CH - Zurich

Tee and I both have fond memories of Switzerland but have never been to the country together.  We often talk about it being one of our hypothetical “places we would live” so it felt important to visit this country as a couple, finally.  We chose Zurich and Basel to explore over a very short three-day period on our way to Alsace (our first official region of France).    

A tour of Zurich via photos:

Lunch at Adlisberg - a local spot we heard about after meeting our new friend Tayfun, the AGM of the Hotel Helvetia in downtown Zurich (see link below).  This perfect little tavern in the hills of Zurich features regional food and pays tribute to the traditional Swiss culture.  The image above was taken after a fantastic meal and helps Tee remember the wonderful feeling of arriving to the restaurant to a glass of crisp white wine and a Swiss male waiter in full leiderhosen attire (two of Tee’s favorites) after 30 minutes of searching for a parking spot amongst the vintage car show goers along the hillside.  Although there was not a single customer speaking English at this restaurant, we lucked out with our Swiss garcon who not only spoke excellent English but was also a bit of a comedian.  I couldn’t resist a photo with him at the end of our meal (see below).  We also met up with some beautiful Highland cattle hanging out in the cool mud during our post brunch “too stuffed to get back in the car immediately” walk.

The Dolder Grand Hotel – view overlooking Lake Zurich.  Stopped in for a glass of champagne and discovered this incredibly beautiful resort.  Definitely a place to return to and stay!

Back down at sea level, we had just enough time to walk along the lake and watch the boats go by before we had to say goodbye to this picturesque city. 

Before heading to Basel we were lucky to be hosted for dinner by our good friend, Arian’s, wonderful aunt and uncle, Jila and Cirous.  This most gracious couple has lived just outside of Zurich for over 30 years.  Finding their home at dusk was an interesting journey, as Tee was looking for, in his words, “a lone gingerbread house in the hills” that he remembered visiting 10 years ago with Arian after a long night of drinking in the city.  Needless to say, the house was neither gingerbread style nor alone in the hills.   It’s funny how vivid certain details of a trip can be and yet incorrect.  Makes me feel better about writing all of this down!   

Our first home cooked meal of the trip was a delicious spread of braised dishes of chicken and lamb, Persian rice with the perfect tah dig (or golden crust), and a Mast-o-Khiar (yogurt & cucumber dip) sprinkled with dried herbs including mint and rose petals.  Dinner was followed by an array of sweets…my favorite being the Nokhodchi, or chickpea cookies, and the accompanied fresh mint tea – simply made by adding a handful of fresh mint leaves from the backyard garden into just boiled water (try this at home!)

 

Links of Note:

Hotel Helvetia - www.hotel-helvetia.ch

Adlisberg  - adlisberg.segmueller-collection.ch

Dolder Grand Hotel - www.thedoldergrand.com

Restaurant Volkshaus - www.restaurantvolkshaus.ch