Zurich -- A Pleasant Surprise

    The really remarkable aspect about this trip is that I am traveling on a shoestring and  living on the edge -- sometimes not knowing when I might arrive or where I might periodically spend the night.

So with 24 hours to spare before my Air Mobility Command (AMC) flight from Ramstein, I decided to take an overnight train into Basel, Switzerland, my 10th country on this unbelievable trek from one corner of the southeast fringes of Europe where the Bosphorus Strait, strong and salty flowed into the Black Sea to the mouth of the brackish Baltic Sea in Poland.

    On the Deutsche Bahn train, I ran into a girl named Carina who called Zurich home. I informed her that I was traveling to Basel just to have a look. She seemed rather surprised, a tad bit disapointed.

"My first time to Switzerland," I said.

"You should go to Zurich," she asserted. "It's better --- way better, and more fun, too."

So there you have it. As usual, I don't like to wait for a flight, and now my trip takes another last minute unexpected twist and exciting turn for the next adventure in this European trek through some of the most exotic places on Earth.

   That's why it's normally a good idea to talk to the locals (who are experts in their community) and to be agile -- stay on your toes and be as flexible as a rubber band on a slingshot.

You'll bounce around a lot, but you'll also stick around to hear that tale and to catch that almost-forgotten story.

I would argue that Switzerland has the best tasting water in Europe. Water from the tap is probably just as pure as bottled spring water, and nothing beats the taste except probably Swiss chocolate.

Beside the statues of gorgeous, erotic women all over town and where you least expect it, there are Rock formations along the storied banks of Lake Zurich -- a difficult undertaking that only lasts until the tide comes in and takes it back to King Neptune.

    I also met a family roasting Lobsters by the Lake and not worried about a thing -- they felt so friendly, they wanted to offer me some. Everyone seems so relaxed and affable here. Strolling or sitting by the lake, the world's problems simply wash away where society and the social classes ebbs and flows and are cordial to come and chat with you or even share a bite with cheese and wine. Here in Lake Zurich, even the swans are friendly and social -- they won't disappoint, or say go away.

Beautiful model along the Lake. In Zurich, these statues are everywhere -- at the park, by the playground, near a busy street. Since these statutes are life size and represent real-life expressions, one can be easily fooled to think they will any minute get up and move.

Sauna Am See, the public pool where I went swimming in the Zurich Lake

Zurich is clearly he cultural capital of Switzerland. Filled rim to brim with museums, art galleries and film festivals, Zurich is a progressive, cosmopolitan city on the same level as Tokyo, LA, or Montreal.

So, I am so glad I decided (at the last given minute) to visit this enchanting city. This charming, elegant and once small-town village on the Lake, turned out to be one of my favorite places in my 10-country trip from Bosphorous to Baltic.

Life is full of happy surprises -- I'm glad I stumbled upon this unfound one.