And so the day finally arrived to start my holiday, so too the long journey to Zurich. From leaving home to checking in to the Wellenberg Hotel, 37 hours have passed and I have finally had a long awaited shower to freshen up.
It's not really as bad as it sounds. My 'fairy godmother' upgraded me to business class so while the flights are still long and exhausting I did manage a few hours sleep. Flatbeds, where have you been my whole life! We arrived in Zurich at 6.30 am and as we couldn't get in to the room until 2pm, headed back out for breakfast and a wander.
I'm staying in the old town, one street back from Limmat River which runs into Lake Zurich. Cobbled streets, old architecture, beautiful.
Zurich's not quite what I expected. Although the largest city in Switzerland the population is only 380,000. I'm not a big city girl so the lack of crowds and ridiculously busy streets has been a nice surprise. Although you do need to watch for the trams.
We filled in the morning with a classic trolley ride, a great way to familiarise yourself with the city and work out what you want to see more of.
Followed by a cruise and lunch on Lake Zurich. They love their meats and cheese here and so do I. You know what else I love about Zurich? I don't need to spell my last name for anyone!
First day and first impression is that I really like this place. Old buildings with history and architecture but plenty of modern bars, restaurants and shops.