In Zurich, More Than Steeple Chasing

We stopped at the Fraumuenster, a church originally built as a convent in the 9th century. When the Protestant Reformation swept through Zurich in the 1520s, the convent was closed. Later the building briefly became a refuge for Huguenots and a Russian Orthodox place of worship. These days the services attract many prominent locals.

We paused before a set of five elaborate, 33-foot-high stained-glass windows depicting prophets and other biblical figures. Marc Chagall, who was born in Russia but emigrated to France, accepted a commission to design the windows in 1967 and spent three years on the project.

The mid-morning sunlight accented them brilliantly. The windows -- representing prominent scenes from the Old Testament -- were more detailed than any I have seen, and Ern's thorough descriptions made me appreciate them even more. When he finished, the small crowd that had gathered to eavesdrop offered an ovation.

As we left, I paused before another stunning window in the north transept, a 30-foot-high scene depicting Christ with eight prophets designed by Augusto Giacometti (a cousin of Alberto's) in the 1940s.

In this city known as a stronghold of watch merchants, it seemed a shame not to see what new timepieces were on display. Bucherer, a shop on Bahnhofstrasse, had a display of every imaginable type of watch, from a gold and steel Rolex with a regal blue face for $6,000 to a Swatch with a baby-blue elastic band for $55. A few blocks away, I popped into Schweizer Heimatwerk, a shop that specializes in Swiss-made crafts, souvenirs, knives, watches and other wares. The goods seemed well made, but they weren't cheap. A child's embroidered dress cost $60; wood-carved candleholders were $25 each.

Preoccupied with window-shopping, I was almost late for the Opera Ball. Organized by the Hotel Baur au Lac and held in the baroque Zurich Opera House every year, it is the city's poshest social affair. Although I covered the event as a member of the media, it is open to anyone who pays the $640 price of admission.

I watched with other reporters as the Zurich elite -- bank directors and corporate officers and their wives, decked out in black tie and classy evening wear -- arrived. And then came Tina Turner. Her hair was tinged with blond, her lipstick firetruck red. As usual, she looked terrific for a woman in her sixties.

Cornering the pop diva, I asked why she had chosen this unlikely place as her home. "It's fresh, always beautiful, and I can walk down the street without being bothered by anyone," she said with characteristic bluntness. "And people here are life-loving."

Bea Blum, a Zurich activist I chatted with later, had a different take on Zurich's residents. "We're a place with a lot of wealth, but I think and hope we realize that with that comes heavy social responsibility."

Inside, champagne cocktails gave way to an elaborate dinner: black truffles, veal steak accompanied by sauteed vegetables and galettes, and a dessert of rhubarb and strawberry charlotte.

After about two dozen of Zurich's social debutantes and their escorts marched onstage, the waltzing started. Thankfully, the band eventually broke into "Proud Mary" and other familiar R&B and pop songs. At that, no one, including me and Turner, could resist the dance floor.

On a Sunday afternoon, the Kunsthaus Zurich was so packed that a line formed out the front door. Although this showcase of modern art is known for its paintings by Edvard Munch, and impressionists such as Claude Monet, I headed to the wing displaying Giacometti's paintings and sculptures. As a longtime fan of the Swiss-born sculptor, I was thrilled to view the permanent retrospective of his works.