Perhaps I was a bit ******* Zürich. After all, a city that has accumulated so much wealth and guarded it so effectively must have something going for it. We began our day wandering toward Lake Zürich. Near the shoreline but in close proximity to the business district stood a bustling open-air market where bakers, farmers, flower vendors, and others hawked their wares to the locals. Even the farmers and vendors employed Swiss efficiency in the ways the...

Sometimes vanilla tastes fine ... so long as it is what you expected. Zürich seems to deserve its reputation as a highly livable city. It has an easily navigated tram system (reportedly among the world's most largest), a vibrant medieval center with multiple clanging clock towers, and a world-class shopping district. The lake is full of sailing boats, and on clear days, alpine peaks line the distant horizon. And the city's architecture is exactly as you wou...