Are you single? Here are alternative Valentine’s Day activities in Zürich.

If your love life could inspire Adele to write two albums, you are probably as excited as I am about Valentine’s Day.

I usually end up at home, snuggled up in a warm blanket, eating chocolate and watching Bridget Jones’s Diary. Staying at home always seemed the right option as all restaurants are usually overbooked with actual or potential love stories.

I decided that this year, it would be different. I am trading Adele for Beyoncé, and I am asking all my single ladies (and boys) to put their hands up! Here are some alternative Valentine’s Day activities especially for you:

Volunteer at an animal shelter.

This activity might require a little bit more preparation, but it will assure a huge amount of love in return. Rommy from Zürich Animal Protection assured me that there are several ways of volunteering with animals.

If you are interested into petting cats and walking dogs, there might be a need for you at the shelter closest to your home. Reach out by writing an email or calling them to set up an appointment.

You will also need to set a clear commitment: How often do you want to volunteer? And for how long? Say you have a busy schedule and you want to try it once a week for the next three months: Go for it! This is the activity that needs the most preparation – but it is also the most rewarding.

(Photograph courtesy Zürcher Tierschutz)
 

Treat yourself to a relaxing yoga session.

You cannot love someone else unless you love yourself. I do think that yoga paired with meditation is one way to achieve this goal. There are so many yoga studios around, so it is best to ask your friends for a recommendation.

Check whether classes are held in English, German or Swiss German. Sometimes, it is important to understand the instructions for the various poses – it can be hard to relax when you are trying to figure out what you are supposed to do…

Yoga is great because you can have a lot of alternatives and “twists” to it. Here are some which I thought were particularly interesting:

• Hot yoga in a room heated to 38 degrees Celsius.
• Hip hop and yoga offered online.
• Aerial yoga is also called antigravity yoga…

If you have never done yoga in your life, you are in for a treat. Trust me, you never knew how inflexible you are until you have tried yoga… The key is to keep on going. You will improve during every class and at one point, you will no longer be the worst person in the room!

Get locked up in an escape room.

I think a great anti-romance idea is to lock myself into a room with my single friends. To make sure there is no romance showing up, I would even do it in the shabbiest ambiance possible.

In fact, there is this new escape room in Zürich called ROOM67. Touted as the shabbiest hotel room around, it seems to me like the perfect anti Valentine’s Day plan.

I am so looking forward to try it very soon!

So, there you have it: Some unconventional options for Valentine’s Day.

The key for me will be to be with friends, receive love and get to know myself better. Of course, I would recommend these activities on any other day as well. In the end, if you still feel like eating chocolate and watching a movie, do it! This is one of the positives about living in Switzerland, after all.

Now, please tell me: Which chocolate goes best with The Notebook?