Christopher Street Day

The Christopher Street Day (CSD) was held on 31 May - a day for the gay community to signify their rights to highlight concerns, demands and problems of the gay people in the world publicly. It began in 1969 with a small group of marchers protesting against the harassments by the public authorities and for almost 40 years, it has become one of the key events in Zurich which is being listed in the Zurich Tourism Guide as well.

There would be a street parade which would be held in downtown Zurich. As it is to be held a week before the opening game of the European Football Championships in Austria and Switzerland, the theme for the parade is 'Sports'. The You could take a look at this link (in German) for more info: http://www.csdzurich.ch/

It so happens that Uncle Tan saw an ad on the papers which publicised the ABF warehouse sale which would be held near town at Perlikan Platz (ya we sort of learnt how to look out for such ads even thou we don't understand German ;p). So we decided to go and take a look before talking a walk around Old Town since we haven't been there on a Sat with all the shops open for business. I was actually happy that there was this sale cos at least I'm sure I could catch a glimpse of the parade after that since it would be nearby. Uncle Tan usually would avoid such events as he tends to feel a little uncomfortable ;p

The so-called warehouse sale was kinda disappointing...it wasn't a big warehouse sale like the ones we usually find in SG and it was located within a discotheque. Guess what? The prices of the items are like CHF59 and CHF 89 for a T-shirt and spaghetti top for the ladies and CHF 89 for a basic polo-T. A pity for me cos they have S-sizes and XS-sizes mostly...but to pay such a price for a top, I'd rather spend on something else. Anyway, I'm not a fan and I can get the original ones at a much cheaper price from Song and Song which sells the rejected ones due to some minor defects :p

Uncle Tan spent quite a while contemplating whether to get the shirt which costs CHF 149 and trying to find reasons to justify the worth of the shirt. So after much considerations and having a sponsor who is willing to pay for half the cost as an advance birthday gift, he finally bought it - with much heartache thou haha ;p Ya, imagine paying almost $200 for a shirt...and you know what...it's 'Made in China' hahaha...What to do, it seems that when men get older, they tend to get vainer ;p

Somehow, the prices didn't seem to have an effect on the local shoppers as you see them selecting a few pieces and buying them without much hesitation. I was told that they have a much higher pay (thou they pay higher taxes as well), and so they have more spending power. Apparently, most of them would spend almost every bit of their pay, with a portion going into their investments/savings. No wonder they can spend without thinking.

There were no changing rooms, just a partition on each side for the men and the women. Oh, you could see the men and women taking off their tops or bottoms (or both) in order to try the clothes on. It was indeed an 'eye-opening' experience for us...sorry, couldn't take any pictures for you... ;p

Uncle Tan was amazed that I could understand the cashier who spoke to us in German, asking us if we would like to be on the emailing list so that we could be informed of future sales. I helped to fill up a simple registration form, guessing what each line required with a little help from the cashier. Not a bad attempt for someone who didn't take any German classes ;p Instincts of a shopper maybe? hehe ;p

We sat by the lake in Old Town and I can't resist feeding the mandarin ducks there.

This little sparrow came quite close to me, calling out for food as well. So I fed it with the bread I just bought. It flew to me again when it has finished and asked for more.

I left the crumbs on my palm to see if it dares to feed on my hand. After testing a few times by hopping near and then away, it finally managed to peck the crumbs on my hand and hop away. A brave little birdie as compared to the ones I tried feeding at a park later, where they didn't dare to fly onto my hand.

The old town buzzing with life as compared to coming here on a Sunday.

From a distance, we could hear the loud music and there it was, the street parade.

This fellow in the pink Scottish outfit seemed to be quite a popular figure whom every one knows as they exchanged hugs and kisses whenever the paraders went pass.



This guy reminded me of the guy called 'Mr Magnificent' in the show 'America's Got Talent'. He's so tall and slender and seems to enjoy the limelight and gave a few poses for the cameras :) Wanted Uncle Tan to take a photo with him but he was too scared...well, he's always worried that he'd become a 'target' ;p





It wasn't a big scale event as compared to the one for the Spring Festival. But it was an interesting one with about 12,000 participants going on an almost 3km route with spectators and viewers along the street (according to the website info). Apparently, the parade has grown in the recent years as a result of the manifestation of a cosmopolitan, tolerant society in which minorities are to be taken seriously.

It appears that discrimination towards the gay community is still existent. So through this event, they hope to send out the message that people can be what they are, in this case, good athletes, be it they are homosexual, bisexual or transsexual. Personally, I have an open mind about them. I'm not anti or pro-gay, I just respect and accept them as who they are as individuals. I do have friends who are gays and I enjoy their company just the same. They are a fun bunch actually.

The event would end off with the party in the pubs and clubs at night, followed by a traditional brunch in the Zeughaus Zurich , and then a church service in St. Jacob Church in Zurich.