East Eats West

Where tea lovers should live in Zurich

Switzerland in general praises itself on its amazing water quality. Its most populous city, Zurich, also has excellent tap water quality. But interestingly, the quality of the water differs depending on which part of town you live in. The city is divided into a right and left side of the Limmat, its main river. The right side of the Limmat gets lake water whereas the left side gets water from the reservoir on Uetliberg, Zurich’s little hill. You might think, not a big difference. Well, some cats might beg to differ, as a shop owner recently told me. She moved from the right side to the left side of the Limmat and guess what, her cat refused to drink tap water after that. Instead the cat goes to the local fountain to drink. And I actually agree with the cat, the tap water in Zurich on the right side of the Limmat is way better. You taste it in coffees and teas. And apparently cats can taste the difference too. And yes, the mystery why the cat drinks from the fountain is solveable. Fountains in Zurich have again a different water system. On purpose the city separates the fountains from the normal tap water, in case the normal tap water gets contaminated. Amazing fact.

Autumn mood in Zurich

 

I am currently reading a very interesting book about “garden therapy”, or how to treat mentally impaired people with gardens, or garden work. The book contains articles from various practitioners of ergo- or garden therapy and how gardens affect all of us, not only patients. A garden is a man-made work of nature. It therefore provides a safe sanctuary but still connects us to mother nature. Garden work demands care and attention to detail. And often gardens connect us with childhood memories. And one of the truly outstanding gardens I have ever come across is “Zürihorn” on the right lakeside of Zurich. Many people use the garden for a summer stroll. Every year over 2.5m people visit Zürihorn. The garden was created in the late 19^th century and is a finely balanced arrangement of imposing trees, water ways, a modern day China Garden, a house by the famous Swiss architect Le Corbusier, “Heureka” by the famous Swiss artist Jean Tinguely and the former workshop of the Swiss sculptor Hermann Haller. While Zürihorn can be incredibly busy on a warm summer evening, it is best appreciated in the late autumn when the leaves turn yellow and red, contrasting with the green grass.   

Japanese wood frame house in Zurich

 

The notable Japanese architect Shigeru Ban built a new annex for the Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger. The frame of the building is made mostly out of timber and then was covered with glass. For Zurich a truly bold statement. 

Art in the city of Zurich

 

Zurich prides itself for its cultural side, museums and many galleries. This summer the city produced an open-air exhibition dubbed Art in the City. All over Zurich one could find art by famous artists like Ai Wei Wei and some not so famous artists. My favorite piece is by Swiss artist Alex Hanimann called Vanessa.

http://www.artandthecity.ch/

Magical Atelier Haller

This used to be the workshop of the Swiss artist Herman Haller in Zurich. Can’t beat it for location (right on the lakeside) and atmosphere. It is open for public viewing in summers.

http://www.stadt-zuerich.ch/kultur/de/index/foerderung/bildende_kunst/atelier_hermann_haller.html

‘Green’ Hells Angels

More and more people living in cities do not own a car anymore as they prefer public transport. At the forefront of this trend is Zurich with its amazing public transport system. With the decline of car-ownership more and more people rely on bicycles. Sometimes this leads to a confrontation between trams, cars and bicycles and all participants dream of a peaceful co-existence. Well, once a year this dream comes true when gentleman and ladies mount their classic bicycles and cruise in style through Zurich. And it is only on this day when car drivers stop and smile at the bicyclists. One lady asked me if this was a wedding (no, the Gentlemen’s Run). Another teenager commented that we were like ‘green’ Hells Angels. Why not?

http://gentlemensreport.nzz.ch/club/category-1-3/

Gentlemen, custom-made bicycles and beer

I do not believe in destiny, I believe in connecting the dots. And this weekend many dots got connected at the first Gentlemen's Run in Zurich. Let me explain. During winter good friends of mine stayed in my apartment. As a little thank you they left me an old Swiss military bike. I tried it recently and realized it had some technical problems. The bike mechanic then told me that repairing the bike would not be economical so I sadly parted with the bike. But the bicycle bug bit me and I started looking for a new bike to roam the city. At the new bicycle shop Stilrad in the Viadukt I came across my dream-bike: a German Schindelhauer aluminium bike with a carbon-belt drive. Just perfect for whizzing around the city! While looking at the bikes a man approached me an invited me for the first Gentlemen's Run in Zurich. The Gentlemen's Run has nothing to do with running, more with cruising around town on a bicycle while wearing cool vintage clothes. It is all about style, not speed. And having a beer while on the way. About a hundred gentlemen and a few ladies showed up and we cruised around Zurich, sometimes earning spontaneous applause by tourists and bystanders. I couldn't have wished for a better re-introduction to bicycling, bravo!

Website: http://gentlemensreport.com/gentlemens-run/

The best Peking Duck in Zurich

Picture: Yummy Peking duck can now be had in Zurich as well (here a Beijing restaurant).

The fastest way to finding good Asian food in any city is to ask the locals. This is what I did and I was referred to the very low-key but very yummy Chinese Hot Pot Restaurant on Goldbrunnenplatz in Zurich. The cook is a Chinese from Malaysia and he offers great food for a measly sum (by Swiss standards). Among my favorites are the homemade Chinese dumplings (dim sum), the superb Peking Duck (using ducks from Germany because they have less fat) and the typical Chinese fare like Schezwan beef, sweet-and-sour chicken or Chinese noodles. We took several Asian friends to the restaurant and they all agreed: the Hot Pot restaurant has the best Chinese food in town (MFG is not used in heavy quantities). Address: Birmensdorferstrasse 222, Zürich. Phone: 044 450 30 31.

 

Solar-powered plane first time in Zurich!

Picture: The Solar Impulse prototype plane landing at Zurich airport.

In 2003 Bertrand Piccard, a Swiss adventurist, had the idea to fly around the world in a plane powered by the sun. Seven years later his prototype plane landed at Zurich airport. The authorities closed the airport down for about 20 minutes so that the plane could land safely without interferences from other planes. The plane, which weighs as much as  a car and has four 10 horsepower electrical engines, landed without making any sound, which was in stark contrast to the noisy jet-planes starting before. Seeing the plane land with about 50km/h right in front of my eyes was a highlight of 2010!  
 
 

 

Bollywood Summer Party in Zurich