Zurich

Happy Veterans Day! Thank you to all who serve and keep our country safe!

Yesterday, Shannon, a friend from school, and I decided to go on a day trip to Zurich. With the craziness of our classes last week and the beginning of the end approaching (of the semester that is!) we took a much needed school/work break and hopped on an early morning train! 

Zurich, located in the German section, is the largest city in Switzerland. It is a leading global city and Switzerland's main commercial hub. It is one of the world's largest financial centers and home to many Research & Development centers for many international companies.

When we arrived we headed down Bahnhofstrasse, Zurich's main street and one of the most expensive shopping streets in Europe. As we walked down the street toward the lake we stumbled upon a mini market, with three men playing the alphorn, a traditional Swiss instrument. Originally, they were used in the mountains as a means of communication between fellow herdsmen and the town and were also used as a way to call the cattle.

Alphorn

After, we went to see the Grossmünster, better known as Zwingli's Church. This is the site of the origins of the Swiss Reformation and where Zwingli would preach about his idea's on reforming the church. When we entered there was an orchestra concert going on so we sat and listened for a while. 

Orchestra Concert in Grossmünster

We then saw the "largest Church Clock Face in Europe..." The clock, located on the Steeple of St. Peter has a diameter of 8.7 meters. The current church was built in 1706 as the first church built under Protestant rule. The inside of the church was not what we were expecting at all, it was completely white with curtains, chandeliers and no stained glass windows!

St. Peter's Steeple

We had a traditional German lunch, which was really delicious and a nice change from the all Italian options we have here. The portions were huge and I was completely filled until much later that night. We then continued to meander around the city for a while, stopped for coffee and then decided to call it a day. Zurich was a good escape from Lugano, it was nice to see more of Switzerland and be able to hang out without the looming amounts of work over our heads!