A visit with new friends

We had planned a side trip to Uznach and elected to take the train as the weather forecast was rather grim for the next several days.   We were delighted with our decision as the Swiss Rail system is one of the most pleasant and efficient in the world with fabulous scenery to view from the windows.

Our new friends,  Cecile and Ruedi,  met us at the train station.  That afternoon we took a walk through the town to their local stork colony.  The storks build massive nests; they require good weather but do not do well in the rain.

We were surprised to see that some of their nests looked very precarious.  There were more than 30 storks in the colony and several of the nests contained juveniles looking fearful but ready to fly. The storks migrate to west Africa or southern Spain during the winter and need dry weather to fly.









The next day,  we were treated to a wonderful time in Zurich, beginning with a visit to the airport!  Ruedi knew that we could view a new A380,  the world's largest airliner, from a vantage point near the runway,  a very awesome sight for all of us.

A delightful vegetarian buffet lunch was unique with an amazing variety of flavorful choices was very popular with the local population as well as with us!

The rainy afternoon  was spent at the Kunsthaus Museum enjoying the art by the Old Masters, Impressionists and the modern art,  too.

Monet's "Parliament" 

Rousseau 

 Giovanni Giacometti

Canaletto

 

The Miro Garden

The following morning we said farewell to Cecile and Ruedi and sincerely hope that they will visit us somewhere, sometime.   Their choices of things to show us were truly inspired and appreciated, different from the usual tourist options. 

At their suggestion,  we left the train for a few hours in St.  Gallen to see the famous Abbey Library at the Monastery in the center of the old town. There is a Greek inscription over the doorway to the beautiful baroque hall of the library which reads, 'Sanatorium for the Soul' and how true. 

The most important and interesting aspect of this Library for us is that over 400 of the 2100 ancient manuscripts date from before the year 1000. They can be viewed in cases and appear to be in immaculate condition,  as if those scribes had recently finished their hand-written works and intricate illustrations.   The Library ceiling and wooden furnishings created an atmosphere of harmony.   We were directed to wear comfy over slippers to protect the unique old wooden floors. 

The City Church of St.  Laurentius

We continued around the fascinating old town of St. Gallen, enjoying the ancient buildings and the attention to detail.   The roof tiles of the St.  Laurentius church formed an unusual pattern.  We hurried back to the station and continued on the train back to Sargans and our bicycle.