Rylie and I decided to spend the day walking around the town and just seeing the sites. We were much more energized today and instead of taking our energy, the sun made us feel happy and realxed! We started off by walking to a local market called the Coop, and bought some bread, cheese, apples, and water. The cashier spoke to us in Swiss, and though she quickly learned we did not understand, we couldn't help but feel good that we looked as though we fit in! We took are fresh foods across the way to a nearby bench where we just sat and ate our meal as we enjoyed watching the locals interact with one another. With so many people out and about, we asked ourselves how often people here work, and were still impressed with how much time they spend just socializing. As we sat and watched, there were constantly people on bicycles, mopeds, and with strollers going by. People were out with their children spending time with family and always seeing some one they knew pass by! I took a drink of my bottled water and got a huge shock when I realized it was not just any normal water, but carbonated! This did not quench our thirst like we had hoped and we spent the next couple hours in search for a place to refill our bottles.
We took the Tram to Bahnhofstrasse (aka Rodeo Dr. in USA terms) and ended up walking to the end of the road by the docks. There, we met up with Lake Zürich where we could see the mountains in the distance and the amazing landscape on either side! An old Swiss lady said something to us, either along the lines of 'you guys were taking a lot of pictures' or ' you were taking pretty pictures'. We never did figure it out but just mentioned how we loved the landscape and how georgous it was, smiled and kept on going!
We walked Bahnhofstrasse from one end to the next, taking in the architecure of each building and the beauty it holds. We certainly felt like tourists since we were constantly taking pictures and saying over and over how much we loved everything! We thought of talking in a foreign language to fit in more, maybe not even in the same language, but soon decided that was a bad idea since they can speak both spanish and french (the only two languages we know)!
Whenever someone spoke to us in another language, we couldn't help but smile and feel welcomed, thinking we looked Swiss too! We came across a chocolate shop and our temptations got the better of us. After looking very suspicious, looking around for a long time and whispering about taking a picture of the display, a lady finally asked if we needed any help. We asked her what she recommened and agreed with her thoughts on the Champagne chocolate. We got a hazlenut milk chocolate as well and took them outside to enjoy! Every European country says they have the best chocolate so I guess now is my time to compare!
We couldn't help but notice how many people were eating ice cream, and loved the concept of having ice cream on a daily basis without feeling fat! We decided to get some of that as well and tried a Magnum (something Rylie's friend suggested). We approved and went on our way.
We came across a river in the middle of the city and went down to enjoy a nice refreshing break by dipping our feet in the river and just sitting and realxing. A drawing class was going on nearby and we wondered if we made it into any of their pictures!
We went back to the apartment, in hopes of finding Rafael there, but he was no where to be found and so we went back out on the town and ended up at Coop once again. We soon found people watching to be one of our favorite activities, and sat there for at least an hour, soaking up every move the people did. One lady asked us for a pen (which took some time to understand) and we found ourselves watching her two little girls enjoy our pens and post-it notes, drawing and laughing as they were entertained by such simple items!
We soon noticed a cute,little blonde, curly-haired boy all by himself, standing gaurd of his mamma's stroller and bags. We could see he was getting bored and yet could not stop laughing as he proceeded to climb on top of the bench he was sitting on, and literally pace back and forth as he waited! After waiting about a total of 20 minutes, he ran inside as soon as he saw her in the check out line and we felt a bit of relief knowing he was safe.
We attempted to find a cheap place to eat, and after about a 30 minute search, we settled for a nearby pizzeria and orderd a margherita pizza. When they left a fork behind and brought out a knife, I figured it meant we needed to use our utensils to eat the pizza. Rylie quickly gave up and grabbed the slice with her hands, but me however, I think I'm a natural! After forcing the last slice down, we sat and waited patiently for the bill to arrive. The waitress must have mistook our waiting as a sign of hunger, because she then brought us out a basket of bread. After a few minutes of laughter, we each grabbed a piece so as not to appear rude. Wanting to leave some leftover so they didn't think we were still hungry, we once again waited for the check. It didn't take long for us wonder if we needed to ask her for the check since the Swiss tend to take their time while eating meals and don't want to feel rushed! Once teaching Rylie the proper way to place her utensils to show she is done eating, the check was quickly brought to us. It is my belief that this was the reason we weren't brought the check the first time! After a little adventure of a eating in a foreign restaurant on our own, we decided to use our last 2 francs on another ice cream!
Now all that's left is figuring out how to repack everything in my suitcase before our train to Florence at 7am!
Ciao!
P.S. Once I figure out how to load pictures I will. Words cannot describe the beauty this place holds and pictures could do much more justice!
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