Mike Yardley: Spirit of Zurich

The great Swiss city of Zurich is one of the more picturesque, pixel-burning European gateway destinations. Within minutes of exiting Zurich Airport, armed with my trusty Eurail Pass, I was blissfully whizzing into the city centre on a 10 minute train ride. Strolling across the cobbles of this time-honoured city in the crisp spring air, there’s so much urban eye-candy to lift the spirit. I sized up the largest clock face in Europe, on the edge of the Limmat River. It’s bigger than Big Ben.

Riding the skyline, the historic tower of St Peter Church is imbued with a trusty timepiece, as are the oh-so punctual church bells that loudly reverberate across the Old Town from the four historic churches, including mighty Grossmunster Cathedral. No wonder everything runs to time in Switzerland. According to legend, Zurich’s 13th-century landmark cathedral was founded by Charlemagne, built on the graves of the city’s patron saints, Felix and Regula. It was also the starting place of the Protestant Reformation in Zurich. Culture is writ large in Zurich’s Old Town, where the narrow-cobbled streets gave rise to the Dada art movement just over a century ago. I popped into Cabaret Voltaire, at Spiegelgasse 1, which was the birthplace of Dada and the avant-garde artistic movement in 1916. Absinthe is the drink of choice here, among Dada’s ghosts.

Strolling along Bahnhofstrasse, flanked by chic designer boutiques and swanky department stores, Café Sprungli deserves a pit-stop. This prized Zurich institution is rightly lauded for its heavenly macaroons and hand-crafted chocolates. They are like exquisite works of art – as were the Easter chocolate displays. It’s like a bespoke art gallery in chocolate.

Don’t mind if I do. Further down the street, if feeling a little decadent, make a date with Teuscher for its famed champagne truffles. In a city of water and stone bridges, a top vantage point to survey the elemental landscape, above the twisting lanes of the Old Town, is the Lindenhof. This was the site of a former Roman customs house and fourth-century fort, perched above the water. Alongside soaking up the city vistas, this elevated park with its Linden trees and giant chess sets is the pitch-perfect spot for a cheeky picnic.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack Teams podcast
from News Talks a'b.

Speaker 2 (00:14):
Mike Audley is our travel correspondent. He's here this morning,
killed her ki Old or Jack.

Speaker 3 (00:18):
I have a question for you April Son and Suber today.

Speaker 2 (00:23):
Oh yes, how I feel about the Crusaders. Okay, Well,
here's the thing. Last week, and I think it's very
important when you are in the broadcasting slash punditory world
to own your eras and mistakes. Last week I was
speaking with Jason Pine and sort of in a very
sort of cocksure manner, dismissively spoke about more Una Pacific El. Yeah,

(00:50):
and do you know what I thought last week? They
were outstanding. I thought they were incredible. I thought they
were deserved winners. And it wasn't that I was willing
them all or supporting them necessarily, but I didn't feel
poorly about them getting up on the Crusaders. This evening, however,
I am cautious the optimist God this afternoon, I'm cautiously
optimistic that the Crusaders will get up against the Druer

(01:12):
and SUV. But yeah, last week was a bit of
a shock, and the good thing about Super rugby this season.
Is it does feel like so many teams could win games?

Speaker 3 (01:20):
Yes, I know it's the surprise results which actually build
interest in the whole competition.

Speaker 2 (01:25):
Eight. Yeah, absolutely, it's good for the good for the competition,
I think when you get these kind of results. So,
and I'm very much looking forward to that. But from
Suva to Switzerland and you're focused on Zurich this morning.
It's sort of Switzerland's gateway city.

Speaker 3 (01:37):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:38):
Is it worth a couple of nights?

Speaker 3 (01:40):
I think so, Jack.

Speaker 1 (01:41):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (01:41):
What I love about Zurich airport is it's just so
blissfully stress free. So I was through all the bags
and border control faith within fifteen minutes. The train to
the city center just a ten minute ride. So it's
such a great introduction to Europe, you know, to shake
off the jet lag while you're soaking up the lake

(02:03):
and the mountains you're looking for hiding in those two
listing lanes of the medieval old town and happily, happily
nibbling on Swiss goodies. A great way to start a trip.

Speaker 2 (02:13):
Well, speaking of Swiss goodies, it's in the German speaking
side of Switzerland, right, Does that mean that the sausage
is a bit of a culinary draw.

Speaker 3 (02:21):
It is wildly popular. Yeah. The street food tradition of
Vorst is just like staple diet terra trip, particularly for lunch.
So in the old town I went to this fantastic
place called Borsteria by Hymns and Gordons, and it's a
part butcher shop and part deli that they do super cheap,

(02:44):
super spicy brut boss in a fluffy bun, really good
cheap and easy takeaways. The other thing I noticed about
Zurich is they really like white sausage, which they call
vice VORs, and they serve it with a sweet mustard
that is so good. And because Zurich is a very
walkable city, I just think Saucy's come your best friend.

(03:07):
You just snack away on those toossies. They'll keep you
going all day.

Speaker 2 (03:12):
Nit I mentioned chocolate in Easter.

Speaker 3 (03:15):
Oh my goodness. Yeah. Take a stroll along barnhorf Strasser,
which is the swanky shopping street, and you've got to
pop into Cafe Springly, which is royalty in Zurich. They
are handcrafted chocolates. They are just exquisite works of art.
And of course the Easter chocolate displays at this time

(03:37):
of Yeah, Jack, next level, unbelievable. It's like a bespoke
art gallery in chocolate. And Zurich is also home to
Lint and you can visit their Home of Chocolate Interactive Museum,
which does a really good job actually just whipping you
through the whole story of Swiss chocolate making. You can

(03:57):
graze quite generously on the white and milk and dark
chocolates and best of all, the world's largest chocolate fountain,
which Gush's thirty feet high. I actually went standing below
it deck. I had visions of Augustus Globe. I was
going to say, yeah, the fountains pipe.

Speaker 2 (04:16):
It does feel very wonkery, doesn't it. Yeah. Okay, So
when I think of Switzerland years I think of chocolate,
but I also think of FIFA is the FIFA museum
with a visit.

Speaker 3 (04:27):
It is funny story. FIFA only opens this museum about
nine years ago, and it was because they got fed
up with pesky football fans like Jack Tame loitering in
the lobby of the FIFA world headquarters, so they opened
up a museum and they've actually done a really good job.
The original FIFA World Cup trophy is there, so that's

(04:50):
the one that was permanently awarded to Brazil after they
won the Cup for the third time in nineteen seventy.
They've got a replica of the current trophy, which contains
five kilograms of pure gold. It's estimated values of tower
only thirty five million New Zealand dollars. It's had itsane.

(05:13):
They've done a really good job with the interactive stuff.
So they've got this games gallery and I can only
describe it sort of like a gigantic pinball machine which
you find yourself in the middle of and you have
to test your kicking skills. But it's like a pinball
machine the way it works. It's so cool. But obviously
with all whites booking their place at the next World Cup, yeah,

(05:36):
this museum is definitely something to add to your checklist.

Speaker 2 (05:39):
What is behind all the buzz in Zurich West.

Speaker 3 (05:44):
Yeah, it's a really interesting contrast to old world Zurich.
So Zurich West was once a very scruffy industrial district
and it's just been transformed. So you've got old factories
that have been repurposed as theaters, shipyards and their art galleries.
In fact, the old viaduct, the old railway viaduct has

(06:08):
now got art spaces housed inside the arches of the viaduct,
which is pretty trippy to walk along. Best of all,
Prime Tower is here, So this is the thirty five
story skyscraper, Switzerland's tallest, and that just gives you the
most awesome treat across Zurich's rooftops, the lake, the snow
coated peaks beyond. So yeah, take it all and over

(06:30):
a drink or two at Clouds Bar, it finds out.

Speaker 2 (06:32):
Yeah, there's some really sort of quirky festivals too, don't
they They do.

Speaker 3 (06:37):
I think it's that German side to them, you know,
weird of humor. First of all, in August they have
this massive street parade, which is considered Europe's biggest peace celebration,
so it's a real hippie fest. Millions go to it.
But I'm actually a little bit disappointed. I'm not going
to be in Zurich at the end of April because

(06:57):
in a couple of weeks time, the whole city grinds
to a halt for this weird ritual they call Sexlutin
and it looks like Groundhog Day in the States. So
it involves seetitting on fire, a giant straw snowman who's
called the boog, and the time it takes for the

(07:20):
boob's head to explode it indicates whether it's going to
be a good summer. Apparently the word is theriritten for
a long, warm summer.

Speaker 2 (07:29):
Jack, Yeah, my goodness, that's quirky to say the least. Hey,
thank you so much, Mike really appreciate that. We'll make
sure all of your tips for a stopover in Zurich
are up on the News talk's 'B website. Travel safe
and catch you soon. Thank you. Jack.

Speaker 1 (07:45):
For more from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame, listen live
to newstalks 'B from nine am Saturday, or follow the
podcast on iHeartRadio