The world is very small, and Zurich is very expensive
On our drive from Salzburg to Zurich, we were looking for somewhere to stop for lunch. On virtual paper, there were problems with every place we wanted to stop–too far off the route, recommended restaurants not open for lunch. Finally, out of sheer desperation, we stopped in Lustenau, a small town just on the other side of the Rhine from Switzerland, the last possible stop in Austria. The meal was delicious–best schnitzel I had in Austria–but it was almost impossible to believe we were sitting next to a guy who grew up in Kentucky. If you are ever in Lustenau, stop at the Gasthof Kroenele.
Zurich was the most expensive place I have ever visited. You hear that a lot. The reality is sobering. We walked for hours looking for a restaurant that wasn’t a minimum of 50CHF for dinner. We ultimately settled on a thai restaurant where the cheapest main course dish was 30CHF! We asked our server how he can possibly live here and of course the answer is he doesn’t. Zurich was a lot like Vienna, hordes of tourists (more Russians than Asians here) shopping at the luxury stores that seem to be in every major city.
We finally found a construction site where I felt comfortable leaving my collection of now not so white t-shirts!
The best thing about Zurich was my decision to purge. I wear white t-shirts almost as a uniform. In the winter, I wear them under cardigans of every color, and in the summer, well just as t-shirts. When you wear a white t-shirt too much it becomes pretty obvious. So I decided to clear out my wardrobe. Now I have heard people do this with underwear, but I have never tried it myself. The big challenge became finding a dumpster into which I could throw my detritus. There was not a dumpster to be found. Here I am carrying a plastic bag of essentially dirty laundry that I cannot get rid of in the world’s most expensive city! Humiliating.
Another really cool thing about Zurich is that there are fountains everywhere. Carry a water bottle, and refill anywhere!
I hope we can go back to Austria to ski again. We had such an amazing trip, and would love to share with our children. Thank you for traveling along with us through the blog. So grateful for you!