June 1 and 2: Off to Switzerland!!
Dear Friends and Relatives,
Another summer, another liberation from the confines of the quotidian! I write this from my hotel room here in Zürich that I am sharing with a lady from California, Cathy Haynes. We have done a walk together, and we have the same interest in observing and documenting during our walks. People are out in the summer sunshine, groowing to music, dancing, throwing balls, running around, and in general reveling in the warm, balmy hours of a late afternoon.
Now let me take you back to the odyssey I had—nothing too drastically different, but I have had my contacts in for more than 24 hours now, and I don’t know how much longer I can rely on them today.
June 1 dawned sunny, and Super Shuttle was on its way through some outrageous traffic by 7:15, depositing me at my gate for the first leg of a United flight to Newark. Arrived there at about 2:15 p.m., then waited until 6:30 to board the Newark to Zürich flight. It is strange how twilit it is to sit in the same position for hours, anticipating a horizontal band of light frow ever larger, “Funny Face,” “Notting Hill,” and “Funny Girl.” Of course I valiantly tried to sleep, which came to absolutely nothing and will never. By the time breakfast rolled around, I was ready to get off the 7 hour and 50 minute marathon. It actually felt good to move. Having passports checked was a bit of a letdown, as the agent would not even greet me with a hello and did not ask any questions. After about 15 minutes my luggage appeared, I got some Swiss francs and then proceeded to the exit, where guide Glenn Fischer from Zürich and his sidekick Beatrice waited and greeted us. An old couple whose name escapes me at this point, and a professor in California in nuclear physics ( a woman) joined us. We got on the streetcar and motored through a lot of soulless concrete office buildings until we finally hit Seefeldstrasse, after having changed streetcars to motor through downtown. I recognized the Opera House and the River Limmat, astride which sits the city. After finally clearing everything with the receptionist at the front desk, I was able to go upstairs to my room. Roommate was gone, so I took the opportunity to take a bath and change clothes before going out and walking along the promenade following the River Limmat.
A note about Zurich. Not so long ago, it was famed chiefly for being the cleanest, most efficient city in Europe—prim, but devoid of a soul. But now, as Switzerland’s largest city, with a population of 400,000, it has become more confident and now rates as at or near the top of annual surveys judging cities worldwide for their quality of life. It is known as a city of business, and hosts the world’s most important market for trading gold and precious metals. It is not a particularly flashy place, having been well-indoctrinated by the Reformer Huldrych Zwingli. However, that being said, he encouraged freedom of thought, which is said to be his legacy to the population of Zürich. It was the first city to embrace the Reformation. With the abolition of the Catholic Mass in 1525, Zürich became a center for dissident intellectuals from all over Europe.
Photographing the scenes along the way, I ended back at the hotel at 1:00 p.m., enjoying carrot soup, bread, and a very fine salad. Sitting there with all the other travelers (there are 24 in our group), I suddenly realized that I was bushed, and finally excused myself to take a nap, which really helped. At 4:00 p.m. we had a Program Orientation, which lasted till about 5:00 p.m. My roommate and I had another Promenade walk, but this time towards the village of Rapperswil. A rose garden along the way was enthralling, as were the old Gründerzeit, late 19th century mansion “piles,” not in the best of conditions and some cut-up and fragmented into apartments, but still wearing well. And now there is a dinner, and I have no interest in food. There was a little aperitif I had a sip or two of (local wine), but otherwise, after I finish this, I am off to bed. Hope you enjoyed this missive! Love, SV.
Another summer, another liberation from the confines of the quotidian! I write this from my hotel room here in Zürich that I am sharing with a lady from California, Cathy Haynes. We have done a walk together, and we have the same interest in observing and documenting during our walks. People are out in the summer sunshine, groowing to music, dancing, throwing balls, running around, and in general reveling in the warm, balmy hours of a late afternoon.
Now let me take you back to the odyssey I had—nothing too drastically different, but I have had my contacts in for more than 24 hours now, and I don’t know how much longer I can rely on them today.
June 1 dawned sunny, and Super Shuttle was on its way through some outrageous traffic by 7:15, depositing me at my gate for the first leg of a United flight to Newark. Arrived there at about 2:15 p.m., then waited until 6:30 to board the Newark to Zürich flight. It is strange how twilit it is to sit in the same position for hours, anticipating a horizontal band of light frow ever larger, “Funny Face,” “Notting Hill,” and “Funny Girl.” Of course I valiantly tried to sleep, which came to absolutely nothing and will never. By the time breakfast rolled around, I was ready to get off the 7 hour and 50 minute marathon. It actually felt good to move. Having passports checked was a bit of a letdown, as the agent would not even greet me with a hello and did not ask any questions. After about 15 minutes my luggage appeared, I got some Swiss francs and then proceeded to the exit, where guide Glenn Fischer from Zürich and his sidekick Beatrice waited and greeted us. An old couple whose name escapes me at this point, and a professor in California in nuclear physics ( a woman) joined us. We got on the streetcar and motored through a lot of soulless concrete office buildings until we finally hit Seefeldstrasse, after having changed streetcars to motor through downtown. I recognized the Opera House and the River Limmat, astride which sits the city. After finally clearing everything with the receptionist at the front desk, I was able to go upstairs to my room. Roommate was gone, so I took the opportunity to take a bath and change clothes before going out and walking along the promenade following the River Limmat.
A note about Zurich. Not so long ago, it was famed chiefly for being the cleanest, most efficient city in Europe—prim, but devoid of a soul. But now, as Switzerland’s largest city, with a population of 400,000, it has become more confident and now rates as at or near the top of annual surveys judging cities worldwide for their quality of life. It is known as a city of business, and hosts the world’s most important market for trading gold and precious metals. It is not a particularly flashy place, having been well-indoctrinated by the Reformer Huldrych Zwingli. However, that being said, he encouraged freedom of thought, which is said to be his legacy to the population of Zürich. It was the first city to embrace the Reformation. With the abolition of the Catholic Mass in 1525, Zürich became a center for dissident intellectuals from all over Europe.
Photographing the scenes along the way, I ended back at the hotel at 1:00 p.m., enjoying carrot soup, bread, and a very fine salad. Sitting there with all the other travelers (there are 24 in our group), I suddenly realized that I was bushed, and finally excused myself to take a nap, which really helped. At 4:00 p.m. we had a Program Orientation, which lasted till about 5:00 p.m. My roommate and I had another Promenade walk, but this time towards the village of Rapperswil. A rose garden along the way was enthralling, as were the old Gründerzeit, late 19th century mansion “piles,” not in the best of conditions and some cut-up and fragmented into apartments, but still wearing well. And now there is a dinner, and I have no interest in food. There was a little aperitif I had a sip or two of (local wine), but otherwise, after I finish this, I am off to bed. Hope you enjoyed this missive! Love, SV.
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