Rheinfall

Doc and I also went to the see the Rheinfall with my parents. The Rheinfall is the largest waterfall in Europe and is about an hour north of Zürich.



We took one of the boats out to the rock in the middle of the falls and climbed up it for a great view.





The walking trails around the falls also provide fantastic vantage points for photos.

A Day in the Alps

My parents came for a visit this past week and we did some sightseeing with them. One of the places we went was Titlis, which is located in central Switzerland. To get to the top of the mountain (10,000 feet) we took a series of cable cars; the final one was a rotating cable car that allowed us to get a 360 degree view of the mountain and surrounding area as we rode to the top.



Once on top of the mountain, we had a spectacular view of the glaciers on the surrounding mountains.







At the top of the mountain, there are chair lifts that take you over the Titlis glacier and down to a park where you can walk around and sled. While on the Ice Flyer, you can look down and see the fissures in the glacier.





Doc and I decided to try tubing at the park at the bottom of the Ice Flyer. I just couldn't pass up the chance to do something like that in July!





On the mountain, you can also walk into a glacier. We were quite surprised when we saw the photos afterwards. In the dark, we weren't able to see all of the striations in the ice.






We ended the day with a picnic at a lake half way down the mountain.

Züri Fäscht

Once every three years folks from all over Switzerland come to Züri Fäscht, a three-day festival along Lake Zürich and the Limmat River. Züri Fäscht has the standard rides and stands with crafts and food, only there are a wider selection of sausages and some Swiss specialities (e.g., raclette) added to the usual mix of hamburgers, hot dogs, and various ethic foods. Stands with sweets--my main interest--generally had a selection of cotton candy, nuts, and the Swiss specialty Magenbrot (a tasty spice bread). In addition to the food and rides, there were bars and music stands with folks singing (often badly) everywhere.

For me, the highlight of the festival was the fireworks. An orchestra playing classical music was piped in over loudspeakers along the lake. We listened and watched as 25 minutes worth of fireworks were set off from boats in the middle of the lake. Tonight, there will be another fireworks show. This time the music will be from the musical, We Will Rock You.

Animals, Animals Everywhere

One of the things in Zürich that continually surprises me is that there are animals on small plots of land throughout the city. There are the sheep that graze up the hill from us and these pigs on a busy road near our house. Although they are only a bus stop away, I didn't notice them until this past weekend when we were walking home.

Weekend Feast

The weekdays have been quite dreary, rainy, and cold lately, but the weekends have been pleasant. This past weekend we decided to try the rotisserie function on our grill. While the motor wasn't the best, we managed to make a yummy rotisserie chicken. Here's Doc keeping the motor together.