Koltas was slightly delayed so this gave us a brief excuse to look around the station concourse, specifically at the blue levitating statue of a rotund man hanging from the ceiling as if flying and a huge sand sculpture of the Palace of Westminster advertising a local holiday promotion (on a lower concourse we discovered a similar model of the Parthenon in Athens). The main atrium of Zürich station is somewhat empty so it didn't take us long to observe everything there of interest, and soon we were back under the large clock waiting for our friend. He was there a short while later and after pleasantries, we called off at a beer shop with an extensive selection of drinks which we intended to consume while on a walking tour of the city. Koltas suggested some excellent local brews and we were soon strolling around, admittedly largely through the backstreets and alongside office blocks with distracted workers unhappy with our drinking exploits. We were on our way to the lakeside, where the majority of Zürich life congregates on a sunny Friday afternoon and indeed the views afforded here of the lake and the city backdrop were quite exquisite. There was a man blowing huge bubbles over the glistening blue water while there was also a rainbow flag with 'Pace' on it in relation to the 2003 Iraq War. There was quite a buzz around the place and it was great catching up with Koltas as we sat on a bench sipping beers and waiting for his friend Draco to turn up.
The dragon soon arrived and soon we were on out way to Bierhalle Wolf, a German-style drinking establishment with loud Oompah music and huge steins of beer. I wanted to go for the name and the rather nifty growly wolf logo while it was exactly the sort of place that Koltas abhors. Still, he was willing to take us and along the way, we walked by the river and through the picturesque cobbled streets of the old town, spying the gothic architecture of one of the four main churches in the city. The streets were alive as it was a sunny afternoon and soon we were at the beer hall, where we ordered a cool stein of German beer. The band played intermittently and arguably it was too loud as we couldn't really chat, while the rather large waiter who was sweating profusely, with his shirt and braces saturated by the time we left, was a little rude to us. Koltas wasn't having much fun but insisted we did things properly so he bought us two huge two liter boots of beer, one Pilsner and the other bock. I think he would have ordered more but there were only two boots left. It was while drinking these that we generated some interest from the table opposite, who were a party of six from Hampshire. One of their number was participating in the Ironman contest which was taking place in Zürich on Sunday. They were all very pleasant and good to talk to, although the tragic events in Munich were starting to take up much of our attention.
After our boots of beer, needing food, it was decided that we should head back to Koltas's place in Zug, some twenty minutes away by train as we had all of our bags with us. At the station we called in at Burger King, where we grabbed some food, eating it on a wall next to the river and by another one of the churches. Many people there had the same idea, making it a great place for people watching. There were many dog walkers and I kept saying 'hello' to all the dogs, while we generally ate and chilled. The train back to Zug was hassle free and when we got back to Koltas's apartment, some ten minutes' walk from Baar station, we grabbed another beer and set about watching Zootropolis. This was the first time I had seen it away from a cinema, and the first time I had watched it in three months, and it just rekindled my love of the movie again. I have pre-ordered the DVD, which is out in the UK on Monday, and I cannot wait to see it again, along with all the extra features. It was a great way to round off the day and surprisingly, the desire post-film was to go to bed. After a long day, this suited us so by 1am we had already settled down in the comfortable guest room that Koltas had provided.
We didn't awake early on Saturday, enjoying a lie-in on a rather comfy bed, but we did have plans and so we surfaced around lunchtime and prepared to head to Mostelberg, a mountain around 45 minutes away from Zug. In Switzerland there is a system where you can hire a car without ever going to an agency, you just order it online and tap a vignette on the windshield with a contactless card in pre-designated car parks. One of these is at Zug railway station, around ten minutes' walk from the apartment. After grabbing a sandwich from a local convenience store for lunch, we soon found our way to the car park where four cars were parked, including the one we ordered. The journey to the mountain was stunningly beautiful, through villages clinging to the shores of a glistening lake, while the twisting narrow passes added a sense of adventure. Before we made our way up though, Koltas drove us through the picturesque cobbled streets of Zug, with its 500-year old buildings and quaint local shops. Zug is actually the richest town in Switzerland, one of the richest countries in the world, but you wouldn't know it just driving around as it is so understated. Many major global businesses are based in the canton of Zug, whose symbol is inexplicably two cherries, due to the exceptionally low tax rate of 3%. The Zytturm is the main sight in the town, an attractive clock tower bedecked in blue and white, the colours of the canton.
After looking around Zug and driving to the mountain, we parked the car with the clouds looking thick and ominous. We had been promised rain from the south but we believed we had an hour or so in hand, so we made haste in embarking on one of the gondolas which would take us via cable car to the summit. The views over the lake were exceptional although they would have been enhanced by some sunlight, but the five minute ride was enjoyable nonetheless. At the top, there was a handful of tacky amusements including a huge inflatable area sir kids. However, the Sommerrodelbahn and the Skywalk were the most interesting, with the latter taking you over the stunning valley on a rather wobbly suspension bridge. Indeed, if you didn't like heights then this wasn't for you as you could see jut valley floor plunging beneath you through the steel grating plus the swinging of the bridge midway was somewhat disconcerting. The views were definitely worth it, however, and added a more naturalistic part to the amusements elsewhere. One of these amusements was the Sommerrodelbahn, three rides of which were included in the gondola ticket up the hill. This was effectively a metal toboggan rink which you rode down on a sledge. I was quite cautious on my first run but on the subsequent two, I went full throttle, knowing that should the rain come, our fun would have to stop. The rain never came.
After a rather enjoyable hour, we headed back to Zug, stopping back at Koltas's yellow apartment to pick up our passports and other necessities for a night out in Zürich. We then dropped the car off at Zug station before picking up a kebab from one of Koltas's favourite stands, perfect pre-drinking food. The kebab cost 11 francs but it was exceptional, far better quality than the fatty soggy dross you get back home. The kebab meat was dry yet tender, not greasy at all, and the bread was a thin tortilla type which made it far easier to eat. There was a generous helping of salad too and the range of sauces made it a rather delicious experience. We decided to get one of the slower trains into the city so we could see more of the stunning scenery as it snaked its away through picturesque commuter towns overlooking the crystal clear lake. The journey was only fifteen minutes slower than the fast train though and soon we arrived in Zürich, where Koltas took us up to the university to grab a stunning panorama of the city. Aside from some of the trees obscuring our view, it did give you a good sense of perspective, with the ornate differing clock faces on the spires of the churches clearly highlighted. The view of the university itself was also a wonder, with its solid brickwork and attractive masonry adding a sense of imperialism to proceedings. We lazed about up here for half an hour enjoying the sun, with Stray and Koltas particularly enjoying lazing on the Pi chair, a red plastic construct which had Pi written on it to many decimal places. Other chairs also told you information about the university, an institution where Albert Einstein once worked, so this was a very good detour.
After this, we got back on the tram which took us here and headed back to the main railway station, where Draco, who had to go home in the early afternoon, was due to meet up with us again. We found him quite easily and soon we were in the main pub in the railway station, which served a range of quailed Swiss beers. We grabbed a sample tray of seven 1dl beers, their core range, which had everything from pilsners through to wheat beer and bocks. They were all distinctly average but this wasn't the case at the next place, Erzbierschopf, where we write due to spend the next four hours. Tucked in a side street near the station, this craft beer bar had 32 taps from which to choose. There were no tasting trays and everything came in 25dl measures, but there was a huge range of things to try, from local Swiss breweries all the way to brewing legends such as Mikkeller. I largely stuck to the Swiss beers, enjoying them thoroughly, as well as talking to the vast majority of people in the establishment as they were all incredibly friendly. There was a group from Michigan who were out with some of their local friends, and they wanted me to take a picture of their group. This is how I got talking to them, in the end recommending Brewdog to them, as they had a few bottles of their core range. We also got talking to two guys who were sat right behind us, and indeed they joined our party for the rest of the evening. It was good seeing the bar fill out as it was quite dead when we arrived, but drinking on just a sandwich and a kebab was proving to be a bad idea. I bought some haggis crisps for 3.50 CHF but at that price, one bag was enough. We stayed until closing at midnight but there was still a desire to drink, so we walked around the city looking for another bar that wasn't too busy or closed. We eventually found one, after quite a search during which Koltas had stayed back at the original bar to seal a business deal. He caught up with us later and we had another couple of drinks in a rather friendly place with bar staff which tolerated my poor German. My lack of polyglotism is a real frustration here, particularly around Koltas who can speak four languages. I really should be far more fluent than I am in German at least and while my new friends tolerated me switching back and forth between English and German, I do wish I had a stronger grasp of the latter. I am trying with Duolingo but I should probably do more.
We tipped out of the bar at 3am, heading back to the railway station to catch our train. Here we stopped off at Burger King again - my third fast food meal in as many days - before heading back to the apartment. I was quite drunk by this stage and in hindsight it perhaps would have been better had we headed back earlier but it was a great night with friends, as well as meeting new ones, whose contact details we now have. After the antics of the night before, we awoke quite late on Sunday, with Koltas cooking us a delicious breakfast rosti to cut through the sickness. With cubes of smoked gammon and scrambled egg, it was exactly what I needed, although my battle has been with my stomach rather than my head. After our tasty meal, we needed to pack and go as we had a train back to Geneva at 16:03. Koltas couldn't see us off due to work reasons so we said goodbye in the apartment before walking to Zug train station to catch a train into Zürich. We got there with twenty minutes to spare, sadly no time to look around a city that we had only really glanced at, before boarding our express tilting service back to Geneva. The scenery, as it was on the way out, was stunning but the tilting really caused issues with my stomach, making me feel rather sick. This wasn't aided by the acid reflux I was experiencing, almost certainly due to the night before, but I suffered through it nonetheless before arriving in Geneva to enjoy the tail end of a beautifully sunny Sunday afternoon.