Another week down, another beautiful European city that I can now call my favorite place I've been so far.
When I initially found out that I would be spending a semester in Italy, I did what anyone in my shoes would do and planned out every place that I wanted to visit, and to be honest, Zurich didn't make the cut. Why the heck would I want to go to some city in the middle of Switzerland? Cause it's freakin' beautiful, that's why. Seriously, thanks to my friends for making me go.
Anyway, to save money we all opted to take a bus to Zurich rather than a train, and I am so glad that we did. The drive took us directly through the mountains, which were breathtaking in and of themselves, but the fact that they were covered in changing leaves made them absolutely mesmerizing. I wish so badly I could have gotten pictures, although I know that they wouldn't have done the view justice.
Upon arrival in Zurich we were pleased to find that there was a Starbucks directly across from the bus station, which pretty much filled our basic white girl hearts with pure joy. When I departed on my little European adventure I way underestimated how much I would miss the little things about home, exhibit A being Starbucks (well, exhibit B. Exhibit A is Chipotle). Don't get me wrong, the coffee in Italy is amazing, but the servings are so small! I needed my Venti Nonfat Caramel Macchiato fix, even if it did cost an arm and a leg. Oh, and fun fact: Switzerland has the world's highest minimum wage ($25/hour to be exact) so prices are super inflated on absolutely everything... funny how that works.
After fueling up on way too many calories worth of caffeine we set out to explore the city. Zurich doesn't really have much to do other than enjoy the views, which didn't bother me at all because I'm the kind of tourist who is perfectly content taking in my surroundings. Just like the mountains on the drive up, the trees were changing, leaving us with very picturesque views of the historic streets. There was one square in particular that was made up of quaint little townhouses with red and green shutters, which, against the trees, gave me serious fall fashion inspiration. Yeah, I said fashion; inspiration is everywhere when you're style obsessed.
Anyway, after slowly making our way through the city and across the canal (and stopping for several photo ops) we arrived at our desired lunch spot, which Yelp assured us would be good. We all got bratwursts with spicy mustard, and it was one of the best things I've eaten here so far, and it was so simple! Had I not paid eight bucks for my first one, I might have bought a second. I mean I could buy another Starbucks drink with that money. Priorities.
After lunch we set out to find a famous church in Zurich, popular because of the amazing views you get of the city when you climb to the top. In theory I was stoked to do this, but it was easier said than done. Yours truly happens to be terrified of heights, and it never crossed my mind just how many crickety wooden stairs you have to climb to get 100 feet in the air. Nonetheless, knees shaking and covered in nervous sweat I made it to the top and I got the damn pictures, so you better enjoy. Or else.
Following our descent back to solid ground I was in desperate need of a Xanax, but since that is illegal we went on a hunt for the next best thing, Swiss chocolate. I had done my research ahead of time, and since Yelp had yet to let us down we decided to go with its recommendation and try the goodies from one of the most popular chocolate shops in Zurich, Sprungli. I got two chocolates, caramel and coffee flavored, as well as four macarons (or luxemburgerli, as called in Switzerland) in caramel, coffee, champagne, and chocolate. After conducting a highly scientific taste test, I have since concurred that the coffee flavored macaron was actually made of unicorn magic and is the best thing I have ever eaten. Or at least the best macaron.
At this point it was getting late in the day and we were all cold and exhausted, so we decided to try to find dinner close to the bus station, which was pretty much an epic fail. None of us had data to do any research, and every restaurant we found was insanely expensive. In the end we settled on overpriced Burger King, which was sufficiently filling for the four hour ride home, so I can't complain.
The rest of my week has been spent back in school mode, although today was my last class for two weeks! Its midterm season here at Bocconi and, unlike Purdue, they give you a week and a half off from classes so that you can commit to studying. Lucky for me I don't actually have any midterms, and I also have Wednesdays and Fridays off, leaving me with an extra long break. While I intend to use some of my time wisely to get some studying done for my classes, I also have a super fun trip coming up, which I am really, really, really, really, really excited for, so stay tuned!
Hayli
When I initially found out that I would be spending a semester in Italy, I did what anyone in my shoes would do and planned out every place that I wanted to visit, and to be honest, Zurich didn't make the cut. Why the heck would I want to go to some city in the middle of Switzerland? Cause it's freakin' beautiful, that's why. Seriously, thanks to my friends for making me go.
Anyway, to save money we all opted to take a bus to Zurich rather than a train, and I am so glad that we did. The drive took us directly through the mountains, which were breathtaking in and of themselves, but the fact that they were covered in changing leaves made them absolutely mesmerizing. I wish so badly I could have gotten pictures, although I know that they wouldn't have done the view justice.
Upon arrival in Zurich we were pleased to find that there was a Starbucks directly across from the bus station, which pretty much filled our basic white girl hearts with pure joy. When I departed on my little European adventure I way underestimated how much I would miss the little things about home, exhibit A being Starbucks (well, exhibit B. Exhibit A is Chipotle). Don't get me wrong, the coffee in Italy is amazing, but the servings are so small! I needed my Venti Nonfat Caramel Macchiato fix, even if it did cost an arm and a leg. Oh, and fun fact: Switzerland has the world's highest minimum wage ($25/hour to be exact) so prices are super inflated on absolutely everything... funny how that works.
After fueling up on way too many calories worth of caffeine we set out to explore the city. Zurich doesn't really have much to do other than enjoy the views, which didn't bother me at all because I'm the kind of tourist who is perfectly content taking in my surroundings. Just like the mountains on the drive up, the trees were changing, leaving us with very picturesque views of the historic streets. There was one square in particular that was made up of quaint little townhouses with red and green shutters, which, against the trees, gave me serious fall fashion inspiration. Yeah, I said fashion; inspiration is everywhere when you're style obsessed.
Anyway, after slowly making our way through the city and across the canal (and stopping for several photo ops) we arrived at our desired lunch spot, which Yelp assured us would be good. We all got bratwursts with spicy mustard, and it was one of the best things I've eaten here so far, and it was so simple! Had I not paid eight bucks for my first one, I might have bought a second. I mean I could buy another Starbucks drink with that money. Priorities.
After lunch we set out to find a famous church in Zurich, popular because of the amazing views you get of the city when you climb to the top. In theory I was stoked to do this, but it was easier said than done. Yours truly happens to be terrified of heights, and it never crossed my mind just how many crickety wooden stairs you have to climb to get 100 feet in the air. Nonetheless, knees shaking and covered in nervous sweat I made it to the top and I got the damn pictures, so you better enjoy. Or else.
Following our descent back to solid ground I was in desperate need of a Xanax, but since that is illegal we went on a hunt for the next best thing, Swiss chocolate. I had done my research ahead of time, and since Yelp had yet to let us down we decided to go with its recommendation and try the goodies from one of the most popular chocolate shops in Zurich, Sprungli. I got two chocolates, caramel and coffee flavored, as well as four macarons (or luxemburgerli, as called in Switzerland) in caramel, coffee, champagne, and chocolate. After conducting a highly scientific taste test, I have since concurred that the coffee flavored macaron was actually made of unicorn magic and is the best thing I have ever eaten. Or at least the best macaron.
At this point it was getting late in the day and we were all cold and exhausted, so we decided to try to find dinner close to the bus station, which was pretty much an epic fail. None of us had data to do any research, and every restaurant we found was insanely expensive. In the end we settled on overpriced Burger King, which was sufficiently filling for the four hour ride home, so I can't complain.
The rest of my week has been spent back in school mode, although today was my last class for two weeks! Its midterm season here at Bocconi and, unlike Purdue, they give you a week and a half off from classes so that you can commit to studying. Lucky for me I don't actually have any midterms, and I also have Wednesdays and Fridays off, leaving me with an extra long break. While I intend to use some of my time wisely to get some studying done for my classes, I also have a super fun trip coming up, which I am really, really, really, really, really excited for, so stay tuned!
Hayli