Burkliplatz - winter
I can state with some confidence that I won't be the harbinger of breaking news if I tell you that it is cold in Zurich.
The Lake however, unlike every other bit of exposed water, has not frozen. I read somewhere that it needs temperatures consistently below -10C for 40 days to achieve this. While it is hovering around this figure at the moment, and has been for a few days, if it persists for over a month it will take more than the wholesale freezing of the Zurichsee to cheer me up.
How people in Canada or Russia or wherever survive when the mercury dips to -30C or -40C for prolonged periods is beyond me.
There are several cafes and restaurants in Zurich main station, however I've always notionally called this one "the buffet". It has been the starting point of many journeys for me, and so I'm a bit sentimental about it and its old fashioned ambience. It recently re-invented itself with an Italian flavour as Pizzeria Atrio. It looks and feels pretty much the same, the decor hasn't changed, the food is Italian, which is fine by me, but they used to have old Parisian-style posters on the wall - like this one - which have been replaced by big photos advertising Moretti beer. Personally I don't think B+W photos of this type work in large formats, and being an old conservative I preferred the old ones
