Often while planning this trip, I used the names of the title cities interchangeably, even going so far as to put the wrong name on the itinerary I left with Mom so she would know which European city’s time zone to enter on her clock. Thankfully, I did get to see and enjoy both cities.
I left Geneva bright and early that morning without a hint of reluctance. Although I did not know it at the time, I started the day in my least favorite AirBnb and finished the day in my most favorite. An outstanding host makes all the difference. I’ll stop before I get too far ahead of myself, since I did not discover the new flat until the evening.
Upon arrival in Zurich, I stored my luggage in the station and grabbed a map at the Visitor’s Center, learning quickly from my mistake the day before. Although I had a tour printed from Frommer’s, the free map included a walking tour of Old Town with all the sites I wanted to see. Since the map had these innovations called street names and landmarks, I relied on it. If only every city I had visited gave out such maps.
Most of this late morning and early afternoon I spent meandering through Old Town, casually strolling and taking it all in. The first portion of the walk took place in quintessentially medieval style Old Town – be still my heart – as I made my way to the first stop on the route, Grossmünster, the home church of the Reformer Zwingli and an impressive building, set above the banks of the Limmat River.
Later, I took photos from a bridge which enabled me to get the whole church in the frame of the picture. Although not much to look at on the inside – the Reformers eschewed the ostentatious displays of the Catholic Church – the outside evoked a sense of awe and reverence.
Next, I passed by a group of classical street musicians, a trend I started to notice in the various cities I visited, near the Wasserkirche.
This church, formerly surrounded by water, hence the name, plays host to an impressive statue of Zwingli. That day, however, restoration work on the statue diminished its impressiveness through a temporary relocation to the ground rather than on its pedestal. The fact that the moment I passed, the worker scrubbed away bird poop from Zwingli’s head, also contributed.
About this time my stomach prompted thoughts of finding somewhere to eat. On my itinerary was Café Odeon, the spot where Lenin waited out his exile from Tsarist Russia. Talk about context jackpot. Unfortunately, Lenin would turn over in his grave if he saw the prices of even the simplest appetizer. My limited budget precluded lunch there.
I would have to find somewhere else which turned out to be a café inside Coop, a major Swiss grocery store/department store. I hung out there for a little while, conscious of the fact that I had made it nearly to the halfway point of my walking tour and the AirBnb would not be ready until five or six.
After lunch, I headed across the river, first passing the opera house adorned with busts of renowned composers, as well as carnival style rides. I found out the next day that a major festival had just concluded explaining the carnival equipment and the halfway dismantled Ferris wheel in front of one of the landmarks making it impossible to take a decent pictures.
Although some may have wished to come earlier to partake, I’m thankful that i chose to visit Geneva first to avoid the massive crowds. When traveling alone, especially as a woman, crowds such as these pose considerable risk. On top of that, I’m not a huge fan.
On the “far” side of the river, I wandered past several huge churches which loomed large and severe with little in the way of ornamentation, typical, as I mentioned previously, of Reformed churches. One, however, had the largest exterior clocks on one of its towers. Another, Fraumünster, had some stained glass windows, created by the world famous artist, Marc Chagall, a 20th century addition to the church.
When I finished this simple wandering a little after two that afternoon, I still had hours before I would get into my flat for the night. I took my time and still had more enough to pick up some groceries and walk back. On the plus side, upon leaving the grocery store (Coop, my favorite of the trip) I walked the wrong way down the street enabling me to see what might be the strangest fountain I have ever encountered. I’ll let the picture speak for itself.
Even with all my delay tactics, I still arrived an hour before my host stated that she would place the key in the mailbox. Thankfully, the flat was located in a series of mixed use buildings, one of which included a restaurant that had outdoor seating and public wifi available without entry of a phone number. (This proved a tricky prospect several times throughout the trip for someone unable to send or receive SMS messages unless online.)
The apartment made the wait worth it. Think expansive city flat, high up in the building complete with massive balcony and modern, adorable amenities. She had a record player and keyboard, washer and dryer, and full kitchen amenities with refrigerator and dishwasher doors disguised as the same white cupboards as the rest. I hit the jackpot with this flat, matched only with the one I stayed in my last two days of this trip. On top of the spectacular amenities, the host greeted me in person with an effusive, bubbly personality which clearly spilled out in the decor of her personal apartment. (I have no idea how that works.) Even though I had only two nights there, I determined to enjoy every minute, thankful for a place to clean my clothes and relax before setting out for even more adventures.