Frohe Weinachten!

The family's digital camera has been behaving oddly, so I apologize for a dearth of pictures. Also, I'm pretty much in the vacation mode, and therefore not feeling like sitting at a computer for long stretches. Today is Christmas Eve, and I seem to be fighting off a cold, so I'm foregoing Zuerich-wandering for gift-wrapping, lounging, and reading. Brilliant! But before I paste myself to the couch, here's a few highlights of Zuerich and my trip so far:

This is the giant Christmas tree in the Zuerich Hauptbahnhof. It's hard to tell, because the photo is rather dark, but it's dripping in Swarovski crystal ornaments. It's a fixture of the city's Christmas decorations. Thankfully, while they've changed the lights along Bahnhofstrasse, the tree remains the same.



This is the view downriver from the bridge near the Hauptbahnhof. The spires of St. Peter's (which has the largest clock face in Europe) and the Fraumunster are barely visible, and unfortunately it was a still day so the view of the Alps is obscured by clouds.



This is a bit of the Niederdorfstrasse, the young and hip main drag on the other side of the river. It's got tattoo parlors (where my own pater familias was inked last year), peep shows, and the mildly famous Hanf Haus, where you can buy pot (it's been decriminalized here) and all things made from hemp.



Here is an adorable Swiss family getting a drink from one of the city's many beautiful water fountains. The water out of all Swiss fountains is potable Alpine runoff,

which is quite convenient when you're hiking.



This is the Grossmunster, with a view of the Fraumunster's spire across the river Limmat. The Grossmunster is a very old church (there's a statue of Charlemagne in the crypt, which is pretty cool) and its towers have a great view of the whole city. I've climbed up the towers twice since we've lived here, and it's quite the schlep. Between the jet lag and the impending cold (and the fact that it was a still day without the great Alpine views), I decided against climbing it again for the purpose of the blog. Also it costs 2 francs.



Here's a view of the city upriver. You can see St. Peter's clock face in the distance there.


This is the back of a building that is not the Rathaus. The statue is of Ulrich Zwingli, winner of Zuerich's Guy With The Coolest Name contest in 1526.


This is the festive holiday window display at Teuscher, Zuerich's high-end chocolatier, on the Rennweg. They make the best truffles I have ever tasted.

There's a common story among expatriates in Switzerland: If you ask a Swiss person if they speak English and they say "A little," it means they speak it perfectly with almost no accent. If they say "Yes," they speak it better than you do with no accent at all. Apparently, however, this does not apply to written English and punctuation. Unless the proprietress of this store is named Jean and has an unearthly blue pallor, this shop has failed to master the apostrophe. I won't give them too hard a time, though, because I have seen worse in New York.

This is the Cafe Odeon, a bar that once hosted the likes of Lenin, Einstein, and James Joyce (who is buried here) while they were exiled in Zuerich. Nowadays, it's a bit of a gay haven.

That's a taste of Zuerich for those who bother to read this when not stranded at their desks at work. I'll likely post again before the family trip to Barthelona.

Meanwhile, Merry Christmas and Happy Hannukah to all!