Kristina and I did go into the two major churches in town and one, the Fraumünster, has the most incredible stained glass windows designed by Marc Chagall. I wish I could have taken photos, but it wasn’t allowed. Here is a link to some information and photos online in case you are interested. I think these were the most beautiful things I saw in all of the city and these images do not do them justice.
Thalwil is also a wonderful little town. Kristina and Brandon’s home is within easy walking distance of the train station, the ferry depot and the local shops. They live in a community with many other ex-pats, as well as a number of Swiss families. The view from their top floor balcony is just amazing- out across Lake Zürich to the Gold Coast on the opposite shore. There are tons of boats out on the lake, big sailboats, dinghies, skulls and even paddleboats. We saw a couple of water skiers and Elyse and Nicco even went swimming, briefly on Saturday. Kristina and I went for a run, and let me way, Zürich is much hilly than Frankfurt. We only went about 30 minutes or so, but almost the last half was uphill! My calves are still sore on Monday morning.
On Saturday night we had dinner with some of their friends, Valerie and Andrew and their girls. These guys are from London, but have lived in Luxemburg, Paris and now Zürich. We enjoyed some delicious guacamole and beetroot margaritas on the balcony and watched a storm blow in over the mountains and the lake. There were some flashes of lightening, but no thunder. It passed relatively quickly and we were able to enjoy dinner of grilled salmon, potato salad nicoise and rhubarb tart, outside.
One of the funniest things I learned in the course of the weekend is that every Swiss household, even those built today, must have a bomb shelter. Some homes share bomb shelters, and Kristina and Brandon’s is across the way at their neighbor’s home. Not only must they have a bomb shelter, but the list of supplies that should be in it are posted in every home. Here is the sign officially affixed to Kristina’s basement door-
Zürich was truly lovely, although terribly expensive. Everyone on Germany commented on this before I left, so I was prepared for that. Kristina and I bought a couple of cold drinks from a street vendor and the total was 9 Francs, or about 10 bucks! And, that is the other thing, Francs?? I thought that was the purpose of the Euro, so that everyone (except England of course, but they’re an island and stubborn as we all know) would use the same currency. So, I arrived with none. Fortunately, the easiest and best way to change currency is simply to use an ATM machine.
It was such great fun to see an old friend and visit. I was even able to share Kristina’s Mother’s Day celebration; we had pancakes with fresh berries and chocolate cake at breakfast. Elyse, who is seven and reminds me very much of Charlie, asked if I would bunk with her. So, I slept on an extra bed in her room both nights. It was so very comfortable and it was nice to hear her breathing and think of my two boys at home in NJ.
I arrived back in Frankfurt last night around 9 and it has been raining steadily ever since I reached my apartment. Hopefully it will let up so that I can stock up on some groceries. I am glad to have taken my first big train trip here. I have a general idea of how it all works now, and I even have a Bahn Card (a discount card). I took the ICE (Inter City Express), which is the high-speed train. Zürich is about 268 miles from Frankfurt and it took just over 4 hours to get there. One can travel in first or second class, and second class is certainly a step up from Amtrak at home. It is possible to buy an open ticket, but it is much better to make a seat reservation and that way you don’t have to worry about finding a seat. The train was pretty full going in both directions. We are planning to take the ICE to Amsterdam and Paris later this summer, so at least I am familiar with it now.
Thank you Kristina and Brandon!
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