Monday, September 16
Sunday was departure day from the ship. I went to sleep around 10:30, woke up at 2:15 and couldn’t get back to sleep. Always the day before leaving somewhere or flying somewhere, my mind goes around and around on what needs to be done.
I got ready, finished packing my bag, then went for coffee. After a while I went down to the restaurant and sat and drank some water. When I don’t get enough sleep I get a bit jittery and my stomach is not right. So, I just sat for a while then got up to get some melon. Don and Frankie were just coming in so I moved to a bigger table with them. Barb and Celia showed up right after.
It is always bittersweet seeing people for the last time, most you will never see again. There were a lot of people saying goodbye to friends they had made during the cruise.
After breakfast, I went back to my room and got my backpack and water bottle and went to the lounge. Don, Frankie, and I were all heading on to Zurich while Celia and Barb were staying by the airport to fly out on Monday morning.
We all gathered in the lounge to wait for our taxis. People came by to say goodbye as they left. We were about the last ones of the day at 9:45. Barb and Celia were first to be called so we said our goodbyes. Then our taxi was called and we went up the stairs to where our luggage waited and got a chance to say goodbye to Agnes, our cruise manager.
There was a marathon scheduled in Basel that day so the taxi driver had to detour around a lot of closed streets until we got to the train station. Train stations can be very confusing when you don’ know the language. We found a machine where we could get tickets but decided to find the human ticket sellers to be sure we got the right one.
It was about 10:15 and the next train to Zurich was at 10:33. We never thought we would make it but we got our tickets and hurried to the departure area and made it in time. The cabin was a bit small for all of our luggage but we made it in.
The ride went through some beautiful hills and farmland but I didn’t get any pictures. We arrived in Zurich about an hour later and went out to the taxi stand. I asked the driver if he took credit cards and he asked where we were going. When Frankie showed him, he said no credit cards but it wasn’t far and we could walk. They just didn’t want to take us the half a mile or so to the hotel. So, we walked.
The hotel is a Best Western Plus in Old Town Zurich. I got a single and was surprised that they actually have rooms with a single bed! The biggest issue for me was no air conditioning. I like to sleep cool and so was a bit worried about it. They did have a fan, though. The room was nicely appointed, however, and I had a little balcony that looks out onto other residential buildings.
One of my favorite Hitchcock moves has always been Rear Window and that is just what I thought of when I looked out. I love Jimmy Stewart in anything and Grace Kelly’s outfits are so outlandishly beautiful as was she. The plane even has the movie in it’s library so I may have to watch it on the way home.
We were able to check right in to our rooms (YAY!) so we all had time to rest for a while. Then we went a street away to have a little lunch. All of the cafes seem to have outdoor seating so we found a place in the shade for me and Frankie. Don loves the sun so he was okay in it.
I had a lovely little salad with pomegranate dressing and crostini with chèvre melted on top. It was just a perfect meal for a hot afternoon. None of the places here are air conditioned, as far as we can tell. I had read something earlier this summer about how only about 10% of Europe is air conditioned and that is a real problem with the extremely hot weather they are having now. It was around 80 degrees here which is very unusual.
Frankie wanted to come to Zurich to meet a distant cousin who found him through DNA testing. Earlier this year, they traveled to Ireland to meet a cousin of Don’s. I haven’t done the DNA testing, but my brother has and as far as I know no one has reached out.
They were going to meet him for a drink at 3:00 and I decided to try to take a bit of a nap so didn’t go with them. His cousin is an artist/designer using leather. He doesn’t really have a store but makes things on order through Instagram. I will have to check his stuff out online. I just checked it out and it is beautiful bags.
They had a nice meeting for a couple hours. I managed about an hour of sleep and when I woke up the sun was blaring in the glass door and it was very hot in the room. I shut the black out curtain and put the fan directly on me.
We met up for dinner around 6:00 or so. We were going to a Swiss restaurant his cousin had suggested. It was still sunny and warm and we walked along the river. It is a beautiful area of the city and there were many people walking or sitting at cafes.
The restaurant, Zeughauskeller, is like a German beer hall. This area of Switzerland is very German. The restaurant building was from the mid-1400’s and for many years was used to store artillery and ammunition. There were communal tables and lots of wood. The ceiling was quite beautifully done.
Don ordered his favorite, Wiener schnitzel, and Frankie and I got a specialty sausage that came with red cabbage and chestnuts, spaetzle and sauerkraut. The plates were huge and I was only able to eat the sausage and maybe a quarter of the other stuff. We were all used to the small portions of the ship.
It was a lovely walk back along the river and through the town to the hotel. We found a few shops we wanted to visit on Monday. It had cooled off some and the lights from the buildings reflected in the river. It was early to the room but I listened to my book for a while and then went to sleep.
Millers' Time 