Zurich and Lake Zurich

We arose early this morning and took a train for Zurich. It was very hard to part from our cozy quarters at Tante Lenchen’s nice home, but she told us we must start now, or we might miss some of the best parts of Switzerland. So, we packed our most necessary duds into one grip, and she added a fur cap for Mama, a blanket, a pillow and a shawl, which we stowed away in one of those convenient German “Rucksacks” (carryalls), and away we steamed on that cozy little road which runs through the Tosstal.

At Zurich, we went shopping, of course. It is a fine city and one of the most important ones in Switzerland, has 180,000 inhabitants and lies on the Zurich Lake. As silk is manufactured here, we had an opportunity to see a fine display of silk goods. We walked from the depot, down the Bahnhof Strasse, which is nearly a mile long and leads to the lake and is the principal street of the retail trade.

Fountain monument on Bahnhof Street.

After dinner, we selected a hotel, the Pelikan, which is a very nice, clean and reasonable place. We then called on Mrs. Beutefuhrer, the sister of Mr. Schmitz of St. Louis and one of Lenchen’s friends. She lives right near to the house in which Tante Lenchen lived for so many years, and we looked at this place, too.

In the evening, we went for our supper to the Tonhalle, where we listened to a fine concert. This building was erected in 1895 and has an immense dome which Tante Lenchen’s husband, Prof. W. Ritter, had to examine and pass on. He was president and professor of the renowned Polytechnicum, which we are going to visit upon our return.

Alps and quay with Music Hall and Red Castle.

Zurich
Polytechnic Institute