scored a goal, the crowds erupted in celebration shaking the entire structure. The energy was contagious though, and the view from the top was worth the unsettling feeling of swaying back and forth.
As we continued our walking tour of Zurich West, we stumbled upon the IM Viaduct. Built into the Viaduct, this beautiful part of Zurich has been transformed with small shops built into each arch of the original structure. For dinner we stopped at one of them, the Restaurant Markthalle, set in the midst of a bustling local market within the Viaduct. Our waiter helped us select an incredible range of local and seasonal dishes to share. We feasted on veggies, meat, local fish and plenty of wine!
Stay tuned for part II…