Blogs from Zürich, North-East, Switzerland, Europe

I've located this in Zurich but out campsite is a good 20 km from Zurich, at Ottenbach on the river Reuss, but the blog functionality won't let me locate myself there ! Woke to another stunning blue sky day so packed everything up and drove Smart car and motorhome separately to the motorhome service point so we could empty grey waste, fill with clean water and then hitch Smart Arse onto the back of the motorhome. Easy Peasy and we were off. Bob had chosen a route which was a little let windy and hair-pinned than when we drove over the mountains 2 days ago. It did though involve going via Gerardmer especially as needed fuel. Gerardmer was a nightmare again. Still heaving with people and lots of roads still blocked off. We had to do ... read more

Weil zum Jahresende bei meinem Kunden das Budget etwas knapp wird, habe ich 5 Wochen Urlaub genommen. Also zu einem gewissen Teil zwangshalber. Da ich aber dieses Jahr noch nicht groß weg gefahren bin, werde ich dies nun nachholen. Erste Destination ist aus diversen Gründen Zürich. Die Bahnlinie über Memmingen ist zwar seit einiger Zeit elektrifiziert, aber teilweise immer noch eingleisig und auf gar keinen Fall Hochgeschwindigkeit. Ich wollte sie mir aber auf unbedingt einmal ansehen und nun fahren in 4 Stunden Eurocity Express Züge der SBB von München in die Schweizer Bankenmetropole. Dort angekommen bin ich zu meinem Hotel und danach in ein Waliser Traditionslokal. Dort habe ich Trockenfleisch und Käsefondue mit Weißwein aus dem Wallis bestellt. Die Zusammensetzung des Fondues wird dort aber nicht verraten. Die Limmat ist schön wie immer und an ihr ... read more

Safely at the airport, watching jets steam into the fog and rain, trailing dragon wings of mist. Dramatic as all heck, and impossible to capture on my little phone camera. We have paid for lounge access so Susan can swill tomato juice and watch the planes. I note that, in spite of the downpour, the airport is letting its automatic sprinklers water the infield grass. So efficient, these Swiss. We board in two hours, then Montreal a little after 3 Quebec time. See you soon!... read more

It's really hard to get friends and family to come visit me in Dubai as it is a 13-16 hour flight and Americans typically only get 10, maybe 15, days of vacation each year. So, my sister and I decided to meet halfway in Switzerland. We brought another 'sister' who basically grew up with my younger sisters. So the three of us planned to spend a quiet week enjoying this mountainous country. I arrived in Zurich first, almost two days ahead of time. Of course, I got an upgrade on Emirates..... but honestly, I was a bit disappointed in the service. I won't get into the details that would most likely make me come across as a total snob. I will say the thing that I found the most annoying was hearing two of the attendants ... read more

You know what's a weird little travel thing I love? Sitting on the train platform when the high speed trains go by - I love the gust of wind, I love the sound (whistle mixed with a slight clickity-clack). Anyway, short one today. I didn't "plan" today I simply went into the city to wander around for a bit. I overheard some people talking about the "Festival" yesterday so I'm like k cool, day planned lol. I got off at the main station and just wandered down towards the waterfront and sure enough - Festival! Turns out it's a big deal - like it only happens once every 3 years for 2 days kind of big deal. Basically the entire core is shut down with rides, food stalls, music stages, and games. There were also dragon ... read more