Zürich Daily Photo

mmmmm...stinky, melty, cheeeeese...

2007-12-21T13:31:00.000+01:00

Along with glühwein and bratwurst, raclette stands are standard fare at all Christmas markets in Switzerland (and pretty much every single other outdoor or indoor event, festival or fair, for that matter). The blocks of cheese are heated, and the melty outer layer is scraped onto a flimsy paper plate and served with some potatoes or onions or pickles.

But you can't fully appreciate the raclette experience unless you catch a whiff of the stuff. If only the 'internets' came with some sort of 'smell-o-vision'...

soldiers

2007-12-20T11:23:00.000+01:00

Decorative nutcrackers standing guard at the Christmas market.

fed up

2007-12-19T23:01:00.000+01:00

Just a little break from all the holiday cheer... I know I'm not really supposed to post more than one picture each day, but since I've missed some of the last few weeks, and since this was too funny to pass up, here it goes...

I found this sign on a fence on my street today. Someone in my neighborhood has not been picking up Fido's poop, and the neighbors are rightfully outraged. It reads: "Hey, we're fed up with this sh*t!" with the arrow pointing to the offending, um, gift on the sidewalk. Don't worry, I won't gross you out with any pics of what was left behind--Eric in Paris already did that with his Theme Day post last February. Love how they've provided the doggy bags, which are already available in all public parks, for this person's added convenience.

I'm just contributing my part by publicly shaming the culprit into picking up after his or her pooch.

all neon like*

2007-12-19T10:40:00.000+01:00

A stall at the outdoor Christmas market in Niederdorf selling fluorescent decorative...uh,...I don't even know what these are...

*Björk

yum!

2007-12-18T11:00:00.000+01:00

Traditional Christmas goodies for sale at the Christmas market in the Hauptbahnhof (train station).

starry night

2007-12-17T23:55:00.000+01:00

Christmas decorations on a side street in downtown Zurich.

conelli

2007-12-06T17:50:00.000+01:00

Each year during Christmas season, The Conelli Circus tent goes up on the Bauschänzli, a small island that used to be part of the city's fortifications. This acrobatic circus has been putting on its Christmas performance here for the past 25 years. I must admit that I've never been, but it looks kind of cool all lit up at night.

pink clouds

2007-12-05T12:35:00.000+01:00

Up until this morning, it had been raining for much of the past week. However, the sun did attempt to make a brief appearance one late afternoon--just long enough to give the clouds a pink hue.

ornaments

2007-12-04T12:02:00.000+01:00

Christmas cheer and decorations are all around. These rows of Christmas trees are standing outside the café next to the Kunsthaus. You can even see the reflection of one of the outdoor sculptures in the ornament.

colors reflected

2007-12-03T23:55:00.000+01:00

Colored windows of a building in Schipfe reflected in the Limmat

cool cat

2007-11-25T23:57:00.000+01:00

with a cigar

sticker found on a post on Limmatquai

on the outside looking in

2007-11-24T23:19:00.000+01:00

At around 10 p.m., when the "convenience" store has already closed...

chapel steps

2007-11-23T12:52:00.000+01:00

Slowly, slowly, getting back into the swing of things and building up a new stock of pictures for your daily viewing pleasure. Pictured here is the view through the banister on the steps leading up to the chapel behind the Grossmunster.

hats

2007-11-19T00:18:00.000+01:00

It's coooold outside! Time to get my winter hat out. Or buy a new one, perhaps from this zany little hat shop on Froschaugasse...

fire

2007-11-15T18:55:00.000+01:00

Well, I'm back from my mostly internet-free vacation, and after giving myself a few days to recover from jet lag and settle back in, I'm back to my daily photo routine. Unfortunately, I'm starting off with a rather depressing post...

Last night, at around 11:30 pm, a huge fire broke out at the Zunfthaus zum Zimmerleuten, the carpenters' guildhouse on the Limmatquai. Firefighters worked through the night to contain itand prevent it from spreading to neighboring buildings, but the bulding was pretty much destroyed. Sadly, one firefighter was killed when the roof collapsed. As of this morning, the building was still smoldering, and the Limmatquai and the nearby Munsterbrucke (bridge) have been shut down to all traffic, including trams, all day. Thankfully, the fire didn't spread. No word on possible causes yet.

You can see the Grossmunster sitting right behind the guildhouse, and my office is further up the hill behind the Grossmunster.
.

You may have caught glimpses of this beautiful historic building by the river here and here

ferien

2007-10-26T02:56:00.000+02:00

Hello fellow DP'ers, friends, and regular visitors. I'm off on vacation for two weeks and will have iffy access to computers & internet. I may post a few stock photos occasionally, and will do my best to post on November 1st for Daily Photo Theme Day. However, I'm not making any promises. I'll be back in mid November. In the meantime, to get your daily Zürich fix, visit Richard's blog at http://zurich.dailyphoto.forthmedia.com/dailyphoto/

"mirror, mirror..."

2007-10-25T12:38:00.001+02:00

the 'cool' kids...

2007-10-24T22:07:00.000+02:00

...always sit in the back. or at least that's how it was on the school bus in grade school...

herbie!

2007-10-23T10:31:00.000+02:00

The Love Bug in Zürich...found parked on Limmatquai.

stadelhofen

2007-10-22T23:43:00.000+02:00

Commuter train pulling into Stadelhofen, which several readers have pointed out was designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. In the background, you you'll notice the curvy footbridge that has been featured in previous posts.

"coffeine"

2007-10-21T23:19:00.000+02:00

café angst: someone has a rather bleak outlook on things...

"rubber duckie, you're the one...

2007-10-20T23:53:00.000+02:00

...you make bathtime lots of fun..."

window display at a housewares store in the Old Town

huh?!?

2007-10-19T14:41:00.000+02:00

Don't even ask what this was all about, because I have absolutely no idea. I spotted this man in drag sporting a humongous, um, afro (?) with an oversized bow, strutting down Bahnhofstrasse at lunch time. This certainly earned him some strange looks from passersby (check out the old guy in the second picture). It must have been a photo shoot for something because there was a professional photographer and a woman who kept on stopping to fix and touch up his, uh, wig. The funniest part was when the guy walked by the Bulgari (jewelry) store, stopped in his tracks and squealed (yes, he squealed) , "oooh, Bulgari! I loooooove Bulgari!!" The photographer had to urge him to move along.

Touching up

I've been tagged by Jazzy in Tuzla, and now I'm supposed to reveal 8 things you probably don't know about me:

I speak 4 1/2 languages, German being the half language (more like only 1/4 language) because I find it so incredibly difficult. The others were easy peasy in comparison.
I know how to knit, but nothing more complicated than a scarf or a hat...
My immediate family is scattered across 3 different continents.
My left foot is slightly bigger than my right foot.
I don't know how to whistle.
When I was little, I used to be terrified of dogs. I used to run away from them screaming and crying, and of course they would chase after me. Somehow I got over that, and now I really want a pet dog.
I learned how to snowboard when I came to Switzerland, but I'm still scared of speed.
I have two passports.

These are the rules:

Link to your tagger and post these rules.
List eight (8) random facts about yourself.
Tag eight (or three or four) people at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them).
Let them know they’ve been tagged by leaving them a comment on their blogs.

Now it's my turn to tag a few other bloggers. I'm only tagging 4 people because most other Daily Photo Bloggers I checked have already been tagged by someone else...

Fenix in Boston, USA
M. Benaut in Adelaide, Australia
Sapra in Ljubljana, Slovenia
Xana in Figueira da Foz, Portugal

fall

2007-10-18T13:58:00.000+02:00

Fall is definitely here, and these pumpkins and gourds are beautifully displayed at the entrance to the café at the Kunsthaus Zürich, promoting its seasonal menu. Some of my favorite things about fall: kürbis suppe (pumpkin soup), heisse marroni (roasted chestnuts) stands everywhere, truffle pasta, and fall foliage/colors. ha ha...just realized that most of my fall favorites involve food! what do you like most about fall?

flughafen again

2007-10-17T15:30:00.000+02:00

Apologies, apologies, apologies. Once again I was traveling with no access to a computer. Been traveling alot lately, which is one of the advantages of living in the center of Europe. So here's yet another shot of Zürich's photogenic airport, which is always nice to come back to after spending some time in a large chaotic city (well, chaotic in comparison to Zürich) where you can't understand the language, or even read the street signs.

triangles & elipses

2007-10-09T21:23:00.000+02:00

looking towards thes sky inside the Sihlcity shopping center

from the waist down

2007-10-08T16:37:00.000+02:00

This was a completely accidental shot. A few weeks before I joined the Daily Photo Community, the monthly theme day was "From the waist down" This could have been my entry.

home sweet home

2007-10-07T23:55:00.000+02:00

sweet and simple little stencil found in Kreis 5

tower

2007-10-06T23:16:00.000+02:00

Technically not in Zürich, but close enough. Went for a walk in Sihlwald just outside the city, along the Sihl River (which joins the Limmat River close to the center of the city). In addition to all the woods and nature, this was one of the interesting, less natural sights.

just a peaceful park scene in the fall...

2007-10-05T10:57:00.000+02:00

well...actually, if you look closely, you'll notice a few tombstones here and there, hidden amongst the shrubs. The Swiss sure know how to make things look pretty, and their cemeteries are no exception. Since I still have plenty of cemetery pictures (which happen to be perfect for Halloween month) that I took for the October 1st Theme Day, I'll probably be posting a few more of these over the course of the month.

matchy matchy II

2007-10-04T10:59:00.001+02:00

It's waaay cuter when little kids wear matching outfits than when the adults do it.

Did your parents dress you and your siblings in matching outfits when you were small?

lounging around

2007-10-03T11:40:00.000+02:00

In the bar/lounge area of the ticketing & information center of the Zurich Film Festival. It's a cool temporary setup overlooking the river.

cloudy in the city...

2007-10-02T19:43:00.000+02:00

...sunny in the mountains...This is the view of the Alps from Zuriberg, just outside the cemetery. The lake is actually just beyond the trees, before the first set of hills. Usually it's too hazy to see the mountains this clearly. To see the lake and the mountains, click here.

tombstones & cemeteries

2007-10-01T10:50:00.000+02:00

Pictured here is Zürich’s Friedhof Fluntern cemetery, in the Zuriberg hills, next to the zoo. I really like the idea of placing a stone on top of the tombstone, marking one's visit. On a clear day, you can see the Alps from here.

a really sweet tombstone ornament

and...

...lots of flowers...

To see Friedhof Fluntern's most famous 'resident,' click here.

As always, the first day of the month is Daily Photo Theme Day. To visit tombstones and cemeteries in over 100 cities around the world, follow the links below:

St. Louis (MO), USA - San Diego (CA), USA - Cleveland (OH), USA - New York City (NY), USA - Boston (MA), USA - Mainz, Germany - Hyde, UK - Arlington (VA), USA - Cape Town, South Africa - Saint Paul (MN), USA - Toulouse, France - Arradon, France - Menton, France - Monte Carlo, Monaco - Montego Bay, Jamaica - Ampang (Selangor), Malaysia - Joplin (MO), USA - Cottage Grove (MN), USA - Bellefonte (PA), USA - Mexico (DF), Mexico - Seattle (WA), USA - Baziège, France - Baltimore (MD), USA - Chandler (AZ), USA - Sequim (WA), USA - Stayton (OR), USA - Stockholm, Sweden - Austin (TX), USA - Singapore, Singapore - Anderson (SC), USA - Orlando (FL), USA - Greenville (SC), USA - Wassenaar (ZH), Netherlands - Nashville (TN), USA - Tenerife, Spain - Manila, Philippines - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Jacksonville (FL), USA - River Falls (WI), USA - Chateaubriant, France - Quincy (MA), USA - Rabaul, Papua New Guinea - Buenos Aires, Argentina - Crystal Lake (IL), USA - Inverness (IL), usa - Lubbock (TX), USA - Phoenix (AZ), USA - Moscow, Russia - Norwich (Norfolk), UK - Crepy-en-Valois, France - Minneapolis (MN), USA - New Orleans (LA), USA - Montréal (QC), Canada - West Sacramento (CA), USA - Toruń, Poland - Philadelphia (PA), USA - Christchurch, New Zealand - London, England - Paderborn, Germany - The Hague, Netherlands - Selma (AL), USA - Sunderland, UK - Kyoto, Japan - Tokyo, Japan - Stavanger, Norway - Fort Lauderdale (FL), USA - Weston (FL), USA - Portland (OR), USA - Forks (WA), USA - Saint-Petersburg, Russian Federation - Maple Ridge (BC), Canada - Boston (MA), USA - Sydney, Australia - Wellington, New Zealand - Montpellier, France - Jackson (MS), USA - Wailea (HI), USA - Petaling Jaya (Selangor), Malaysia - Evry, France - Saarbrücken, Germany - New York City (NY), USA - Santa Fe (NM), USA - North Bay (ON), Canada - Melbourne, Australia - Port Vila, Vanuatu - Cypress (TX), USA - Saint Louis (MO), USA - Paris, France - San Diego (CA), USA - Wichita (Ks), USA - Haninge, Sweden - Prague, Czech Republic - Zurich, Switzerland - Budapest, Hungary - Paris, France - Saigon, Vietnam - Grenoble, France - Zurich, Switzerland - Port Angeles (WA), USA - Naples (FL), USA - Toronto (ON), Canada - Sequim (WA), USA - Chicago (IL), USA

babushka

2007-10-01T00:48:00.000+02:00

several versions of these babushka or matryoshka doll stickers have been popping up around town, mostly on the backs of signs.

missed...

2007-09-29T23:27:00.000+02:00

...the tram...

zurich film festival

2007-09-28T21:41:00.000+02:00

The third (yes, it's a fairly new event) annual Zurich Film Festival, which runs until October 7th, kicked off last night and will be showing over 50 feature films, documentaries, short, and animated films. It's a great opportunity to catch a number of independent and foreign films that might not make it to the regular theatres. Films will be competing in three categories: "Debut Feature" "New Fiction Feature" and "Documentary Feature." There is also a series showcasing new Russian cinema, as well as a film series tribute to Director Oliver Stone, who will be making a special appearance to collect an award in his honor. Pictured here is the Festival's info. & ticket center, which was set up on the Limmatquai, next to the Rathaus bridge.

lokal bar

2007-09-27T23:15:00.000+02:00

Went back to El Lokal. Just observing all the activity at the bar from above.

barbie vespa

2007-09-26T23:32:00.000+02:00

I was having lunch outside near the Grossmunster, when this long-haired manly man, with a goatee, and dressed mostly in black, zoomed by on this pink pastel colored vespa. Oh how I wish I had whipped out my camera faster and gotten a better shot! I cropped the photo to get a closer view of the guy, but can't make it any bigger.

swing...and...jump!

2007-09-25T23:32:00.000+02:00

We got lucky and had one last blast of summery weather this past weekend, so fealressguys were out again performing some crazy stunts: swinging, jumping, back flipping, and diving into the lake from such great heights!

the thinker

2007-09-24T14:20:00.000+02:00

Rodin's "The Thinker" wearing a business suit in a park in Zürich.

sharpie pen mural

2007-09-23T14:15:00.000+02:00

I took this picture a long time ago, and have been sitting on it for awhile. This is a small detail of a hand drawn mural that someone put up on a plywood construction barrier along the river. The entire thing was intricately done with a permanent marker. This has been up for several months, but the construction barrier was taken down at some point within the last week or two. So it's about time I post this for posterity...

To see more details of the mural, click here.

carousel

2007-09-22T23:05:00.000+02:00

This carousel goes up on the Rathaus bridge each year during the month of September. There are several kinderkrippes (day care centers) in the Old Town near my office. For safety, all kids from the krippes have to wear these bright orange vests and hold hands to stay together. I often see groups of toddlers and their krippe supervisors walking hand in hand on their afternoon or morning walk. Sometimes the kids get a special treat and get to ride the carousel.

china patterns

2007-09-21T22:58:00.000+02:00

a bench at the Chinagarten

baby with baby

2007-09-20T22:02:00.000+02:00

I used to have a toy stroller like that...

looking up

2007-09-19T22:55:00.000+02:00

standing at the bottom of the steps of the footbridge at the Stadelhofen train station.

Look familiar? You've seen this footbridge here. I still like the way it curves.

flughafen cafe

2007-09-18T23:42:00.000+02:00

Here's another cafe at the other end of the main terminal at the Zürich airport. This shot was taken a few minutes after I took the picture from yesterday's post--after I had a chance to pick up a "schoggi gipfeli" (chocolate croissant) for the flight.

flughafen bar

2007-09-17T23:29:00.000+02:00

I went away for the weekend again, so here's another airport picture: one of the cafe/bars in the main shopping area at the ungodly hour of 7 a.m on Friday morning.

matchy matchy

2007-09-13T11:24:00.000+02:00

Isn't it funny (and, well, kind of weird) when grown-up couples decide to wear matching outfits??

lunch break

2007-09-12T23:18:00.000+02:00

at the Lindenhof--eating, chatting and enjoying the view of the Old Town and the Limmat River below.

evil red gnome #13

2007-09-11T22:37:00.000+02:00

Seems like I've unintentionally started a photo series on the window display at a specific hair salon. Not exactly sure what it is about these dolls--they're simultaneously cute and evil looking, but they make me smile. I don't even go to this salon, I just walk by often.

lokal latin musik

2007-09-10T23:57:00.000+02:00

Went to El Lokal, to see a friend, Juan Carlos Zeta, perform all sorts of sons, rumbas, boleros, cumbias and other Latin American standards. He'll be performing there every Monday for the rest of the month of September. El Lokal is one of Zürich's more laid back and welcoming bars (as opposed to some of the other snooty, shi-shi places around town). With pictures of Che Guevara, Frida Kahlo, Maradona with his Che tatoo, and a Mexican Day of the Dead skeleton adorning the walls and ceiling, it has some sort of "Latin American/revolutionary" theme going on, in addition to some really nice outdoor seating along the along the Sihl River.

Two more pictures here.

wingman

2007-09-09T23:20:00.000+02:00

or square bird? sticker found on the back of a sign in my neighborhood

catching some rays

2007-09-08T23:22:00.000+02:00

You may remember this kitty from this post a few months ago. It belongs to the owner of one of the art galleries on our street, and on a chilly but sunny day, he decided to stay inside and hang out on the sunny window sill, watching the world go by.

wedding photos

2007-09-07T21:11:00.000+02:00

First a movie shoot, then a TV ad shoot, and now wedding photos - our street is so picturesque that you always find people taking advantage of its Old Town charm for their movie scenes and picures.

open & upside down

2007-09-06T23:35:00.000+02:00

Um...dinner on the ceiling?

shiny happy aluminum people

2007-09-05T23:34:00.000+02:00

You may be wondering what these space agey looking people are doing walking down the street in the Old Town. Well, apparently the street where my office is located is a really popular spot for shooting movies and commercials because today, for the second time in about three weeks, the street was partly shut down for another film crew. This time it appears that they were filming a public service announcement encouraging aluminum recycling. At one point, these shiny people were stuffed into the back of a truck marked "100% aluminum recycling" that was parked right below one of our windows. Suddenly they would jump out shouting "recycling! recycling! recycling!" They must have shot at least 20 takes of this little scene, so after hearing "recycling" at least 60 times over the course of the afternoon, I don't think we'll ever forget to recycle aluminum cans.

A few more pictures of the shoot here.

bright & empty

2007-09-04T23:31:00.000+02:00

Outdoor seating at a popular touristy fondue restaurant in the Niederdorf is empty because it simply has been too cold to sit outside! People are already talking about snow on the mountains and skiing...

flowers & stripes

2007-09-03T18:00:00.000+02:00

Just the front of one of the guild houses along the Limmatquai.

lovestruck street art?

2007-09-02T23:04:00.000+02:00

Someone is crazy about Joe and has pasted these hand-drawn figures with the words "I (heart) Joe" all over town. The one pictured above is even shedding a tear...To see two more versions of this figure, click here.

it's a star! ...it's a flower!...it's an asterisk!

2007-09-01T13:07:00.000+02:00

no... it's just...a...street lamp in Zürich on a cloudy day.

To see a slightly less cloudy shot taken a few hours later, go here.

As always, the first day of the month is Daily Photo Theme Day, and today's theme is "Street Lights & Street Signs" To see lights and signs in over 100 cities around the world, follow the links below:

Seattle (WA), USA - Ocean Township (NJ), USA - Cottage Grove (MN), USA - Cleveland (OH), USA - Menton, France - Monte Carlo, Monaco - Singapore, Singapore - Boston (MA), USA - Mexico (DF), Mexico - Kajang (Selangor), Malaysia - Mainz, Germany - Evry, France - Port Angeles (WA), USA - Sequim (WA), USA - Maple Ridge (BC), Canada - Nottingham, UK - Toulouse, France - Wassenaar (ZH), Netherlands - Manila, Philippines - Mumbai, India - Montpellier, France - Bellefonte (PA), USA - Stayton (OR), USA - Moscow, Russia - Paris, France - Saint Paul (MN), USA - Austin (TX), USA - Lyon, France - Stockholm, Sweden - Hyde, UK - Hong Kong, China - Joplin (MO), USA - Seoul, South Korea - Chandler (AZ), USA - St. Louis (MO), USA - Arlington (VA), USA - Anderson (SC), USA - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Villigen, Switzerland - Sydney, Australia - Ampang (Selangor), Malaysia - Montego Bay, Jamaica - Norwich (Norfolk), UK - San Diego (CA), USA - Bandung (West Java), Indonesia - Albuquerque (NM), USA - Melbourne, Australia - Nelson, New Zealand - Quincy (MA), USA - Kyoto, Japan - Tokyo, Japan - Bend (OR), USA - Wellington, New Zealand - New Orleans (LA), USA - Cypress (TX), USA - Nashville (TN), USA - Bucaramanga (Santander), Colombia - Detroit (MI), USA - Saigon, Vietnam - Selma (AL), USA - Phoenix (AZ), USA - Miami (FL), USA - Arradon, France - Sheki, Azerbaijan - New York City (NY), USA - Inverness (IL), usa - North Bay (ON), Canada - Melbourne, Australia - Port Vila, Vanuatu - Tenerife, Spain - Auckland, New Zealand - Forks (WA), USA - Rotterdam, Netherlands - Chateaubriant, France - Madison (WI), USA - Wailea (HI), USA - Orlando (FL), USA - Saint-Petersburg, Russian Federation - Ajaccio, France - Baltimore (MD), USA - Crepy-en-Valois, France - Rabaul, Papua New Guinea - Budapest, Hungary - Lyon, France - Saarbrücken, Germany - Adelaide (SA), Australia - Le Guilvinec, France - River Falls (WI), USA - Stavanger, Norway - Naples (FL), USA - London, UK - La Antigua, Guatemala - Philadelphia (PA), USA - Montréal (QC), Canada - Paris, France - San Diego (CA), USA - Trujillo, Peru - Haninge, Sweden - Prague, Czech Republic - Oslo, Norway - Grenoble, France - Shanghai, China - Toronto (ON), Canada - Durban, South Africa - Zurich, Switzerland - Cape Town, South Africa - Singapore, Singapore - Torino, Italy - Flagstaff (AZ), USA

capoeira

2007-08-31T19:03:00.000+02:00

A capoeira class practicing in the park behind the Landesmuseum

walking heads

2007-08-30T23:53:00.000+02:00

According to legend, siblings Felix and Regula, along with their servant Exuperantius, were Roman Christians who fled to Zürich from the massacre of their legion in Valais in the third century AD. They were decapitated at the site of the Wasserkirche on the Limmat River for refusing to pray to the Roman gods. Following their execution, the martyrs picked up their heads and walked up the hill to the spot where they wished to be buried. Centuries later, when Charlemagne arrived at the gravesite of the three martyrs, his horse suddenly went down on its knees in deference to the saints buried there. Charlemagne then decided to found a church, which later became today's Grossmünster--one of the city's main landmarks.

cooking with fire

2007-08-29T23:05:00.000+02:00

One of the many food stands at the Zürcher Theater Spektakel.

playing with fire

2007-08-28T23:07:00.000+02:00

Street performer at the Zürcher Theater Spektakel, which runs until this Sunday.

la locura

2007-08-27T15:02:00.000+02:00

There was definitely no shortage of events, street parties, neighborhood festivals, and outdoor concerts in town this past weekend: Dörflifäscht in the Old Town, Röntgenplatz Fest in Kreis 5, Limmatschwimmen, Zürcher Theater Spektakel, and not to mention the wonderful last blast of summer weather we just had this weekend (after weeks of rain). This partly explains my lackadaisical posting recently--I've been so busy outside enjoying the city and the weather, that I've hardly been home long enough to download, sort and post pictures. (yeah, I cheated a bit and backposted a few). Pictured here is a Swiss band called "Fiji" performing at La Locura festival by the lake in Wollishofen-- an alternative arts event that ran parallel to the larger scale Theater Spektakel, featuring theatre and dance performances, street performers, art activities for kids, outdoor concerts, DJs, food stalls and vendors.

legalize it!

2007-08-26T23:42:00.000+02:00

yeah!

found on the ceiling of an underpass at Wollishofen train station.

limmatschwimmen

2007-08-25T09:12:00.000+02:00

Saturday I participated in what is supposed to be an annual swim down the Limmat River. The event was cancelled the last two years due to cold water temperatures, rain, and rough currents. This year we finally lucked out with the weather and we had beautiful 26C degree temparatures and plenty of sunshine. However, the usual 2km route was cut short because of some construction further downstream, and this year the swim started at the Frauenbadi, down 1,330 m, under 6 bridges, past the Hauptbahnhof (Zürich's main train station) and ending at the Landesmuseum (usually it goes to the Oberer Letten, further down). Most people don't actually swim, an instead hold on to a floatation device provided by the event organizers, and simply let the current carry them down. Some people, like the guys above, bring their own dinghies. It's really fun and relaxing to float, swim, and play around in parts of the river that are usually closed to swimmers. However, after about 25 minutes in chilly 22C water, people start to get cold. So at the end, participants are treated to some hot tea, bratwurst and Rivella (Swiss soft drink).

karl der grosse

2007-08-24T08:56:00.000+02:00

This image of Karl der Grosse, the German name for Charlemagne, sits above the entrance to the Zentrum Karl der Grosse, a restaurant and cultural center sitting in the shadow of the Grossmünster. According to legend, Charlemagne decided to found the Grossmünster on its current site, when his horse fell to its knees over the tombs of Felix and Regula, the city's patron saints, who had deserted their Roman legion and were later decapitated at the site of the nearby Wasserkirche.

rundfunk

2007-08-23T23:35:00.000+02:00

Every evening during the month of August, the Landesmuseum hosts rundfunk.fm. The musuem's courtyard becomes a popular, though temporary, outdoor bar/radio station where people meet for after work drinks, grab something to eat, sit by the Limmat nearby, dance on the dance floor under the tent, or just hang out and listen to the DJs spinning chillout type electronic music, which is also broadcast live from the courtyard (live streaming also available on the rundfunk website). It's too bad the radio station only broadcasts for one month out of the year, because rundfunk.fm is one of Zürich's only radio stations that I actually don't mind listening to.

oldtimers

2007-08-22T22:41:00.000+02:00

At lunchtime today I wandered over to Bürkliplatz, where car enthusiasts and collectors had assembled to take a look at over 70 vintage cars which, starting tomorrow, will be participating in an annual three-day Raid Rally (warning: website has annoying sound that can't be turned off) from Basel to Paris.

A few more pictures here--mostly for my dad's benefit because it's his birthday today. Oh yeah, also for my brother because he's crazy about cars too.

black sky

2007-08-21T09:12:00.000+02:00

Just another pretty sight on Oberdorfstrasse in the Old Town: one of the Grossmünster's sunlit spires set against an ominous looking sky, and some cool outdoor chairs at a sidewalk cafe.

moo

2007-08-20T23:14:00.000+02:00

Apologies for missing a few days, but I was out of town, with no access to internet, computers, or even electricity! Here's a little glimpse of what I saw somewhere in the French part of Switzerland...

Zürich goes Hollywood

2007-08-16T23:44:00.000+02:00

All day yesterday, some scenes for an upcoming Swiss film were being shot in the Old Town. As I walked by, I stopped to take to take a few pictures, but was promptly told by one of the guys on the film crew that I wasn't allowed to do so. So, in true paparazzi form, I hid in a building across the street (i.e. my office), and proceeded to take pictures from the window. Unfortunately, the huge tree obstructed most of the view.

lost

2007-08-15T10:00:00.000+02:00

A little kid somewhere is crying...

cleanup

2007-08-14T11:35:00.000+02:00

Before the party even ended, crews were out picking up trash and collecting recyclables. By Sunday afternoon, Zürich was back to its usual clean, quiet, buttoned-up self.

Street Parade III

2007-08-13T23:39:00.000+02:00

Foam!

Click here for a few more pictures.

Street Parade II

2007-08-12T23:28:00.000+02:00

One really tall man in drag. Isn't he pretty?

More pictures to come in the next few days...still sorting through them.

Street Parade

2007-08-11T23:57:00.000+02:00

Over 800,000 people in various states of dress (and undress) descended upon downtown Zürich for a day for partying in the streets. 20 or so trucks, or 'Lovemobiles,' as they like to call them, with dancers and DJ's blasting electronic music followed a route along part of the lake to Bellevue, over the bridge to Bürkliplatz, and then part of the way down the other side the lake. Revellers followed the trucks with their favorite version of trance or house music, and then danced into the night (and morning) at various after parties, many with super-star DJs, scattered throughout town.

Body paint, wigs, outrageous outfits, crazy dancing: the Swiss as you'd never expect to see them...

Pictured here are some people partying on one of the Lovemobiles.

Here, the couple on the right was attempting some crazy dance move, but the girl on the left ended up getting kicked in the head right after I snapped this picture. She didn't seem to mind, though...

gearing up...

2007-08-10T23:52:00.000+02:00

...for Street Parade--Zurich's annual 24-hour techno extravaganza, which takes place the second weekend of August.

yup, still raining...

2007-08-09T22:08:00.000+02:00

...last night: soaked jeans and ruined shoes ...

staying dry...

2007-08-08T21:53:00.000+02:00

...inside the tram...

getting wet...

2007-08-07T23:45:00.000+02:00

...while waiting at my tram stop in the rain

zürich cubed

2007-08-06T22:55:00.000+02:00

Enjoying the summer this evening by the lake in the Wollishofen neighborhood.

tika

2007-08-05T23:48:00.000+02:00

These distintive looking characters by someone named 'Tika' can be found all over town. I've collected several pictures of these, and will post more eventually.

ramshackle rally

2007-08-04T23:45:00.000+02:00

I have no idea what this was all about, but this car parked on the Limmatquai today just made me laugh.

children at play

2007-08-03T23:55:00.000+02:00

Caution sign found on a street in the Höngg neighborhood. I find all the detail that went into this sign pretty amusing: the jump rope, the pigtails, the 'movement lines' and, most of all, the bulge that was added to make room for soccer ball.

fire & light

2007-08-02T22:31:00.000+02:00

In addition to fireworks, Swiss National Day celebrations yesterday also included bonfires, barbecue parties, and patriotic paper lanterns.

patriotic breakfast

2007-08-01T11:57:00.000+02:00

As always, the first day of the month is Daily Photo Theme Day, and today's theme is "a typical breakfast" Though not necessarily your typical Swiss breakfast, this most certainly is a special occasion breakfast, as August 1st also happens to be Swiss National Day. So, I went out and picked up some patriotic goodies from the bakery. The bread in the foreground is a special edition of a buttery zopf (normally it's shaped like a braid; today the top is shaped like a Swiss cross), which is traditionally eaten on Sundays. The red pastry is a mandel tortli (almond tart), and in the back we have some cookies with jam.

To all the Swiss out there: Happy Switzerland Day!

To see what people in 100 cities around the world are enjoying for breakfast today, follow the links below.

En guete!*

Saint Paul (MN), USA - Bellefonte (PA), USA - Menton, France - Monte Carlo, Monaco - New York City (NY), USA - Tel Aviv, Israel - Hyde, UK - Port Angeles (WA), USA - Mainz, Germany - Stockholm, Sweden - Paderborn, Germany - Singapore, Singapore - Haninge, Sweden - Nottingham, UK - Ampang (Selangor), Malaysia - Manila, Philippines - Boston (MA), USA - Seoul, Korea - Singapore, Singapore - Joplin (MO), USA - Chandler (AZ), USA - Paris, France - Sequim (WA), USA - Greenville (SC), USA - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Boston (MA), USA - Chennai, India - Madison (WI), USA - Baton Rouge (LA), USA - Toulouse, France - Seattle (WA), USA - Mexico (DF), Mexico - La Antigua, Guatemala - Selma (AL), USA - Wassenaar (ZH), Netherlands - Albuquerque (NM), USA - Cleveland (OH), USA - San Diego (CA), USA - Lubbock (TX), USA - Jakarta, Indonesia - Sheki, Azerbaijan - Sydney, Australia - Mumbai, India - Seoul, South Korea - Cottage Grove (MN), USA - Cypress (TX), USA - Saarbrücken, Germany - Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina - New Orleans (LA), USA - Budapest, Hungary - Kyoto, Japan - Tokyo, Japan - Austin (TX), USA - Singapore, Singapore - Villigen, Switzerland - Montréal (QC), Canada - Stayton (OR), USA - Melbourne, Australia - Silver Spring (MD), USA - Moscow, Russia - Springfield (MO), USA - Inverness (IL), usa - Arlington (VA), USA - Cologne (NRW), Germany - Anderson (SC), USA - Oslo, Norway - Saint-Petersburg, Russian Federation - Manila, Philippines - Kajang (Selangor), Malaysia - Maple Ridge (BC), Canada - Bandung (West Java), Indonesia - Stavanger, Norway - Bastia, France - Hong Kong, China - Wailea (HI), USA - St. Louis (MO), USA - Chicago (IL), USA - Rabaul, Papua New Guinea - Sydney, Australia - Bucaramanga (Santander), Colombia - Kansas City (MO), USA - Grenoble, France - Paris, France - Evry, France - Saigon, Vietnam - Prague, Czech Republic - Cape Town, South Africa - Brookville (OH), USA - Brussels, Belgium - San Diego (CA), USA - Wellington, New Zealand - Newcastle (NSW), Australia - Saint Louis (MO), USA - Sharon (CT), USA - Shanghai, China - Zurich, Switzerland - North Bay (ON), Canada - Lyon, France - Naples (FL), USA - Olympia (WA), USA

*'Bon appetite' in Swiss German

no men allowed

2007-07-31T17:01:00.000+02:00

Located in the middle of town, on the left bank of the Limmat River near the Fraumünster church and the Stadthaus, the Frauenbad is a women-only swimming and sunbathing area. By night, it becomes the bar füss bar (not to be confused with the barfüsserbar!) and is open to everyone (including men). The bar is beautifully lit at night, and people can sit on the dock and soak their feet in the river while looking out at the surrounding buildings and churches in the Old Town.

glass pick-up

2007-07-30T23:50:00.000+02:00

I was at the office trying to talk on the phone, when I heard this loud, loud, loud, shattering sound. I looked out the window and saw the glass recycling containers being emptied into the truck. We're supposed to sort our glass by color--so note that the back of the truck has three different sections corresponding to each of the different types glass containers: one for green, one for brown, and one for clear glass.

clouded mind

2007-07-29T23:50:00.000+02:00

hmmm...interesting... Found right next to last week's pringles guy.

flea market dolls

2007-07-28T23:36:00.000+02:00

Some more creepy looking dolls from the flea market at Bürkliplatz.

bait

2007-07-27T23:54:00.000+02:00

I literally stumbled upon this kid on the sidewalk/bike path, hard at work, putting some bait on his fishing pole before going fishing off of the Neumühle-quai. He was so immersed in the task at hand that he had no idea I was there.

classical buskers

2007-07-26T23:50:00.000+02:00

An impromptu classical music concert on the street behind the Grossmünster.

backlit bottles

2007-07-25T13:35:00.000+02:00

Just some bottles all lined up at the bar area of barfüsserbar (website still under construction) a trendy sushi restaurant/bar in the Old Town, which previously unbeknownst to us, also happens to be a gay bar. Not a big deal or anything, just kind of funny because we weren't expecting it. The sushi was pretty good too!

jugendstil rainbow

2007-07-24T23:17:00.000+02:00

As far as summer goes, we've had some pretty disappointing weather lately: chilly temperatures, plenty of rain followed by thunderstorms in the evenings. Today we had crazy weather: rain, sun, rain, sun, rain, sun, rain...which inevitably resulted in ....a rainbow! I saw this one as I was walking up the street from the tram stop to my apartment this evening. It's actually the second rainbow I've seen this week! (Pictures of the first one didn't turn out so well). The house is one of the many jugendstil houses in my neighborhood that I had been planning on showcasing at some point, and today just turned out to be a perfect day for that.

barefoot

2007-07-23T23:47:00.000+02:00

A few weeks ago, Z in Villigen posted a picture of a woman wandering around barefoot in the town of Stilli. She asked me if I had seen anyone walking around the streets of Zürich in their bare feet. I actually hadn't seen anyone. That is, until today, when I spotted this barefoot girl at the tram stop-in rainy weather, no less! I especially like the woman on the bench in the background. She seems to be giving this girl a strange look. Apologies for the blurriness--took this picture in a hurry and only had one free hand, as I was holding a bag of groceries and an umbrella in the other hand....

pringles man in disguise

2007-07-22T23:37:00.000+02:00

This piece, found on a construction barrier on the bike path along the Limmat River made me laugh because it looks like the Pringles man in a bear suit. I particularly like the "heart letten" 'tatoo' because the letten is where I spend a good portion of my free time during the sumer, and is actually a short walk from where I took this picture.

harry potter at the flea market

2007-07-21T23:59:00.000+02:00

Perhaps it's the glasses, or the striped sweater, or the floppy dark hair, or all the recent Harry Potter mania, but when I wandered over to weekly flea market at Bürkliplatz, these dolls reminded me of a certain boy wizard.