Zurich: Old Town, Lindt and churches

We only spent one full day in Zurich but we walked a lot, ate a lot and saw many amazing sights.  So this is a long post to try and share most of the Swiss photos before I move onto London where we are staying for about a week.  Zurich is well known for its chocolate, financial institutions and watchmakers.  There were beautiful signage on the buildings but the streets were far quieter than Rome and the churches had the Reformation austerity compared to the Catholic extravagances of the Roman churches and buildings.

We stayed in an AirBnB studio apartment a short walk from the Old Town.  It was nice though fairly basic.  Enough for our needs for a couple of nights and I am sure it was well enough equipped to last longer.  The bathroom had lovely green tiles and I was amazed to see that the hotplates actually folded back against the wall.  I didn't know such things existed!

 

 We arrived in the dark so it was quite a sight to step outside our apartment building the morning and see this beautiful building opposite.  It had beautiful leadlighting on the windows, owl motifs under the eaves and cute dormer windows on the roof.

A favourite place was the medieval street the Augustinergasse.  (As an aside, I loved that the main language of Zurich was German.  I don't speak it but I have learnt some in classes years ago and feel more comfortable speaking it than most other foreign languages.)  The Augustinergasse (top photo) is a fine sight with its colourful buildings, carved wooden window boxes, paintings and interesting signs.

This is my best photo of Peterskirche on St Peterhofstatt.  It is Zurich's oldest parish church and has the largest clock face in Europe.  It shows how the churches are built around so that it can be hard to work out where the entrance is.

Inside St Peter is elegant but bare of pictures and statues, as befits a church that went through the Reformation in Zurich. 

In Münsterhof (the square where the Fraumünster church stands), I was lured into the homewares store Sibler by the sale display in the window.  It has such good basic kitchenware with a bit of fun thrown in.  The pasta parpadelle rolling pins and ravioli stamps were very tempting.  Then I almost bought some of the above patterned shoelaces for gifts.  But at 40 Swiss francs each, they seemed a bit pricey.

 Zurich has wonderful creative signs outside lots of shops.  I liked this one with the cats.

 And there are faces on building too.  The mustachioed and helmeted soldier seemed a typical Swiss face.

The churches have doors.  Many doors.  Finding the right entrance can be a challenge.  This wooden door was not the entrance to the Fraumünster church.  I admired its arched shape and carved patterns.  Next to it is a picture that looks medieval (and has two headless people holding their heads in their hands!)

This is the entrance to the Fraumünster.  I had a nice chat about Melbourne and visas with the friendly woman at the ticket office when I paid the entrance fee.  The brochure that came with the fee was really informative about the various points of interest.

The Fraumünster was built upon the site of a former abbey for aristocratic women that was founded by King Louis the German for his daughter Hildegard in 853.  Hildegard was the first abbess.  Legend has it that she and her sister, Bertha, who were already living a cloistered life, were visiting Zurich to pray when they found a deer with lighted antlers who led them to a spot by the River Limmat.  They took this as a sign from God that they should build a church here.  This is depicted in the above artwork from the church.  Louis refused to believe them but saw a rope fall from the sky on the location which made him believe.  It seems he was more convinced by signs from God than his daughter! 

The abbey was dissolved in 1524, following the arrival of Ulrich Zwingli in town who led the Reformation in Zurich.  Following this, it became a Protestant Church with altars, organ and statues removed and the walls whitewashed.  Hence the way it looked before 1524 would have been very different.

The stained glass windows were also removed.  Would Zwingli be horrified to see the brightly coloured stained glass windows that were designed by Marc Chagall and installed in the 1970s?  My camera cannot do them justice but it is amazing to behold.

Next was the crypt with some old remains and a short history of the Reformation. It had some interesting information but I was even more impressed by the Room of Silence.  It had a simple elegance that made it seem a lovely place to sit in silence.  Unfortunately although I was alone silent in the room I didn't have time to dwell in silence.

I then crossed the bridge over the River Limmat.  From the middle I could look back at the Fraumünster with its towering steeple ...

... and when I looked forward I could see the twin towers of the Grossmünster on the other side of the river.  According to legend it was commissioned by Charlemagne when his horse fell to its knees over the graves of Zurich's patron saints: Felix, Regula and Exuperantius.

The construction of the current church began in 1100.  Ulrich Zwingli came to Zurich to be pastor at the Grossmünster, from where he initiated the Reformation in Sweden.  As with the other churches I had seen, it was stripped of all religious idols (ie decorations) at this time. 

Further down the River Limmat, I could see the Rathaus (town hall) which was built in 1694-8 over the water.

The River Limmat begins at the mouth of Lake Zurich.  We took a train along the edge of the lake to the Lindt Home of Chocolate.  We got on the wrong train, saw the large Lindt sign pass us by and had to take a train a couple of stops back.  Thanks to the helpful guy who directed us to the right platform.

The first sight that greeted us was the giant chocolate fountain.  We went to the cafe and once we had eaten, we signed up for a self guided tour of the Lindt Museum.  Then we stuffed around with ticket not working and had to return to the information desk.  I said it was too late for us to do the tour because we'd miss our next booking.  It took a while for me to understand that the ticket we had been sold was for 1-3pm that day and for me to get the information officer to understand that we had been sold an invalid ticket at 3.36pm (thank goodness for digital banking).  Finally we were refunded the 25 Swiss Francs we had paid for an invalid ticket because it was their error.

We hadn't had lunch so we ordered hot chocolates and a brownie and a croissant.  Sylvia loved the cream and mini marshmallows on hers but I removed most of my cream.  They looked pretty cute when served with a mound of cream, a drizzle of chocolate and a square of Lindt chocolate.  I found them more milky that I prefer and not a patch on the amazing hot chocolates in Rome.  (No, I did not expect hot chocolate to be better in Rome than Zurich.)  Sylvia enjoyed dipping her croissant in her drink and I loved my brownie but it was so rich I was glad I had bought a bottle of Orangina to follow it.

As we had a refund from the museum, we spent generously in the Lindt gift shop.   The above photo is of Lindt balls of many flavours.  So much chocolate to choose from!

Then we raced to catch our bus back into the centre of town.  Our bus dropped us at the Quaibrücke (quay bridge) where the River Limmat meets Lake Zurich.  I love this photo I took with the snow topped Swiss Alps in the background.

We had been in a hurry because we had a booking for a fondue dinner at the Swiss Chuchi to use a voucher I had received as a Christmas present.  I will write more about this another time but I can tell you it was lovely to have a bit of time to walk through the old town again and across the River Limmat on the way there.

Zurich: Burgstein's Gasthaus Penalty

We took a train from Rome to Milan and then onward to Zurich.  Upon arrival we found that, despite promises from our provider (02), our sim card did not provide internet when out and about.  So the trip to our AirBNB apartment was somewhat confusing.  It was even more confusing that my back up print out of the route there had a prominent McDonalds which we thought we spotted but it was the wrong one.  We found a friendly local who gave us some useful pointers and we arrived outside the apartment with no wifi.  

So Sylvia sat with the cases and I went to the downstairs restaurant (which had "Restaurant Penalty Bar" written on the wall) to use their wifi.  The warm welcome back in the window and in the restaurant made me feel right at home.  I went back up and we found that the door was open (did we miss that in our confusion?  though we are sure we tried it).  Based on the friendliness and cosiness of the restaurant we headed there for dinner.

I loved all the wood panelling, red checked fabrics, candles and plants.  There was even a cuckoo clock that called the hour.  It felt like we had stepped into a Swiss chalet.  It was what in my German classes would be "gemutlich" (pleasant and cosy).  The woman behind the bar was very friendly and helpful.

Although there were only two vegetarian dishes on the menu - Vegetable Strudel with fried eggs and Wareniki (Ukranian potato-filled dumplings similar to pierogi) with a green salad, we were recommended the Spaetzli and the Rainbow Salad.  So we had the dumplings, the spaetzli and the big salad.
 

The potato dumplings came in a garlic herb butter.  They didn't look like much but the fresh dough in the dumpling skins made them and were in a herb and garlic butter sauce.  Absolutely delicious.  The accompanying green salad was chunks of iceberg lettuce a few veg in a herby sharp dressing (quite a change after the undressed salads of Rome) that worked very well with the mellow flavours of the dumplings. 

The Rainbow Salad was a meal in itself.  We were told it had 10 elements.  I thought this meant 10 different vegetables but when it arrived I found there were lots of different salads.  I spotted coleslaw, green salad, potato salad, beetroot sauerkraut, cooked green beans.  I am sure I missed some, especially as they were all close together in the bowl.  I loved it.  So much different salads and vegetables.  It was great with the intense carb-intense spaetzli.

The spaetzli was amazing.  It was the ultimate comfort food courtesy of Austria.  I have read about these traditionally handmade dumplings or pasta before but never tasted them.  The spaetzli was listed as a side but the kind waitress  recommended it and we just nodded.  She said it was served with butter and cheese.  It was served with crispy fried onions on top.  Sounds simple but it tasted amazing.

Our serve was definitely not a side dish.  It felt never ending and I gave up long before I could finish the bowl.  Sylvia shared some (just as we shared the potato dumplings) and was also stuffed.  It was so satisfying to grab a clump on a fork and watched the stretchy cheese as the mouthful was pulled away from the rest of the dish.  We weren't going to let it go to waste and took the rest away for both of us to eat for breakfast the next morning.  It was so good, I am relieved we didn't get into a fight over who had the last of it.

The food was like home cooking at its best: unpretentious fresh, full of flavour and generous helpings.  So much so that I did not resent the price of 71.80 CHF (or $126.79) for our meals and sparkling water.  The place was busy including a group of old guys gathered at the bar like regulars in Cheers.  It did indeed feel like somewhere that were were very glad we came, even if our hostess did not know our name.

The next morning we came downstairs from our apartment and saw the restaurant in the daylight.  It looked every bit as welcoming.  Every time I passed it I saw people coming in or out so I assume it is popular with the locals if not others.  Liked Zurich it welcomed everyone, is quite pricey, took in influences from different countries and yet managed to feel very Swiss.

Burgstein's Gasthaus Penalty
Hallwylstrasse 40, 8004 Zürich, Switzerland
Web: https://burgsteins-gasthaus-penalty.business.site/

Rome: visit to Colesseum with lunch and a touch of confusion

The Colosseum of Rome doesn't really need introducing.  The building is indeed a colossus but its fame also is huge.  Built between 70 and 80AD, it is the largest ancient amphitheater in the world and immortalised in films from Roman Holiday to Gladiator.  We went there on a sunny day in February, firstly for lunch with a view and then to go inside.  Sounds simple.  With hindsight we were lucky to manage these two simple tasks.  I found it a confusing place to navigate but an amazing site to behold.

Coming from Australia, I always think of ruins as something apart from modern living.  The way the Colosseum and other ancient ruins in Rome seem part of everyday life makes my brain explode.  Staying near the Porta San Giovanni, I held my breath at the audacity every time a bus drove through the 3rd Century archways.  Mostly we took the 87 bus which drove close by the Colosseum.  Imagine this being part of your route to work each day!

Sylvia wanted to eat lunch looking over the Colosseum.  So she took me up a flight of stairs near the Metro Station to Via Nicola Salvi in hope of lunhc at Oppia cafe.  Although there are a lot of seats overlooking the Colosseum, they are in high demand.  We could not find one at Oppia but there was just one free at the next door cafe, La Biga Ristoracaffe Wine Food (Via Nicola Salvi, 65/66/67, 00184 Roma), 

When you dine with a view of the Colosseum, you don't skimp on lunch.  We ordered Bruschetta pomodoro, Cannelloni ricotta e spinaci (for me), Ravioli ricotta e spinaci (for Sylvia), and  Funghi, rucola parmigiano e noci insalate.  It amazes me how many of these Italian words are familiar to me.  It was a delicious meal with lots of parmesan on the pasta.  Sylvia's ravioli was quite al dente but my canneloni was soft and melting.  She had a Caffe Latte Soia and I was happy to drink fizzy water.

Sylvia loved the bruschetta which was fresh tomato and basil on grilled bread.  I liked it ok but think I might have liked it better with some seasoning.  Though I am not a huge fan of fresh tomatoes.  I also found it a bit messy because the chunks of tomato were just balancing on the bread and had to be held down or they just fell off.  

I loved the  mushroom and rocket salad with parmesan and walnuts.  It was the first salad I had ordered in Rome.  I was surprised it was undressed with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and seasoning served beside it.  And that there were no cutlery available to toss and serve the salad.  My cannelloni alone would have been fairly ordinary.  But with the dressed salad it was amazingly good.  I felt like we were dining like royalty.

The next challenge was to get into the Colosseum.  Sounded easy!  Right?  But when we walked down there were crowds of people everywhere and it was not clear where we got tickets and went in.  To make matters worse we were constantly approached by touts who told us they were information officers.  Their alarmist spiel went like this: if you want to buy a ticket, you have to queue for at least an hour, then you need to be given a time to enter and wait for that, then it is another hour to queue for security checks to get inside.  It was after 2pm by now and they warned that we might not even get in today.  They had a solution where we joined their English speaking tour and skipped the queue.  I waved them away but picked up some of their anxiety.  It would have been easier if we could see signs or official information people but they were not to be seen.

We joined a long queue for tickets, unsure of how long it would be.  It was about 15 minutes.  Sylvia had been unsure of going into the Colosseum and the queue made her more reluctant until we saw some cats through the fence in a part of the Forum area.  The cats amused her while we waited.  Once we had tickets at a ticket box near the Forum fence (free for 14 year old Sylvia), we had to find the entrance which was closer to the Colosseum.  We went through the security checks quickly without a queue and were inside fairly quickly.

Finally we were on the other side of those majestic arches.  We were in the outer passages but I was still confused about where we had to go.  Eventually we followed the crowds through an archway to the arena.  We were finally here.  But I had planned to do an audio tour.  I saw the first stop for the audio tour but was confused about where to get the headsets.  An information officer told me I had to return back through the archway to buy one.  Then I got growled at by someone who thought I was queue jumping!  I was just confused!

The first spot to listen to the headset was easy to spot but the rest of them were less easy and I ended up passing them out of order somehow.  I didn't find the headsets so useful but they added a little colour and information.  But the commentary included both visuals and then sections where I was told to look at the screen and either the sun cast too much glare on the screen or it was an old fashioned movie of which I could not understand the relevance.  And meanwhile Sylvia would be urging me to move along.

Once we were in the arena I had assumed we would be able to walk around but again it wasn't clear where to go next.  Again we followed the crowds out of the arena to the outer passages, passing these archways with tempting glimpses of the arena.  We found our way up to the floor with an exhibition about the history of the Colosseum.  This was quite useful but again Sylvia wanted to go faster so I read bits of pieces.  Between the audio tour and the exhibition I felt my information about the Colosseum was still quite patchy.

The exhibition included quite a bit about building the Colosseum in the first or second century AD.  It is amazing to think that people could build something of this size without modern machinery.  There were quite a lot of models and technical diagrams.  I could not work out if this frieze was related to construction of the building or just the crowds enjoying a day out.  Some people humble types carrying baskets but then others look like soldiers or aristocrats in ships.

I think this mosaic shows the lions and gladiators.  Or it is a tiger?  There were all types of animals kept in the maze of walls below the floor waiting to entertain the crowds with Gladiators fights and the execution of condemned criminals.  The Colosseum was built soon after the followers of Jesus Christ upset the ruling classes by challenging the current theologies.  While the Catholic Church regarded the Christians as martyrs in the Colosseum, scholars dispute this.  But there weren't the only ones to take on the unpleasant role of gladiator to stare death in the face.  Gladiators were also other undesirables like criminals.

I liked this montage of sketches of the Colosseum many decades later after it had fallen into ruin and then become a place of interest again.  Though I really can't see how something so gigantic as the Colosseum could be just forgotten.  A friend told me that there are holes somewhere in the walls where homeless people hung hammocks to sleep in.  I didn't see this in the information anywhere but I read afterwards that all the pock marks in the archways are from people taking iron clamps which had been used to support the building.  It did not just take the removal of iron clamps to threaten the building - it was hit by lightning, survived earthquakes and was used as a quarry for stone for other buildings of Rome throughout history.

The 76 arches in the lower level were entrances for the crowds of up to 65,000 to enter the Colosseum.  Each arch was numbered and entrants were given tickets with seat numbers and gate numbers.  Sounds like our big sporting events today!

The views of the archways through to the interior can be quite lovely but I think I liked the views out of the Colosseum more.

This view of the modern building seen through the ancient archways is a nice juxtaposition.

And here is a view of the modern traffic on the road. 

Walking around the upper floors gave great views of the interior.

And then just before the gift shop was the views of the crowds mulling around the busy area between the Forum and the Colosseum.  You can see some of the Forum in the background.  Our ticket entitled us to also see the Forum and I would have loved to have explored those ruins if only we  had had the time and energy.

We finished with a great view of the walls in the level below the arena where animals and gladiators waited for their moment in the spotlight.  I could see people down there.  I could see that there were headset guide spots down there.  But when I followed the signs I could not work out how to get there and Sylvia was too tired (and bored).  And so we left, as confused as when I had entered.

(And our train is about to get into Zurich.  It has been hard to concentrate on this blog post with all the views of the Swiss Alps!  But I have many more Rome posts to do, so I will end here and hope for more train time for blogging!)