June 18 Zürich
June 18, 2023
Last updated on September 6th, 2023 at 03:42 pm
Photos from Zurich City
Video Summary of the Day
We began our day with breakfast at the hotel. It was our most robust breakfast yet with eggs several ways, meats, cheeses, breads, a variety of fruits, juices and milk. We talked with couples on our tour, as most of the people in the dining room were with Viking. It was pleasant to hear English spoken all around us.
We started our morning Viking tour at 8:20 am. First up was a small bus tour on our way to the boat pier. We drove through the University of Zurich area, which it turns out was just a few blocks up the hill from our hotel. We also drove past the FIFA museum, by the city library and several things we recognized including our hotel from our first stay in Zurich a week ago.
We arrived at the pier before the boat. The boat this morning was chartered by Viking, so it was only us on the boat. Our cruise lasted about an hour as we cruised closer to the left (east) side, crossed the lake and cruised back closer to the right (west) side. On the left were the more expensive villas, including where Tina Turner lived when she died a few weeks ago.
On the right was the main Lindt Chocolate factory and the Chocolate museum. We learned the vast majority of people in Zurich rent, many living in apartments owned in the government as those rents are more affordable.
We even saw a number of people swimming the width of the lake. They attach special, brightly colored floats to themselves so that people boating will be sure to see them and not run over them.
After the cruise, our group split into two groups for the walking tour. We were glad most of the tour took place on the west side of the Limmat river, since when we were here a week ago we stayed on the east side and spent more time exploring that area. Sonya, can we give you credit for knowing that when you recommended hotels? Anyway it was nice to be able to see both areas of the Old Town. It was also nice to have some sense of where we were in relation to the lake, train station and main shopping district.
There were a number of people out, including an older gentleman along the waterfront who was blowing large bubbles with a contraption that looked like some netting between a couple of fishing poles. We also saw some men who were practicing for an upcoming competition who were rowing long, thinner boats, with two men per boat who each used one large paddle. Apparently this is traditional Swiss fishing boat rowing.
We also walked past a ‘private’ swimming club for women, Frauenbad at Stadthausquai, (there’s a comparable club for men further up the river) that is cordoned off along the Limmat River. It dates back to the early 1800’s, when it was for bathing rather than recreation, but the separated genders continues to today. Three evenings a week, the bathing facility is also open to men. Nearby, we also saw Zurich’s best-known island: the Bauschänzli. It was a part of the 1660 city fortifications and today is a beer garden.
We walked through some of the financial district, past the state buildings, learning the people standing outside were there for a wedding. To be married, a civil ceremony is required, a church ceremony is optional. We first stopped outside Fraumünster Church, originally a convent that dates to the 800s. Since it was Sunday morning, we could not visit any of the churches, but our guide gave us the times they would be open to visitors in the afternoon should we want to return.
From Fraumünster Church, we walked through the square beside the church, headed for St. Peter’s church, walking through the shopping district, Bahnhofstrasse, which was quiet since it was Sunday and almost all shops are closed with the exception of dining establishments, gas stations and public transportation.
At St. Peter’s, the oldest parish church in Zurich, we watched as hands on the largest clock face in Europe visibly went from 11:04 to 11:05. Each of the 4 clock faces measures over 28 ft. across; the minute hand is nearly 19 ft long, with the minute crack of the large pointer being 1/5 ft across. The mechanical clock was installed toward the end of the 13th century, with the current set of faces on all 4 walls of the tower, along with a more modern clock in 1538. The clock now has a central computer system to operate it. For centuries, it was Zurich’s ‘official local time’.
From there we headed to Lindenhof, a park that dates to 80 BC and is regarded as the origin of Zurich’s history. It’s elevation affords a great view of the river and other side of the Old Town, Altsadt. There was one of the large bronze 3-D ‘maps’ that the Lions Club has placed near historic buildings throughout Europe to accommodate those with sight impairment. We also saw several over-sized chess boards with over-sized chess pieces.
From Lindenhof, we walked across the river heading to Grossmunster, Zurich’s most prominent landmark with twin towers. All of Zurich became Protestant after the Reformation in the 1500’s. Currently 57% of Zurich citizens claim no religious affiliation, 25% Catholic, 17% Protestant, with Muslim and other religions the final 1%.
After a quick lesson on buying a day pass for public transportation and instructions for which tram to ride back to the hotel for those who wanted to stay, we walked back to meet the bus. Joyce was tired and sweaty, so we decided to return so the hotel and rest.
After a couple hours of rest and cooling off, we returned to the Old Town to visit the inside of the the 3 churches. We boarded the #4 tram and headed to Grossmünster. Grossmünster is an iconic twin-towered Romanesque cathedral, where 1500s religious reformer Huldrych Zwingli preached.
According to legend, Charlemagne discovered the graves of the city’s patron saints Felix and Regular and had the church built as a monastery on the spot. Alan decided not to climb one of the towers for a view of the city. We weren’t supposed to take pictures, but snapped a couple, no flash of course, of the distinctive windows by the Swiss artist Augusto Giacometti in 1932. Other windows looked like a collection of quartz geodes that had been cut open and pushed together, added by Sigmar Polke in 2009.
The interior was somewhat plain, largely as a result of the early reformers disdaining anything that could be considered idolatry, stripping away the organ and religious statuary in 1524. The main ornate bronze doors, however, display biblical history on one set, and church/city history on the other. Grossmünster is the birthplace of the Swiss-German reformation.
Then we walked across the river to the Fraumünster, which was built on the remains of a former abbey for aristocratic women which was founded in 853 by Louis the German for his daughter Hildegard. For over 100 years, the abbess assigned the mayor, and carried a lot of political as well as religious authority.
The church has five windows at the front of the church in blues, greens and yellows, as well as a rose window created by Marc Chagall, installed in 1970.
Each of the 5 has a dominant color and depicts a Biblical story:
- Prophets, depicting Elijah’s ascent to heaven
- Jacob, displaying his combat, and dreams of heaven
- Christ, illustrating various scenes of Christ’s life
- Zion, showing an angel trumpeting the end of the world
- Law, with Moses looking down upon the suffering of his people
We were more impressed with the windows than we thought we would be as they have a Picasso like feel and the colors are deep, rich, and pervasive throughout the church.
Alan also walked through the Fraumünster’s Crypt museum, which preserves some of the foundational work of the church dating back to its earliest years, as well as some exhibits about the Reformation, and depictions of how the church transformed from its original Romanesque construction to its present Gothic appearance.
We moved on to visit St. Peter’s church, the church near Lindenhof hill, the site of the former Roman castle, and built originally in the 8th or 9th century on the site of a temple to Jupiter. The current building had it’s start around 1230. This church had a very different feel. It has wooden chairs instead of pews, more natural instead of painted wood, fitting its standing as the first parish church fully restored after the Reformation. The windows are much smaller, oval and composed of hexagonal shaped panes of glass. The organ is much smaller and well. Peculiarly, the church’s steeple is owned by the city of Zürich, while the nave is owned by the St. Peter parish of the Evangelical Reformed Church of the Canton of Zürich.
Alan discovered an overlook of Zurich and the lake at Uetilberg in one of the travel guides and wanted to check it out. We still had our Swiss travel pass so we started out on the adventure which included a tram, a train to the outskirts of the city and a 20 minute walk uphill. The walk both up and down was a challenge for Joyce’s knees, but she made it.
The panoramic view was truly beautiful, overlooking the city and the lake, 2,850 ft elevation, with a number of wild flowers and trees to frame the view. We elected not to climb the towers that were up there. Along the way were installation of the elements of our solar system, spaced proportionately as they are in reality. It was quiet and peaceful.
After traveling back down into the city, we made our way to the area of our hotel and ate at another Italian restaurant, Piu’s. Our waiter had limited English, so we relied on Google to translate the menu. We shared a large green salad and a meat and pasta dish. The pasta was flat, wider than fettuccine and longer. All was tasty. We each had a scoop of ice cream served with cookie crumbles for dessert. Alan had chocolate and Joyce, salted caramel.
Back in the hotel, we enjoyed soft drinks from the bar, freebies for agreeing to skip maid service, and repacked the laundry we washed yesterday when we arrived.
Tomorrow we begin the cruise portion of our journey.
Discover Zürich during a city walk and lake cruise. As you explore, the distant snowcapped Alps tower across the lake and cast their reflection in the glassy waters. See the twin-spired Grossmünster church, founded by Charlemagne, with its stained-glass windows by Augusto Giacometti. Across the Limatt River, admire the Fraumünster, with its distinctive green spire. Marc Chagall created five windows of the abbey’s choir. After your walk, embark a boat for a scenic tour on Lake Zürich.
Zürich Walking Tour and Lake Cruise
Take in the impressive sights of Switzerland’s stunning lakeside city by boat and by foot. Enjoy sweeping views of Zürich from its namesake lake, embarking on a scenic cruise along pristine waters surrounded by alpine splendor. Sit back and relax as you marvel at the beautiful surroundings. Next, you will enjoy a guided walking tour of the city’s Old Town, the core of Zürich that was once enclosed by walls. The city is home to many colorful guild houses—former merchants’ quarters that create a fairy-tale aura. Stroll along the quay of the Limmat River, whose waters flow through the city’s heart. View the Rathaus, built in 1690, and the many churches: Fraumünster, which ruled the town until 1336; Grossmünster, founded by Charlemagne; and St. Peter’s Church, which boasts the largest church clock face in Europe. Walk down Zürich’s bustling shop-lined main street before returning to your Hotel.
