Tag Archives: Jetfoil

adventure, Education

Ten things I learned in Zürich, 2025…

It’s time once again for a “ten things I learned” post, which I write for every travel series. Since we went to Zürich in 2021, and I probably wrote a “ten things I learned” post for that series, I’m differentiating this one with the year 2025. Some people like these lists of random tidbits from my travels. They are kind of a nice way to sum things up…

Here goes!

10. Small children in Switzerland are either encouraged or required to wear special safety vests.
When I was in Zürich, I noticed a lot of little kids in groups wearing orange vests or “harnesses” (for lack of a better word) in florescent colors. I read that the vests are required for kids on bikes, and I got the sense they were probably required for the youngest children. I’m sure it makes sense to many, but I have a feeling I would have hated being forced to wear them when I was little.

9. You can swim for free at Lake Zürich.
Before we went to Zürich this time, I thought I’d have to go to a beach and pay admission to enjoy the lake. That isn’t so, at least at this writing. I saw many people jumping into the lake wherever, and just enjoying themselves in the hot, sunny weather. I wish I’d had a chance to do it myself.

8. The Lake Zürich cruise is a good deal.
We got 4.5 hours on a very nice vessel with facilities for about 85 francs, or so. That gave me plenty of time to take photos and enjoy the lake, with access to a restroom. It would have been even less expensive if we’d gone second class, and it would have been even easier to get to the potty! Then afterwards, the pass is good for the rest of the public transport system in Switzerland.

7. Wegglis are life.

Seriously. I love the way the Swiss make their breakfast breads. I thought I loved Brötlis, which we discovered when we were in Basel in January, but I love Wegglis every bit as much. I wish I could find them in Germany, made the same way.

6. Rapperswil is a very cute looking town on the lake.
I had not heard of the little hamlet of Rapperswil before we passed it on our lake cruise. It really is a charming looking place that I want to explore at some point. I’m going to have to read up on it, especially if Bill decides to study formally at the Jung Institute.

5. The C.G. Jung Institute is on rented land.
I wouldn’t have expected such a famous institution not to have its own grounds, but we learned that the facility is owned by someone other than the Institute itself. I don’t know what they’re paying every month, but they sure couldn’t have beaten the location. It’s stunning!

4. Studying at the Jung Institute is surprisingly user friendly.
Bill wasn’t sure he’d be able to manage studying at the Institute, but thanks to the pandemic, the school is even more user friendly than it used to be. Distance education is definitely doable.

3. Jetfoils are all the rage!
I had never seen a jetfoil before we visited Zürich this time, but I saw so many people on the lake riding the things. It looked like a lot of fun– for people who are very fit, that is…

2. Sometimes weird things happen, even in famously orderly places like Switzerland…
See my story about the guy who serenaded us at dinner, and then how another guy from Israel stopped to tell us about his Army service and life as an entertainer in Zürich.

And 1. The Botanical Garden at the University of Zürich is a worth a stop…
If you need some time among beautifully tended plants, you can go to this oasis free of charge and wander around among the flora. It was time well spent for me, and educational, too!

I’m sure I learned other things while we were in Switzerland. I didn’t make a real effort to try to learn things, as it was too hot to go to a lot of museums and such. But I’ve learned that one can often pick up new information simply by being in a place and observing. And that’s what I did while Bill was learning about Jungian psychology. True, there were times during our visit when I wished I was at home, but I also realize how very lucky I was to be able to go to Switzerland and soak up the atmosphere. There must have been a reason for it, other than keeping Bill company. So, I’m glad I went! At the very least, I got some really gorgeous pictures of the lake, and got to eat some delicious Swiss breads (not that I needed to be doing that!).

I don’t know when or where our next trip will be, but I’m sure we’ll go somewhere soon. At the very least, I really need to go see my dentist in Stuttgart. So watch this space for more travel stories in Europe!

Standard
adventure, art, C.G. Jung, Education

Swiss Studies… Sunday at the lake! (part two)

On Sunday morning, Bill went across the street to the fabulous bakery called Wüst. This bakery, which is part of a chain, offers wonderful fresh breads and pastries. Almost every day of our stay, Bill went there to get our breakfasts. One day, he went to a different, but equally good bakery, only because we were out of juice and he could get some at the other place.

I have discovered that I really like the way the Swiss do their breads. The places we’ve gone have offered soft rolls and croissants that aren’t too crispy/messy. Personally, I like that a lot. I know some people love flaky croissants, but I prefer them to be softer, if only because it means fewer crumbs all over the place.

I already miss these…

After breakfast, Bill and I took a walk to Lake Zürich, which was a very short walk from the apartment. On Sunday, there happened to be a bike race going on, so there was a “crossing guard” in the middle of the crosswalk! We sure weren’t expecting that.

The part of Lake Zürich where we were was near the Chinagarten, as well as a really cool looking machine/statue that I happened to catch running once during the week. I discovered that I was looking at “Heureka”, a “useless machine” that was built in 1964 by sculptor, Jean Tinguely. Below is a video of it running. I only caught it in action once during the whole week we were in Zürich! I read that they only run it three times a day for eight minutes, from April until October.

According to Atlas Obscura, “Heureka” was meant to symbolize consumerism in advanced societies. It’s made of scrap metal and junk, and when it runs, it just makes noise. It doesn’t actually do anything useful. Interesting that this would be in a place where many people are quite well-to-do.

I videoed this after Bill and I saw it for the first time. I guess they don’t run it often, because it makes a fair amount of noise.

There were so many people at the lake on that sunny Sunday. They were all lying out on blankets and towels, swimming, sunning, fishing, and splashing around in the lake. I wished I’d worn one of my bathing suits, because the lake was so inviting. But instead of jumping in the lake, we decided to visit a Biergarten right next to it… And unfortunately, we ended up sitting next to a big pile of dog shit. Nevertheless, I took lots of photos, and where we sat was perfect for that. And the sausage and roll weren’t too bad, either.

While we were eating, we were visited by a bunch of little birds and some very well fed ducks. I tried not to feed them any bread, since it’s bad for ducks. But they made it hard to resist. They were practically tame! I noticed a number of different types of birds by the lake, everything from seagulls to swans! I’ll have pictures of the swans later in the series.

After lunch, we walked around some more, and I took a lot of photos. I was amused by the many people on hydrofoils. It looked like a lot of fun, riding those things– like surf boards with poles under them, operating like pogo sticks. Maybe if I was younger, fitter, and braver, I might be willing to give them a try!

He’s pretty good at that!

Below are some more photos from Sunday. The Swiss, and all of the visitors, all seemed to be having a blast!

I want to ride my bicycle!

We walked a few miles on Sunday, and ended up running into the bike race again. There was a boy there, maybe about 12 years old, wearing a neon colored uniform. He fixed one of the racers’ bikes on the side of the street. We overheard him telling a couple of ladies in German that he was a member of a bicycling club that provided services for the race. We saw a young girl in a similar reflective outfit providing drinks for the riders as they whizzed past.

After awhile, Bill and I got a bit hot, and we were both worried about sun exposure. We decided to go back to the apartment and watch some local television. We caught a couple of American movies, dubbed into German. One was 1962’s That Touch of Mink, starring Cary Grant and Doris Day. The other was 2012’s Now Is Good, starring Dakota Fanning. The Fanning flick was also airing on Friday night. I hadn’t heard of Now Is Good before, but I see it’s on Netflix. Maybe I’ll watch it in English.

For dinner on Sunday, we ordered Chinese/Thai food. I had sweet and sour pork with rice, and Bill had chicken satay with rice. We also had dumplings. There were leftovers for Monday, which was a good thing for me.

In the next post, I’ll start explaining how I entertained myself while Bill was “at school.” Stay tuned for that excitement. 😉

Standard