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

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

Decorative nutcrackers standing guard at the Christmas market.

fed up

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*

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


*Björk

yum!

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

starry night

Christmas decorations on a side street in downtown Zurich.

conelli

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

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

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

Colored windows of a building in Schipfe reflected in the Limmat