I awoke to a dreary day threatening rain but there was plenty of sightseeing to do so grabbed the brolly and got on with the job.
First up was a Polybahn (funicular railway) ride up to the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology which promised views of the old town (Alstadt). Altstadt, and Zurich, is so chocolate box that I have to keep reminding myself that this is a real city and not some recreated 'medieval' village for tourists. Everywhere you look is a photo opportunity.
Polybahn
Views of Altstadt
Playing the fool with my medieval turret headwear.
Wandering the cobbled backstreets, we made our way to Grossmunster Protestant church where you can climb the 187 steps to a take in the view from one of its two spires. Grossmunster is said to be constructed on the site of a Carolingian church, originally commissioned by by Charlemagne. Construction of the present structure commenced around 1100.
Views from the top
Views of the Old Town (Altstadt)
Grossmunster
In the afternoon we crossed the Limmat River to take in the views from Lindenhof, an historical site of the Roman castle.
View from Lindenhof. You can see one of the many trams making its way along the Limmat.
With purposeful sightseeing over for the day, we meandered our way back to the old town for some pre-dinner drinks at the Piadina Bar and dinner at Rheinfelder Bierhaus for some traditional Swiss food.
Dinner was an experience worth a giggle - the place was quite busy, table sharing was required and the waiter was an old character, quite abrupt (but amusing). Unfortunately, the meal I received was not what I ordered. Have you ever tried to argue with a German speaking waiter over a wrong meal???
Another thing I love about Zurich - it doesn't feel like a tourist town. No-one hassling you in the street to buy souvenirs, no restaurant touters and no long queues. I like it, I like it a lot.
(If you want to leave a comment or ask me any questions, please feel free to use the comments section below.)