Last Day in Zurich

I wanted to visit the zoo since that was always highly recommended, so after waking up way too late I decided to go. I checked how far it was, and seeing only half an hour I decided to walk to save money on transportation, and I would find something to eat along the way. Little did I know that it was a half hour steady incline! The zoo was fun but a little to similar to things I have seen. The best part were the white rhinos. On a whim, I picked up an ice cream bar from a freezer at the zoo, and it was the most delicious ice cream bar I have ever had. The chocolate on the outside was just unreal. After the zoo, I happily took the tram back to the main Zurich town.

Luzern

The next morning I took the 50 minute train to Luzern. The pictures I saw of the town made it seem smaller and more in the country, but I was so off. It is a very pretty city, but very much a city. It is also much more tourist-focused than the part of Zurich where I was previously.

After dropping my luggage at the place I’m staying, I took the tram to see the Switzerland Museum of Transportation. One thing I can say about Swiss museums is that they are not easy to navigate; it takes multiple loops and frequent backtracking to see everything. This museum had big warehouses full of cars, trains, planes, and helicopters. I was most interested in the trains, and it was pretty cool to see the evolution of the technology.

Next to the museum is the Swiss Chocolate Adventure, which I thought was a museum but is more like a movie/ride where they walk you through the process of making chocolate, from growing the cacao to packaging. My ticket was definitely meant for families, but I wasn’t complaining about the 10 Lindt truffles I got at the end.

The hostel I’m staying at is a refurbished prison. I have 5 roommates, four of which are American college grads like me that can’t find jobs, and one tall Dutch man. They were pretty fun to talk to and play euchre with.

The most famous landmark in Luzern is this long wooden bridge with artwork inside along the top.

Today it was raining for the whole morning, but I just tanked it and walked to see the lion monument, apparently one of Mark Twain’s favorite rock statues, and then to the Richard Wagner house/museum. I didn’t know that Wagner stayed in Switzerland, but apparently while he was in this little house he wrote some of his most famous works, along with his infamous anti-semitic essay. I’m not a huge fan of Wagner’s music, but of course I had to go.

After the museum I went window shopping in the many clothing, watch, and souvenir shops. I didn’t buy anything, but there was some cool stuff there. I also hiked up to a high part to get a nice view of the town, lake, and mountains. I had hoped to see the sunset, but it was just gray.