Zipping through Zurich!

The very next Saturday, July 9, we wanted to go somewhere close.  We chose a quick trip to Zurich.  We were up to our normal tricks.  We knew we wanted to spend some time on the lake, but our GPS is retarded in that it doesn't allow us to type in certain locations or attractions (or maybe its the retarded operators of the thing who haven't figured out all of the features, but we have tried lots and lots of options).  Anyway, it was another adventure finding our way to where we wanted to be.  The most interesting thing about the trip through town was seeing a large number of Jews on their way to and from church (since Saturday is their Sabbath).  They were all in very traditional dress.  The women and girls in long black dresses.  The men and boys in dark suits (with long coats) with skull caps and the tall black fedora-type hats.  And then we even saw a group that had the big furry hats and different kinds of robes.  So, so interesting.

We found a parking place by the lake and since it was lunch time found an outdoor cafe.  After eating, we headed around the lake to the boat rental place, and saw a couple of interesting places.  You all know Lindt Chocolates.  We had hoped that we had found a place where we could see a demo or buy some chocolate.  But no, just offfices as far as we could find.

Then we got to walk by this interesting sculpture.  I a little bit of an arachnophobic, so I was really wondering about the beauty or the significance of this thing.

 

Loved this place.

Then we got on the boat, and I took pictures of things I thought were interesting and pretty.  I don't know names of things so much.  My camera does not catch the beauty of nature in its entirety---the colors aren't as bright, the outlines aren't as crisp, the brillance of it all is shadowed...but I try.  I'm not going to say much about this round trip we took around the lake, dropping off passengers and picking new people up as we went.  One thing I will mention is that the docks at the different little towns were so different.  Some were very plain and functional (as was Zurich's).  Some were fun and funky.  Some were more ornate and colored with pots of flowers.  That's why I included them---just to show the difference.

After our fun boat ride which I think was about an hour and a half, we mosied into the old part of Zurich.

We stopped at a little cafe on the river for ice cream and got a kick out of this sculpture made of kitchen utensils, cheese graters, and a griddle, etc.  (I'm enlarging it so you can see the detail.)

The Munsterbrucke over the River Limmat:

The twin towers of the Gross Munster are a dominant sight in Zurich's skyline:

This elegant building (found out it's in Baroque style) is the Zunfthaus zur Meisen.  It was built as a guild house for wine merchants in the 18th century.  It now houses a collection of 18-century porcelain---which I didn't know or I may have "forced" DJ to take me through it!!

This church is the Wasserkirche (Water Church) and marks the spot where Felix and Regula were martyred in Roman times.  The strange boxy building connected to it is the Helmhaus, a former guild hall that houses modern art exhibits today.

If you look closely at the boat about mid-picture on the right side, you will see a groom and his bride getting into it.  Well-wishers were on the bridge with us and along the bank.  The boat circled back around and then took off for the lake---guess they were off on their honeymoon.

The Church of St. Peter boasts a clock with a 28-foot diameter, the largest in Europe.

 

Another shot of the Gross Munster:

Enjoyed our Satuarday in Zurich though we weren't there very long and probably missed so much.  We literally zipped right through what we saw, but we're glad we did it.