Switzerland… the most expensive place in Europe. During my research, I had read that Switzerland was expensive but I didn’t really know what that meant. I’ve heard people say that Hawaii is expensive but I think that prices are the same as Atlanta. So stating that a place is expensive is subjective. However, I soon found out what it meant to hold the title of most expensive in Europe when I had lunch. I had been walking for a hour or two and was starving so I began checking out the menu of places as I walked. I settled on a place that had sandwiches and a few other things I like. I chose a meatloaf sandwich, fries, and water (not free). The meatloaf was nothing like what I thought, it looked more like ham in a circular cut, but it didn’t takes like ham nor meatloaf but it was good. I settled the bill and left a tip (research says you should round up; don’t tip like you do in the States). The cost of the meal, water, and tip was 51 CHF (Swiss francs); converted to USD is $63.56!!!!! I don’t know about you but paying $63 for a sandwich is way to much. I’ve paid this for a good steak but not a sandwich.
My research also mentioned this fashion area that is the most expensive in ALL THE WORLD!! I found this place but kept walking. I was trying to find a purse size umbrella to replace one that got destroyed in Ljubljana. I found one for $49.90… no thank you!! I rushed to the train station hoping the rain would hold off.
Once over the shock of having to spend a lot more during this visit, I found Switzerland to be a really nice place. I stayed at the Hyatt Regency Airport location. The area was called the Circle, which had several other hotels and every mode of transportation. After picking up my luggage I walked towards the Circle, passing the down escalators for the international trains, an escalator towards a large food court (where I would go for dinner most day), walk outside passing the buses and trams, then arriving into the hotel part of the Circle. This was the perfect location! I rode the tram several times. I even rode it to the laundromat.
The people in Zurich were friendly if you have a question or need assistance but as with most other cities in Europe, they don’t offer a smile or word of hello when you pass by. I’ve sort of gotten used to this.
On one day in the city I came out of the train station from a different side and it was a totally different feel of the city. There was a marina with boats, a small beach, and a park. I walked along this path and ran into different sections. One section had live music, the beach section had folks laying out, you pass by a museum, and of course there’s places to eat. I spent almost half the day there. Beautiful sunny day for a stroll.
My time in Geneva was nice as well. There was an open-air, much smaller type of hop on/off bus that was able to go through the narrow streets. This was perfect since I was only there for the day. I wouldn’t have been able to see most of the sites.
Before leaving Switzerland, I had to take care of laundry. While there, I met a couple from Cincinnati. They were traveling for 2 months before heading back to the States.
Switzerland is also one of a few countries in Europe that does not take Euros (EUR). They use Swiss Francs (CHF). You can convert Euros to Swiss Francs if you need to use cash instead of your credit card.
