Stumbling upon a Party
After locating Zurich's only two letterboxes on a fitness trail in nearby Regensdorf this morning, we headed for the main part of the city to search for a place to plant a box we brought to leave here. As we walked toward city hall, we were lured up into the historic quarter by the sound of a band playing. Ambling up the hill, we noticed that the cobblestone streets were littered with confetti and realized that something special was going on.When we reached the small square where the band was playing, it was filled with people jostling for a better position for their cameras-- or their children-- to get a better look at the band. By the time we were finally able to wrangle an opening, we understood why.
Though their music was spirited and lively to the ear, to fully appreciate this musical group, you needed to see them.
![]() |
Guggenmusik performers |
![]() |
Guggenmusik performers parading |
![]() |
Blue Guggenmusik group waits to perform. |
After wandering around the old town, following the parading musicians and the crowds, we found ourselves in Lindenhof, a hilltop gathering place since Roman times. Today it is a popular place for recreation. On this Saturday afternoon, we watched a gentlemen's game of chess.
Friends, young and old, enjoyed games of petanque, whose objective is to throw hollow metal balls as close as possible to a small wooden ball. No doubt, it's much more difficult than it appears.
Lindenhof was a quiet place to escape the excitement and noise of the carnival. Once we finally returned to our hotel, we discovered that we had ambled more than six miles today. Our feet were not excited at the prospect of staying for the carnival parade tomorrow, so it's on to Venice.
If you didn't make it to Zuricarneval, check out one of their Guggenmusik groups for yourself.