Although Zurich is one of Switzerland's largest cities, it only has a population of 360,000, and is small by European standards. The Limmat river bisects the city, and it spanned by several bridges. I stopped by Zurich en route back to Paris.. and luckily Raj was kind enough to let me crash at his cushy apartment downtown.
[Thursday, Aug 17, 2000] Bahnhofstrasse, churches (Fraumunster, Grossmunster, St. Peters Kirche)
I arrived from Stuttgart after an overnight train from Prague. The first thing I did was to take a shower at the train station, which was an experience in itself. After stashing my stuff in a small locker and arranging a time and place to meet up with Raj, I set out to explore Zurich. The train station sits at the end of Bahnhofstrasse, which is Zurich's principal boulevard, lined with luxury shopping along the street and high-value banking institutions situated above the stores.
I sat down at a small restaurant on the Bahnhofstrasse for a quick lunch. Not knowing the exchange rate (the Swiss Franc is pretty similar to the Canadian dollar), I ended up spending over $30 CDN on a beer and some wings. What a shock, having just come from Prague where the most expensive dinner didn't cost that much. The guy sitting next to me (all the chairs on the patio are aligned so the patrons could people watch easily) introduced himself and gave me some guidance on things to see/do while in Zurich. We talked a bit about Zurich and the Swiss culture...
From there, I was able to walk and visit all of the sights that I had planned to see in one afternoon. The Fraumunster illustrates the graceful church spires that is Zurich's signature. The Grossmunster (large church) has a tower from which visitors can get a great view of the city (above). During the 3rd century AD, St. Felix and his sister Regula were martyred nearby by the Romans. Legend has it that after being beheaded, they then walked up the hill carrying their heads and collapsed on the spot where the Grossmunster now stands.
Along the Limmat canal is the Water Church (Wasserkirche) next to the Helmhaus, an exhibit space for Zurich artists. St. Peters Kirche (St. Peter's Church) is Zurich's oldest church, with a 13th century tower with clock face that is supposed to be the largest in Europe.
After meeting up with Raj, we went back to his cool apartment just northeast of the train station. Although moderately-sized (it's a bachelor studio), it is modern and new, with automated window shades and daily maid service. Not bad... That night, we had dinner at a happening Thai restaurant (the Blue Monkey), which is just off of the Niederdorf street (full of restaurants and coffee shops). Having consumed several Red Bull and Vodkas each, we were joined by Saunder (from the Chicago office -- I'm sure I spelled the name wrong) and set out to meet Darren, Matt and Lisa for drinks at the Bohemia bar.
[Friday, Aug 18, 2000] Swiss National Museum, Swiss Art Museum (Kunsthaus)
Having slept only 3.5 hours, Raj got up at 6:00 AM to head to work. I mumbled something and then fell back to sleep until 9:00 AM. That day, I spent some time on email and then bought a ticket to Paris. An overnight train cost about half of what a flight would have cost. After lunch, I spent the better part of the day between the Schweizerisches Landesmuseum (Swiss National Museum) and the Kunsthaus (Swiss Art Museum). It was raining during that morning -- the first real rain, other than a quick shower in Berlin, since I've been in Europe. The National Museum was a bit boring, but the Art Museum was really interesting.
Welti
The Kunsthaus had a permanent collection of paintings -- medieval, Dutch and Italian Baroque, and Impressionists. There are darkly ethereal paintings by Johann Fussli, as well as the terrifying Walpurgisnacht by Albert Welti.
That night, we went out for sushi with Laura before I headed out on the night train, bound for Paris.