In January 2018, my wife had a business trip to Switzerland, and I went with her. The idea was that I would explore on my own while she worked, and once her work was done, we would travel together. It turned into a memorable holiday, through Switzerland and into some of its neighbouring countries.
A question at immigration
We flew from Singapore on Singapore Airlines SQ346 and landed in Zurich at around 7:50 on the morning of Saturday, 27 January.
At immigration, the officer asked me why I was visiting Switzerland and whether I was travelling alone. I told her I was there as a tourist, and that I had come with my wife, who was in Switzerland on business.
She asked where my wife was.
I explained, jokingly, that because it was a business trip, my wife had flown business class and had probably cleared immigration already. We both laughed.
It was a light-hearted start to the trip.
Bigger suitcases than usual
After immigration, I met my wife, and we took the train from the airport to our hotel, the Ibis Zurich City West. I normally prefer to travel light, but winter clothing meant we had brought larger suitcases this time.
We went straight to the hotel, left our luggage there and went out to explore. We would come back to check in later.
Learning the trains
The Swiss rail network was new to me. Getting around by train was reasonably straightforward, but Zurich’s fare zones needed some attention, and choosing the right ticket was not always obvious. I had spent a lot of time researching routes, tickets and costs, and after comparing the options, I eventually bought a Swiss Travel Pass.
One thing I noticed was that some of the platforms were dirtier than I had expected, given how beautiful the surroundings were.
We kept our sightseeing fairly limited that first day while we got used to it all.
Out to Lake Zurich
In the early afternoon, we took a train out of the city towards Lake Zurich and got off at a small village on the shore. I no longer remember its name, or whether the stop was planned or one we chose on the day.
Vineyards climbed the slopes above the lake.
Down by the water, a row of red benches looked out over the lake. It was a grey, still afternoon, and the hills on the far shore faded into the mist.
Back in the city
By late afternoon, we were back in Zurich, walking through the city towards the river.
From the bank of the Limmat, we could see the green spire of the Fraumünster and the clock tower of St Peter, with small boats moored below under their winter covers.
The end of the first day
We went back to the hotel and checked in.
Over the days that followed, buying different beers to try, many of them in colourful cans and bottles, became one of my small habits on this holiday.
The next day, we took the train to Basel, which would be our base while my wife attended to her work.