Catching up

We had a few days of "this and that" before our next visitors, Linda and Marc, arrived. We held back on fondue until we could share it with Linda and Marc, but we did seek out and find several good restaurants. One was Mama Leoni's, which was not too far from the Reform Synagogue (one of only two in Switzerland--most others appear to be Orthodox) at which we attended services. The restaurant was a Michelin Red pick, and, as usual, Michelin was on target. Yes, it's another Italian restaurant, but Zurich, not to mention southeastern Switzerland (where Italian is the main language), has lots of them.

We finally had sun and relative warmth in Zurich on Saturday. We walked along Lake Zurich and the Limmat River (which flows through the city), and enjoyed seeing the many cafe tables and chairs fill the sidewalks. Even better, people were leisurely imbibing their cappuccinos, beers, bottled waters, etc. and savoring sweet offerings as they, too, took in the sun's rays. Benches line the river banks and they were filled as well. As we strolled, we witnessed our first Swiss protest march (equal rights for women, we think, but perhaps it was a march for whoever wanted to protest). We couldn't quite figure out the common theme among the various placards and flags. In any event, between the relatively sedate marchers and the limited, though visible, police presence, it was almost a non-event for those of us who remain somewhat German language challenged.

On Sunday, we met up with our Del Mar friend, Rod (who lives in Einsiedeln), and headed for real warmth, i.e., south of the St. Gotthard pass. We found more sun and warmth at Lake Maggiore. The train from Zurich was packed--not just with the skiers who exited the train near the Pass, but with many others heading for warmer weather. According to Rod, this weekend exodus continues to grow into the summer. We left the well-beaten path at Locarno and went just a few kilometers south to Ascona. We found another excellent restaurant at the edge of Lake Maggiore, where we discarded our jackets, (at least I) rubbed in the SPF 50 sunblock, and had a three-hour lunch (more so because, for whatever reason, the waiter apparently had no interest in "turning over the table" than because we insisted upon lingering). The setting was perfect. The only oddity was the sharp contrast between the restaurant staff's leisurely pace and the doggedness of a group of new customers who "seized" our table. When we stood up from the table and as the waiter disappeared inside to run the credit card, the new customers swarmed in out of nowhere and sat down at the table before we had the credit card back and our belongings collected, and before the table was cleaned and re-set. When the waiter returned with the receipt, he was appalled to see that the table was already re-occupied. I can only imagine what the waiter thought, but given that restaurant and cafe proprietors in this culture show no apparent concern over a customer nursing a coffee or other beverage for what could be hours, the waiter most assuredly thought the new customers had rather bad form!

As if on schedule, the cold and rain/snow returned after the weekend. Undeterred, I took a short trip to St. Gallen, wandered through the old town (just about every Swiss city has an "old town", but some have more tourist oriented shops than others), visited a few museums, a couple of churches, and the abbey library, and had lunch at Am Gallusplatz (another Michelin Red recommended restaurant). At the end of the 19th century, 50% of the world's textile production came from St. Gallen. The city is still known for its lovely embroideries. A special quilt exhibit was the highlight of my visit to the city's textile museum. As our friend, Rod, predicted, the city's main cathedral, which is known for its ornate interior, did not hold a candle to the over-the-top rococo decoration of the monastery in Einsiedeln. The abbey library, on the other hand, was very impressive, not only for its rococo interior, but even more so for its wonderful collection of "ancient" books dating as far back as the 700's. Because the wood, parquet floor is also somewhat of a spectacle (but nowhere close to as impressive as the walls and ceiling), all visitors are required to don slippers before entering the library. I couldn't get myself out of the city until I had a hot chocolate made with 70% cocoa. It was definitely the best hot chocolate I had ever tasted--at least until later in the week, when Marc, Linda, and I happened upon a shop called "Chocomotion". The hot chocolate cost almost twice as much as in St. Gallen (no surprise--Zurich is one of the most expensive cities in Europe), but it easily took the top spot on my hot chocolate list!

Linda and Marc got our personalized meandering tour of Zurich, which of course featured our hausgemachte fondue. We also had good enough weather (but not quite good enough for Henry, who stayed home and worked and/or dreamt equations) to take a boat ride on Lake Zurich. While it was still a bit overcast and chilly on the water, we enjoyed the scenery perfectly well from a spot inside the cabin. Linda and Marc rented a car on Friday, and I joined them on a drive to Bern, the capital of Switzerland. Zentrum Paul Klee, which houses several thousand works by Swiss native son, Paul Klee, was our first stop. One of the fascinating aspects of this relatively new museum (which would comply with the ADA in the US!) is the use of movable exhibit walls. As the exhibit themes change and the curators periodically switch out portions of the Klee collection, the walls can easily be moved to accommodate different display designs. Following the recommendations of the clerk at the museum information desk (despite the friendly ridicule I receive from the rest of my family for the frequency with which I stop at information booths, "the 'i's' have it", and this one was well worth the stop), we strolled to a park overlooking the Aare River and Bern's old town and had lunch at the Rosegarten Restaurant at the top of the hill. We continued our stroll across the Aare and through the old town. Along the way, we visited the famous "Bernese Bear" which is housed in a large pit at the river's edge. "Ba(umlaut)rn means "bear". The duke who created the city in the late 12th century decided to give it the name of the first animal killed on his hunt in the area. The bear is also featured on the canton's flag. Frankly, the bear looked bedraggled and both looked and was imprisoned. Poor bear! Although Bern's old town is very commercial, the highlight is the 15th to 17th century clock tower, where mechanized figurines put on a little performance every hour.

Speaking of clocks, I also visited Zurich's very interesting clock and watch museum. Actually, it's the Beyer family's private collection. Clocks and watches from ancient times until the 20th century are on display. Some are extremely ornate, while others are noteworthy in their simple precision. No, folks, there are no Casio digital watches in the collection!

It has been wonderful having guests, despite the extra laundry and cleaning chores, and we look forward to Sara's arrival tonight. Abroad since the end of August 2008, she is stopping in Zurich to sleep and do laundry. We will accept as much parent-daughter bonding as Sara is willing to offer, and visa versa.