footbridge

This is a footbridge that crosses over the railroad tracks at the Stadelhofen commuter train station. I just like the way it curves.

getting a trim

I walk past this hair salon on my way to and from work every day.

matchy matchy poofiness

I guess what they say about dogs looking like their owners is true.

To see them from a different angle, go here.

love locked

I saw this yesterday on the Münsterbrücke. The ribbon reads "Jenny & Martin heiraten!" (Jenny & Martin getting married!). Looks like Jenny and Martin got the idea of using a lock to seal their love from other couples doing the same in Rome. (full story here). I wonder if this new tradition will catch on in Zurich as well.

mummy cyclists: beware of parked trucks

Most caution signs use stick figures to warn people of potential danger. For some reason they've decided to use a mummy with fingers on this one.

giant soap bubbles

camouflage

This girl was leaning against the wall and playing fetch with her dog. I liked the way her dark jacket and her dog's brown coat blended in with the fun graffiti in the background. Seen at the Oberer Letten, a popular hangout along the Limmat River when the weather is nice.

swing!

After an unseasonably warm few months, this sudden late blast of winter brings with it the joys of playing in the snow, regressing to childhood and playing on the swings like these three fully grown women. The tower in the background is the Urania Observatory. One floor below the observatory, is the Jules Verne Panorama Bar which, as the name suggests, offers nice views of the city.

layer cake

Yes, it's still snowing today!

chicken bride

A few days ago Eric in Paris showed us a picture of a Parisian bachelor/bachelorette party. Here's one I spotted in the Zurich train station last week. Much like bachelorette parties elsewhere, some form of public humiliation is involved: she had to wander around dressed as a chicken and request donations from strangers. They don't really call it 'hen night' in German, so the chicken outfit was somewhat of a coincidence. I'm not sure what it is with the Swiss and their apparent obsession with chicken costumes.

yay! more snow!

It snowed overnight again! For those of us who were disappointed by the mild winter and the less than ideal ski conditions this season, this late winter blast is pretty exciting. Perhaps we can squeeze in a another ski weekend or two.

So, in honor of the snow, here's another snow picture. This path leads to a church that's less than 100 meters from my house. Yes, it's pretty, but the 20 minute cacophony of church bells at around 9:30 am on weekends wakes me up when I'm trying to sleep in. There is another 20 minute churchbell extravaganza at around 7:00 pm every evening, but thankfully I'm usually not home for that. Church bells also go off every 15 minutes, around the clock, to mark the quarter hour. Plus, every hour, on the hour, there is a series of DONGs corresponding to to the time. So every night at midnight, I'm 'blessed' with the sound of 4 DINGs followed by 12 louder DONGs...

late winter

It's hard to believe that just two days ago I was hanging out at the lake without a coat and enjoying some spring-like weather (see yesterday's post--that picture was taken on Saturday). When I got up this morning, this was the view from my bedroom window. Keep in mind that we've had an incredibly mild winter, and this is only the second snowfall in Zurich this year. To see the snowy view from my living room couch, go here.

lazy afternoon

Enjoying some sunshine by the lake.

yo! man

Here's one more graffiti piece from the Rote Fabrik. It's another beautiful sunny day in Zurich today--perfect for heading down to the lake and having a drink at the Rote Fabrik cafe.

lindenhof alley

Just a little street in the Old Town, overlooking the Lindenhof. I'm a bit jealous of the people who get to live here...

window dog

This dog decided he wanted to be part of this shop's window display.

zuricamels

I really don't know what this was all about...When I went outside for lunch yesterday, there was something in the air. It smelled kind of funny--a bit horse-y... or farm-y...Ok, it just stank, which is really unusual for Zurich. As I rounded the corner, I literally almost walked right into one of these! I know I can be a bit clumsy and distracted when I walk around (more so now that I'm always on the lookout for a daily picture), and I've been known to bump into things and trip over things. But I also do know to look out for cars and trams and other random obstacles on the street... but camels in a pedestrianized zone in downtown Zurich??? Anyhow, I think it might have been a publicity stunt for the zoo, but I'm not entirely sure.



More camels invading Zurich here and here.

piano man

As I walked by this music shop, I spotted this gentleman in the grand piano room trying out one of the pianos and thoroughly enjoying it.

hey, guess what??

chickenbutt! erm...I mean...swanbutt!

sorry, couldn't resist...

neumühle-quai

Yesterday was a beautiful sunny day in Zurich, and everyone was out and about strolling along the river and the lake. This tree-lined path on the east side of the Limmat River stretches from Central to the Letten, which is a popular swimming area in the summer. I love the way the tree branches curve over the path and hang over the river.



For those of you particiating in a virtual scavenger hunt, looking for a specific hotel sign on Neumühle-quai, please go here.

walk like an egyptian

I found this stencil in an alley off of Niederdorfstrasse, in the Old Town.

mmmm...cheeeese...

There is nothing better than enjoying some fondue in the winter, preferably in a mountain hut after a long day of skiing. But since it has been almost too warm to go skiing this year, sitting outside on the Limmatquai with warm pot of fondue is good enough. But it wasn't really the fondue that drew my attention here; rather, it was the poster itself. I really like the drawing of downtown Zurich with the Limmatquai and the Grossmünster in the background. You've actually seen this same restaurant on ZDP before, but from a different angle.

champagne on blue ice

It's a friend's birthday today, so we are going out to celebrate!

hungry dogs

These cute dogs were begging their owner for a bite of her lunch.

music star

Yes, for better or for worse, Switzerland also has its own version of American Idol. The big finale was this past Sunday. I could go on about the strange song selections, the annoying Music Star jingle, the cheesy choreography, and the unfortunate outfits (there was even a minor, minor, wardrobe malfunction—but nothing close to Janet Jackson proportions or even mildly R-rated), but I'll try to keep it short.

Each of the two remaining finalists sang two songs. Contestant #1, Sandra, performed Alicia Keys' Fallin' and some Christina Aguilera song I don't remember. Both were fine choices for her and she’s not a bad singer, I guess. She actually did a pretty good job with Fallin.’ Contestant #2, Fabienne, sang Son of a Preacher Man…in German. It was just plain…bizarre…and wrong…and amusing…and did I mention bizarre? Her second choice was Tina Turner's Simply the Best, which really got the audience going. The Swiss really seem to like Tina Turner for the simple reason that she decided to settle in Switzerland. Anytime Tina Turner comes up in conversation, which is more often than you would expect, someone always says with a certain degree of pride: "Oh, and by the way, did you know she lives near Zurich?" But I digress…

While the votes were being tabulated, the contestants who had been booted out in the previous rounds joined the two finalists onstage to perform a fluffy, pop-y, cheesy song written especially for the show (in awkward English, I might add), complete with hokey choreographed dance moves that made them all look kind of foolish. I was almost embarrassed for them. Why can't they just make a singing contest about…singing? Why do they always have to add the silly dancing? When all was said and done, Fabienne was crowned Swiss Music Star 2007. Though I preferred Sandra’s singing and song choices, I have to hand it to Fabienne—she did have charisma, and she did seem to be channeling a bit of Tina Turner during her Simply the Best performance.


Disclaimer: If any of my comments about Music Star come off as too snarky, please understand that they are directed at televised singing contests of this type in general, and not specifically at the Swiss. If anything, the contestants on Music Star took themselves less seriously, and therefore seemed to be enjoying themselves a whole lot more than their American counterparts. The judging was also less mean-spirited than it tends to be on American Idol, and at the end of it all, everyone just seemed to be genuinely having fun with the whole experience--the winner, the judges, the audience, and the other contestants alike, regardless of the final outcome. Uh, so much for keeping this short…

blue antique

The car in the window display of this antique shop caught my eye. I really liked the color.

recycled gondolas

These old gondola cabins from a ski resort are now part of a lakeside playground. You can see the ski holders on either side of each door.

meta graffiti

Last weekend I wandered down to the Rote Fabrik to take some more pictures of graffiti. Originally a silk mill by the lake, the Rote Fabrik was owned by the City of Zurich but had been abandoned and was eventually taken over by anti-establishment artists and activists during the 80's. The group organized as a legal body to run an arts collective, and applied for art subsidies. The subsidies were granted by the city, and the Rote Fabrik now houses art, music, dance, and theatre studios, exhibition space, a concert venue, as well as a lakeside cafe/restaurant. This alternative cultural center also offers a number of workshops in the visual and performing arts, and stages avant-garde theatre and dance performances. The Rote Fabrik is one of the few locations in Zurich where graffiti is tolerated--or perhaps encouraged is more accurate in this case.

I have plenty more graffiti pics from the Rote Fabrik, but I'll try to mix it up and post graffiti from other places as well.

it's saturday night!

go out. meet some friends. have a drink or two. dance. have fun!

buggy on a tram

Baby buggies and strollers usually ride in the back of the tram because, well, that's where they fit. What appears to be an abandoned sleeping baby in this buggy is actually a doll in a toy buggy belonging to the little blonde head at the top of this picture. Now that's a really fancy baby buggy for a toy!

men at work

Tree pruning?


The first day of the month is Daily Photo Theme Day, and today's theme is "men at work" For a city of its size, Zurich has such a surprisingly large amount of work being done on on any given day, that I had trouble picking just one picture. I took quite a few 'men at work' pictures between yesterday and today during my lunch break, so apparently someone thinks that there is a lot of work to be done here. Much of this work involves cleaning or the 'beautification' of the city in some way or another. To see more men hard at work in Zurich go here.

To see men (and perhaps a few women) at work in over 60 other cities around the world, follow the links below. Due to time zone differences and other factors, the theme photo may not be displayed until later if you are viewing early in the day.

1 (Greenville SC (USA) ) -2 (Hyde (UK) ) -3 (Tenerife (Spain) ) -4 (Albuquerque, NM (USA) ) -5 (Stayton, OR (USA) ) -6 (Rotterdam (NL) ) -7 (Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) ) -8 (London (England) ) -9 (Richmond, VA (USA) ) -10 (Sydney -Sally (Australia) ) -11 (Newcastle upon Tyne (England) ) -12 (Constanta (Romania) ) -13 (Evry (France) ) -14 (Lubbock, TX (USA) ) -15 (Szentes (Hungary) ) -16 (Villigen (Switzerland) ) -17 (Mumbai (India) ) -18 (Tel Aviv (Israel) ) -19 (Twin Cities, MN [USA] ) -20 (Jakarta (Indonesia) ) -21 (Houston -Candice & Megan, TX (USA) ) -22 (Budapest (Hungary) ) -23 (Singapore - Zannnie (Singapore) ) -24 (Dubai (UAE) ) -25 (Singapore -Keropokman (Singapore) ) -26 (Madrid -Dsole (Spain) ) -27 (Mazatlan -Kate (Mexico) ) -28 (Nelson (New Zealand) ) -29 (Vantaa (Finland) ) -30 (Kyoto (Japan) ) -31 (Tokyo (Japan) ) -32 (Joplin, MO (USA) ) -33 (Auckland (New Zealand) ) -34 (Sequim, WA (USA) ) -35 (Menton (France) ) -36 (Minneapolis, MN (USA) ) -37 (Istanbul (Turkey) ) -38 (Sydney -Nathalie (Australia) ) -39 (Sharon, CT (USA) ) -40 (Seattle, WA (USA) ) -41 (Anderson, SC (USA) ) -42 (Monte Carlo, (Monaco) ) -43 (Milano, (Italy) ) -44 (Grenoble (France) ) -45 (Wailea, HI (USA) ) -46 (Guelph, ON (Canada) ) -47 (Melbourne - John (Australia) ) -48 (New York City (USA) [Ming_the_Merciless] ) -49 (Cebu (Philippines) ) -50 (Bandung (Indonesia) ) -51 (Antigua Guatemala (Central America) ) -52 (Hamburg (Germany) ) -53 (London -Jonemo (UK) ) -54 (Hong Kong ) -55 (Stavanger (Norway) ) -56 (Paris (France) ) -57 (Naples, Florida (USA) ) -58 (Saarbrücken (Germany) ) -59 (Shanghai (China) ) -60 (Quito (Ecuador) ) -61 (Zurich (Switzerland) ) -62 (Joensuu ( Finland ) ) -63 (Aliso Viejo, CA (USA) ) -64 (Cheltenham (England) ) -65 (Brussels (Belgium))