Going Swiss: No particular place to go

I think we can all agree that one of America’s greatest cultural exports is “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey.

I mostly kid, but it is a song that everyone knows, including the group that burst into an impromptu song-and-dance party out on the street when it came on somebody’s speaker.

Where were they from? What were they doing? Where were they going?

I haven’t the foggiest notion. Maybe they didn’t, either. Maybe that’s the point.

Late afternoon and early evening in Zurich. The weather is spectacular, with sunset still several hours away.

Restaurants’ outdoor seating is starting to fill. A little girl, out ahead of her parents, says hello to people outside an Italian place. A reunion, or at least a fortuitous meeting, between friends appears to take place on a bridge.

The stores are mostly closed, but people young and old walk the streets and alleys of the Old Town, maybe trying to decide on dinner, maybe just enjoying the scenery.

There doesn’t have to be any rhyme or reason or pattern involved. See something interesting? Walk toward it. Church bells the whole city can hear going off? Go toward the sound to find out where they are.

More people are down by the water. A young man entertains children with giant bubbles. Some people sit along the wall, others stroll.

Everywhere, there are conversations — two, three, four people. There’s some English, but lots of German, a fair amount of French and a smattering of other languages.

After dinner, ice cream sounds like a good idea. (OK, it’s always a good idea.) Where to look? That street looks fairly busy, maybe there.

People walk by with cones. That’s a good sign. That ice cream had to come from somewhere. Try to order, slight language difficulty, nothing that can’t be solved.

Still no plans. No idea if anyone has plans. On an evening like this, who needs plans?