Zurich

I chose Zurich to be my first stop because I have a friend working there and he's my point of contact in case of emergency during my stay in Switzerland. It's only logical that I looked him up to catch up, ask for travelling advice, and plan my itinerary.

I touched down at the Zurich Airport on 8th October local time, and stayed till the 11th before returning from Basel for another period of stay from 13th to 15th. My friend could only manage to squeeze two nights out of his busy schedule to show me around so I spent the days exploring on my own.

I count Zurich as my third favourite Swiss city I have visited, after Lucerne and Basel. I feel that it has just the right ratio of population versus space. I like the pace of people going about their activities and the sights and sounds the city is generating, especially at night. Plenty of lights to find your way yet it's not so bright such that you are basking in a rosy glow all the time.

Wheelchair Accessibility

• Accommodation

The hotel I stayed at is refurbished from an old building, like so many other hotels in Switzerland. It has an elevator and exit ramp added but the accessibility is of minimal requirement.

I was allocated a twin-bed room with toilet and shower for my first stay. I requested for a stool for shower as usual but the receptionist could only provide a small plastic ladder. My wheelchair could not go into the shower so I relied on the ladder to hop my way in.

For my second stay, I got the single-bed room with a shared shower outside. I was able to bring a proper chair into the shower along with my wheelchair. The room was big enough for a bed, desk, tv, and a cabinet and some space for my wheelchair to turn.

• Public Transportation

I took my first of two cab rides in Switzerland from the airport to the hotel (route marked black on the map). It cost me CHF60 in less than 20 minutes. The traffic was smooth throughout.

I wondered how many passengers the cab driver picks up in an average day and how much to earn a living. My friend later explained to me that cabs are for people in a hurry or businessmen with transport paid for. The high cab fare allows the drivers to make a decent living without having to spend too much time on the road.

This is made possible by the extensive public transport network of buses and trams across many zones. I was in zone 10 and it covers the old inner city proper.

If you intend to walk around most of the city or just to visit specific tourist spots, then you can just buy a ticket per trip. However, I very much want to suggest you buy a 24-hour ticket which is valid for 24 hours from the exact time you bought the ticket. In this way, you can hop on to any public transport within the zone whenever you want.

8th Oct:

I went exploring the nearby surroundings the moment I checked into the hotel. I opted to wheel myself so I might get to see more of the small lanes and buildings up-close. I did not know how far I wheeled that day but the pavements weren't easy to roll on. (See green marked route on map.)

It's tiring but the weather refreshed me whenever I stopped to take a break. The air was not chilling even though it's late autumn. It did turn cold at night and I could have use more clothing.

I got to see shops and schools housed in centuries-old buildings which showed how far the Swiss go in order to preserve their heritage. There are three things I noticed Zurich has plenty of: bridges, churches, and clock towers. I could hear the bells tolled in my hotel room every hour as well as every quarter of an hour. The bells even tolled for 15 minutes at 7pm daily!

I met up with my friend Vega near the central train station and took a walk through downtown towards the river. However, his work required him to return to his office and I followed him to Google Zurich! The visit was so worth it as I got to see how well Google treats its employees.

Then we managed to squeeze some time to walk around the river. A fruitful night indeed! More pics (in Chinese)...

9th Oct:

I was tired so I woke up late and went to the Starbucks nearby to utilise its free internet service. I uploaded some photos for my family and gave them an update of my status. I wished they were with me as traveling alone was very lonely.

My arms were starting to ache from the cobblestones walkways the previous night and the slanted pavements weren't helping either. Hence I decided to make use of the 24-hour ticket my friend bought for me to take the number 13 tram from one end to the other end (marked blue on the map).

Going towards Frankental, I entered the residential district of Zurich. There was an indoor market called AG Viadukt selling all sorts of groceries. There was even a cafe inside.

Turning around I reached the other terminal stop Albisgutli but wasn't able to return back to my hotel as an accident ahead meant my tram could travel no longer. The tram driver and conductor directed me to a bus and another tram back to the city centre.

For dinner, I had a bratwurst and a bottle of mineral water. Strangely, I wasn't any much hungry even after using so much energy. More pics (in Chinese)...

14th Oct:

Having returned from Basel the day before, I'd planned a day of museum visit before meeting my friend for dinner. Breakfast was egg, ham, toast and tea, something more of my usual morning meal. Then it's onwards to the nearby Museum of Design.

The museum was holding two exhibitions: one on the French artist Charlotte Perriand and the other on materials and colours. I know nuts about arts and design but the displays were nonetheless interesting. Entrance fee was CHF12.

A lady told me that the museum is actually linked to a design school. Hence I walked (or sneaked?) into the school to have a peek at the classrooms and students, especially how the classes were being conducted. I noticed a typical class was small and conducted in a laboratory-style classroom. It should be pretty similar to a Singapore's polytechnic.

I also went to the nearby primary/secondary school which I passed by on the first day where I took a walk. The lady told me that this school is basically for migrant students or those whose native language is not German.

For dinner, Vega took me to Restaurant Zeughauskeller. It was packed! We couldn't get a seat inside the restaurant and decided to brave the cold with a table outside. I ordered veal with rösti and beer while Vega had small wild boar steak with stout.

We took a tour around the city, chatting and joking on topics new as well as continue those we left off before he flew here to work. Just like the old times. But good times always flies. I would be heading to Berne the following day so this would be a goodbye for a long time till we meet again. More pics (in Chinese)...