Partly because it was cheaper, partly because we wanted to get more miles, Abram and I made our last stop in Zurich on the way home. Neither of us could argue with an extra airline (that's five so far!) and another stamp in our thickening passports. We booked the Marriott downtown for $US95 on Priceline and zipped downtown on the train after our SWISS flight from Istanbul. The staff at the hotel were welcoming and put us in a quiet room on the far side of the hotel. But our stomachs were telling us that it was not yet time to settle down for the evening, so we stepped outside.

The air was cold. Sitting at 1,345 feet above sea level, Zurich is a picturesque city with its lake and Alpine backdrop. The cobbled streets of the 12th-century Old Town were glistening in the Christmas lights, and every few minutes the "ding-ding" from a tram would signal its passing. In some ways, Zurich seemed more like a resort than a city. We felt safe walking down the streets, still teeming with life. The city was easy to navigate and almost everyone we ran into spoke English. The Grossmünster church even had its characters, with the 16th century statue of Charlemagne scowling down on us from his perch.

The prices we found in every restaurant we visited confirmed Zurich's resort status, too. After living on the cheap in Turkey, we could not find a place to eat for less than $US25. One of us, I'm not sure who anymore, even dared to breathe that prohibited word: "We could eat at... McDonalds." We looked at each other and shook our heads. Never. We finally found a place that could serve a meal for under $US20, but they didn't take credit cards and we had no cash. The hunt continued until, close to 10PM we gave in to the hunger pangs at Restaurant WEISSER WIND on Oberdorfstrasse.

Thirty dollars later, we drifted to sleep on our beds, dreaming of Heidi, tidiness and secret bank accounts.