it had been over a year since i was last here in Zürich, and this time i was fortunate enough to meet up with my mate Markus, who i became friends with while we were both living in Sydney, and now he's back living in Zürich.
we caught up for a drink in an inflatable, temporary bar that the city had installed for a short time, along the banks of the river Limmat. i had never before heard of an inflatable room, and i have never again seen one since, but it was incredibly cool.
next day, Markus's friend had a sale at his clothing store, so we jump on a train and stop by the store to find a few things, then it's down to the river to catch a boat.
it was perhaps the prettiest boat-ride i've ever been on, but maybe i'm not thinking back hard enough to every boat-ride i've ever been on -- but regardless, this one was very pretty. they even had an on-board restaurant -- food and sailing on a beautiful river on a sunny Spring day: perfect combo.
i know that it already seems like this journal entry is full of superlatives, but i really mean this next one: at the other end of the boat-ride, Markus and i found THE BEST market place that i have ever seen. serious. if i'd had the funds, and the baggage allowance, and the place to put it once i got it all back to my apartment in dubai, i would've bought A LOT of stuff.
and it was exactly that: stuff. antique toys, cow bells, paintings, books, statuettes, clothes, boots, hats, tobacco pipes, accordians, you name it -- it was all there, and i wanted it all.
this market place made me want to live in a place with an unbelievable amount of shelves and surface area to put all these things on. even now as i look back at the photos i took, i'm noticing things there that i didn't see before, and now i want THOSE things too.
i stand by what i said about the people of Zürich the last time i wrote about them: they're incredibly friendly. i wasn't used to strangers being friendly, given the city that i currently live in and spend most of my time in!
big thanks to Markus for letting me crash on his couch after i missed the last train back to my hotel, and an even bigger thanks for showing me around your beautiful city!
(oh, and thanks to Zürich for teaching me that "pissoir" is French for "urinal")
here are the photos:
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stay tuned, next week: BANGKOK!!!
let the good times roll!!
