A Sunny February Saturday in Zürich

For the past five days or so we have finally had some sunny weather here in Zürich!  It even got up into the mid-50s this past weekend, but unfortunately, the good weather corresponded right with when Darren and I got sick.  I started to feel better on Saturday, but Darren was still pretty sick, so I just went for a walk downtown by myself and took some pictures.  Here are just a few shots for you to enjoy.

Fraumünster in the foreground and Kirche St. Peter in the background

Grossmünster

Kirche St. Peter

Altstadt (Old Town)

Grossmünster again

On my way home, I happened to come across a rally supporting the anti-government demonstrators in Egypt.  It was the most calm demonstration ever, with policemen and police cars leading the group in a very orderly manner through downtown.  The Swiss don't like to get worked up about things, so the only people shouting were the foreigners.  It was kind of amusing to see a bunch of Middle Easterners yelling in German.  When they yell, "Freiheit", that means freedom.

Bellinzona, Switzerland

Last Wednesday, I went on a day trip to Bellinzona, Switzerland with one of my new friends here.  She also moved here last year with her husband for his job, and does not have any kids or a current job.  And they moved here from Santa Rosa, CA!  So needless to say we are kindred spirits and do a lot of things together these days. :)  They have a car here and her husband was away on business last week, so she suggested going on a day trip.  

We decided to head south past the Alps to the Italian region, called Ticino, of Switzerland.  The Swiss travel to this area to get away from the constant cloud cover that can occur in the valleys (like where Zürich is).  Most of the precipitation falls on the other side of the Alps, so you have a better chance of finding a sunny day in Ticino than in any other region.

Bellinzona is in the northern part of Ticino and has been around since Roman times.  Bellinzona has always been an important location because of its proximity to the St. Gotthard Pass, which links Western and Central Europe with the Mediterranean.  During the Middle Ages, three castles were built to defend the area: Castelgrande, Montebello, and Sasso Corbaro.  These castles have since been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Our day began with a visit to Castelgrande, which lies in the center of town and sits on a huge piece of rock.

In the central plaza, looking up at Gastelgrande

The fortified exterior walls

Arrow slits in the wall for defense

Looking up on the hill to Montebello Castle

Castelgrande

Awesome view from the castle

Stairs that were a bit nerve-racking to walk on 

Walking to the tower up ahead

I climbed to the top of the tower, though my pictures of the view didn't turn out well

After we visited Castelgrande, we walked down to the old part of town.  We came across this fantastic Catholic cathedral, called Chiesa Collegiata dei SS Pietro e Stefano, which was built in the 16th century. We tried to peek inside, but the doors were closed.  Oh well, my low-light photography skills are lacking anyways, so there wouldn't have been great pictures.

A 16th century Catholic cathedral

Me in front of the cathedral door

We walked around more of the old town area and got some pizza for lunch at some restaurant.  I think it tasted good, but I was unsure since I was (and still am) a bit sick and couldn't taste much.  Oh well, at least it filled me up.

A view of the old town in Bellinzona

After lunch, we drove up to see Sasso Cobaro Castle.  This was the smallest of the three, so we were only there for a bit.

Castello di Sasso Cobaro

Me at Sasso Cobaro

The view from Sasso Cobaro, wouldn't it be fantastic to live here?

Looking back at Castelgrande

Our final stop was Montebello Castle, which was our favorite because it seemed to be the most intact, so there were more things to see. For example, they had working draw bridges, which were a little scary to cross since the wood did not seem very solid!

Draw bridge at Montebello

My friend, Michelle, and I at Montebello

We had a great time and I can't wait to take another day trip!

Israel Part Five: Last Day

On Wednesday of our trip, Darren had meetings in the Tel Aviv office, so I was on my own again.  I didn't do anything new or thrilling, but I did practice my photography skills, so this post will be light on commentary and will just be about enjoying the scenery.  

Luckily, Wednesday was a gorgeous day in Tel Aviv, with clear skies and highs in the mid-60s.  My only goal for the day was to just be outside since I wouldn't feel 60-degree temperatures for a long time.  I basically walked from our hotel down the promenade along the beach all the way to Jaffa and back, which is about 4 miles round trip.  I would just stop every once in a while along the walk when I felt like I had a good shot.  So here are the pictures.

I walked out onto the sand to take some pictures

Locals enjoying the water

The rocky part of the shore

Half-way to Jaffa

Children taking sailing lessons in Jaffa

Practicing my photography

When I reached Jaffa, I just sat on a bench in the sun with my Kindle and read for an hour or so before I ate at that French cafe I was talking about in Jaffa.  Then I walked around and took some more pictures before walking back up to our hotel.

View from my bench in Jaffa

Last shot I took in Jaffa

Then I sat in the sand by the hotel and finished my book on the Kindle before going inside.  When Darren got home from his meetings, neither of us felt like sitting down at a restaurant for 2+ hours for dinner, so we went to McDonald's!  Again I tried the chicken wrap and in Israel, they serve the chicken inside pita bread with chopped tomatoes and cucumbers and a great sauce.  This by far has been my favorite chicken wrap. :)

Then the next day, we left warm and sunny Israel for snowy Zürich.  Israel was hands-down one of the best trips I have ever been on!  We had a fantastic time and know how lucky we are to be able to see all those things.