Our good friend Marymam from the Hillegass-Parker co-op greeted us at the Zurich airport, and invited us back to her home, where we would be spending a few (too) short days. We caught up over mint tea and other Persian goodies (Sarah is now obsessed with Nan-e nokhodchi!), and learned that Maryam had just accepted a professor position at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. Congratulations Maryam!

We spent the next day wandering around Zurich while Maryam wrapped up her semester. Our first destination was Frau Gerolds Garten, a restaurant and beer garden near the train station.

Both outside and in, everything at Frau Gerolds was yarn-bombed — the countertops, walls, even the trees! We ordered the obligatory fondue, and set into the kilo of melted cheese in front of us with gusto.

Right next-door we conveniently found a Salvation Army store, where found some cheap snow pants that would end up being life-savers at our next destination. Then we headed over the impressive array of train tracks and on down to Lake Zurich.

We wandered through Zurich’s financial district, where the opulence and excess made possible by the Swiss banking industry is easy to find.  This is Swiss Casino.

If the above picture didn’t capture the extravagance of the casino adequately, behold how the Swiss gamble.

The next day, Maryam and her boyfriend Matthias led us on a hike up Üetliberg mountain just across the valley from her apartment. It was a steep climb, but quickly rewarded us with beautiful views of Zurich and sunset over the surrounding countryside.

We spent most of the rest of our time in Zurich enjoying Maryam’s wonderful hospitality, reminiscing over home-cooked meals, champagne, and limoncello.

All too soon, Maryam was off to Germany and we were back on a plane to Italy, snow pants at the ready.