Another playful entry in the Zürichberg collection of Röthlisberger statues.
dr Bäsewüscher – Röthlisberger
A farmhand pauses to play with his dog.
d’Chuchimagd
Another Röthlisberger statue, this of a housecook.
Another Röthlisberger statue, this of a housecook.
Zurich by night
For a photographer, Zurich is a beautiful place to wander at night.
Imagine you are a photographer that enjoys photographing historic architecture in grand old cities like Zürich, with its cobblestone streets, decorative fountains, and majestic churches that have stood for centuries.
Now imagine that city at night, with no traffic, virtually no pedestrians, and all the major sights floodlit. In a way, the stay-at-home Corona Situation is a boon to street photographers who want an unobstructed view of plazas and architecture… places that would normally have been bustling with people on this warm spring evening.
I took this opportunity to wander the old town, from the ETH Polyterrasse overlook, down to the river Limmat, up to the Lindenhof park, and past the Fraumunster and Grosmunster cathedrals. Sure, I passed some couples and small groups of drunken teens who don’t seem to understand the “distance” part of “social distancing”, but it was otherwise a startlingly quiet Friday evening, with the shops shuttered and the cafés closed. That may change on Monday, when shops reopen. Meanwhile, enjoy the gallery!
Hazy Alpine views
As the spring season remains dry, our views of the Alps have been hazy.
Every morning I climb Zürichberg to my favorite outlook, with its sweeping view of the city and Zurichsee in the foreground, and the Alps in the distance. We’ve had a very dry spring – no precipitation since that light snowfall on March 30 and no real rain for weeks before that. That has led to beautiful, warm sunny days, but also a fair amount of haze between me and the mountains. Yesterday morning the view was relatively clear, and Adobe Lightroom helped me remove a bit of haze from my photos. I can’t wait to get back to the mountains!
Chestnut blossoms
The chestnut tree outside our flat is blooming.
All of Zürich seems to be in bloom this week. Our flat – the middle balcony at right – is nestled in the branches of a beautiful chestnut tree, which is blooming intensely this week. It is such a treat to step out on the balcony and sit among these flowers!
d’Chalishobler – Röthlisberger
A bronze portrait of the village woman who shredded cabbage – and carried news.
Another in my series of photos of the enchanting Röthlisberger statues on Zürichberg, each of which opens a window into the village life of Switzerland’s past.
Fabrikation
A curious (and historic) old building on the edge of campus.
I’ve walked by this curious old building a few times, and always paused to ponder its origin, its purpose, and its sad condition (never seen in this prim part of town). It sits snugly between a posh residential neighborhood and the focal point of three campuses: ETH, the University of Zürich (UZH), and the UZH hospital. Clearly, it once had a walk-up counter where one could arrange for the fabrication of chemical/technical apparatus.
Puzzled, a little Googling lead me to a brochure a local historical society wrote about this building. From what I can glean from that brochure (in German), this workshop was built in 1863 next to a small house, home to several generations of plumbers. The later generations apparently specialized in scientific apparatus as well as home plumbing solutions (Wasch & Badeeinrichtungen – wash and bathroom furnishings). After decades of disrepair, the property was protected under a local archaeological ordinance, purchased by the city, then restored into beautiful shape. It was left unused, however, and sadly became the target of graffiti vandals. It now appears likely to be demolished when the hospital next needs to expand. The adjacent house is now used by ETH as a daycare facility.
Zürich wildlife
An albino rat explores Bahnhofstrasse.
When your hiking habit shifts its attention to city streets, because of the pandemic, you need to take wildlife sightings when and where you can. On Saturday morning I enjoyed a chorus of frogs in Zürich’s Irchel park. On Sunday morning I roamed the old streets of central Zürich looking for photographic opportunities. On a deserted Bahnhofstrasse — the largest and swankiest street in the shopping district — one little opportunity scurried toward me on the sidewalk. This rat, an albino, popped into a tree well to sniff through the debris left by humans who’d strolled by the day before.
dr Gränzdänker – Röthlisberger
A unusually abstract and futuristic statue from Röthlisberger.
This statue from Röthlisberger is, as the sign indicates, totally different than the bronzes on display at Zürichberg. Despite being a techie myself, I can relate to his desire to connect to the “real world”, indeed, the natural world – as I do every morning on these walks.
Frogs of Irchel
A busy corner of the pond at Irchel Park in Zürich.
On an extended version of my morning walk today I took a new route, one that took me through the Irchel campus of the University of Zürich, including the lovely Irchel Park. A few joggers and strollers were out, with most people pausing at the duck pond to enjoy the lovely morning and a view of the new ducklings.
The dominant feature, however, was the incredible din of the frogs. From every corner of the pond, dozens could be heard croaking away among the reeds. I’m familiar with this phenomenon – I love to hear “peeper season” arrive in Lyme, usually in late May and early June. But these croakers were different – croaking Deutsch, I suppose. (Listen to the video.)
I spent a good ten minutes searching a small patch of reeds before I actually saw any of them, despite their noisy business. I then spent a motionless ten minutes staring down one fellow – who motionlessly started right back at me – before he decided I was not interested in taking him to lunch, and he finally demonstrated his technique, in the sequence below, and in this video! See the gallery for full-res images.
David Kotz 