Google images did not fail me. Upon entering downtown Zürich, I was greeted by the exact view that I had been expecting: cottage-like houses lining the river, bridges, clock towers, and Germanic churches popping out of the low line of roofs. The Limmat River, glittering despite the dull, overcast sky that hung over the city until my last day there, joins with the vast Lake Zürich, leading the eyes past the rippled water to the Swiss houses lining the lake to the magnificent Alps in the distance. Complete serenity, if you ignore the deranged, rambunctious seagulls that circulate the harbor, squawking Swiss nonsense.
Every half hour, the deep sound of church bells fills every corner of the city, penetrating even the busy bustle of Bahnofstrasse, an avenue commercially similar to Paris' Rue de Rivoli that ends in Zürich's train station, Hauptbahnhof. The Hauptbahnhof is worth mentioning because it houses Zürich's Christmas market. Dozens of stalls, side to side, fill up the space, displaying a plethora of items: candles, ornaments, potpourri, baking forms, food (and much to my pleasant surprise, free samples), scarves, jewelry, and a whole lot more. A giant Christmas tree adorns one end of the market. From far away, the tree appears to be covered in fresh frost, but upon closer examination, the tree is actually covered in Swarovski crystals, with crystal toys on display around the base.
Yes, Zürich is almost a fairytale place, but despite its charming Alpine beauty and exquisite food (coughSprünglicough), one needs to be very financially stable to keep busy in Zürich because it is a ridiculously expensive city. As much as I enjoy simply wandering the streets of foreign locales, it does eventually get boring--and Zürich is small--especially when it costs too much to relax in a café somewhere.
