Paul Humphreys rambles on....

Last week I was working in Switzerland. I had a very early 4am wake up call to catch a taxi to Heathrow to fly to Zurich. I enjoyed myself but here are a few observations about the journey and working over there..

After going through customs at Heathrow a fire alarm sounded. We were hustled into a safe part of the terminal building not before I saw signs proclaiming the successful installation of a new fire alarm system...

My short taxi ride to the area of the Sun office was undertaken by a taxi driver who looked like Rosa Klebb from From Russia with Love. One depressing thing was this taxi driver and the other one we used both threw litter out onto the lovely Swiss countryside...

In this part of the world when you have breakfast a brightly coloured container will be present on your table. It is a mini litter bin...

As I arrived early at my hotel I took the bus and train to Zurich. The great thing for me is the transport systems are fully integrated. When the two systems meet there is a perfectly timed cross over period so you do not wait ages for the other transportation system to make an appearance.

At the train station the ticket office was closed. A kiosk attendant tried to help me navigate my way through the questions to get a ticket. She seemed stuck on one question and asked her friend for help. While she did this I flicked the machine into English. The question she was stuck on was is this a half fare in other words was I a child. Not many under twelves are six feet high, and sporting grey hair...

The trains run like clockwork. They also have route numbers on them so its easy to spot if a train will stop when you want it too - unlike the UK ones that just say where they are going..

Remember to have a two Swiss Franc coin with you always. That seems to be the regular price to visit the loo...

The hotel has a great idea to solve the hotel key problem. As you go out you can secure your room key on a metal plate. You put your key in a slot designated for your room and turn the room key ninety degrees. This releases a smaller sister key which opens the outside door to the hotel only and has no markings to allow someone who steals your key to know what it opens. When you return you put the sister key back and release your door key. Great idea.

We all know the Continental beers are good. Swiss wine is also excellent. They do not make much so it is not generally exported much.

On the short shuttle ride to terminal E of the fabulous Zurich Airport a short film is shown on the concrete walls as you wizz along. Cows are then heard to moo and their bells too. Very peaceful.

Comments:

The half-fare question stumped her, because many Swiss have a half-price abonnement, entitling them to buy half-fare tickets. So she had to assume that you were a foreigner who probably was not entitled to the half-price fare.

Posted by Alex Schroeder on October 24, 2006 at 03:08 AM PDT #