I went to Zürich between Christmas and the New Year for the first time. I’ve driven past it many times and flew into the Zürich airport, but I’ve never had the chance to actually walk in the city. It’s hard to believe that Zürich is Switzerland’s largest city. Most big cities that I’m used to seeing are full of tall skyscrapers and super busy streets, but Zürich didn’t have very much of that and it was a pleasant surprise. Because I went during the holiday season, there were Christmas decorations and lights galore. The lights above the streets were very similar to those in Schaffhausen. There were plenty of buildings that displayed their own light decorations which all added to a very nice city.

The only thing that took away from my Zürich experience was the bitter cold. It was -10°C/14°F in the middle of the day in the middle of the biggest city in the country! It was colder there than where I live which happens to be a small village surrounded by fields and forests in a very hilly area. I had two pairs of my warmest socks and two pairs of gloves and was seriously worried about my toes and fingers freezing. I wanted to cut the trip short because I was beyond cold. I don’t think I’ve ever been that cold in my entire life. When I finally got back to the car and took my gloves off, my finger tips were wrinkled as though I had soaked them in water for hours.

Overall, I really liked Zürich and hope to visit again soon just as soon as it warms up.