Monday, December 30, 2013

YEAR END HOLIDAY IN ZURICH, SWITZERLAND IS MAGICAL AND SUPER GLAM!

KEE@FSWMAG.COM
SWISS CHRISTMAS MARKETS RULE!

Christmas markets are a mostly Germanic and eastern European tradition and even the traditional Christmas tree was not a Dickensian invention but introduced into England by Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria. The German prince hankered for his childhood Christmas tree decorated by him and brother Prince Ernst and recreated one for his children in England.

In 1848 The London Illustrated News published pictures of the Royal Family in Windsor Castle next to their gaily decorated tree. The aristocracy and middle classes were enamoured and quickly emulated this new fangled custom. This was followed by the novel notion of gift giving to children and exchanging presents between adults.

Hence none is surprised when the world acclaimed Zurich Christmas market is dominated by the world’s biggest Swarovski Christmas tree towering over 16 metres.
Installed inside Zurich’s Main Railway Station, it glitters, glows and gleams with some 5,000 to 6,000 Swarovski crystal ornaments, depending on who you ask--- even the Zurich Tourist Board gives conflicting numbers but who is counting?

I could hardly see the tree for the decorations which are entirely in white and Swarovski wasted no time in flaunting their expertise. Showcases encircle the tree, filled with expensive and unique examples of works of art seemingly geared at the Chinese market---golden, coiling dragon, pair of leaping auspicious carps, running tiger and rearing horse in honour of 2014 Year of the Horse. Should the urge to buy them overwhelm you, the Swarovski shop is conveniently located just across the street!

Zurich’s Christmas market, now into its 20th year inside the cavernous hall of Hofbahnhof aka Main Railway Station is the world’s biggest indoor market with a carnival, festive atmosphere plus sensational scents of mulled wine, gingerbread and steaming chocolate.

Over 150 stalls (they call them ‘chalets’, so cute) fill the hall, brimming with the usual chocolate, candy, toys, glass ornaments, dresses, shoes, bags, accessories, jewellery, household/kitchen utensils, handmade candles, baked goodies and the obligatory mulled wine to fortify against the cold and wind outside.

I saw some rustic Nativity scenes made of wood and bits and pieces but no elaborate, lavishly embellished figurines of Virgin Mary, Jesus, angels, cherubs or carved religious icons. Then I remembered Zurich (as well as Geneva, Berne and Basel) is Protestant and even the interior of the 13th century Grossmunster, Zurich’s biggest church is sparsely, spartanly decorated unlike Catholic cathedrals. As I stared at the bare surroundings, a priest rushed to tell me photography was forbidden, prompting me to indignantly but politely (since he was a man of the cloth) protest there was nothing much inside to photograph!

Remarkably, I saw several stalls selling, of all unchristian stuff, statues of Buddha and Buddhism’s pantheon of deities in Zurich’s Christmas market. A few booths sold artefacts from Bali and silk blouses from China while one specialised in ‘blooming flower’ teas, displaying transparent glasses of tea balls which had swelled and unfurled into miniature floral bouquets.

Cafes and restaurants lined both sides so you could sit and watch the world glide by without shivering.
Prices are reasonable and the most expensive items I saw were sword replicas under a thousand ringgit. Most products were around RM 50.

If rustic charms are not your cup of tea, directly in front of the railway station is Bahnhof strasse. It is one of the world’s most expensive shopping street, loaded with designer fashion boutiques, watch shops and high-end jewellery stores like Gubelin, Bucherer and Turler, Switzerland’s tripartite of the most prestigious multi-label havens of dreams.

Five minutes’ walk on Bahnhof strasse is Zurich’s smallest Christmas market with just 10 stalls. Its claim to fame is the ‘Singing Christmas Tree’ ---a pyramidal platform resembling a huge Christmas tree filled with up to 50 children singing carols and popular Yuletide songs. Dressed as Santa Clauses, the kids belt out lustily to the great appreciation of onlookers and admiration of parents and relatives!

A tiny market is at Niederdorf in Geneva’s Old Town. I find it particularly charming as the openair stalls are festively decorated while the shops sell local products and most boutiques sell made-in-Zurich apparel with nary a Zara, H & M, MNG or big multi-national in sight. The cobbled streets mean high heels are a threat to life and limb.

YOU KNOW ZURICH IS RICH WHEN THERE IS A TOM FORD BOUTIQUE! TOM FORD SHOPS ONLY OPEN IN RICH, HIGHCLASS AND SOPHISTICATED CITIES SINCE A DRESS AVERAGES RM 7,000 AND THAT IS FOR A SIMPLE BAJU! 
I COULD HARDLY SEE THE SHOP DUE TO THE DECORATIONS!
THIS IS A CHOCOLATE SHOP!
JUST ADMIRING THESE GOODIES PUT ME IN A GOOD MOOD
THE CHOCOLATES ARE LURKING HERE SOMEWHERE
PERFECTION
GOODIES GALORE
 ROSY CANDLES
 TINSEL TOWN
 CATTY LURES
 THIS IS HOW TO DECORATE YOUR BORING FLOWER POTS
 THERE IS A MAN SOMEWHERE HERE
 INTERESTING IDEA FOR AN INSIPID POT!
 CANDLES GALORE
 A BUDDHA AT CHRSTMAS!
 NICE BLING
 SEASONAL DECORATIONS
 SO CUTE AND ADORABLE
 KEE HUA CHEE AND ESTHER GROB OF ZURICH TOURISM
 INSIDE ZURICH MAIN RAILWAY STATION
 SWAROVSKI XMAS TREE AND ARTY WINDMILL
 5,000 SWAROVKSI CRYSTALS HERE
 INSIDE ZURICH RAILWAY STATION
 INDOOR MARKET
 HUGE HALL
 I HAD A CHOCOLATE DRINK HERE WITH ESTHER GROB
 LOVE THE DECOR
 CHINKY ATTIRE
 HEAVENLY SCENTS
 I LOVE THESE WOODEN UTENSILS
 WOODEN YOU LOVE TO HAVE THEM IN YOUR KITCHEN?
 EERIE THESE BODYLESS HEADS!
 WARM AND COSY
 SITTING ON SHEEPSKIN KEEPS YOUR ASS WARM!
 COMFY
 CAN YOU SEE THE SELLER
 AN ORIENTAL TOUCH HERE
 CLARION CALL
 AUSSIE RATTLES
 FROM BALI
 SEALS WITH A KISS
 HUGE KALEIDISCOPE!
 FUNKY KALEIDOSCOPES
 YUMMY
 CUTE OR WHAT THESE TAPE HOLDERS
 PRICEY TREATS
 SWEET ANGELS
 INDIAN DELIGHTS
 THESE ARE QUITE CHEAP!
 STARS GALORE
 INDOOR MERRY GO ROUND
 OOOOH
 DIZZY
 SPINNING BUT IT IS ACTUALLY QUITE SLOW
 FUN FOR KIDS
 LIGHTS AND FUN
 NICE
 SWAROSVKI XMAS TREE IS BIGGEST IN WORLD
 5000 CRYSTALS MAKE UP THIS TREE
 COUNT THEM!
 SWAROVSKI TIGER
 MICKEY AND MINNIE SWAROVSKI
 GOLDEN SWAROVSKI DRAGON FOR THE CHINESE!
 STUNNING
 I LOVE THIS DRAGON
 MOTHER OF ALL CRYSTAL XMAS TREES
 FROM SWAROVSKI CRYSTALS
 READY FOR YEAR OF HORSE 2014
 YEAR OF HORSE 2014 IS COMING!
 FOR THE CHINESE MARKET NOW SO IMPORTANT
 2 AUSPICIOUS CARPS FOR THE CHINESE MARKET
 THE CHINESE ARE NOW THE BIGGEST BUYERS OF LUXURY GOODS
 DRAMATIC
 WOW
 IMPRESSIVE
 PICTURESQUE
 STUNNING DECORATIVE ITEMS
 I COULDN'T RECOVER FROM THIS CHRISTMAS, CRYSTAL TREE!
 LOOKS LIKE FROZEN ICICLES BUT THEY ARE SWAROVSKI CRYSTALS
 NICE HORSE
 ZURICH INDOOR MARKET
 DRAGON AMID THE SWAROVSKI CRYSTAL TREE
 DRAGON RULES!
 THIS REPLICA WAS THE MOST EXPENSIVE ITEM ON SALE, AROUND RM 1,300
 WESTERN DRAGON
 ORIGINAL  SOUVENIR FROM SWITZERLAND!
 AMAZINGLY THERE ARE MANY STALLS SELLING BUDDHAS SINCE THE SWISS LOVE SUCH SERENE FIGURINES!
 BUDDHAS FOR CHRISTMAS? SO SUPER SUITABLE AND COOL!
 COLOURFUL COASTERS
 NATIVITY
 NATIVITY
 HORSES FOR 2014 YEAR OF THE HORSE!
 I LOVE THESE GAILY HUED STUFF
 EVER CHANGING SCENERY FRAMES! TURN EACH UPSIDE DOWN AND THEY FORM INCREDIBLE, ALWAYS CHANGING SCENERY!
 RUDOLF THE WHITE NOSED REINDEER
 LOVE AND KISSES
 CHINESE FLOWER TEAS
 SO PRETTY
 I LOVE THEM
 MORE BUDDHAS
 FLYIN COCKS?
 LOVELY DECOR
 CHOOSE ONE OR ALL
 HE QUITE DISHY
 NATIVITY
 NICE
 LARGE ANGEL
 HANDIWORK
 TOY SOLDIERS
 SO SWEET
 NICE AND WISE
 I LOVE THIS
 AND I LOVE THESE TOO
 THESE BIRDS ARE BRILLIANT
 EACH CRYSTAL BALL CONTAINS A FIGURINE INSIDE!
 GLASS ANGELS
 LOOK AT WHAT IS INSIDE EACH CRYSTAL BALL!
 THERE IS A SMALL FIGURINE INSIDE EACH CRYSTAL BALL! SO STUNNING
 I NEVER SEEN SUCH BALLS BEFORE
 GLASS ANGELS
 PRETTY BIRDIES
 MAGICIAN'S WALLET ON FIRE
 PUPPETS
 BLOOMING GARDEN
 THE SELLER IS HERE SOMEWHERE
 ZURICH MAIN RAILWAY STATION IS OPPOSITE BAHNHOFSTRASSE THE WORLD'S MOST GLAM SHOPPING STREET!
 BAHNHOFSTRASSE IS WHERE LUXURY LIVES
 ZURICH RAILWAY STATION IS IN THE HEART OF TOWN
 SWAROVSKI CRYSTAL PILLAR IN THEIR SHOP OPPOSITE ZURICH RAILWAY STATION
 THAT'S A CLEVER REFLECTION!
 BAHNHOFSTRASSE IS WHERE THE BIG NAMES ARE
 I AM NEVER OVER ZURICH!
 BUT NOT ALL SHOPS ARE PRICEY AS THESE ARE CHEAP! NOT ALL SWISS ARE MILLIONAIRES!
 ILLUMINATIONS HERE SO STUNNING
 WELL LIT AND WELL DONE!
 THE TRAM PASSES THROUGH
 THIS IS A BOUTIQUE!
 BURGER JEANS NOT TO BE EATEN
 ANGEL CLIMBING TREE
 I LOVE BAHNHOFSTRASSE
 LAVISH LIGHTS
 STUNNING
 THE SINGING CHRISTMAS TREE
 BUT I CAME TOO LATE AS THE KIDS HAD LEFT
 NOW THIS IS A GOWN TO CROW ABOUT!




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