Zurich in Switzerland

I had been to Zurich in 1993 to visit the laboratory of Prof Markus Sigrist at the ETH. The trip from Firenze to Zurich by train enabled me to see the countryside in all its beauty. Here is an aerial view of how the lakes, mountains and the snow clad Alps would look like.

My interest was mainly to see the Photoacoustic Spectroscopy (PAS) facility at ETH. They have developed a field PAS system for monitoring atmospheric pollutants such as NOx, ammonia, methane, etc.,  based on CO/CO2 lasers. The picture below shows us beside the trailer that houses the field instrument.

And the inside of the trailer is not so simple as it looks from outside - the picture depicts the CO laser and the PAS detection system.

I also visited the National Historical Museum of Switzerland in Zurich. The picture below shows an elegant room heating place made of ceramic during the early days in Switzerland.

I was also impressed by the looks of the pharmacy during the medieval days. See how it was organized in the picture below.

One can enjoy a stroll through the narrow winding streets of the old town and discover Zurich from its most romantic side... and also hear some very interesting and amusing stories of national and international personalities.  A view of the old town is depicted below.

From the Old Town, one can walk down to the commercial center and the bank streets to the lake, view the Chagall windows at Fraumunster Church or one of the historical guild houses on the bank of River Limmat and the university district.

Before leaving Markus Sigrist invited me to his home for dinner and the picture below was taken there. What impressed me most was the rare pet of his son (seen sitting next to me in the picture below) -  a snake kept in special cage in their living room! and the cleanliness of the city and the environs. 

Just before leaving I noticed the semblance, minus the subway, of the Zurich Bahnhof with our own Trivandrum Railway station in Kerala.

The train journey is attractive for many things - it gives an opportunity to meet people. The baby of a couple sitting next me got very friendly and came to me and the picture below shows us enjoying one another's company.