I was really looking forward to this trip. I had initially wanted to study abroad in Switzerland because of the beautiful mountains and the hike-ability. But, was ultimately turned away due to several factors (price, city life, weather, etc). Dan’s friend from Rhode Island, Esmé, who is studying abroad in Zurich, offered to house us for the weekend. She is studying in Zurich for two semesters, this being her second. Dan and I left for Zurich on Thursday, March 9. On the day of the flight, we neglected to eat and were in a rush to make the flight. So, when we arrived in Switzerland, we knew we needed to eat. We decided to go with whatever was easiest which in this case happened to be McDonalds. However, the McDonalds menu was much more expensive than what we were used to. A simple meal cost nearly 17 USD. But nonetheless, we handed over our money in exchange for some grub. After finishing our meals we met up with Dan’s friend, Esmè. She offered us each a Toblerone, a sweet treat – even though I am allergic to nuts :/ Then, the three of us took the train back to her apartment. After settling in and changing clothes, we headed out to a local jazz club that was one of Esmé’s favorite spots. It was super cool. Tons of people from all over the world were playing live, improvised music on a bunch of different instruments. Somehow it all came together and nearly every performance sounded great. Dan and I actually signed up to sing at the end of the night but got pulled away before our performance because we needed to catch the last bus ride home. Here are some pics from that night.
The next morning was a Friday which meant Esmé had class and wouldn’t be able to guide Dan and I’s exploration around the city. Nevertheless, we were hungry and needed to get something to eat. Esmé recommended pastries and fresh fruit but for whatever reason Dan and I decided to go with something a little more extravagant. We ended up in a fancy breakfast place. I think I was the deciding factor in choosing to go here because I saw pancakes on their menu. However, this was a poor choice. We skimmed through the menu and couldn’t find anything substantial for less than $14. Dan and I both ended up going with a plate of pancakes but as you can see from the image, $17 was not worth what I received.
Again, this was my fault for not anticipating the high prices of a nice breakfast place in the heart of Zurich, but it was a learning experience! After breakfast, we met up with Esmé (it was around 2 pm – we slept in quite a bit). Esmé was with some friends – her old roommate from GW (where she goes to school in the US) named Chloe, a friend of Chloe’s, named Ruby, and Chloe’s boyfriend, Joel. They were all really nice! We walked around Zurich for a while and got a beer at a local Irish pub. It was nice to sit and chat and learn about life in Switzerland. Joel was from Geneva Switzerland and is currently studying in Brussels. He was very well informed on European life and told us lots of interesting stuff about Switzerland. After a bit, these guys scurried off to do some skiing and Dan, Esmé, and I were left to roam around the city ourselves. We stopped in some cool shops, grabbed some food, and took some cool pics. We also ventured over to Esmé’s school and took some cool pics inside. They had this big lounge chair for studious students that Dan and I decided to sit in for a while and enjoy the ambiance of University life.
That night we got dinner at a Bratwurst restaurant. Yummy yummy! They had a cool Bratwurst statue outside so we took some fun flicks with the weiner!
After dinner, we hung out in Esmé’s apartment for a little gathering. We enjoyed drinks and conversations with students from all over Europe. The next day, the three of us took a train and headed for a popular ski resort about 45 minutes outside of Zurich called Titlis in Engelberg, Switzerland. On the day of our trip to Engelberg, something amazing happened: it snowed! The train ride was beautiful, accompanied with snowy hills, lakes, and villages. And although neither Dan nor I could ski, we were still able to enjoy the resort and its scenic beauty! We took the ski lift to the top of the mountain and got to see some incredible views. It was quite chilly and hard to see at the top due to all the snow, but this was likely the highest elevation I had ever been to – 10,000 ft above sea level! Due to the low atmospheric pressure at this elevation, the bag of chips we brought inflated! According to ChatGPT, this is because the air pressure inside the bag is higher than the air pressure outside the bag, causing the bag to expand!
At the top, aside from our potato chip fun, we found a really cool ice tunnel! It was very slippery, but we got some pretty cool pics. We also went outside on the terrace which is one of the highest points accessible from the resort. It was very chilly and windy up here. After taking some sweet flicks, we headed back down to the base of Mount Titlis. At the bottom, we went to the bar at the resort where many of the other Skiers were engaging in the European tradition of après-ski (a French word that means “after ski” consisting of drinking, dancing, and socializing after fun on the slopes)! Here are some more fun pics from our adventures.
All in all, we had a great weekend in Zurich. I hope to visit other parts of Switzerland in the future for some elevated hiking.