Zurich - Open Air Season

Opera for All

Well, the longest day has come and gone and it’s officially summer. It’s time to enjoy the warmer weather.

Open air events are now starting in Zurich, which I love, since in the UK you don’t get so much of these – likely due to the rainier climate, although with the hotter summers over there recently, maybe that will change.

Anyway, I finally braved my first open air swim. Well, I wasn’t really that brave because it was in a heated outdoor pool. Nevertheless, last year, for some reason I got it into my head that 24 degrees was far too cold, so hardly swam outside at all. I’ve reasoned to myself now that the sea is probably a few degrees colder than that, so I need to kick myself into order.

The first day I went, it was a really hot day. I was on my way to the indoor pool when I changed my mind as I suddenly felt myself in the mood to be outside and in cooler water. Consequently, I got off the bus early and went to the outdoor pool instead. It didn’t feel as cold as I was expecting (the water was 25 degrees, and I do find the extra degree can make all the difference) and was manageable in terms of business (it got busier closer to lunchtime as I left).

The next day, it was overcast and started to rain, but I decided to go again. The joy of swimming in the rain is that not many people go, so I had a whole lane to myself and there was a spare lane beside me, too. That’s just how I like it – no pressure to swim fast, no waiting for the lane to be clear to start my next length; I just go whenever I’m ready. Also, there’s somehow a sense of daring and adventure in swimming outside when it’s raining.

But it’s not just swimming, of course. I went to a classical and folk music festival in Lenzburg after work; well, I went to the classical section. It wasn’t your typical concert, but themed, so this year it was in conjunction with narrated ghost stories (just up my street!). It’s usually held outside in the castle grounds, but unfortunately this year they decided the risk of rain was too great, so it was taken inside. But it was good to see inside. The concert was a mixture of stringed instruments and something else that I didn’t know what it was. However, looking it up on google it appears it’s a hammered dulcimer. Well, now you know! It was beautiful but I have no idea how the guy managed to play it so well. I can feel a new ambition coming on, since apparently it’s one of the easiest instruments to learn (but sounds so complex!) …

And then, on Saturday, the Royal Opera House held its yearly Opera for All where they transmit live a performance from the Opera House for free to a screen in the square outside; you could buy camping chairs for 15 CHF. The photo above was taken with my phone, so it didn't take the video capture very well, but maybe you can just about make out the crowd reflected back. This year it was the ballet of Romeo and Juliet; the choreographer / ballet has just won an award that’s the highest accolade in ballet, apparently. It threatened to rain for most of the evening, but it held off apart from during the interval, so we were lucky. Some interviews with the ballet dancers and the people who work behind the scenes were shown beforehand. It was very interesting. 

The usual joke is that you don’t get anything for free in Switzerland, but this is one occasion where it was indeed possible!