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Yodel ay hee hoo from Switzerland! If you are following me on Twitter (@JohnnyJet) or on Facebook, then you know I was in this beautiful country a few weeks ago on a blogger press trip. Unfortunately, my daily blog went down so I created some slideshows and my regular trip report. If you want to see pictures and read stories from the first half of the trip, which entails a four and a half hour train ride from Paris to Zurich on TGV and a tour around Zurich, then pack your bags and come with me!

SWISS WEATHER
In early May, it seems the weather in Switzerland can be a bit iffy. The week before I was there, they had clear blue skies and temperatures in the 70s. When I showed up, it was mostly cloudy with some light rain, and temperatures ranging from the high 40s to the low 60s. But even in those weather conditions, we all had a wonderful time - including Natalie (TrendyTravelista.com) who was also on the trip. FYI: For current Zurich weather conditions, log on to Weather.com.

SWITZERLAND SLIDESHOWS

Paris to Zurich by train

Getting around Zurich, Hotel Engimatt and cooking class at Hiltl

FAST FACTS: SWITZERLAND
-Switzerland's official name is Confoederatio Helvetica and if you want to learn how to pronounce that, then watch this 20-second video of our tour guide.

-Switzerland's population is 8 million.

-Zurich's city population 385,000 (30% are international).

-Zurich has more than 2,000 restaurants; that's one for every 188 inhabitants.

-There are 12 Starbucks in city. They also have McDonalds and Burger King - disappointing I know.

-If you want fast food, stay away from the American chains and grab a hot sausage.

-The Opera House is open from September to August and is considered one of the five best in Europe.

-In the summer, Zurich has 18 manmade beaches.

ZURICH'S TRANSFORMATION
My first visit to Zurich was in 1997, which was also my first visit to Europe. I met my brother Frank and Cousin AJ and we traveled all around: France, Spain, Italy and Switzerland. The city's attitude has changed a lot since then, when it was ultra conservative. Their image started changing around that same time and what kick started it was their now annual street parade, which takes place in August. Today, the city has over 500 clubs and they can stay open as long as they like. Before, everything had to close by midnight.

RENT A BIKE FOR FREE
One of the best things you can do in Zurich (and in most cities in Europe if the weather is nice), is rent a bike. From May to October, you can hire any of the 200 robust City Bikes for free. That's right! FREE! You don't need a reservation either; they're available seven days a week. All you need to do is show up at one of the locations (see below) with a valid form of ID and a deposit of CHF 20 ($18).
Globus City (9am-9.30pm)
Bürkliplatz (9am-9.30pm)
Oerlikon-Swissôtel (10am-9.30pm)
Bahnhof Enge (10am-9.30pm).

Note: Bikes are also available all year round at the Velogate (Swiss National Museum) and at the Bike Station South (Sihlpost). For more information, log on to Zürich on Wheels.

NEXT WEEK
Next week I will finish telling you about my Swiss trip as we travel to Lausanne and Montreux, then fly to New York in SWISS' brand new business class seat.

*PLEASE tell us what you think of this week's newsletter!

Note: This trip was sponsored in part by OpenSkies

Copyright 2010 JohnnyJet, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Pictures From

The Trip

Gare de L'est

Gare de L'est Clock

TGV

Inside Coach Class

Zurich Tram

Hotel Engimatt

Gas Prices

Swiss Chocolate

Swiss Nationalism

Zurich

Swiss Chef

Zurich Boat Ride

Hiking

Next Week