Submitted by Giuliana Lorusso on the 2013 fall semester exchange program with the Swiss School of Tourism and Hospitality...
This past weekend the UD girls took on Zurich! One of our friends from school, Bea, lives about 15 minutes outside of the city by train. We left on Friday afternoon and took a train from Chur to Zurich. I love taking trains because the view outside the window never ceases to amaze me. Switzerland is one of the most beautiful countries in the world. In Zurich, Bea picked us up and we took another train to her house in Horgen. We arrived at her house just in time to be treated to an amazing home-cooked meal. Bea’s mother is Spanish, from Madrid to be specific. Her father is Swiss, but he has traveled all over the world.
On Saturday, Bea took us around Zurich- it is such a beautiful city! There are so many high-end shops and extravagant restaurants. It is unlike cities such as New York City because some areas have no cars at all. The people use cable buses to get around. There aren’t huge skyscrapers, and the architecture is classic and European rather than sleek and modern. We went to one of the oldest restaurants in Zurich for a traditional Swiss lunch of sausage. It was quite tasty!
Later, we walked around the the fair that was being held in one of the sections of the city. Surprisingly, the Swiss do fairs extremely similar to Americans. There were rides, games, and booths of jewelry and clothing. It was great to walk around and see all the families and people. However, it was almost 90 degrees that day!
On Sunday, Bea’s father made us paella. It is a traditional Spanish dish that has rice, vegetables, and some type of meat. His paella had chicken and pork in it- and it was excellent!
After spending the weekend in a beautiful city with our new friend Bea, we were sad to leave. It was great to spend time with a family and have a piece of home that we have not had in a while. Bea’s family was so kind and generous to us. We plan on visiting them again, but until then it is back to Swiss School of Tourism and Hospitality to keep learning all about cooking and food and beverage service!