Day 10 * Good bye Zurich and off to Wangi

Check out time wasn’t till midday so after another fine breakfast, Denise making another lunch from the leftover rolls, the rest of the cheese and some of the antipasto from yesterday.
A morning stroll in Zurich.
We left the hotel and turned left and this time continued up the Niederdorfstr, finding some more interesting shops and a wonderful little close that dated back to the 12th C. Carried on a bit more and came out at the Grosmunster, and Ulrich Zwingli Platz. This church was at the centre of the Protestant Reformation (as opposed to the Lutheran one) and was where Calvin and Knox came to carry the reformation to Geneva and Scotland. We went in after watching youths do their bum turned to the camera in front of an important old building trick, and were blown away. In the quiet, even though there was a teacher/guide talking with a group of high school students, I felt I was in a special place. Unlike the FM, you could take photos without a flash and the stained glass window with the early morning sun behind was stunning. I’ve got a postcard of the organ for Jan to see what could be possible at Scots – NOT! There was a side chapel set up as a meditation room and a crypt with a massive statue of Charlemagne. I could have climbed the 187 steps to the top of the south tower, but it was too early in the morning.
Back to the hunt for Die Post, and there it was right where the woman had directed me to yesterday, and so some of our postcards are on the way. We carried on and had drinks in a park. It seems funny to be naturally having a beer at 10 am outside in a park, but what with the heat (another day of over 25º) and the walking, water, or soft drinks aren’t really refreshing enough. Did some souvenir shopping and found ourselves in the Gummy Bear shop with the attendant plying us with different sorts as we sorted out our purchases. Then it was back to the hotel, for the final pack.

Lunch and trains
We settled the bill – CHF 14 for a bottle of water and Internet access – and we were off to the station, via the COOP where I bought another adapter so I could continue to keep things charged in Switzerland, yet another plug configuration!
Rather than go to the station, I had noticed a park near the station connected to the Zurich Landesmuseum, so we went in with our suitcases and bags to have lunch with the Zurich folk. Our patch of lawn was joined up with a junior school trip and we took delight in kids the world over. Every class has a clown, a daredevil, a boundary pusher – especially on a trip. Then it was the turn of the big kids. An older teenager started walking past us towards the entranceway fence getting egged on by mates further back. When he got there, someone gave a signal and he had to walk mincing-style right back to his mates. He pulled it off wonderfully with everyone joining in laughing, jeering and whistling.
Finished our lunch and went to the station to sort out tickets for next week. In a number of places the Swiss have devised a civilised way to queue. You walk in, press a button on a console and you get a ticket with a number on it. You can then chose to stand and wait or sit down, while the board and a beep would indicate it was your turn and which counter to go in. I remembered how it worked after Denise had done her stuff at the Post Shop and I relaised she must have ‘pushed in“. The Swiss obviously worked out she was a stranger and didn’t point out to her the error of not getting a ticket.
Back at the station the assistant sorted out a trip to Firenze for us. HIs first option was the direct one leaving Wängi at 6.24 in the morning, but got him to realise that that just wasn’t really doable, so he found the one we had put in our plans and pointed out it stops at Milano and has an extra booking fee CHF 50 on top of their normal fee of CHF 18. Then it was onto the train to Frauenfeld and a wait for the tram to Wängi in stifling heat. NO mistake this time and two ice coffees which we finished just as the tram arrived.
On we hopped and after a brief wait headed off to, in the words of the ticket assistant, the big city of Wängi. We arrived shortly after three and after raising the host from the kitchen, got to our room and unpacked our cases fully for the first time. Presents out and ready to take and suddenly there’s loads of room.

Dinner and Reunions
At 5.30 we walked up the hill to Friebe’s and as we got to the driveway, a voice squealed "Alistair" and there was Margrit running towards us, so excited. She had been upstairs and just happened to look out the window and saw my head go past. It was lovely to see her and have a chance to catch up with her by herself.
Soone after Philippe arrived with the Cooper family in tow. Mary and Terry are from Picton and had come with their daughter Jenny and husband Gene. Jenny had become a very close friend of Kathrin’s and K had come back in 2002 for Jenny’s wedding as bridesmaid. So we were all reuniting in one way or another, as Margrit had stayed with the Coopers on her trip to NZ with K in 1999.
Much Kiwi talk while Margrit and Philippe finished preparing the meal. Unfortunately Paul was teaching night school and wasn’t going to be back till after 10. Susanne came in after taking her soccer practice with 25 young kids from 3 to 9 years of age.
We talked about plans for tomorrow, overate– again and came back to our hotel for the might to prepare for our next adventure in the morning.