Celebrating the arrival of Spring in Zurich


Got a five hour layover in Zurich?? That’s plenty of time to get out of the airport and in to downtown. When I made that trek a couple weeks ago it was a stunningly beautiful day, with blue skies and warm enough temperatures that seemingly the entire city was out celebrating the arrival of Spring. I left the airport, hopped on the train and alighted at the central station. With a couple hours to play around and no particular itinerary in mind the afternoon became an opportunity to wander, something I like to think I’m pretty good at.

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As is often the case when I find myself in such situations, I tend to focus on food and outdoor spaces, parks and such. Zurich offered no shortage of opportunities on this front. Within minutes of leaving the train station I was in the heart of the old city, walking the narrow pedestrian paths towards the lakefront.

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Along the way I picked up the first of a couple meals, a pretzel to snack on. Part of me wonders if the Swiss and Germans dream of NYC pretzels from street vendors the same way I do of their pretzels. I hope not, because theirs are WAY better. With pretzel in hand I made my way with the rest of the crowds to the edge of the lake. It was packed, everyone out to celebrate the arrival of Spring.

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The swans were out celebrating as well, enjoying the warmer weather and all the folks out at the lake offering them snacks.

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With my pretzel consumed it was time to find a more nourishing snack. Again to the mobile merchants, this time for a brat and a tall boy. Back to the lake again with my purchases in hand and I enjoyed lunch with a phenomenal view.

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All too quickly my time in Zurich was running out. I had to head back to the train station and then to the airport to catch my flight. I was in the city for about 3 hours, barely enough to scratch the surface. Still, it was a great little side-trip for the layover I had and definitely worth the few dollars spent on the train ticket.

Read more from my SINtacular adventure here.

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Seth Miller

I'm Seth, also known as the Wandering Aramean. I was bit by the travel bug 30 years ago and there's no sign of a cure. I fly ~200,000 miles annually; these are my stories. You can connect with me on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

2 Comments

  1. Zurich is my favorite city. If only Swiss would release J or F award seats from SF!

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