Adam and Kim Visit Part 1: Zurich

In April, we had visitors from home!!!! Adam and Kim, two of our favorite Columbusites, sandwiched a few days at in Paris, between stays at Sleachmour B&B. We had a blast playing tour guide. Here's how we spent their first two days in Zurich.

Arriving bright and early Saturday morning, Adam and Kim were total champs, ready to start exploring after a few cups of coffee. We started our tour at the Hauptbahnhoff, Zurich's main train station, strolled down the Bahnhoffstrasse and through the Old Town on both side of the Limmat River, heading towards the lake. This is our usual route with visitors. It passes most of the highlights of the Old Town: Fraumunster, Grossmunster and many beautiful, decades old buildings. We ending our walk with a traditional Swiss lunch of sausage and rosti at Sternan Grill.

The Durfberts and Sleachmours at Limmatplatz
Photo Credit:  Adam

Old Town Walk
Photo Credit:  Adam

For dinner, we took Adam and Kim to one of our local favorites, Wadenswiler Brauery. Wadenswil is a small town located towards the bottom of Lake Zurich. Getting there from Zurich involves a scenic train or boat ride along the lake, so it's a perfect way for guests to see quite a bit of the greater Zurich area. And taste some (rare in Switzerland) solid craft beers. The food is tasty too. I highly recommend trying the beer pretzels and beer cheese soup. Yum.

Photo Credit:  Adam

Sunday we set off on a hike up the Uetliberg, Zurich's "local mountain." Compared to the nearby Alps, the Uetli is little more than a hill. But the hike up was quite challenging, much steeper than we had anticipated! The Swiss don't mess around. An hour climb up brought us to the summit and an incredible panoramic view. We enjoyed a well-deserved celebratory beer before heading another two hours along the hill ridge and taking the cable car down to Falsnegg.

Clockwise from top left: View of the Uetliberg from the hill ridge (Adam); Follow the Wanderweg signs (Adam); View from the top of the Uetliberg tower (Adam); The crew hiking the hill ridge (Becky); View of the Alps from the top of the Uetliberg (Adam)

Obligatory Top of the Uetliberg Photos! Adam gets credit for the clear photo and I take credit for the hazy one (and blame it on the sweaty pocket my iphone had been in for too long). 

Falsnegg Cable Car; Photo Credit: MySwitzerland.com

From Felsnegg, we caught a bus to Thalwil and boarded a ferry for the trip back to central Zurich. Lake Zurich ferries are part of public transportation, making them a cheap way to see the city and lake. We usually bring our own drinks and snacks, although they can also be purchased on board.

Waiting for the ferry in Thalwil; Photo credit: Adam

Cheers! Champagne in a can is the classiest. Photo credit: Adam

We ended day two with my first attempt at making fondue from scratch and the next morning sent Adam and Kim off for a few days in Paris. More on their return to Zurich and our trip to Neuschwanstein Castle coming soon!