Hidden Luxury of Layovers

The hidden luxury of layovers put most simply, is the additional opportunity to travel!

Last year I left the United States on Christmas night and set off for a month long adventure in Greece. This was my first time flying alone, and as much as I tried to convince my parents I would be fine, I was quite nervous.

Before reaching Greece, I had an eleven-hour layover in Zurich, Switzerland. It dawned on me, that this would be plenty of time to leave the airport, explore Zurich a little, and still return with plenty of time to spare. Best decision ever!

My bags were checked all the way through to Rhodes, so all I had to worry about was my bulky backpack carry on.  I used a bag similar to this. Despite looking like I have a giant turtle shell on my back, I almost always bring a backpack when I travel because it is SO functional (and fits a lot!).

I did a fair amount of research before hand, so when I got off the plane I had my own typed up, step by step, itinerary (I highly recommend this, even if you don’t end up following it). What I failed to take into account was that the day after Christmas is a holiday in Switzerland, and the majority of shops and restaurants were closed.

This was the first time I had flown Swiss, and they end your flight with the most delicious little chocolate. I wanted more, immediately.

In the most American tourist way possible, the first thing I did when I got off the plane was gawk at the fancy bathrooms.

I made it through customs and set off on my mini adventure!

After asking a few different people, I found my way to the ticket booth, bought a round trip ticket to “Zurich HB” and was on the next train! I struck up conversation with a young couple on the train, and it turned out they were heading home for the holiday to rural Switzerland, but  were both living in Providence and attending grad school at Brown. Most importantly, they so kindly made sure I was getting off at the right stop.

The train system in Switzerland is known for its’ extreme punctuality. The trip from the airport to downtown Zurich was only about 10 minutes, and totally worth it.

I stepped off the train and was greeted by a cool, crisp wind – but I couldn’t have been happier. It was a gloomy, overcast day, but still better than being in the airport. The city is separated by Lake Zurich in the middle, so I walked toward the water.

I took a lot of selfies (inevitable when traveling alone).

But I also felt so free to wander wherever I wished. I walked all along one side of the lake, up through the tiny winding streets. Most the of the shops were closed, but peeking in the windows was plenty of fun.

I can only imagine how lively this beautiful city must be on a warm, sunny, busy-non-holiday day.

I had read about the two clock towers (one here) so I made sure to cross the bridge and get as close as possible

One of the clock towers had a winding stairway, and you could get quite close.

From this side of the lake, the view of the buildings all neatly lined up, was stunning.

After a couple hours the sun tried to come out a little bit, but didn’t make much progress. I grabbed a sweet treat, bought a few postcards, and sat down by the lake to take it all in. I wasn’t dressed warm enough and there was only so much I could do without most places open. So after about four hours I decided to head back to the airport, but will forever be thankful for the four hours I spent exploring Switzerland!