Time to Join the Group

Our Marriott Renaissance Tower Hotel was located in an area which once had factories.  Now most of the buildings have been "repurposed" as hotel, shopping areas and office buildings.  The people who did not take the pre-tour trip flew into Zurich on Saturday, so we got to meet a lot more people.  Some are traveling in groups as large as 12 people, which is nice, I suppose, but that way you tend to only stay with the group instead of meeting new people.

One of the highest buildings in Switzerland was right across the street.  Their restaurant, The Clouds, at the top of the building was recommended, but the prices were as high as the building, and you needed to make reservations in advance unless you wanted to eat at 10:00 PM.  We chose not to do that.  Unfortunately, Zurich closes down on Sundays.  Most of the restaurants are not open at all, or, in the case of the near-by Bakery, close in mid afternoon.  The only stores that are open are in the Central Train Station (Hauptbonhoff) and the airport.

We had a lake cruise followed by a walking tour of the downtown.  The east side of the lake is called the "Gold Coast" both because it is lit by the sunset and because it takes a lot of gold to buy a place there.  There were some very nice houses and gardens.













The hills behind the houses are covered by vineyards.









Near one of the many little parks, we saw a massive iron sculpture.  Good luck guessing what it is.








Swans are more common than loons in Minnesota.  We saw this family of an adult and 3 cygnets.  They were still slightly brown, but as big as the parent.

The other side of the lake was the less expensive side, with businesses, marinas, churches and smaller houses.

The downtown area was quiet since none of the businesses were open but in the parks, people were enjoying the beautiful day.  The architecture is stunning with a mix of many styles.






















Zurich s the financial center of Switzerland, headquarters of Credit Suisse among others.

Churches also stand out on the horizon.  The twin towers of  this church provide an excellent view over the city.






The largest church clock in Switzerland is found on another church.  In the middle ages, a watchman was posted in the tower 24/7.  He watched all sides of the city, looking for fires.  If he saw anything, he sounded an alarm, he held out a flag pointing to the fire site.  Everyone was obligated to go and help put out the fire.

It takes 17 seconds for the second hand
 to move from one second to the next.

Public art adorns the city.

An ornate doorway

Modern sculpture on the main shopping street

If you have a wedding receptions, you can "rent" the smaller side fountain on the Swan, hook it up to your own keg of wine and have your guests pour their own wine from this fountain.  The larger spout continues to spew water.  Swiss water is so pure that you can fill your water bottle from any public fountain.