Zurich, Switzerland

City lights, Cars, Canals and Cheese: We arrived in Zurich. 

Arriving to lovely Hotel Adler was so refreshing after a long 3 hr train ride from Zermatt. From riding in a Kiddy cart full of screaming children afraid of the dark and then dragging our luggage in puddles from Zurich train station to our hotel was a mission in itself. 

We were excited our hotel was centrally located and it was so cozy and beautiful with a mural of Zurich painted on the wall. It felt nice to finally relax. Outside of our hotel, there was live music and people dressed in costumes due to Fasching (Carnival similar to Mardi-Gra celebrated in Europe typically before lent begins).

Valentine's Day Dinner reservations were at 9:00 p.m. so we got drinks with Mark's friends beforehand and then set out for our Fondue dinner. 

Cheese fondue is a traditional Swiss dish originated in the Alps. It is typically made up of 2 or more cheeses usually aged Gruyere, white wine, and Kirsch. Hearty country white bread and potatoes are served to dip into the cheese. 

The smell of the cheese was intoxicating and so delicious. We sat outside hoping to get a view of the river, but instead we froze to death even with the blankets the restaurant provided us with. We roamed around bars that night and followed many of the musicians dressed in costumes celebrating Fasching. We called it an early night a little after midnight. We planned to rise early the next morning to sightsee.

 We got up early and went to Swiss Chuchi, the restaurant in our hotel for breakfast. After loading up on meats and cheeses, croissants, and coffee, we set out to explore Zurich.

Walking along the river, we noticed a beautiful swan so we decided to take pictures of it like typical tourists. The swam seem to be used to humans because it wasn't scared to approach us. I was kind of scared because it was getting really close to us and seem to be ready to "Beak" Mark.

In one of the pictures below you could see this silly Swam  upside down with the beautiful Fraumunster Swiss Church (green peak) in the background. This church is mostly known because it  has five stained glass windows by the French artist, Marc Chagall.

 Zurich is a very beautiful photogenic city so Mark and I took advantage of that by putting our photography skills to the test.

 There is something always so calming about being by water, but being in a new city with the one I love was perhaps the best feeling ever. A million thank yous to God and life at that moment weren't enough.

This Ganymede sculpture by Lake Zurich has been there since 1952. It's supposed to symbolize men's longing to ascend Mount Olympus. In Greek mythology, Ganymede, is the handsome King's son who was abducted by Zeus and taken to the top of Mount Olympus. Ganymede pleads with Zeus who appears as an eagle to take him there. Why is this in Zurich again? Well the artist Herman Hubacher was Swiss.

One of my favorite stops in Zurich was at Confiserie Sprungli, which is a Swiss luxury confectionary founded in 1836. Mark and I bought an assortment of 12 truffles and split them over a cappuccino. They were out of this world.

 Perhaps the saddest moment of this whole trip was parting ways with Mark. We had an amazing weekend together, but saying goodbye is always hard. Till Next time, my love! See you soon!