East Eats West

Where to brunch in Zurich?

Has anyone an idea where to go for a memorable Sunday brunch in Zurich? Please drop a commentary for suggestions, thanks!

Furnishing my apartment – starting from scratch

I just moved into my new 3-room apartment in Zurich. And this being the 5th move in less than a decade I keep my household to bare minimum. I basically possess a bed, a table, some chairs, basic household equipment, a shelf and some paintings from around the world. As I will probably move again I have come up with basic criteria for new furniture:

• No cluttering and stuffing – my art should be the focal point
• Everything mobile – nothing heavy or bulky, preferably on wheels
• Focus on lighting – air and light and clear angles
• Natural materials - no glass and chrome

Currently I am looking for a new couch that fits above criteria and does not clutter my living room. I also need some standing lamps. So does anyone have a good idea of how to go about furnishing my apartment and buying a couch?

Please leave a comment.

Hotel Storchen - perfect for romantic dinners and hassle-free cup of tea

Picture: Fancy a quiet cup of tea in front of a fire-place?

With the economy in Switzerland humming along nicely people spend again on wining and dining. And so in many restaurants you cannot get a table on Friday or Saturday night without booking ahead. Never mind finding a quiet spot for a chat as those trendy places tend to get packed. No, not exactly my piece of cake as I am looking for some old-fashioned authentic dining experiences.

I recently rediscovered one of those hidden jewels right smack in the centre of Zurich at the Weinplatz 2 next to the river Limmat: the Hotel Storchen. The venerable building houses a boutique hotel, a charming old-fashioned bar, a restaurant with a fantastic view over Zurich and in my eyes the crown jewel: a chimney salon with a real fire place! The salon is only accessible through the hotel and therefore shielded from the hassling shopping crowd. It is perfect to have a savoury Chinese green tea in a perfect quiet setting. I am all up for it!

http://www.storchen.ch/

Picture: Restaurant with a view at the Hotel Storchen.

On the move again

Picture: Moving into my new apartment.

While I was travelling through Asia I had my furniture stored by a moving company. Now it was time to move everything into my new apartment in Zurich. Moving seems to be such a frightful activity that many people balk at the very thought of it. My new apartment is located on the 4th floor and unfortunately the elevator barely fits 2 people and I dreaded moving too. So I was happy to have my furniture stored with a moving company that did the back-breaking work of carrying boxes. In less than 2 hours the company Schneider International from Germany moved my limited 10qm household into my apartment and unpacked it. They protected the floor with paper so that the wooden floor would not get scratched and nothing was broken at all.

For driving from Stuttgart to Zurich with 3 people including unpacking they charged me a modest 1’040€. For sparing my back the heavy loads and having to hassle friends, it was excellent value. Here is the link to the moving company: http://www.movingexcellence.com/

The magic of winter-time in Zurich

Picture: A floating world of dreams and fantasy: Circus Conelli in Zurich.

Currently it is over 12° centigrade in Zurich and the sun shines on trees heavy with leaves oscillating from yellow to deep red. This is the way I like winter: not too cold and no snow. Nevertheless the first signs of winter-time are propping up: one is the annual arrival of the magical little Circus Conelli scenically located on a little island in the heart of the city. Another Zurich institution is the annual “Zürcher Kerzenziehen” what translates into “candle making”. In the little Pavilion on Bürkliplatz one can create with patience and lots of wax its very own candle and it is especially popular among families with younger kids and reminds of my childhood. 

http://www.circus-conelli.ch/conelli/index.htm

http://www.zuercherkerzenziehen.ch/

Picture: Make your own candle and make this world a bit lighter at the Zürcher Kerzenziehen.

When was the last time you replaced something old and broken?

I mean when was the last time you bought something new in order to replace something old? As I recently read and article about a couple who lives in an apartment in which everything is for sale (they host regular “sales” parties) and found the beauty of the concept overwhelming: one in and one out; no amassment of things! Very Zen-Buddhist indeed and it made me think what the last article was that I replaced. The only thing that came to my mind: my old Dockers pants that got torn in Singapore. And it was a good feeling to own a product until the end of the life-cycle not marketing-cycle. All the rest is new and added to the number of things I possess. And it is true: the more you possess, the more you worry. Karl Marx was right about that.

PS: Read for inspiration the book "Not buying it" by Judith Levine

Contemporary art fair in Zurich or where Nespresso meets affordable art

Picture: dog meets meat at art fair.

With the economy in Switzerland humming nicely and managers expecting huge bonuses in the banking sector, people look for goods to splurge on. With collecting art becoming a more and more public activity thanks to auction houses, the well-off in Zurich do not want to lag behind and the same trend can be clearly felt in Zurich.

At the recent Preview of the Kunst 2006, the annual local contemporary art fair, many local galleries exhibited a wide range of artists in moderate price levels. But I am afraid to say that most art displayed ranged from badly done to plain boring.

Nevertheless the fashionable crowd at the preview was not deterred and could be seen sipping Prosecco. Frankly, it was only about being seen. Despite the bulk of uninspiring art I was pleased to see the rough wooden sculptures by the Swiss artist Werner Neuhaus at the Artdirekt Gallery booth and a few small but intriguing iron-sculptures by Michael Bali. Also a few large-size photos by a Scandinavian artist caught my eye. But clearly the most popular exhibition was the massive Nespresso commercial-cum-marketing-cum-tasting booth with its pseudo art showcases. Or maybe this is just a sign that most art nowadays has become a consumer good as well.

http://www.artdirekt.ch/index.html?werner_neuhaus/home.html

http://www.kunstzuerich.ch/

Picture: shall we buy the photograph and the furniture?

Chinese Artist Qiu Zhijie in Zurich

Picture: Acclaimed Chinese artist Qiu Zhijie at his recent performance in Zurich.

Chinese contemporary art is internationally on the raise and more and more shows in the West attract wealthy collectors. After years of tight governmental control and a strong rebellion among Chinese artists against the great leader Mao, Chinese contemporary art is now more freely available in Mainland China with the first few Chinese buyers emerging. Nevertheless are galleries and contemporary art museums rare in China, very rare. One finds Chinese artist mainly abroad; like in Zurich.

I met recently acclaimed Chinese artist Qiu Zhijie in Zurich at the opening of his exhibition “Let there be light” at the Grace Li Gallery. He was discovered over ten years ago and is based in Beijing and Hanghzou, China. Like many pupils and students in China he studied classical Chinese calligraphy and then moved on to contemporary art. He thinks that the strict discipline of calligraphy, where one tediously copies letters, gave him the foundation of his style. He strongly believes that the art of calligraphy is deeply rooted into the Chinese psyche. And copying a master piece dozens of times in order to achieve the same quality is the normal way of learning in China as well as in Japan. Therefore it is no wonder that the Chinese see no harm in copying Western products to the very last detail.

Qiu Zhijie’s exhibition “Let there be light” can be seen at the Grace Li Gallery in Zurich until the 31st of December 2006: http://www.graceligallery.com/

The artist’s website: http://www.qiuzhijie.com/e-homepage.htm

Picture: The artist giving a talk with the help of powerpoint.

Which camera shall I buy? Your turn!

After using my reliable and petite Konica Minolta camera for over one year the wear-and-tear of traveling around the world is slowly showing. I love the camera’s small frame and big display but I am looking for a camera that has a better performance in weak lighting and a better zoom. The camera should still be compact in size. And if the camera even is quicker in taking pictures and focusing, even better.

Which camera can you recommend? Please leave a comment, thanks!

Amazing customer service by Eaglecreek

In a world where marketing can sell everything and quality equals branding, it is hard to find products and companies that still offer good customer service. But they still exist! After traveling for almost a year with my sturdy Eaglecreek Tarmac suitcase on wheels the airlines managed to break three times the handle of the suitcase. Back in Zurich I brought my suitcase to the outdoor outfitter Transa where I bought it and to my utter surprise after three weeks they told me that I get a completely new suitcase for free (the suitcase cost 300$). Thank you very much for this generous replacement, Eaglecreek! Because of you I still believe that there is good customer service out there, somewhere!

http://www.eaglecreek.com/

http://www.transa.ch/deutsch/traveloutdoor/index.html