Concert in the Park (8/5/1981)

Monday, August 3, 1981

Took time off work to attend to some business. Went to Fremdenkontrolle/Immigration to get another stamp in my passport and receive a small booklet with my photo in it - the work permit, all for 46 CHF/$23.

Tuesday, August 4, 1981

Received a second CARE package from home today, with my Swiss knife (!), bathrobe, and photos. I had received the first package last Friday with a towel and washcloth, small pot, silverware, cups, bowl, and tea cup.

Wednesday, August 5, 1981

More miscellaneous business to take care of today.

Figured out how to use my plastic bank card to withdraw cash from the bancomat machine the bank.

Picked up some literature at the Tourist Bureau.

Sat in a photo vending, booth, put in 4 CHF/$2, smiled at the mirror, and a few minutes later four photos came out.

Applied for a Swiss Railway Elite Half-Price Pass. The fellow at the desk said there was a cheaper one: how old was I?  Ah, I said I was already 26, and we both thought that was too bad! I miss out on the Junior Half Price Pass (and Inter-Rail card!). I paid 300 CHF/$150 for half price privileges for a full year. I bought 10 Day Passes (at half price) for a 17 CHF/$8.50 each.

Half-price Pass ID card front

Half-price Pass ID card back

Annual Half-Price Pass

Annual Half-Price Pass back

Half-price Pass Map

That evening I went to a concert in the Stadtpark/City Park. There was a nice fountain and lush flower beds. Plastic chairs were lined up in rows by the concert shell. These plastic chairs are scattered throughout the park. You can borrow them to sit anywhere, but are asked to return them to an area near the bandstand. There were also many benches.

I went just beyond the park to see fishermen at the confluence of two canals. I passed a nicely-dressed young man, but then he passed me again. I saw him waiting inside the park hedges, so I went to another entrance. He followed me into the park, so I sat near some old ladies waiting for the concert, even though we still had another half hour. The guy sat behind us, then left. The musicians arrived, the women in long black dresses and the men in black pants and white shirts. The conductor had a bow tie. Kids were commissioned to collect all the stray chairs. At 20:30, the conductor, Jean-François Monnard, hopped up on the stand and conducted “Die Hebriden” by Felix Mendelssohn-Bertholdy. I know this because the lady next to me gave me a program since she had grabbed too many. He left the stand, came back for an encore bow, then left again…

All the seats were filled and many rearranged. Most of the crowd were French-speakers. The conductor returned with the solo violinist, Gheorghe Vlaiculescu. He played with a lot of flourish but sounded weak for the “Violinkonzert Nr. 1 g-moll/minor, op. 26” by Max Bruch. In the middle of this piece, a bomb sound went off somewhere, but only the audience jumped. Otherwise you heard only (besides the music) running water and the occasional car or moped.

Some ducks flew overhead and one flew into a branch or leaves. There was a quiet commotion up front as the duck must have landed in front of the audience. The duck then flew off in the other direction.

The conductor and soloist left then came back for a couple encore bows and bouquets of flowers. Later the conductor returned for a couple more pieces: “Die Moldau” by Friedrich Smetana (why did it sound familiar?) and “Le Tricorne, Suite Nr. 2” by Manuel de Falla. The conductor had several encore bows and he himself received a bouquet of flowers. In return he had the musicians play a movement for the last piece. The end.

Thursday, August 6, 1981

Received roses from one of my kids! Also, found a strange four-leaf clover, with three intact leaves, and the fourth had a leaf growing from its spine back to back.

Friday, August 7, 1981

Another two-week anniversary, so I took my linens to be changed. This time there was someone who spoke German, and I learned that the Personalhaus/staff residence people are supposed to bring their linens on Wednesdays!

Room #52 in the Personalhaus:

See the Swiss National Day paper lantern?

Bed with down comforter

Sink in the room
(the shared shower and toilet are across the hall)

Walk-in closet

There is a television in the lounge of the Personalhaus, although I never watch it. It has a couple stations in German, one in French, and one in Italian. The TV guides seem to indicate there are mostly imported movies, some game shows, sports programs, and a couple U.S. sitcoms.
On the day of the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana, one station covered the whole event straight through without commercials. One girl brought a TV to work, and at lunch I saw the procession from the cathedral to the palace. The cameras were either on the wedding carriage or the Queen's carriage. In the U.S. you would have seen more of the face of a television personality, or they would interview the hat maker, or have a commentary by some politician, etc. etc.!