August 1, 2005: Conny-Land and Swiss National Day

I love theme parks! 'The bigger, the smoother, the faster, the better' has been my philosophy whenever I think about them. Enrico on the other hand, would prefer the solid ground to defying gravity. I had never seen an individual literally turn green the way he did after one ride at Sea World. With Enrico in my life, my treks to theme parks have been rather limited. So, it was a surprise when he took me to Conny-Land in Lipperswil near Bodensee, in northern Switzerland. And an even bigger surprise, it was a miniature park when compared to Disney World, Sea World, Paramount’s King's Dominion or Six Flags. But then, I have since learned that size doesn't matter when one is having a good time although, Enrico preferred to watch rather than get on the rides. This place is more like a giant fairground rather than a theme park. On the way back we stopped at an old castle--Schloss Klingenberg.

First of August Fireworks

Later that evening, we went to the Lake Zürich to watch the fireworks to celebrate the Swiss National Day. Since the end of the nineteenth century, August 1 has been celebrated as National Day. The date refers to one of the first agreements made between the three cantons of Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden, who constituted the focal point around which presentday Switzerland was built over the next 500 years. In spite of the rain, wind and the cold, we enjoyed some spectacular shows. This time, I took my camera althought quality of the pictures is debatable.