4.7.08

Switzerland (1)

I’m just back from Switzerland. I spent a few days in and around Zürich and also in and around Lausanne. I had also the great pleasure of meeting blogger friends like Richard in Zürich. I will revert with a second post (probably on Monday) about Lausanne and its surroundings, but today I will concentrate on Zürich and the Zürich Lake.

I’m not intending to make any detailed descriptions here, but just to show you some general impressions with some photos. The sun kindly participated to make the visits even more delightful.

Starting with Zürich, you should know that certain rankings qualify it as the city with the world’s “best quality of life”. With a population of some 375.000 (1.000.000 in the urban area), it’s the largest Swiss city – Bern of course being the Swiss capital. It’s a very cosmopolite city, almost 1/3 of the inhabitants do not hold Swiss citizenship. The official language is German, but the spoken language is a dialect, Zürich German (Zürichdeutsch), a local version of the Swiss German (Scweizerdeutsch, Schwyzertüütsch...). The old city of Zürich is situated where the river Limmat flows into the Lake Zürich, a bit north of the real Alps, surrounded by beautiful wooden hills.

The older parts of the town are on both sides of the river Limmat. There are a number of several centuries old buildings. When I was there, it was the end of the European Football (Soccer) Championships, hosted by Switzerland and Austria. Especially the Sunday evening, when the final was played (in Vienna), the crowds in the streets were impressive and I joined them in front of one of the numerous giant screens.

You can see some football (soccer) related photos here, one from the central station with some giant statues of players (and also the permanently installed flying Angel by Nikki de St Phalle) and two taken at the site of the FIFA organisation (the football international governing body) on top of one of the surrounding hills. I spent one day on the Zürich Lake onboard one of the many old paddle driven cruising ships. It’s a great pleasure to watch the beautiful landscape, enjoying also what the bar and the restaurant onboard can offer. I spent a few hours in a small town in the southern part of the lake, Rapperswil, with its nice little castle and also enjoying the ongoing “Blues’n’ Jazz” festival.
I wish you a nice weekend!

34 comments:

Noushy Syah said...

Welcome back Peter and glad that you shared with us those lovely photos in Switzerland.You must be lucky to be there at the right time of the 'Blues' festival:) Oh well I mean the music festival,hehehhe.

What a peaceful and gr8 panorama!I'm sure you had a gr8 time there.

Happy relaxing weekend!

Shammickite said...

How lovely to spend some time in beautiful Switzerland! A place I would love to visit. OlderSon and the Bride stayed with friends in Zurich when they were in Europe 2 years ago, they loved it! I enjoy your pictures very much, and now I am looking forward to learning all about Lausanne.

Alain said...

Enfin de retour, avec tes messages si bien documentés. Dans le prochain j'espère que tu nous parleras aussi de ce qui se mange (et qui se boit) dans ce beau pays.
Ce qui est étonnant, c'est le nombre de petites embarcations et leur diversité, il y a même des pédalos. Nous n'avons pas encore cela à Paris.

hpy said...

Tu aurais du être géographe! Y aura-t-il des photos de lamas aussi?

claude said...

C'est sympa de nous faire partager ton voyage en Suisse. Je sais que c'est beau la Suisse. Je n'ai fait qu'en traverser une partie en allant en Autriche où c'est beau aussi ! Nous étions au bord du grand lac Attersee.
Pour en revenir à la Suisse, j'aimerais bien y aller aussi, peut-être un jour... qui sait !

lyliane six said...

Te voilà de retour!
Je vais écouter de vives voix tes souvenirs helvétiques et lundi je regarderai les photos de plus près.

Olivier said...

voila le retour du parisien suedois ;o) bravo les photos sont superbes, surtout celle du lac avec le chateau au fond. c'est grandiose.
Moi je ne connais que geneve, et j'avais pas aime, mais tes photos de zurich donnent envies

Cergie said...

Ca alors, tu étais à Zürich ! LE Zürich de Richard ?
Mais... Je ne reconnais rien du tout.
Tu es sûr que c'était bien la même ville ? Je croyais qu'elle était noire et blanche et ne vivait que la nuit ?

Azer Mantessa said...

nice pics taken as alwayz on the city by he lake. one of the few places where flags of the world stand side by side.

thanks for sharing.

Nathalie H.D. said...

Comme Cergie, je suis ravie de découvrir un Zurich en couleurs, bien différent de celui de Richard. J'aime tes photos gaies et lumineuses avec des dominantes de bleu et d'eau. Tout à coup Zurich nous parle d'été et de vacances ! Je suis sûre que tu y as passé de bon moments.
Merci pour ton passage à Avignon, ça fait plaisir de te retrouver !

Anonymous said...

So you're back, Peter. Switzerland is a wonderful country. My favourite landscape is around Lake Thun, the Bernese Oberland. But I like Zurich, too, it's so nicely situated at Zurich Lake and all those mountains around, just wonderful.
Greetings from Cologne, Ingrid

Jessica said...

I'm glad you had a nice trip, Peter. Switzerland is so beautiful. Even in the cities there is nature. Can't wait to hear your impressions. I'm sure I'll learn a ton from the post that will follow this one.

Have a restful weekend.

Jo's-D-Eyes said...

WELCOME back PETER!
What a wonderfull trip this was, great shots this area's in Zwitserland we have not been yet... Thanks...


About my recovery, Yes I am a bit better still photo's by mobile phone.

Have a good weekend

sonia a. mascaro said...

Welcome back, Peter!
Great photos! Love all them! Sounds you had a nice time there!

Have a good weekend!

yoko said...

Thanks for beautiful photo from Zurich. It reminds me long time trips when I was young. I visited my friend's house in Fribourg near Lausanne. I felt quite clean and marvelous over there.

I am curious how " Blue'n Jazz " Festival at Rapperswil goes?

Have a nice weekend and a trip in Swiss!!!

Anonymous said...

Geez, where is this? What is all that blue stuff in the photos?

Aha - I see you took a photo of the Frauenbad on the Limmat - I think that could get you arrested....

alice said...

Trouve-t-on encore de ces grandes boîtes de chocolats avec des vues de Zurich sur les petits emballages, comme dans mon enfance?
Si oui, n'en mange quand même pas trop!
Je te souhaite un bon week end, cher Peter.

Anonymous said...

I think this is the best set of pictures yet. The things I have seen you posting are very encouraging and the photography is spot on.

I really admire your photography skills and your critical eye for composition, lighting and texture. Not to even mention the work load you set yourself up with just to complete one of these posts.

Was also glad you got a vacation and met some friends, like Richard.

I have been pain free, (a blessing) for the ten days I was on steroids for this rheumatoid arthritis. Now I am weaned off of it and return to see the specialist next week.

I have worked like a horse both inside and out and am chatty too. Since I am weaned off, the process of weaning meant I have been up each day from 1:00 AM to 3:00 AM and stay up all day working. I feel more like a young guy at 50 than an old man at 74.

The only problem is I am constantly hungry and am eating. I don't get sleepy much and actually sat down, fell asleep watching Wimgleton tennis and woke up, ate a dish of ice cream (chocolate) and came back out to the office.

On the way out here I saw something in a bowl and asked my wife of 53 years what it was and she said leftovers I planned on warming for lunch.

I said, "Lunch?" I looked at the clock and it was only 11:00 AM. I thought it was dinner time or around 6:00 PM

Strange things happen to weaned people. LOL

Thanks for the nice comments Peter.

Abraham Lincoln
—Brookville Daily Photo

Anonymous said...

Welcome back Peter !!

And Zurich is one of the places I like very much. Very lively and cosmopolitan. I can see that lady is still there in Zurich station.

Do you remember I had quizzed about her once ?

Chuckeroon said...

Peter! You've said "Rumple Stiltskin" to Richard who seems to have totally disappeared from the scene! This is a fine collage you have given us, and "Karl" sends you his thanks. A truly "naive" presentation ;-)

Jay Taber said...

We lost our photos of the paddle ship from our one visit to Zurich long ago, and now we have one. Many thanks!

krystyna said...

Hi Peter!
Thank you for superb post and photos.
Sounds you had a wonderful trip in a good time.
Best to you!

Deepak Gopi said...

Hello Sir
I had been missing your beautiful blog for a long time.Now i am back to this beautiful world.
How are you?
Hope you were having a nice time at Switzerland.

GMG said...

Hi Peter! Great to see you back!
It seems that after Switzerland there was a great bloggers meeting yesterday; I would love to get to one of those, but things are getting ever more hectic out here... :(
Loved to see the Zurich pics! Your journey remembered so much my first time there in 1975. However, don't compare the photos... ;))
Wish you a wonderful Sunday and week ahead!

PeterParis said...

noushy:
Thanks; yes I spent some gr8 days!

ex-shallickite:
Lausanne will follow!

alain:
Je te parelarai de la bouffe la prochaine fois que nous déjeunons ensemble!

PeterParis said...

hpy:
Pour les lamas, je me réfère au blog de Delphinium!

claude:
J'espère que tu trouve l'occassion!

lyliane:
Comme tu dis!

PeterParis said...

olivier:
Je connaissai mal Zürich! Ca vaut bien une visite!

cergie:
On ne doit pas avoir le même type de camera, Richard et moi!

azer:
Yes, nice to see all these flags together!

PeterParis said...

nathalie:
Peut-être à bientôt en Avignon?

april:
Well, I never stayed or stopped in Bern, just passed by. So, another place to visit!

jessica:
Thanks! I will make at least one more post about Switzerland. Hope you will enjoy it!

PeterParis said...

joann:
I know you were in Switzerland recently. A lot to see; you can't make ot all!

sonia:
Thanks! ... and nice weekend to you as well!

yoko:
I missed Fribourg, but a report about Lausanne will follow.

PeterParis said...

richard:
I guess I did not zoom enough on the Frauenbad. May have to come back!

alice:
J'ai mangé des bonnes choses, mais j'ai complètement oublié le chocolat! M...!

abraham:
Sincer thanks for these nice compliments! Fine to hear that you are doing fine, even if you are a bit too hungry! Take care!

PeterParis said...

cuckoo:
I remember well your quizz about the flying Angel!!

chuckeroon:
Yes, Richard seemes to be too busy to comment regularly on our blogs, but he's doing fine! I'm sure he will be back after some holidays that he was going to start!

spartacus:
Happy to be able to offer uyou these shots!

PeterParis said...

krystyna:
The best to you, your family and your mume as well!

deepak:
Nice to see you back, at last!

gmg:
Sorry, but I did check your photos from 1975! Things haven't changed a lot!

Mélisse said...

C'est drôle je pensais que Zurich était une ville moderne et sans âme, en plus j'ignorais qu'elle était au bord d'un lac ! Comme quoi les a priori... Tu m'as définitivement donné envie d'y aller faire un tour ;-)

Ming the Merciless said...

I flew into Zurich and took the train to Basel to visit my friends who lived in Mulhouse, France a couple years ago. Zurich is beautiful but Lucerne is spectacular.