Switzerland – Travelling Worm

Category: Switzerland

A few days in Zurich

This is the blog of Mark Wordsworm, the travelling worm. I’m a 36-year-old bookmark (give or take a few years) and I proudly boast my own Hallmark serial number, 95 HBM 80-1. You’ll probably want to read all about me and my Travelling Companion (the TC).

Today’s travel notes

Me and the TC have spent the last couple of weeks in Zurich. It was largely a working trip for the TC. Spending time in a city as a working person is a different experience from being a tourist. We have, however, found the time to see a bit of the city too.

The book I’m in

Tell Me Lies, by J. P. Pomare. The TC has just started this book. I’m looking forward to digging in during the long trip home from Zurich to Sydney.

Recommended restaurant

Burgermeister, Oberdorfstrasse, Zurich. The restaurant offers take-away as well as dine-in meals. You order your food at the counter and collect it there too. The food comes quickly. It’s very tasty and of high quality.

Travel tips

Parking is complicated. Blue zones, white zones, time restrictions… Read up on it before you arrive.

The photos

Me surveying a complex-looking plug socket array in our Zurich accommodation:

Swiss plugs differ from those in much of Europe. They have three prongs, with the middle one slightly offset.

The lovely Limmat River runs through Zurich. This worm appreciated the river in its many moods:

Scooters, bicycles, motorbikes, e-bikes — people use a variety of vehicles to move around the city:

Winding alleys lead down into the old town:

A city view from the Lindenhof on the western bank of the Limmat river:

Another view of the city, this time from the university on the eastern side of the river:

I’ll close with some multi-coloured berries on a creeping plant. It was autumn. The leaves were beginning to turn and the air was acquiring a chill. Berry season. The TC passed this wall every day on her walk into the office in Zurich:

That’s all for today, folks.
Rhine Falls, the most powerful waterfall in Europe

This is the blog of Mark Wordsworm, the travelling worm. I’m a 36-year-old bookmark (give or take a few years) and I proudly boast my own Hallmark serial number, 95 HBM 80-1. You’ll probably want to read all about me and my Travelling Companion (the TC).

Today’s travel notes

Yesterday, me and the TC took a trip to the Rhine Falls (Rheinfall), the most power waterfall in Europe based on rate of flow. Although the Rhine Falls are in Switzerland, our train passed through a bit of Germany on the way there.

The book I’m in

Bleed for Me, by Michael Robotham. A good who-dunnit investigated by a flawed psychologist, a cop, and an ex-cop. This worm is eating through the book with great enjoyment.

Travel tips

There’s a good chance of getting damp, even if it’s not raining.

The photos

Me hanging out at the Rheinfall:

Imagine you’re travelling down the Rhine, a leisurely ride on a boat, birds tweeting, sun shining, the gentle river flowing strong but smooth. Then, as you round a bend, suddenly there’s a roaring in the air and the river drops down by 23 metres right in front of you.

Here’s what the Rhine Falls look and sound like from the river bank:

A still view from the same spot:

How small that yellow boat looks! Intrepid travellers can take a ride on one of these boats. Be prepared to get wet:

The first viewing point is a short stroll from the train station, down a pretty street:

I’ll close this post with another shot of yours truly at the local water spigot:

That’s all for today, folks.
Chur, oldest city in Switzerland

This is the blog of Mark Wordsworm, the travelling worm. I’m a 36-year-old bookmark (give or take a few years) and I proudly boast my own Hallmark serial number, 95 HBM 80-1. You’ll probably want to read all about me and my Travelling Companion (the TC).

Today’s travel notes

If you have the chance, follow in this worm’s illustrious footsteps and visit the historic town of Chur in Switzerland. It’s one and a half hours by train from Zurich. Chur lays claim to being the oldest settlement in Switzerland, tracing its history as far back as 3500-3900 BCE.

The book I’m in

Bleed for Me, by Michael Robotham. A good who-dunnit investigated by a flawed psychologist, a cop, and an ex-cop. This worm is eating through the book with great enjoyment.

Recommended restaurants

We popped in for coffee and cake at Cafe Maron, near the Chur train station. The fare was delicious, the service was friendly, and the cafe was brimming with people.

For lunch, we chose Vanessa’s Kitchen Fusion Bistro. Highly recommended for the quality of the food and the service.

Travel tips

Walk the streets of the old town. If golf is your cup of tea, do the Urban Golf Parcours in Chur. Urban golfers use soft balls, to avoid hurting people and damaging property. It’s a good way to see the city.

The photos

Me hanging out with a beautiful woman at a historic building in Chur:

Until 1887, night watchmen used to roam the streets of Chur, calling out the hours of the evening watch. The placards on this building tell the story:

The town hall (rathaus), with its medieval arches:

A close-up of the entrance to the town hall:

The opposite entrance of the town hall:

The arched roof of a marketplace next to the town hall, currently a shelter for bicycles.

Street scenes in the old town:

The Cathedral of the Assumption is a place of beauty and quiet:

A modern sticker on a mailbox, bringing the ugly to the sublime:

The clock tower in Martinsplatz:

At midday, the clock bell chimes the hour:

The 2D room at Vanessa’s Kitchen Fusion Bistro, where we stopped for an excellent lunch:

More street scenes:

An imposing statue graces the square at the head office of the Graubünden Cantonal Bank — a man on stilts:

The train journey from Zurich to Chur is worth a few pictures too. For much of the journey, the train travels along the banks of the lakes: Zurichsee, Obersee, and Walensee. Here’s one of the lakes in a less-than-sunny mood, with snow-bedecked peaks peeking out of the cloud:

The smudging is the rain on the train window. Here are more snow-bedecked peaks, in a sunnier mood:

I’ve remarked on the green felt effect of the Swiss countryside in earlier posts. Here’s more of it:

That’s all for today, folks.
From Zurich to Como

This is the blog of Mark Wordsworm, the travelling worm. I’m a 36-year-old bookmark (give or take a few years) and I proudly boast my own Hallmark serial number, 95 HBM 80-1. You’ll probably want to read all about me and my Travelling Companion (the TC).

Today’s travel notes

Me and the TC made the three-and-a-half hour drive from Zurich in Switzerland to Como in Italy. The drive is lovely. The town of Como was a bit of a disappointment.

The book I’m in

Bleed for Me, by Michael Robotham. A good who-dunnit investigated by a flawed psychologist, a cop, and an ex-cop. This worm is eating through the book with great enjoyment.

Recommended restaurant

Ristorante in Teatro, Piazza Giuseppe Verdi, Como. Great service and tasty gluten free food for those who need it.

Travel tips

Parking in Como is a nightmare. If you can, take public transport and avoid the stress.

The photos

Alas, dear reader, there’s no picture of yours truly in these photographs. Another disappointment, I know. However, here are a few mountains help to sweeten the blow.

On the road from Zurich to Como, near Giornico:

A street scene in the town of Como:

The Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta towers over a town square:

Behind the cathedral is the Ristorante in Teatro, which offers good food with a view:

The Como waterfront, on the south end of Lake Como:

A view of the lake from the waterfront:

Driving back through Switzerland, this worm was struck again and again by the greenness of everything. The towns appear to be positioned on a covering of green felt:

On the banks of Lake Lucerne, a roof reaches out over the road to protect cars from avalanches and rock falls:

That’s all for today, folks.
Lucerne’s covered bridges and painted buildings

This is the blog of Mark Wordsworm, the travelling worm. I’m a 36-year-old bookmark (give or take a few years) and I proudly boast my own Hallmark serial number, 95 HBM 80-1. You’ll probably want to read all about me and my Travelling Companion (the TC).

Today’s travel notes

Me and the TC spent a rainy day in lovely Lucerne. We strolled across the city’s two covered bridges, the Spreuer Bridge and the Chapel Bridge. We dodged raindrops to admire the city streets with their painted buildings and cobblestones.

The book I’m in

Bleed for Me, by Michael Robotham. A good who-dunnit investigated by a flawed psychologist, a cop, and an ex-cop. This worm is eating through the book with great enjoyment.

Travel tips

If you hire a car, make it a small one. Especially if it has proximity-warning beepers. The roads are narrow, and the spiralling paths into and out of parking garages are a nightmare.

The photos

Me on the Reuss river, looking towards the Spreuer Bridge. You can’t see the bridge yet, dear reader, as it’s in front of me. The TC, bless her cotton socks, was taken with the view behind me. I photo-bombed the shot:

Here’s the same scene, without yours truly. It’s near the Kleinwasserkraftwerk Mühlenplatz:

The Spreuer Bridge is one of two covered bridges in Lucerne. The first half of the bridge was built in the 13th century, to connect the right bank of the river with the flour mills in the middle of the river. The rest the bridge, connecting to the left bank, was completed early in the 15th century. In 1566, the bridge was destroyed by a flood and then rebuilt:

A few minutes’ walk up the river is the Chapel Bridge – the oldest covered bridge in Europe, built in 1333. Yes folks, that’s 690 years ago!

Here’s a view down the length of the bridge:

Me again, with a view of the Reuss river from Chapel Bridge:

Paintings hang in the triangular frames on both the Spreuer Bridge and the Chapel Bridge. Before 1993, the Chapel Bridge had a total of 147 paintings. Then in 1993, disaster struck. A fire broke out and destroyed two thirds of the paintings. Thirty of the paintings were restored, and many others were replaced with paintings that had been in storage since 1834:

The city of Lucerne combines old and new in pleasing architectural contours:

Many of the buildings are painted with scenes that recall the city’s history:

That’s all for today, folks.
Switzerland’s Klausen Pass in the clouds

This is the blog of Mark Wordsworm, the travelling worm. I’m a 36-year-old bookmark (give or take a few years) and I proudly boast my own Hallmark serial number, 95 HBM 80-1. You’ll probably want to read all about me and my Travelling Companion (the TC).

Today’s travel notes

On a rainy Saturday in late September, me and the TC drove across Klausen Pass in the Swiss Alps. The pass is about one and a half to two hours’ drive from Zurich, depending on how many scenic diversions you make.

The book I’m in

Bleed for Me, by Michael Robotham. This worm is enjoying the book. It’s a good example of the author’s combination of believable characters caught up in a difficult situation.

Travel tips

It’s chilly in the Swiss Alps even in autumn. Layer up to enjoy the cold!

The photos

Me at the little chapel at the top of Klausen Pass:

The chapel is the Kapelle Bruder Klaus, built in 1717. It was shrouded in mist and surrounded by streaks of snow:

We were lucky to be in the area in September. The road is usually closed between October and May, due to the high snowfall on the pass. Me again, catching a ride on the TC’s shoe to avoid the snow pile that towered over my head:

The Klausen Pass started out as a cattle track in the Middle Ages. In the year 1196, the track was controlled by a customs office in Bürglen. The highest point of the pass is at an elevation of 1,948 metres (6,391 feet). Now a fully-tarred road, it still offers plenty of interesting sections adorned with danger signs like this one remarking that we were approaching a Gefärliche Strecke:

Waterfalls peeked out through the clouds:

The views were gorgeous, of green valleys and toy-town settlements:

Cows clanged musically as they grazed:

When we reached the bottom of the pass, we stopped for fuel. The TC, bless her cotton socks, was entranced by the way the mountains loomed all round. “They just go pffffrrrt, straight up!” she remarked.

That’s all for today, folks.
Medieval festival in Zug, Switzerland

This is the blog of Mark Wordsworm, the travelling worm. I’m a 36-year-old bookmark (give or take a few years) and I proudly boast my own Hallmark serial number, 95 HBM 80-1. You’ll probably want to read all about me and my Travelling Companion (the TC).

Today’s travel notes

Me and the TC are in Switzerland. Today we travelled by train from Zurich to the small town of Zug, to see the annual medieval festival hosted by the town: the Mittelalterfest Zug.

Here’s a nicety for people who’re intrigued by words, as is the TC: We travelled to Zug by Zug. How so? The town is called Zug. In German, a train is a Zug (including the initial capital letter, as in German all nouns are capitalised.) So, to Zug by Zug!

The book I’m in

Death’s End, by Cixin Liu, translated by Ken Liu. In the TC’s words (yours truly is by nature less effusive), this is a most amazing book. It’s part of the “three-body problem” series. Science fiction done right. Get a copy and read it!

Travel tips

Travelling by rail is pleasant, but figuring out how to buy the train tickets is complex. Give yourself plenty of time the first time you do it. Buying tickets from the vending machines at the station is the simplest option. The mobile app and website are overly complex.

The photos

Me in the refreshments area of the festival, contemplating the possibility of ale and vittles:

As we wandered around the village, we came across people transacting their medieval business, seemingly unaware that they were in a time capsule that had been projected into the 21st century. These men were testing swords before an upcoming match:

Some of the village folk were guards, fearsome in their protection of the gateways. It was not uncommon to hear the command, “Halt”, roared out loud to stop the crowds from getting in the way when a photo was in order. This much to the amusement of said crowd, which tittered and took more photos of said fearsome guards.

Another fearsome guard photo opp:

Knights in armour shone in splendour under the autumn sun:

Bands and bards roamed the lanes. It was interesting to see a band member playing the bagpipes. I’d thought these were a Celtic tradition, but evidently Switzerland did have bagpipes in the middle ages, called the Schweizer Sackpfeife. Here’s a short video of the Schellmerÿ band playing at the festival:

A bard enchanting the crowd:

A beggar sat quietly in the shade:

A dark witch floated above the road surface, eerily tall and smooth of gait. Aided by a segway under his robes:

The town of Zug has some gorgeous buildings:

Here’s another, forming one side of a village square:

From the sublime to the ridiculous, a nose protrudes from a building on the same square:

Taking a stroll down the hill, we came across the Zugersee:

The TC, bless her cotton socks, was fascinated by the plants growing in the lake, twisting and twirling into SciFi shapes, then pushing little flowers up towards the light. “Like underwater daisies”, she exclaimed:

That’s all for today, folks.