Spring in Zurich

Spring has arrived in Zurich and the city is looking beautiful with all the bright flowers that are out and about. Last weekend we took a walk around the city, stopping here and there for photos, drinks in the sun, and dinner at a Japanese restaurant that had been closed the last two times we'd tried to go! Here are a few shots from the day.

Next weekend we're going back to Geneva to see a Swiss friend from Atlanta. I'm looking forward to seeing the countryside this time of year.

Sechseläuten Festival

Yesterday was a half day holiday for a festival unique to Zürich, called Sechseläuten. Sechseläuten is a street parade of the traditional guilds (tailors, butchers, fishermen, tanners etc) celebrating the end of Winter. At the end of the parade a huge snowman, called the Böögg, is set on fire. The Böögg is placed on a huge stack of hay and stuffed with explosives, and the length of time it takes for it to explode indicates how soon Summer will come, how long it will last, and how hot it will be (think Ground Hog Day with explosives!).