The City of Zurich

Upon our return to Zurich we immediately began a city tour.  It is a city of almost 1/2 million people.  Since we started the tour at the train station we learned that there are over 2,900 arrivals and departures daily out of a station that was built in 1871.

From the station we walked through the shopping district to the old part of town that was created during the 12th to 14th centuries.  Much of what we saw today is the same as when John and I struck out on our own the first day we arrived nine days ago.

One place we had not seen was the Police Station.  It started out as an orphanage and thru the years has changed.  One striking feature of the building is the reception hall that was created with arched ceilings and is brightly painted to create the illusion of light.

Here are some interesting things about Zurich: St. Peter’s church has the largest clock in Europe at 8 meters diameter (27 ft).  Vladimir Lenin lived in Zurich for a year in 1916-17.  The Dada art movement began here in 1916. The Swiss eat 9.8 kilos of chocolate per year as compared to the US at only 4.3 kilos. All the buildings along the river belong to the city.

They have a very unique celebration at the end of the winter and beginning of spring when they create a very, very tall stack of wood that is topped with a snowman who is filled with explosives.  They then light the wood pyre and when the heat reaches the snowman it explodes sending the crowds into a frenzie.

Bernina Express

Today we got to experience the Alps as we went through the Bernina Range into Italy. 

From St. Moritz we climbed to an altitude of 2,091 meters (7,435 ft) at the Alp Grum Station where we had a view of the Palu Glacier and as we came down we could see the Palu Lake.  This area is the divide between the German Swiss and the Italian Swiss Alps.  Snow at this altitude can be over 20 feet high.

We descended into the Valposchiavo Valley along Lake Palu, across the border into Italy and the town of Tirano.  The descent was steep!  At one point the train made a complete circle, going under the viaduct/bridge.

Tirano is home to the Salis Palace, a 17th century home with painted fresco ceilings and walls.  Most have been restored to their original colors.  Quite pretty.

The return ride was an older train with no A/C so with windows open we enjoyed the mountain air.  This train line is one of three UNESCO World Heritage Railroads.

Glacier Express

It was a long day of train riding through the Alps on the Glacier Express, the slowest fast train in Switzerland. It took 8 hours to travel 291 km (180 mi) over 291 bridges and through 91 (I counted only 71) tunnels.  The longest tunnel is 3.7 miles long and was built in 1902. 

This took us over, under and through the only mountain range that is fully in Switzerland.  We passed the Rhône River on one side and the Rhine River on the other side.

An interesting fact is that the Alps are growing by 1mm each year.  The weight of the snow is less so the mountains can move up and the African continent is pushing on the European shelf forcing the mountains upward.

The Matterhorn

We had expected it to be quite cold in Zermatt and especially up on the mountains at Gonergat but the weather was perfect with sunshine and clear skies and a clear view of the mountains and of the infamous  Matterhorn.

It took 30 minutes to climb to 10,200 feet up the mountain on the cog-wheel train. Many people come up only to hike back down.  We just walked around to the top and enjoyed the views and the solitude until it became too crowded.

We spent the afternoon walking around Zermatt.  The tour group enjoyed a light dinner of cheese fondue. Mike and Dianne joined us at a bar for a nice glass of wine to close the evening.

Chateau de Chillon

In the city of Montreux on the shore of Lake Geneva or, as it is sometimes called Lake Lemon, is a castle built on a rocky islet in a position of power to defend the region and it’s trade routes.

The building was started in the 11th century with improved defenses in the 13th century and the towers were raised in the 15th century.  The castle was built on an island of rock with a natural moat surrounding it and only one way in across the draw bridge.  That is until boats were able to carry cannons and other weapons.

During the Middle Ages the men who policed the region were called Bailiffs. One room in the castle showed the coat of arms of all the bailiffs who served here.

The cellar was also used as a dungeon and place of torture as well as storage for beer, wine and foods.

One bedroom had painted walls, nearby was the bathing room and, of course, the latrine which emptied into the cellar or the lake.  There was also a small chapel, a huge dining hall and large cooking areas around a big fireplace.

It wouldn’t be a very good fortress without several towers.

After a nice walk along the lake and lunch in town we rode the train to Zermatt where we first saw the Matterhorn.  The ride up to Zermatt was lovely with mountain views, Swiss chalets and cows with bells.

We had a fabulous Italian dinner in a restaurant that Mike had found and made a reservation at weeks ago. 

A Long Day on Trains

We traveled from Lucern to Lausanne on 5 different trains through the Alps in Simmin Valley and along Lake Geneva.  It was a long day of riding with a short break in Interlaken for lunch.  The scenery was so wonderful.  I wish I could have gotten better pictures but the train windows keep reflecting back at me!

We think we saw the peak of the Eiger Mountain through the clouds near Interlaken.  I’ve never thought about how the children in these mountains got to school but today we saw children of all ages getting off the train at various towns. 

Our trip ended in Lausanne after a short stop in Montreux.

Mount Rigi

We experienced several modes of transportation today from a train to a boat, to a cog-wheel train and then a cable car. 

From Zurich we rode by the train to Luzern and almost immediately got on a boat on Lake Lucern.  But first the requisite picture of the covered pedestrian bridge. It should be noted that the bridge was built in the 1400’s but burned down in 1993.  It was lovingly reconstructed exactly as it was before the fire.  Luckily the pictures from inside the structure were being repaired at the time of the fire so they did not burn and are on display.

I love looking inside churches and I was glad we peaked in the Jesuitkirche.  It was so pretty!

The boat took us to Vitznau where we rode the cog-wheel train up to the top of Mt. Rigi at 6,000 ft. The views were spectacular!  Half way down we transferred to a cable car that took us to Weggis (pronounced ‘Vegas’) and the boat back to Lucern.

The rooftop lounge was a great spot to spend an evening visiting with Mike and Diane while drinking wine.

St. Gallen

We were introduced to the Fat Blue Angel watching over all the travelers in the Zurich train station.  We then boarded the train to the town of St. Gallen, the oldest city in Europe established in 812 AD.

Gallos was a Monk from Ireland looking for a secluded place where he could commune with God.  When he came into this valley he felt it was the right spot but he was approached by a brown bear.  He called for God’s help and then told the bear to fetch him wood for a fire and the bear obeyed.  That is why the bear is a symbol of the city.  

The city is renowned for its manufacturing of flax into linen. As much as 56% of their fabric was sold in the US until WWI.

During our city tour it was pointed out that highly decorated bay windows were a sign of wealth and power, some even named roads after the decor of the bay window.

One house had sculpted heads on the outside to represent the 5 known continents of that time. The fountain was created in 1895.

The city wall divided the city into Protestant and Catholic.  Since our guide was catholic, she took us inside her church, the one started by Saint Gallen.

Uetliberg to Felsenegg

We decided to go outside the city today for a hike and a ride on a gondola.

The train ride was a short 20 minutes to Uerilberg where we found the trail named Planetergem as it had the solar system laid out along the trail.  Of course, since we can’t read the language we got off on the wrong trail and ended up at a nice hotel with a beautiful view of the river and Zurich. 

We found our way back to the trail and had a delightful lunch at Felsenegg Restaurant overlooking the river. It felt like a 5-6 mile hike but was probably just 4 miles. We rode the gondola down to Felsenegg and caught the train back to Zurich.

A shower revived us so we did a bit of bar hopping before dinner where we met our friends Mike and Diane and the rest of the Switzerland by Rail tour group.

Where in the World Are We Now?

We landed in Zurich around 8AM and killed some time at the airport before getting on a train to the city center. Of course our room wasn’t ready but we left our luggage and took off exploring the old town.

Knowing we will get a city tour in a week we didn’t try to figure out what we were looking at but just enjoyed the scenery.  There were swans on the lake, church spires and church bells.  We walked past Wasserkirche, or Water Church, which used to be located in the middle of the river.

After nap time we explored the Old Town and found a place for wine and cheese and then picked out a place for dinner.  It was an early evening.