Zurich, Switzerland - Day 17

Saturday, September 8, 2018

We are so lucky to have another gorgeous day.

Today is Chocolate Day! We met our group of 11 at Paradeplatz Square at 11 for a 2-hour tour -- only $30. We arrived early and took a walk along Bahnhofstrasse. We were blown away by the number of really expensive shops, and no empty storefront in sight. Guess there is a lot of money here. We did learn that Zurich is a major hub of international banking, due to its long-term economic and political stability. But for a city with only 380,000 people (1.4 million in the greater area), there are a lot of elite shops!

Our tour guide was delightful - of Vietnamese descent who ended up in  Switzerland when his father was transferred here. He had lots of fun tidbits to share about the city, the architecture and the history.

First, why is Switzerland known for chocolate? In 1819, Francois-Louis Cailler mechanized chocolate production in a plant near Geneva. The Swiss also invented milk chocolate in 1875,  and, in 1879, Rodolphe Lindt invented "conching," the process that makes solid chocolate smooth. (The early process included hours and hours of constant stirring -- discovered when a worker accidentally left a machine on over the weekend.)

At the Paradeplatz, where we met, was our first stop Sprüngli, Zurich's top cafe for the past century. We had their famous "Luxemburgerli" macarons - little cream-filled, one-inch macaron-meringue hamburgers -- in 3 flavors -- pistachio, tiramisu and chocolate. It melted in our mouths. The colorful rounds are featured behind the clerk in this photo.

The store was beautiful with lots of goodies.

Next we walked by Fraumünster Church, which was founded along with a convent in 853. The current building is on the original site and dates to 1250. We will come back to this later, but now we just walked by it and saw a wedding reception in the courtyard. The city hall is next door (to left in this photo) and couples are required to have a civil ceremony there, regardless of whether they have one at church.

This means two dresses, two receptions, etc., you get the picture.

Our next stop was Teuscher's, another beautiful store and the creator of champagne truffles in 1932. 

Our guide picked up two flavors each (dark and light) and they were delicious. 

He then took us to Lindenhof, a paved park with Linden trees that was once a fort situated on a small hill in the old town. From here we had great views of the city and Limmat River.  

There is a statue commemorating the local women who cleverly defended the town in 1292. 

Their men were away fighting another battle when the Habsburgs circled the city. The women put on armor and made a lot of noise, tricking the invaders into thinking the city was ready to attack. We saw a painting on a wall also recognizing the women. Women have a good history here because they ruled the city until the 1200s when the guilds came into power. And yet...Swiss women did not get the right to vote until 1971.

Another interesting fact about Switzerland as told by our guide: ever wonder why the Swiss flag is the reverse of the Red Cross flag? Because the Red Cross was started by a Swiss man in the 1850s. When they were looking for a logo, the reverse just worked.

We also walked passed a boot cleaner built into the old foundation -- primarily to remove horse droppings in the old days.

Then we crossed the river into the Niederdorf neighborhood, passing quaint shops and cafes. One interesting place was called "Äss-Bar" which means edible in German. "Frisch von gestern" means "fresh from yesterday," and their motto is "no waste, great taste." 

They collect fresh food that is not sold on one day (mostly baked goods) and sell it the next at reduced cost.

Our final tasting was at Max Chocolate, which was started by a wealthy entrepreneur for his son, Max, who has Down Syndrome and loves chocolate. We did some small tastings here of various pieces and had a short presentation about the cocoa bean plant. 

The emphasis on their chocolate is on a darker variety because the founder thought Swiss chocolate was too milky and too sweet. (My sentiments, too.) 

We ended at the Grossmünster Church, also known as the "big cathedral." 

The Romanesque style Protestant church was originally Catholic, built in 1220. The twin towers were built in the 1400s and are still the most recognizable symbol of Zurich. The church was the scene of much of the Protestant reformation in the 1500s.

There were also some lovely views from this church of the Fraumünster on left and St. Peter's on right.

Now we were ready for lunch and headed to Restaurant Schipfe 16, situated right on the river. It is recommended in Rick Steves' book and is part of a city-run organization that provides work for hard-to-employ people. Service was a little sketchy, but the food was simple and delicious - the best potato-leek soup ever. Most restaurants in Zurich have only one menu -- and dinner is what you have to order for lunch.

Then we went back to the Fraumünster Church to tour the inside and see the 30-ft. tall stained glass windows by Marc Chagall (1887-1985), the Russian-born French artist. (Three are on the back here and one on each side.)

When Zurich hosted a Chagall exhibit in 1967, the church pastor was so impressed that he asked the world-famous artist to design the windows. To his surprise, the 80-year-old Chagall accepted, but would not set a price. He worked on them 3 years and then presented them. As the story was told by our guide, Chagall only charged the church 150 Swiss francs. The five windows depict Bible Scenes, with the central image of the crucified Christ. Amazingly, 8 years later, in 1978 at age 90, Chagall produced a rose window for the church.

Then Ed went back to the hotel to pack and I walked up the hill to the University. A good workout but the views were mediocre.

Tonight we had dinner at a lovely little place called Rosaly's recommended by our hotel clerk. It was in an alley, but at night, with the help of an awning and furniture, the alley becomes an enchanting patio. The food was delicious, especially the veal cordon bleu, and a great way to end our European adventure. Home tomorrow!

Good-by to the beautiful Opera House. Our hotel is behind it to the right with a flag on top. Then our hotel, with our balcony above the word "Ambassador."

And a view from the top of the hotel of Lake Zurich.