Ode to Zurich

July 3^rd: Today is Zurich at its best. TGTBT.  So picture-postcard-worthy that any description makes you cringe: crisp clear skies, 26 degrees.  The sweet scent of linden blossoms perfumes the summer air (eau de Zurich), hydrangeas glory in full grandiose bloom.  I ride my bike to the office and am yet again wowed by the proximity we have to our beloved lake. The promenade literally at the water’s edge makes up for the lack of a stately park.  Everybody wants to savor a day like this and the morning populace includes mothers nursing newborns over coffee; an elderly couple on matching walkers strolling past the harbor; a class of kindergartners feeding ducks.  The Utoquai bathhouse is welcoming its lucky guests, the SUP boards standing at attention and bikes parked all a-jumble at the entrance. 

On my way back a few hours later, the shores are more densely packed with street artists dancing and juggling; sun-worshipers sprawled on the grass; teenagers tossing frisbees, toking, slacklining, picnicking on the Blatterwiese. I stop for a scoop of tangy mango sorbet at Gelati am See – heaven in a cone.  Despite all the activity, a balmy peacefulness prevails. 

At home, my daughter is strumming her guitar on the balcony and singing softly in her sweet alto. I’ve settled in my favorite corner of the couch on the deck with a white wine spritzer to watch the boats and the birds.  To my right I spy the twin spires of the Grossmünster cathedral downtown and 180 degrees to the left rise the snowcapped Alps in the distance.  The sun glints off the lake, a light breeze rustles my birch’s branches, a crane soars past, the sailors raise their spinnakers.

(And don’t even get me started on the sunset!)

It is so incredibly kitschy and so absolutely idyllic and I am going to miss it so much, but it is time to say “auf wiedersehen” -- like the French “au revoir” and the Italian “arrivederci” a much more meaningful and melodious leave-taking than the guttural “goodbye” or the babyish “bye-bye.”   Though rare in our speech, I prefer the valediction “farewell” and so I bid my lovely Zurich a fare thee well…fare me well…until I see you again….