Getting By, Dreaming Big

My husband Jon and I recently returned from a 10 day trip to Switzerland & Austria (where we spent one day in Germany).  We visited this region last year (Germany & Austria) and loved it so much that we decided we should return.  Last year’s vacation was the most relaxed we had ever been on vacation, until this year!  I decided instead of doing a post for each day this year that I would do one post for each place we went:  Zurich, Switzerland, Innsbruck, Austria, Garmish-Partenkirchen, Germany, Luzern, Switzerland and Grindelwald, Switzerland – 5 posts.  You’ll still get all the highlights!  So let’s begin.

Jon and I at the top of the Grossmunster Church

The first and last stop on our trip was Zurich, because that’s where we flew in and out of.  People had told us that Zurich was a small sleepy town and that you didn’t need much time there.  We flew in on Thursday, July 8th and arrived at 8:40AM so we had plenty of time to explore Zurich.  After checking in to our hotel and getting settled for the day, we decided to warm up our legs with a run along the lake.  We walked the 10 minutes from our hotel to the beginning of the path at the mouth of the lake and did 15 minutes out and 15 minutes back along the path.  My legs were lethargic and I was moving slow but it felt good to be active and to take in all that was happening along the lake.  It’s a beautiful part of Zurich.

Afterwards we grabbed lunch at this little place right on the lake.  We both ordered sausages which came with a roll on the side and a beer.  It was a gorgeous setting for lunch and I have to say the sausages or wursts were delicious!  Then we headed back to our hotel room to nap and shower (napping the first day is a must for us!)

Feeling clean and refreshed it was time to really explore the town.  Jon’s co-worker had lent us his Rick Steve’s Switzerland book which had a self-guided walking tour of the city that we decided to do.  It highlighted all of the important sights and was organized and structured.  The highlights of the walking tour were:  the train station (don’t laugh it handles 2,000 trains a day!), Bahnhofstrasse (the big name shopping street), Pestalozzi Park, Lindenhof (now a park, but it’s where the fort stood back in the day), St. Peter’s Church, Grossmunster Church, Fraumunster Church and finally Lake Zurich.  It took us about 90 minutes to complete the tour, because we decided to climb the 200 steps of the tower for a view of the city (totally worth it!) and we spent some time inside each church really appreciating each location.  It was interesting to see how the reformation in the 1500′s affected the decor of the church’s in Zurich.  We also spent quite a bit of time, enjoy the Chagall stained glass windows at the Fraumunster Church.  They were just beatiful.  If we could have we would have taken photos of them, but if you click on the link above you can see them.

Content that we had seen the main sights of Zurich it was time for an afternoon beer break.  We found this great little beer garden right along the river (just before the lake).  We each got a beer and took some time to enjoy the sights of the city around us and just chat about our first day of vacation.

Then we walked over to Zeughauskeller for dinner.  The restaurant is a 500-year old armory filled with medieval battle gear so we obviously opted to sit inside.  It’s definitely a place that tourists go, I couldn’t tell really if it was a place where locals dined as well.  The food was pretty standard Swiss Cuisine.  Jon got Weinerschnitzel with Rosti and I got the Cordon Bleu with fries.  My meal definitely hit the spot and was delicious. 

Our last day of our trip we were back in Zurich.  We had less time to explore and I really need to learn that the last day should just be about chilling and relaxing instead of trying to plan things.  We were hoping to hike this local mountain in Zurich, but the chance of rain seemed really high, so we decided not to (so then, of course it didn’t rain)!  We thought about going to the museum just do something but at $50 for two people we just weren’t feeling it.  We went and had lunch down by the lake, then walked parts of the city we hadn’t originally seen, and then headed to Spungli for CHOCOLATES!!!!!

So funny story, in 1999 when I was studying abroad in Spain two girlfriends and I did this whirlwind 8 country in 4 weeks tour that was so much fun.  We spent 3 days in Geneva Switzerland and when we purchased chocolates there they were all filled with alcohol – blah!  Don’t get me wrong, I love chocolate and enjoy my wine and beer but I don’t like mixing the two.  We had a 3 hour layover in Zurich on our way from Geneva to Munich and so we walked the town quickly and found this marvelous chocolate shop where I had the best chocolate truffles I’ve ever had!  (No seriously – ever!)  I was determined to find it this trip.  I kept telling Jon that I remembered there being a clock face (pretty common in Switzerland) near the chocolate place.  We wandered and wandered and we finally found it – Sprungli!!!!!  I was so excited.  I bought myself 10 of those magical truffles and they are currently sitting in my fridge waiting for me to enjoy.  We also bought truffles to bring back for our families so they could partake!  Yum Yum Yum! 

On our last night for dinner we headed over to Adler’s Swiss Chuchi.  It was recommended by my Fodor’s book and was on the main drag of the restaurants.  We were lucky and got a prime table for 2 without a reservation.  Jon ordered the fondue (YUM!).  There was ham and mushrooms mixed into the cheese.  I ordered the Raclette Rosti which was basically potatoes & onions cooked hashbrown style with cheese over it – it was outrageously delicious!  I need to learn to make Rosti – it’s so yummy!

All in all I liked Zurich – it’s a gorgeous city – it’s not overwhelming – and there is plenty to see and do.  While I don’t know that you need more than 2 days here, you could definitely spend a longer period of time, plan some amazing day trips and come back to the city to go out for dinner and enjoy  the happenings of a city.

Post in Comments:

What is your favorite chocolate place ever?

The Declaration House

 Ah…back to Philly we go!  I hope you all are enjoying my trip down memory lane.  After a late and crazy fun night we woke up to explore some more of historical Philadelphia before catching our bus out to Valley Forge.  First stop was the Declaration House (free!)  This is where Thomas Jefferson lived when he wrote the Declaration of Independence.  The exhibit here is small.  There are a couple of things to see on the first floor and then you can climb to the 2nd Floor to see the rooms that Jefferson rented out.  They are decorated in reproductions so that you can get a feel for how it must have looked when Jefferson lived there.  It was pretty neat imagining him sitting there writing the document that would create the history of our nation.

Then it was over to Christ Church where we sat in the pew that Marth and George Washington used to sit in when they went to service during their time in Philly.  We met a nice man from New England (I had my Red Sox shirt on) who we had a fun chat with there.  We enjoyed the history of Christ Church before heading over to Elfreth’s Alley.  Elfreth’s Alley is our nation’s oldest residential street.  It is this beautiful, little, historic street that is just so picturesque.  I’m sure the people that still live there though probably mind all the toursits wandering down their little street, but I guess that’s what you sign up for when you live there!  Then we wandered over to the Christ Church Burial Ground to visit Ben Franklin’s grave.  After our exploring it was time to grab lunch and hop our bus out to Valley Forge.   

The Huts at Valley Forge

 This ride was quite the adventure.  It was probably about an hour bus ride (it would have been a lot faster if we had our own car).  We were on a local bus and obviously very concerned about getting off at the right stop.  We asked the bus driver and he said he’d let us know.  Well he announces the last stop and tells us this is our stop.  Instead of finishing his route, he had let us off at the Valley Forge Convention Center, which while not that far away from Valley Forge National Park, was a tricky stretch of road to navigate.  We managed (although it was harrowing) and found the bike rental where we rented bikes for our first biking adventure together.  This was when I was a complete newbie (as in I broke the chain off of my bike within 2 minutes on the bike).

Valley Forge has a ton of bike paths, running paths, and a driving route.  It is so easy for people to explore and so worth the visit (especially if you are a history buff).  Our first stop along our biking journey was at the replicas of the cabins that soldiers would have lived in at Valley Forge.  There was a woman dressed in historical garb that was there to answer any questions we might have and tell us all about life at the camp that infamous winter of 1777-1778.  She was so informative, we easily spent a good 10-15 minutes there.  It was amazing the number of people that lived in that little cabin (pictured above).  She was also from New England (just makin’ friends wherever we go!)

Me outside George Washington's House at Valley Forge

 We continued along our bike ride and rode an extra mile because I really wanted to see Washington’s Head Quarters (see me in the photo above!)  The inside of the house is decorated with replicas so that you can get a feel for what life was like for George Washington during the winter his army was stationed at Valley Forge.

The Practice Ground @ Valley Forge

 One of the most beautiful parts of Valley Forge to take in are the Parade Grounds (Practice Grounds).  Valley Forge is perfectly located about 20 miles outside of Philadelphia.  Close enough to keep the British in check, but far enough away from Philadelphia to prevent a surprise attack.  We thoroughly enjoyed our time at Valley Forge.  We spent the entire afternoon biking around it’s paths and taking in the entire Park.  As we arrived back at the Visitor’s Center what did we find but a bus back into the city.  The bus that took us to Valley Forge was supposed to bring us right to the Visitor’s Center (oh, foiled!)  At least geting back to Philly was easier.

Me @ City Tavern

 After we got back and changed for our evening out in Philly, we headed over to City Tavern.  This was the unofficial meeting spot of many of the First Continental Congress.  It has since burnt down but they reconstructed it to be just like it was and the waitstaff still dresses in Colonial garb.  The beers that they serve in the bar are original brew recipes from George & Martha Washington, Thomas Jefferson, etc.  Jon got a sampler, but I was afraid, knowing I wouldn’t like all the different beers.  So I stuck with Tom Jefferson’s brew.  This was the perfect place to spend a couple of quiet hours, talking, enjoying the history surrounding us, and a brew or two.

Jon running the Rocky Steps

The next morning was our last in Philadelphia, although we’ll definitely go back (uh, well, I went back two times in the next two months, I just couldn’t get enough!)  We started out by what else, running the Rocky Steps – go Jon go!  We wrote our postcards to family and then mailed them at the Ben Franklin post office.  Then we enjoyed the site of Ben Franklin’s house and the museum and print shop that are there now.  Lastly, we headed over to Besty Ross’ house for a quick tour before it closed.  Then it was time to get our stuff and hop back on the train to NYC. 

Oh and after all of this I forgot to mention that we had Philly Cheesesteaks everyday we were in Philly.  We tried Rick’s, Pat’s, Geno’s and Tony Luke’s.  To be honest my favorite was Rick’s (Pat’s son) in Reading Terminal Market…but they are no longer there…sad!

Well that’s my account of Philly!  We absolutely loved our long weekend getaway exploring an amazingly historic city just 90 minutes from NYC.  If you haven’t been – go.  A great resource for planning your visit is www.gophila.com. 

Post in Comments:

What’s your favorite Cheese Steak???

Breakfast

Jon and I haven’t done anything fun and new recently in NYC (I know the shock of it is too much to bear)!  I recently realized that I never blogged about our weekend getaway to Philadelphia last year so I thought I would take an opportunity to do so now.  Last year, with the economy, we decided to vacation close and keep it short.  I had not been to Philadelphia in like 11 years and Jon had never been there.  We had had plans to go in June of 2007 and it got canceled because of a work deal that Jon had.  Needless to say I was excited to reschedule.

We headed down to Philly on  Friday and we took the Amtrak Train (only 90 minutes!)  Our first stop after checking into our hotel was Reading Terminal Market.  I had read online about The Dutch Eating Place and was excited to try it out.  We shared their amazing blueberry pancakes and they are definitely worth the wait for seat at the “breakfast bar”.

Independence Hall

Then we went to the visitor’s center to get tickets for Independence Hall.  It is free to visit Independence Hall but you need to get tickets for a specific time.  We wandered around the historic district until it was our time to visit Independence Hall.  You start out in a room where a park ranger gives you a brief history of the site and then you go in to see the Hall.  Obviously my favorite part was seeing where the Declaration of Independence was signed!!!  History, history, history!  Love it. 

Independence Hall

After our tour of Independence Hall we took a tour of Congress Hall.  This is where John Adams was sworn in as the 2nd President of the United States.  This was a huge moment in history because it was the first time in the history of the US that the power changed from President to President.  It was pretty amazing to be in that room.

Citizen's Park

Then Jon got stuck on a work call…boo…so it was back to the hotel room for the rest of the afternoon before we headed out to Citizens Park to watch the Phillies take on the Dodgers.  I loved Citizens Park, it was new, clean, huge and had the most amazing ballpark food I’ve ever eaten.  We immediately treated ourselves to Philly logoed Bud Light and got in the long line for Chickie’s & Pete’s Crab Fries (which were delicious).  Obviously we couldn’t just eat fries for dinner so we also got bbq sandwiches.  It was the first time I left a sporting event after drinking a couple of beers and eating and not feeling gross!!!  The Phillies won to boot (and I loved that the bell in the outfield let up and rang everytime they scored a home run!)

All in all it was a great first day in Philly….more to come in future Tuesday Travel posts!

Post in Comments:

What’s your favorite Philly attraction?