I realize I've introduced you to quite a bit about life in Zurich, but I haven't yet informed you about the layout of the city. Zurich is a city which sits between two lower range mountains. Utliberg (not shown on the map), the mountain on the western side of the city has an eastern slope that is mostly wooded and a western slope that is covered in rolling hills used for pasturing cows. A train runs from the train station in Zurich most of the way up the mountain. The hiking path along the top provides spectacular views of Zurich and a few restaurants provide traditional Swiss fare to hungry hikers. Zurichberg Mountain runs along the eastern side of the city. It is wooded and has several hiking and mountain biking trails. Also, there are several spots where groups can gather and build outdoor fires. Our daughter's class has traveled often by tram and funnicular up Zurichberg Mountain. They've hiked, jumped off and around boulders and built fires on which to cook their lunches. Last weekend we hiked up the mountain to see where she has gone. What a great adventure they must have together!

This is a hiking trail along the top of Utliberg Mountain.

Cows grazing along the western side of Utliberg Mountain. Often hikers can smell the cows before seeing them.

Looking down on the lake and the southern end of Zurich with the Alps in the background

Hiking in the rain on one of the trails in the woods at the top of Zurichberg Mountain

One of the campfire building sites on the top of Zurichberg Mountain

We live about a third of the way up Zurichberg Mountain just behind the Universitatspital, the University of Zurich Hospital. Take a look at the map and locate the major river, the Limmat, and the lake, Zurichsee. Much of what is happening in Zurich occurs right around these two bodies of water.

The lake, in particular, offers the possibility of a variety of recreational activites. It's banks are lined with large grassy areas for picnicing and playing and beautiful walking paths. In addition, people swim in the lake and river in the summer time. While there are designated areas for families and kids with docks, rental paddle boats, slides and even dressing rooms, people are permitted to jump in anywhere along the banks of the lake for a dip. Both the lake and river waters are clean. (It is difficult for me to get my mind around this as they are in the heart of a large city, but I have not seen evidence to suggest otherwise) As a matter of fact, the drinking water for the city comes from the lake. Boating is another favorite water activity in Zurich with a boathouse for sculling and sweep rowing and a few marinas for sailboats and motor boats. There is even a tram with several tram stops that runs up and down the river and lake.

This is where the Limmat River meets the Zurichsee (Zurich Lake). The sidewalk and walking path that line the river and lake are often swamped with tourists and locals out for a site seeing stroll.

Changing place for lake swimmers

Walking path along the lake

lawn for lounging and playing along the lake

Water slide and designated kiddie swimming area on the lake

Besides the mountains and water, the city offers museums galore, a ritzy shopping district, a growing alternative area, and a medieval section.

The church to the right has the largest clock tower in all of Europe. The church to the left with the green steeple has Marc Chagall, stained glass windows. The area at the base of the churches is called Aldstadt or Old Town. It has cobble stone streets and old passageways between buildings. However, it is also the most expensive shopping district in Zurich. We’ve seen watches priced at 18,000 Swiss Francs in a shop window.

There is a tradition of sweethearts "sealing their love” by securing padlocks to bridges in Europe. Several thousand locks are attached to one bridge in Zurich.

The object in the front is a baby bunny in a stroller.

Enlarge to check out the price of these items. The price listed is the price per piece.

Click on this picture to enlarge it. This is a beehive. We have seen several of these structures around Zurich. The bees crawl into holes in and in between sticks and other small objects. This one was at the Zurich Botanical Garden. We were told these were set up to promote the existence of honeybees, so necessary for pollinating plants, in the Zurich area.

People had told us that we would LOVE Zurich in Spring, and they were right! The streets and sidewalks are alive with the color of flowering trees and tulips, crocuses and daffodils which are blooming in flowerboxes and on lawns. Also, tourists have arrived in Zurich. And, although I am not a long term resident, you might think I would resent their presence, but I am energized by seeing people from all over the world visit this amazing city. This was evident last night, Thursday, when I made a run to the grocery store. Since the shops were to be closed on Good Friday I needed to make a shopping trip last night to get supplies for the weekend. Oh,by the way, all of the shops, except those in the train stations, are closed on Sundays, as a rule. We don't get out in the evening often because we're putting our daughter to bed. The city was abuzz at 7:30, however, with foreign accents of every sort and all types of styles of clothing. This mix amidst the backdrop of the sun setting over mountains and church steeples was invigorating.

Flowering trees enhance the already spectacular view of the domes of ETH and Zurich University with the Alps in the distance.

Switzerland is known for its clocks and watches. Well, this beauty is on the western bank of Zurichsee (the lake in Zurich).

Zurich is predominantly Protestant, one of the branches of Christianity, so most people celebrate Easter. Well, unlike Valentine's Day, which was all but overlooked, Easter is one of the busiest holidays of the year. Easter bunnies and chicks began appearing in shop windows in late February, especially in chocolate shops. Needless to say, I couldn't pass a chocolate shop without peering into the windows at the stacks of eggs and neatly displayed bunnies on parade. The price tags deterred me from entering, but the sights are definitely to be remembered.

Easter is the craziest travel holiday in Switzerland, Germany and Italy. The major highways are in gridlock, prices of rental cars are jacked way up, and air flights and trains are booked well in advance. We were warned not to take a car to Germany as we had planned to do on Saturday. We'll save that trip for another time. Schools, most shops and all banks and public buildings are closed on Good Friday and Easter Monday. Also, the public schools are closed the week after Easter.

These treats are sold at one of the most popular grocery stores, the Coop. We love them. The are simply a sweet while roll in the shape of a bunny with a chocolate hiking stick attached to his back. Scrumptious with a cup of tea or hot chocolate on a cold afternoon.

Globi is Switzerland’s most beloved cartoon figure. Our daughter cannot get enough of him. She looks at the pictures in his books which are written in German at school and the class listens to audio stories about his adventures throughout Switzerland. He is like the Swiss Mickey Mouse.

Spring is upon us, but before winter is a distant memory, I thought it might be fun to consider what the Swiss do in the winter. This was a mild winter in Zurich with very little snow, but that did not stop the locals from packing backpacks, grabbing their skis, snowshoes or snowboards and heading to the Alps by train. We took a 2 hour train ride to Engelberg which is a town in central Switzerland. Ski slopes are even closer, however. The trains are packed with people heading to the snow on Friday nights and Saturday mornings, but the truth is, almost every time I have ridden a train heading in the direction of the Alps, even at eleven on a weekday morning, I have seen people carrying skis (even this week when the weather in Zurich was close to 70F).

The train station is a short walk from the ski slopes.

Engelberg is at the base of Mount Titlus, known for its steep slopes and a rotating gondola which provides riders with a 360 degree view of the Alps. Mr. McAuliffe and Mrs. Heck recommended that we not miss this ride. As one who does not love heights, I was terrified when I learned that the funnicular (like a train car elevator that runs on a track on the ground) that we had taken up the mountain had ceased operation for the day and we had to ride down the mountain on a gondola. I will have to work up to the rotating gondola. GULP!

My husband and I marveled at the idea of traveling so readily by train to ski.  We’ve seen people ranging in age from 2 – mid 80s heading to the slopes. However, we have discovered that the Swiss have planned their train routes to make the adventure, with rather unwieldy equipment, easy. The train station, at least in Engelberg, is equipped with lockers and restrooms, so day-trippers can store a change of clothes to change into after skiing at the station so their ride home is more pleasant. The station also is within walking distance (a few hundred yards) of a ski and snowboard rental facility which is right next to the ski lift.

Parking is available at the ski centers. The lots generally fill by 10 A.M. Many families opt for traveling by car.

Many of the children learning to ski were two or three years old, although there were several older children and a few adults. We encountered a group of fearless college students from China. Parents, who are proficient skiers themselves, often teach their own children by skiing beside them, with them between their legs (with the littlies) or even by skiing backwards in front of them.

Engelberg has a children’s area which has a Globi Theme Park. Honestly, the park is low-key compared to American theme parks. Basically, here are three or four cardboard cutouts of Globi in the area, and Globi occasionally makes guest appearances as he did the day we were there. My daughter was so excited she was shaking.

The Globi Park has a conveyor belt to transport skiers up the hill. Adjacent to this lift is a t-bar lift and a disk lift which transported beginning skiers further up the mountain.

Can you believe that we returned to this general ski area the next weekend and the snow in this ski area was all melted. We could see the grass. Luckily, we had plans to cross-country ski further up the mountain where the snow was still in abundance.

Clouds blocked our view in the afternoon of our second day. Every now and then, there’d be an opening in the cloud cover that revealed spectacular beauty.

Several American-in-Switzerland bloggers had mentioned that the Swiss have a different agenda for a day of skiing than the Americans, and we have found their analysis to be valid. The bloggers contend that the Swiss arrive between 9:30 and 10:30, ski until 12 or so, take a leisurely break for lunch and head back for one or two more runs, ending their day around 2:30 or 3:00. We found this to be the case. The Swiss seemed relaxed about skiing and always find time for sitting and chilling during lunch. Americans, on the other hand, often get to the slopes early, eat a quick lunch and ski until the lifts close to make the most of their ski day. While these may be generalizations, the difference may exist because more Swiss have ready access to the mountains, living in a small country and having impeccable train service. Perhaps, in skiing communities in the U.S., people are more relaxed too, knowing that they can ski again the next day or the next.

The Swiss love to relax and dine in the sun. This restaurant is partway down the mountain. Families and groups just stop in for a leisurely lunch on their way down the slope.

Not to be overlooked, are the CRAZY sledding or “sledging” paths that wind down the mountains here. The one at Engelberg was 3km long, but friends of ours ventured to the Eastern slopes and rode down a 6km long path (that’s 6 times the distance from Louie’s to CLE – vertically). There is even a sledding trail down the mountain that is on Zurich's western border – in the city of Zurich. We were warned by many who tried the sledding that it can be an extremely dangerous adventure, so we opted for a trail that runs adjacent to the bunny slope, and it was perfect for us.

We only encountered four other cross-country skiers. Most of the visitors to the mountain were there to downhill ski. Our daughter was a trooper through the whole adventure, thankfully.

On our second trip to Engelberg, we took the train for the day and went cross-country skiing. We rode the funicular car up to a plateau (like a large ledge) with cross country ski trails. The view was stunning. My husband and I were giddy, drinking in the beauty of our surroundings.

I never thought I would see such a sight.

Zurich’s huge Dolder Rink

This rink rents polar bears for kids learning to skate. We’ve seen people use stacked milk crates and even a contraption like a small hockey net (really cool – the child holds either side and has room to move feet as one normally moves them when skating) at a rink in Medford, MA. The kids loved using the polar bear and seemed to get the hang of the motion.

Skating is also a favorite pastime. Zurich has an outdoor skating rink which is refrigerated with 6,000 sq. m of twirling space. Actually, the 6,000 sq. m rink is separated into smaller rinks depending on the needs. We skated several days and the rink was usually separated into three areas – a free skate area, an area for figure skating and an area for Swiss curling and/or hockey. The rink is open from October to May and trams and buses conveniently drop one off near the facility.

Surprisingly, we found the lift prices less expensive than those in the U.S. (This was one of the few costs that we have found to be so.) There are good deals to be found on train/ski-rental packages, too. However, discussions with a few Swiss that we have encountered revealed that not all Swiss families can afford to go skiing. A tour guide I met said that she grew up in a suburb of Zurich and she and her sisters never learned to ski because of the expense.

I had never thought that I might have the opportunity to ski in Switzerland and was pinching myself the whole time.

X’s School – Check out the crazy creature above the door.

As in America, the Swiss are moving toward an educational system which will allow for greater flexibility and mobility for families within Switzerland. The Common Core Curriculum, that many states in America have adopted, has as one if its goals creating a more uniform educational system across states which would enable families to move from one state to another with easy transitions for school age children. Switzerland has cantons, which are similar to our states, in that they ultimately set their own educational guidelines, but uniformity is being considered across cantons now.

Parents can choose to send their children to state run schools, which are free, or private schools for which there are tuitions, often based on sliding scales. While we have an elementary school very close to our apartment, we opted to send our daughter to a school that is associated with ETH, the university at which my husband is working. Since we will only be here six months and we assumed there would be other English speaking students at this school because of its attachment to the university, we thought the transition to the school we chose would be easier for our daughter.

Kindergarten

Swiss kindergarten is much like kindergarten used to be when I was a kid. Most programs are half-day programs. The public kindergarten program runs from 8:30 – 11:30 each day. Our daughter’s program runs from 8:30 – 4:30 two days a week and from 8:30 – 1:15 or so three days a week. The students mostly spend time developing social skills and problem solving skills through peer interactions while playing outdoors or at centers set throughout the classroom (house, store, puzzles, library, art, climbing room – lined with gym pads, building, etc.). However, unlike kindergarten in New York, kindergarten is mandatory for all Swiss children who turn four by July 31^st, and children must attend kindergarten for two years.

Each child stores a pair of boots at school for rainy day play. Students enter the school, remove their jackets and outdoor shoes and change indoor shoes in this area.

Children eat snack in the morning, lunch and an afternoon snack together. The food is provided by the school and is very healthy. Snack usually consists of fruit, plain crackers and cheese. Lunch can be an entree made with eggs, cheese, meat or fish, a grain and vegetables. The students eat together and have jobs such as setting the table or cleaning up.

Swiss kindergartners are expected to be independent in many respects. They are expected to walk to school by themselves. In addition, they are expected to manage their own backpacks and take care of their own needs with regard to clothing (zipper jackets, change into indoor shoes and outdoor shoes, put on rain and snow clothing, etc.). Most of the students attending X’s school travel by tram or car, so unlike the general Swiss student, a parent accompanies each student in X's school. We walk or usually run (because we’re late) about a mile to her school. (This is one of my favorite times of day because we hold hands, sing songs, tell jokes, etc.)

Disco General is one of our landmarks on our way to school. How can you not break out in dance after seeing this?

The weekly schedule is posted on the wall. We take a picture of it and use a translate app to get a sense of what is going on for the week.

We love these German building blocks. We checked out their price at a local toy store and they remained on the shelf.

Centers in the kindergarten

Center Time

More Centers

Daily outdoor play for kindergartners is a given, no matter what the weather. Fortunately, we read Heidi, a story set in the Swiss Alps, to X, and she is now inspired to be as outdoorsy as the heroine. WooHoo! She has already put a hole in her new rain pants, and her rain and snow gear need to be washed frequently because often they are covered in caked on mud. (such a sight made our hearts sing – seriously – “la, la, la…the hills are alive…”)

American parents would most likely be horrified to learn that spontaneous field trips, which are covered by a blanket field trip permission slip that the parents sign at the beginning of the year, are a weekly or at least a biweekly occurrence.  X’s class is studying the medieval times in Zurich, and they have walked or “trammed it” to several sites throughout the city including the center for archaeology which has a 3-D map of the city in the 1800s (Zurich was a super cool city with two walls and several man-made rivers protecting its perimeter.), a medieval neighborhood, and the site of a medieval sewer through which human excrement traveled to reach the river. (More about this stinky topic later.) Oh, and then there are the frequent visits to “the forest” where we are told hot soup is heated over a campfire.

Primary School

Primary Swiss school lasts for a period of six years which is broken into two groups of three years. Believe it or not, for each of those three-year cycles, the students have just one teacher who follows them. You better hope you get along with your teacher! The school day runs from 8:00 – 12:00, at which time children go home for lunch, and the day resumes at 1:00 and runs until 4:00. They miss out on having lunch and recess together. The staff may find this pleasant, but, I’d guess, the students probably wouldn’t.

The academic subjects include math, German, science, history, geography, physical education, music, and arts and crafts. In the second year, English is introduced, and French is introduced in fifth year. I really wish American students were exposed to a foreign language earlier than in middle school.

Secondary Schools

Now this is where things really differ from our system! At the end of the sixth year the teacher and parents of the student decide whether the student should attend the local secondary school for the next three years or take the entrance exams in math and German to qualify to attend the “Gymnasium” program which will prepare the student to attend college. Those students who attend the local secondary school receive instruction in most subjects for three years. After Year 9, the student can decide to continue attending school or attend a vocational school, which focuses on a particular profession, while completing an apprenticeship in which they learn a skilled career from masters in the field. The Swiss are very proud of this apprenticeship program and workers are proud of the quality of their work. The Swiss are known for the reliability of their infrastructure and engineering and, at the heart of this success, is the well-trained trades person.

I can’t imagine that the majority of citizens are ready to make a decision about what they want to be at such at the end of middle school. Even after graduating from college I did not know what I wanted to do for a career. Fortunately, there are ways of moving from the Swiss apprentice program to the college program. Oh, and did I mention, Swiss students do not pay tuition to attend Swiss universities. What a deal!

 My daughter was allowed to pack only three stuffed animals in our suitcases when we were packing, in an attempt to minimize the number bags we were bringing. Of course, I packed math maipulatives that she could use as toys. : ) Otherwise, we were hoping she would use her imagination to find ways of playing with recyclables and items found in nature. And, with an occasional stop at a toy store, we'd add a few small items to her entertainment collection.

Well, our jaws dropped on our first visit to a toy store. Games were 15 to 30 dollars more than they would be at home. And, then there are the beautifully crafted, colorful, German wooden toys that we wish we could afford. Some of those are priced in the hundreds of dollars.

One of our favorite toys is the tall one on the far right. A marble descends down a column of increasingly larger colorful pieces. The pitch of sound heard lowers as the marble descends the column. Since these wooden toys are quite pricey, we make periodic stops in this shop just to play.

Toy Library or Ludothek

After researching toys online, I came across a blog (The English Forum) written by English speakers from the U.S., Australia, South Africa, and England which addressed alternatives to buying new toys. (There is an English Forum blog for almost every topic of interest to us including hut to hut hiking routes). Anyway, I learned that there are toy libraries in most of the neighborhoods of Zurich.

The ludothek for the district in which we live is in the basement of a building on a senior citizen residential complex.

Members of each Ludothek may check out up to four toys for up to four weeks. To become a member one must first pay the membership fee which ranges from about $28 to $70. Then you pay a small fee to check out each item. Most of the games cost 2 Swiss Francs or about $2.40 to check out. The money is not refundable upon return.

I was hoping to find a bicycle for X, but none were available at the time of my visit.

Items can be borrowed for up to 4 weeks and should be returned in good condition with all of the pieces. Do you think we could have a toy library in our community?

The items are categorized and neatly stacked in a small storage room.

We did not end up joining a Ludothek becuase, it just so happens, that I discovered a small indoor flea market at a community center. The day I visited everything was reduced to half off its price in an attempt to clear the shelves for a new supply of toys. I found some great bargains! Leaving with a nylon pop-up house that collapses, a block puzzle of Disney scenes, the book Gregory, the Terrible Eater, two small dog puzzles and a multi-game travel set all for about $15, I couldn't wait to share the treasures I had found with X. (I intend to take all of these items back to the flea market when we depart Switzerland.)

Indoor Flea Market in Community Center

This weekend we had two families come over for a play date. The toys that were purchased at the flea market and a set of stencils with markers and paper were enjoyed by all five kids for hours.

Lucerne

Fasnacht is a Swiss celebration of the beginning of the Lenten season. Similar to Carnival in Brazil and Mardi Gras in New Orleans, it is celebrated with music, costumes and parades. Several cities throughout Switzerland organize several days of festivities. We celebrated in Lucerne, Zurich and Basel.

We happened to visit Lucerne, a beautiful city in the heart of the Central Alps when the town was preparing for their Fasnacht celebrations. Despite the fact that we were informed that this was a practice run for the real event, we felt as if it was a bonafide celebration unto itself.

As we walked toward one of the main bridges in the town we encountered a group of revellers dressed in professional quality costumes playing instruments. They marched through the streets until they reached a set of stone stairs along the banks of the main river. There, they ascended the stairs and proceeded to play several popular American and British songs (Beatles' tunes were among the most commonly played) while members of bands that had already played removed their masks and enjoyed German sausages and drinks. When one group finished playing another marched along the river bank and ascended the stairs to perform. The crowds grew quickly and everyone was out for a good time.

Professional quality masks – often handed down within families

Each group had the same or similar masks for its members.

Each of the groups had a leader. I wonder how heavy that mask is?

Zurich Parade

Zurich held a children's parade on Saturday afternoon and a parade for family's to view on Sunday afternoon. We opted to ski on Saturday but attended Sunday's parade. Warned that the marchers often play tricks on the viewers, we wore clothes that could be easily cleaned.

Well, we had a chance to view a few tricks up close. The woman sitting next to me on the curb was harrassed by at least 10 marchers in costumes. Why they picked on her of all of the parade viewers is uncertain. First, she was dowsed with confetti. It is a normal occurrence for both marchers and viewers to be covered in confetti, and always the perpetrator aims for the head and back of the neck. Then a witch (a common costume in this parade – like a kitchen witch) took an armful of hay and dumped it on her hair and "shampooed" her hair with the hay. The woman was of Spanish decent and had just had her hair done at the salon. Before the hay, it was sticky with a damp gel covering it. After the hay and confetti, she looked like she had been in a tornado. That was not all, however. Soon another witch came, gathered up the hay that was at the woman's feet, formed a nest on her nap with the hay, placed a chocolate bar in the center of the nest and sprayed whipped cream in a circle around the chocolate bar. Very strange. Before the parade was over, she had several more hay treatments and a red clown nose placed on her. Despite this "royal treatment" she was a good sport and laughed through it all.

This is the woman who later had several tricks played upon her.

Confetti throwing was a common trick played by the marchers. The most unusual trick was when two witches picked up a girl of about 10 and placed her on a wheelbarrow cart filled with hay and rolled her up the street. Other costumed devils took the wig from a girl who had been throwing confetti at them and played a game of keep away with it. All in good fun. 

Homemade Papier Mache Mask

Girl being placed in wheelbarrow cart – later wheeled up the street quite a way

The woman next to me being teased.

X celebrated Fasnacht at school, too. Each of the children wore a costume. They sang songs they had practiced, danced, had a confetti battle, aimed a squirt gun at a target and ran around and had fun. She was a dalmation. As she wore the costume to several Fasnacht events, we cerainly got our money's worth out of it.

a teacher at X’s school

Basel

Largest Celebration in Switzerland

A common figure in the Basel area

Sausage and Hot Dog Stand

One group’s cart for transporting parade supplies and a sleeping toddler.

The Fasnacht celebration in Basel, a city to the north of Zurich which is near the German and French borders, is recognized as the largest festival in Switzerland. We attended Tuesday's children's parade. Around 18,000 participants don masks and march through the streets of the Old Town section. Neighbors, friends and family members form small groups ranging from 3 to 40 members. For the most part, each group wears a costume that is unique to their group and all members wear the same or similar costumes. Occasionally, we saw groups with themes like super heroes in which each member wore a different costume. The groups gather and march throughout the town playing pipes or drums with the occasional band. If there was a rhyme or reason to how the groups marched we did not detect it. Groups randomly crossed paths and just kept marching this way and that throughout Old Town.

Each group had a cart filled with parade supplies, confetti and candy to throw to or at passersby. When the group decided to take a break, usually at a central square, each member took of his/her mask and placed it on or near the cart. The marchers then snacked on hotdogs, sausages and drinks. We enjoyed seeing who was underneath each mask, for a change. And, we truly enjoyed the community aspect of the event. Most groups consisted of grandparents, grandchildren, parents and neighbors.

Marc had read that REAL tricks were played upon spectators in Basel. To avoid the serious tricks being played upon you, one could purchase a Fasnacht badge. A new badge is designed each year and the proceeds go toward supporting the festivities. When we departed the train in Basel, we spotted several people selling the badges and promptly bought two. We later learned, the only real pranks played at the children's festival are related to confetti throwing.

Badge Sellers

2014 Fasnacht Badge

A common figure in the Basel area

Sausage and Hot Dog Stand

One group’s cart for transporting parade supplies and a sleeping toddler.

Boy throwing confetti

The festivities in Basel begin on Monday at 4 AM. Apparently, people take the train to the city to be there for the opening events. The community groups push giant "lanterns" often decorated with political messages or cartoons through the streets of Old Town to a spot in front of a giant Protestant cathedral where they are on display throughout the 3 day festival. Cliques, guild bands in costume, perform in the evening all three nights. Most of the people in the town do not work for the three days to join in the celebration.

Believe it or not, we were not sure we were going to attend Basel's celebration. What a mistake it would have been if we had missed this unique commuity celebration.

The bird in the center is Globi, a favorite storybook character in Switzerland.

These are called "lanterns”. Lights are put in them at night to illuminate them. They pulled through Old Town on the first night of Fasnacht to a plaza in front of a great Protestant cathedral where they are left on display for several days.

This was the most common theme on the lanterns which often have political cartoons or messages.

Pippi Longstocking was one of the most popular costumes throughout Switzerland. Pirates and generic princess are big hits, too.

Watch out, Mr. Yassky, this moose is a talented conductor!

This is a very common mask in Basel.

Other than the taxi van which trasported our many bags and us from the airport, we have not traveled in another car since we arrived about 5 weeks ago. Living in a city, there is not much use for a car until you travel outside of the city. However, in Switzerland, even then a car is not always necessary. There are trains like the red  one shown here that run very frequently to take you from one city or tourist destination to another.

Everyone rides the trains. Last weeked we rode the train (like an Amtrak train – above ground on tracks with cushioned seats and storage areas for bags) to Lucern, a nearby city with gorgeous views, and this weekend we traveled by train to Engelberg, a stunning ski area. Here you can see a group of skiiers with their ski equipment. I was amazed at how freely people just pack a backpack, pick up their skis and hop on a train to get to the mountains. Some people travel an hour and a half each way to ski for the day and some stay overnight. On a Sunday night, crowds of people carrying sleds, skis and backpacks exit the train cars on their way home. It is quite a sight.

Trams are trains that travel within the city and between local cities, almost like subways, but they stay above ground. We bought a tram pass when we arrived and I have hopped on trams almost every day. Nobody has ever asked to see my tram pass, but a few people I know have had to pay hefty fines ($100) for having an incorrect pass or for traveling without a pass.

Trams and buses run on tight schedules. At the larger tram stops there are kiosks which display when the next tram will arrive. Switzerland trams, trains and buses are known for being on time. As someone who is rarely on time I am curious to know how this works. However, what I discovered with the trams is that sometimes the times displayed on the kiosk are revised to allow for delays. The trams still come into the station in the order that they are shown on the kiosk but sometimes a minute or two is added to their arrival times.

Video display on the trams and buses also indicate which stop is next and the next few stops and the time the bus will arrive at each stop. In addition, an automated voice announces in German the name of the next stop before arriving at the stop. As someone new to the system, I find this extremely helpful.

In all honesty, I am amazed at how well their transportation system works. Every bus I have ridden has arrived exactly on time. The time schedule for buses are listed on posters at the bus stops. At times, large groups entering or exiting the bus slows down its progress, yet still they manage to arrive at the correct time. What's more, is sometimes the buses actually travel over the tram tracks. If the trams and buses are on schedules, they must both be exact to avoid collisions.  

For a busy city, the traffic is really not heavy at all, even during rush hour. Besides traveling by trains, trams and buses, many residents walk, even up very steep hills. Here are a few shots of the hills we descend and climb each day to get to school and the downtown area. You will notice that some of the hills have a walking area of cobblestones, stairs and even tracks for residents to ride bikes down, push strollers on or ride skooters down. It seems everyone's needs have been considered.

We have been told that if a train runs late in Switzerland people become quite upset and often you can read articles about the problem in the paper the next day. The real question is would we be willing to pay the taxes that are required to fund such an upgrade. 

How could I forget? Sean had asked about the Polybahn. The Polybahn funicular is a mode of transportation for carrying people up and down steep inclines. Two cable cars are attached to a cable and counterbalance each other to ascend and descend the slope. I ride the Polybahn when I return from food shopping in the downtown area of Zurich. Watching the cable pull the car up the hill always amazes X and me.

Last night we attended a "Welcome to Zurich Information Night" held at the equivalent of City Hall in Zurich for all new residents. We were told one of the purposes of the event was to encourage new residents to become more engaged in the community. The presentation began with a welcome message spoken in Swiss German, German, French, Italian and Romanche (all of the major languages of Switzerland) as well as in English, Russian, Spanish and written forms of Asian languages. Believe it or not, just 4 people spoke all of those languages. Actually, each of them spoke at least 4 languages throughout the course of the presentation. In a country where so many languages are spoken (4 main languages), it is often necessary to learn more than one language. 

After hearing a bit about Zurich and its make up of 400,000 residents, 1/3 of which are immigrants, mostly from Germany, we headed outside to join one of the 6 or so walking tour groups. Of course we joined the English-speaking group which was one of the smallest groups. As you can imagine, the German group was the largest. Our tour guide walked us around old town and told us stories about the area. We passed the gnome shop shown in the picture. (I thought one of my sisters whose nome was buried in the mounds of snow would appreciate this window display.)

The evening ended with a reception and the chance to meet other newcomers. We connected with a Swiss woman who worked in a statistics department for the city and was interested in learning about the information night. We also sparked a converstation with an Austrian young man who is on an internship here in the biomedical field for a year or so. 

We are grateful to have been welcomed into the city in such a gracious fashion. 

This is a photo of the posting of weekly events at X's school. It took me a while to realize what it was. I was always surprised when X would come home and tell me that she took a field trip somewhere when I had not even been aware that they might be going on a trip. While the drawings help me to understand what each circle (one for each day) says, I now take a picture of the presentation each Monday and decipher the text at home with the help of the computer. 

School information, packaging labels in the grocery store, transportation signs and information in museums, oh, and registration forms, have proved to be challenges. 

When we first arrived we had to register as residents in Zurich and try to open a bank account. While the people we encountered related to completing these tasks thankfully spoke English, the forms we needed to complete were written in German. We translated most information by typing the words into a translate app. German words can be extremely long. Often two or three of our words are squished together to form one German word. Notice the names of the streets on the other language blog entry. 

Why not just type your words into your iPhone or rely on the assistance of Siri. Siri has come in handy at home. We have had difficulty establishing wifi connections when out of our home, however. 

Why not get a friend to translate the forms? Most of Marc's peers speak English. English is the language of all of the courses taught at ETH, the math and science university in Zurich. Everyone living in our apartment building is from another country. We are in university housing and all of the residents in this building are from other countries, as well. 

I have great empathy for parents who are asked to fill out registration forms in our community and school district. I know we try to provide supports at times, but I hope to be more mindful of this in the future, especially for brand new immigrants. 

I have always been sympathetic toward students and families who enter our community from another country, especially if they speak another language. Now, however, my first-hand experience of living in another country has opened my eyes to just how many challenges families and students may face. 

In the past when I traveled to other countries where I did not know the language I carried a translation dictionary with me or tried to translate and write down what I wanted to say to people before I left on an adventure, knowing that I was only staying for a short period of time. We are now temporary residents of Switzerland, however, and need some sense of the language to get by every day. 

Four languages are spoken in Switzerland. I took this fact for granted before I left home. But imagine this, imagine that you drove to Albany and the main language spoken was French. Now, imagine that you drove to Syracuse and the main language spoken was Italian. Finally, imagine you drove into the Adirondacks and the main language spoken was Romanche (a new language all to itself). Add German and Swiss German (very different from German) into the mix and you get a sense of the language situation in Switzerland. 

The language spoken by Swiss residents in Zurich is Swiss German. However, there is no written form of Swiss German so one must learn it by hearing it. German is the accepted written language. English is being taught more widely as a second language in the schools here, now. However, every day I encounter people who are not confident with their English skills or are reluctant to speak it for one reason or another. This can pose problems for us. For instance, two days ago my daughter (henceforth known as X) and I traveled by tram to an ice skating rink. I had jotted down the walking directions from the tram stop to the rink. However, I did not see the name of the road I needed on a nearby street sign. Three attempts to ask for assistance failed because the people I approached did not speak English. Even my attempts to model the skatin motion were not understood. We continued heading in a certain direction hoping that it was the right way. Thankfully, it was. Turning around after walking for several minutes and heading in another direction is not really fun for a five-year-old. 

X is attending a school in which Swiss German is spoken. One teacher speaks English well and one student in her class of about 15 speaks English, too. The transition was harder than we had expected for X. She is a sensitive child and not being able to know what was going on nor being able to communicate with others has been a challenge for her. Fortunately, the parents of the student who speaks English invited us to their apartment for a play date and to answer questions we may have had. This welcoming gesture really made a difference in helping us get off to a good start. 

I study German for 30 minutes to an hour at home each day with the help of a free app called Duolingo. While I am picking up some vocabulary words and the sound of some phrases, I feel enrolling in a class and interacting with others might be more beneficial, although more time consuming, too.