Zurich

Photographs of Zurich, Switzerland, Summer 2001 by Martin Sullivan (22 pictures, 625KBytes, approximately 4.5 minutes download time at typical modem rates, 2.5K/s). The pictures have been split relatively crudely into two chunks. This is the first chunk of 12.

This is Stuff, off-topic and possibly ephemeral.

Index: Part 1 * Part 2

During the contract in Zurich, which has now finished, I purchased a small digital camera. It seems sad to me that I hadn't done this earlier but never-the-less off I went like a Japanese tourist blasting away at everything I could find.

Zurich isn't the ugliest place I've ever seen, so some of these shots came out. I've put them here for you to have a look at. They are nearly all of the centre of the town and were taken on my walk back to the hotel from where I worked in Wallishofen (near the end of tram line 7, if you know it). Since I got bored of walking straight back (and it was a bit of a billy-no-mates contract) I did a bit of wandering and this is reflected in the some of the photos.

Zurich is a largely flat town, with a notable exception in the middle (the Lindenhof). It lies at the head-end of a lake a bit bigger than Windermere in a broad valley and is about the size of Leeds. Suburbs run up the side of the hills on either side (about 500 meters of accent) and around the lake on both sides.

Zurich from Uetliberg. Uetliberg (about 500m accent) is the higest point in the ridge line to the south. A rather boring slog through undistinguished suburbs up to Albisgütli (or the 13 tram), thence a well formed path up through the trees. At the top there's a wide road which as various planetary models marked out at scale distance. This photo, taken through a rare gap in the trees is near a football sized Jupiter. You can walk back through the solar system (and the inner planets are ball-baring sized ball-bearings in acrylic blocks) to the Sun and the Uetliberg Bahn, a souped up tram that wends its way back down the hill to town and then underground to the main railway station.

Uetliberg appears in the centre of this somber photo, taken from the esplanade in front of the ETH (the Federal Technical School, a Science and Technology University).

This is the building where I worked in Wallishofen, near the railway station. Interestingly you may note the ariel like things on the roof. These are actually markers indicating how high the building will be when and if they stick another floor on it. One often saw these poles sketching a building in outline as part of the Swiss wide (it appeared) planning laws.

Work wasn't too far from the lake, Zürichsee. The lake was large enough to have a number of ferries on it and it was a pleasant way back to town. Wallishofen also boasted a boat yard and harbour where "Stad Rapperswil", closest to camera, and "Stad Zürich". They get to do runs on holidays and special occasions. Rapperswil, by the way, is the town at the other end of the lake.

In the centre of Zurich, and almost always in Züghus Platz, just over Bahnhof Strasse from Parade Platz, Brass bands used to give impromtue (well to me anyhow) concerts. This in the summer months only. The large flag, diagonal blue and white, hanging over Bahnhof Stasse is the flag of the Zurich Canton.

Parade Platz, right in the centre of town about two thirds of the way along the main shopping street. It is more or less a large tram station where, it seems all the lines converge before fanning out once more. The tram in the centre of the photo is the "Cobra" tram a very delayed prototype low floor effort. It was out on one of its very rare proving trials.

Art in Limmat. This sculpture appeared in the Limmat one day (a bit like a Teletubbie Toy). The accompanying plaque declared it "typically Zurich" as you can judge for your selves. It appeared to be temporary for it had disappeared just before I left.

Artists drawing the "typically Zurich" art in the middle of the Limmat.

Monday night was Rösti night and I repaired to this, the Rheinfelder Bierhalle. Situated at the bottom of Neiderdorfstrasse (aka "Neiderli") it is the perfect place to practice your "Züri-Schwitzer-Deusch" (crap attempt at a phonetic spelling).

Grosse Münster is the bigger of the churches in central Zurich and one of two Münsters (Cathedrals).

Zurich St. Peter Kirche. The clock face is claimed to be the biggest in Europe. Europe probably being a variable definition which may stop at some unrecognized boundary in this instance.

Fraumünster, Münster Brücke and Stadhaus. The Fraumünster used to be the convent church, in times gone by. It is rather overshadowed by St. Peter's with its "I'm the biggest" clock face.

Not bored yet? More Pictures of Zurich.