Our flight across the big pond of the Atlantic
ocean was made much easier simply because we were on an adrenaline high
most of the way. We boarded our flight in Vegas at seven thirty in
the morning and endured four and a half hours of non-smoking to Newark
New Jersey where we had a couple of hours before the next leg of just over
six hours to Zurich.
Although we were exhausted upon our arrival in Zurich,
we didn't know it yet. We touched down at about seven forty-five
in the morning Zurich time but to us it was almost five in the afternoon,
time for a cocktail right? For some reason Fessi wasn't going to
fall into the trap of drinking with Joe at eight in the morning though.
After a rocket ride through Zurich on the autobahn
in Fessi and Sylvia's Volvo we arrived in Uitikon (Wheatikon) and their
wonderful home for our first meal in this beautiful land. We didn't
realize it then but the simplicity of egg salad sandwiches on hand made
rolls was just the beginning of a love affair with Swiss food. We
both realized within a couple of days that we were going to return home
FAT!!
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Fessi warned us continually in the first few hours
that the jet lag was going to catch up with us. Not us, we were a
little tired but still raring to go. We did finally concede around
one, that a little nap probably wouldn't hurt us so we laid down for an
hour or so. Well....we got woke up around five and realized that
we had passed out cold!!!
After we got up from our nap, Joe conned Fessi into
taking a little putt on the bikes so he could familiarize himself with
the turbo-charged Electra Glide that he would be riding for the next two
and a half weeks.
They took about a forty-five minute run up over
Albispass and Joe found out that if you get on a bike in Switzerland and
leave your leather and/or rain gear at home you will pay. 'Nuf said!!
In reality our first day or so in Uitikon was sort
of a blur. Even though we were stoked on adrenaline the jet lag became
obvious the first night when Joe woke up around four in the morning and
his body told him that it was time to get up for the day.
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Our first full day was spent mainly goofing around
the area with a putt around the Lake of Zurich and a stop on Niedldorfstrasse
which is a main tourist area. We walked down the narrow streets of
this area that dates back to 742 AD, window shopping and taking in the
strange sights of a foreign land. Sights that introduced us to the
fact that even though we think young people dress strange in the USA, we
ain't seen nothin'. We don't have any real proof but it looks like
"Punk" was invented in Switzerland.
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After hearing so much negative information from Fessi
on the weather, we were extremely impressed by the fact that it doesn't
really rain ALL the time in Switzerland. We had been told that the
only difference between winter and summer, was that the rain was slightly
warmer in the summer. What we saw that first day or so was blue sky
with puffy white clouds and temps in the eighties. A welcome relief
from 110 to 115 with 50% humidity that we have come to despise living in
the so called desert!!
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Fessi and Sylvia had been awaiting our arrival with
plans of their own. Fessi had planned our schedule almost down to
the minute it seemed. Joe was a little apprehensive about having
every little thing planned for him (a control issue probably) and warned
Fessi that we might just want to get away on our own for a while.
What neither of us realized was that Fessi and Sylvia are about the best
tour guides anyone could hope for. Whether it was window shopping
on the Bahnhofstrasse or standing at the Top of Europe after a cog train
ride up the Jungfraujoch, there was never a dull moment during our trip.
Our thanks go out again to Fessi and Sylvia for
inviting us into their home and showing us the best that their country
has to offer. From panoramic vistas at the top of Gotthard Pass to
educating us that a good meal really should take two to three hours, they
helped to educate us barbarians from the United States that there really
is something more in life than fast food and the Grand Canyon.
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