Swimming in the Zürichsee

Zürich is located right at the tip of Lake Zürich, and there are several public swimming facilities easily accessible from the tramline along the shore.

The weather here in Zürich has been exceptionally warm and pleasant for September, or so the locals tell me.  This weekend had spectacular weather.  On Saturday I went hiking in the Glarus region. On Sunday, Andy and I decided to take a swim in the lake.  Zürich is located right at the tip of Lake Zürich, and there are several public swimming facilities easily accessible from the tramline along the shore.  For an entry fee of a few francs we joined throngs of happy Swiss folks who were sunning and swimming.  The Seebad Utoquai facility, not shown particularly well in this photo, was well-appointed with changing rooms, lockers, showers, and a snack bar. And (though crowded) there was space to lay out your towel and catch a few rays, to see and be seen.  Our quick dive into the lake was chilly – cooler than the Connecticut River at home right now – but very pleasant.  The water is deep and clear.  The swim floats were packed with young folks while the older long-distance swimmers arrived from their swim across the lake.  Nice spot!

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Gandstock hike

The weather thus far in Switzerland has been spectacular – blue skies, warm temps, low humidity.  And this day, for my first hike, the weather truly delivered in top form.  I joined a group organized by D-MTEC, the Department of Management, Technology, and Economics, which is the ETH department where I sit during this year in Zürich.  The hike to circumnavigate a small peak named Gandstock was moderate in length and difficulty, covering 11.5 km (7.14 mi) in 4h55 at altitude ranging from 1610m (~5,280′) to 2167m (~7,110′), all of it above treeline.  Check out the photo gallery, and read on beyond the break.2019-09-14-71433.jpg Continue reading “Gandstock hike”

London

David in London.I’m just wrapping up a quick trip to London, where I attended the annual UbiComp conference.  Such a treat that several of the major conferences are located in Europe this year, while I am as well.

Astonishingly, I have not been to London for more than 40 years!  Hard to believe it, but my one and only prior visit was during a family trip the last time I lived in Europe.  London has changed a bit since then… but I see they still have the iconic phone booths.

As I strolled by some of the major London landmarks – snapping photos of Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, and Imperial College London – I was sad that I did not have more time to stop and explore.  The conference schedule is packed with interesting talks and networking opportunities, so I’ll just have to return some other time and do the tourist thing.  Fortunately, I’ll be back in two weeks for a Dartmouth event and hopefully will have more time to explore during that visit.

Quantum mechanics

In a fascinating NYT article this weekend, Even Physicists Don’t Understand Quantum Mechanics, the writer expounds on the importance of research into the fundamentals of quantum mechanics.  In the process he mentions two famous Zürich scientists: Einstein did his PhD work here at ETH and Schrödinger was (later) a professor next door at the University of Zürich.  As a former physics major (who once thought he understood quantum mechanics), it’s pretty cool to be surrounded by such history.

Last week I visited the Computer Science department, housed in the old chemistry building.  That building is even more historic, home to seven Nobel prizes in chemistry.  (ETH has a total of 21 Nobel prizes to its credit, including 10 in Chemistry.)2019-08-28-70939.jpg

Zurichsee

Zürich sits at the end of a beautiful lake, aptly named Lake Zürich (Zürichsee).  On this pleasant sunny Saturday evening, the lakeshore promenade is full of strolling families, wandering tourists, and romantic couples sharing a bottle of wine.  Ducks and white swans paddle the clear water to see whom might toss in a breadcrumb or two.  Cafés serve wurst to those who want to linger over a beer.  All in all, a lovely scene.  More photos at the top of the Zürich album.    2019-09-07-71164.jpg

Bells, bells, bells

Zürich is home to dozens of churches and its skyline is full of steeples.  Some of them chime on the hour, or even on the quarter-hour, but what I find most curious is that some steeple bells peal at unexpected times and for extended periods.  I do not yet understand when or why, but I always imagine it is celebrating something cheerful like a wedding or birth of a new baby.   The bell tower prominent in the view from our open windows belongs to Liebfrauenkirche, and has a particularly large set of bells.  They ring through loud and clear despite the ETH office building in the foreground.

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Zurich International School

During this year in Zurich, Andy is attending the Zurich International School, a lovely school spread over three campuses providing pre-K through 12th-grade education to hundreds of children from around the world.  Last night we attended a parent-teacher night, rotating through each of Andy’s classrooms to meet his teachers and to hear from the guidance counselors about their work supporting the college-admissions process.  Three things were particularly striking:

  • The families come from all over the world.  Fascinating mix!
  • Most of the teachers had ten or twenty years of experience, each having spent 3-5 years in a variety of countries and continents.  There seems to be a particular sort of person who thrives on the multi-cultural experience and international lifestyle, migrating every few years (like most of their pupils) to a new place and a new experience.
  • The guidance counselors work with children who apply to a wide range of colleges and universities across the US, UK, Europe, and beyond.  The range of application requirements and procedures seems enormously complex, yet they seem cheerfully ready to engage with any student’s destination.

The school has beautiful facilities on the outskirts of Zurich.  The drab industrial exterior belies a more inviting interior.

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Zurich flat

We’ve moved into our new flat, which is a quiet four-story, 3-apartment building nestled within the old ETH campus, and just two blocks from my office.  It is spacious and reasonably comfortable, and looks out over some ETH buildings across central Zürich to the lake and hills beyond.  On this clear late-summer evening, we can see the peaks of the Alps glimmering in the sunset glow beyond the hills.

I’ve added these and a few other photos to the Zürich gallery.

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The little things…

Some of the little things I’ve noticed during my first week living in Switzerland.

Some of the little things I’ve noticed during my first week living in Switzerland, in no particular order:

  • Efficient.  The public transportation system is fantastic – trams, trains, buses, and ships are pervasive, efficient, integrated, clean, timely, and understandable.  I sold my car before we left the US, and don’t miss it!
  • Clean and walkable. The city streets and sidewalks are spotless, and the air unpolluted.  Genuinely pleasant place to walk.  but:
  • Smokers.  Lots of smokers.  Living in Hanover and the Upper Valley I forget how prevalent cigarettes are in Europe.  I enjoy sitting in an outdoor café or biergarten, but have now learned to check the wind direction and the location of smokers before I choose a seat.
  • Friendly.  Everyone here has been super kind and helpful.
  • Expensive.  And just try keeping an 18-year-old growing boy fed in this place!  (We will need to double our budget.)
  • Beautiful.  Zurich is a beautiful city on a beautiful lake.  It helps that the weather this week has been downright perfect – sunny, warm, not too hot, not humid; perfect for an evening glass of bier at the sidewalk café below our flat.
  • Historic. Everywhere I turn, as I stroll the old streets between our flat and the university office, are centuries-old buildings just dripping with history. Seven chemists received Nobel prizes from their work in this building.  Brahms played music in that house. Einstein was a student here at ETH around 1900.
  • Bread. Fresh croissants every morning!  Enough said.
  • Delectable food: so far I’ve had Thai, Japanese, and Indian food.  I suppose one of these days I need to find some Swiss food.
  • Green.  Many tree-lined streets and microparks make for a pleasant walk through the back streets to my office.  Still need to explore the many larger parks.
  • Sundays.  All shops close on Sundays.  It leads to a very relaxed feeling in town.
  • No bugs.  With all this warm weather, we leave open the windows (really skylights, because our temporary flat is at the attic level).   No screens!  because there are, amazingly, no bugs.  I note all windows in the neighborhood are the same.
Bakery in Zurich.
Le Pain Quotidien, bakery in Zurich.
Zurich Hautbahnhof, with connections to ... everywhere.
Zurich Hautbahnhof, with rail connections to … everywhere.