A short jaunt to Switzerland isn’t enough to merit detailed updates on the travel blog but it would be a shame not to document the incredible time we had touring Switzerland for a few days with friends. I did, in fact, have a business meeting to attend: it just happened to be the day after my birthday which prompted the idea of spending a few days having fun for my birthday before doing that work thing. So we did!

There were many firsts on this trip. First time leaving Aberdeen airport at the a**crack of dawn. I was very glad that the taxi app I used to book a cab at 3:45 AM did not let us down. Of course, the lack of traffic here at that ungodly hour meant that we actually got to ABZ before the counter was open to drop off our bags. Eventually they were ticketed through to Zurich (forshadowing….) and we had plenty of time for breakfast before our BA flight to Heathrow. Just like Rochester and Kansas City, you can’t really fly anywhere from Aberdeen without changing planes and for this trip that meant braving Terminal 5.

And you probably guessed that it didn’t go very smoothly. Let’s start with the fact that we were both denied boarding through the automated gates. Frank’s boarding pass flashed “seating assignment” and mine flashed “boarding denied.” Seriously!?! Frank got a new boarding pass which worked fine. I did not. But the gate agent eventually gave up trying to fix it and let us both board. Even though were were literally the last people on the plane, we still had plenty of time to sit and gaze out at the tarmac before take off. That’s when we noticed Frank’s suitcase sitting on the ground outside the aircraft all by itself. We then watched a baggage handler pick up the bag, through it on the cart and drive it BACK to the terminal! ARGH! We altered the flight attendant who had the captain radio to the ground crew. No, we were told, it must have been a mistake because all the bags for this flight were loaded. Are we sure it was our bag? Um, yes? How many green LLBean cases with neon yellow handles do you think pass through LHR Terminal 5? It’s not like it was a random black Samsonite. But maybe we could be wrong.

But of course we weren’t. We get to Zurich and there is only one bag. We think things are fine because there are two more flights from London to Zurich that day so surely we will only have to wait a few hours. Nope. It took two days for the bag to arrive. But we didn’t wait for it. We had several busy days planned. Starting with exploring different places around Lake Zurich and a fantastic racelette dinner with our wonderful travelling companions. The next day we were headed south in the intermittent rain and grey skies that would be with us for most of the trip. But that didn’t stop us from having a lovely time visiting Einsiedeln abbey and the Black Madonna – so much pink marble!!! Then it was time for lunch while cruising Lake Luzerne where we saw the place where Switzerland was founded. A visit to the Willem Tell monument and a cup of coffee in Altdorf rounded out the day.

We were spending the next two nights in a hotel owned and operated by the Swiss National Bank with the most amazing views of the surrounding Alps. A “quick run” before dinner turned out to be a seemingly vertical hike up (then down) the mountain where my shorts and Tshirt were not quite appropriate for the light snow that started. But dinner was excellent and put us in just the right mood for what I have since dubbed the “Playroom Olympics”! The hotel had both ping pong and foosball in the kiddy room but since there were no kiddies about, we took it over. Scotland vs Switzerland. A mixed bag of results – mostly Switzerland kicking our butts but there were a few redeeming shots in ping pong before we hit the hay.

The rain the next day meant that the many outdoor activities on the agenda would be a bit soggy. However, it turned out that the calendar would be our worst enemy since most of them were not yet open for the season. So it was off to an amazing the amazing Giessbach Falls with the accompanying art deco hotel on Lake Brienz. Amazing! A hard act to follow but the St Beatus caves held their own. Nearly 1km of tunnels into the mountain with so many cool rock formations. So amazing! Back to the hotel for cocktails, another fantastic dinner, and round two of the Playroom Olympics. This time Scotland managed to not be embarrassed at foosball but completely lost all ability to play ping pong. I think we needed to be happy with the Silver medal!

One last fun day before work which was MY BIRTHDAY! And I awoke to about 10 cm of snow! (We were in the Alps!) As we drove down from our 1400m height, it mostly became rain but as we were headed to the Swiss Museum of Transport, there was no worry about the weather. We mostly stuck to the planes, trains, and automobiles so we’ll need to do the planetarium and chocolate parts next time. Still a fantastic time all around. Then a little wander around Luzerne with the famous bridge – including some shopping – and it was time to head to Zurich to prepare for the work stuff. As we approached the city, the sun came out and provided some much needed warmth and vitamin D.

The work stuff happened and then we had some more time to wander around the city in the sunshine. We made the obligatory stop at the Fraumünster to see the Chagall windows, did a little more shopping and cocktails before meeting friends and colleagues for dinner. Then the trip was pretty much complete. The flight home was less painful (although I will avoid Heathrow at all costs now!) and we managed to arrive with all our belongings where they should be. Now to prepare for the next trip scheduled for 5 days later…..

Just a few photos from the trip. Nothing could do it justice.