Zurich was my last city with Scott, Jim (my best friend) and his girlfriend. After Zurich, they all went home while I went on to Spain.
The train ride through the Alps from Italy to Switzerland was beautiful. They're building a more direct route that will go through the mountain, rather than zig-zagging around it, so we all felt very lucky to have the opportunity to enjoy this scenic train ride while you still can.
As for Switzerland itself, Zurich has a certain way about it that makes it feel different from the rest of Europe. I felt very comfortable there, at home even, as though I'd lived there before. It just had this vibe... I can't really put my finger on it, a sort of 'independence' attitude, that made it stand alone from the rest of Europe.
Zurich is also very, very, vegetarian-friendly. There are a lot of vegetarian restaurants and many more restaurants with vegetarian and vegan menus. Just about every place I stopped at to browse a menu had clearly labeled veg dishes.
I loved this menu---and the restaurants passion for sustainability, that we just had to eat here.
For lunch, Scott & I opted for simple, stir-fry fare. I had a peanut-orange-ginger stir-fry (the combo was so unique I had to try it) and Scott went for a simple curry.
By dinner we were all pretty tired so Scott & I laid low at our hostel and ordered a cheeseless vegetable pizza from across the street. I was impressed by the wide variety of vegetables they loaded us up with!
The next day, Scott was the first to leave -- having to catch a train back to Paris to fly home. After he left, Jim's girlfriend went back to their hotel room to rest, giving Jim and I some quality time alone. We've recently celebrated 15 years of friendship , a huge milestone in my book, and it was wonderful to just walk around with him.
We sat by the river talking for a long while, and then dared to dip our feet in when we saw others swimming. Our toes lasted about 10 seconds. To say the water is cold, would be a gross understatement...