Sunday, September 22, 2013

Europe 2013–Day 13

September 4th – Lucerne, Zurich

Weather – sunny and hot.

After a hearty breakfast at their hotel, Margaret-Ann and John took the 9:10 train from Lucerne and arrived at the Zurich train station at 9:56 (as you’d expect, the trains in Switzerland arrive and depart right on schedule).

While at the train station, they purchased tickets for a 3:00 p.m. city walking tour then decided to walk to their hotel -- Hotel Plattenhof -- which would have been a good idea if they hadn't been dragging two big suitcases. They didn't realize how steep the grades were and how many steps there were once they crossed the Limmat River.

They eventually made it to the hotel, checked in, then went out to discover the old town area of Zurich. Along the way they picked up some yogurt and apples at a convenience store and found a quiet, shady spot on the University grounds to eat lunch. Later they continued strolling through the old town area and walked up and down the Bahnhofstrasse (Zurich's version of Toronto's Bloor/Yorkville).

By 3:00 p.m. Margaret-Ann and John made their way back to the train station where they joined a two hour city walking tour. After the tour they continued walking around and ended up having a wonderful dinner in the garden of the Restaurant Neumarkt before heading back to the hotel.

The weather was sunny and bordering on being just a little too hot -- high 20's but no humidity. At the end of the day, John’s pedometer showed that they had walked 16 kilometres.

Roll the cursor over the pictures to read the captions. Click on a picture to enlarge it, then click on the back arrow button in the top left to return to the blog.

Decorative wrought iron sign above a shoemaker's store in Zurich. September 4, 2013Zurich's Fraumünsterkirche (lady minster church). September 4, 2013Zurich's Münsterbrücke (Munster Bridge) acrosss the Limmat River with the Rathaus (City Hall) on the right. September 4, 2013Zurich's Grossmünster ("great minster") is a Romanesque-style Protestant church. September 4, 2013Zurich's Hauptbahnhof (Central Station) with the Alfred Escher Memorial Statue in front. September 4, 2013Detail of the entrance to Zurich's Hauptbahnhof (Central Station). September 4, 2013Alfred Escher Memorial Statue in Zurich's Bahnhofplatz (Central Station Square). September 4, 2013Street with colourful display of banners in Zurich's old town. September 4, 2013Zurich's L'Ange Protecteur (Guardian Angel), hanging high above the Haupthalle (Main Hall) of the Hauptbahnhof (Central Station), was designed by Niki de Saint Phalle in 1997. September 4, 2013The Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi memorial statue on Zurich's Bahnhofstrasse. September 4, 2013Glockenspiel (Carillon) at Kurz Uhren und Schmuck (Kurz Watches & Jewelry) on Zurich's Bahnhofstrasse. September 4, 2013The fountain of Felix, Regula and their slave, Exuperantius on Zurish's Lindenhofsrasse. September 4, 2013Urania Sternwarte, a public observatory in the Lindenhof quarter of Zurich. September 4, 2013Lindenhof fountain with a statue commemorating the 1292 defense of the town by the women of Zürich against Albert I of Germany. September 4, 2013Mural on the Masonic Lodge on the Lindenhof  commemorating the 1292 defense of the town by the women of Zürich against Albert I of Germany. September 4, 2013View from the Lindenhof across the Limmat River  Zurich's  Rathaus (City Hall) and Grossmünster (great minster), Romanesque-style Protestant church. September 4, 2013View from the Lindenhof across the Limmat River with the spire Zurich's Predigerkirche (Preacher's Church) visible.  September  2013The clock tower of Zurich's St. Peterskirche (St. Peter's Church) near the Lindenhof. Septembe 4, 2013View across the Limmat River to Zurich's Rathaus (City Hall). September 4, 2013Zurich's Rathaus on the Limmatquai. September 4, 2013Decorative wrought iron store sign in Zurich. September 4, 2013Zurich's  Grossmünster (great minster), Romanesque-style Protestant church. September 4, 2013Equestrian monument to an old Zurich Bergermeister (Mayor), Hans Waldmann. September 4, 2013Decorative wrought iron store sign in Zurich. September 4, 2013

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