Day 3 - You don't have to be Rich to be in Zurich

Wake up at 6.30am. Went downstairs and saw that buffet breakfast has been served. Unfortunately, we don’t have the time to enjoy it, so we just take 1 bowl of cereal and “take away” the croissant and jam. The jam is super delicious I could eat it on it’s own! We walk to Gare Du Nord to stamp our Eurail tickets. Then we take the metro to Gare De'l Est to catch the train to Zurich. The journey is 4 ½ hours.

self service take away in progress

Stamp our tickets

Gare De l'Est - Outside

Gare De l'Est - Inside

Gare De l'Est - Inside (with me hugging my blanket :P )

Having learn from Paris experience (getting lost like nobody’s business), once we arrived in Zurich, we immediately look for the tourist counter and ask for direction. The girl at the counter marked the landmarks and direction for us and gives us the map! Easy peasy!

Direction:-
“Leave the main train station (Hauptbahnhof HB) through the big entrance hall and cross the river Limmat. After crossing the river turn right into the old city centre ('Niederdorf'), this is where the pedestrian area starts. Follow the 'Niederdorfstrasse' until you reach Niederdorfstreet no.5. The entrance is around the corner from the side street.”

The Pedestrian Street:-

Found it!!

We reach Hostel Biber at 2pm. But the check in opens only at 3pm. There is no way we could ask for early check in as the registration counter is closed and locked! So, we decided to take turns in taking care the luggage. Judy and Laili went for a stroll and Aida and I will go at 2.30pm. While waiting, we discovered that we can take the boat trip for free with our Eurail tickets, but the last boat leaves at 2.30pm. So, we missed it as we can’t check in yet. Later, Aida & I wonder up the streets to Grossmünster church during our turn.

Some info from wikitravel:-
Zürich's Grossmünster is a 12th-century Romanesque ex-cathedral with a fascinating history of Catholic saints and Protestant preaching. According to legend, the Grossmünster was founded by Charlemagne after his horse stopped over the graves of three early Christian martyrs.

We also stopped at a shop to buy a bread and get back to hostel just in time for check in. The reception guy greeted us by saying “were you the one taking photos at Grossmunster church? I saw you while I was walking to work just now.” Tee hee. He said he has a hobby of guessing which tourist goes to his hotel and he guessed us right!

Hostel Biber is full of stairs!

Sorry, i only managed to get this lousy photo of the room. But it's quite spacious. ;)

Kitchen. Very nice and comfortable where we had our lunch which is bread with tuna.

If i remember correctly, the bread is about 3CHF.

Once full and freshened up, we heads out.

.....and pass by a souvenier shop. inside

We also wanted to go to Landesmuseum and Art Museum, but the Sales Assistant at the shop told us that the museums are closed on Monday. Bummer! She was very nice to the point of giving us safety tips "Always keep your bag in front of you!". She is quite worried seeing us travelling only in a girls group. :P Since we cannot go to museum and most of the shops will close at 6pm, we decided to walk up to the lake.

up close and personal

winter sonata versi zurich

Herzbaracke, a group which perform theater on the lake

It was getting cold, so we ran into the shopping complex for shelter


Then, we walk back to the hostel. Along the way, we keep stopping at the shops especially those with nice boots. We are very tempted to buy one each, but since there is still a long way to go, we do not want to increase our baggage. Aida wanted to buy one of them, but once we return to the shop, it was closed.

the Pedestrian Street

This cinema has 18sx poster and the colorful windows remind me of Red District Amsterdam :P

We got hungry and stop by at a cafe in front of the hostel. Notice the menu? The most left is "nasi goreng". Wonder who brought nasi goreng to Zurich :P

We opted for the vegetarian pizza.

Price: ~12CHF

Summary: Zurich is a really beautiful city! People should go to honeymoon in Zurich!

:P

Ok. That's all.

Next up --> Scenic Route to Milan

Hostel Review:- The stairs almost killed us! But the room/kitchen/bathroom were nice!
Transportation:- NA
Food:- ~4CHF