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.