Zurich, or Who could ask for more?

Zurich offers a lake, distant mountains, a bookstore that shelves Andrea Camilleri next to Albert Camus, another that stocks a fine selection of international crime fiction, a hall that offers music from around the world, and a thriving, legal, well-regulated prostitution industry, all within walking distance of my hotel.

I won't have time to sample all, but it's nice to know they're there. I did browse and buy at a branch of the six-store Zurich-based Orell Füssli bookshop chain, gabbing about crime writing with a fellow shopper and a staff member who eagerly sought my suggestions and accepted my business cards.

Public transportation appears superb and service impeccable, but somehow I expected this.

© Peter Rozovsky 2012