We spent most of our first full day in Switzerland wandering around Zurich. After a hearty breakfast of an assortment of breads, jam, tea and "blutorangensaft" (Juice from Blood Oranges), we drove into Zurich.The city of Zurich is probably the oldest permanent settlement in Switzerland. Here is a link with more information about the city. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zurich
We spent some time in the park overlooking Lake Zurich. There were commuter boats everywhere, used by those who live further down the lake.
The river Limmat flows through Zurich and we wandered along the side of the river through the older part of town. 
Then we visited Kirche Grossmunster with stained glass windows made from agate stone slices. This church was next to a house where Karl der Grosse (Charlemagne) had visited. Many of the older buildings have plaques on them with the names and dates of famous people who had been there.
Our first wedding preparation stop was at a traditional coffee house. We sampled several chocolate desserts and some Swiss beverages while Audrey discussed the chocolate bars for the wedding dinner with the manager.
During a construction project on an alley, some Roman ruins were discovered. There were informational displays on the walls about what they had found. Instead of replacing the cobblestone, the path was 'repaved' with a grated covering so you could see the ruins below. Another major difference I've noticed is the care people take to recognize and preserve old buildings ... and in Switzerland old is REALLY old compared to what we in the U.S. consider old.
We ended up on the top of the old city fortification walls for a while and had a lovely view of the Limmat River. I'm amazed at how clean and beautiful the lakes and rivers are here in Switzerland.
For lunch we rode a train up one of the mountains overlooking Zurich. We took a short hike to a restaurant at the top of the mountain. The light posts shaped like giraffes were unusual. There was also an interesting display about the universe. They had a model of the sun at one point on the trail. As you walked further along the path you came across displays spaced at appropriate distances that showed the relative size of each of the planets. This rock shows the earth and the moon. On a later hike, several kilometers away, we found Pluto!
For lunch we enjoyed traditional Swiss foods of schneitzel for James and dumplings for me at Uto Kuhm. The dumplings were very good but very different from American dumplings. We learned the intricacies of ordering water in Europe. When you ask for water, you don't get tap water; you get bottled water. The waiter in Switzerland wanted to know if I wanted water "mit" or "ohne" ... with or without carbonation!
The care people take about alcohol consumption is interesting. Outside the restrooms we found this machine, a Breathalyzer. The laws related to DWI are very strict in Europe.
After lunch we rode the train back down the mountain and wandered up "Rennweg" and spent some time window shopping. Audrey, Ruth, and I spent some time at the bakery where the wedding cake was to be ordered and I bought a bar of dark chocolate with habaneros. Very smooth, very tasty, but it burns all the way down when you swallow it! James and Fred spent some time at an English language book store.
For dinner Fred and Ruth prepared some bratwurst ... But Ruth and I enjoyed a "lady's supper" of birchmuesli. Muesli was developed and introduced by Swiss physician Dr Bircher-Benner around 1900 as a healthy breakfast.
It is great fun spending time with a European family. Fred, Ruth, and Audrey are wonderful hosts and are very patient with our many questions. They are so knowledgeable about their own culture and ours. Contrasting the differences is fascinating. We continue to be startled sometimes by the small differences. The difference in treatment of women is interesting, such as the women-only parking spaces in the parking garages, close to the elevators. The politeness of the people and the ease of communication is refreshing! I fear most Americans are not nearly as patient with visitors to the states who don't speak English.
It is great fun spending time with a European family. Fred, Ruth, and Audrey are wonderful hosts and are very patient with our many questions. They are so knowledgeable about their own culture and ours. Contrasting the differences is fascinating. We continue to be startled sometimes by the small differences. The difference in treatment of women is interesting, such as the women-only parking spaces in the parking garages, close to the elevators. The politeness of the people and the ease of communication is refreshing! I fear most Americans are not nearly as patient with visitors to the states who don't speak English.
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