Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-07-19

• How about this for a colourful greeting at Zurich airport! http://yfrog.com/9e8qdjp #
• Hard to believe it is July. Looking out of the window it could be any october day in Zurich. #

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-07-05

• security at zurich e gates – utterly useless. at least a minute to process each person. #

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-06-28

• Wow, it has been wet in Zurich for what seems like days and days. We even had train delays yesterday, what on Earth is happening?!? #
• 17 minutes from touch down to train at zurich airport. awesome. try doing that in any other city worldwide! #

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-06-21

• The Swiss lounge at zurich has completed its facelift. much better food and very very classy. Finally, free wifi! #

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-06-07

• @Margash @mikeaar – Several cinemas in Zurich show films in English, including Corso in Bellevue. in reply to Margash #

Flight Review: Aer Lingus Zurich to Gatwick May 30 2009

Aer Lingus launched their Zurich – London Gatwick route in April 2009 and after some scouring of online fares from all airlines for a trip to London, I settled on using the Irish airline for the first time. My one-way trip cost around 145CHF including taxes.

I love flying from Zurich airport. The Swiss lounge is a nice place to spend an hour or so before a flight, the Duty Free is excellent and usually the queues at Security are short and swiftly dealt with.

Unfortunately, on the last few times I have travelled from Zurich, the Security regime has become more like its more useless and annoying counterparts in Europe, even including a man employed to tell you which queue to join because you cannot be trusted to decide yourself.

So it would seem that at least at the Security queues, Zurich airport is not the pleasure it once was.

Aer Lingus departs from the E gates, which means a short trip on the monorail, which always amuses me with its soundtrack of Swiss sounds and noises including alpine horns, rivers and even mooing cows. After getting to the gate, we had a short 10-minute delay which was announced twice.

The aircraft itself was a new Airbus A320 with leather seats within the cabin. I was allocated a seat on the 6th row. I checked in online but you can also choose a seat for a fee, with seats in the first 6 rows costing more. I should point out that I did not pay to select a seat, checked in bang on the 30-hour limit before departure and was automatically allocated a seat near the front.

We departed around 15 minutes late, but with a nice comfy seat, I had nodded off pretty fast.

The in-flight food and drink was reasonable priced although there were no sandwiches or hot food. I had a Diet Pepsi which set me back 3 CHF.

We landed 5 minutes late and all in all it was an uneventful and very comfortable flight. It was a bit of a trek from the plane to passport Control, which was being refurbished and I am glad I was one of the first to get there. The BAA airports are really shambolic and unappealing in parts.

I would recommend the Aer Lingus service between London Gatwick and Zurich with no hesitation.

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-05-31

• on board aer lingus from zrh to lgw. a little late but a lovely aircraft! security at zrh no longer the joy it once was. #
• I always smile when a new Fiat 500 drives past! #
• There is an amazing thunderstorm hitting Zurich right now! http://is.gd/ETBz #

Train Travel From Zurich To Milan

We had cause to travel to Naples recently and decided to take a train journey via Milan instead of go by plane, especially since no airline flies from Zurich to Naples anymore.

Planning the trip was easy enough. You can get train times from the Swiss Railways website but you will need to wait a couple of days for a human to calculate a total price and contact by email so this is not ideal if you need to travel within the next couple of days.

The best way is to visit any SBB ticket office. I used the travel office at Zurich Main Station (HB), where the whole process was done and dusted within 10 minutes. Again, this was because we needed to book the whole journey down to Naples. For the Zurich to Milan leg, you can buy the ticket from any ticket office and also online.

Focusing on the Zurich to Milan leg of the journey, this really was a breeze. In a touch over 3 hours, you are whisked from city to city on the Cisalpino train. The Cisalpino allows you to do the journey without a change but there are only a few trains per day. if you are OK with one or two changes then the journey can be done in a variety of other ways.

The Cisalpino Train From Zurich To Milan

The Cisalpino itself is an Italian service, run by the Italian railway so there are a few things that you usually do not find on a Swiss train. For example, the electric blind was jammed and could not be moved up without applying some brute force.

We went for first class seats, reasonable priced at 100CHF thanks to the Half Card and it was all very comfortable with a decent trolley service. You can also book seats for dinner in the restaurant car.

Our table had electrical sockets, ideal for charging the laptop en route.

The scenery at times was breathtaking. Lake Lugano is especially impressive with a dramatic Alpine backdrop. It is interesting whilst travelling through Switzerland to witness the change in town styles as you pass from German regions through to towns closer to Italy. At some points you really feel like you are in Italy although you are still some way from the border.

By the way, now that Switzerland has joined Schengen, no passport check is necessary either way.

On arrival at Milano Centrale, we stopped at the Excelsior Hotel for a coffee before boarding our overnight sleeper to Naples but I have to say, it is worth keeping your wits about you in and around the station.

It’s one of the great things about Switzerland, that you are in the heart of Europe. Within a few hours you are in another major European city and you can make the journey in comfort and at reasonable cost.

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-04-26

• soon to board a cisalpino from zurich hb. 3.5 hours of comfortable travel awaits. hail the halfcard! #
• @easyJetCare Thanks, I would hope you could pick up some traffic from LCY – ZRH operators with a STN – ZRH route. in reply to easyJetCare #
• @easyJetCare Any plans to increase flights to Zurich from London? Start up an STN-ZRH route and we will donate a box of fine Swiss chocs! in reply to easyJetCare #

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-04-19

• the weekend begins now. monday afternoon is a hoilday in zurich, should be a lovely day! #
• glorious sunshine to grey clouds and a downpour! april weather in zurich! #
• if you have any recommendations for sports bars in zurich, contact us from zurichexpats.com #