I'm sitting here about to write about our time in Switzerland and I just can't help but feel so incredibly thankful. I'm so used to traveling that I sometimes don't think twice about the places I get to go and the things I get to see. But really...I just went to Switzerland?! And earlier this year I got to go to Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam!?! And that's just this year!!
I never want to take for granted the countries I get to travel to or the experiences I get to have while overseas. Yes, my previous job required me to travel all over the world and now that I live in China it's so easy to get to different countries, but still. What a blessing travel is and I just want to always have an attitude of thankfulness.
Okay, mushy rant over.
Let's talk about this beautiful country, shall we?
On our trip from America back to China, Brett and I stopped in Switzerland for two days. The first day was spent in Luzern, where we went on a beautiful boat ride and hike, all while running on only 1 hour of sleep! Below are some pictures from Luzern and then after that I'll share with you what I ate in Zurich, the second city we went to!
Breakfast
Breakfast the second day was eaten at our hotel in Luzern before hoping on the train to head to Zurich. If you didn't know, Switzerland is crazy expensive. As in, I almost would rather not eat than spend that much money on food...almost.
Since Switzerland is so expensive, we took advantage of the free breakfast our hotel offered. I had an unpictured banana, orange, and three pieces of bread with jam and some tea on the side. Considering I'm not a picky eater, it was simple but delicious and somehow held me over for a few hours until lunch.
The train ride to Zurich was a little under an hour and we arrived around 11 AM. We lugged our bags about 1 mile to our hotel, sat for a few minutes and then headed back out for the day. The days before and the days after our trip were rainy and dreary, but God blessed us with absolutely gorgeous weather the two days we were there. YAY!
Lunch
Every time I travel to a new country or city, I always look up vegan restaurants. I found a restaurant called Les Gourmandises de Miyuko, which had amazing reviews, was so incredibly cute, and had a unique Japanese flare. The restaurants wasn't entirely vegan, but they had tons of vegan options including lots of desserts.
For our lunch--after much thinking and help from our waitress--Brett and I both ordered sandwiches and then also split the most amazing Broccoli, Cauliflower, and Potato Soup, which I knew I had to recreate after just one bite. (Good news: I did and will be sharing the recipe soon!). Our lunch was absolutely amazing! My sandwich had baked tofu, cucumber and a delicious spread on it and the bread with hearty and crusty on the outside and soft on the inside. Europe really knows how to do bread. On the side of our sandwiches, we also were given the most delicious, creamy and rich Chocolate Mousse jars with mango and passionfruit jam. Those little jars of goodness contained the best mousse I've ever eaten and the fruity, zesty jam complemented the rich chocolate so well.
Of course we also had to have dessert. There were so many vegan options it was hard to choose, but thankfully Brett and my top two choices were the same so we split them. We ordered a Matcha Chocolate Cake and a Pineapple Streusel.
Wow, oh wow.
The Matcha Chocolate Cake was just the perfect richness and the matcha wasn't too overpowering. It was covered in a hard chocolate coating that just melted in your mouth. I will say though, that the Pineapple Streusel was my favorite. It may have been one of the best desserts I've ever eaten! It was moist and sweet and subtly fruity and the topping was rich, crumbly and just melted in my mouth! Ah, I want another serving right now! I hope to recreate something similar as well in the near future.
After lunch, I felt perfectly satisfied. Europe, thankfully, does smaller portion sizes than America and China, so I find I don't feel super stuffed after eating out there, even when our meals include two desserts at the end!
We ended up walking around a good portion of the city and just took in the scenery and architecture. We walked along the water and also found some beautiful, green parks to meander through. We walked and walked until we decided to head back to our hotel to rest a bit, grab our kindles, and head back out to read outside.
Before dinner we hung out at a beautiful park for about an hour and a half, just reading, people watching, and well, napping. Jet lag is for real!
Dinner
Again, by looking on-line, I found out about a Vegetarian, mostly vegan restaurant called Hiltl. Even on Instagram a bunch of people recommended it to me and after stopping in to check it out we were sold! There were so many incredible options to choose from including curries, marinated veggies, salads and beans, breads, faux meat, falafel, pastries, different kinds of rice and flavored grain salads, pasta, etc. It was a little overwhelming at first, and because of how expensive everything is in Switzerland we were a afraid of how much we'd spend at a pay-by-the-pound buffet. Thankfully, I was able to take small portions of lots of things and I didn't do too much damage. (I can't say the same for Brett though!)
On my plate, if I can remember, I got some spinach (boring!), beet salad, pasta salad with tofu, and thai faux meat salad, some kind of curry, marinated artichokes and mushrooms, a stuffed grape leaf, couscous salad, a piece of falafel, a curry stuffed pastry, a large lentil cracker, and vegan tofu pad thai. YUM!
Dessert
We ended up walking 14 miles total this day, which meant we needed lots of fuel:) To finish off the night we went to another vegan restaurant called Vegelateria where I got a waffle cone with Chai gelato on top and Chili Chocolate on the bottom. The Chai was good, but the Chili Chocolate was absolutely incredible. It was so rich and sweet and creamy and then left the perfect burning sensation in my throat from the chili. So good!
We walked about 2 more miles after our ice cream, took in the nighttime sites, and then crashed in bed!
And that's everything I ate in Zurich, Switzerland! I love doing these posts, especially when I travel, to show that you can eat plant-based food anywhere! Yes, they might not be the healthiest, but everything in moderation right?
I hope you're inspired to check out some vegan restaurants near you!
TELL ME:
Have you ever been to Switzerland?
Do you like buffets?
When eating ice cream, cone or no cone?
Eat Consciously,
Faith
Casey the College Celiac says
I've never been to Switzerland, but it's definitely on my bucket list! It's amazing how much walking we do on vacation, right? As for ice cream, I always get it without the cone...mainly because the portion is bigger! 😉
Faith says
I hope you can go one day soon Casey! And I agree on the bigger portion sizes! Always a winner with ice cream:) I hope your time at Disneyland went/is going well!
Miss Polkadot says
The ability and opportunity to travel truly is amazing and nothing to take for granted so I understand your "ramble". It's impressive how much of the world you've already seen - and probably lots more to come? I suggest Germany next ;).
Everything you saw, ate and experienced sounds simply amazing. Even though I don't live as far away as you I haven't really been to Switzerland yet - only passed it on route to France.
Also: beautiful pictures once again. Not only those of food but the landscapes, too - that would be the country bumpkin in me talking.
Faith says
Ah thanks! And I so hope to spend more time in Germany soon! The three hour layover we had in Frankfurt wasn't long enough! So glad you enjoyed the food and scenery pics. Thanks for your encouragement!
Liz says
I've never been to Switzerland but it's totally on my bucket list! I love reading travel posts and it was so fun getting a glimpse into the vegan scene there. Absolutely beautiful photos, by the way 🙂
Faith says
I so hope you can go Liz! It was such a beautiful country! Thanks so much for the complement too!!
Helen says
Ah, you make me feel a little bit homesick... I loved this post. I grew up in Zürich but am living in Texas now. I definitely miss the bread there! Hiltl is still my favorite restaurant anywhere in the world.
Faith says
Ah, no way Helen! That's awesome. But what a change for you...Zurich to Texas! A little harder for you to get to the mountains now I bet. So cool you know about Hiltl too. It was amazing!
Dani @ Dani California Cooks says
There is something about the bread in Europe for sure!! Your eats in Switzerland look super delicious. I always have ice cream every day when I'm on vacations too 🙂
Faith says
Seriously, what is it?! So crusty and doughy, all at the same time! Yay for ice cream!!
Natalie | Feasting on Fruit says
This day looks like dessert heaven! Chocolate mousse is one of my favorite desserts, that little jar looks amazing <3 And ice cream adn cake...oh my!
Faith says
It was epic Natalie! And all the walking helped balance everything out 😉
rachel @ Athletic Avocado says
Oh my goodness Switzerland looks so beautiful, I'm so jealous! Looks like there are plenty of tasty vegan options available for you, especially that matcha chocolate cake <3 MMMM!
Faith says
It was gorgeous Rachel! And yeah, I was in heaven with all the Vegan options. Don't know why China's taking so long to jump on board!
Megan @ Skinny Fitalicious says
I was in Switzerland a LONG time ago and only for a day. I've always wanted to go back. It's nice that you're taking full advantage of your time in China to see the world!
Faith says
I hope you can go back Megan! There are so many beautiful cities it was hard for us to choose. And yes, it's so great living in China for us travel lovers...definitely gonna milk it!
Laura @ Sprint 2 the Table says
I LOVE Switzerland! I ate like a queen the whole time... those chocolate shops everywhere... yum! That matcha chocolate cake looks insanely good.
And cone.. Always a cone.
Faith says
Isn't it amazing! Expensive, yes, but amazing none the less. Yay for another cone lover...the bottom is the best bite:)
Marina @ Snackie Bird says
Oh, food in Switzerland looks great! I don`t like buffet as much, because I always wanna eat everything and final check surprise me every time. We call it "hungry eyes" in Russia 😀
Faith says
Buffets are not my favorite either, even though we went to one haha! I can't eat that much and usually I pay too much!
oscar says
My two least favourite countries are Switzerland and Italy. The former is so expensive that I cringe every time I'm there. "Blackout" started in Zurich.
I hate buffets too because it's another waste of money b/c I simply can't eat that much and loathe the feeling of being sickening full.
Not a cone person either.
Faith says
Yeah, I had MAJOR sticker shock in Switzerland. I would have hated it if we stayed any longer than two days. I usually hate buffets too cause I'm not a 300 pound man who can smash in tons of food haha. No cone is also delicious:)
Alyssa @ renaissancerunnergirl says
I always end up having days like this when exploring a new city. You walk so much, and you eat so much, and save for the expense it's just the perfect way to spend a day. Plus if you forgo wheeled transport you're technically saving money on that for the food 🙂
Switzerland is one of my top 5 need-to-go places, I knew Geneva was on the list and the Alps, but now Luzerne is as well!
Faith says
YES! It's really my favorite way to explore a new city...walk, eat, walk, eat. And so true on saving money walking for food:) I hope you can go! We wanted to go to some other more mountainous cities, but didn't have enough time. It's so beautiful!
Nicole says
Hi, I was one of the people on Instagram who suggested Hiltl so I'm so glad you made it there and enjoyed it too! Switzerland looks like a beautiful country. Thanks for posting, I always enjoy your blog posts! Just curious, but are you both working or studying in China, or is it an extended trip??
Faith says
Ah, that's so cool Nicole!! Thanks so much! We seriously LOVED Hiltl:) We're currently just studying Chinese, but we'll see what we end up doing once our language gets up to par. Thanks again for saying hi! It's so nice to meet you!