ZIWA Off the Wall visit to CERN

http://home.web.cern.ch/about

http://home.web.cern.ch/about/accelerators/large-hadron-collider

Switzerland is home to one of the most exciting scientific establishments in the world, and on Friday 16 August 2013, twenty-nine ladies and one husband, members of ZIWA’s Off the Wall group, made this destination another voyage of discovery for the Zürich-based group. Travelling by first class train for the three-hour journey to Geneva, the ladies discussed their expectations and previous knowledge – more excitement than scientific expertise. This was soon to change on our arrival by tram at the CERN HQ in Meyrin outside Geneva.

Scientific background

What we were about to discover

CERN's worldwide users

First we were treated to an illuminating introduction from experimental physicist Marc Goulette, who gave a PowerPoint presentation of the history and function of the establishment. CERN, or the Conseil Europeen pour la Recherche Nucleaire, was founded in 1954, has currently 20 member states and comprises a multi-site international laboratory for experiments in particle physics. The headquarters is located near the French border in Switzerland, and the tunnel occupied by the Large Hadron Collider lies almost 100 metres underground and extends over 140 km. There are over 11,000 scientists and engineers working at CERN, which is financed and used by 110 countries. Its budget is CHF1.2 billion per annum, the equivalent of one cup of coffee per person, according to Marc.

The purpose of the research is to understand the nature of matter and the origins of the universe. Scientists collaborate in the analysis of data gathered during the process of particle collision. As well as PhD students, the centre hosts scientists from universities, hospitals, engineering and industry who all have a stake in the institution. The first particle collider, the LEP, was built in 1989 and by 1995 was able to uncover more understanding of anti-matter. Construction of the current Large Hadron Collider system began in 1999. The most recent experiment, the PS201, was set up in 2008 when the LHC started operating. In July 2012, the Higgs Boson particle, postulated 49 years earlier, was detected, and its properties have since then been examined. This particle is believed to have originated just after the universe was created with the Big Bang.

A major discovery in July 2012 - the Higgs Boson

The Large Hadron Collider is the world’s largest particle accelerator and consists of a 27 kilometre tunnel with a ring of superconducting magnets which focus the particle beam as it whizzes round the tunnel. Particle collisions are created in 4 different locations deep under the ground in Switzerland and France. The collisions cause different particles to be released, and the surrounding detector tubes enable different types of particle to be sensed and analysed. Such particles include quarks, leptons, bosons, gluons, muons and fermions. There are a number of projects taking place at the moment, but the collider is not in operation today while it is being updated, and the data collected over the past years is now being analysed.

Into the underground realm of the LHC

Over the border

After this quick introduction to this complex topic, we were taken by bus over the border into France, to see the Large Hadron Collider. At the centre at Cessy, we split into three groups to learn about the geography and physics of the different installations. We first saw a life-size image of a cross-section of the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) which focusses the proton beams. The huge magnetic tube is located 90 metres below the earth in hard rock, and operates at a temperature of -269 degrees C, close to absolute zero. The solenoid consists of different layers which detect different types of particle by means of magnetic superconductors and leaded silicon crystals. At the push of a button, the source protons or lead ions start to fly round the ring in opposite directions. Collisions are induced at four different spots under the ground over periods of 15 hours, and the detectors run constantly. The scientists then try to recreate the pattern of interactions in order to understand the phenomena taking place.

The cross-section of the solenoid

100 metres underground

Each section detects different phenomena

After waiting patiently for our turn, we passed through the airlock door and took the lift down to the rocky interior. As the LHC was not in operation, we were able to see more of its cross-section. Engineers used bicycles to travel along the tunnel during construction, and a mountaineer is employed to fix faults on the huge surface of the solenoid. But any small faults inside the collider cannot be fixed. If a small electrical fire should break out, the charge is directed safely to the earth’s surface, and a quench system operates in case of a major incident – thankfully very rare.

After this fascinating glimpse into the realm of state-of-the-art nuclear physics deep in the French and Swiss countryside, we retraced our steps back to base and returned by tram and train to Zürich. Thanks to Katrin Gygax and to the CERN scientists and guides for making this unforgettable day possible.

Julia Newton. 19 August 2013.

Restaurant of the Month - July 2013

Wirtschaft Neumarkt, Neumarkt 5, 8001 Zurich.

http://wirtschaft-neumarkt.ch/

Zurich Summer 2013 has been exceptional after such a long, hard winter. So the ZIWA Dining Around the World group plans to take every opportunity to eat outdoors. This time we chose a small restaurant in the Altstadt with a surprisingly large terrace at the rear. Our table for 12 was under a shady pergola at the back. It was an occasion for relaxing, chatting and enjoying the food.

There was a good choice of menus at lunchtime last Tuesday - classic Swiss dishes with good local ingredients. We could opt for the menu of the day or a selection of seasonal summer dishes. To start, most people went for the fennel salad but you could also choose a delicious cauliflower soup with plenty of fresh bread. The main courses included cod on a bed of beans, tomato sauce and chunky vegetables, chicken with rosemary butter, polenta and ratatouille, shrimp risotto with cherry tomatoes, pork cutlet with spaetzli, or the pasta of the week. The lunch menus cost from CHF 28 to CHF 35 including soup or salad. Drinks and coffee were extra, as usual.

This restaurant is a popular choice when the terrace is open, and all the tables were full this week. Inside, there is limited space so it's best to book. The restaurant is next door to the Theater Neumark and is popular with theatre goers, but you need to book ahead. Dinner is still reasonably priced at under CHF 40. There is an interesting choice of Swiss wines on the wine list, and the food is supplied locally where possible.

So for a quiet venue in the back of the old town (tram 3 to Neumarkt and then 3 minutes' walk) with outdoor seating in summer, give this restaurant a try!

Discovering Zug

The small lakeside town of Zug is a lovely place to visit at any time: it always exudes a holiday atmosphere. In summertime there are the added pleasures of enjoying a coffee or a cold drink in one of the open air cafes near the lake, taking a ride on a pedalo or enjoying lunch on a boat while cruising around the lake of Zug. On Thursday 25 July, the ZIWA Discovering Zurich and Switzerland group did just that. Except the pedaloes - we saved that watery pursuit for another day.

Exploring Zug

Fast trains to Zug run every half an hour from Zurich HB, Thalwil and Luzern. From Zug station it's a 10 minute walk to the lake, where to the right one can find the departure point for short and long cruises around the beautiful and peaceful Zugersee. Strolling left lakeside past the gardens and the twin swans sculpture, one reaches the main square, the Landsgemeindeplatz. From here the Lunch Boats depart, pedalo and motor boat hire can quickly be arranged, or one can sit on the terraces of cafes Domus or Muehle to enjoy a drink and take in the atmosphere. Beside the lake there are two large aviaries, home to scarlet ibis, avocet, golden pheasant and snowy owls.

Then a short stroll will take you around the Altstadt or old town streets of Fischmarkt, Ober-Altstadt and Unter-Altstadt. Here there are many small chic shops, art galleries and restaurants as well as the Fischerei Museum. This is the site of the plaque commemorating the floods of 1435 when 60 local people lost their lives. The bronze Greth Schell fountain is a curiosity - the old lady carries the devil on her back. Look out for the two-level shopping parade and the antique shop signs.

Above the old town in Kolinplatz stands the Zytturm or clock tower, and from the top there's a great view over the rooftops of Zug and the outlook towards the Zugersee, the hill which overshadows the town and is worth a climb on another occasion. A favourite restaurant is the Liguria, formerly known as the Hecht, with the sign of the pike. Its airy dining room offers a terrific view over the lake and the menu and service are something special. For a more traditional venue, you could also try the Restaurant Aklin or the Rathauskeller.

Treat yourself to lunch on board!

It's advisable to book ahead for this splendid lunch service. The lunch boats depart from the Landsgemeindeplatz on Wednesdays and Thursdays in the summer months. The service is particularly good and the choice of menus very reasonable. For the price of CHF33 with Halbtax, one can enjoy a two course lunch with a choice of two salads and five fish, meat or vegetarian dishes. For a couple of francs more there's also a Business Lunch menu with a similar number of options. Coffee and drinks are extra. The meal is quickly served, allowing time to gaze out onto the view of the banks of the Zugersee and the small towns of Buonas, Oberwil and Cham.

Markets and stores

The cherry season normally occurs in June and July, and we were just in time to sample the selection of large, juicy cherries at the Chriesimaert in the main square. The best cherries I've tasted all year! Nearby in the new town is a branch of department store Manor, a bookshop with a great selection of English books, and many other shops and stores. There's a large car park Neustadt by Coop which can be reached from the main road inwards from Zurich. Parking is also possible at Casino. 

Open air concerts

In summer there are open air concerts held in the main square, the Landsgemeindeplatz, every Wednesday evening. So find a table in one of the lakeside cafes and sit back and enjoy the atmosphere.

Try our quiz!

ZIWA Discoverers always keep their eyes open for curiosities and fascinating facts. Try our quiz! Fourteen people took part, and six completed the quiz correctly. The winning tie-breaker slogan 'I like discovering Zug because of ... its beautiful setting, nice old town, good restaurants' was suggested by regular group member Helga, who won a bottle of Kirsch.

How well do you know Zug? Answers are at the bottom.

1. What two famous mountains can you see in Zug on a good day?

2. What popular summer fruit can you buy at the Zuger Chriesimärt?

3. Which of the following boats might you see on the Zugersee (tick 1 or more)?

Rigi,   Zug,  Gotthard,  Schwyz 

4. What is the name of the hill which overlooks Zug? 

5. When did 60 people lose their lives in floods (look around in the Altstadt)?

6. Which of these places is not a stop on the Zug boat trips?

a) Buonas     b) Oberwil    c) Weggis

7. What is the name of the old woman in the fountain at Unter Altstadt?

8. What score was awarded to the Rathauskeller by the Guide Bleu?

9. When was Aklin the butcher’s founded?

a) 1862 b) 1892 c) 1856

10. What fish is the former name of the Restaurant Liguria?

Find out more

For more information about Zug and the boats on the lake, see these links:

http://www.zug-tourismus.ch/en/welcome.cfm

http://www.zugersee-schifffahrt.ch/en/home/

For a little piece of heaven in central Switzerland, hurry and make a trip to Zug. You won't regret it!

Quiz Answers:

1. Rigi, Pilatus. 2. Cherries. 3. Rigi, Zug, Schwyz. 4. Zugerberg. 5. 4 March 1435. 6. Weggis. 7. Greth Schell.8. 7.5. 9. 1862. 10. Hecht (Pike).

Written by Julia Newton, 31 July 2013.

Restaurant of the Month - June 2013

Bodega Espanola - Muenstergasse 15, 8001 Zurich
044 251 23 10 (no website)

This well-established Spanish restaurant in Zurich's Niederdorf area offers traditional Spanish food on two levels. The ZIWA Dining Around the World lunch group opted for the spacious first floor restaurant where 18 of us gathered round a long table to try dishes from the lunch menu suggestions or the a la carte list. We were offered a choice of two types of gazpacho, traditional or gazpacho blanco, a parrillada de pescado or fried fish platter with or without seafood, the zarzuela or seafood stew served in a large dish at our table, and a range of beef, pork and vegetarian dishes. We were not disappointed!

The food was freshly cooked, hot, and quickly served as long as we stuck to the set dishes, and we had the full attention of our waiter. To accompany our meal there was a good selection of Spanish house wines including a delicious white Rioja or a red Priorat. Price for a two course meal with wine at lunchtime was quite expensive at over CHF70, but there were cheaper options.

We could also have tried the tortilla omelette, ordered a paella for two or chosen a meat dish.


Downstairs there is a tapas bar where they sometimes have live music in the evenings. There is also some outdoor seating for those pleasant sunny days and evenings. The restaurant is over 100 years old and also boasts its own wine cellar across the road, which is worth a tour.

For traditional Spanish dishes in the heart of Zurich's old town, make a booking at Bodega Espanola.



Other Spanish restaurants in and around the Zurich area:
La Fuente in Rapperswil, offers a superb range of tapas. Eat outside when it's fine. See this report: http://juliasswitzerland.blogspot.ch/2012/09/restaurant-of-month-september-2012.html
Casa Aurelia in Langstrasse Zurich has a homely atmosphere and serves well-cooked traditional dishes. http://www.casaaurelio.ch/
The Urania bar in Uraniastrasse serves a good range of tapas, but they are not cheap.

Buen proveche!

Discovering Coal Mine in Horgen

Coal mining in Switzerland? Visit Horgen’s mining museum and take a thrilling train ride into the old mining tunnels!

http://www.bergwerk-kaepfnach.ch/indexphp

 Wednesday, 29 May, 2013

Switzerland’s power requirements today are provided jointly by nuclear power and hydroelectricity. But up until 1949 the old coal mining tunnels under the Zimmerberg in Horgen on the Zurichsee were still producing coal. Never afraid of new experiences, the ZIWA Discovering Zürich and Switzerland group made an afternoon visit to the Horgen Mining Museum to find out about the history of coal mining in Switzerland, enjoy a promotional film made in 1943, and finally take a hair-raising train ride through some of the original mining tunnels. Hard hats were the order of the day in the dark spaces underneath the hillside of Horgen Käpfnach. We learnt that there are 80 km. of tunnels in the former mine, one of which has been secured for use as part of the living museum, which features many artefacts from bygone days.

How mining started

A 16^th century chronicle mentions the prospect of coal under the Swiss earth, and in the 17^th century, mining attempts began. But the quality of the coal was poor, comprising lignite, a brown coal with a sulphurous smell. English miners were invited to advise the Swiss on how to manage their developing mining industry, and they recommended secondary industries such as iron and glass works, but the idea never really caught on here. Later, however, when the Hergiswil glassworks was cutting down all the trees to feed their furnaces, the Horgen mine authorities thought again. Industrialist J.S. Claiss from Winterthur advised on blasting the tunnels, and safety rules for miners were established. Accidents at a depth of 65m. were not unusual though. The miners’ first task was to excavate the tunnels and secure them with wooden pit props.

Wartime necessity

Coal production between 1784 and 1850 was small, but with the development of the railway in 1850, and the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian war in 1870 when borders were closed, Switzerland needed to become more self-sufficient. Hourly wages and clean coal bonuses for miners were established. Again during World War II, when the Swiss were afraid of being hit by German bombs, the need for local power sources was again a priority.  The Horgen mine was run by the Schokke family with a tough but benevolent hand. Electric drills, ventilation and underground railways made the mining process more efficient.  The film made in 1943 showed the conditions under which miners worked: they had eight- hour shifts six days a week, they worked in pairs, and 150-200 miners were employed at that time. Gunpowder was used to blast out the coal-bearing rocks, and the clean coal was carried out in trucks. No mine shafts were needed as the tunnels led directly into the hillside. However three fatal accidents were recorded at this time, and in 1947, the Horgen mine was closed.

Mining museum

In 1982, a Verein was set up in Käpfnach which led to the opening of a mining museum on the site. Our guide, Doris Scriven, told us many stories about the history of the mine, and we saw many artefacts such as miners’ carbide lamps and clothing and machinery from the old mine works. The highlight of the tour was an hour-long ride on a precarious train through the dark, low tunnels: hard hats were a must. We observed the drill holes where explosives were set, and there was even an art exhibition underground in one of Switzerland’s strangest galleries.

Thanks to Rowena Woollard who arranged the fascinating visit. Another Discovering first!

Julia Newton, 6 June 2013. Additional photos by Dawn Powling

Dining Around the World - May 2013

In May, due to conflicts with other ZIWA groups, we didn't meet on the last Tuesday. However, you might like to try one of these two small places for a business lunch for two or for dinner:

Shangri-La, Birmensdorferstrasse 297, 8003 Zurich

www.shangrila-tibet.ch

A small place a few tram stops away from central Zurich, where you can taste authentic Tibetan food. We reserved ahead and tried the momos, a sort of dumpling, filled with pork or vegetables on this occasion. The meal was accompanied by salads and vegetables. We had beer to accompany our meal. Service was very friendly. But they only served a small selection of dishes. It's a centre for the Tibetan community in Zurich with a good atmosphere. 

Saigon, Sihlstrasse 97, 8001, Zurich
www.saigon.ch

A very busy place. You can't book at lunchtime, just expect to wait and you will soon be seated. The restaurant offers a large selection of Vietnamese dishes with rice or noodles. The spring rolls and soup are also good. Service is quick, and you can also get Vietnamese and other Asian beers. Great atmosphere! They have another branch in Birmensdorferstrasse.

Restaurant of the Month - April 2013

Restaurant Samurai - Weststrasse 180, 8003 Zurich

http://www.samurai7.ch/samurai7/Samurai_I-ENG.html

For authentic Japanese cuisine in central Zurich, the Samurai restaurant in Weststrasse is a top choice. The food is fresh, the chefs and all the staff are Japanese and the service is prompt and attentive. And at lunchtime certainly you get good value for money with a choice of several different set meals priced at a reasonable CHF30. While the ZIWA Dining Around the World group met there this week, many singles and couples also dropped in, mostly having booked ahead. It's a popular venue.

We were able to choose from the sushi/sashimi meal, the tempura meal and various bento box combinations. The meal began with miso soup, followed quickly by a box or tray containing a tempting and delicious combination of dishes. Raw fish such as tuna, salmon, eel and kingfish, cooked prawns and chicken or pork were on offer as well as different selections of maki or sushi rolls. If a menu selection didn't suit you, there was also an extensive selection of individual portions to choose from. Accompaniments consisted of pickled ginger, soy sauce and wasabi paste, as well as steamed rice.


The food is prepared freshly on the premises by the two Japanese chefs, and the owner and waitresses are all Japanese too. You will also be given a choice of Japanese beers such as Kirin, wine or green tea to complement the meal. Service is quick and we didn't have to wait long to pay the bill either. Many people stop by for a quick business lunch but you can also linger for a chat in the pleasant modern surroundings. The restaurant has been doing so well, they have recently opened another branch in Kanzleistrasse.

The restaurant opens daily except on Saturday lunchtimes and Sundays. The a la carte menu is extensive if you want to try your favourite dishes or an unusual combination. And it's all beautifully served. There is plenty of choice for even the fussiest of diners. Why not book now?

New to Japanese cuisine? These descriptions might help:

Sushi Cooked rice topped with raw fish – tuna, salmon, eel, sea bream are popular. Eat dipped in soy sauce
Maki sushi Sushi rolls with various fillings wrapped in rice and nori (seaweed)
Sashimi Raw fish of high quality, served with wasabi and ginger and other condiments
Miso Soy bean paste, made into a soup
Tempura Deep fried vegetables, prawns, white fish cooked in a light batter and served with dipping sauce
Bento box A healthy meal served in a box or on a tray with compartments
Sukiyaki Beef sliced thinly and fried with a marinade of soy sauce and mirin
Teppenyaki  Food cooked on a griddle in front of the customer – meat, seafood or vegetables
Teriyaki  Food marinated in a sweet sauce and fried or baked, has a shiny appearance
Yakitori Chicken coated in a special sauce, cooked on a skewer, may be served as an appetiser
Sake Japanese fermented rice wine
Mirin Sweet rice wine used in cooking
Wasabi  Green paste made from very hot horseradish
Gari Japanese pickled ginger, served with sushi

Julia Newton, 2 May 2013