Zurich has it all. It's a cosmopolitan centre, where, as an 'outsider', you can happily walk around without being stared at. I have to say, though, one of my favourite things so far is 'Im Viadukt'. This is a trendy part of town, where the old viaduct arches have been converted into shops and now house fashionable boutiques. Tim and I were lucky to discover that the Spanish culture shop, El Social, offers free taster Argentine tango sessions and so went to sample this exotic dance yesterday afternoon. In a nutshell, we discovered we are as bad at dance coordination and hip movement as each other, but we had fun in the meantime.
Our instructor was very Argentine, and led us through the steps with an impossible swing of the hips. He made the dance steps look like movement; we, by contrast, looked like we were clomping around the dance floor, very much a la John Sergeant. We managed not to fall over though, and by the end could go forwards, backwards and sideways, and even fit in some cheeky turns. Afterwards we had a look around the shops. There is, wait for it... A British cheese shop there! They even stock Wensleydale and Isle of Mull cheddar! Tim was delighted to sample some, and we ended up coming away with a chunk of Stilton. How very delicious. And so refreshing, after the Austrian attitude of 'ugh, all British food is disgusting'.
Another interesting shop, though not my cup of tea, is called Freitag. It stocks bags made from old truck tarpaulins, and each one is completely unique. Very eco-minded, but super expensive and they stink! The shop is funky, though, and in old truck containers. You can climb to the top of them all and look out at the view, but they rather unnervingly sway in the wind and as other people climb the stairs... Next week, I will be sampling a free yoga session at Im Viadukt. Switzerland may be expensive, but they certainly offer benefits..
