Discovering Winterthur's industrial heritage at a nail factory

See also this link: http://www.inbahn.ch/Schaubetrieb-Nagelfabrik.46.0.html

Friday 29 July 2016 was the date set aside for a summer event by ZIWA's Discovering Zurich and Switzerland group. Winterthur is well known for its industrial heritage, as ZIWA members know well from previous visits to the town, but today's trip was slightly more quirky than before. Twelve ladies took the train one step beyond to Winterthur Grueze where we were met by our guide for the morning, industrial archaeologist Dr. Hans-Peter Baertschi, who led us back in time to 1895. Behind the factory door, we were surprised to uncover an active workshop with the original machinery for making nails still in working order.



The northern town's industry dates back to the 19th century and before, when grain, rope, nails and textiles were processed or manufactured. Out of these raw materials, the production of clothing and the machinery to run the mills also evolved. It turned out the manufacture of machinery was more profitable, and hence Switzerland's first machine factory producing steam and diesel engines was located here. In the first half of the 19th century, there were seven railway lines providing transport in the north of the country from Lac Leman to the Bodensee. However, the railway company went bankrupt in 1877, and the town switched over to producing consumer goods and farm produce. The late 20th century saw the decline of the last major Swiss brewery, Haldengut, which was taken over by Heineken ten years ago. So Winterthur's industrial heritage has now all but vanished.


However, at the show workshop in Grueze, thanks to Dr Baertschi, a working nail factory has been lovingly maintained and is run as a family business which employs ten people, two of them women. At the old plant using the original machinery, we saw nails, screws and staples being made. These high quality products are sold to a specialist market and are also used in the production of window fasteners and in railway sleepers and telegraph poles. The raw material comes from the Saar region of Germany, but the end product is sold to the hobby market, using its own on-site packaging materials. On our tour, we saw a machine stamping out the nail heads, wire being transformed into small nails, and other old machinery including  an anvil and smithy. At the factory museum, there was a display of Winterthur's historic products as well as books and postcards on display.


After this step back in time, the group returned to the modern town centre for lunch before the return journey. Thanks to Rowena Woollard for finding this hidden gem.

Julia Newton, 31 July 2016.

Visit to the United Nations in Geneva

See also this link: http://www.unog.ch/

Waiting to start our UN tour

Yesterday, Tuesday 22 March, was World Water day, and also the day that the ZIWA Swinging Sixties group visited the UN offices in Geneva. We numbered over 40 ladies in our reserved seats on the 8.03 train from Zurich, and several others joined us at our destination. Experienced chairlady Vreni Riedler once again managed this feat of organisation. The ladies enjoyed the chance to catch up with friends old and new on the train journey.

The flags of the member nations

In Geneva we took a bus to Appia and walked along from there to the UN HQ buildings. Security was in operation and we went through airport-style X-ray checks for ourselves and our bags. At the same time, we were getting word of the terrible terrorist attacks in Brussels, which was very sad. However, once inside the UN building, we were greeted by three guides, and Vreni took charge over the division into two English-speaking and one German-speaking groups. The three groups took slightly different routes through the Palais des Nations and heard different comments.


The UN Organisation

Our ZIWA ladies of several nations

Our guide, Ji, took us upstairs to inspect the board listing all the organisational components of the UN.  We learnt that the General Assembly meets on the second Tuesday in September when each member is allowed to speak for 15 minutes. The UN currently comprises 193 full voting members of the General Assembly and two observers: the state of Palestine is hoping to join, and the Vatican City wishes merely to watch. We saw an image of the 195 flags. The GA votes on topics such as security and the budget, and a two thirds majority is required. The Security Council has five permanent and ten elected members for each two-year term.  They are responsible for peace-keeping missions in the event of conflict - surely an ongoing requirement. Currently the Secretary General is Ban Ki-moon, who is due to step down shortly, and he was preceded by Kofi Annan, who also stood for a nine year term.

Room XX, the Hall of Human Rights

Other branches of the UN organisation include the Secretariat, the Trusteeship Council and the Economic and Social Council. The International Court of Justice is located in the Hague. The UN functions in six languages - English, Chinese, Spanish, Russian, French and Arabic, but the day-to-day working languages in Geneva are English and French.

See more about the organisation structure at this link: http://www.un.org/en/about-un/index.html.

The UN family also includes special agencies such as the International Labor Organisation, the Food and Agriculture Organisation, UNESCO, Unicef, the World Health Organisation, the World Bank and several others who all have their own budget. UN offices are located in New York, Geneva, Nairobi and Vienna.

The Hall of Human Rights and the exhibition hall

Our Chinese guide Ji led us over the bridge from new to old

After the introduction to the UN organisation, we looked into the Hall of Human Rights and Alliance of Civilizations Room where informal conversations were taking place. All formal meetings here are filmed live. It is possible to take a seat in a meeting by reserving in advance.

The art exhibition was impressive

Then we crossed from the new building, over a bridge with views of the grounds, to a large marbled hall known as The Hall of Lost Footsteps. This imposing room featured an exhibition of art works submitted by the member nations. On World Water Day we saw huge paintings, quilts and collages relating to water and other subjects. The old part of the building was founded in 1946 when there were 51 member states. There is a ceiling sculpture by the Spanish artists Miquel Barcelo and was a gift from the Spanish nation.


Room 18 Conference Room

Our third stop was to view a conference centre from the balcony behind a glass screen. We heard something about the organisation of meetings held in Geneva in several small conference rooms with a similar layout. When conferences between warring nations take place, it can be difficult to arrange the seating. In the past, Geneva has hosted meetings of the Afghanistan peace talks, El Salvador, Egypt and former Yugoslavia, as well as meetings involving Iran and Iraq, India and Pakistan and North and South Korea, for example. The member states sit in the front rows and behind them may sit their guests. Geneva employs many translators, some of whom work for the member states and some for the UN itself.

A view into the conference room

The UN budget is based on Gross National Product of its members. The US is the largest with 22 percent of the contribution, while the smallest member pays 0.004 percent. Special projects also have an ad hoc budget allocation. We noticed that the UN building is still relatively low-tech compared to modern high-tech companies.

Cafe de Paris Chez Boubiez
See this link: Chez Boubier

After the three stops on our tour, we met the other groups in the foyer, and after a brief visit to the gift shop, we took the bus 8 back to Cornavin station. From there it was a few steps to the well-known and traditional Cafe de Paris Chez Boubier. We managed to squeeze in all 48 ZIWA ladies for a lunch of the signature, and only, dish of entrecôte of beef accompanied by a sizzling butter sauce, along with French fries and a green salad. By now we were all very thirsty and starving after our busy morning. Thanks again to Vreni for putting it all together.

Julia Newton, 23 March 2016

Wine discovery - Spanish wines

Vinothek Ugarte http://www.vinothek-ugarte.ch/

Another pleasant afternoon with the ZIWA Wine Discovery group and this time a first for many to learn about Spanish wines. Vinothek Ugarte is an old friend of ZIWA's and today they hosted a group of 11 wine lovers in their newly renovated wine shop in Zurich Wollishofen, just a short walk away from the station. Usam Ugarte and Belen Largo, the co-managers, made us feel very welcome. We sat at a table prepared for tasting six Spanish wines - one cava, one white and four red wines - and got ready to make notes. Usam poured out generous tasting samples and Belen explained their origins and methods of production in some detail. We were also tempted by tapas selections.

Wine number 1: Extremarium Brut Reserva, DO Cava, Penedes. Belen explained that Cava (Spanish for cave) is made in the traditional champagne method with a second fermentation. The four grape types used were Xarello, Parallada, Macabeo and Chardonnay. First the wine is fermented in a cave, and then bottled. The bottles are stored vertically on the stopper and turned, allowing the sediment to drop to the bottom. Then it is frozen allowing the stopper and sediment to be removed, before adding the final cork. It is left two years to mature. In a genuine Cava, the bubbles rise from the bottom of the glass. This cava tasted of its mineral origins in a wine area in the north-east of Spain and everyone thought it was delicious.

Wine number 2: Terra Prima White 2014, DO Penedes. This wine comes from a small winery near the sea and the vines are grown on old mining soil. It contains grape types Xarello and Riesling. It is a young wine from a dry, mineral area of northern Spain  and tasted well rounded.

Wine number 3: Piedra Lagar 2013, DO Ribera del Duero. This wine is made from the tempranillo grape. We learnt how to aerate it in the glass by swirling the wine around and waiting a while. The climate in 2013 was unusually irregular which affected the grape production. We heard that there was quantity rather than quality in the grapes that year; this is a young wine for everyday drinking. It was light and pleasant with little tannin.

Wine number 4: Pasas November harvest 2013. DO Jumilla. Our second red was manufactured from the Monastrell grape, also known as Mourvedre, from a late harvest which gave it a certain sweetness. A good market has been developed in the Jumilla region, using 30 year old vines. This wine had six months in oak barrels, and has a 14 percent alcohol content. It should be drunk soon. It was my personal favourite and we ordered a case!

Wine number 5: Syrah Val d'Alferche 2012, DO Somontano. This wine was based on 100 percent Syrah grapes and had its distinctive flavour - full, heavy, dark with a taste of licorice. It was aged in oak in an area of Spain just under the Pyrenees. This wine will keep well up to five years.

Wine number 6: Caliza Marques de Grinon 2010, DO Dominio de Valdepusa. This heavy dark wine  was made in a small region in Toledo, central Spain. It contains grape types Shiraz and Petit Verdot. It tasted strong and dry and would be good with food. The wine could be kept until 2020 and will age well.

After this fascinating lesson in wine production and Spanish wine styles, we learnt the very reasonable prices of each one. Ugarte also stocks other wines from Germany, Austria and Portugal for example as well as spirits and liqueurs such as Pisco, and sherry. It is well worth calling in to see their range of products, and the wines will be delivered promptly. So don't wait! Visit their shop or website now. See link above.

 Julia Newton, 18 March 2016.

Wine discovery - Asian Food and Suggested Wines

http://www.janefinefood.com/en/

ZIWA's Wine Discovery group always offers pleasurable experiences. And yesterday's visit to old friend Jane's Fine Foods was very popular. Fourteen group members, including one husband, had the chance to sample six freshly-cooked fusion dishes and try a wine suggestion to complement the spicy food. Many people pair spicy food with beer, but a carefully chosen wine could bring out the flavour of both food and wine.

Coconut milk potato gratin and Riesling

The white wine was a sharp, citrussy dry Riesling from Langenlonsheim in the Nahe/Rhine Valley area of Germany. The Tesch 2013 wine would be  suitable as an apero wine on its own, but the spicy potato gratin dish with green curry paste enhanced it even more. Jane mentioned that the potato dish was one of her favourites and could also accompany meat or seafood dishes.

Here's the link to the Tesch website: http://www.weingut-tesch.de/

Peanut satay sauce with Pine Ridge Viognier/Chenin Blanc

The satay sauce was made by heating peanut butter and coconut milk, diluted with water if necessary, with red curry paste flavoured with garlic, chilli and ginger. It was served with vegetable crudites. The Californian white wine was a 2013 blend of Viognier and Chenin Blanc grape types from Pine Ridge vineyards and would be just as good drunk on its own. It had complex notes reflecting the grape types and the mineral soil of the terroir.

Here's the link to the Pine Ridge website: http://www.pineridgevineyards.com/

Grilled prawns with Zweifel Spätlese 

The frozen prawns had been defrosted and marinaded for half an hour in a chilli and garlic marinade with cumin. Jane grilled the prawns in a herby rapeseed oil and then served immediately. Complementing the seafood was a Zurichsee Spätlese 2013 white wine, Vidal Blanc. It had a rather sweet taste.

Here's the Zweifel Hürlimann wine shop link: http://www.zweifelweine.ch/thewineshop_aktuell.cfm
Zweifel is a great source of many wines.

Crab salad with Fusion Gewürztraminer

The crab was obtained frozen, and was served in small portions on a green salad, and tasted spicy and slightly salty. It could also be served with sushi ginger. The dressing was made from rice vinegar, soy sauce, lime and lemon juice and palm sugar. The accompanying wine this time was a Viognier/ Gewürztraminer blend from Fusion wines in California.

You can see the wine at this link: https://www.vivino.com/wineries/us-fusion/wines/viognier-gewrztraminer-9999

Coconut milk soup with Sebastiani Rose

Jane uses this soup mix as the basis for many dishes. It was flavoured with lemongrass, shallot, red curry paste and based on coconut milk from a tetrapack. A rose wine from Sebastiani in California this time went well and gave a kick.

See more about the wine here: http://www.sebastiani.com/

Beef teriyaki and Conundrum red wine

Jane buys her beef fillet from a butcher who supplies quality Australian meat. It was chopped into thin slices and marinaded in Thai sweet chilli sauce with soy and ginger, before frying. Salt should only be added at the last minute. The beef demanded a red wine, another Californian blend, the Conundrum 2012, which was served cool.

Here's the Conundrum website: http://www.conundrumwines.com/

Thanks to Jane for sharing her kitchen, her food and her expertise. A great sharing experience. Cheers!

Julia Newton, 15 October 2015.

Discovering the underground world of Sasso San Gottardo

http://www.sasso-sangottardo.ch/en/

Last Tuesday, 8 September a group of 14 ZIWA Discoverers set off on one of the most unexpected discoveries yet: a journey inside the Alps into a secret underground world which until recently was unavailable to members of the public. We visited the fortress of Sasso San Gottardo, a warren of tunnels and rooms built to provide wartime security in case of attack. Rowena Woollard was the instigator of this fascinating journey.

The day trip started in Zurich with the train to Arth Goldau via Zug, where some on the group members joined the tour. On the connecting train from Arth-Goldau to Airolo via the Gotthard rail tunnel, we had to fight for our seats with three other groups in our reserved carriage. But all was well and we arrived in time to catch the post bus to the Gottard- Passhöhe, at an altitude of 2091 metres. Overnight the temperature had caused the museum toilets to freeze, so we were relieved to find a cosy cafeteria inside the bleak mountains. Our guide Marina was happy to serve us coffee and gipfeli while we waited to use the single convenience!

A mountain retreat

Then we were kitted out and ready to take the 500 metre walk through a damp, cold tunnel into the heart of the fortress, known as the Swiss Redoubt. Snug fleeces were the order of the day. At the end of this tunnel we climbed aboard a tiny train to lift us up to the accommodation level where 480 soldiers could be housed. But why bring anyone into this dark, secret world? General Guisan, Switzerland’s wartime army commander, wanted to build not one but 67 such fortresses to provide a safe retreat from the Italian and German forces surrounding the country. The topography of this particular location was suitable strategically and was well protected. But workers were hard to find and keep, and the project took from 1941 to 1945 to complete, by which time the war was over.

Inside the fortress

We saw the Firing Control Centre where calculations were made to determine the angle and range of the projected cannon fire. Four artillery guns were directed through the rock at two angles towards Italy. The soldiers would be shooting blind from within so the calculations had to be accurate. Observers on the outside were in contact by telephone.

We saw a movie, ‘Sasso da Pigna’, about the construction of this twilight world. When Germany invaded Belgium and Holland in 1940, and then France capitulated, Switzerland felt extremely vulnerable. The Alpine passes had to be maintained to allow transport of needed coal and arms. In July 1940, Guisan decided on the redoubt plan which was announced at Rütli in August 1940. He started to build three fortresses inside the Gotthard. The one we visited was facing towards the San Giacomo Pass on the Italian side. The work took four years to complete and cost CHF 900 million.

Still a well-kept secret

In 1944, the threat receded, troops were sent to guard the borders and no more building was done after 1946. During the Cold War, the redoubt became out-dated, but the myth persisted. The underground warren containing dormitories, showers and officer quarters, was used by soldiers on training exercises. On a balcony outside, we could see the cannons poking through the blind rock face. We also saw a small museum with artefacts saved from the war years, including unusual mementoes of General Guisan, the Swiss wartime hero. We also saw the secret plans, which a traitor copied and was later shot.

Lunch in another surprising tunnel!

After viewing more of the warren of tunnels in the fortress, we saw an exhibition of huge, clear crystals brought up from the mining. Then we emerged into daylight briefly to descend to an adjacent tunnel into our lunch venue at La Claustra, a unique hotel complex underground.

Fourteen lucky ZIWA ladies enjoyed an apero and four-course lunch in Ristorante Tremola, delivered to us by our genial host, Rainer Geissmann. Afterwards he very kindly deliver us one by one to the bus stop in his sports car; just in time for the descent via Andermatt to Göschenen and hence Zurich. Unfortunately the SBB service that afternoon was compromised by a broken down train outside Bellizona so the return journey took rather longer than anticipated. However it didn't detract in any way from the fabulous experience.

You can discover more about La Claustra, which is also a hotel, on Facebook.

Julia Newton. 12 September 2015

ZIWA Kunsthaus event - July 2015

Europe – The Future of History is the title of a new exhibition at Zurich’s Kunsthaus. Curator Catherine Hug asks, ‘What image represents Europe today?’ She has drawn together an eclectic collection of visual and digital images from the 20^th and 21^st centuries. On Wednesday, 8 July 2015, ZIWA members had the privilege of a guided tour of some of the 100 art works in the main first floor exhibition gallery. Catherine and her colleague Anna Bähler took us round the show in two groups of 20. It certainly helped our understanding to discover how this collection was selected and what it signified.

The exhibits ranged from Valloton’s The Rape of Europa (1908), a mythological painting in oil on canvas, to an installation of pallets which turned out to be made from polyurethane and not wood. We could enjoy viewing a collection by Dani Gal of record sleeves of famous speeches on vinyl and a series of portrait photos of famous people who have visited Café Odeon in Zurich’s Limmatquai.  A living artist from Geneva had painted a Histoire de Bretagne on the gallery wall while a collection of Breton faience signified the importance of tradition. The Austrian artist Herbert Brandl had created a montage of web images as the basis of his artwork showing the protection of the landscape, while Italian artist Boetti had created a world map in embroidery from a Euro-centric viewpoint.

The reunification of Germany and the destruction of the Berlin Wall were poignant images evoked by a German artist, and another series of painting depicted intimate views of different living spaces. Max Ernst, the German Surrealist, had fashioned another view entitled Europe after the Rain (1933), while another satirical German, Otto Dix, depicted a view of Switzerland from the German side of the Bodensee. There was even a chance to discover the different versions of blue fabric which are used to create the flag of the European Union.

After the one-hour tour which posed many questions about what Europe signifies to us, the ZIWA group convened on the restaurant terrace for an apero arranged by new Events Director Sarah da Ponte. The two guides joined us to answer more of our questions. This exhibition would repay a second visit in order to experience the full selection of art works while perhaps allowing one to speculate on what we would have chosen.

You can read more about this special exhibition at this link: http://www.kunsthaus.ch/en/exhibitions/

ZIWA is an international group comprising many European and international members with diverse mother tongues and home countries. What would your enduring image of modern Europe be?

Julia Newton, 22 July 2015.

Discovering Neuchatel

On Thursday 11 June 2015, 15 members of ZIWA's Discovering Zurich and Switzerland group visited this charming town in the French part of Switzerland. After meeting at Zurich's main station we found our reserved seats on the train to Biel. Anne-Marie, our chairlady, had taken care of all the details for us. From Biel, we took a local train to Neuchatel, a city on the shores of the lake of the same name. Lake Neuchatel is the largest lake completely within Switzerland, we learnt from our guide, Veronique, who met us at the train station. She led us up and down on a fascinating walking tour, culminating in lunch in the market square. Always a great way to end a ZIWA tour!

First we walked down steps to the newer part of the town and learnt about the 18th and 19 century architecture. Many fine buildings had been built in the local yellow sandstone, which French writer Dumas described as being carved out of butter. Maximilian de Moreau and Alexandre du Peyrou were responsible for two of the private houses with nicely laid-out gardens. We noted that the original lakeside receded due to water management in the Rhine, and a harbour was not built until 1840.

We were then able to visit inside the city hall, which was undergoing renovation. This building owes its existence to David de Purry (or Pury) who came from a wealthy family and also founded a poorhouse and hospital. We saw a fascinating model of the city as it was at the end of the 18th century. After this, we again ascended up steps and a steep road to the castle and collegiate church. The latter was built in the 12th and 13th century but were unable to see inside due to a prior booking by a bank! We saw the castle from outside and discovered it has been restored in the 15th and 16th centuries after a fire. Inside the Council Hall we noted the shields of the founding families of the city.

Neuchatel was originally owned by the French from Burgundy and later by the Orleans-Longueville family.  It then became the property of the King of Prussia after 1707.  It joined the Swiss confederation in 1815 during the time of Napoleon, but eventually the canton became independent in 1848. Nowadays it is a watch and clock research centre and is in the centre of a wine area.

After this comprehensive tour from our very knowledgeable guide, we descended to the market place and saw the Thursday market in full swing. We had a lovely lunch on the terrace of Le Marche before taking the train back to Zurich. Many of the group however decided to take a slow boat back to Biel to prolong the pleasure of another ZIWA Discovering trip on a sunny June day.