The travel to Switzerland was fairly uneventful (the best kind) and I was actually quite happy to have a flight delay in Washington D.C. because I was scheduled to arrive in Zurich at 8:05am and I knew there was no way my hotel room would be ready yet. I did, however, feel a bit of anguish for all of the travelers who missed their connections in Zurich because of the thunderstorms we were waiting on. The two ladies next to me were taking their first trip to Paris and only had an hour and a half between flights. With the missed connection, they'll be relying on the goodwill of the airline and a lot of luck to get them to Paris today. I've been in that boat and it's NO fun, especially when Paris is waiting for you!
Anyway, my hotel is literally connected to the airport so I casually collected my luggage and rolled on over. By 10:30am I was checked in to the Radisson Blu and I had a room! That's a first! Then I committed all of the jet lag no no's like napping during the day, sitting around in my hotel room just chilling out, and basically wasting an entire day of perfectly good sightseeing. I'm still kicking myself about this seeing as it is supposed to rain all day tomorrow. I think this is one of the biggest challenges of traveling solo--finding the motivation when you're tired to get out there and tackle a new city on your own. Today, I just wasn't feeling it. And, I didn't have a plan of action. All of that is about to change since I really do only have one day left to enjoy Zurich.
I did manage to pull myself together, grab my iPad loaded with Rick Steves' Switzerland, and venture out this evening to see the sun go down over the city. Since I'm staying by the airport I first had to take a ten minute train ride to the main train station, then board another train bound for Uetliberg. The ride took about 20 minutes and when I disembarked I followed the other folks along a walking path that got exponentially steeper, and added some stairs, before I made it to the overlook. Since I haven't been out and about in Zurich yet, it was a cool way to get the lay of the land and the weather was lovely tonight! I made it back to the hotel after 10:00pm, showered, and now I find myself wide awake (darn napping) so I've decided to post a few pictures to show you Zurich from above and work on my plan for tomorrow's sightseeing before I have to meet up with my tour group in the afternoon. Here's my first taste of Zurich...
Interesting lamp posts flanking the final walkway to the overlook.
Classic binoculars at the sightseeing point!
Zurich, including lake Zurich, from above. It's quite beautiful!
Observation tower at the top that I could have climbed, but I was quite happy with the view with the earth beneath my feet.
More of the sprawling city!
A little village nestled between the mountains. I'm looking forward to seeing LOTS more mountains in the next week!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:Zurich, Switzerland
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