Zurich, Switzerland. Saturday, 24th May, 2014
The penultimate day of our stay in Europe and the last day (on this trip) at Prague! Left the hotel City Central Deluxe after breakfast at 10:15; and walked amidst a cool breeze and a cloudy sky along Sokolska, to Museum metro station. One entrance to the underground station was right next to the massive museum building; and we found it easily. Clicked a couple of photos of the beautiful Wenceslas Square bang opposite the museum and then a drizzle started.
We ran into the underground station, to safety. One problem in Prague unlike that at Vienna is that all the exits to a metro station do not have an escalator, so carrying a bag down becomes a bother. We boarded an 'A' line metro for Dejvicka (pronounced 'Devichka'), where we changed to a city bus (no. 119) for terminal 2 of Vaclav Havel Airport. The suburb of Dejvicka was beautiful, with houses and colonies neatly arranged, akin to a battalion of soldiers performing a drill. The ride to the airport lasted 22 minutes; we reached the terminal at 11:20.
The airport was neat, but small and simple. Check-in for our Swiss Air flight LX-1487 from Prague to Zurich commenced at 12;45; in the intervening time we purchased a postcard and ate two muffins. This was primarily to use up the last remaining CZK 100/- ! The flight was delayed by twenty minutes, but the weather being fine, the duration was a little over an hour. We enjoyed lovely Swiss chocolates in addition to a sweet snack, with tea.
The views of terra firma from the air were amazing and our camera was in action again. the views of the Swiss countryside and Zurich city just before landing were equally thrilling. We could easily comprehend that nature has specially blessed Switzerland.
The flight touched down at Zurich Flughafen at 16:20 and after a quick exit ( our suitcase had been checked-in through from Prague to Mumbai so we were carrying only the bare necessities for a night's stay in our backpack) we were at the stop where all the pick-up shuttles of the different hotels were supposed to arrive. At the stop was displayed a time-table indicating the pick-up times of the different hotels. The mini-bus arrived on schedule (17=10) and brought us along a very smooth freeway to Hotel Ibis Zurich-Messe Airport (its full name); a huge light grey coloured building. Checked in and occupied room no. 237 on the second floor. The room was small compared to the one at Vienna, but quite comfortable.
We set out after a quick wash. The sky was a radiant blue with the sun out in all its glory and a cool breeze was blowing. Perfect conditions for a tourist! (also for the locals, I would like to believe) Having asked the reception for directions, we found the bus stop of Reidbach. Struggled with the ticket vending machine but with the help of a friendly local, managed to buy two tickets for the necessary distance. Bus no. 781 duly arrived and took us to Oerlikon railway station. My first impression of Zurich was that it was yet another modern city, as the area in which our hotel was situated was away from the city centre and we could see only tall buildings around. Went to platform no. 7 of the railway station to await train S7 (all information courtesy 'Maps' application, which I had studied at Nashik itself, before embarking on the trip). After a wait of 15 minutes during which I busied myself studying the constructions behind the station; and watching trains come and go, S7 duly arrived and we found comfortable seats on the lower deck. All the local trains of Zurich are double deckered, with four or five bogies.
Two stations later, a friendly Sri Lankan boarded our coach and we struck up a conversation with him. The views of Zurich city seemed lovely and my first impression changed. As the train sped along, Zurich started unfolding its charms. The by now familiar one-storeyed homes with the red/brown roofs, interspersed among the abundant greenery, soon appeared on both sides of the track. Suddenly, without warning, the huge waterbody of lake Zurich appeared to our right! On the far shores of the lake were lush green hills on which were perched tiny dwellings. The lake seemed to stretch on and on, with seemingly no end! It presented a magnificent spectacle! To our left, along the track, lay housing colonies - the houses neatly placed, narrow white lanes trying to find their way to them amidst thick foliage. Simply divine !
We alighted at a station called Uerikon. It appeared to be right out of an Enid Blyton book, with neatly manicured lawns and fences on either side of a spotlessly clean road. We wanted to go near the lake and led by two friendly young boys, made our way down a flight of stairs, flanked by a hedge on either side. We were walking through a picture postcard! Were finally on a level road and spotted another flight of stairs leading downwards, in the direction of the lake, to our right. The stairs were right next to a local's home, so after initial hesitation, we used them. Soon we were on the main road. The road was sparsely populated and the only sound heard was that of the occasional car breezing past. On the opposite side was a restaurant With its name spelt in German, but also having the emblem of a fish. We went to its counter and lo! the restaurant was on the shore of lake Zurich, with a garden right next to the waters. We sadly discovered that the restaurant served no chicken and left the place but not before clicking pictures and videos of the beautiful waterbody. with its verdant hills housing the homes of the people; and snow capped mountains, in the background.
Retracing our steps, we soon were back at Uerikon station. A train bound for Zurich Hauptbahnhof (Zurich main station) arrived within ten minutes and we were on our way. This time we alighted at the Hauptbahnhof, at its underground platform. When we came up by escalator, the sheer size of the station took us by surprise! It had close to 55 platforms, including the ones underground; and was spread over a huge area.
Being ravenous (we had last eaten on the flight!) we tried to locate a suitable food joint and after skipping an Asian restaurant where the waiter couldn't understand our language and we the menu card, settled for a fast food joint, just opposite the main platforms at ground level. We had draught beer, chicken sandwich and coffee. Later, as we passed by a fruit stall, Urmila wished to purchase some local fruit. Not having Swiss Francs (being here for just a solitary night, we had not bothered to change Euros into local currency; were banking on our credit card) we handed over the credit card to the stall owner, but the swipe was unsuccessful! As we readied to return the fruits to the stall owner, an elderly lady, who was also purchasing at the same stall and had observed what had happened, actually offered to pay for our purchases! Of course, we politely declined; but this was most unexpected from a European! Not to say that they are unfriendly - far from it - but so generous?
We reached Uerikon bus stop at 21=30 and bus no. 781 arrived within 5 minutes. It was almost empty. We took our seats behind the driver and waited for our stop - Reidbach. Very soon we realised that we had passed it! On informing the driver, he asked us not to worry and that he would drop us at Reidbach on his return trip. We thus got to spend a few extra minutes on the bus and an extended view of Zurich by night. he duly dropped us at our stop and within seconds we were back in our room. But, not before purchasing a 1.5 litre bottle (glass) of mineral water at the hotel's restaurant, for CHF 8/80 (Rupees 591/-)!
Off to bed after setting the alarm for 05:00 the next morning. We had to board Swiss Air flight LX-154 for Mumbai, scheduled to depart Zurich Flughafen at 09:40.
Zurich, Switzerland. Wednesday, 25th May, 2016
Alighted at Zurich Hauptbahnhof at 15:25, bang on time. We had arrived from Stuttgart, Germany, following a very comfortable 3-hour train journey. Located Hotel Arlette Beim Hauptbahnhof, with directions from locals. The hotel was at a stone's throw from the station. Checked in and occupied room no. 204 - road facing - on the second floor. Room small but very neat; spic-n-span. Stepped out after a while and promptly made our way to the 'happening' area of Zurich, the Bahnhofstrasse, the artery that begins at the Hauptbahnhof and runs perpendicular to it.
Urmila was delighted to be back in Zurich - her favourite European city - though it was again for a solitary night, a repeat of 2014. Clicked pictures, strolled, shopped. Ate dinner - club sandwich and chicken salad to the accompaniment of draught beer and lemon tonic at Simplon Bar, just off Bahnhofstrasse. The meal was super!
Walked back to the hotel by 20:45; changed; packed the Ritter Sport (almost 3 kg!) into our check-in bag; off to sleep, rueing yet again (the first time on 24th May 2014) that we were not spending more time in the city. It is true that on each of our visits, we have used Zurich as just a stopover for a solitary night, whereas it is a destination in its own right. A magnificent city oozing both richness and old world charm, it certainly deserves a stay of at least 5 nights. We hope to correct this aberration on our next trip to Europe.
Zurich, Switzerland, Tuesday, 22nd May, 2018
The Swiss Air flight from Luxembourg City landed at Zurich Flughafen at 19:40. Once again, our check in baggage had been booked through from Luxembourg City to Mumbai, so we were just carrying the backpack with the bare minimum necessities for a single night's stay. On exiting the terminal building, I called up Hotel Holiday Inn to ascertain the shuttle's boarding point. "Arrival 2" was the answer. The 20:15 shuttle left 3 minutes late - Swiss precision had failed! An incident to remember: The driver of the shuttle was loading the passengers' bags in the caravan-like attachment to the main vehicle, when one impatient passenger himself opened the van's door to sit inside. The driver immediately stopped his loading and came to the front to admonish the passenger. He shut the door and went back to his loading. Only when all the bags were loaded did he come back and opened the shuttle's door himself, for the passengers to get inside!
Holiday Inn Express was just a 7-minute ride from the Flughafen (airport). The hotel building looked impressive on the exterior; as did the lobby and restaurant, once we were inside. We were allotted room no, 129, road-facing, on the first floor. Room was small but neat. Quite comfortable for a solitary night.
Went down to the restaurant for dinner, at 21:30. Ordered a jack Daniels, Chicken wings in BBQ sauce and ginger ale. The system here is to place the order at the counter and pay. Then, carry your drinks to the table, where the food would be served later. After approximately 15 minutes, the waiter came to our table to announce that the chicken was over !! For a second, we felt we were back in India ! We had never expected such a lapse in Europe! Changed our order to 'Asian Noodles with cashew-nuts and broccoli' - a vegetarian dish that was ironically priced CHF 4/- more than the Chicken wings ! Miffed as we were, we never bothered to point this out to the restaurant; they did not ask us to pay the difference. Serve them right for not serving us chicken!
The ambience was wonderful - close to our right lay a railway line and we spotted a couple of the Swiss double deckered trains pass by - looking very mysterious indeed, in the dark. Retired to bed on a really soft but comfortable mattress, after setting the alarm of my watch for 04:10 the next day - the last in Europe, on this trip.
Once again, we were using Zurich as a mere stopover!
Zurich, Switzerland. Thursday, 23rd May, 2019
Reached Zurich Hauptbahnhof (main train station) by train, at 16:10. We had left Freiburg-im-Breisgau (Germany) at noon and had reached here via Basel. Had a snack - Chicken roll - at the same stall where we had had a snack, five years ago!
It was a wonderful feeling being back at Zurich Hauptbahnhof! We had been here in 2014 and 2016. The last year too we were at Zurich for a night, but had come nowhere close to the Hauptbahnhof. The church building just across the road from the station, was as impressive as ever!
Caught an Intercity (IC) train bound for Chur, via Zurich Flughafen, which was our immediate destination, just two stops away. We had to board the Oman Air flight to Mumbai via Muscat, at 21:55. The train to Chur was crowded but most of the passengers - ourselves included - alighted at the Zurich Flughafen, another good friend of ours! 2014, 2016, 2018 and now. On four of our five trips to Europe from 2014 to 2019, we have exited the continent from Zurich. We always make a resolve to treat Zurich as a destination rather than as a mere stopover, on the 'next' trip.
Let us see when that 'next' trip materialises!!
