Joe goes to ......Zurich .

My first reaction to being told of my birthday present of a trip to Zurich .....was ..nonplussed...
After all I'd heard of the difficulties of air-travel , what with the volcanic ash problem and strikes and rumours of strikes I thought I'd be better off at home .
But I went rather than upset the givers ...
It turned out to be a marvellous experience .....no hassle at Dublin Airport , the AirLingus flight left on time and was very comfortable , arriving at Zurich Airport approximetly two and a quarter hours later . Having no bags to collect I was whisked by the shuttle to the main concourse , passed through customs and immediatly met my son and his fiancee at arrivals , to be driven straight away to their new apartment in about 20 mins.
It was a beautiful summer evening and as I stood on their balcony relaxing , the neighbours on adjoining balconies and flat rooves were also discreetly enjoying the sunshine . It reminded me of the film ' Rear Window ' , where , if one was nosy enough , you could follow part of the lives of those living around you through , balconies , flat-rooves and curtainless windows .
The first day was a bank holiday in Switzerland so my hosts were able to introduce me to the city .
The public transport system was the the first pleasant surprise , my hosts had provided me with a 7 day run-around ticket whiich cost the equivalant of € 30 but covered all modes of transport , trams , busses , local trains ( including the 'orange' train that takes people to the ' top of Zurich ') , the scenic boat trip on the Zurich- See lake , which , by the way , even on a hot summers day can be very cold , being fed by the melting snow from the Alps .
On the first day of my visit my hosts introduced me to the city , we travelled from the station Banhof Enge by tram to the Zurich See lake on took a boat trip on a ferry around the lake , then on to Rapporswill overlooking the city
The trams can take one almost any where in Zurich , and if the passenger mistakenly boards the wrong tram ( as I did occasionally ) he can be literally back on track in minutes .
There are no barriers or ticket checking , once you have your ticket , you are free to travel whereever you wish , in the seven days I was there , travelling frequently each day , I was not asked ONCE to present my ticket , either to a human or a ticket-checking machine . Trust is absolute , I would guess , however , that the penalties for deliberatly trying the system would be severe ...but the system is so efficient that only a foolish person would try to cheat .
On the second day of my visit I was on my own , my son and his fiancee having returned to work . My self -imposed project for the day was to find the grave of James Joyce . I have read ' Dubliners ' of course , almost struggled through ' Ulysses ' but have not even attempted reading 'Finnigan's Wake ' but I am a Dubliner myself and even grew up near one of the many places where Joyce lived in Rathgar .
My son , having checked the Internet , told me that I should start my search at The Zoo near the final stop of the 13 tram .So I got off the tram at the final stop , as instructed , walked up the hill toward the zoo , made inquiries at the hotel half-way up , they seemed to know very little of the whereabouts of Joyces grave and suggested that I make further inquiries at the zoo offices .
Skipping the queues of parents and children I asked for directions from the person in charge who having checked HIS computer told me I would have to go back to the city ......anyway as I was about to give up I discovered the tiny private graveyard A FEW HUNDRED YARDS down the hill from the zoo .
The man in charge of the graveyard took me to the grave of Joyce . In a special area , on a raised area accessed by steps beside a lifesize bronze statue of the famous writer I sat for a while in the warm summer sun , apologised for not finishing Ulysses , not starting Finnigan's Wake , for referring to his statues in North Earl St. as 'the pratt with the hat ' or the ' p*ick with the stick' and for getting Nora Barnacle mixed up with Nora Batty......I also asked for a few literary favours ...I spent about two hours walking about in the sun and admiring the colourful flowers and shrubs .....its a lovely place to visit...
More of Zurich later.....
On following days I visited Uetliberg , the top of Zurich , almost literally walking in the clouds above the city , standing on a high platform viewing the Alps (granted , not the ideal place for a seventy-year-old man with vertigo to stand alone ) , listening to the tinkle of the bells on the Alpine animals , I also travelled on a cable car at Santis de berg , again above the clouds , and saw the mist burn away to see the beautiful valley appear below ....
A visit to the cinema and a stand-up comedy show ( Rich Hall and Ed Byrne ) lovely meal s and a trip to St.Gallas , where we came across Zurich's version of a stag celebration for a young man about to get married , hot coffee liberally laced with schnapps handed out to all comers .....great days laid on by my hosts
I love Zurich , its public transport system , the best in the world , its clear pure air and water , magnificent views , its accessability from the airport , in shops , restaurants , in the streets , although the local language is Swiss /German , most people understand English...
Goobye Zurich for now , I'll be back.....