Nelson to Frick - one very long journey

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At 10.30 we left Tasman on a clear Sunday, leaving our house, garden and cat in good heart for our house sitters, Karen and Michael. From home it was the usual very long journey straight through to our destination near Basel - Nelson, Auckland, Melbourne, Dubai, Zurich, and finally to Frick. We travelled on an Emerates Airbus A380 which currently is the largest airliner in the world. It will take 500+ passengers, is of two levels, travels on average 500kph, has good sized seats, reasonable foot space and a huge entertainment system which means plenty to keep us occupied over the long journey. It's a great airline to travel with.

It might have been warm and windy at home but we arrived here to cold and calm. It was 3 degrees at the airport so we piled on clothes before heading into Zurich to the main station to see the Swarovski crystal Christmas tree. It is beautiful but not quite as grand as I expected. Little wooden cabins were in place with their various Christmas crafts for sale. It seems that the beginning of December is the start of setting up the markets and lights. It's a lovely sight to see on arrival.

We bought our Swiss Pass for the next two weeks transport then got the train to Frick (not far from Basel) where Irvahn met us. Finally we had arrived after almost 2 days travelling. She and Marc have a comfortable apartment which will be home for the next week. We have much planned for this week so there is no time for jet lag to set in.

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Photos

The Swarovski Christmas Tree
Covered in crystal decorations, the tree stands in the Zurich Haupbahnhof