A day in Switzerland...

My trip to Australia has already begun: I got up bright and early in order to fly from Málaga airport this morning. Because there was a chance, though, that the transfer time would be too short in Switzerland, I am having to spend 24 hours in Zürich. Imagine my surprise when I came out of the airport and discovered that it was even hotter in Zürich than it had been in Málaga. It was a beautiful sunny day - perfect for playing tourist. 

After leaving my luggage at the airport hotel, I bought a 9-hour travel pass for Zürich's public transport system and caught a train into the city. The pass allowed me to travel on trains, buses, trams and even the so called Limmat River Boats that ferry people to various drop off points along the shores of the lake. That was the highlight of the day for me; I took a short boat trip and it was very relaxing to sit on deck for an hour and a half, watching the beautiful scenery, the quaint lakeside communities, the swimmers and the swans… This video clip shows just a few seconds of the view from the boat.

Then I took a leisurely walk around the old town of Zürich, enjoying a picnic lunch of Swiss bread and delicious Gruyère cheese. (Yes, my stomach is slowly recovering from its recent drama, when a midnight trip to the hospital led to a diagnosis of a small stomach ulcer caused by medication I'd been taking for a shoulder injury. I'm still being a little careful what I eat, but the pain is getting less all the time, and I was glad to be able to enjoy my favourite Swiss cheese today.)
Now I'll spend the night in Zürich, and tomorrow my long trip will continue. I'll fly from Zürich to Bangkok, then on to Singapore. The next day's flights will be from Singapore to Brisbane, and finally from Brisbane to Townsville, arriving early on Wednesday morning. Before taking so many fights, it was fun to have this short interlude in Switzerland today.