Given the fickle nature of Zurich weather this time of year, we weren't sure if we would suffer though cold and rainy weather the whole time they were here, or if we would be blessed with some warmth and sunshine. That being the case, we did our best to plan for both circumstances, but as we've come to discover, Switzerland isn't the best country for indoor activities. With a little luck, the weather held out and we ended up getting to enjoy several outdoor adventures.
On Tuesday morning (May 1st) Christian and Rob arrived at Zurich airport and I picked them up for the train ride back to our place. Lindsey made everyone a hearty breakfast, while we caught up on the most recent episode of Mad Men. After everyone finished eating and had a chance to shake off the weariness from early morning travels, we decided to capitalize on the nice weather at go out on Lake Zurich.
Lindsey and I had anticipated spending a lot of our summer weekends down by the lake (since we only live about 100 meters from the park and waterfront), so we decided to invest in a set of four inflatable kayaks to use when people come a visit. While I was initially skeptical on how well they would work, it turned out to be a great purchase - especially considering the cost to buy vs. rent was almost identical!
The four of us took the kayaks our for their first trial run to much success. With the exception of Christian's kayak, which had a slow leak due to a misplaced valve, they all held up quite well. We decided to take a few six packs of beer out with us, so after rowing about 200-300 meters from the shore we just sat, floated, and enjoyed the beer and sunshine while taking in the scenic views of Zurich and the Alps in the distance. Several hours and a bit of a sunburn later we rowed to shore and returned home to clean up and get ready for the evening.
Being May 1st, it was Labor Day here in Switzerland, but unlike back in the US, their are many here that take the holiday quite seriously. Generally speaking, I would attribute that fact to the larger presence of workers/labor unions in Switzerland and the active presence of more leftist organizations, such as the Community Party, for which Labor Day is held sacred. Naturally, our collective Capitalist and Libertarian leanings found this all to be disturbing and repulsive. Since we wanted to show a bit more of the city to Christian and Rob, we decided to venture out to Bahnhofstrasse (Zurich's central avenue and shopping district) despite many of the stores and shops being closed.
After walking around for some time we decided to stop for some Coffee before heading home for another home-cooked meal. After dinner the four of us met up with our good friends Roberto and Hanna to enjoy a bit of the Zurich nightlife. We started at a bar near Bellevue called Rosaly's where Roberto subjected all of us to some "interesting" house drinks that I'm pretty sure included hot sauce and licorice. After a few more rounds we decided to venture out to some other places, stopping for a few tequila shots along the way. We finally ended up at Kaufleuten, which is a nightclub not from from Bahnhofstrasse which was surprisingly active for a Tuesday night. After more drinks, dancing, and some attempts to engage the local talent, we called it a night and walked back home.
The following day we decided to get out of Zurich and see a bit more of the Swiss countryside. To that end we got on a train headed south and ended up stopping in Lucerne for the afternoon. Lucerne is probably most well known for its scenery and a historic bridge that crosses through the oldest district of the city (see picture). While walking around town we happened across a boat rental shop that rented out paddle boats and motorboats to take out on Lake Lucerne. Naturally, we all agreed that renting a motorboat sounded like a good idea, which was only confirmed by the rental manger who encouraged us to take some beers along as well.
We enjoyed some time out on Lake Lucerne, but had to make it back to Zurich for dinner reservations that evening in Zurich. We decided to take Christian and Rob to Stones, one of our favorite restaurants (so far) in Zurich. Lindsey actually wrote about our first Stones experience in the blog post "My Romantic Husband", which includes a picture sample of some of the food they serve there. Without going into too much detail, it is safe to say that the food was excellent, as always.
Sadly, I had to go into the office on Thursday, so Lindsey, Christian and Rob decided to go on an adventure around Zurich to see if they could find the Zurich Crossfit location so Christian could pick up a t-shirt (Christian moonlights as a Crossfit instructor in Bethesda Maryland). After not having much luck in finding the gym, the trio settled down for some coffee by the lake. Fortunately, the weather had cleared up a bit so Christian and Rob were finally able to get a good view of the Alps in the distance. Before heading home they also stopped by the famous Sprungli chocolate shop in Zurich to pick up some provisions and gifts for the family. Later that evening Christian and Rob caught a flight back to London for the last days of their vacation, before returning to the US.
Sadly, I had to go into the office on Thursday, so Lindsey, Christian and Rob decided to go on an adventure around Zurich to see if they could find the Zurich Crossfit location so Christian could pick up a t-shirt (Christian moonlights as a Crossfit instructor in Bethesda Maryland). After not having much luck in finding the gym, the trio settled down for some coffee by the lake. Fortunately, the weather had cleared up a bit so Christian and Rob were finally able to get a good view of the Alps in the distance. Before heading home they also stopped by the famous Sprungli chocolate shop in Zurich to pick up some provisions and gifts for the family. Later that evening Christian and Rob caught a flight back to London for the last days of their vacation, before returning to the US.
Having Christian and Rob come to visit definitely reminded Lindsey and I how much we missed all of our friends and family back in the U.S. We're already looking forward to visits over the next several months, including my good friend Josh who is coming in early June, my brother Jordan who is coming at the end of July, and my parents who will be meeting us in Paris mid-October. That should keep us well supplied with tastes of home until we're able to return stateside for the Christmas holidays.
