Zurich

Smee and I decided to go to Zurich at the last minute cos it was relatively cheap and close. It was not on my To-do list but at least it was away from the crowds and pollution that epitomise London.

We tried to find a guidebook on Zurich. No such luck at the library. We did a search on the Internet. Not much there that tickled my fancy either. We couldn't find much to 'do' in Zurich. In the end it didn't really matter as we didn't really feel like doing anything overly energetic anyway. Traveling is tiring! Oh, woe is me.

I dunno about everyone else, but Switzerland conjures up images of Lindt chocolate, Roger Federer and Martina Hingis in my head, with a dash of green mountainside and a sprinkling of Alps. The Sound of Music also springs to mind, even though the Von Trapps only arrive in the last scene of the movie.

Smee and I nearly missed our 7am flight when we both slept through our alarms to awake at 6am. Needless to say, there was a classic "OH F**K!!!!!!!!" Luckily our taxi was still waiting downstairs for us and the airport we were departing from was only a 10 minute drive. London City Airport rocks.

Switzerland doesn't use Euros which is somewhat annoying given that their Swissfrancs can't be used in any other country! Smee and I got lucky and found 10 SF on the ground as we entered the airport.

After checking in to our hotel, it was necessary to eat some food. Hamburgers with cocktail sauce (I think it was more Thousand Island to my tastebuds) go surprisingly well together! We also made it into a supermarket where I munched on a Kinder Surprise snack while Smee had another food battle.

The main shopping strip in Zurich was reminiscent of a longer Bourke St mall with it's trams running down the middle - erm, except they drive on the opposite side of the road. Also, above, the largest clockface in Europe.

Smee and I stayed on the 'funky' side of town, which also was the red light district. Ok, ok, I'm lying, we worked in the girly bars on the weekend.

I insist on being an embarrassing tourist wherever I go, hence eating the national food (whether the locals eat it or not) is one of my favourite pasttimes.

Smee's veal steak and rosti. Mmm mmm..

I highly doubt the Swiss actually eat fondue more than once a month. When you think about it, dipping bits of bread into melted cheese and eating that as an entire meal is quite gross. I have to admit, I did feel quite icky afterwards.

The next day began with a food battle. I love how the continental Europeans eat nice sausages.

A river cruise on Lake Zurich was next, where Smee had the luxury of kicking me out of photos.

Afterwards, it was a leisurely stroll back to the hotel before heading back to London.

Clockwise from left: Me insisting on posing with some touristy St. Bernard doggie. One more sausage for the road! I also fell in love with the Kinder Maxi King. It was kinda like a Maxibon covered in hazelnuts but instead of ice cream, there was a fluffy creamy centre. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm... I liked it so much, I bought four to bring back to London. Why am I writing about Kinder Surprise? It's not even Swiss!