Off the Beaten Path in Zürich.

This afternoon I decided to wander around Zürich and see what could be seen. I was slightly overwhelmed by the sheer number of people out and about. I forgot that Saturday is the busiest day of the week, because everyone is running their Saturday errands and doing all of the shopping that they can't do tomorrow, since most stores are closed on Sunday. I ducked into a small square just off Bahnhoffstrasse (the most expensive street in the world) and found an icy fountain and quiet.

From there, I found a small canal (that was mentioned in Lonely Planet) called the Schanzengraben canal and was able to walk right down by the water, basically by myself. I was, however, kept company by a large number of water fowl, who thankfully kept their distance. I saw this really interesting court for some sort of water sport that involved gates and goals. I have no idea what sport would use this sort of set up...

Along the canal I found the Old Botanic Gardens, which are literally an oasis in the middle of the city. There were a few families in the park, but mostly I got to wander around by myself and enjoy the smell of growing things. Even though it's still January, there are little hints of spring. Zürich is definitely much milder than Minneapolis!

I enjoyed the gardens and will have to remember to go back in the spring and summer.

The entrance was a small gate off a busy street.

 

Lindenhof was my next stop. It's a large square planted with linden trees on a hill in the middle of the city. There were groups of men playing large chess games very seriously.

I love the view of Zürich from there. Across the river, you can see the two domes of the University of Zürich and of ETH, where I work. The bells of the Grossmünster (in the video, the church with two domed towers that are seen at the end of the video) were ringing, and it was so lovely!