Monday Red-Billed Teal Blogging

Red-billed Teal (Zurich) - Switzerland  2019

Seen in a humid building at the Zurich Zoo. Reminds me a little of the Eastern Spot-billed duck.

Monday Swan Blogging

Swan, Lake Zurich (Zurich) - Switzerland  2019

Swans, Photographers (Zurich) - Switzerland  2019

No Canada Geese in Switzerland. Perhaps their ecological niche has been taken by these swans.

Lots of swans.

Boats, Plaza (Zurich)

Boats, Mountains (Zurich) - Switzerland  2019

Plaza (Zurich) - Switzerland  2019

More Zurich sightems. Note mountains in the distance. Both photos taken with a Canon G5XII.

Zurich Signs

Chocolatier (Zurich) - Switzerland  2019

Zeughauskeller (Zurich) - Switzerland  2019

That crossbow thingie looks interesting.

Tram / View Camera

Tram (Zurich) - Switzerland  2019

View Camera (Zurich) - Switzerland  2019

So, I don't know what was being photographed.

I still have my Toyo-Field 4x5 camera. It's a very capable view camera, but . . . you have to use a tripod (I don't like tripods), the film holders are subject to light leaks on a continuing basis and the whole apparatus is pretty heavy. But more than that, the 16x20 inkjet prints that I can make using my current digital Olympus cameras are completely equal in quality to prints made from 4x5 negatives, if not better.

Oh well. The "trams" (streetcars to me) in Zurich were interesting in that they went up the surrounding hills on curving streets that made me wonder what came first, the paved street or the tracks.

Zurich Restaurant

Chestnut Puree, Figs (Zurich) - Switzerland  2019

Beer (Zurich) - Switzerland  2019

We wandered around looking for a place to have dinner and found this place: Mere Catherine. We were early enough that we could get in without a reservation. The main courses were excellent, but I really enjoyed the dessert and the beer.

Much later I discovered that I had left my waist pack in the restaurant. Luckily I was able to go back the next day and retrieve it. Whew. After that I stuck to using a daypack exclusively.

Climate Demonstration

Demonstration (Zurich) - Switzerland  2019

Demonstration (Zurich) - Switzerland  2019

Very large youth-oriented demonstration. We met Michael, an acquaintance of ours, and walked in it for a few blocks, but it was a little too noisy for us. We wandered around Zurich for an hour or so, then joined him and his wife for dinner at a neighborhood restaurant near their house.

Religious Stuff

Grossmunster Steeples (Zurich) - Switzerland  2019

Door, Painting (Zurich) - Switzerland  2019

"The twin towers of the Grossmünster are regarded as perhaps the most recognized landmark in Zürich. Architecturally, the church is considered Romanesque in style and thus a part of the first pan-European architectural trend since Imperial Roman architecture.

"The two towers were first erected between 1487 and 1492. Originally, they had high wooden steeples, which were destroyed by fire in 1763, following which the present neo-Gothic tops were added (completed 1787). Richard Wagner is known to have mocked the church's appearance as that of two pepper dispensers."

Walking Around Zurich - 2

Man on Phone (Zurich) - Switzerland  2019

Wedding Party (Zurich) - Switzerland  2019

Zurich sightems.

Earlier wedding posts: Osaka, Karuizawa and Tokyo.

Walking Around Zurich - 1

Clock Tower (Zurich) - Switzerland  2019

Storchengasse (Zurich) - Switzerland  2019

We had talked about taking a trip to Europe for quite some time. Years, actually. But we were supremely indecisive, unable to formulate any destinations or itineraries.

This year we got help from some friends who have extensive European experiences. They were able to recommend a few places - Slovenia, in particular. And then Hali's sister Margaret - again, a very experienced traveller - came over one night with her laptop and quickly put together a complete vacation plan that covered Switzerland, Slovenia and Austria.

We were travelling from late September to the middle of October. Zurich was our first stop and we put in quite a bit of miles walking around the city.

Zurich Airport / Shuttle

Escalators (Zurich) - Switzerland  2019

Woman, Airport Shuttle (Zurich) - Switzerland  2019

The shuttle from the Zurich airport to the downtown train station was quite crowded . . . we had a slight issue with trying to squeeze in with our suitcases. But it was a short trip and we made it to our hotel OK.

Monday Elephant Blogging

Elephants (Zurich) - Switzerland  2019

First elephant photo to be posted on the mikereport! Seen at the quite extensive Zurich zoo.

Flight to Zurich / South Dakota

Airplane Map - South Dakota  2019

Taken during our flight to Zurich. I was pleased to see that we were passing through (yes, above) South Dakota.

Below, some more older photos taken in South Dakota, on the ground.

Church Exterior - South Dakota  1958

Municipal Building (Aberdeen) - South Dakota  1987