Welcome to Zurich!

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We made it… despite our pilot deciding to have some fun on our way here:

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Swiss National Day in Zurich

We happened to be here for August 1: Swiss Day! We enjoyed a day of festivities that included listening to the sounds of yodelling and alpine horns.

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The night ended with over an hour of fireworks that must have been planned by someone with serious attention deficits because they seemed to shoot off at random times from various points along the river. We enjoyed it, whether that be because of our own distractibility or because of the allure of trying to guess where the next explosion of color would come from.

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It’s interesting how relaxed things can be in parts of the world other than our own. Pedestrians here can buy fireworks and release them anywhere in the streets (some even right beside us), and masses of people fill the streets with no security to be seen. It’s such a noticeable difference from home, where a similar event would be heavily staffed by security, and riots and vandalism would be top concerns. None of that seemed to be a concern at this pleasant event, and I think in the end it further reflects the peaceful nature of the Swiss.

Street Meat

After having our first dinner out and realizing we were robbed (one fondue + one salad total = $55), we decided more affordable options were necessary. Thus, Shane celebrated Swiss Day by having street bratwurst x2:

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At least the river made for a nice place to sit and enjoy our meals.

I discovered cheese fondue, though loved by many (including Shane), is not my favorite of snacks. This unfortunately left Shane to eat this whole pot himself…

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