Swiss Chuchi

 

Location: Zurich, Switzerland
Address: Rosengasse 10, 8001
Date: April 2025
Website: hotel-adler.ch/en/swiss-chuchi-restaurant/

    Dishes of melted cheese have long been a Swiss tradition. Switzerland is famous for both fondue and raclette. When in Zurich, one of the best places to get your melted cheese is at Swiss Chuchi Restaurant.

 

    The restaurant is attached to Hotel Adler. On a balcony overlooking the outdoor restaurant seating, stands Heidi the cow. Heidi was part of a 1998 art project where hundreds of painted cows were placed around the city.

 

    Heidi has become quite famous in her own right. The restaurant has even chosen to feature her on their placemats. 

 

  The restaurant also had some interesting decor. The Swiss are known for their elaborate and accurate clocks. The little man is wearing a traditional cowherd outfit of the Swiss Alpabzug. This is the time when the dairy cows come down from the mountains. Then the cheese making can begin !

 

 

  Our fondue arrived in a hot pot. It was a mix of several cheeses with white wine,

cherry liquor and garlic. There was mushrooms mixed into the cheese by our request. We also had a plate of vegetables and bread to dip into this delicious concoction. 

 

   We dipped and dipped our long thin forks into our seemingly bottomless fondue. A little accordion player watched us from the ledge beside our table.

   After finishing all of our fondue we were very full and very content. We waved goodbye to Heidi and wandered out to explore the streets of Zurich. 

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Map of Our World

Swiss Chuchi Restaurant

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Post # 359

Swans of Jarvis Street

Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Address:  400 Jarvis Street
Date:  April 2026

  As you walk south down Jarvis Street in Toronto you may encounter some swans and some babies.  This is a work of art in four parts by Tom Dean called Desire. All the swans (and of course babies) are located on the west side of Jarvis between Maitland Street and Carlton Street.

  The first swan and baby are located outside of the Betty Oliphant Theatre. The swan has pointed its neck straight upwards and the baby is sort of twisted in a defensive pose. Swans can be quite aggressive and with their long necks they can reach out and give you a good peck.

  Outside of Canada's National Ballet School you will find another swan and baby pairing. The swan has fallen asleep on the bench and the baby is lying on the grass beside the bench.

   The baby seems unable to sleep as it is looking up and keeping an eye on the swan. The general theme we are sensing so far is that the swans don't care and the babies are a little concerned.

  In the garden behind the swan on the bench is yet another baby and another swan. In the photo above it might look like they are doing some stretches.

  This swan is in attack pose with its wings up and its head down. The baby is turning its back to the swan.

  One more building further south on Jarvis and we encountered the last baby and swan pairing. This time the swan has its wings low and its head turned as if to say to the baby that it has nothing to worry about. The general rule here is always to be careful around babies and swans, especially if walking down Jarvis Street.

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Map of Our World
Desire (Swans)

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Post # 358

Giant Canada Postage Stamps

Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Address:  675 Commissioners St.
Date:  March 2024

  Canada Post has a Delivery Centre at the corner of Commissioners Street and Leslie Street in Toronto. It has nine giant stamps along its Leslie Street wall.  The stamps all contain Canadian birds. Many birders pass this building each day on their way to Tommy Thompson Park. The park is known for the large variety of birds that visit. Let's take a look at these stamps and the featured birds.

 

   This stamp features the Canada goose. The photo at the top of this blog is of Canada geese at Tommy Thompson Park. Canada geese are easily found all over Toronto near almost any water source.

 

 

Loon babies like to ride on the backs of their parents. This giant stamp features a male loon with a pair of babies.

     The loon above was spotted in Tadoussac, Quebec. It didn't have any babies on its back.

         This stamp is of a raven. Ravens are about twice as big as crows and have more rough feathers on their neck.

 

        This raven followed us around as we hiked in Algonquin Park. Ravens are about as smart as a 7 year old child and can remember faces for years. Perhaps we had met this raven before ?

    Toronto loves blue jays. After all it is the name of their baseball team. This blue jay was part of a group in High Park.

    This blue jay stamp shows a flying jay. Probably sliding into home plate for the winning run.

     This stamp is of a chickadee. It looks like it is doing a dance with its wings.

  This chickadee was seen fluttering around in the bushes at Humber Bay Park East.

 The remaining stamps are all of different raptors. This stamp is of a gyrfalcon. 

   Gyrfalcons are usually found up in the arctic. We have never seen a wild one. This gyrfalcon was at the Toronto Zoo.

  The other raptor stamps are all of owls. This one is a great grey owl. It is North America's tallest owl from head to tip of the tail.

 This is another species that does not make it down to Toronto. We saw this one in the Assiniboine Zoo in Winnipeg. The great grey owl is the provincial bird of Manitoba.

This stamp is another great owl. This is the great horned owl.

High Park in Toronto is known for breeding pairs of this owl. We have still not encountered any. We have heard them calling in the night. This owl is called Butters and works for the Toronto Zoo outreach program.

This last owl stamp is of a snowy owl. While they live and breed in the Arctic they do come down to Toronto during what is called an irruption. This is when there is an increase in the owl population and they have to travel further to find new territory.

 This snowy owl was spotted in Tommy Thompson Park. If you want the chance to see amazing creatures like this then check out the park. On the way there stop to admire the illustrated stamps that they inspired.

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Map of Our World
Canada Post - Giant Postage Stamps

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Post # 357