Sun!!!

It took over a week and a half for us to see the sun here in Zurich, but it finally arrived yesterday. On Sunday, we had a sneak preview of sun when we took the train to Einsiedeln to visit Rod Franklin, a friend of ours from Del Mar who currently works just outside of Zurich. Because Einsiedeln is out of the valley in which Zurich sits, it does not suffer from overcast skies and it also doesn't suffer the lake effect from the Zurichsee (it's really a lake, but no matter). It was just as chilly in Einseideln as in Zurich, but the sky was wonderfully blue all day! The city of Einseideln was built around a monastery which continues functioning to this day. The friars produce some decent wine, which we had with our lunch. The outside of the monastery building does not prepare one for the rather over-the-top ornateness inside the cathedral. Cherubs and angels are not only part of the painted and gilded ceilings; they also hang over the nave. If cathedrals do rococo, then this is surely one of them! The apparent sighting of the black madonna is also reflected in several pieces. Rod has graciously invited us to stay at his apartment, which will make skiing quite a bit more convenient for me once I finish with my German classes.

I've been to several museums, and all exhibits have been impressive, especially in the quality of their presentation. It certainly helps that they all have English commentary, but they are also very informative. I bought a museum pass which gets me into most museums in Switzerland without additional entrance fees, so I've been able to go to a museum for an hour or so at a time, see one exhibit, and save the other exhibits for other days. It definitely breaks up the German studying time!

It's amazing how smoothly and precisely the bus, tram, train, and cable car system works around here. When the schedule says there's a 3-minute connection, you don't need to worry about making it. The Swiss pride themselves on keeping to the schedule.

If I gain a lot of weight while I'm away, I will likely be able to attribute it to all of the cheese I'm eating. The assortment is great, and all of it is good. We had cheese fondue for dinner the other day--Henry stopped at a shop where the number of grams of fondue cheese you request is grated for you on the spot. Just add wine and garlic and melt the cheese, and the delicious dinner is ready! Also, the Swiss apparently don't believe in skim milk. It's tough to find even low fat milk and yogurt, no less non-fat!