It was a rough start but we finally began our journey. Between my heart procedure and Bruce’s hospitalization, we weren’t sure we’d be traveling ever again.
We missed our sailing to Europe on March 24th when Bruce was in the hospital with bleeding ulcers. He was really sick.
But after getting the OK from our doctors, I booked flights to Zurich on April 6th hoping to at least catch the second half of our trip. Our adventure began when our neighbor picked us up at 4:45 to take us to Miami for a 7:45 flight. I hate those early morning flights.
We made it to the airport with some time to kill so we spent a little bit of time in the AV TAP/VIP lounge. It was quiet so we had comfy seats. This is through my Priority Pass from American Express Platinum personal card. One of the many benefits.
We flew economy to Toronto. I booked the flight through Air Canada using points. It was 70k points each and our next lag, Toronto to Zurich was in Business class. We also qualified for the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge for their elite flyers.
We had a five hour layover so we availed ourselves of the food.
They had taco making ingredients as well as pasta dishes and even a tofu dish for vegetarians. They also had plenty of brownies and cookies. I ate too much food. Grazing is not always the best way to go if you are dieting.
We finally boarded and have our nice lay down beds!
Getting ready for takeoff!
There are bleak winter skies in Toronto even though it’s April!
I watched the Brutalist for my onboard entertainment. I actually found it quite riveting. I had heard mixed reviews about it but it was a complex theme and I didn’t fall asleep. Actually I generally like to read books of this genre.
As we glided into Zurich, the beginning of dawn and the orange and red hues of sun could be viewed peering up above the horizon.
The mountain range was so close I could almost feel the brisk freezing temperatures of snow.
After a rather long walk and train ride to get our baggage, we went through passport control. It was all relatively easy but we could definitely feel our age.
We arrived at our hotel, the Hotel Schweizerhof Zürich at 8:30. It was located directly across from the train station.
Our room was ready by 9 and we were upgraded to a suite. It also has two bathrooms.
We are going to rest for a couple of hours and then go out and explore Zurich.
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