june 28, 2010. zürich.

When I arrived in Zürich, there were several things running through my mind. How would I greet Iwan and what would be the first words I say to him? What could we possibly do in Zürich? I had no idea what there was to see or do in the city. Not a good way to start a trip. I was also extremely exhausted and thirsty. And on top of that, it was exceptionally warm. I had worn three layers only to keep me warm during flights because it's always cold on flights. Thus, the combination of the Swiss heat, weariness, airplane air, and nervousness made me feel a bit sick.

Nonetheless, I slowly made my way to the luggage area and waited for my stuff. As I waited, I took a quick glance out the other side of the glass windows where people were waiting for arrivals. I thought I had seen Iwan but decided to look away so that my greeting wasn't ruined. I wanted to save the excitement for when I was actually in hugging distance. It took some time for my luggage to come out but eventually I got my things, exchanged some money, and rushed out the exit. I immediately saw Iwan and ran in for a big hug. I was thoroughly happy to see him.

We headed for the train to go into Zürich proper and Iwan offered me some water and fruit. That was just what I needed because after some water and an apple, I felt significantly better and ready to talk my head off. We aimlessly walked around Zürich and Iwan showed me some stores, historical buildings, and the lake. We had some awesome kebap for lunch and watched the Netherlands play a World Cup game. One of the more amazing things I saw was the Freitag store. Iwan is totally into designs and urban cultures and so he thought it would be cool to show me the store. He knew that I'd like it as well.

The entire store is made out of containers and it spirals up quite a few container-stories where at the top one can get a beautiful view of the city. The store sells bags, wallets, and other accessories made out of used leather from old trucks and cars. Pretty neat idea but also very expensive.

At the end of the day, we took the train to Bern, his home, and there I met his fun-loving and hospitable roommates Flo and Nüssbu.