Zurich—May 11-14,2023

 Zurich Arrival

Our 2.5 hour flight got us into Zurich at 4:30PM local time, giving us plenty of time to figure out transportation to our hotel. Mind you, this is Switzerland so getting around is organized and easy. We just followed the signs to the Big i (information) and a young man sold us a ticket for the train into the city center and printed out our platform, train number, and departure time. The ride to Zurich Hauptbahnhof (main train station) took about 12 minutes. 

The only tricky part was finding the hotel. For some reason my new phone wasn't connecting to Google Maps and there wasn't a paper map to be had at the station. So I spied a police officer and asked him for help and he pulled out his phone and showed us that we were about 3 minutes from the Ruby Mimi Hotel. Piece of cake!

The hotel website is worth looking at: https://www.ruby-hotels.com/en/hotels-destinations/zurich/ruby-mimi. Ruby Mimi is ultra modern but with a laid-back-we're-glad-you're-here vibe. Everything is done with the room keycard. Taking the elevator needs the keycard, and the door for the hallway leading to rooms on each floor requires a room keycard. And of course, power in the room requires, you guessed it, the room keycard.

This bed is really comfy.

Hallway to our room. The lighting is

intentionally subdued.

The toilet is enclosed by frosted glass.
A drape surrounds the clear glass
shower stall; you decide how much
privacy you need I guess.

Ruby Mimi bar where we enjoyed our
complimentary beverage, the only freebee
in one of the most expensive cities in the world.

The bar invites guests to play one of
its guitars. 

My complimentary IPA was tasty.

Marie's complimentary gin & tonic
started out blue and then turned
purple when she added tonic.

We needed to get out and stretch a little so we grabbed our umbrellas and made a loop up Bahnhofstrasse (the Rodeo Drive of the Old Town) and up to Lindenhof Park overlooking the Limmat River where we could see Grossmunster church where German-speaking Switzerland started the Reformation in the 16th century. The crypt of the church dates back to 1107AD. We also had a direct view of Predigerkirche's needle-like spire. 

We're looking forward to viewing stained glass windows by Marc Chagall and Augusto Giacometti at St. Peter's, the oldest parish church in Zurich. Its foundation dates back to 850AD. Zurich's first mayor acquired the church in 1345AD. 

We wound our way along some narrow lanes that led us back to Bahnhofstrasse and our hotel. Felt good to stretch and join in the early evening hustle and bustle of folks shopping and enjoying themselves at bars and restaurants.

Lane up to Lindenhof Park.

Lindenhof Park sits atop what once was a Roman
fortress in the 4th century. Great views of Old
Town and Limmat River.

Grossmunster. Legend is that
Charlemagne discovered Zurich's
patron saints here. The crypt dates
back to 1107AD.

Lemmat River runs through Old Town. In the 
background is Pedrigerkirche's spire (circa 1231 &
rebuilt between 1308 and 1350) In the foreground
note the trampoline in the backyard of the house.

Marie at ornate stairwell entrance that
led back to Bahnhofstrasse.

Urania Observatory, the oldest
observatory in Switzerland, 1907.
Appointments can be made on clear
nights. The restaurant offers good
views of the city and Lake Zurich.

Walking tour guide in Middle Ages
regalia. It's a look.

Chocolate paradise! Ya, Switzerland.

Can you hear the chocolate slabs beckoning?

Buffalo House, circa 1553. Did I mention we're
in Old Town?

St. Peter's clock tower is 28.5 feet
in diameter and houses 5 bells dating
back to 1880; in other words, modern.

Better view of clock tower from lane
leading into Lindenhof Park.

A restaurant in Old Town. I just liked the building
facade. If you can read German, please let me
know what's written here.