Switzerland 2024, part 6 (St. Gallen, Konstanz-GERMANY, Zurich)
After stepping out onto the street following the visit to the cathedral in St. Gallen, I was once again delighted to see the beautiful houses that adorn this part of the city.
In the old part of the city, there are several streets known for their picturesque charm and I decided to take a little stroll through them.
But I also decided to go to a café to have a coffee. What is particularly interesting (at least to me) in this case is that I did everything related to ordering, thanking and paying for the coffee in German. Oh, yes... I used to learn German and I knew it quite well, but years have passed since then, while I practically don’t use it at all, so my knowledge has faded away. On the other hand, I’m aware that I could relatively quickly get back to my former level of proficiency. If I wanted to and had the opportunity...
After this coffee and the pleasant reminder of the German language, I continued my walk. The streets that one should stroll through here are the following: Gallusstrasse, Schmiedgasse, Marktgasse and Spisergasse.
Right on Schmiedgasse Street is one of the famous buildings – At Pelican House – Haus zum Pelikan.
The building itself isn’t anything particularly special, but the bay window that adorns it is exceptionally beautiful. The building got its name from the figure of a pelican on top of the bay window, while according to the legend, the pelican feeds its young with its own blood, symbolically representing Christ, who sacrificed Himself for humanity. I have encountered this motif before and wrote about it in my travel stories from Poland (see: https://www.svudapodji.com/en/poland-4/).
However, I found the bay window with its rich decoration extremely attractive.
As I continued my walk, I passed by St. Lawrence Church, but I didn’t stop there. I was only interested in the buildings seen from the outside.
My conclusion in the end was very simple – the streets in the Old Town absolutely deserve a nice, leisurely walk where visitors can enjoy the old way of constructing and decorating buildings.
St. Gallen is also known for its textile industry and there is the Textile Museum, but I didn’t have time to visit it, nor was I particularly interested. Instead, I had a rather whimsical plan – I decided to go to Germany!
While I was planning this trip at home, it occurred to me that I might be able to "pop over" to Liechtenstein. Once, when I was a young traveller, I had the idea that I wanted to visit all the microstates in Europe. And I succeeded in that. Monaco, Andorra, the Vatican, San Marino, and Liechtenstein have long been included in my "collection."
I passed through Liechtenstein when I was travelling around Europe using an Interrail pass, but back then, I also had to take some local buses. I remember arriving in Vaduz, the capital of Liechtenstein, walking around a bit, and then continuing on. At that time, after a circular trip around Switzerland, I returned to Stuttgart via the town of Konstanz in Germany.
In that period, I was taking photos with a small camera and although I’ve always loved photography (a passion I inherited from my father, who even had a darkroom for developing black-and-white photos, using the bathroom in our apartment for it, which drove my mother crazy because the bathroom would always be left dirty with chemicals), I took far fewer pictures than I do today.
That’s how I managed to dig up some photos from that distant 1997, where you can see that I was indeed in Liechtenstein, in the capital city of Vaduz.
So, this time I thought I could take a short trip to Liechtenstein to refresh my memory, but I realised it would be too much trouble just because of my whimsy.
On the other hand, back in those days, I wanted to see Lake Constance, which can be easily done from Konstanz, but on that occasion, two local trains were delayed by 2 and 10 minutes, respectively, and I couldn’t switch to the next trains quickly and efficiently, so I arrived in Konstanz late, by which time it was already evening and completely dark. Now, I decided to fix that and at least see a little bit of Lake Constance.
So, according to my plans, after a very pleasant walk through St. Gallen, despite the sad fact that I didn’t get to see the famous library, I boarded a train that directly connects the city with Konstanz in Germany. The ride takes only about half an hour, which was great because the train was freezing.
The train first passed through snow-covered landscapes and then, in the distance, Lake Constance appeared. Soon, the tracks ran along properties and houses right on the shore of the lake.
When I arrived in Konstanz (or Constance), despite being in Germany now, there were no border formalities, I first went into a department store, not to look at any merchandise, but to warm up a little – it was so cold in that train.
Once that was settled, I started a leisurely walk through the old part of the town. It’s an interesting area because there are many cobblestone streets, as well as fascinating buildings, various structures and medieval squares. There are, of course, modern shops, but after warming up in the department store, I wasn’t interested in that anymore.
From one of the main squares with a fountain, but also with a Christmas tree (it was the second half of November), I started down the side, narrow streets towards the cathedral and further on towards the Rhine. The scenes were still picturesque.
That’s how I reached the cathedral (Münster), which was built from the 11th to the 17th century, but during my visit, it was covered in scaffolding.
The interior of the cathedral is very beautiful and harmoniously designed.
I must admit that I skipped seeing the most significant sculpture in the cathedral, the Holy Tomb, which is located in a chapel from the 13th century.
The main reason for my rush was that I was already hungry.
Even before leaving for the trip, I had decided what I wanted to eat while I was in Germany, and my plan was to "have lunch" during the walk and then sit somewhere for a beer. Specifically, I imagined eating grilled sausages in some kind of bun or bread.
Although they can be bought in Switzerland and many other countries, including Serbia, for me sausages somehow feel mostly associated with Germany. But "fate" had it that I didn’t see any stand selling sausages, despite walking around quite a bit. So, I continued toward the Rhine, which flows through Lake Constance and from the bridge visible in the next photo, it continues on as the famous river.
Thus I reached the shore of Lake Constance and I took a little walk there as well.
Lake Constance, or Bodensee, is actually an expansion of the Rhine River at the borders of Switzerland, Austria and Germany, and it consists of four parts. It is the third largest lake in Central Europe – 67 km long and nearly 13 km wide.
Although there are very beautiful landscapes around the lake, on this late and cold November afternoon, not much could be seen. Still, there were some people on the lake who were enjoying themselves, regardless of the weather and the time of year.
Walking along the lake, I came to a park on the shore where wooden huts were being set up for the Christmas market, but they weren’t open yet. If anything had started functioning, it was the stands selling mulled wine, which is clearly very popular in both Germany and Switzerland. Since I know quite well how to make mulled wine myself, I didn’t feel the need to buy it here.
This walk along the shore brought me to a spot where I could see two docks that enclose a large lake marina. At the end of one was a lighthouse, and at the end of the other was a statue that, as it turns out, rotates.
The smaller marina was empty now, but I could clearly see and photograph the building called Konzligebäude.
The Konzligebäude used to be a warehouse built at the end of the 14th century, but the building is much more famous for the ecumenical council (the Council of Constance) that was held here from 1414 to 1418. Prior to that, there had been a split in the (Catholic) Church and it was necessary to restore its unity. At the time, as many as three candidates claimed that they were the rightful ones to sit on the papal throne. In the end, Martin V was chosen as pope. Along the way, they judged and eventually burned at the stake the Czech preacher, thinker and ideologue of the Czech Reformation, Jan Hus (1369–1415). They were all good, godly men. At least, that’s what they said. At the end of the 20th century, the then Pope apologised for the burning of Jan Hus. Now we can forget about it, right?
But, to return to my story in Constance in November 2024; while walking along the shores of Lake Constance, I spotted and photographed a beautiful Eurasian coot (Fulica atra).
I also walked all the way to the end of the dock, where I found the rotating statue called Imperia.
But I must admit, I was still hungry. So, I sat down at a restaurant located within the Konzligebäude, outside, because I saw they had heaters (which, surprisingly, they don’t use in Switzerland – perhaps people are so used to the cold that they can sit outside even when the temperature is around freezing). Despite the heaters, I was still a little cold and only when my food arrived and I started eating did I finally manage to not feel frozen.
And the food was – outstanding! Since I hadn’t managed to find the stand with the grilled sausages in a nice, crispy bun that I had imagined, I decided I should eat something local. I had read that here in Konstanz, one should eat fish, but once again, fish didn’t appeal to me at all at this moment. On the one hand, I can easily eat freshwater fish at home, and on the other hand, it was cold enough that I physically felt the need for more calories. So, I chose something rather unusual for me – roast goose! The menu said it was the season for this dish, as if it were wild game, so that’s what I went with. I must admit, it was excellent – with crispy skin and juicy meat. I thought to myself that I had never made roast goose, but I’m not even sure I would be able to prepare it that well, plus it’s such a big bird.
After this wonderful late lunch, I took another stroll around the centre of Konstanz and then I went to the nearby train station in order to return directly to Zurich. I must admit, I really liked that in all the places I visited, the train stations are located right in the heart of the town or at the most 10-15 minutes’ walk away from the main attractions. This greatly facilitates sightseeing and overall organisation.
Upon returning to Zurich, I didn’t go straight to my room, although I was feeling sleepy. I guess the cold had somewhat drained me, so in the warm train, feeling relaxed and with my stomach calmly digesting the goose, I was yawning a great deal. That’s why I decided to take a little walk down the main shopping street in Zurich. I knew I wasn’t interested in shopping, but it was already decorated for the holidays, plus the shop windows were also adorned, so I thought a short walk might be pleasant. The room I rented during my stay in Zurich wasn’t far anyway.
Moreover, I was already returning to Belgrade the next day. Although my flight was in the afternoon, I knew I would have the whole morning for a little more sightseeing in Zurich, but I also enjoyed the chance to experience the "lights of the big city" that evening.
Along the way, I passed by stalls selling various goods and a little further, I came to Werdmühleplatz, a square where wooden stands were set up, offering mulled wine or cheese fondue.
However, what I found most interesting here was that I came across the "Singing Christmas Tree." On this square, a temporary "tree" was set up and from it different choirs from the region performed their holiday repertoire. That evening, a choir was performing gospel music and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I really love choral music of any kind.
Since it’s about music, an even better impression can be made if you take a moment to listen to one of the songs they performed.
I stayed here for almost an hour, absolutely enjoying myself. In the end, completely content, I was able to go to my room and get a good night’s sleep.
As I’ve mentioned before, the next day I was returning to Belgrade, but only in the afternoon, so I went out a little earlier to take a walk through Zurich’s Old Town. Actually, I first went to the pedestrian bridge that I had used most often these days to cross the Limmat River. On the one hand, its position suited me perfectly, and on the other, there was a very beautiful view of the river and the city from it.
I had to take a selfie as a “farewell” gift.
And then I returned to the Old Town and walked through the rather deserted streets.
I walked quite randomly and that’s how I ended up in a small square-park from where I could clearly see the roof of the tower called Grimmenturm. There was also a fountain, though it wasn’t very visible in the photo due to the greenery. Then I noticed a sign indicating that Lenin, the leader of the Russian October Revolution, had lived in that building from 1916 to 1917.
The street then widened into another small square, Spiegelgasse Platz, and there was another fountain – Napfbrunnen.
I descended to the riverbank and the Cathedral, then I had to return to my room to pack my things and return the keys. Through all of this, I didn’t need a city map at all and I really liked that.
Since I had a place to leave my small bag, I set out for another walk, this time heading to the shores of Lake Zurich, where I strolled along the promenade. The wind was blowing, making it feel even colder than it actually was.
Now, I headed for a Christmas market that was set up in front of the Opera House.
I didn’t have to wander for long and I finally found what I had been wanting in Konstanz – sausages!
They served them a bit impractically here, but the sausage was excellent! I was completely satisfied and the trip was now complete.
A little later I left Zurich Airport according to my flight schedule, plus I was seated on the right side of the plane, so I was able to take photos of the city, the lake, and the surrounding area from a higher altitude.
A couple of hours later, I was also able to capture my city, Belgrade, from the sky. Soon after, I arrived home.
But even after returning to Belgrade, Switzerland did not stop being present in my life. On the contrary, I started cooking and preparing various specialties that I had either tried during my travel or had only heard of. One of them was a carrot cake made in the form of a gateau. I was ready for this – I had bought special small marzipan carrots while in Zurich. The rest of the ingredients I already had at home, and the result was – excellent!
As it turned out, I already had a recipe for this cake that was several decades old. Finally, the time had come to make it.
RÜBLI CAKE
- 200 g ground hazelnuts
- 200 g ground almonds
- 3 crushed toasted pieces of bread
- 25 g flour
- 1 level teaspoon baking powder
- 8 eggs
- 300 g sugar
- 50 g powdered sugar
- 1 vanilla sugar
- a pinch of salt
- 2 level teaspoons cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons kirsch (I used plum brandy)
- 250 g finely grated carrot
- 200 g powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon kirsch
Combine the dry ingredients – hazelnuts, almonds, bread crumbs, flour and baking powder.
In a bowl, beat 8 egg whites firmly, adding 50 g of powdered sugar. Then, start whipping the egg yolks with 300 g of sugar until fluffy, and add vanilla sugar, salt, cinnamon, and 3 tablespoons of kirsch. Next, mix in the grated carrot, and then combine it with the dry ingredients. Finally, gently fold in the whipped egg whites.
Place the mixture in a round cake pan and bake at 175°C for one hour. Then, let the cake cool.
Whip 200 g of powdered sugar with lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of kirsch, and pour it over the cooled cake. Decorate with marzipan carrots.
Over time, I have realised that I love trying out various recipes related to the places I have visited. It’s easier to remember one's travels when you taste flavours that remind you of a destination you've already been to.