I must begin by apologizing for my unexplained absence yesterday in my writing. For the record, let me just be clear about one thing. I did blog yesterday. I wrote the entire thing, I posted my pictures, and then I pushed the "Publish" button. Then, technology bit me in the ass. There were a few drafts in the list, so I went to delete them, but somehow, I ended up deleting the post I had just made, so all that work went down the drain. I was furious and, in my exhausted, frustrated stupor, I refused to attempt it again that night. Instead, I will just merge yesterday's events with that of today. I woke up rather late, as it turned out. I must have been tired from the hiking in Aarau the day before. Anyway, I got up, and I went to the train station in an attempt to reach the water. I was told, previously, that I could reach the water via the train station. However, once I got there, I found no way to get to the water, so, instead, I scouted ahead to see where I need to report today to get on my bus. I found it easily enough, and since I had an afternoon to kill, I kept walking past the bus station to see what was beyond. Lo and behold, I found a park, on the other side of a river that cut along that street. The area was quite beautiful. Again, I was amazed at how a city as big as Zurich could find such a healthy balance between industry and nature, between rural and urban. I found a park bench to sit on and enjoy the view of the serene river that shifted before me. The area seemed to be pretty popular to the locals of all ages. The children were playing, the elderly were chatting, and the youngsters were, of course, making out publicly. Either that is just a European thing, or my hometown is just way too innocent, in a manner of speaking. After admiring the sights, I continued on up a path, and I found something quite amazing. It was a chess match in the works. But it was unlike anything I had ever seen.

I played the kid on the left, and I lost a close match. We parted ways as friends, but my mind still couldn't get over what I had just witnessed! I walked back to the station and hoped on the tram that would take me back. However, before I would go back to the room, I decided to stop off at another park area, one that was close to the University. Spring is really in full bloom here, and it really is spectacular to witness. Everything thing is vibrant and alive. The wind is never more than a slight breeze, the air is clean and crisp, and there is minimal pollution that I can detect. The trees compliment the sunlight that breaks through. The paths direct you deeper and deeper into is bosom of beauty. I found some slabs of rock that were jutting out of the hill, and I sat down, overlooking the river that ran through. Everywhere, there were people coming and going. There were quite a few college students sitting nearby, doing their reading/studying. I was among my fellow scholarly peers. I walked around for a bit, but there were only so many paths I could take. I wish I had a much more effective way of capturing the moments I find myself in these days because my simple camera doesn't do my surroundings any justice. What I am able to capture is a fragment of what can be seen with the naked eye. I went back to the room and prepared a meal. I have to say that throughout my entire stay in Switzerland, I have yet to eat out. Everything is so expensive here, and the supplies that I buy to make a meal back in the room is expensive enough. I can't even imagine how much it would cost to eat out, even with a small portion. I find it is better, cheaper, and, probably, healthier my way.
Today, I awoke, and, after attaining new directions, I went to find the water. I had to stop off and get on different trams a few times, but I did, finally, find it. It wasn't quite like I pictured, but it was still pretty cool. Basically, from where I got off, I followed the river. Clearly, this was where everyone hung out, either on their breaks, or just for fun. It was extremely crowded and popular. Of course, beggars and street performers were popular here as well. Ducks and Swans playfully swam along the shore, and a few even came onto the sidewalks to engage with the people. The children sure didn't mind. It was a bit of a walk, but I got to a point where it was clear I could go no further. I would have had to have walked through the entire city of Zurich to get to another picturesque spot. The river opened and expanded into a bigger lake. The sunlight glistened across the lapping waves. I found a spot to sit and admire the view. I was entranced by the water's ebb and flow, how it would consume the rocks and then leave them bare. I watched the barges and boats dance among the waves. But, what really captivated my attention more than anything were the mountains in the distance. These mountains were covered with snow. Unfortunately, there were extremely far away, so my camera didn't capture their true essence. Lesson learned, next time I go anywhere, I am bringing my good camera. I don't care the risks. I sat down there, pretty much all afternoon, watching events transpire. I watched the boats picking up and dropping off. I witnessed some couples on the grass, exchanging their life stories. I heard a Japanese group behind me on the benches. I saw some fellow tourists, and I deduced who there were by their confused expression in regards to the signs in German. One may think that enjoyment from anything can only come by actively doing something, but sometimes, enjoyment can come from doing nothing. Just sitting still and taking in everything. In effect, this act of "nothing" is actually "something." While others are off in Rome, Barcelona, Malta, etc, I am here, doing my thing, and enjoying myself to the fullest. It is just unfortunate that I have to leave today. My buss leaves at 8:30, so I have a bit of time left before I go. I will utilize this time to pack up and finish any other last minute tasks. I will try and blog upon my return, but I have no guarantees. Hell, I don't even know if this will make it up, either. So help me, if this post gets deleted as well, I will throw this computer at the wall. Be prepared. Anyway, that was it for the past two days. Understand that I gave you the shortened version due to my shortage of time. I hope that is OK, and pray that I arrive back home safely. I thank all of you for following my adventures, and I hope that many more will come. If you have any commentary, please feel free to express it. If you have any recommendations to my writing style, feel free to make them as well. As for now, I am off. Stay safe, my friends, and "May The Odds Be Ever In Your Favor!"
                                                                                        -Anthony-