Zurich

I arrived in Zurich Thursday morning and met my friend and her cousin at the Hauptbahnhof. I had no idea just how big the railway station was, we had arranged to meet at Starbucks which was actually on the lower floor of the station. After we met up we walked to our hotel to drop our bags off, turns out the room was ready so we got an early check in! We stayed at X-Tra Hotel, a *** located on Limmastrasse. It was a great example of a budget hotel, especially for Switzerland. Everything was clean and tidy, our room was spacious and the staff were very friendly and helpful.

Having dropped our bags off, we headed out to explore Zurich. We visited St Peterskirche, the church with the largest clock face in Zurich. We admired the view of the town from the Lindenhof Citadel. We checked out Grossmunster cathedral. We had drinks at a kitschy little outdoor bar called Kleine Freiheit on Leonhardstrasse. Reasonably priced at around 5CHF for a coffee or a beer.

That evening we headed out to experience the nightlife Zurich is famous for. A 10 minute walk from the hotel brought us to the start of Langstrasse, the former red light district of Zurich. Though there are a few strip clubs and inappropriate shops, majority of the brothels have moved out of the city. There were still prostitutes on almost every corner however. We visited 3 bars; Bar 63, a classy little bar with an interesting cocktail menu, Franz Kaiser, named after the sports person, a friendly and inviting atmosphere with interesting beers, and finally Ole Ole, a popular hangout on the corner of Langstrasse and Lagerstrasse.

The next day we booked a sightseeing tour and lake cruise through Gray Line tours. It was pricey, at 39 CHF per person, but very informative and enjoyable. We bought a picnic lunch at Coop Central in the morning and ate it on the boat, we also BYO beers.

After the boat cruise returned we went to the Jules Verne Panoramabar on Uraniastrasse. This bar is just below a working telescope, providing panoramic views of Zurich.

We returned to the hotel around 6pm and noticed a sign had been put up on the adjoining club"Rollschuh Disco". We asked at the reception and as it turns out the 25CHF door charge was waived for guests of the hotel, so of course we went!

We also hit up Langstrasse again, returning to Ole Ole and also visiting the Stray Cat Bar across the street. The Stray Cat was playing American rap and hip hop which was random! It was also incredibly cheap by Swiss standards, 5CHF for a Jose Cuervo tequila shot. We returned home at 3:15am, probably the latest I have ever stayed out in Switzerland. I was so impressed with the cool nightlife and culture compared to Geneva. If only I had a few more weekends left, I would be back there in a heartbeat.

The next morning I fare-welled my friends as they headed off to Munich for Oktoberfest. I decided to go to the zoo, having heard good things about it from a friend in Geneva. I left my bag at left luggage at the Hauptbahnhof, costing 6CHF for the day. Then I took the tram number 6 direction Zoo from HB. The 1 hour public transport ticket costed 4.20CHF. It was a 20 minute tram ride up the hill, then a 300m walk to the zoo entrance. It costed 19CHF for me to get in because I'm under 24 (they didn't ask for ID either).

The first of the three main draw cards for the zoo is the penguin parade. This is only done when it's below 10 degrees celcius, so it was too hot when I was there. The emperor penguins are obviously well socialized with humans, when I was looking through the glass at them they came right up and looked at me.

The second draw card for the zoo is the Kaeng Krachan Asian elephant park. Opened in June 2014 the 11 000 square meter park is home to 7 elephants, soon to be 8 with the arrival of a new bull expected very soon. The youngest member of the elephant herd is baby Omysha, born in the new park on June 17 2014. The impressive elephant park has both indoor and outdoor areas and swimming holes for the elephants. One of these swimming holes has a glass wall and viewing area, where the keepers give daily talks while the elephants are swimming. 

The third and most spectacular draw card at the zoo is the Masoala Rainforest. This exhibit is an entire rainforest ecosystem in a large greenhouse type thing. Extraordinary rainforest wildlife grows inside with native birds, frogs and lizards roaming freely. There are also several giant tortoises on display. The lemurs and other monkeys are not so fond of the visitors, if you crane your neck all the way up you will probably see them hiding in the roof rafters. The treetop walk offers a phenomenal panorama of the rainforest. Afterwards a drink or lunch in the restaurant is a must, with an entirely glass wall you feel like you are dining in the forest.

All up the zoo took me about 4 1/2 hours. I could have stayed longer and watched the baby elephant all day! It is definitely a must if you have a free day in Zurich. After my visit to the zoo I returned to the city to catch my train back to Geneva.

Next up is Oktoberfest! I leave on Wednesday for London and go with Contiki to Oktoberfest. I cannot wait!

Happy wandering x

London Round 2!

So I spent the long weekend in London with my family thanks to 35 CHF Easyjet flights we booked a few months ago. We stayed at the Staunton Hotel for 3 nights, then the Hampton by Hilton at Gatwick on Sunday night.

First thing we did in London was visit Shakespeare's Globe and do a tour. We did not book, we showed up around 10 and were able to get tickets for the 10:30 tour. It costs £13.50 for an adult ticket, £11.00 for a student (they didn't check my ID). Something to remember about the tours is that in summer there is usually an afternoon performance, or in Friday's case a dress rehearsal, so tours are not available then. Check out the website for further information on tour times and dates. As for showtimes, Shakespeare's Globe does not exclusively show Shakespeare's work. Tickets usually need to be purchased well in advance, the theatre holds 1500 people including 700 £5 tickets for the "groundlings" (standing around the stage). In Shakespeare's time they would pack up to 3000 people in for performances! The summer season runs from April 23rd (Shakespeare's birthday) until October.

After our Globe tour we had a drink at the Swan before walking across the Millennium bridge. Then we spent a few hours exploring the Tower of London. We had an amazing pub lunch in Covent Garden before heading back to our hotel to get ready for the theatre that evening.

We went to The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time at the Gielgud Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue. The production was formerly held at the Apollo Theatre until the roof collapsed in December 2013 during a performance. Graham Butler's portrayal of Christopher, a 15 year old boy with Aspergers syndrome, is truly exceptional. Tickets should be booked in advance to guarantee a place. We booked a month prior and all of the "cheap seats" were sold out.

We finished off the evening with dinner at Jamie's Italian. Yum!

Saturday began with shopping at Harrods and a sundae at their ice cream parlor. We then tubed down to Oxford Circus and hit up the shops before our 6:15 reservation at Jamie's Fifteen.

Sunday was Warner Brothers Studio Tour day! I have been a fan of Harry Potter since the first book came out in 1997. Was so so excited to do the Studio Tour at Leavesden. First and most important piece of advice is book your tickets well in advance! We booked 2 months prior to our visit. They do not sell tickets there and they usually sell out ahead of time. The standard adult ticket costs £31.00, we paid a few pounds extra for the digital guide and souvenir book which was well worth it.
Getting out to Leavesden is a bit of a mission, allow yourself around two hours depending on where in London you are staying. There are trains to Watford Junction from Euston Station. Because we were staying at Tottenham Court Road and part of the tube line was closed we had to change once or twice to get there. We took the slow train to Watford Junction that stops several times, it took just under an hour. There is a direct train that takes only 20 or so minutes, but there were service interruptions that morning. We took the direct train back to London though. Coincidentally (or not) both trains left from Platform 9. Once at Watford Junction the Harry Potter Bus picks you up and takes you out to Leavesden. It costs £2 return for the bus, so make sure you have change! The trip on the bus is around 15 minutes. They run every 20 minutes/30 minutes on Sundays. We left Euston Station at 9:14 and arrived at Warner Brothers Studios at 10:30, to give you an idea of how long it takes. Alternatively Golden Tours do a return trip from Victoria Station including entry fee.

The tour itself is phenomenal. It is a real must for die hard Harry Potter fans. Seeing the sets, props and costumes was really magical. We had Butterbeer which costs around £5 with a souvenir cup. Leavesden is one of only 3 places in the world that sell Butterbeer (the others being Japan and Florida, USA) so it's definitely worth trying! The gift shop had some really cool and authentic souvenirs but be aware that it is pricey. I considered getting a Marauders Map but couldn't justify it at £29.99. Under £10.00 souvenirs include cups and mugs, some books, magnets, keychains etc. There is way more selection than at the Kings Cross Station store. Wands and scarves are around £24 for those of you still waiting for your letter from Hogwarts ;) We spent a little over 4 hours in the tour, we took our time and saw everything, but I could have stayed longer! Definitely allow a full day for it if you don't want to be rushed.  

When we returned to London we had an early dinner on Carnaby Street. There were lots of cool boutiques and pubs around this area. After dinner we took the Gatwick Express out to Gatwick Airport where we had a hotel room booked for the night. We flew out at 6:30 am so staying steps away from the security gate meant we got a little bit of extra sleep.

I am off to Zurich tomorrow for 2 nights to catch up with a friend of mine who is over from the States. Next week I am Oktoberfest bound!

Happy wandering x

 

Annecy

Today we drove to the beautiful little town of Annecy. It is the capital of the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region of France. 

Often referred to as the Alpine Venetia, the picturesque old town is made up of a maze of bridges and cobbled streets built over the Thiou canal. The  Palais de l'Isle is in the center of the old town, it was orginally used a Lord's residence then became a jail in the 1800s. It is now a local history museum. 

Beside the lake is the beautiful Pont des Amours, a 20th century iron bridge. The view across the lake is stunning, but equally as beautiful is the view towards the town over the Amsterdam-like canal.

The lake hosts a variety of activities in the summertime including paddle boat rentals, boat rides and swimming. 

Next weekend we are in London, the weekend after I am heading to Zurich then Oktoberfest bound shortly afterwards. So much travelling, so little time!

Happy wandering x