By Thursday, June 25th, I was looking forward to going home. I know that’s kind of foolish, given the beautiful surroundings and great food we were enjoying in Switzerland, but I missed the dogs. I also wanted to do laundry. Several days in sweaty conditions can make one’s clothes a bit icky.
Bill had two more days of class to go, so off we went to breakfast. The wait staff was getting to know us. A few folks seemed surprised we were still at the hotel. I don’t think it’s a normal thing for most people to book six nights… except for maybe some people who are going to the Jung Institute.
I didn’t get the sense that there were too many Jung Institute students staying at the Sonne Seehotel. The one exception was at breakfast on Thursday. An American man came in with a younger woman, and Bill said he later saw both of them at the Institute. He said the man was an author of a book he’d read, and also taught at the Institute. The woman was someone on the brink of getting her diploma.
As for breakfast, I decided to go for something conventional. I had scrambled eggs and bacon. (I thought) Bill had the Egg Royal– like Eggs Benedict, but with smoked salmon, avocado, and roe. The Egg Royal is probably my favorite dish at the Pavilion Restaurant during breakfast. But, of course I needed to try as many things as possible. On Thursday, we also got to try the fruit plate, along with the usual etagè and rolls. And that, my friends, is why I have so many rolls. 😁
After breakfast, we went back to the room, hung up the Do Not Disturb sign, and I got to work on my blogging. Bill went off to school. His schedule on Thursday had him attending classes until 5:30 PM. I think he had three that day.
It was another hot day, and once again, I noticed the canvas barrier was up at the lakeside. There would be another event. Actually, Thursday turned out to be a rather obnoxious day for hotel events. But, during the afternoon, I did my usual swimming and sunning under the shady trees. Below are a few artsy pictures I took from our room. There’s always something to see on Lake Zürich, especially during the summer!
Something funny did happen on Thursday. While I was sitting by the lake, enjoying the cool breezes and fresh air, there was some kind of private event happening on the other side of the canvas barrier. It sounded like maybe it was a work party, or something like that. A man gave a speech in impassioned German, having summoned everyone’s attention by striking a glass with a utensil.
I wasn’t really paying much attention to what the man was saying. I was trying to relax, and wishing I had ear buds. At one point, the speaker on the other side of the barrier said something, and the crowd cheered. At that very same time, a group of school kids– maybe about eleven or twelve years old– were passing by the garden.
Just as the crowd behind the barrier started laughing and cheering, the kids– egged on by one especially naughty boy– also started cheering enthusiastically. It was pretty funny, and the whole group of adults at the luncheon started laughing.
As I was sitting there alone, listening to the laughter, it occurred to me that the luncheon was probably “mandatory fun”. The people were dressed nicely, enjoying lunch on a hot day, next to the very cool and inviting lake. They sort of half listened to a speaker droning on about something, politely applauding at appropriate times. And then, all of a sudden, a cheeky boy broke the tension by letting loose with a hearty cheer.
I observed a lot of kids in large groups, often with adults, heading to the pier so they could catch a ferry. Usually, the kids were really young– kindergarten aged or even younger, wearing orange safety vests, hats, and sunglasses. But sometimes, the kids were older, and traveled in noisy, unruly packs. Such was the case on Thursday, as the funny kids got on a ferry and continued to cheer… trying to prolong the joke. They weren’t quite old enough to realize when a moment had passed. 🤭 I can relate to that!
After the afternoon “mandatory fun” luncheon was over, the participants dispersed, and I got a brief respite from company. But then a family of four showed up. They were clearly Americans, consisting of a mom, a dad, a daughter, and a son. The son appeared to be about 13 or 14, and he’s the only one whose name I caught, because his parents had to keep correcting him.
At one point, the whole family decided to go into the lake. They were all wearing shoes of the Croc variety, which wouldn’t necessarily recommend for swimming. They might protect your feet from rocks, but they don’t let water flow out so easily, because they’re basically clogs.
The mom brought her phone into the lake, and her son said, “Why are you bringing your phone into the water? That’s a STUPID idea!”
The mom ignored the lad, took a few pictures from the water level, and then, maybe a minute or two later, exited the water with her daughter in tow. I think it was too cold for them.
Personally, I have to agree with the young man that taking a phone into the water, unless it’s highly waterproof, isn’t the greatest idea. The rocks at the bottom of the steps are pretty slippery. More than once, I almost fell down from a combination of slippery rocks, lack of balance from an awkward stance, and the odd strong current. Of course, it was none of my business, so I just observed in silence.
The boy soon grew bored with the lake and said he wanted to leave. He was clambering around near the rocks when the dad admonished him to be very careful and avoid getting hurt. He said he couldn’t afford for the boy to be injured. I’m sure that’s true in Switzerland, where healthcare is expensive. I don’t know if it’s on par with the United States, though.
The young man finally left, and soon it was just mom, dad, and daughter. The females seemed content to hang out by the lake, while the dad kind of paddled around, much like I did all week. 🤭
***
The day wore on, and finally it was time for Bill to come back from his classes. I was sitting in the hotel room, when a large boat pulled up to the pier. I noticed it, because it was blaring music. There was a sign on the boat that read LS Stäfa Festschiff (party boat).
I could see signs that there were more private events going on. I’m not sure if the people who booked the Festschiff were staying at the Sonne, but the boat turned up at about 4:00 PM and kind of loitered near the pier, sharing its music with everybody. After it departed, the cool looking Stadt Zürich ferry was back.
When Bill arrived later, he said the restaurant was closed, due to a private event. We hadn’t booked a reservation anywhere, and I wasn’t really in the mood to get dressed up… even if it meant putting on makeup that would melt off within minutes. We decided to eat at the hotel’s Biergarten.
I thought it would be good to go there as soon as possible, because I worried there would be nowhere to sit. When we were at the Biergarten on Wednesday afternoon, a woman got very excited when we stood up to leave, implying that she’d been patiently waiting to claim our table. 🙄 I feared something similar would happen Thursday night. But, actually, it wasn’t so bad…
Before we went down to the Biergarten, though, LS Scäfa returned to the pier with its loud music. I got the sense that this was where it was pickup up partygoers, as this time, there was a Tina Turner impersonator singing her hit songs. She wasn’t bad, although I don’t think Tina’s spirit came down to help her out. I could sort of see the woman from the window, and it looked it she wore a short dress and a leonine wig, just like Tina did, back in the 1980s.
It was not surprising to hear Tina Turner’s music blaring from the ship. Tina Turner became a Swiss citizen in 2013, when she married her longtime German boyfriend, Erwin Bach, at their home in Küsnacht, Switzerland. She famously lived at a lakeside estate called Villa Algonquin, and if I’m not mistaken, she couldn’t buy property there unless she became a Swiss citizen. So that’s what she did… and she later sold Villa Algonquin and rented it, with the arrangement that she would be allowed to live there until she died. She passed away in May 2023.
According to an article in People Magazine, Tina also dined at Rico’s cosi, just as Bill and I did on Wednesday, June 24th. And when she walked into the place, people’s jaws and eating utensils dropped! Apparently, she was a regular there, having celebrated her 60th birthday at the restaurant! Lionel Richie was also there, and sang to her. I recently read Lionel’s book about his life, and I think he’s got a Swiss girlfriend now.
I hope Tina got better service at Rico’s than we did. 😏 Apparently, she and Rico were friends, so I’m sure he took good care of her and Erwin.
Anyway, Tina’s impersonator sounded enough like her that I knew she was going for Tina’s sound. And the fact that I could see her hair from our hotel window tells me that she was also going for her look. I don’t mind Tina’s music at all, so I thought it was cool. In fact, the party boat looked kind of fun, although it appeared that the Tina Turner impersonator was probably hired separately.
***
Bill and I snagged a table in a corner, right by Lake Zürich. It was still very hot outside, but people were all dressed up for the party in the Pavilion Restaurant. They had a woman singing and playing saxophone, and later, there was a DJ. It looked like a classy party from our sweaty spot in the Biergarten. Of course, the partygoers were also sweating, because there was no air conditioning in the restaurant!
For dinner, I had short ribs, and Bill had a sandwich that was advertised as a burger, but was really more like a pulled beef barbecue sandwich. Of course, there were fries and beverages… and later, there was also wine. The ribs were kind of messy, but they tasted good. I think Bill was mostly happy with the “burger”, although he said they didn’t really melt the cheese on it. Bummer.
We hung out at the Biergarten until the sun went down. I got more photos, especially of the ducks, who came by to beg for food. I’m always surprised how the birds in places where tourists and water meet tend to attract waterfowl and songbirds who are almost tame. Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised, though…
And the LS Scäla came back to unload some passengers, but the Tina Turner impersonator had apparently retired for the evening.
I do already miss the sunsets on Lake Zürich. What a beautiful place. I can see why Tina was happy there… and why she had no qualms about giving up her US citizenship so she could be Swiss. The older I get, the more appealing that idea sounds to me, too.
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