After the thrill of Turkey we wanted our next destination to be relaxing and one where we can spend the hours simply strolling the streets at our own pace, without a lengthy itinerary. Enter: Zurich. 

When we landed in Zurich, we had no idea that we would be walking straight into one of the biggest carnivals in Switzerland -- the Zurich festival which takes place once every three years! At first, finding ourselves among the 2 million carnival attendees pouring out of every corner of Zurich CBD was unexpected but it also gave us the perfect chance to get some snacks, walk the streets and people watch everyone from the young and drunk to the old and sophisticated.

We started off by exploring Neiderdorfstrasse in Old Town, a lively street with views of Lake Zurich and plenty of places to shop and eat. Here we did a bit of shopping before buying the local specialty Raclette cheese on roasted potatoes with pickles and onions. This indulgent snack tasted unreal and I'm in half a mind to recreate it in my kitchen.

After seeing the city up close, we decided to get a bird's eye view by heading to Lindehof Hill. Again, the hill was covered in cute stalls and performances by local dance groups for festival. We got ourselves some mini donuts from a stall while soaking in beautiful views of Lake Zurich and the town. 

Our final stop for the day was to head to the lake itself with some delicious berry ice cream for dessert. We sat by the lake, watching the ferris wheel turn with excited occupants and families buzzing around to get the best of the festival before calling it a day. 

Our day in Zurich was the perfect combination of chilled out and lively and made the perfect in-between city as we headed onto the more jam-packed parts of our Europe trip.