Weekend Fun

Life has gotten in the way and now I have to catch up with myself! With that in mind, I'm going to cover a few weekend activities in one post. 

Way back in the spring, we went to walk around the Zurich Botanical Garden. Since it's part of the university, it is free. No complaints there. It's also very small, but we saw some interesting and pretty plants. 

May's flower so it's also mine

 

You've probably heard of the Rhine River (spelled Rhein in German) that flows through Germany. In Switzerland, we can see the Rhine as well. The Rheinfall at Schaffhausen is Europe's largest and most powerful waterfall, where the water crashes down 23 yards, across a width of 164 yards. By chance, we finally made our way to see it this past summer when the water levels would have been at their highest. 

we walked across this bridge to get what look like aerial views

We did not take the boat ride since we've "been there - done that" at Niagara Falls. It didn't seem like we would have a better view anyway.

local humor outside a pub

 We learned from our friends, Robin and Chris O'Rourke, that Switzerland has various "Slow Up" events throughout the country. When we heard that part of Seestrasse (which is the road right along Lake Zurich) would be closed to vehicular traffic, we decided to join them for an afternoon on our bikes. The road closure was on the other side of the lake - we had to start with a ferry ride to Meilen. 

 

Along the route, there were plenty of temporary booths set up selling food or offering other activities. We didn't stay in this area long, but the person in the center is trying to climb onto milk containers. I don't know if the position of the cows ever changed.

grape vines on hill protected by blue netting

We were definitely not the only people out enjoying the day. Sometimes it was a bit tricky to get around the others. I was watching carefully for kids to abruptly stop or swerve and was surprised when it was an adult with the annoying behavior. We came up with rules to suggest for the next Slow Up and one of them was "no one under 50!" 

we're riding towards Rapperswill - visible in the distance

This photo amuses us because the sign says that you're not allowed to park bikes there! Ha! Well, not everyone  obeys the rules that the Swiss seem to love so much. 

antique bike and costume

Tom, my empty bike, Chris and Robin

Here's Tom following the couple on the antique bikes. I wish I'd seen the man get on his bike. Sitting so high above the street, I wonder how he stops without falling off. This is the first (and probably last) time I took a picture while riding a bike!

looking back at Meilen on the ferry ride back to Horgen - there are always cranes

 It was a glorious day to be outside. 

Another outing we took was to visit the "city" of Chur. (It's pronounced like Coors beer without the "s".) We see signs to Chur whenever we drive on the autobahn (highway) and decided we ought to go have a look. The scenery did not disappoint.

Chur cathedral

holding his own head - yuck!

The cathedral has a lot of pretty stained glass even if the subject of the picture is a bit gruesome. The sun streaming in made for colorful pews and floors too.

Chur cathedral interior

Other views walking around Chur:

warm enough in October for an outdoor lunch!

These two pictures are for Alicia, the ice cream fan. I've seen plenty of ice cream "statue" advertisements, but never before out of wood. I think Alicia might agree with the sign in another shop window. Of course, that ice cream is actually soap or bath salts so eating is not recommended.    

We had a nice day walking around what is called "the oldest Swiss city" because it became a bishopric around 450 AD and has been an active "city" ever since. (I think calling it a city is a stretch.)

Postplatz

potable fountains in Switzerland!

 





Now we can say "been there, done that" about Chur. Time to find another place to explore.