The journey continues with a transit day. The day where things oft went awry on the last trip, dear reader. Not so on this day. The hotel departure and drive to the airport were seamless.The aggravation that is security and immigration went smoothly despite the fact they now photograph you twice on departure. I didn't recall that happening previously but much has changed since I last travelled to HK in 2019.
The airport is massive and we required the train to reach our departure terminal and the nearby Emirates Lounge. If Qantas is serious about elevating itself back to number 1 airline, here's an area they could look at. Emirates offer a wide range of food and choice of alcohol and, importantly, it's not crowded. That applied also in Dubai.
On both legs of the Emirates journey, however, the check in process was very slow. In HK, boarding commenced about 20 minutes late, no reason given and there were plenty of staff milling around waiting for the signal. Then the actual boarding process is slow as every individual ticket and passport is checked again.
We changed planes at Dubai. How big is Dubai airport? We walked almost 2kms from the the time we disembarked until we reached C gate lounge where we spent our 4 hour layover. Frustratingly it was directly opposite where our plane from HK had landed. Still, I did need to stretch my legs.
The boarding process was even slower here which resulted in the flight missing our take-off slot, so we sat on the tarmac for over an hour before departure. That and the head wind we pushed into guaranteed a late arrival in Zurich.
It was 20° and sunny when we arrived in Zurich, with no humidity to report - a nice change from HK. We liked the feel of the city as soon as we arrived. A sunny, Sunday afternoon, the cafés and restaurants were doing a busy trade as our taxi crept slowly down the narrow, cobblestoned, table-lined streets of the Altstadt, old city. Picturesque, calm, relaxed.
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| One of the many squares in Altstadt. |
The Marktgasse Hotel 17 is in the old city on the tourist walk. It is a tangle of staircases and elevators carrying guests and bags to one of the three floors. The people at reception were lovely and helpful and patiently answered our questioned before we went to our top floor room to unpack and shower (and watch a bit of the Vuelta).
The hours of travel were confused by two time changes between here and HK. A slow calculation in my travel-fogged mind landed us at over 17 hours in planes plus airport transfers and layover. All up close to 24 hours with only a couple of hours sleep. And I still managed to get the new e-sim operating for Europe. How good are they? So easy to use and able to connect back home via WhatsApp, FB and Messenger as well as email. I'm actually using it now to hotspot my computer because the internet connection here insists you login again every few minutes.
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| The largest 'train clock' in the world. Central Station. |
Refreshed, we went to explore our local environs, specifically to find the meeting place for tomorrow's guided walking tour. It is about a 10 minute stroll from the hotel through old town Zurich, criss-crossed by trams, some of them silent, something that can provide a scare when dawdling from one side of the street to the other.
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| There are trams everywhere. |
We discussed the need for Swiss Francs at the hotel and were informed it was probably unnecessary, but I like to have a little of the local currency just in case. Central Station was across the street, surely there would be an ATM? Instead we found the Tourist Information Centre, uncrowded and super helpful. We spent around 20 minutes chatting with Stephanie who loaded us up with maps and ideas and possibilities we could never fit into four days. So, you know it, I know it, we'll just have to come back. Some of the experiences that are not open to the general public, not quite invite only, but the Bureau personnel obviously get to decide with whom they share some things. Hopefully, we fit in one very exciting (for us) opportunity. You'll have to wait and see, dear reader.
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| There are random statues, sculptures and reliefs everywhere. |
The ATM was located soon enough, inside a bank of course - well it is Switzerland. Their money is similar to ours, a brightly coloured polymer compound. The footpaths were wide, the stores all open for business as we dodged trams on way back to the Aldstadt. We were called beyond our hotel by the sound of Church bells. Clearly weddings are a spectator sport in this area as it had drawn a small crowd of people who stood a respectful distance from the well-dressed guests who were gathering in small groups, drinking something bubbly while the carillon celebrated the happy union.
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| The salt and pepper shakers of the Grossmünster Church. |
Back towards our hotel it was time for a beer and some people watching. The cobblestoned Marktgasse is lined with restaurants and bars and as we wandered, we saw some very delicious looking pizzas, several steak houses, a variety of Asian eateries and a fondue house. Hmm, the national dish of Switzerland or kitsch from 1970s Australia? Should we? Not today.
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| They love a good clock tower. |
We found a bar where we could sit outside, not be suffocated by cigarette smoke and enjoyed a local craft beer as the crowds thinned and people returned home to prepare for the working week ahead. Smoking is clearly part of the culture here but it is unusual for us to see cigarettes openly on display for purchase. We have forgotten how invasive cigarette smoke is, even in outdoor venues. How good are Australia's restrictions on smoking in public?
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| Our room is the top floor windows. |
Our afternoon beverage done and with no desire for food after eating in the airline lounge and being force fed on the planes, we retired to our hotel room. It was understood that when we stopped, we would crash so it had been best to keep going. I know I'm not getting any younger, but bed at 7:30pm? Ridiculous. And the reason for today's title, from 1997, by The Verve, https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=ToQ0n3itoII. "All this talk of getting old" ...
Until tomorrow.
Postscript: almost 10 hours sleep. As James Brown sang, "I feel good".
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