Quick trip to Zurich

Managed a quick trip to visit the in-laws at the end of November.

As you can see there was plenty of snow there too - and sub-zero temperatures. South-East Switzerland was experiencing night-time lows of -22C!

The view over the city was amazing:

 

Walking on the Uetliberg was treacherous with very icy conditions underfoot, but it did look like something out of Narnia.

The restaurant at the summit gave stunning views - it's unusual to see the Alps from Zurich - usually a bad weather sign!

A very enjoyable trip. Nearly didn't make it back as the plane had technical problems in Gatwick and was more than 2 hours late arriving in Zurich! We made take-off with 1 minute to go before the 23:50 noise curfew came into force. It meant we didn't get home until 02:30 the next morning.

Markus Liebherr 1948 - 2010

It was announced on Wednesday that Markus Liebherr, Southampton's owner, had died at the age of 63.

No death is timely. This is without doubt a cruel blow. His family will be shocked and saddened at his passing. The Southampton Football Club family is also saddened and shocked. There are many hundreds of tributes that have been placed outside St Mary's Stadium and a book of condolence had has been opened.

It is a cruel twist in the story of Saints rescue from Administration. There are lots of questions about what the future holds for the club. There seems to be a Trust Fund in place to cope with just such an eventuality and his daughter Katharina who now assumes the mantle of his business interests says she wants to perpetuate the direction Markus was pursuing. Another sign of this man and his family's generosity.

Markus Liebherr was not just a sugar-daddy. He was a true fan of the club and that shone through in his infectious smile. The pride on his face was evident when Saints won the Johnstone's Paints Trophy. Southampton Football Club, the city and the fans owe a great deal to Markus Liebherr. Let us all ensure his legacy is a lasting one so that his name and memory will live on.

Sad days.

The rain in Switzerland stays everywhere all the time!

As we left the Channel coast behind us and drove across Belgium so we drove into cloudier conditions. For our two days in Germany it was cloudy - no rain, no sun, just cloud. Then we moved into Switzerland and it rained and rained and rained and the clouds never lifted - until the day we drove home 12 days later!

We were limited to shopping centres for photo outlets. This one is Sihl City in Zurich and architecturally I like it.

One day, umbrellas in the car, we headed East and into the cantons Appenzell. When we arrived at Schwagalp, it looked as though the cloud was clearing and so I took a picture to demonstrate the before and after:

We went into the hotel for a coffee and 30 minutes later the weather had changed...

... it was not the after I had been anticipating! And that was the end of that. Cloud and drizzle for the rest of the day - and every day after that.

We got so fed up that we decided to head South into the canton of Ticino - the Italian speaking part of Switzerland South of the Alps. As we entered the Gotthard Tunnel it was 15 degrees and very cloudy. As we emerged almost half an hour later on the other side it was a wall-to-wall sunshine, 28 degrees and everything summer should be! We headed down to Locarno:

and enjoyed a walk along the lake-side promenade:

We then took the 'Feniculare' up the hillside for lunch on a terrace over-looking Locarno and Lago Maggiore. Magnificent:

After lunch we explored Val Verzasca and arrived at the wonderful village of Lavertezzo

with it's wonderful double-arched bridge over the river:

And yes, the water really is that colour!

If you need a guide to Switzerland in the rain, hire me - I've done it.

We only had a holiday inconvenienced. The weather system dumping rain on Switzerland was the same one that brought catastrophic flooding to the South of France. There people died and lost homes and livelihoods.

Next year, I will be able to visit Switzerland again.