Switzerland is where all the good things come from – chocolate, watches, army knives, cheese fondue and of course Roger Federer!

Zurich was not on my original itinerary either but my aunty and uncle where going to be there in between tours, so we decided to meet. A family reunion in Zurich? Was it possible?

My first impressions of Zurich were that it is clean; safe; has beautiful, big, quiet trains that are likely always on time; and it is expensive. The Swiss Franc is more closely aligned with the US dollar than the Euro but the cost of goods is noticeably higher. I learnt that Swiss incomes are quite high which offsets this, but as a tourist you notice it.

Unfortunately my uncle fell ill in Stockholm, so their arrival was delayed. During this time I found the local supermarket and the laundry room of our apartment complex. Who knew a room full of free-to-use front loading washers and dryers could bring so much joy?

The next day, in freshly laundered clothes, I went on a free (gratuities welcome) walking tour of the western district of Zurich. It was once an industrial area, but is now home to new office towers and other new and different uses (such as apartments, a theatre and a pop up bar with an urban garden) within various repurposed former factories and warehouses.

After this I walked with an Australian lady I’d met on the tour south along the Limmat River into the centre of Zurich. Lacking beaches, the Zürchers were making the most of the fine weather and swimming in the river, which was well equipped with appropriate bathing infrastructure. The water looked far too cold for my liking!

The city centre itself is very pretty and quaint. It has managed to resist modern high rise, glass and steel so it feels like you could be viewing it as it appeared hundreds of years earlier, minus the cars of course.

That evening, after a flight delay, my aunty and uncle arrived in Zurich! Greeting them by the taxi on the street I was wrapped up in big hugs and it was something else. The emotions bought happy tears to my eyes and warmed my heart. We had pulled it off and it felt surreal to be together on the other side of the world!

The next two days were subdued as my uncle needed to recuperate to ensure he was well enough to start their second tour. My aunty and I didn’t let that stop us from talking and catching up. Over almost endless cups of tea we told stories of our travels, places we’d seen, people we’d met and those we’d happily never see again. In my uncle’s case that was the person he’d identified as giving him the lurgy on the first tour! 🤣

By Sunday afternoon it was clear my uncle was well on the road to recovery. We knew this because he told us a story about how he managed to sneak out of a Tommy Steele concert in London at the first chance he got. I found the song in question ‘Little White Bull’ on YouTube and soon understood why! He laughed so hard telling the story he had a coughing fit and that was all the proof we needed!

That evening we took an Uber into the city and they joined their next tour group for a welcome drink…and I was allowed one too! Following that we walked to a traditional Swiss restaurant and had a delicious dinner of schnitzel, veal in mushroom sauce, potato rosti and veg. It was very sad saying goodbye on this occassion, but we decided it was just a cheerio until next time we are together in Perth.

I had one more full day in Zurich. I couldn’t resist doing another load of washing and then I went on a long walk to discover the nearby parks of Oerlikon. Of the four parks I visited two stood out; the MFO Park, which use to be a machinery factory, now the former building’s frame is covered with climbing plants and there is a number of platforms at different levels where people can meet and relax. The other was Oerliker Park, which has a 35m high tower you can climb to observe 360° views of the city, the mountains and planes arriving and departing from Zurich airport.

It was a pleasant walk around a high density mostly residential suburb and I liked that most of the open spaces were used for activities that added to the residents’ quality of life. For example there are many recreational and sports facilities, playgrounds, public outdoor furniture and I saw a childcare centre in the ground floor of an apartment complex.

That evening I packed up as I had to catch the 7.09am train from Zurich HB to Como San Giovanni and I’m not a fan of early starts (yes, I know that’s an understatement). I was very excited to return to sweet Italian soil!

Side Note:

This point (Zurich) marks the halfway point of my journey, so I wanted to thank everyone who has let me know how much they are enjoying this blog. It’s encouragement to keep it up as, to be honest, it’s not easy to find the time or energy in between having fun and exploring each new destination. It’s about two weeks behind at the moment but I’ve committed to recording the whole trip, so stayed tuned folks! 😁