Where: Zürich, Switzerland
When: September 27-28, 2014
With: Dave, Rahul, Vanita, Ralf
Switzerland had always been in my top two countries I wanted to visit, and yet it eluded me for so long. I had visions of snow peaked Alps and clean air and basically spinning in circles in a valley somewhere a la Julie Andrews in the Sound of Music. But our two years in London came to an end, and I had yet to visit.
However, sometimes things turn out just how they're meant to as a couple of friends had moved to Switzerland after our time in London ended and offered up their spare room for a visit any time we wanted. And when we had to return to England for a wedding, this seemed like the perfect add-on to our trip.
Let's just say expectations upon arrival were very much met as the sounds on the airport tram in the Zürich airport used cows mooing and yodel calls instead of beeps and gongs. I think I'm going to love this country.
The country of Switzerland is divided up into cantons. They are kind of like tiny states, and are many times named for the largest city within them. The canton of Zug, containing the city of Zug, is where our friends Rahul and Vanita were living. They were the best hosts we could have asked for, with Vanita cooking us giant meals every morning for breakfast, and Rahul taking us on road trips through the countryside.
When: September 27-28, 2014
With: Dave, Rahul, Vanita, Ralf
Switzerland had always been in my top two countries I wanted to visit, and yet it eluded me for so long. I had visions of snow peaked Alps and clean air and basically spinning in circles in a valley somewhere a la Julie Andrews in the Sound of Music. But our two years in London came to an end, and I had yet to visit.
However, sometimes things turn out just how they're meant to as a couple of friends had moved to Switzerland after our time in London ended and offered up their spare room for a visit any time we wanted. And when we had to return to England for a wedding, this seemed like the perfect add-on to our trip.
Let's just say expectations upon arrival were very much met as the sounds on the airport tram in the Zürich airport used cows mooing and yodel calls instead of beeps and gongs. I think I'm going to love this country.
The country of Switzerland is divided up into cantons. They are kind of like tiny states, and are many times named for the largest city within them. The canton of Zug, containing the city of Zug, is where our friends Rahul and Vanita were living. They were the best hosts we could have asked for, with Vanita cooking us giant meals every morning for breakfast, and Rahul taking us on road trips through the countryside.
The city of Zug is tiny, and feels more like a small village than a city. However, it's a central location for commuters through the region, so a lot of people live here and work in other cantons.
It does sit on a lake though, nestled among the mountains, so the views couldn't be beat, even at night.
When we arrived though, Rahul and Vanita picked us up to almost immediately take us into Zürich for the day and meet up with Ralf, another London friend. The drive from the airport was, well, basically all I had dreamed it would be. The mountains were so green and the grass looked like velvet and little villages poked out from behind foothills.
My initial thought on Zürich was that for being the biggest city in Switzerland, it felt so small! We just parked our car and started wandering, and the downtown end to end felt so manageable.
So Zürich's Artbeat is the title of the post. This is because Zürich is considered the artistic center of the country. While we didn't get to see any of the museums listed in the book, we did get to see some of the buildings of note, first off, the Fraumünster and Grossmünster churches.
The Fraumünster has a tall spire with a clock and is noted for its stained glass windows, depicting biblical scenes. The spire sits up over the buildings of the city. Sadly, we couldn't go in as there was a "konzert" going on. However, we did get to hear the bells chime while we were standing underneath and the sound was so loud, I felt like I could see it bouncing off the surrounding houses and cobblestone streets.
The Grossmünster is much older, built in the 1200s, with two tall towers sticking up over the river. These two towers "define" the Zürich skyline. The inside of this church was very simple, as the interior decor was stripped after Catholicism was no longer the religion. This made the vibrant colors of the stained glass behind the altars pop even more against a bleak interior.
Moonlight Grossmünster.
But there was definitely art around the city to be seen, so this counts as part of the artbeat, right?
I was shocked how small the city was as we walked around. It felt more a Bavarian village than a top economic center of a country.
Long, windy alleyways would open up every so often into squares lined with tables and chairs. Tourists and locals alike were outside, drinking coffee, riding bikes and enjoying the outdoors in the lovely weather.
There is one main drag through the center of the city leading to the train station that is all well-known brand name stores and trolley tracks called the Nederhof neighborhood. This street was an anomaly compared to the relatively peaceful, village-like vibe of the city. The tangle of trains that sat outside the beautiful old train station was such a contradicting sight.
At the train station, in the waiting area, there was a beer tent with people drinking as though they were at Oktoberfest. "Country Roads" and "Ein Prosit" were on full blast with people loudly singing along. Now that's how you wait for a train. There was also more quirky art in the form of this sculpture flying above. I kind of loved this lady.
And just down the river sits Lake Zürich, hugged by the city on one side and the snow-capped Alps on the other.
My favorite kind of art: nature's.
And sculptures.
Cheers to our first night in Switzerland and the art we didn't really see today!
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