Switzerland, Part One

Well it was Christmas time and Jules Peter and I had been discussing for years the prospect of spending Christmas in Switzerland. So with all of us being in the UK this year we thought it would be the best time. So with tickets all booked I headed up from Southampton on the 22nd to meet Peter and Jules. We were staying near London City Airport and flying out to Zurich early in the morning on the 23rd.

The flight was uneventful, but full of posh types heading off to Klosters and Davos (places far out of our price range). After landing in Zurich we dumped our bags at the hotel and headed into the city proper. Zurich is a nice place. It was cold, but bearable. It is full of lovely old buildings and interesting side streets. It is a pity we only had the afternoon to explore the place, but it is somewhere I will have to go back to. One thing I found pretty cool was they turned the overhead lines for the trams into lights (photo below), so they are far less of an eyesore! We went into a few shops, but they just reinforced our idea that Switzerland is an expensive place (even more so then the UK I reckon). We went into Jelmoli (a department store) to grab some food for the upcoming week and then headed out for dinner.

The next day (the 24th) we jumped on the train for our five hour journey to Saas-Fee - it was going to be our home for the next six days. So we headed to Brig, changed to a bus to get there. The scenery along the way was amazing. It is a very beautiful country. I can see why it is so popular with hikers in summer - it is something I have added to my list to do before I move back to Oz.

Anyway, Saas-Fee is a ski resort in the Alps about an hour from Zermatt. It was a pretty little village, busy with people arriving for Christmas. They have banned cars in the village itself (you have to park on the edge) which is a nice touch. We checked into our apartment (which was amazing) and then headed into town to grab some more supplies for the week ahead. After a couple of drinks and some unpacking as well as phoning Oz to wish everyone a Merry Christmas we headed out for dinner. Cheese fondue is a popular Swiss dish, so against my better judgment I decided to try it. for some reason I have an issue with melted cheese. My brain seems to think that it is far worse for me then normal cheese, now I realise that this is total rubbish, but I cant help it. So after a couple of mouthfuls I was over it all. But I guess I had to try it!



Peter and Myself in Zurich


Zurich Scenes


Zurich Scenes


Zurich Scenes


Zurich Scenes


Zurich Scenes


Jules and Myself in Zurich


Zurich Scenes


Zurich Scenes


On the train to Saas-Fee


On the train to Saas-Fee


On the train to Saas-Fee


On the train to Saas-Fee


On the bus to Saas-Fee


On the bus to Saas-Fee


On the bus to Saas-Fee