Fulfilling Dreams - Swiss Travel Fantasies

On the cliff walk - Top of Europe

 

Diane Arbus said the word fantasies means " to indulge in reverie. to create or develop imaginative and often fantastic views or ideas. Doing things I'd fantasized about in my sheltered childhood" I was raised in a very sheltered childhood. I escaped through movies to worlds I thought I would never see and imagined adventures I would never be able to do. I have been very fortunate in my adult life to live out many of those childhood fantasies. Counting my blessings I often think of my family. I often wonder what dreams and fantasies my parents and grandmother had. I think about what they wanted to see and do but but were never able to fulfill those dreams. My mother never traveled abroad. She was a child of the depression and a young adult of the World War II years. Travel was just not an option for her. My father was raised in the country. He had a seventh grade education. I doubt he ever thought about Europe or world travel growing up. But he did get to travel to Europe. But it was no fantasy. He was drafted during World War II and almost died from war wounds in Italy near Rome. My grandmother was born poor and struggled most of her life. She married a young soldier she met during the World War I years. They met when he was stationed at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland near her home town. They married and they moved back to his home in Indiana. To my grandmother that was a huge move. She gave birth to her first child in Indiana. The child was still born and she went into a great depression and just wanted to return to her home in Maryland. So they returned to Maryland and that was the extent of her travel for her entire life.

My grandmother at Ocean City,Maryland

I love this photo. This was my grandmother in her late sixties. She lived just a two hour drive from the Atlantic Ocean yet had never been to see it. I remember this day how she stared out at the ocean for the longest time fascinated with the waves and the sand. She is sitting here with my sister Shelley and my father. She was his mother in law and he treated her with love and respect. They are in Ocean City, Maryland. To this day Ocean City is still a favorite destination for my sister.



One of my mothers fantasies was to visit New York City. She wanted to see a taping of The Tonight Show and maybe even a Broadway play. She never got to New York. The thought of taking a car or train to New York was just beyond her comprehension. We did have vacations growing up. We visited Ocean City. We took mountain trips to Skyline Drive and The Blue Ridge Parkway. My father loved his boat and we spent many vacations on his boat up and down the Chesapeake Bay.

I was never satisfied with any of that. I had big fantasies and places I wanted to see. I watched the world through the imagination of the James Bond movies. I wanted to see Switzerland where James Bond skied down the Schilthorn from Blofeld's sanctuary Piz Gloria on top of the mountain. I wanted to see Thailand where James Bond dueled with Scarmanga. And I wanted to see the Eiger in Switzerland, the mountain Clint Eastwood climbed the mountain in The Eiger Sanction. These were big fantasies. I was never satisfied with the safety of staying home. I wanted to get out and see the world. And I have been blessed as an adult to do this.

Larry at Piz Gloria on top the Schilthorn

Twenty years ago I did get to visit Switzerland.  It was a huge fantasty come true.  I got to take the cable car 10,000 feet into the Alps and visit the top of Schilthorn where Piz Glora, Blofeld's home was located.  The building is actually a rotating restaurant where I had lunch and a James Bond martini shaken not stirred.  

At Piz Gloria on top of the Schilthorn

In 2014 I had the opportunity to visit another fantasy location.  Jams Bond Island in Thailand.  This was the home to Bond villain Scaramanga.  I was very excited about this vacation.  However I slipped on a wet curb in Chiang Mai, Thailand and broke my ankle.  I did not realize it was broken.  We had three more days left of our vacation and I thought it was just a sprain.  We flew from Chiant Mai to Phuket. And from there we took a boat out to James Bond Island.  So I waded in from the boat to the shores of the island limping a little and hobbling a lot.  I was the old man holding up the rest of the tourists on this excursion.  But I was determined.   

James Bond Island in Phang Nga Bay - Thailand

I think that if my parents and grandmother were still alive they would be shocked at the places I have visited.  I know my husband Mark's parents would get upset with us traveling a lot.  His father told us we were tempting fate.  You can only fly so many times before something happens.  And I am sure my parents would have had similar fears.  My mother never flew an air plane.  My father drove to New York City with a tractor and trailer for his job and said he would never drive in that city again.  And to my knowledge that was his only time to ever see New York.  But one of my biggest fantasies was yet to come.

Mark and I returned to Switzerland for our third visit, my fourth, in April 2023.  We had a wonderful vacation, one of my favorite adventures of many we have shared.  And finally the Eiger mountain awaited me.  The mountain that Clint Eastwood challenged in The Eiger Sanction.  Another movie fantasy for me.  

We traveled by train from Zurich to Grindelwald.  The Swiss trains are wonderful to use.  They are extremely punctual.  They are comfortable even in second class.  And they allow you to see almost any location you want to see in Switzerland.  The town of Grindelwald was beautiful.

Grindelwald Switzerland

We took a twenty five minute cable car ride up to First Mountain which faces the Eiger.

And then we did the cliff walk.  A metal bridge attached to the side of the mountain 6,500 feet in elevation.  This is not my photo.  It's from a web site about the cliff walk.  But it shows the walk better than my photos.

This was a thrill.   Unlike Clink Eastwood (who did his own stunts) in The Eiger Sanction were were not hanging on the side of the Eiger.  But we were facing it and looking directly at it.  

Fulfilling Fantasies 

And how did we end out visit?

With a well sanctioned Eiger glass of wine.  I count my blessings.  I am very fortunate.  At age seventy still living out my fantasies.  I think my parents and my grandmother would be shocked but yet thrilled if they were here.  When I travel I often thing how much I would love to share the experiences with them.  And I often wish I could tell them all about it when I return home.  

The 2021 Variant - The Year We All Said Would Be Better

 I reread my 2020 year end blog before starting to write my new one for 2021.   I ended last year in isolation, staying at home, and being anxious about Covid.   The vaccines were not quite available yet.  It was scary to even think about going out any place.   I started the new year with hopes of getting a vaccine and getting my life back to normal.   I soon realized I had no idea what normal was any more. We were not getting a new year.   It was going to be 2020 the 21 variant.  

I grew a Covid beard in 2020 and had planned to clean it up in the new year.  But we never really got that new year and the beard remains.   I have kept it trimmed and not long.  But this is still a first for me and I have grown to appreciate it.  I have a feeling it will still be here at the end of 2022 also.  

2019 

2020

2021

I spent most of January and February still in lock down but not just because of Covid.  Our dog Tallulah had been hit by a car in December 2020.   She had surgery on December 23, 2020 and the emergency vet tried to save her front leg.   We brought her home on Christmas Eve 2020.   She was under complete sedation and was not supposed to move at all.   We found out eight weeks later that the surgery was not successful and she would need her front leg amputated.  So I remained at home with her for her recovery from the amputation which was just as well as I had not received a my Covid shot yet and should not have been out anyway.

Me with Tallulah in recovery

My daughters and Mark were all concerned that I should get my Covid Vax as soon as I was eligible.  My age group was opened in March for the shot.   Katie drove me down to the Raven's Football stadium where the state of Maryland was doing mass vaccinations.   

Johnny Unitas Memorial masked up at Mass Vaccination site.

I was glad to get the vaccination hoping it would allow me to get back to some sort of normalcy.  But as I mentioned above I was soon to find out I still had no idea what normal really was any more.  Three days after getting the vaccine I woke up to find that I had no sense of taste of smell.  I knew what that meant!  I had Covid.  I went to the nearest test location at my local CVS Pharmacy to do a drive through test.  One day later I had my response.  I tested positive for Covid.  This was certainly not part of my plane.  I was still home with a recuperating dog and now I was concerned about getting ill from Covid.  I was very fortunate.  My case was very mild, thanks to the vaccine I had taken right before being diagnosed.  I had no other symptoms other than no taste or smell.  No fever.  No weakness.  And within the week my taste and smell has returned.  But we still had to stay quarantined for a full ten days.  I spoke with my personal physician by way of a Zoom meeting.  He said I could assume I caught it while in line for the shot at the mass distribution site and that in his opinion my vaccination worked because I had such a light case.

April the fourth was a big day for me this year.  I felt some sense of things returning to some kind of normal.   

I was a fully vaccinated Covid surviving member of society and I returned to favorite bar, Racers, and had my first beer back inside the bar.  

Now for the next big step.  Mark was finally qualified to be vaccinated.  So now we were wondering if we would be to do some traveling.   Nothing big, nothing out of the country.  We had really wanted to go to Hawaii again but that was just not possible.  So instead I found a wonderful beach rental on the Outer Banks.  Tallulah was doing well with only three legs but we could not see ourselves leaving her at a kennel just yet.  Luckily the house I found to rent had handicap access ramps.  It was perfect.  

Tallulah loved the beach house and spent a lot of time on the deck watching the neighbors.   This had to be one of our best vacations in a long time.  We were still somewhat isolated but it could not have been more relaxing.  

We were able to do some more local traveling in September over the Labor Day weekend.   Oh how we wanted it to be Hawaii again but that still just was not happening for us.  Plane travel was still sketchy.  People were fighting on planes over mask mandates.  Flight schedules were not dependable.  And honestly Hawaii was not being too open to tourists returning yet anyway and who can blame them.  And due to the unvaccinated Covid just kept growing.  After some initial Google searches we were able to find a log cabin to rent in New Hampshire in the same area we vacationed in 2020.   So the 2021 varient year of 2020 continued for us.  

We enjoyed New England as much this year as we did in 2020.  And the blending of the years continued.  Writing now it's difficult to remember did that happen in 2020 or was it 2021.  It's almost liked we have blotted out 2020 and just jumped from 2019 right into 2021.  It's still difficult even going through photos to tell the story of this year to differentiate what happened and when.   And to make it even more bizarre I am currently researching plans for a return this spring to New England.  

We found out that Tallulah does travel well.  She managed the both trips in the car with no real issues.  She was more relaxed than at home. At home she is on constant guard duty guarding our house and yard growling and barking at everything and anything that moves.  But on the vacations she seemed to be on vacation also.  She ignored most of the dogs at the rest stops.  She did not bark at any of the neighboring vacationers at either location.  She pretty much became a some what normal dog.  And then we returned home and she went back to her self appointed guard dog duties.  

Tallulah on vacation from guard dog duty

Our isolated cabin in Eidelweiss Village New Hampshire

Our cabin was isolated and on a dirt road.  We were surround by beautiful lakes, trails, mountains and wild turkeys!  The only time Tallulah got really animated was when a large group of wild turkeys decided to visit out yard.   She also got a little agitated one evening and the next morning I saw a paw print that might have been from a small bear in our back yard.   But other than the wild life there was nothing there bother us and we had one of our most relaxed vacations in years.  We hiked.  We photographed lakes. We saw lighthouses and cliff climbers.  We drove to Maine and my daughter from Massachusetts drove up to see us for a day also.   

Portland Maine Lighthouse

Cliff climbers at Cathedral Ledge

The year progressed to a slow end by December.  I saw some friends get sick.  I saw some friends die.  I got angry at Covid.  I got angry at the unvaxxed who continue to make this pandemic a political argument while I tried to avoid political arguments.  And I spent a lot of time at my local bar.     Day drinking at Racers was my one refuge.   With Covid and the restrictions, depleted staff,  and the general malaise of the year they survived.  Many places closed permanently.  Some closed temporarily.   But my favorite bar survived.   Monday mornings this was where you would find me.  It was never crowded.  There was no real concern of getting infected from people who were not there.  It was just me and my bartenders this year.  Roxy, Mariam, Bernard, John, Eric, and Brooks kept me entertained and hopefully I didn't bore them too much with my old man stories.   And I thank the manager Emily for her kindness to an old man with free tickets to a local beer event this year and many free samples of the newest beers on draft. And Monday regulars Lou, Chris, Roger all properly vaxxed.  All feeling safe.  And all glad for the escape.   They all helped me keep my sanity this year.  

Colorful beers in a black and white world - Racers - The 2021 Varient

 

Ending this year I am glad t to have had my family together all at the same time over the Christmas holidays this.   I am grateful for the vaccinations and the boosters being available. I am thankful they are all vaccinated and have received their boosters.  I am thankful to have survived a very minor Covid infection.   I am thankful for a year with strong leadership from our President and no longer going to bed angry or fearful each night from the actions of his predecessor.  And I am looking forward to a new year.  Will it be 2020 variant 22 this year?   Will we all adjust to the new normal?  It's difficult to say.  I do know I will miss those good friends and family who did not survive this year.  I dread hitting the big 70 this year but grateful to have been able to make it this far. 

And Tallulah is looking forward to another vacation from her guard duties and returning to her mountain retreat.

Don't Trip Over That Mountain - Hiking in Uetilberg Switzerland

View of the Alps surrounding Uetlberg Switzerland

If you have read any of my blogs or if you follow me on Facebook you probably already know that I love Switzerland.  You will probably also know that I have a tendency to trip or fall when I am on a vacation.  I've tripped in Paris.  I've broken my ankle in Chiang Mai, Thailand.  I broke my camera falling over a sand dune in Ocean City, Maryland.  I don't consider myself clumsy.  As a matter of fact I think I am quite agile.   So after three visits to Switzerland it was just a matter of time before I tripped over a mountain. 

We visited Zurich, Switzerland in 2017.   I was excited.  I had first visited Zurich in 2003 several years before I had met Mark.  I fell in love with Zurich.   While there I took the train up to the top of Zurich's only mountain Uetilberg.  I had read there was an easy hiking trail there with a beautiful view of Zurich below.  There was also a famous restaurant at the top of the trail name the Uto Kulm.  Before out trip in 2017 I had told Mark all about Uetilberg and Uto Klum so he too was looking forward to going there.   Our trip to Zurich was part of one of our Virtual Tourist travel group meetings.    Most of our friends in the group had planned a day trip out of Zurich.  We decided instead of taking the planned bus tour we would take the day to hike the trail at Uetilberg and convinced our sister from across the pond, Gillian, to go with us. 

Mark and Gillian on the trail to the top of Uetilberg

It was a beautiful day and the weather was perfect for the hike.  It was not a long trail and was an easy hike.  There are other more aggressive trails from the bottom of the mountain that can be taken, but we took the train to the Uetilberg station and walked from there instead.  As you can see I am usually behind Mark and Gillian when we go somewhere taking photos of everything.  I have many photos of Mark's back in cities, trails, and beaches and quite a few of Gillian also.

In the photo of Gillian and Mark walking you will notice some  unusual deer like sculptures with lights on their antlers lining the trail.   I became fascinated with them on my first visit to Uetilberg in 2003.  During our brief train ride up the mountain I think I must have told Gillian and Mark about them too many times and about how excited I was to see them again.  The sculptures are odd and unusual and that's probably why I like them so much.

Bruno Weber Fantasy deer sculpture on the trail in Uetilberg

Bruno Weber was a Swiss artist and architect.  From 1991 to 2003 Weber was responsible for the sculptural decorations on Uetilberg mountain leading up to the Uto Klum.  The decorations include the fantasy deer street lamps and the park benches on the summit.

Larry on Bruno Weber bench 2003 - Uetilberg

Mark, Gillian and I had fun arguing about what the sculptures were supposed to represent.  I said moose.  Mark and Gillian said they were deer.   We decided they were Dermoose's.   When we returned home my internet research proved that I was wrong.  They are fantasy deer and not moose.  But to me they will always be a moose.  Art is how you interpret it. 

After hiking the trail we found ourselves on top of Uetilberg where I had promised Gillian and Mark a beautiful view and a glass of wine at Uto Klum. 

Viewing Zurich from Uetilberg

And there is the view I had promised them.   You can see all Zurich from the top of the mountain and you don't need a drone for the photographs.

Uto Klum - 4 star restaurant and hotel on the top of  Uetilberg

Then to keep my last promise we had a wonderful lunch and that glass of wine at Uto Klum.  It is a beautiful 4 star restaurant with a beautiful view of the Alps behind it and Lake Zurich and the city below it.

Wine with a view - Uto Klum on the top of Uetilberg above Zurich

We took some time to climb the tower on the summit also.  There is a small fee to climb the tower but it is worth the cost for the view.

Larry climbing  the tower at Uetilberg 

After lunch it was time to start our decline and follow the trail back to the train station.   The trail is not too steep.  But still I took my time and was cautious.  With my history of tripping while on holiday I did not want to take any chances.   We laughed at the deer/moose sculptures once more on the way back down.  And we reached the bottom of the trail without incidence.  There were some small steps at the end of the trail which should not have been an issue for any sane agile person.   But we are talking about me here.   I reached the very last small step and turned around to say something to Gillian and Mark and it happened.   The very last step and down I go.   I ripped the knees out of my pants I was wearing and cut and bruised my knees.    Gillian went into the train station to get some wet paper towels and Mark helped my put the wet towels on my sore knees and helped stop the bleeding.   So I spent my last two days in Zurich limping and grumbling about my knees hurting.  But the good part was that I had a great story to share with the other Virtural Tourist friends at dinner that night.  We went out for fondue at a very nice restaurant in Zurich and I got to share the story of me tripping over the mountain in Uetilberg.

Mark and I are traveling with Gillian in November 2019 to Hawaii.  I am requesting she bring bubble wrap for me so she and Mark can wrap me up for protection.

Larry with the Bruno Weber deer in 2003

Larry with the Bruno Weber deer in 2017

The Great Smoky Mountains and the Three Amigo's

Mark, Gillian, and Larry - Newfoundland Gap Overlook - Great Smoky Mountains

Families of choice and extended families are wonderful.  Our friend Gillian calls Mark and I her Bmore Bros.   We think of her as part of our family also.  We first met in person while on our honeymoon in Greece 11 years ago.   Since that time we have had many adventures together.  She visits us in Baltimore frequently.  We have shared family events together.  And we travel together frequently.  She has met many of our local friends.  My daughter in Atlanta calls Gillian her Manchester cousin.  This past April Gillian flew across the pond from England to Baltimore once more and we took a road trip to the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee. 

I love the Great Smoky Mountains.  I have traveled there many times.  My family spent several vacations in the Great Smoky's when I was growing up.  I took my children there when they were young.   Mark also loves the Great Smoky Mountains, particularly the Gatlinburg area.  So we were very excited when Gillian told us she would like to do a southern road trip through the Smoky Mountains.   Although we are very good friends and have spent a lot of time traveling together we had never really done a road trip together.   And I was a bit concerned how we all would survive ten days in a car together without driving each other crazy.  On an extended  road trip there is always one person who tends to drive the others a little crazy before the trip is over.  I just never realized that person would be me. 

I drove the first day.  Everything went well.  Mark sat next to me in the front of the car.  Gillian sat behind us in the back seat.  I was focused on the road so my attention was occupied with road signs and highways.  Mark and Gillian chatted and looked at landscapes.  The day was pleasant.  The second day Mark drove the car.  I sat in the front seat and once again Gillian rode in the back behind us.  The dynamics were a little different.  I was not as occupied with the road and ended up playing with the radio and changing channels and music frequently.  I think I even sang along a good bit with the music.   Mark and Gillian for the most part overlooked all of this.  We stopped at an Arby's for a quick  lunch and I bought the greasiest sandwich on the menu.   Gillian questioned my choice.  And Mark said I would probably not travel well after eating it.  Of course I paid no attention and then complained the rest of the day about an upset stomach and indigestion while still playing with radio most of the rest of the day.

Day three was a big game changer.  Mark drove once more.  But today Gillian and I switched seats so she could ride in the front and see more of the scenery.   For sixty five years it never dawned on me that I might have a touch of A.D.D.   I was never restless in school.  My teachers never complained about me being hyper or anything.  I sat in the back seat of the car and grew more fidgety by the hour.  I laughed too much.  I told too many jokes.  I complained too much.  And then I realized that I was the pain in the ass of the trip.  The bad part is that after realizing this the more I tried to control it the worse it.  When we finally arrived in Gatlinburg Mark and Gillian could not wait to escape the car.  I won't go into details about the evening activities in Gatlinburg.  I will say I tried to make amends for being so antsy in the car during the day.  I was well aware that I had been a little bit hyper and tried my best to behave better that evening in Gatlinburg. Returning to our hotel after our first evening meal in Gatlinburg we passed several moonshine tasting establishments.   I pointed out the first one but Mark and Gillian did not think it was the best idea.  We were all a little tired and it had been a long day so they were ready to head back to the room for the evening.  When we passed the third moonshine tasting location I decided to go inside with or without them.  They patiently waited for me to complete the tasting.  The samples were only in small thimble like cups.   But after fifteen samples even cups that small tended to take an effect.   Let's just say my hyperactivity in the car was nothing compared to my actions on the walk back to the hotel after the tasting.

The observation tower on the peak of Clingman's Dome

The next day all was forgiven.  We had a fresh start.  We did a wonderful drive and hike through a an area with restored mountain cabins.  Then we decided to go to Clingman's Dome.  Mark and I had both been to Clingman's Dome in the past and both really enjoyed it very much. At 6,643 feet, Clingman's Dome is the highest point in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  It is the highest point in Tennessee, and the third highest mountain east of the Mississippi.  The trail is only half a mile.  But there are warning signs that the trail is very steep.  I first climbed the trail at Clingman's Dome fifty years ago when I was fifteen.  Of course there is a big difference between being fifteen and being sixty five.  And I felt everyone of the fifty years difference climbing the trail.   Mark trudged onward up the steep trail while Gillian and I took a moment to rest and catch our breath.  We were sitting on a bench in  a rest area talking.  A man walked over to us and said "Do you mind if I ask a question."  We both said of course not.  So he said to us "Can I ask where your accent is from?" Before Gillian even had a chance to answer Mr. Hyper Active Larry blurted out with a laugh "Oh I have a Baltimore accent."   The man and Gillian both looked at me like I was crazy.   Gillian said "Larry I think he is asking about my accent.  I  am from Manchester England."  Well of course he was talking about Gillian.  .  Later we saw the same man on top of the tower and he once again made a joke about my saying I had a Baltimore accent.  In my defense I have spent so much time with Gillian over the years that I don't really notice any accent.  So of course I thought he meant me!

Larry on the observation tower at Clingman's Dome

Mark and Gillian on the Clingman's Dome trail back to the parking lot

We still had six more days left to our car trip.  We had three days planned in Nashville and three more in the Memphis, Tennessee/Tunica, Mississippi area.  For the most part I behaved myself.  Gillian and Mark did not disown me. We returned home still good friends and have more travel adventures planned together this year.   Please don't judge me.  After all we all know who the real trouble maker is and I will use this photo below in my defense.

Gillian waking Mark up on a train in Germany

Train travel in Euorpe - Traveling from Munich to Zurich May 20, 2017

I love riding the trains in Europe.  They are clean, efficient, relaxing and fun.  Our trip to German and Switzerland included many train rides this year and each one was pleasant.  Our first train ride of the vacation was from Munich to Zurich.   We flew direct from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Munich.  We spent two days there before going to Zurich to meet up with some travel friends we have know for many years that we met on the former Virtual Tourist web site.  Although the web site no longer exists the friendships made there continue

1.       We started out leaving Munich the early afternoon of May 20 to head to Zurich.   We bought our tickets the day before but it wasn’t necessary as we could have bought them the day of the trip and still have no problems.

Italian restaurant in the Munich train station

1.       I took some photos in the station when we arrived.  We were early enough for an early lunch at the station.   Luckily there were some good choices for food and not just fast food.   We found a nice Italian restaurant where Mark ordered a salad plate which was huge.  I asked about the size of the pizza.  The waiter told me it was good for one.   When it arrived it was good for one full table.  So Mark helped me finish it.

1.       Our jet lag had gotten better after two days in Munich so we were not zombies and could enjoy the ride. And also our cell phones.

1.  The train took us from Munich, down into Austria, and then back to German in the city of Lindau where we changed tracks.   We never had to change trains.  Our train just changed directions.  

1.       Near Lindau the motion of the train got the best of Mark and he fell asleep.  I was too curious to give into the rocking motion and stayed awake to take photos along the way.

1.          We saw many  small towns and interesting stations like this small one with men sitting at a train station in Turkheim.

1.       We also got to see  Lake Constance (also called Bodensee) in Bavaria.  The lake is a  63km-long central European lake that borders Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Fed by the Rhine River, it’s composed of 2 connected parts, the Untersee (lower lake) and the larger Obersee (upper lake).  

Finally we got to see the beautiful and majestic Alps.   I love the Alps and have been fascinating with them since the first time I saw them in 2003.   As the train moved the mountains seem to change with each curve of the tracks.

There were many small towns along the route.  I enjoyed watching them roll past.   They were all picturesque.  I particularly like the many small churches I got to see in the distance.

Our good friend Sonja

1.       Finally we arrive in Zurich.  We were not expecting a welcoming committee but our friend Sonja, who lives in Zurich, was at the station to meet us.  I was walking down the platform looking at the station and trying to get myself acclimated when I heard a familiar voice and found someone running up to me and hugging me.  What a nice welcome to Zurich.  Like I said earlier.  The Virtual Tourist web site may no longer exist but the beautiful friendships we made there are a bond that will never be broken.

1.       Entering the train station I once again saw the Guardian Angel to those visiting Zurich suspended from the ceiling of the station.  I first saw this in 2003 on my first visit to Zurich.  So it was a great pleasure to see it was still there all these years later.  The guardian angel was designed in the style of the colorful, voluminous “nana” figures for which the artist was world famous. They stand for joyful, liberated, self-confident women. Initially ridiculed by fellow artists, Niki de Saint Phalle's works are now one of the most popular works of contemporary art. .    The Guardian Angel was even mentioned by Ric Steves in his PBS travel series.   I liked her 2003 and even more now.

 Sonja helped us find our hotel and then left us to rest and plan the rest of our night.  Our hotel with the Ibis Zurich West.  It was not city center but was in the Technopark area.  It was a very short tram ride Zurich's city center.

After resting we ventured our for our first tram ride in Zurich.  We went down the city center and found a wonderful Italian restaurant which was both affordable by Zurich standards, which are high, and very comfortable.  

Then I was finished.  The pasta and dessert had gotten the best of me and I was tired after a very long and enjoyable day.  I stretched back in my chair in the restaurant and took a moment to close my eyes before heading back to the tram and our hotel.