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| Munsters |
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| Synagogue |
Oct. 2, 2015-Zurich
Munster and Synagogue-Zurich and Bern
My prediction is that kerchiefs wrapped around the head will be the new women's fashion. I saw two stunners today one with a classic ‘40's style and one with an African twist. Way to save on hair care.
We left Bern by a different route and crossed the teal colored Aare. Leaves have begun to change at last although it reached the low 70's today.
The Zurich train station is very pretty and the had an easily found tourist bureau. We met a Bulgarian man while standing in line. He had excellent English and spoke at least ten other languages. He was learning Chinese in preparation for a trip there in two years. Next year he's going to Brazil. Yup...Portuguese.
The Swiss National Museum was across from the station in an old castle. Unfortunately the modern interior doesn't reflect it's exterior, but it's a lovely facility. There were attractive displays of religious and secular items through the years. In the gold and silver church section we found a Sabbath menorah. It wasn't labeled as such. Just another candelabra. Swiss history was traced using artifacts from the Bronze and Iron Ages, the Celts through the Romans in 15 BC, the Franks in the 8th and 9th centuries to present. Some of the space-saving furniture from after WWII was fascinating. One convertible table reminded me of baby strollers that turn into prams, high chairs, booster seats, etc.
The sun was shining brilliantly as we continued our walking tour along the Liimmat River. The map took us through pedestrian shopping areas in the old town and back to the river before arriving at Grossmunster, a Gothic style Protestant church of the Reformation. These churches are really stark and cold. Their concession to vanity is a few stained glass windows. We plodded on through the stomping grounds of the Zurich Film Festival we didn't even know about. There wasn't a "beautiful person" in sight. Because of the temporary facilities for the fest, we had to climb a gazillion steps of a walkway to cross the street. Once across we visited Fraumunster, a clone of Grossmunster. But its claim to fame was that its stained glass windows were by Chagall. Wonder what happened to the originals from the good old Gothic days?
As it happens, tonight is Shabbat. We got back to Bern early enough to go to synagogue on the appropriately named Kappellenstrasse. We'd emailed them earlier, sent copies of our passports, and had an email back welcoming us. This type of security is common in Europe.
The building was an easy walk from where we usually turn for the train station. It's in a combination old and new facility serving 350 members and an equal number of unaffiliated. Tonight there were about 25 people in attendance. There are 30 children in religious school plus a kindergarten.
It's a good thing we came. David made the minyan (the number of men needed to say certain prayers). I schlepped three flights up to the woman's balcony. This is common overseas as most synagogues are orthodox leaning. The seats were theater style but hard-on-the-tusch wood. There was a plan on the wall indicating names of women who had paid to reserve their seats when present. I happened to be in Dina Kuhn's. She was not.
It was a charming place. I had a bird's eye view of the ecru and terra cotta color walls with arched accents and a burst of blue above the Ark. The walls on either side of the Ark were ecru with touches of gold. Stained glass windows added their panache and an old brass chandelier created a touch of elegance. The rabbi was on holiday and the cantor was ill so the president of the congregation led the service. His attire made us feel better about wearing our traveling jeans. His turquoise kippah (head covering) matched his shirt. His graying ponytail hung over his collar as he wiped his glasses on his Tallis (prayer shawl). He did a masterful job and the liturgy was familiar enough so I could participate even though some tunes differed.
I trooped up three more floors (six for David) to the rooftop sukkah (look it up if you don't know) for wine and holiday blessings. When all were gathered, I looked around and realized how tall everyone was. There we met a very young Chabad rabbi and his daughter plus a newlywed couple. She was a lawyer from Berlin and he was a native of Bern. She grew up living next to the famous old restored synagogue in Berlin. I mentioned that when we were there Berliners kept telling us "we love our Jews." She told us they're still trying to get over IT.
Dinner was back in our "hood" at Cafe d'Italia. We like Il Ristorantino better. Sorry Patti.
I'm going to do a commercial for a product I learned of on Shark Tank and have used ever since. It's called ReadeRest. It's magnetic and provides a secure place to hang glasses from clothing. I've loved using mine this trip. Haven't had to dive into a toilet yet to retrieve my sunglasses. It's available on line but cheaper at Walmart. Sorry, those of you who don't shop there.
As we approach our return to Milan to pick up our car on Sunday, I want to extend a special thanks to our Swiss friend, Sam, for the work he did in international law allowing us to cross Swiss borders into EU countries without showing our passports.
We'll hang around Bern tomorrow, do shopping, and maybe sleep late.
Toby
My prediction is that kerchiefs wrapped around the head will be the new women's fashion. I saw two stunners today one with a classic ‘40's style and one with an African twist. Way to save on hair care.
We left Bern by a different route and crossed the teal colored Aare. Leaves have begun to change at last although it reached the low 70's today.
The Zurich train station is very pretty and the had an easily found tourist bureau. We met a Bulgarian man while standing in line. He had excellent English and spoke at least ten other languages. He was learning Chinese in preparation for a trip there in two years. Next year he's going to Brazil. Yup...Portuguese.
The Swiss National Museum was across from the station in an old castle. Unfortunately the modern interior doesn't reflect it's exterior, but it's a lovely facility. There were attractive displays of religious and secular items through the years. In the gold and silver church section we found a Sabbath menorah. It wasn't labeled as such. Just another candelabra. Swiss history was traced using artifacts from the Bronze and Iron Ages, the Celts through the Romans in 15 BC, the Franks in the 8th and 9th centuries to present. Some of the space-saving furniture from after WWII was fascinating. One convertible table reminded me of baby strollers that turn into prams, high chairs, booster seats, etc.
The sun was shining brilliantly as we continued our walking tour along the Liimmat River. The map took us through pedestrian shopping areas in the old town and back to the river before arriving at Grossmunster, a Gothic style Protestant church of the Reformation. These churches are really stark and cold. Their concession to vanity is a few stained glass windows. We plodded on through the stomping grounds of the Zurich Film Festival we didn't even know about. There wasn't a "beautiful person" in sight. Because of the temporary facilities for the fest, we had to climb a gazillion steps of a walkway to cross the street. Once across we visited Fraumunster, a clone of Grossmunster. But its claim to fame was that its stained glass windows were by Chagall. Wonder what happened to the originals from the good old Gothic days?
As it happens, tonight is Shabbat. We got back to Bern early enough to go to synagogue on the appropriately named Kappellenstrasse. We'd emailed them earlier, sent copies of our passports, and had an email back welcoming us. This type of security is common in Europe.
The building was an easy walk from where we usually turn for the train station. It's in a combination old and new facility serving 350 members and an equal number of unaffiliated. Tonight there were about 25 people in attendance. There are 30 children in religious school plus a kindergarten.
It's a good thing we came. David made the minyan (the number of men needed to say certain prayers). I schlepped three flights up to the woman's balcony. This is common overseas as most synagogues are orthodox leaning. The seats were theater style but hard-on-the-tusch wood. There was a plan on the wall indicating names of women who had paid to reserve their seats when present. I happened to be in Dina Kuhn's. She was not.
It was a charming place. I had a bird's eye view of the ecru and terra cotta color walls with arched accents and a burst of blue above the Ark. The walls on either side of the Ark were ecru with touches of gold. Stained glass windows added their panache and an old brass chandelier created a touch of elegance. The rabbi was on holiday and the cantor was ill so the president of the congregation led the service. His attire made us feel better about wearing our traveling jeans. His turquoise kippah (head covering) matched his shirt. His graying ponytail hung over his collar as he wiped his glasses on his Tallis (prayer shawl). He did a masterful job and the liturgy was familiar enough so I could participate even though some tunes differed.
I trooped up three more floors (six for David) to the rooftop sukkah (look it up if you don't know) for wine and holiday blessings. When all were gathered, I looked around and realized how tall everyone was. There we met a very young Chabad rabbi and his daughter plus a newlywed couple. She was a lawyer from Berlin and he was a native of Bern. She grew up living next to the famous old restored synagogue in Berlin. I mentioned that when we were there Berliners kept telling us "we love our Jews." She told us they're still trying to get over IT.
Dinner was back in our "hood" at Cafe d'Italia. We like Il Ristorantino better. Sorry Patti.
I'm going to do a commercial for a product I learned of on Shark Tank and have used ever since. It's called ReadeRest. It's magnetic and provides a secure place to hang glasses from clothing. I've loved using mine this trip. Haven't had to dive into a toilet yet to retrieve my sunglasses. It's available on line but cheaper at Walmart. Sorry, those of you who don't shop there.
As we approach our return to Milan to pick up our car on Sunday, I want to extend a special thanks to our Swiss friend, Sam, for the work he did in international law allowing us to cross Swiss borders into EU countries without showing our passports.
We'll hang around Bern tomorrow, do shopping, and maybe sleep late.
Toby
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