Switzerland Day Three (Part One): October 10, 2009
We rose early on October 10 to make it a James Joyce Day in Zurich. We were greeted by rain, but we were determined to check a visit to Joyce’s grave in the Fluntern cemetery off of our list no matter the weather. As we found in all of the Swiss cities where we used public transportation the bus schedule was fairly simple to figure out and very reliable. The pleasant thing about going to a cemetery in the rain is that we essentially had the entire place to ourselves. We didn’t know what to expect on the other side of the gate, but I can confidently say it was the most beautiful and awe inspiring cemetery I have ever tromped through. Maddie’s pictures say it best.
The most striking part of the cemetery was the individuality of the tombstones – although calling them tombstones is wholly inappropriate. Every single one was a tribute to the body in the earth below. Unique fonts. Unique carvings. Unique shapes. One stone that stood out to me had a cat on the top and a water dish at the bottom. An inscription on one stone I especially liked was “das leben ist ein ewiges kommen und gehen.” It roughly translates to “Living is a perpetual coming and going.”
Joyce’s grave is marked by his figure relaxing amongst ferns with a book open in his hands. Buried nearby is Nobel prize recipient Elias Canetti. The setting is calm and relaxed. Oddly it filled me with a desire to host a picnic instead of mourn the dead.
From Fluntern we traveled back down to the center of Zurich and a date with a ballerina in a bottle.
More coming soon!
