28 November 2016. My last evening in Zürich

I love Timbo. He is wonderful and mad.

We have just had drinkies with Heidi in Café Felix. I love the way it is pronounced in German. It is a nice sound. Timbo had a gin and tonic. Apparently that is one of his favourite drinks. He chose not have much tonic. I think it must taste better like that. I had a sip, but I am not sure if I like it. Perhaps if I try again I might get used to it. Heidi is going to a concert and we said bye-bye for now.

I have not seen him look so happy as he is tonight. I think Heidi is an even bestester bestest friend than I realised.

Timbo asked me if I would mind something simple to eat. We have eaten some very nice posh nosh and I agree with Timbo, it is nice to change and get in practice for Venice where you can find nice and delicious Italian pasta and so on.

Timbo and I are now having dinner in a restaurant not far from Café Felix and our Hotel in Zürich called Spaghetti Factory. Timbo has managed to order our dinner using a bit of German, Italian, French, English and Spanish in the space of one sentence asking for a simple little bruschetta al pomodoro starter and a special spaghetti main course called, and you need to take in a big deep breath for this, spaghetti agli straccetti di polo, prosciutto crudo, olio di olivio e salvia, but Timbo has the magic power to say the first three words only and they understood him instantly. One day I hope I can have that magic power.

I have tried pasta at home with Timbo. It is really nice. He says the hardest thing of all is to cook it perfectly, to do it al dente, which is another way Italians say perfetto, according to Timbo, but he had a naughty look when he said that. Timbo says al dente is a special cooking word. It is not a magic word that makes the pasta cook well, but it is a very special magic to bite into. Apparently the spaghetti this evening is about 98% perfetto which is a strong magic. It is like nibbling something a little bouncy in the mouth.

Me and my plate of spaghetti agli straccetti and all the rest of it.

Timbo was drinking a glass of Chardonnay. He says he has not tasted this grape for sometime. I did not see him touch a grape but I expect this is another strange thing about humans or grown ups I will need to learn or understand.

If there is one thing I have learned about Timbo, it is he likes what he calls different things, but they all mean the same to him. Puddings, puds, afters, dessert (he also calls it déserts), sweets, dolci, postres, Nachspeisen. Whatever he calls it, it is the bit of a meal he really looks forward to. Tonight he is having something I have discovered in the short time I have known him is his favourite. Tiramisu. The two best he ever had he told me were first, one Xmas many years ago when one of Heidi's sisters made it for the very traditional special family celebration they had at her home. The second was very different and he ate it on New Year's Day in a very old place, Cafè Florian, in the Piazza San Marco in Venice. He said this is so light it must have been made by the angels. How did I know Timbo was so magical when I chose him back home in the E&O? Anyway, it seems this evening's pud was made by junior trainee angels, it is so light. I liked it. I am not sure I can wait to go to Florian.

I am lucky to have been to Zürich and to meet somebody else who is old (I am very young as my official birthday is 13 October 2016 so I guess most people are goign to be old), but not as old as Timbo, as apparently that is very difficult. I think it is alos very difficult for them to be as wonderful as he has been to me.

27 November 2016. Stein am Rhein and Zürich at night

Wow! What a big day it has been.

Timbo met up with his bestest friend Heidi for a special day out. There is a very special place they like to go to, called Stein am Rhein. The place is called Stein and as it is on the river Rhine that is why they call it in German "am Rhein", that means on the Rhine. Timbo is helping me understand German.

This is me outside Krippenwelt.

Timbo comes here a lot when he visits Heidi. In the little café he has coffee and she has tea and they usually have a bit of cake too. When I asked Timbo if all people eat cake he said they do. I will not eat cake as people get old and I think it has to be the cake that makes them old. Mind you, I think it looks really delicious. Well, perhaps I will get a little old if I only eat a little cake.

Now I think it is only right and proper to tell you humans you assume too much from us Bärlis. We work very, very, very hard to make you humans feel comfortable. Walking on our hind paws all the time we are with you is exhausting. We were meant to walk on all four paws most of the time. Walking on our hind paws all the time tires them and us. I had to take regular little rests.

Me resting by a Peruvian stream in Krippenwelt

I found this really lovely room in Krippenwelt

 

 

 

There are many Xmas Nativity Scenes and it is so hard to choose which ones to show you. I will give you just a few ideas with these photos I took on my camera. I hope it encourages you to go and visit this little museum. It is very special and very intimate.

Would you believe this is only about as big as Timbo's thumb?

This is one of Timbo's favourites. It is from Thailand.
He says it looks very Thai. I hope to travel there soon.

Bärli Satisfaction: Five Paws
Bärli Rest Comfort: Five Paws
After the excitement the humans went for a walk. Timbo carried me as the ground was cold and felt a little damp. I am glad he did as they went to a small island where there is a really small tiny, tiny, tiny chapel. It was dark inside but it felt a very special place to be.

After this we went back and had something to eat at a place called tibits where they serve vegetarian food. You choose what you want and put it on your plate. Then you take it to the counter and they weigh your meal and you pay according to the weight. Mine was yummy. I was too hungry to take a photograph. We all had the same drink. It was made from ginger and lemon and it was lovely.

Bärli Nosh Satisfaction: Five Paws

It was now time to say goodbye for the moment and we went back to the hotel. Timbo took me along the famous Bahnhofstrasse in Zürich and I saw their Xmas lights properly for the first time. It was like seeing thousands of stars in the sky. It was really beautiful.

I tried counting the stars in the Bahnhofstrasse.
I gave up. There were too many thousands of them.

Next Timbo took me along one of of his favourite streets in Zürich, called Rennweg. Here the stars were bigger but there are still too many to count.

The lights in Rennweg.
Can you see how big the stars are?

Bärli Xmas Lights Happiness: Five Paws

Bärli Xmas Lights Counting: Four Paws (marked down as there are too many thousands to count)