An Afternoon in the Old Town

 My day in Zurich, a week ago yesterday, began as a gray, gloomy morning, but by the time I left the art museum, the sun was shining.  It was a perfect afternoon to wander around Zurich's picturesque "Altstadt".

The Old Town is along the banks of the Limmatt River where it empties into Lake Zurich.

The Old Town is dominated by the twin towers of the Grossmünster.  Begun around 1100, it was the city's cathedral, until the Protestant Reformation.  The leader of the Reformation in Switzerland, Huldrych Zwingli, preached from its pulpit against the corruption of the Catholic Church hierarchy and established the liturgy of the Swiss Reformed Church.

  Since I had visited the church on an earlier trip to Switzerland, I did not go inside this time.

Former guild houses along the bank of the river

This building, dating from the late 1600s, is built partially over the Limmat River.  It served as Zurich's city hall until 1803 when it became the seat of the parliaments for both the city and the canton of Zurich.

The other side of the river is dominated by St. Peter's Church, which has the largest church clock face in Europe.  The clock dates back to 1538.

Another church on that side of the river is the Fraumünster. Until the Reformation dissolved all monasteries and convents, it was an abbey for aristocratic women.  Parts of it date back to the 1200s.

I returned to the park on top of a hill where Brigitta and Peter had taken me the night before for a view of the city.  The daytime view was even better.

I did a bit of research later, and found out that the hilltop is called the Lindenhof.  It was the site of a Roman fortress.  Nearby, a second century tombstone was uncovered.  Its inscription is the oldest written record of the city of Zurich, which as a Roman settlement was known as Turicum.  I happened to have photographed it without knowing its significance.

Some random photos taken while I wandered the streets of the "Altstadt"

It was time to eat, and I found a restaurant called "Zeughauskeller" which is in a building that was constructed in 1487.  The "Zeughaus" was the city's armory where weapons were stored and repaired.  Legend has it that William Tell's crossbow was stored there.  Since 1926 it has been a restaurant.

The interior is decorated in a medieval style.  The restaurant was not crowded.  The customers that were there were all American and Asian tourists.  Unlike Mexico, where the afternoon is the time for the main meal of the day, the Swiss dine in the evening.  (In fact, it can be difficult to find a restaurant open in the afternoon.)

I began with a white wine cream soup, which was very tasty.  That's a mug of "apfelschorle" (apple juice with sparkling water) in the background.

For the main course I had a dish that is traditional for Zurich... "Zürcher Geschnetzeltes", strips of veal in a white wine cream gravy.  It was served with "rösti", shredded, pan-fried potatoes.

I don't remember what my dessert was called, but as you can see it was a decadent creation with lots of whipped cream.