July 1st & 2nd - Heading home

Since our flight back to the U.S. left at 10:30am on the 2nd, we had to leave Locarno on the 1st and stay near the Zurich airport. We chose to upgrade our Swiss Pass to a first-class reservation on the Cisalpino fast train to Zurich. What a way to travel!! Comfortable seats, lots of leg room, coffee and food served right to your seat. Much better than air travel.


As we traveled though the Alps, we marveled at the Swiss engineering of roads and railways. The Swiss public transportation system is second to none in my opinion.
Arriving at the Zurich Hauptbahnhof, we could see the last remains of all of the buildup centered around the Euro Cup. You will note that the arms are missing from these players. A few hours later, their heads were off and smashed as well.


We took a walking tour through Zurich during the afternoon. It is a big city and one afternoon doesn't do it justice. It was another hot day so we took another cruise on the lake. All along the shore we could see mobs of people enjoying the water.


We chose to eat out last dinner in Switzerland at the Restaurant zum Kropf near the Münsterhof square in Zurich's Old Town. Of Zurich’s many beer and wine restaurants built in the late 19th century, Restaurant zum Kropf is the only one to have preserved its original decor practically unchanged. In the lower area, the so-called “Bärengraben” (bear pit), accessible from the In Gassen street entry, the guest is met by an oil painting of a rustic drinking scene surrounded by finely arranged paneling. Stretching across the paneling is a fresco depicting cheerful cherubs, singing frogs, musical monkeys, and lively drinking buddies. The vault is ornamented with “culinary emblems”– a cornucopia of vegetables, crabs, and tortoises – indicating a rich banquet of food.

After walking at dusk and riding another tram, we took our last train ride out to our hotel in Kloten. Our room at the Allegra Hotel was reserved by Untour since it offers frequent shuttle service to the airport only 15 minutes away. The rooms in the hotel are decorated based on a painting by Piet Mondrian and the whole hotel was quite a change from our previous accomodations.
After checking in for the flight home, we reflected on what a wonderful vacation this Untour had been. We were able to do what we wanted when we wanted and to adapt our schedule to changes in opportunities and weather. We counted up that we had been on 34 trains, 17 buses, 17 cable cars, and 5 boats. Using the Swiss Pass was a fun and easy way to travel.