Everyone knows that summer is the best time to be in Chicago. There are a million things to do:
- swim, hang at the beach, Navy Pier
- festivals, concerts, beer gardens
- Cubs, Cubs, Cubs
- beach volleyball, rec softball
- new restaurants, trolley rides
The same can be said for Zurich. There are “party trams” you can rent. Awesome.
You can swim in the lake, have a picnic, rent a boat, hike a mountain, attend a festival, get fat on sausage and fries, etc. The view of the Alps against the lake is like looking at my very own Monet painting every day and the breeze through the trees almost takes me back to my recent time in Nice & Cannes.
But the heat. That &$%#! heat.
Zurich and Chicago (this year at least) are also sharing Mother Nature’s sick sense of humor. In Chicago summer’s past, the weather would be about 40F right up until June 1st, and then by June 3rd it was 90F and humid. Awesome. Nice lead up.
Zurich thus far has been the exact same thing. There were about 4 days of lovely spring weather, but the majority of spring has been about 50F and rainy. It was like this when I left for my London/France trip last week. But then, as luck would have it, I returned to a beautiful spring day. It was glorious! I hiked, I swam, I relaxed! Summer was finally here!
Then yesterday and today – 90F. Seriously? Did we bring that much of Chicago with us upon landing here? Maybe I should give my permit back…
The heat makes you want to sit in front of a fan like this puppy here (by the way if you google image the word “hot” you get one pic of the sun and about 100 pics of Bollywood actresses….yeah, I don’t get it either).
What Zurich has over Chicago is less humidity, so my hair isn’t quite as afro-like over here. Additionally, I feel like the breeze is cooler overall on these hot days since it has the mountain backing it up. What Zurich is missing compared to Chicago is air conditioning. Yes, you read that correctly. Almost no buildings here have air conditioners in order to be energy efficient and earth-friendly. You’re welcome, Earth. Now get it together and cooperate already.
But I am being a complainy-pants here when I shouldn’t be. Everyone was so ready for warm, summer weather and it’s finally here. I am so happy the sun has been out and I can finally leave my home without a jacket of some sort on. The sun makes Zurich look like a completely different city and it makes me appreciate my new home that much more. Hopefully the temperature will level out soon.
Until next time…
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