The Swiss city of Zurich is only a 2 hour drive from Strasbourg -- just the perfect distance for a day trip. While my parents dismissed the city as an uninspiring business campus, I pushed to visit Zurich over the more popular Lucerne. Resisting the call of the alpine towns, I suggested we escape lazy Strasbourg for an urban adventure. Nestled between Lake Zurich and the River Limmat with the horizon framed by the Alps, Zurich has earned itself a place on the "World's Most Expensive Cities" list. And for good reason. The average consumer here appears to be the glitzy bankers and their wives and daughters. I've never seen so many Aston Martins in one place before, some with teenage girls behind the wheel.

There are few cars in the downtown area where a practical Swiss tram makes the rounds, doing its best not to hit the glitzy bankers and their wives as they shop at the Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Faconnable shops that line the street. If I wasn't dodging a tram, it was a bike with wide bicycle lanes everywhere we went.

Zurich also has the distinction of sitting high on many "quality-of-life" lists. So, as you would expect, everything about the city is immaculate, from the lakeside walkway to the expansive view of the Alps. After lunch, we wandered down along the lake where the Swiss were lounging in the sun, enjoying food at outdoor restaurants, and walking their dogs. I realized that Zurich is really not that large of a town -- a place like this in any other city would probably be overrun with people. In fact, it would be a stretch for Zurich to reach half a million people. Nevertheless, the city has been successful modeling itself as a European headquarters of sorts. Banks, insurance companies and other corporate offices have moved in, attracted to the quality of life and the ideal location at the center of Europe.

I have two things I must do in every new city I visit: eat and walk. The first order of business was rather easy given, again, the number of bankers willing to shell out cash for a good meal. After a bit of heated discussion, we settled on a delightful restaurant, À l'Opéra, just oppposite Zurich's Opera house. The interior was painted in Baroque style with motifs depicting famous opera scenes. The service was impeccable, with the restaurant manager making the rounds every now and again to check on the clientele. I enjoyed Zurich-style veal with roasted potatoes.

We spent the rest of the day looking for the rythm of the city. We were drawn towards the spires that frame the skyline and wound up listening to a free concert of contemporary music. I would bill it more a "clamour" of odd notes and instruments. And after 15 minutes, I had to walk out it was so unnatural.

That didn't colour my opinion of Zurich, and I left with a tinge of jealousy for those who call this place home. They live in a charming, if not manageably expensive, city placed in a perfect setting with handsome people, great food and even a national airline to take you wherever you might want to go. Now, if they could only work on their taste for music.