A Very Swiss Christmas

Our first order of business upon arriving in Zurich was to fill the apartment with Christmas spirit. CF's brother and sister-in-law were due to arrive in a week for Christmas so we wasted no time going to get our Christmas tree. This is very different experience in a city without a car compared to Davis or Ukiah. CF asked around work to find the best place for our purchase, so we headed off to Albisgutli at the end of tram line 13. Yes, we were going to bring our tree back on the tram. We had a great time wandering around the lot, watching kids through snowballs and checking out the trees. In the end CF found a tree about as tall as him and with the sharpest needles I have ever felt. We had it wrapped in netting, paid and headed back to the tram. We giggled a bit as we road through Zurich with our Christmas tree but it certainly wasn't an unusual sight. At home we put what few decorations the W's had, made a chain of paper and put the lights on. We later bought some additional ornaments at Ikea, bought a poinsettia and put lights up throughout the house. Very festive. Now that the house was ready for Christmas and I had some time to enjoy Zurich. The city was definitely ready for Christmas. There was a giant Christmas market in the train station with a giant tree decorated with Swarovski crystal ornaments and selling all the typical goods. However, it was the first time I saw a stand selling raclette, this is a variation of fondue. They place a giant block of cheese under a heating coil or in front of fire and as the cheese melts it is scraped onto a plate. Typical delivery methods include small potatoes, gherkins, pickled onions and dried meats. The one drawback to this dish is that cheese is incredibly strong smelling and not in a good way. Elsewhere in the city, the stores where heavily decorated, lit trees are found tucked into any little square and the Santa trolley can be seen driving through town. One night M and I went down to the Limmat River to witness Lichterschwimmen, when children release lit candles onto the river to celebrate the holidays. It was very beautiful. Of course there was the hustle and bustle of any city, with people shopping on the main street and people coming and going from the central train station. Back here in the apartment we celebrated Christmas with two days of delicious food, cooked mostly by CF and his brother, lots of music, relaxing and a stroll downtown on Christmas day. It has been an amazing experience being in a European city for the holidays, more then I expected. It made more enjoyable by the fact that we could just sit back and enjoy the sights without becoming part of the shopping frenzy. Though the post Christmas sales are looking pretty good.

Thanks for reading.