Early Sunday morning, Bill and I got up, had one last lovely Swiss bakery breakfast, and packed everything in the Volvo. It was kind of nervewracking, because the car was behind a locked gate, and there was a car parked behind it all week. I later found out, once we got back to Germany, that the proprietors had sent me a SMS message on my phone. I didn’t get it, though, because I was using a Swiss eSim card. Switzerland is not in the EU, so if I don’t use an eSim, my German cell service quickly maxes out on roaming.
Bill had already arranged with the proprietors as to when we were going to leave. I was definitely ready to go, although I can’t deny that we had a great time in Switzerland. Again, every time I go there, I like it slightly more. I’ve finally started to notice its charm, which wasn’t obvious the first time I went there. I mean, it truly IS a beautiful country, and interesting because there are four official languages. But for some reason, I just felt like there was no “soul” there. Having visited a few more times, I realized that the Swiss actually do have soul… they just hide it better than the French and Italians.
We were out of the apartment by about 8:30 AM or so, and we anticipated an easy trip back to Wiesbaden. But first, we had to get out of Zürich, which turned out to be more difficult than we anticipated. We did not go out of the city in the same way we came in, which was probably a smart idea, since the way we came in was very busy. But, the alternative route was also problematic, because parts of it were closed. Bill surmised maybe there was another bike or running race going on. I didn’t see evidence of that, but we did have to find our way out. The GPS wasn’t helpful, so I told Bill to just keep heading north, and eventually we’d find our way out of the city. I turned out to be right.
The drive home was pretty uneventful after that, although we did stop at a very crowded McDonald’s near Heidelberg. I wouldn’t necessarily choose McDonald’s for lunch, but it was convenient, and it was also near an erotic store.
The weather in Germany was overcast and kind of “blah”, which is typical. Switzerland was much sunnier and warmer, although I heard that it was hot in Germany, too. My ankles were very swollen, which now happens when it gets hot. One of the many joys of being in my 50s. /sarcasm
Once we got home, we did the usual unpacking and restarting everything. Bill picked up the dogs at 6:00 PM, and they were happy to be home. I made plans to write this series, which has now come to an end.
Overall, we both enjoyed this trip to Zürich. It really is a nice city with a lot to offer. For so many years, we avoided it, because it was close to where we lived. When Bill decided to investigate the Jung Institute, it became much more interesting. I’d still like to visit other Swiss cities, particularly Lausanne and Bern. And maybe it would be fun to spend some time near Lucerne, which isn’t far from Zürich. God willing, we’ll get our chance.
I also want to mention, the proprietors of the Apart-Hotel Hugenschmidt were very nice! They repeatedly thanked us for leaving the apartment in such a “tidy condition.” So… I guess we aren’t dirtbag tenants after all, ex landlady. 😉
Anyway… if you’ve been following this series, and I know a few of you have faithfully checked in every day, I thank you very much for reading. I have one last post to write for Switzerland– my usual “ten things I learned.” And I did, in fact, learn new things on this trip. So watch this space for that post, which could be posted here today or tomorrow. We’ll see.
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