Day 1: Return to Zurich

The Grand Tour began at 4:30am on 6 June at the corner of Greenwich and Grant St in San Francisco.  My taxi didn’t show and I was therefore rushed to make my flight on time.  It all worked out OK and I had an uneventful flight and seamless transfer in Toronto.  It was a clear morning as we made our approach into Zurich airport and I had great views over the rivers and rolling green hills of the Swiss Mitteland to the Alps beyond.  I could pick out all the well-known giants of the Swiss Alps, including Eiger and Jungfrau, the Matterhorn, and even Mont Blanc in the distance.

I caught the train to Baden (the small town just outside Zurich where I used to live) and have been staying with some friends from my old work for the past few days.  It’s been fun to catch up with the old Baden crowd at the local biergarten, and with the Rugby Club Zurich crowd at the Oliver Twist Pub (the club’s favourite haunt).  In fact, I have to admit that it’s great to be back in Switzerland, and it feels like I never left!  But I guess you get that after living somewhere for five years…