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.