We made it to Zurich! On the flight to Zurich it took about 3 hours to get through the dinner service, best part of the flight was the ice cream for dessert. Our least favorite part was it was a noisy flight and we got only about 30 minutes of sleep(except Charles who got about 4 hours- that kid can sleep!)
The Swiss are actually too good with keeping on schedule. Our flight from Newark arrived 45 minutes early and they had so many immigration officers on staff we didn’t have to wait to get in the country at all. We also managed to pack in carry-on suitcases which helped get us to the head of the line. The bad part was that we couldn’t get into our AirBnB apartment until 10 am and even with having to figure out the trains and navigating downtown Zurich streets, we were 30 minutes early.
Lily was especially desperate for a nap, but we only could change and drop off bags at the apartment as they still needed to clean it from the last guests. We decided to try and go see Rapperswil Castle on the south most edge of Lake Zurich, in the end it was really a couple hours of learning how to use the Zurich public transport(trains, trams, boats and water taxis- we took them all). We did make it Rapperswil, but a long trudge up a steep hill made us decide to head back to the apartment for a quick nap before the Lindt chocolate experience.
Charles- already a pro at riding the train
Matt, Lily and Melanie took a quick 45 minute nap in the apartment before heading over to the Lindt chocolate shop for a chocolate tasting experience. They were taught how to taste chocolate properly from a chocolate expert – using all 5 senses to tell what is a premium chocolate. Yes, it does matter how chocolate snaps to truly experience a premium chocolate. After learning the techniques to properly enjoy a premium chocolate, they then had 10 minutes to gorge at a chocolate buffet.
Charles woke up from his 3 hour nap just as they arrived back from Lindt. We decided to go see the Fraumunster and the Grossmunster before they closed for the evening.
Charles liked the idea of going to see a “monster”. And was disappointed when we explained that “munster” is actually is derived from monastery in German. We couldn’t take any pictures inside the cathedral, but the Fraumunster had gorgeous stained glass windows and a real cool crypt.
Fraumunster is behind us 🙂
Charles then saw a fountain and before we knew it- he was soaked. The girls had fun chasing him around and playing too.
We decided that Charles couldn’t go in a tram completely soaked, so he got a new shirt.
We ended the day cooking pasta in the apartment for the kids and ordering in delicious Indian food from the restaurant next door. We are quite lucky to have some of the best rated restaurants in Zurich within a couple blocks of the apartment. We headed to bed at decent 8:30 and are excited to head into the Alps in the morning.
Great first day! Ten-minute chocolate challenge is not a bad road block 🙂
Awesome update! Glad you are safe and having fun!