As a leading financial center and renowned global city, Zurich lives up to it’s well-earned hype.  It is widely regarded as one of the best places in the world to live (commonly ranking first in quality-of-life indexes), and it is an esteemed hub for business as well as the arts (one of Christopher’s best friends owned an art gallery there for years).  This was our first opportunity to visit Switzerland, so we made a spontaneous decision and took a bus into Zurich for a few days to see what all the fuss was about. We quickly learned that Zurich’s vibrant old town is surrounded by a stunningly beautiful natural landscape, and surprises awaited us around every corner. ^^^Swans everywhere!  This elegant pair are part of a much larger population that calls Lake Zürich home. ^^^We spent an afternoon lounging in the sun at the one of Zurich’s waterfront parks.