Europe: Swept away to Zurich!

Packing our bags, we left the train station of Santa Lucia in beautiful Venice to depart for a place known for high standards of living - Zurich. A plane ride would be possible too, but we decided to take the train, as it would take a scenic route through the Alps to our destination. Besides, it wasn't all that convenient to get to the airport from Venice so we took the train!

Tickets were booked online, Trenitalia from Venice to Milan and changing to a Swiss train from Milan to Zurich. The total train ride was about 7 hours so be ready for a long ride! But you can be sure to enjoy a great view when you pass into the borders of Switzerland.

Cool sign =D

For our hotel choice we decided on Easyhotel as it was one of the more reliable and cheaper options. However, it is a far cry from the one we stayed in Earl's Court London as it was relatively larger! Cleanliness was of course top notch so do give it a try! Besides, it is also within walking distance to the public transport system in Zurich.

Not so spick and span after we moved our stuff around

Hunting for dinner, we went into town to take a walk in the highly wealthy city where you really see banks all over the place. Prices of food are pretty exorbitant too, so we decided to grab a bite at the supermarket. The selection is pretty decent and we got vegetarian friendly choices too! The supermarket is known as COOP over there.

What can be a more wonderful than waking up to... A TRIP TO THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY! Yeaps, to get our favourite snack and more gifts for family and friends, we popped by the Lindt Chocolate factory!

Our bountiful harvest from Lindt =)

For lunch, we decided on a nice pasta joint known as Hot Pasta. For a reasonable price you get to enjoy extremely wonderful pasta! Gnocchi and Raviolis were absolutely awesome! Whilst not the cheapest dining option compared to what we have in Singapore, it's considered decent as most of the clientele at Hot Pasta come from the universities so do pop by to give them a try!

We got soup to pamper ourselves too!

The impeccable timings and cleanliness of the Swiss transport system puts many countries to shame. We thoroughly enjoyed our journey to Uetliberg, one of the peaks in Zurich where we could enjoy some nice scenery! In order to enjoy their public transport, be sure to purchase the Zurich card which costs 40 CHF.

Me and my very own SBB Train! <3

In order to get to Uetliberg, we walked to Bahnofquai HB where we took the S10 all the way to Uetliberg. Although the journey was long, it is rare to see a train/tram that goes all the way up into the peaks!

Kerwyn was suuuuper disappointed as we passed the cloud layer and didn't see any snow. He kept complaining that reviews on Uetliberg just two weeks before showed a winter wonderland and all we saw was melting snow! So don't be 100% sure of snow even though you visit in the middle of winter!

Although I was really disappointed with the lack of snow, the views more than made up for it. It is amazing to drink in the sights of the distant Alps, although one can be expected to be constantly whipped by wintery winds. Of attractions, there is an observation tower which is free to access. There is a planetary trail which is 8 km long and leads to a cable car station further down the ridge. As we were feeling really cold and sunlight was dwindling, we decided to stay and watch the sunset instead.

And we were rewarded with a nice egg yolk!

For dinner, we had to have our fill of Hot Pasta once again! Their dinner menu changes so you can try different dishes at night! (At slightly different prices too)

As Zurich was a really expensive place to dwell in, we only stayed 2 nights. Once again, it was really simple to get to the airport. We took the bus to Zurich Central where we caught Tram 10 directly to the airport. No worries about delays here as punctuality is a given in Zurich! Time is money after all!

When we got to the airport, we spotted something which was rarely seen in Zurich! It's also my favourite place because of my favourite...

SWISS ROSTI! Healthier tasting one though!

Sprungli chocolates to fill our craving while waiting for our flight

So finally, our Europe trip has come to a close. Sheena went for her immersion course in Ireland while I returned to Singapore. Europe is absolutely lovely place to go to, and just observing the culture and rich histories can be so much fun. I would definitely return to Europe given the chance, and look forward to opportunities which can get me to Eastern Europe too!

One of the things to do as a couple is to travel together. No one else but the two of us really brought us closer. A better understanding of one another and how we perform and react under stresses. Although we spent some time far from each other during my programme in Ireland, we grew far stronger together through this trip and it will form a beautiful part of our memories! To all our readers, thanks for following our Europe trip and do check back for more updates on the life of Doublehellos!

Double Hellos