Zürich, Day 5

We got an unexpected call from Martin to say that a lesson he was due to give (he teaches English) had been cancelled, so he was free to take us for another trip during the afternoon before his next class was scheduled. The others had already made plans, and Seamus was going home at 4.00 pm, so it turned out to be just Carl and I who met up with Martin to take up his offer. We went to Baden, a charming spa town. Martin's favourite spot there is the Hotel Blume, where we stopped off in the atrium for a glass of wine from their very own vineyard. It was a really pleasant afternoon, after which we fitted in some time at Pier 7, a fabulous floating restaurant/bar on the river Limmat in Zürich, and a leisurely hour or so in the glorious evening sunshine at another little floating bar on the lake. The weather continued to be absolutely perfect, and it had got clearer over the past couple of days, which meant we caught a glimpse of the snow-capped Alps (a sight which is rare enough due to the prevailing haziness which normally obscures the view).

For some reason I can''t explain I'm finding it difficult as I write this to remember what we did after our lakeside stop, though I'm pretty sure it involved meeting Dermot and Bernard for food and drink.