visiting the Schweizerisches Landesmusem.

On Sunday, we spent some time at the Schweizerisches Landesmuseum (the Swiss National Museum) in Zurich. Located right across from the main railway station, it looks very much like a large castle. It opened in 1889 and houses a very diverse collection of objects dating from the Stone age to the present; and covering all aspects of Swiss history and culture.

There were stone-age tools and other artifacts, including several of the earliest wheels ever found, unearthed right in Zurich. Also featured were a large collection of Roman artifacts, including jewelry, clothing, coins, statues, weapons, and human remains. I especially enjoyed the medieval and Renaissance paintings and tapestries, and the religious, cultural, and historical objects from the Medieval period. This is a very large museum, so we did not get to see everything that was there. I'd definately like to go back and see the rest on another day.

The main entrance to the museum. The tower is quite tall, and very visible as part of the city skyline.

Part of the museum courtyard. Unfortunately, there was major construction and renovation going on, so we couldn't walk out there. Usually, they have an ice-skating rink set up in the winter.

A mid-19th century horse-drawn postal coach. Looks fit for a prince.

At first, Ian wasn't too sure what to make of the woolly mammoth. You were allowed to go right up to it and touch it, which he did. I expect if we had more time, he would have wanted to climb right up and get hitch a ride.

This little number just proves that women throughout time have suffered all sorts of indignities in order to attract the opposite sex. I mean, the Prehistoric Swiss woman certainly didn't wear this for comfort or warmth. And we modern women complain about our underwires!

A Roman-era skeleton was completely intact, with jewelry left in place. There was even a ring on a finger and ankle bracelets.

Ok, I admit it. This is an illegal photo. I didn't realize that I wasn't supposed to take photos in this area of the museum. My bad. Anyway, this was probably my favorite area. They had about 12 complete, furnished rooms from different chateaus and castles, dating from about 1200 thru the 1700's. They had been moved from their original locations, set up, and completely restored to their original state. The detail of the rooms was magnificent, including intricately carved woodwork, beautiful tiled stoves, and even a crystal chandelier. I guess the upper classes of the time lived quite well.

We saw many more fascinating things after this, but I didn't want to get thrown out, so sorry no more museum photos.

On our way to lunch at the Zeughous Keller. This is a wonderful, atmospheric restaurant that used to be an ancient armory. In fact, there are artifacts from its former life still decorating the place. It is quite interesting eating a meal in the shadow of a loaded WWI machine gun, lol! I had liver-dumpling soup (yum!), but it is also a great place to get a plate of the Zurich staple, veal and roschti.

I have to leave you with this picture.... When Good Kitchens Go Bad....

I don't know how Ian managed to get himself in this position, but he needed Grandma's help to get out. The kitchen received a scolding for it's bad behavior.

Eating Bizarre Cuisine

Just look at this plate of deliciousness....

When traveling, I enjoy tasting the local cuisine whenever possible. This was no exception. I admit that I only tasted it; I couldn't bring myself to eat a whole serving of...... horsemeat. It was actually quite tasty, similar to beef sirloin.

We rode the cool new tram to Oerlikon, a nearby town, to do a little shopping and get lunch.

Ian enjoyed the play area at the local Migros (the closest Swiss equivalent to Walmart). They had a very nice restaurant there as well, which is where we enjoyed the tasty pferdehuftsteak.

having Christmas with the Swiss Family Steiger

The traditional Swiss family Christmas eve celebration was held at the younger Steiger household for the first time this year. We enjoyed some tasty fondue, salmon, salad and shrimp. Mmm! You're wondering why no pictures of the fondue? Sorry, I was too busy eating it, and it was all gone by the time I remembered the camera.

Someone else remembered to snap this photo of the delicious Yule log and the handmade Sprungli chocolate pinecone cake while I was busy defending these delightful confections from the hungry hordes.

Amelia and Kurt were delighted to receive this gift of a month-long lottery ticket. Just look at those faces! You'd think they had already won!

Ian models the nice, warm sweater that he recieved from his Grossmami.

Another Christmas Eve tradition, this one from the Americans. "Some Assembly Required". This process is usually accomplished solely by the Dad in the family, but as demonstrated here, sometimes it can be expedited by cooperative participation of both parental units. This also serves to test the stability of the marital relationship.

Fortunately, this project was successfully completed without any major discord, although there were a few tense moments.

Fast forward to Christmas morning. Ian only took a brief moment before making his first package selection. Without any prompting, he knew just what to do....

He was pretty good about cleaning up after himself. After tearing off each piece of paper, he handed each one to his dad to put in the trash bag. I bet that will all change by next year.

Later on Christmas day, we all rode the bus over to Grossmami and Grosspapi Steiger's, where we had a delicious meal. Amelia made this delectable Italian creme cake, as well as another whole carrot cake just for Lisa. Sorry we can't bring any of the carrot cake home for a certain person.

Getting ready for the bus ride home. Ian had finally swallowed all the food that he had packed in his cheeks. He usually looks like a squirrel for about an hour after each meal, and you have to check his cheeks before bedtime to make sure he doesn't still have dessert in there.

Checking out the Christkindli Markt

We visited the Christmas market in Zurich Main Train Station today. There was plenty of cheese, wurst, fondue and local crafts to be found here! The main attraction, though, was the magnificent Christmas tree decorated all in Swarovski crystal ornaments. The photographs just don't do it justice.

This is only part of the display under the tree. Each of the large figurines, like the giraffes shown here are about two feet tall. I have seen 5" tall figures for sale for around $300, so I can only imagine how much all this bling is worth! The entire display was surrounded by glass panels to protect it.

Lisa and Ian visit the Marli Huus - the Fairytale House. There is a Marli-Tram for the children, but Ian is not old enough to ride it yet.

The Swiss seem to have a penchent for street-side figures; some are purely decorative, others are for advertising purposes. This one seems to like my Dior perfume. Really!

Ian is overjoyed that Grandma came to visit.

in Switzerland

On the flight over here, I was fortunate to be seated beside a delightful Swiss woman who had been living in the Atlanta area for the past 20 years. It was interesting to get her perspective on life in Georgia (she still has trouble understanding their speech sometimes). She is a teacher, and runs her own school where students can learn German and other languages. She thinks our healthcare system is expensive and unfair. So do I.