Land of Cheese and Chocolate
14 September, 2018; Friday
Zurich, Switerland
I woke up in the morning sad to be leaving the Zietzsch home, they are wonderful people who have hosted me twice and both times have given me a bed to sleep in, allowed me use of their laundry, made me home-made meals, shared beer and wine with me, shared their friends with me, and given me wonderful experiences in and around their city. I cannot tell you how much I love these people! They are a very fun and kind pair and because of that they attract good people as friends and the only thing I’m sad about is that I did not get to see Marko’s parents this time. I had a great time playing with Karl (E&MZ’s son), we ran up and down the hallway, yelled oy oy oy!, read a book, held hands, and hugged. Maybe instead of Eurotrip19 I will have USAtrip19!
I packed up my suitcase and Erica and I headed to a cafe called Heiglbeck by the Ingolstadt Nord train station, she would often stop here on her way to work to get a pastry. I had wanted to try the pastries she talks about but unfortunately they did not have a nut snail so we got vanilla instead and then a nusswaffeln (that spelling may be incorrect) and of course some coffee. We split them and they were SO GOOD but the nusswaffeln was my favorite. The place gives you coupons for a free coffee and you need to collect ten.. Erica had NINE so we waited around a little bit and eventually someone left without taking theirs so we stole it. The time came for my train to leave and she came with me to my platform (and a very nice red-headed man carried my suitcase up and down the stairs). We both cried and waved goodbye as my train left.
The train ride was LONG. I had some WhatsApp messages to listen to and I wrote a blog entry (I think). I also may have taken a short nap. There was no USB port and no WiFi so not much I could do to amuse myself but there WAS a very nice view (even though I sat on the wrong side of the train). I enjoyed looking out at the mountains and seeing all of the cows living their dreams up in the German countryside and then on the Swiss Alps.
I arrived at Zeurich HB train station and my hotel was only a 15 minute scenic walk. I was happy to be rid of my luggage and just walked around the city a little and took photos. I was really impressed with the hotel! The room had a desk and even a Samsung Tablet in the room for guests to use. Although it had no AC, which I knew, the windows open and there was a fan. I was on the fifth floor but it cooled down at night so it was fine. The room was very nice although the TV was only in German. That’s one confusing thing about Switzerland - they have four national languages, the two main ones are German and French. I never knew if I should just stick to English or still say thank you in German!
I googled where to eat and a place called HILTL came up - it is the oldest vegetarian restaurant! I couldn’t believe how packed it was but after the food I knew why. I got a cordon bleu with seitan and it was MAGNIFICENT. I have not had a better meal (except for my doner). I also enjoyed a glass of prosecco, because why not. The place has an open kitchen and more than one floor so you can look down into the kitchen and see them preparing the food and beverages. They also have a buffet with over 100 dishes. I also really enjoyed the decor; across from where I was sitting was made to look like a library. There were cookbooks all along the wall on shelves and stacked different ways as well as lighting that looked like a lamp chopped in half and stuck on the wall.
On the way to HILTL I had passed Teuscher, a place I had read about that has the best champagne truffles, so I also bought a box of those. After dinner I headed over to Jules Verne for some panoramic views of Zurich at night. Unfortunately it was not what I thought - the observatory is separate and offers a tour (but only in German) and I think the tours were once an hour. I also wasn’t sure if they went outside and while it would’ve been cool to look through the telescope it was also a little cloudy for astronomy related things. The bar itself did have panoramic views but people were sitting all around and you can’t really take a good picture through glass if you’re far away. I had a gin mule to try and clear out my sinuses and then headed back to my hotel. I finished watching HP and the Deathly Hallows P1 and ate ALL the truffles. Oops.
