Day 13: Lake Zurich

I had a rough morning but a great day. Within the hour after I had woken, the owner of the bed and breakfast told me someone else had booked the room for tonight. That was it. I was out. I packed my things and prepared to leave. I even said goodbye and thank you to my roommate for the night, Dave. We exchanged contact information and he even gave me a shirt and a few other things he wanted to get rid of. But before I could leave, our host returned. He said someone else had canceled and I could take their place. I was relieved (though I had to send a second message to an AirBnB spot I had already requested), and relaxed, preparing myself, finally, for a day in Zurich.

Dave is also traveling the world, for much longer than I am. He told me he was going to be in India and Thailand later this fall, which make me jealous, despite the fact that I'm going to some awesome places too. He is a musician, so partly out of thanks to him for being nice to me, and partly for anyone who is a fan of string music, I am going to leave a link here to his music page: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/thisbigstringband

The digital download is only $9.99 and from what I've heard it sounds great. If it's not for you or you don't have the money, no problem. Just wanted to give you the opportunity, and help out my friend at the same time.

Look at that, I made a friend.

I had no plans going into today. I didn't know what Zurich had to offer, other than a great view of the lake and the mountains. So I went in open minded and leaning towards a relaxing day after my crazy night. Also, if you have no idea what happened last night, maybe you forgot or didn't read yesterday's post, make sure to check that out to get the full story.

I thought about riding the train into the city, but instead saw that the edge of the lake was lined with all kinds of parks, and it was only an hour walk, what did I have if not time?

I stopped at the first park for a while. I realized too late that I didn't have a towel or anything else to lay on, so I sat on my flip flops. They weren't great, but they would do. The parks are very well kept, the grass was bright green and healthy, but well trimmed all around. As I sat I read and wrote. I have been inspired over the last few days to work further on my fantasy novel. I didn't bring my laptop to the park though, so I wasn't really adding pages or anything. I used a pen and notebook (that Dave had actually pawned off on me this morning, so thanks again to Dave) to sketch out ideas and outlines for the whole world I was creating. I know this probably doesn't really make sense or relate to some of you reading this, but someday you'll buy my novel and understand what I mean. You'll be able to say "I remember when he was writing about this years ago in Zurich!" when it inevitably becomes the best selling book of all time.

I continued along the lake, stopping at many different spots. The next park revealed a fantastic view of the snow capped mountains far off in the distance. I stared at those mountains for a long time. It is probably the thumbnail for this post so you know what I mean when I say they are fantastic to look at. Like food for the eyes.

I walked through a small arboretum that was a little too crowded for my liking. But was still very nice. I walked on to Zurich itself, where I found a lake wall to sit on. I could dangle my feet above the water, stare at the mountains, and continue to read and write. I forget at which point I decided that I did not need much more than this for the day.

At one point I did dip my toe into lake Zurich to find that the water was freezing cold. But I will still have to go in tomorrow, towel or not. I can't come here and leave without getting in the lake.

Lunch in the city was alright. I found that after leaving the lake shore and its parks to enter the city, I did not enjoy myself as much. The sun was hot without shade from the trees, and it was a weird time when a lot of restaurants were closed for the post lunch / pre dinner period of the day. I did find something to eat though, and with a full stomach I returned to the lake.

I thought that, with the sun going down, there would be more space by the lake. I was very wrong. The amount of people at the lake had doubled since I first walked past. People were gathering there for dinner, barbecuing and grilling bratwurst together. I was amazed at the community of the lake, but also I wish it was a little more quiet so I could have enjoyed my book a little more. But despite the crowd I found a spot for myself in the shade of a tree, with the mountains in view. I stayed went from park to park for another few hours before I decided to head back the way of the bed and breakfast.

I remembered seeing a few restaurants on my way out this morning, so I stopped at one of those for dinner. I ate almost too much, and waddled slowly back to my room, ready to burst. I reached home at around 9:30pm, the sun still clinging to the sky.

It saddens me to say that tomorrow is already my last full day here in Zurich. But since I did not find a lot to do today, I think it is for the best. I do not want to overstay my welcome here and become bored. Although I think I could sit by that lake every day for a week and not get bored of it. Despite my troubles last night and this morning, Zurich still proved to be a very enjoyable place, and for that I am thankful.

And I am thankful for you, for reading my words. Here's to tomorrow.