Zürich Series - Swiss Air International

Zurich International Airport

I flew with Swiss Air International to Zurich this time, since the comparable fare with British Airways was twice the price.  It was a long walk from security to departure gate #32 at Terminal 1 London Heathrow, a princely walk of over 25 minutes.  On the way, I met a delightful Malaysian Chinese lady who started talking to me.  She lives in Cirencester, works at Zug in pharmaceutical marketing procurement, and does the weekly commute between UK and Zurich.  We hit it off instantly.  Rather disappointingly, Swiss Air Int'l was late, thus slightly denting my faith in Swiss punctuality.  Unlike British Airways, the Airbus A321 was served by 3 crew members, one for business class and two for economy class.  British Airways fields 6 for a similar aircraft.  No wonder it took almost the entire trip for the Swiss air crew to serve tea and coffee to a fully loaded economy cabin.  This time, Zurich was wet, grey and rather miserable.  There was a subdued atmosphere in the office, probably because everyone realises the enormity of the task against the looming deadline.

Zürich Series - Oerlikon

This northern quarter of Zurich used to be an industrial area until economic forces caused the migration of manufacturing to cheaper areas in the east.  Along Binzmühlestrasse and its surrounding streets stand scores of ABB buildings, interspersed by numerous squares surrounded by a small number of fast food eateries, most of which are closed at the weekend.  At the corner of #80, there is a sharp edged building, mirrored on the ground by this triangular piece of paving area.  This part of Oerlikon, north of the railway station, is deserted at the weekend when the offices are closed, and only families from nearby are seen going to the Co-op supermarket to do their shopping.





The belching smoke against the morning skyline, it was explained to me, is from the recycling plant where waste is converted into combustible heat and electricity for Zurich.    According to Stadt Zürich, the Zurich residents are top in recycling: 43% of household waste remains in the material cycle, with 160 collection points in this city alone.  How commendable.

This is Departure Gates E at Zurich International Airport, accessible by SkyMetro from the main departure gates A-D.  The signage is in red, the colour of the Swiss flag.  For an international airport, the place is surprisingly quiet and empty.  The Skymetro runs every 3 minutes, and there is a clock counting down the minutes to the arrival of the next train.  The Swiss efficiency is most impressive.  On arrival at Heathrow, all the three e-Passport gates were out of order, and one lone immigration official was deployed to serve the long queue.  The queue was directed by a glum faced woman who appeared to resent being put to test by such a technological failure, and vented her displeasure on the frustrated passengers.

Zürich Series - First Impressions

Arriving at Zürich airport, finding one's way is a doddle.  The SkyMetro whizzes the passengers to the main hall in no time, there were no long queues at immigration, and the baggage reclaim system is fast and efficient.  From the airport to Oerlikon (north of the city), the taxi fare is 34,50 CHF (for a 20-minute ride), exactly as it should be.   The trains run on time, to the minute.  They are modern, highly efficient, and clean.  There is very little graffiti, public areas are clean, and if you are seen crossing a road at red lights, you are being frowned upon.  

In such an affluent society, a visitor from London will find Zürich astronomically expensive. Even their own chocolate - Lindt - is twice the price in Zürich than the retail price in an English supermarket. Probably the only thing that is relatively cheap is public transport. On that, the UK is shamefully expensive for the crowded commuter trains, poor punctuality, and often dirty local stations.

Entrance to Zurich HB facing Hautbahnhof Strasse

Back to Zürich.  The train journey from Oerlikon to Zürich Hautbanhhof is a mere 7 minutes. Arriving at the central station, the cavernous concourse and signs announcing that there are 20 tracks is awe-inspiring and takes some orientation.  Underneath the station is the Shopville shopping arcade, with shops mostly selling "cheap" fashion items.  Wenger products and Swiss army knives abound.  Seeing these knives in such volumes, I cannot understand the love affair with this ubiquitous Swiss object.  I hardly know anyone who carries this object around on a daily basis.

Crossing the River Limmat to the Old Town, one can immediately spot the twin spires of the Grossmünster Church.  On a winter's day, the river was quiet, with the occasional swan gliding by and a few ducks.  

Electric morning blue

Seeking to embrace the earth

The clouds, they will pass

In these winding old town lanes, though the cobblestones are unforgiving on the feet, the beautifully painted bay windows from a bygone era complement the myriads of boutique shops and the endless streams of restaurants and cafes.  Antique shops and art galleries mix easily with all manners of high fashion and accessories shops.  There are the odd ones out: a shop selling beads for earrings and necklaces, one selling dried fruit and nuts, one selling coffee beans, and they remind me of the charm of the  towns not yielding to the sameness of the modern shopping malls.  

Radiating from Augustinergrasse are a network of narrow cobbled streets, inviting visitors to sample a quieter corner of the Old Town.  

Here, in the shade of the winter sun, 

I stand alone

Pierced by a ray of sun

Will you trust me again?