End of Chapter One

It took me about five days to recover fully from whatever ailment(s) I developed in Spain, but it did give me a chance to lay low for a while and read (what a concept?!). Prior to collapsing upon my return to Zurich, Henry and I took part in the community Passover Seder at the Reform synagogue (the congregation also refers to itself as "Liberal" and "Progressive") we frequented while in Zurich. I could not follow most of the German, but the Hebrew is the same and so are the Passover story and the traditional Passover foods. During my stay in Barcelona, Henry trammed over to Kosher City to supply us with matzos for the eight days of Passover. Kosher City is Zurich's one-stop, get everything you need for Passover, and more, store, though Henry described it as being more like a Dorf (village) than a City. The matzo was whole wheat and from France, baked by a family in the matzo business for six generations. Unlike U.S. or Israeli matzo I have had at home, this matzo had perforations, making it very easy to beak the matzo in half. However, as the Rabbi demonstrated at the Seder, this also made it very difficult to determine which half of the middle matzo was the "Affikomen", or bigger half! Never mind that halves are by definition equal. Seder aficionados will understand!

All of a sudden, our imminent departure from Zurich was upon us! We packed up most of our stuff and drove it to Munich the week before our formal departure. With beautiful weather and time for a leisurely drive, we ambled through Bavaria along the Alpine Road and the Romantic Road on the way to Munich, and overnighted in Diessen, along the Ammersee (one of a series of lakes to the southwest of Munich) on the way back to Zurich. We enjoyed the peaceful retreat before the arrival of anticipated summer vacation traffic. While in Munich, we took care of administrative items such as residency certificates, visas, and bank accounts. We also had a preview of our new living quarters in Schwabing, a "happening" area near Munich's Ludwig Maxmillian's University and English Garden. Unlike the more residential location of our apartment in Zurich, our new apartment sits amidst cafes, restaurants, and pubs.

It is unfortunate that we left Zurich just when the trees were starting to bloom, dandelions were sprouting everywhere, pansies and tulips were adorning copious flower beds, the sun was shining, and the outdoor cafes were covering the sidewalks. However, at least we were there to watch the Zurichers celebrate Sechselauten, a three-day weekend fete during which Zurichers say farewell to winter in a big way. Every year, on the the third weekend of April, Zurich is a festive sight: flags are flying everywhere--on the cathedrals as well as public buildings, storefronts, and homes; food and drink stalls are set up along the sidewalks; and games and rides are offered for children. On Sunday, thousands of people line the streets to watch the throngs of children, marching bands, horses, and carriages parading on the main streets along the quays and bridges of the Limmat River. All of the paraders don historical dress. The costumed children carry baskets of candy, and as they progress along the parade route, they toss the candy to eager youngsters lining the sidewalks. A second parade, with adult marchers donning historical guild costumes, takes place the next day, on Monday afternoon, a work holiday throughout the city. Historically, the marchers were all male, and women lined the streets with flower bouquets and passed them out to the male marchers. I am pleased to report that I sighted a number of women band members, albeit a small minority. At the end of the parades, a huge effigy of a snowman ("Boogg") is pulled along on a float by a team of horses. Wood branches are bound around the snowman's base, and at 6PM on Monday evening, the snowman is set on fire. Analogous to the groundhog as a weather predictor, the speed at which the snowman's head explodes portends how fine the upcoming summer will be--the quicker, the better! As a further welcoming of spring, Zurich holds its annual marathon the following weekend--just days after we cleaned out and cleared out of our Zurich apartment.

Speaking of cleaning, about a week before we left Zurich, we received a long list of "to do's" from the apartment managers. In essence, we were directed to return the apartment to the condition in which we received it. That included washing all windows, inside AND out, and washing AND ironing all linens, including the ones we needed to use the last night and morning of our stay. The "or else" was that the management would send in cleaners for which we would be charged at the rate of 50 Swiss Francs an hour! This is one more example of the high cost of service-oriented offerings in Zurich (same as restaurants and hair salons). Maybe I can get an equally high paying job when our sabbatical is over. In any event, I can now say I iron AND do windows!

Did we miss out on anything we wanted to do in and around Zurich, but did not get to? On our last weekend, Henry had his boat ride on the Zurichsee, on a warm and sunny day (just what he waited for), and he was wowed by a Truffe hot chocolate. I missed out on visiting Geneva, but because I have been there before, it was not a major setback. I spent my last few days in Zurich roaming through the old town, visiting one more museum exhibit, photographing the spring version of many sights of which I spent the first three months photographing the winter version, and doing last minute shopping. Together, Henry and I had a pleasant, final Sunday brunch, and we savored our final cheese fondue dinner on our last night in Zurich. With spring in the air, and well satisfied with our Swiss sabbatical, both Henry and I now look forward to new adventures in Germany.

Our finest meals, in no special order:
1. Dinner at L'Osteria Mamma Leone (Zurich)
2. Brunch at Sterne-Foifi (Zurich)
3. Dinner at Rosaly's (Zurich)
4. Dinner at Palmhof (Zurich)
5. Dinner at Giglio (Zurich)
6. Lunch at Zum Schutzenhaus(in Basel)
7. Lunch at Le Cheval Blanc (Sion)
8. Lunch at Osteria del Centenario (in Locarno)
9. Lunch at Linde (in Einsiedeln)
10. Lunch at Vela Bianca (next to the marina in Ascona)