Finding
a holiday last minute means you end up going to places you’ve
never thought of going. This was the story behind our holiday
to Zurich. We arrived with jackets and thermals to 20 degrees
Celsius. And the weather only got better. After finding our
central hotel, the hotel Bristol we wandered off to explore
the left bank of Zurich. The buildings are similar in style
to those of Brussels. The river Limmat is one of two rivers
flowing through the city. Standing on the bridge looking down
to Zurich Lake was a very beautiful sight. We walked right down
to the Lake and along the left hand shores. That’s where
everyone was. It was packed. We headed back towards town in
search of a table to get an ice cream. After stalking a few
different tables we managed to secure one and enjoyed a Hagen
Daas delight.
The only
way I can think to describe my feelings of today was that my
eyes were very happy. We took a bus tour to Mt Rigi. On the
way we stopped off at a cheese factory to see how it was produced.
It was located in Schwyz, a small town from which Switzerland
takes its name. A short slide show told us of life in the Alps
as it still is today. The farmer hand milked the cows, made
hay by hand as well as producing cheese and generally having
a lot of fun in the alpine huts during the summer months. In
the villages machines are used. You can see the process here.
We had a short stop to photograph the mountain before we tackled
it. We drove through a few more villages with Heidi like houses
before we got to Arth Goldau. Here we boarded Europe’s
oldest cog train to the top of Mt Rigi, also known as the Queen
of the Mountains. The scenery on the way up was beautiful. The
snow was melting and so many waterfalls were visible. The train
stopped a few feet short of the top and so after lunch we climbed
the few remaining feet to the summit. Looking around I could
see some of the greatest views I’ve ever seen. I felt like
I was on top of the world. Even though there was still snow
around it wasn’t at all cold. We took a different root
down which also offered gorgeous views. On our journey home
we stopped in Einsiedein. This monastery was built over 1000
years ago. In the Church stands the famous Black Madonna. It
is the most famous place of pilgrimage in Switzerland. Here
I also photographed the Easter Bell, and as its name suggests
it only blooms at Easter. During the drive home I still got
the chance to feast my eyes on the beautiful countryside and
small villages of what was a truly memorable day.
On the flight
over Gavin spotted a couple he knew from Midland Health so we
caught up with them this evening. For dinner we had a speciality
of Switzerland, Raclette. After an explanation from the waiter
we were underway cooking our own meal. A device similar to a
frying pan was placed on the table. We placed our meat on the
top and the cheese went under the hot plate until it was melted.
Then you put the meat, potatoes and other salad on your plate
and scrapped the newly melted cheese over the top. It was a
lot of fun and certainly the most novel meal I’ve eaten
at a restaurant. It was a very enjoyable evening to top off
a super day.
We relaxed
on Sunday in the Embankment next to the National Museum. This
park used to be known as needle park because of the drug abusers.
Thankfully it was cleaned up and was a perfect place to read
our books. Gavin went back to watch the Grand Prix and I followed
some walking tours in our city guide. Bahnhof Strasse is one
of Europe most famous shopping streets. Unfortunately I could
only window-shop due to it being Easter Sunday. I followed little
alleyways and fell in love with the medieval part of town. There
were lovely cobbled narrow alleys with fountains on every corner.
Zurich has the world’s largest number of fountains. I found
a square where men were playing life size chess. The late afternoon
sun really set the scene. It was absolutely beautiful. The view
across the river shows the Grossmunster. The reformation took
place in Zurich in 1519 and this is the religion's main cathedral
of Zurich. As I walked back down from the square there was a
tablet in the wall that is Zurich’s oldest document. It
is a gravestone for the chief customs officer dating to 200
AD. St Peters church has the largest clock face in Europe, 8.7
metres in diameter. Down a side alley the remains of some roman
baths are visible. Further down the road I came across the Fraumunster,
a convent for ladies of high nobility. It was extremely peaceful
peaking through the wrought iron gates. The walls are painted
fresco style. I walked back along the left bank of the river.
This picture shows a woman’s floating public bath.
After returning to the hotel and picking up Gavin we took a
riverboat trip all the way down to the Lake. The boat was very
low down in the water and this was necessary due to the low
bridges. We got off at the Lake and walked back past the Chinese
Gardens and then took a tram back to central Zurich. It was
time for another trip back up the mountains. Well Uetliberg
is more of a hill really. Again it was by way of train and then
a ten minute walk to reach the summit. The views over Zurich
were again stunning and we managed to pick out a few landmarks.
We dined at the restaurant on the top and watched the views
turn into beautiful light shows. A bottle of Zurich wine really
topped the evening and our holiday off perfectly. Next morning
we were returning to London. I really loved visiting Switzerland
for a second time.
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