Zurich - 47° 21' 11" N 08° 33' 01" E

A glorious day to head to Zurich for lunch, made even better because it was with Franz Friedl!  We met at Fischstube restaurant on the lake. The terrace perched above the water overlooked swimmers, sailing boats, swans and, in the distance, snow-capped Alps.  Franz treated us to a superb lunch (I ate cod and scallops with lobster sauce accompanied by squid ink pasta and sea grass) washed down by a stunning Savignon Blanc from the region.

Following lunch, we wandered around central Zurich with Franz playing tour guide. A beautiful city that has not suffered the ravages of war inflicted on so many European cities.  Yes, there are banks. And yes, they look very solid, safe and old - just what one wants in a bank!

Of course, no outing with Franz would be complete without a coffee and cake stop. And as we were in Zurich, where else but Confiserie Sprüngli. Due to the heat, we opted to take our coffees iced - or in this case frozen! In a goblet, topped with cream, in some places, it would be known as ice-cream! The cake selection as vast as it was superb.  We managed to find room to squeeze in a Luxembergerli, Zurich's heavenly version of a macaroon.

We wandered the old city and spent some time in the beautiful galleries that frequent the narrow streets. Of course, we found a photograph we both loved. Sadly, we have a lack of walls to hang artwork at the moment so we had to leave it in the gallery!

We meandered through small German towns on the way home. The countryside is beautiful and we had the smells of freshly cut hay and crops being irrigated wafting through the open windows. The scents of summer. We ate dinner in a guesthouse restaurant - Sean's German coming in very useful.

It was fabulous to catch up with you Franz and we will be back!

Wandering through the Central Business District

A lovely day on Lake Zurich

A proudly Swiss city