So, this is Switzerland. Welcome to Zurich.

Normally, I'm all about schlepping luggage and using public transport when travelling.  

I've had us toting luggage uphill after dark in San Francisco.  I've had us jammed into a commuter train in Hamburg Germany rush hour.  I've had us walking in circles in Paris after toting our luggage on a Metro train.  I've had us hauling luggage up and down flights of stairs in a nearly deserted Brussels train station, not knowing exactly where to go for the subway train.  I've had us going the wrong way on a Stockholm Metro train and missing our rendezvous for our AirBnB key.  I've had us walking out of the airport in Wellington NZ down several busy streets to a local Burger King to catch an Uber.

Why? Because I always ask myself, "How hard can it be?"  and at least half the time the answer is "Harder than I think!"

So, thankfully, this trip started with being met at the airport...with a sign...that had our name on it...and a ride that takes us right to the hotel front door...and loaded and unloaded our luggage.  Wow!  I could get used to this!  ...maybe.

Our Hotel in Zurich

We arrived a couple of days before Leslie and Eric and had some time to adjust to the jet lag and see what Zurich had to offer.  Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland - about 1.5 million in the metro area, so not really huge like a London or Paris.  It's on the Limmat river that exits to Lake Zurich.  The oldest part of the city is centered around the Limmat.

Looking up the Limmat.  The three big churches, from left to right, Fraumünster, St. Peter and Grossmünster

After getting some pre-paid, unlimited data SIM cards for our phones,  we walked around a bit on the first day, getting turned around a couple times wandering the old streets. 

Curved streets and tram tracks

Medieval street with St. Peter in background 

Müntzplatz and Catholic Church. 
Potable drinking water fountains are ubiquitous in Switzerland.

We ended the day with a nice dinner on the hotel patio.

All local Swiss beer was good.  So were Swiss wines.

The first full day, we took a free walking tour of the city  (you pay at the end with a tip depending on how much you enjoyed the tour).  

At Fraumünster, beheaded fellows carry their own heads across the bridge before dying.

Some scenes along the route

Seminary School near Grossmünster

St. Peters towers over the Limmat

Fraumünster - Chagal stained glass which we stupidly didn't go inside to see.

Tour group at Grossmünster

The view from near St. Peter

After the walking tour, we climbed up one of the spires of Grossmünster for the views looking back across the Limmat towards St. Peter and West Zurich

Then, a walk to what must be the world's shortest funicular up to some views from the university.

The walk to the funicular

Funicular station with neat stained glass windows

The funicular.  Nearly all passing track

The University...

...and the view

One of the best things about Switzerland is the Swiss Travel Pass for visitors. (Swiss Travel Pass)  It included nearly every train, boat, tram, bus and museum in the country.  You just show up, get on, and go. There are boat routes all over Lake Zurich.  People use them mostly for leisure transportation or sightseeing.  We took one that went to Rapperswil and then took the train back to Zurich.

Boat people

Sailing past suburban Zurich

The boat stopped all along the lake with great timekeeping precision

Many of the boat landings had restaurants

Typical scene along the lake

Arriving Rappenswil

The boat

The Friary at Rappenswil

School and street scene

After lunch at a local restaurant, we headed back on the train.

Local train runs along the eastern shore of Zurich Lake

A few more things from Zurich...

A butter pretzel. 
They slice them open and schmear butter between the halves.  Yum!
Pretzel shops are everywhere.  One chain Bretzel Koenig (Pretzel King) is in every major train station.  

Boats, lake and Alps in the distance.  Our first glimpse.

The opera house.  Spotlessly clean.

So long Zurich!  On to St. Moritz.  An entirely different sort of place...