Zurich

This blog was supposed to be posted last month, I was in Zurich...on the way to Shanghai

Posted by Stephen - September 8th, 2009

I think I now understand Swiss Banking... If Paris is expensive, Zurich is uber expensive. And prosperous. Not a beggar or homeless in sight, street after street with watchmakers, jewelry stores and the roads full of Porsches, Land Rovers, Mercedes and other assorted exotic vehicles. And of course every once in awhile one comes across a sign clearly signifying (discreetly clearly signifying of course) that behind these doors only the rich may pass. Banks with names like Arab Inter Swiss Banking Corporation, Zurich Private Bank, and my favorite, Banque de Bois. I imagine that Banque de Bois might be a private Swiss bank for greenies, rich environmentalists...perhaps it offers offsets for the carbon footprint of money..?

The picture on the right is the Zurich train station. An easy 15 minute ride from the Airport. Clean, neat and exactly on time. Speaking of time...in Zurich there is a clock on every building.

Zurich feels a lot like Vienna. German seems to be the most widely spoken language, there are more modern buildings than in downtown Paris, it has a sense of more order. Of course the trams are very distinctive as well. It is cleaner, it has more open spaces, and a lovely lake. I took a boat trip around the lake, and it is obvious the lake is widely used by residents. Rental paddle boats come in a variety of formats, some with deck chairs, some for 4 people and even some with small water slides.

Note the clock on the tower in this photo.

I was only there for a day, but I would recommend it as a landing point for Switzerland. From other pictures, I think if I go back it will be into the countryside, lakes and mountains.