Zurich, known as the portal to the alps, is the central location to all the train networks and the international airport. This gives tourists easy access to all the Swiss Alps and allows Zurich to be a hub and tourist destination. It is also the largest city of Switzerland, but not the capital. It houses the stock exchange, two of Switzerland's major universities, and a large number of national and international companies' headquarters, museums, theaters and so much more. Therefore, it was an ideal location for us to stop to explore on our way home.
Our hotel was walking distance from the train station, which made things very convenient. So, we walked to the hotel, put our bags away and headed out to explore. Now it was evening time so there was not much time for site seeing. But we had time to get a lay of the land and grab a bite to eat. We found that walking around the city was very easy and the sidewalks were not crowded at all. We figured out our surroundings and headed in for the night.
The train station
Old town -near our hotel
This looked like a great place to stop
But they did not serve food
Exploring the town
Next morning we had our route picked out; we wanted to see the museum, a couple of chocolate shops, climb the steps in the tower of an old church and see old town. So off we went with map in hand to explore. Our first stop was Grossmunster Church.
Grossmunster Church is a 12th century Romanesque ex-cathedral church with a lot of rich history:
It is said, by whom I am not sure but it's in brochures and on the web so I am sure that it is true, that Charlemagne founded Grossmunster after his horse stopped over the graves of three Christian martyrs. These three Christian martyrs were the martyrs who refused to renounce their faith and fled Southwest Switzerland to escape the mass execution that was happening. But they were captured in Zurich and executed there for their faith by beheading in 286 AD. Apparently, after the beheading the martyrs picked up their heads, climbed to the top of a hill, dug their own graves and buried themselves. It was on that site that Charlemagne found their graves and began the construction of the church in 1090 in honor of the martyrs.
This church has seen modifications and restorations throughout the years, which is typical. Today this church has two massive three-story towers, one tower you can climb to the top, which can be seen throughout Zurich. Otherwise, it is a simple church with amazing architecture, a bronze door with panels of biblical scenes, some frescoes, stained glass windows, and a statute. We found that it was a beautiful church with a really cool tower to climb.
Grossmunster Church
A view of Zurich from the North tower (200 steps up)
More of the city
It was windy up there
Our decent down the 200 steps
Half way down we found a nook for a photo opportunity
The boys love climbing the 200 steps into the North tower. They then hung out on the balcony areas taking in the view and the wind. I, on the other hand, was holding onto every railing to make sure I would not accidentally tumble down the stairs or over the edge of the balcony. I found that height to be a little scary. This fear provided the boys with even more entertainment. So they enjoyed pointing how high up we were in the tower and making jokes about falling. Oh the torture of it all, but for the love of family I stayed till the bitter end. But look at the picture of our descent, because you will notice that I am leading the pack down the stairs....too funny.
Next we were off to the Kunsthaus Art Museum. This museum has a nice collection of art from many different world known artists: Monet, Rembrandt, Picasso, Van Gogh, Canaletto and a huge collection from Edvard Munch. This museum had a brochure/booklet that challenged the children to find paintings in various locations and then explained some of the artists time periods. That was a great way to educate and get kids interested in art.
Photo opportunity while walking to the museum
What an amazing piece displayed prior to the entrance to the museum
Van Gogh
Monet
We only took a few photos inside the museum. They had a very large exhibition of impressionism art paintings from various artists. Impressionism is my favorite art form. The boys had fun working through their booklet to see who could find the paintings first. We were glad that we chose that museum and spent the day checking it out. The rest of the day was filled with window shopping, seeing the city and of course the amazing chocolate shops.
The Chocolate Shop
Inside the shop.... yummy
A floating Circus
Unique buildings
Great sites
Overall, Zurich was a nice stop that broke up the long trip home. We were glad that we took time to see the city and its sites. It was a short stop, but we appreciated the time that we had to walk around.
