Zürich Saturday
SATURDAY 18 JUNE Posted 3 weeks later.
Zuerich
After a brief burst of sun it’s much colder today, grey skies. Walk with Milo down a river valley through residential Zuerich to the lakeside. They have free shit bag dispensers for dogs every 200 yards. Great souvenirs for Milo. Walk up the lakeside into town, then Chris takes Milo home on a tram. David, Von & I walk round the old town. Far more attractive than I expected. I’m more used to Germany, where the old town centres have been rebuilt after the war — of course Zuerich was never bombed. Die Chris sends a text with a photo of Milo safely back at the house to reassure us. Beer at the Arsenal Hof, with an Oerlikon placed above the entrance porch. Walk up to the old Citadel, where there was a pre-Roman camp, admire the Chagall stained glass in the Fraumünster, attempt to climb the tower in the Cathedral but it closes at 4:45. St. Peter’s down the road has the largest church clock face in the world, right next to one only fractionally smaller. I wonder which one came first?
We go down to Paradeplatz and look — only look — in the expensive shops along Bahnhofstrasse. The Lindt & Sprüngli shop is a real temptation, a chocolate palace, and I am captured by a veritable haystack of chocolate in the window. David insists on going in to buy it for us for supper. And a box of pralines for the journey, too. There is no shop like this in London.
I’m now beginning to feel my age so we get a tram and a bus back to the house, to be greeted by an ecstatic Milo. I go for a zizz.
Later Ella takes Gwyn to see the bantams. The new chicks are going to be named after Beatles songs: Lovely Rita, Eleanor Rigby, Sexy Sadie, Dear Prudence, Martha My Dear etc. etc.
Difficulties plugging in to the Swiss electricity supply, but David provides adaptors. We can send and receive emails! Nice to be in a Mac house.
The standard Swiss 650 volt direct current ten pin socket
It brightens up in the late afternoon and I drive with David up to the FIFA headquarters a mile or so away, not for the chance of shooting Sepp Blatter but just to snap the lavish building. Of course it’s all underground and hidden behind a giant security fence (which we vault over) but there’s not a lot to see from the outside.
Der Fritzen Haus
Another delish supper. Taboulleh and pitta toasted with mozzarella and baba ganoush, and of course great slabs of delicious chocolate cake. The Fritzen have their nephew Tom living with them. He walked out on his family in February after a furious row and hasn’t been back. Despite being Swiss he wants to join the British Royal Marines so he can get an injury and attract the girls. Then he wants to make lots and LOTS of money (a more conventional ambition for a Zuericher) so he can attract more girls. Fair enough. I just relied on my natural charm, wit and intelligence. But his spoken English is staggeringly good, even though he has never lived in England.
