Zurich and Liechtenstein

Zurich along the Limmat River

We took a short flight on a Bombardier-Q400, a 76-seater jet-prop “puddle-jumper” from the Nuremberg airport to Zurich. It’s been a while since we’ve flown on anything without the name Boeing or Airbus attached to it! Nice smooth ride on this little guy, we might add. We were excited to visit this Swiss city for the first time, but never expected to fall in love with it.

Zurich

Zurich’s Altstadt (old city) lies along the Limmat River which flows into Lake Zurich. Much like the Seine in Paris, the Limmat divides the old city in two with several short but scenic bridges connecting the two sides. We had mostly gorgeous weather with sunlight shimmering on the ever-present water.

Double-spired Grossmunster church

Both sides of the old city offer impressive churches as well as other antiquated and behemoth structures. The Grossmunster is a monster-sized church with two identical soaring spires. Directly across the river is a much more sedate church called the Fraumunster which was originally an abbey for aristocratic women. This church holds one of Zurich’s greatest treasures: five stunning stained glass panels by Marc Chagall.

Chagall stained glass

The stained glass panels are typical Chagall works with bright colors and whimsical figures. Such an expression of love and joy. What is truly amazing is that Chagall never even attempted to work with stained glass until he was in his seventies. These panels were installed when he was 83 (he lived to be 98).

A Canaletto view of Venice

Speaking of Chagall, we also spent several hours in the Kuntshaus, Zurich’s premier art museum. One room held three of Monet’s oversized water lily paintings and another had five Chagall’s. 

Chagall's "Above Paris," one of Anne's favorites

Including a painting called “Above Paris” that Anne wanted to take home with her. Some paintings of other favorite artists  were there also, such as Picasso, Van Gogh, Matisse, Canaletto, and Guardi.

Bucolic backstreets of Zurich

We explored both sides of the Limmat River and were surprised by the peaceful, quiet backstreets that felt more like rural passageways in small villages rather than routes thru Switzerland’s largest city. These streets were often cobbled and limited to pedestrian thoroughfare, making a stroll thru the Altstadt a fun adventure in Zurich.

Montmartre-like area of Zurich

Anne’s favorite part of the city was a hilly area on the west side of the Limmat, that reminded her of Paris's Montmartre with its meandering lanes and old multi-story buildings.

Fabulous view from the Lindenhof Plaza

Frank and Anne headed up to Lindenhof for a finale sight, a large park high above the city with lots of Linden trees (naturlich) and fabulous views of the Limmat River and the city buildings below. All we needed was a bottle of wine, and we could have sat there for hours.

Vaduz Castle overlooking the town of Vaduz, Liechtenstein

Liechtenstein

We took a day trip to Vaduz, the capitol city of tiny, mountainous Liechtenstein. To be honest, we made the trip mostly for the bragging rights. How many people make it to Liechtenstein, right? Well, M&M beat us to it, so that was even more of an incentive to go - ha, ha. It turned out to be another really nice day trip.  The weather was great, and the adventure was exciting.

Liechtenstein is located to the east of Switzerland, and occupies about 62 square miles of very mountainous territory. This German-speaking principality has a population of a mere 37,000 people who have one of the highest standards of living in the world and an unbelievable unemployment rate of just 1.5%!  There are more businesses in Liechtenstein than people.

Scenic Alps of Liechtenstein from vineyard below

The train ride from Zurich to a town called Sargans was exceptionally scenic. We followed the edge of Lake Zurich and then wound our way up into the Alps. All of a sudden, we were in “Heidi Country!” At Sargans, we left the train and took a 45-minute bus ride into Vaduz. We were so proud to see our public transportation skills coming back!

The city of Vaduz is more modern than quaint, but it is perfectly situated in the upper Rhine Valley surrounded by soaring peaks. We ate a wonderful lunch at Hotel Adler where Frank got to try the local brew and Anne tasted her first Liechtenstein Pinto Noir. Both were excellent!

Frank with our hosts Barbara and Christophe at the
Hofkellerei Winery

We hiked out of town a bit to the Hofkellerei, a wine tasting room of the Princely Wine Cellars owned by the Liechtenstein Foundation. We had a great time here, tasting new and interesting wines and enjoying the hospitality of our hosts -- Barbara and Christophe. What fun people! 

Pinot Noir grapes just waiting to be picked
 (or eaten -- yummy!)

Afterwards, we walked through the vineyards, taking pictures of the grapes against the backdrop of the mountains and Schloss Vaduz (Vaduz Castle).

At the famous Sprungli choco shop

Swiss Chocolate

Zurich is well-known for exquisite tasting chocolates, and great chocolate shops to boot. We, being the consummate global chocolate lovers that we are, needed to go on a walking expedition thru Zurich in search of the finest choco spots we could find. Two shops popped to the top of the list: "Sprungli" and "Teuscher" We did indeed locate them both and were not sorry that we spent time running them down.

Of course, we picked up an inordinate supply of their most savory, delectable chocolate bars and truffles to stock up our Pocono homestead back in Pennsylvania. We also grabbed a bag of champagne truffles at Teuschers that we promptly devoured on the fly as we sauntered the backwater cobble-stoned areas of Zurich.

Searching for the perfect chocolate

Feeding some of the many swans along the Limmat River

Summary

On a side note, in southern Germany, where much of our travel took place, we found that many places (restaurants especially) do not take American credit cards. Cash is king and the main vehicle for purchase. In Switzerland, where all things seem to be much more expensive, the credit card is welcome. So, if you are planning an excursion to these areas, plan on having much cash on hand in Germany, and not so much in Switzerland.

The lovely Fraumunster church

That wraps up our current European venture. We are so glad we did this and so relieved to see that Europe is just as vibrant and wonderful as ever. We never felt any safety concerns while there, despite the seemingly daily bad news concerning secure travel to certain areas of Europe.  Happy travels to all, and we’ll see you next time on the road. 

More pics:

Anne's mantra for Zurich!

Sampling the wines of Liechtenstein

On the Munster Platz in Zurich

Wines of Liechtenstein

Raclette (melted cheese and potatoes),
a favorite dish in Zurich

Zurich after dark

Nuremberg, City of History

Typical Nuremberger with lederhosen
and Alpine hat

We came to Nuremberg for the WWII history, but also fell in love with the city with its medieval Old Town and good feeling vibe. (Nuremberg also has more pedestrian shopping streets than any town we can think of -- maybe it's the shop-til-you-drop vibe that Anne likes so much.)

Monument at Luitpold Arena

WWII History

To fully explore the WWII history here in Nuremberg, we did a private tour to the former Nazi parade grounds and Room 600 where the Nazi trials took place. We also spent hours at the Dokumentszentrum, an excellent museum detailing Hitler's rise to power, and his particular interest in Nuremberg. Here is a small sampling of what we learned.

Monument to The Fallen at Luitpold Arena, Nuremberg

Nuremberg has been an influential city since the time of the Roman Empire, which is one of the reasons Hitler chose it. (Hitler had an obsession with Rome and loved to position his "empire" as a rightful successor to the Romans.) Nuremberg was selected as the site of the Hitler rallies, week-long affairs that celebrated German culture, military might, and their overall superiority to everyone else on earth.

Former site of Nazi Hall Of Honor at Luitpold Arena,
one of the Nazi Parade Grounds

Although he never completed all of his building projects, the rally grounds were to have a separate arena or parade ground for each Nazi group: one for the SS and SA, for the Wehrmacht, for the Hitler Jugend (youth). etc.

Same Parade Grounds (as shown in previous picture)
at Luitpold Arena during Nazi Rally

These rallies were masterful public relations events with thousands of troops goose-stepping in perfect formation for the crowds. The Great Road has stripes in it to keep the troops in alignment. We also learned the German soldiers were given special boots with nail-studded soles so they made a nice racket when the troops marched on the solid granite paving.

Viewing platform and bleachers at Zeppelinfeld
(sans swastika)

We also visited Zeppelinfeld, the only parade ground that Hitler completed. This photo shows the structure where, at the end of the war, the Americans symbolically blew up the swastika mounted on top of the viewing platform that was designed to looked like an ancient Greek altar.

"Mein Kampf"

The Dokumentationzenstrum (museum) had a copy of Hitler's book "Mein Kampf" written while he was in prison in 1923. This book is a rambling treatise of his political views, as he re-evaluated them while in prison. Remarkably, the book sold 10 million copies and made Hitler a rich man. Another curious fact is that after 1936, every couple who got married in Germany received a copy of "Mein Kampf" as a wedding present from the Fuhrer!

Hitler, the life of the party, surrounded by female admirers

Hitler fancied himself a real ladies man. For some reason, women really did swoon over him as you can see in this photo displayed in the museum.

Hitler's grandiose plan for his Kongress Hall

The Kongress Hall was another one of Hitler's major architectural projects. He cooked this one up with his favorite architect, Speer. The plan was to imitate, but surpass (naturlich) the Roman Coliseum. The building was never completed mainly because of incompetence. And the fact that no one wanted to give Hitler bad news, like the fact that the water-logged site next to a lake was never going to support the kind of building he envisioned.

Inside Hitler's unfinished Kongress Hall stadium
now part of the Dokumentszentrum 

In an ironic twist, the unfinished stadium is currently home to an art museum (no doubt filled with what Hitler would call "degenerate art") and the Dokumentszentrum!

We visited Room 600 in the Justice Palace, the famous courtroom where the most infamous of the Nazi henchmen were tried and many sentenced to death. We were able to enter the courtroom and got a ringside seat in this historic venue.

Photo taken during the actual Nuremberg Trial in 1945

The courtroom has been altered somewhat, as it is a working courtroom even today. Luckily, no cases were on the docket today allowing us to enter and reflect on the events that unfolded here. We could picture characters like Hermann Goering, Rudolf Hess, Julius Streicher, and Karl Doenitz awaiting their fates. This trial represented a first in international law where defendants were brought to trial for their crimes against humanity.

Charming Bamberg

Bamberg

Bamberg, about 40 miles north of Nuremberg, is a quintessential German town with lots of charming buildings. In fact, it is a UNESCO site recognized for it's original medieval structures. We did this side trip on our own, a combination of one train (about 1 hr. ride) and two city buses in each direction. Not without its challenges, but The Supsics figured it all out. Along with the assistance of some helpful Germans along the way.

Schlenkerla brewery and restaurant

We ate lunch at Schlenkerla, a famous brewery restaurant known for their Rauchbier (smoky beer). Not bad.  Frank thought it tasted like a mild Porter beer. The taste was not as harsh as a Porter, but the slightly crispened barley flavor was definitely detectable.

Delicious Bamberger Zwiebel

It certainly complimented the hearty food especially the famous Bamberger Zwiebel (an onion stuffed with ground meat served with a Rauchbier gravy and a strip of bacon).

Frank enjoys a Rauchbier (smoky beer)

Colorful, mural-covered Alt Rathaus

We tried to walk off some of those calories with a stroll around the town. Loved the ornate style, especially the beautifully painted Alt Rathaus (old town hall) covered with colorful murals.

Old Town Nuremberg

Nuremberg Old Town

We spent many happy hours wandering the streets of Nuremberg's Old Town. Although the city was leveled during WWII, the Nurembergers faithfully rebuilt their old buildings with stunning results.

Special Nuremberg sausages

The cuisine in Nuremberg is another attraction. Visitors have been traveling here for the sausages since the 1800's. Obviously, we had to try some. We ate at the Bratwursthausle where the sausages are cooked on a beech wood-fired grill until golden brown. The beech wood gives the sausages a unique flavor.

Enjoying Nuremberg's Rotbier!

We also ate lunch at the Hausbrauerei Altstadthof where we tried their famous Rotbier (red beer). This was one of our favorites, a reddish-colored beer with an ale-like aftertaste served in a beautiful half liter mug with a bright red handle.

Schoner Brunnen at the Haputmarkt

The Hauptmarket is always hopping with a daily market of vendors selling everything from fresh produce to kitchen gadgets to handmade jewelry. This is the square where the famous Christkindlesmarkt (Christmas market) is held every year during the weeks before Christmas.

Anne turns the golden ring for good luck

A real stunner on the market plaza is the golden fountain called the Schoner Brunnen (beautiful fountain). Legend has it that if you turn the golden ring on the back of the fountain three times, you will receive good fortune. Of course, Anne had to do it.

Checking out the gingerbread store

Nuremberg is also known for its Lebkuchen (ginger bread). Not as dry as most gingerbread, this stuff is sold all over the city.






More pics:

Photo of the massive display of marching soldiers during one
of the rallies at Luitpold Arena as viewed from
 the Hall of Honor

One of Nuremberg's beautiful
medieval churches

The atmospheric Pegnitz River that runs through the
center of Old Town Nuremberg

Frank takes in the Dokumentationszentrum museum

Enterprising Nuremberg busker uses his dog to draw
 a crowd as he serenades passersby