Yes…why Zurich? Well, we had stopped in Zurich on our 1992 round the world adventure and John remembers that women were presented with red roses. It was some sort of promotion. It did seem such a beautiful city and quite romantic. (The couple at the station found the internal fountain irresistible.)

We arrived late. I had not checked on the directions. It was dark. We came across a small hotel and asked for directions. We were just metres away.  Just up the stairs immediately behind. Up the thousand stairs!!! The hotelier came out again a minute later and explained we could go to the end of the street, take a tram, and then walk a few metres downhill to the apartment. We did that. Although our accommodation was initially challenging to find in the dark, once we saw the light of day we were thrilled. It was brilliantly located. 

We had three nights in a lovely spacious one-bedroom apartment. Our last day was Saturday, and everyone was out enjoying the most amazingly beautiful weather.  We decided to do a lake cruise and visit the Lindt Factory. 

Our day started at the statue of Ganymed on Bürkliplatz framed by the stunning Alpine backdrop. We had purchased a Zurich Card which gave us all public transport, a cruise on the lake and travel to the airport. It was good value. 

On the cruise on the Zürichseee we were accompanied by locals and a handful of ‘out of town’ tourists who were happy to indulge in food and beverages and drink in the fabulous sunshine. 

A few of us disembarked at Kilchberg to visit the Lindt factory. It was impressive especially the tasting rooms. 

Returning to the city we decided on an aperitif at Kronenhalle which had been recommended to us by Romello from Claridge’s, London. Wow! Surrounded by original masterpieces it was quite a teat to get so up close and personal and because it was such a beautiful day outside, we were the only customers. Our host was more than happy to share stories about the bar and make us each a unique cocktail. 

Our holiday was over. Zurich was a delightful way to conclude our trip. Travelling in winter was a very different experience- the main issue for us would have been the amount of clothing we needed to wear! Well, it’s back home and winter is coming but quite a bit milder than any in Europe. It isn’t uncommon to see someone walking around in shorts, thongs and a jumper. Ahh it’s nice to be home.