A lazy Sunday afternoon in Zurich

↑ Zurich lakeside park along General-Guisan-Quai

Another lazy Sunday afternoon, we ended up walking along Zurich lakeside. The plan was to walk all the way from Zurich lakeside to Zurich old town where we would have Spanish tapas for lunch.

I particularly like the park running along General-Guisan-Quai. In spring time, flowers are blooming. Birds are singing. People are playing ball games at the park. I, without fail, always ask myself: Isn't this almost heaven?

In summer, the grassy parks on the lake shore are jammed with hive of activity. It's a popular meeting place for roller-skaters, bathers, street artists and people who do nothing but just stare at Zurich Lake (or Zuerichsee in German).

Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland with a population of 376,815 at the end of 2007. It is the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is also Switzerland's main commercial and cultural centre. According to several surveys in 2006 and 2007, Zurich was named the city with the "best quality of life" in the world.


↑ View over the Alps. A visit to Zurich should end with a boat ride around Zurich Lake.

When we arrived at the old town, we were confronted by this majestic looking church. It's Grossmünster Church. The twin spires of the Grossmünster Church are a distinctive feature of Zurich’s cityscape.


↑ Grossmünster Church

According to legend, Charlemagne discovered the graves of the city's martyrs Felix and Regula and had a church built as a choristers' cloister on the spot. Construction work on the present building began around 1100. In the first half of the 16th century, the Grossmünster was the starting point of the Swiss-German Reformation led by Huldrych Zwingli and Heinrich Bullinger.


↑ Limmat River rises in Zurich city at the north end of Zurich Lake



↑ View of Limmat River with Grossmünster Church in the background



↑ Teuscher - one of the most exclusive chocolatiers in Switzerland

While there are many first-rate chocolatiers in Zurich, the crown must go to Teuscher. Founded by Dolf Teuscher more than 60 years ago, it specializes in truffles, either its signature champagne truffles or its equally superb cocoa, orange, kirsch or nougat varieties.



↑ Fraumünster Church

Founded in 853 by King Louis the German, Fraumünster Church with its convent was inhabited by the female members of the aristocracy of southern Germany. It enjoyed the patronage of kings and the right to mint coins in Zurich until well into the 13th century.



↑ Zurich city with its historical buildings




↑ Aston Martin

Car watching is a must in Zurich. You don't have to be a car enthusiast to notice all the expensive cars on the road. Ferrari, Porsche, Maserati etc you name it, you'll find it on the road. In fact, driving BMW and Mercedes is so common in Zurich that nobody will bother to turn his head. Only the occasional Lamborghini gets such a privileged treatment.

On the way back to our carpark, we passed by Zurich lakeside again. I took the following picture and I couldn't help remembering what a Swiss friend once told me: It's easy to own a boat in Zurich but to get a parking for the boat is a fucking pain in the arse!

Well, second thought, perhaps it's easier to own an Aston Martin afterall. At least, it's easier to get a carpark.......



↑ Zurich Lakeside with all the modest looking boats. Privately-owned big boats are not allowed on Zurich Lake.

Geneva old town

This year we spent our Christmas in Nyon. Nyon is a municipality in the district of Nyon, in canton Vaud in Switzerland. It is about 25km from the city of Geneva. It's a lovely town lies on the shore of Lake Geneva.

Petty's family lives there.

On Christmas Day itself, after an extremely heavy breakfast consisting of fua gras, smoked salmon, toasts, parma ham and various types of French/Swiss cheeses, we were stuffed till we could hardly breathe. Lying on my mom-in-law's sofa, we looked as if we were about to doze off for the day. Seeing us in such a state of sluggishness, Petty suggested, "why don't we go to Geneva old town for a spin?"

I wasn't exactly thrilled about the idea as I'd been to Geneva many times. On two occasions I was there on business trip. But then I must admit I didn't spend much time there during each of my visits. And so I couldn't form an unbiased opinion about Geneva. My only impression was that Geneva was a messy place with lots of foreigners hanging around the city centre. Not a particularly good impression, right?

But Geneva old town is an entirely different world!

When we arrived at Geneva old town, I was struck dumb by what I'd seen as we were driving pass this church.


The Russian Orthodox Church

Topped with golden domes in the shape of huge onions, this beautiful 19th century Russian Orthodox Church left me speechless. "Stop the car! Stop the car!" At one click, I got myself the first photo of our trip to the old town.

My travel brochure told me that back in 1859, the tolerant Geneva Authority authorised the building of a church for the growing Russian Orthodox population in the city. The Grand Duchess Anna Fyodorovna who was the aunt of Queen Victoria and the sister-in-law of Tsar Alexander I, was at the time residing in Geneva. She funded the construction of the church. It was completed in 1866.

Not far away from the church, I found the majestic-looking The Museum of Art and History.


The Museum of Art and History

Designed by architect Marc Camoletti, the construction of The Museum of Art and History spanned over 7 years from 1903 to 1910. It was built as an encyclopedic museum housing Swiss and European arts and artifacts dating back to pre-historical times. It has by far the largest collection of Egyptian antiques in Switzerland.

As I was wandering around, I saw this bronze sculpture on the green field right in front of the museum.


I was wondering: Can it be Henry Moore? It CAN'T be Henry Moore right? I CAN'T be so fortunate that I just stumble upon Henry Moore as casually as this on a field in Geneva right? RIGHT? RIGHT? When I moved closer to the bronze figure, I noticed a small plaque with these words engraved on it: Reglining Figure Arch Leg H. Moore 1973.

OMG, IT IS INDEED THE WORK BY THE GREATEST ENGLISH SCULPTOR HENRY MOORE!!!

It's a shame the Geneva Authority has misspelled 'Reclining' as 'Reglining'.

At this point I was getting ecstatic and I called out for Petty and the kids to join me in my discovery. But they were nowhere to be found. By the time I caught up with them, they were standing in front of this mosaic fresco by Alexandre Cingria depicting Julius Caesar’s arrival in the city in 58 BC.



I suppose 58 BC was a time of utmost violence and turbulence. Do you notice, a coloured man, stripped naked, tied by the hands with a rope, watching the victorious parade by Caesar?

As we approached Place de la Taconnerie, we were confronted by a bronze sculpture of Prophet Jeremie by Auguste de Niederhäusern-Rodo.


Jeremie by Rodo

In front of the sculpture stands St. Peter's Cathedral. It is best known for the adopted home/church of John Calvin, one of the leaders of the protestant reformation.

In 1536, The Catholic Cathedral of St. Peter became a protestant church. John Calvin preached here from 1536 to 1564. During such time the cathedral became the guiding centre of Protestantism.


St. Peter's Cathedral

Construction on St. Peter's Cathedral began in 1160 and lasted 150 years. However, recent excavations on the site have revealed a rich history dating back to the Roman Empire.


Another corner of the Cathedral

One can't afford to visit Geneva without checking out its fashion scene. I am crazy about shoes. I found it difficult to drag myself away from this shop window.



Along Place de la Taconnerie, I came across this cute little cafe with warm dim light piercing through its window curtains. Given the weather condition, which was so damned cold, it was indeed a very seductive invitation for us to go in for a cup of hot chocolate!




I also found this antique shop selling artifacts from Byzantine and post Byzantine era. The shop window is so tiny it's befitting a scene from Gulliver's Travel.

And not forgetting this delicate-looking bronze sculpture in front of a main door.



Such intricate artwork. I quickly whipped out my camera for a picture.

Just as I was about to click on it, all of a sudden, I heard someone barking right next to my left ear, "IT'S SO BLOODY COLD! LET'S GET OUT OF HERE!!"

It was Petty. I could hardly understand why he was wearing leather jacket when the weather was so cold. What a killjoy. I haven't covered Geneva old town properly. But I can always come back.

A walk along Waegitalersee

From Wikipedia:
Wägitalersee is an artificial lake in Wägital, a valley in the canton of Schwyz, Swizterland. The lake is surrounded by the mountains Gross Aubrig, Fluebrig, Zindlenspitz, Brünnelistock and Bockmattli. The reservoir is located in the municipality of Innerthal. The primary economical purpose of the Wägitalersee is to serve as reservoir for pumped-storage hydro-electricity. The power became operational in 1924, thereby creating the Wägitalersee.

Phew, that's Wikipedia out of the way. Let's get down to business.

The Swiss people take their outdoor activities very seriously. You'll find them doing some kind of sports even when it's raining or snowing. The masses like cycling, jogging, hiking and such activities. The dare-devils go for snowboarding, skiing, sailing, hand-gliding etc. This kind of Swiss mentality has a positive effect on us. Come on, even our retired neighbours are riding their mountain bikes every now and then, and they look as fit as bull fighters (OK, maybe not quite there yet).

Therefore we make a point to get out of our house on weekend. We usually go for a long walk. That's how we ended up in Innerthal on a Sunday afternoon. As you've noticed from Wikipedia above, Wägitalersee (Wägitaler Lake) is an artificial lake located in Innerthal.

Our aim was quite ambitious. We wanted to walk round the lake. We reckoned it might take about 3 hours. 3 hours? With Petty pushing Piggy in a baby stroller? And Bearbear? He's only four and a half years old. And what about me? I just gave birth to Piggy 7 months ago. According to Chinese custom, women who have just given birth should be pampered and treated like gold. Moreover, I gave birth to Piggy in the year of the Golden Pig. It's not just any pig, it's THE GOLDEN PIG! In Chinese lunar calendar, this can only happen once every 60 years! (According to Korean calendar, this happens only once in 600 years!) OK, I'm getting out of track here. But the point I am making is, I shouldn't be walking for 3 hours in this cold weather in my post-natal condition. But then, Petty was very persistent. He is the typical Swiss who rants about, yeah, a bit of exercise won't do you no harm dear, bla bla bla. In the end I gave in. Exercise can do us no harm. Period.


Innerthal is a very small village with a tiny population of 200. In 1924, the old village of Innerthal was flooded when the dam Schräh was constructed. A new village was then built along the current lake.

There were many plane trees along the lake. In winter time, all their leaves fell off but they were still standing strong in the bitter cold weather.

I found the weather extremely cold that day. I was walking, step by step, grinding my teeth along the way. Petty was giving encouragement of some sort: Hey, if we can walk round the whole lake, I'll treat you lot to pork fillets at the nearby restaurant!

To hell with his pork fillets! I was feeling so cold I couldn't even bring myself to eat a piece of dragon fillet!

Luckily a girl friend of mine came along with us. She was so well prepared for this walking trip. She lent me her woollen hat. She even let me use her hand phone to take all the pictures I have posted here. Lovely, aren't they?

This time last year Wägitalersee was frozen but look at it now - sunshine was plentiful here. It makes me wonder - could it be that global warming has already had an effect on this part of Switzerland?

Take a look at the colours on this photo above - the contrast of white snow against a backdrop of blue sky is just magnificent.

When I moved the lens a bit further away from the mountain, now, now you'll get to see the Swiss flag in the corner of the picture above.

The Swiss, I must say, are extremely proud of their tiny country. This winter wonderland is like a country girl with great natural beauty. That's why her people are so willingly flying her flags to show that they are truly proud to be Swiss.

We didn't manage to walk round Wägitalersee that day. And yet Petty still took us to the restaurant for a very delicious lunch of perch fillets.

This husband is not bad after all.