Everything Old is New Again:
Stroll just a few blocks and wind up in the past, Zurich’s glorious Old Town. Don’t worry about directions; the smell of freshly roasted coffee beans wafting out the window of Schwarzenbach Kolonialwaren will lead the way. This family owned café, which has preserved its original décor from 1910 sells a wide variety of tea, coffee, dried fruits and pasta.
Across the street, tables fill up quickly under the red umbrellas at the Conditorei café.  Although the outdoor patio is enticing, be sure and also check out the indoor décor. Each room, located on another level, has a different theme, some with illustrated ceilings. My favorite is the red velvet lounge that starts filling up when the sun goes down.

Meandering down the narrow cobble stone alleys you’ll go past windows displaying cuckoo clocks and hand-blown schnapps bottles with glass figurines inside. We came across an artist creating wooden tables and a shoemaker, Stefi Talman, selling her unique designs, which are also found in high-end boutiques in Paris and Tokyo.

Tiny Neumarkt Street is filled with delights, an outrageous hat store perfect for the Kentucky Derby, a traditional Swiss restaurant serving bratwurst in the outdoor garden to wedding parties, and a furniture store design buffs should not miss. At Neumarket 17 shoppers wander up and down levels on a steel grate suspended by chains over water!

Zurich-West:  For an entirely different change of pace use your Zurich card to hop on a train to Zurich–West, the trendy destination spot. Everything old is new again in this up and coming area. Abandoned ship making warehouses and foundries have been converted into restaurants and concert halls, while viaducts now house boutiques.

The most striking store is Freitag, constructed out of shipping containers piled on top of each other. (Shutterbugs should visit the top floor for a great view of the area).

Inside, you’ll find messenger bags constructed out of recycled truck tarps. The colorful wild designs have a cult following locals say it’s not just based on looks, the durable bags are made to last forever. The bags are not inexpensive, but bargain hunters can visit the outlet in Davos.  Keep your eyes open in Zurich-West for special sales; we spotted a banner promoting a warehouse sale for Hermes!

Stores in Switzerland close earlier than most countries, 4:00 p.m. is not unusual and the shops are NOT open on Sunday except at the train stations and airport.  One friend brings an empty suitcase she can fill at the airport grocery store with specialty items like muesli and flavored mustard in toothpaste style tubes.

Whether you’re into antiques or wearable art made from recycled materials, you’ll find it looking around the shops in Zurich. Happy Ladelan to you!  For more travel insights, check out the International Travel Insights Examiner home page.

For more information:  Zurich:  www.zuerich.com   Switzerland:  www.myswitzerland.com  and for air travel from the United States:  Swiss International Air Lines, www.swiss.com.  This article was written by Ruth Carlson and used with her permission.