(Winterthur, Switzerland)

I’ve always found the last 24 hours of a vacation to be the most challenging. Especially after skiing in the spectacular Berner Oberland, it is very difficult for the last (urban) stop to compare favourably.

I’ve written about this before, in a 2018 post about visiting Zürich on the last day before flying home. This time, although my flight home once again left from Zürich, I decided to mix things up and stay somewhere else for the last night of my trip.

I settled on Winterthur, a city of about 110,000 people that is just about as close to Zürich’s airport as Zürich itself. I had never been to Winterthur before, and hoped that seeing something new might change the last day dynamic somewhat. I found a convenient hotel with good weekend rates…and a good breakfast!

I really can’t complain about Winterthur. It seemed quietly prosperous, in an understated Swiss way, and at times resembled a scaled-down version of some of Zürich’s nicer parts. I felt completely safe walking around after dark and near the train station, which can’t be said for every city in the world.

Exploring a new place did help a little bit. But, in the end, I just didn’t have enough time to get to know Winterthur and develop a rapport with it. Many of the shops had closed relatively early on Saturday and wouldn’t reopen until at least Monday. It seemed like the picturesque old town was relatively empty…and, to be fair, there was a (sold out) professional soccer match in Winterthur that afternoon.

But, as you can see from the photos in this post, the overcast skies didn’t help. The light was flat, and reminded me of the not-so-scenic days of low visibility on the slopes. I imagined that the many cafés and restaurants would create a dynamic street scene in more favourable weather. While a few diehards were out on patios, it still seemed kind of forced.

I still enjoyed the afternoon. I found an interesting record shop in an “up-and-coming” part of the city that probably used to be quite industrial. At a grocery store, I bought some Swiss items that I wouldn’t be able to find in Canada. I gathered some snacks for the upcoming long trip home. I scoped out some restaurants, with the intention of having one final truly Swiss meal that evening.

I found a restaurant (Restaurant zur Sonne) that seemed to be sufficiently Swiss. I even reprised a meal from earlier in this trip: Älplermagronen und Suure Moscht. This is essentially super-deluxe macaroni and cheese, served with a cold apple cider. It was solid and undoubtedly Swiss. But it couldn’t stop the inexorable progress of time. As I finished the last few bites, I knew that the trip was now over. It was now just about going home.

Afterward, I took a photo of the restaurant from the street. However, it was already dark and the resulting picture will never make any Top Ten list. I’ve included it anyway, as it turned out to be the last photo of my trip.

I managed to get a good night’s sleep and a satisfying breakfast at the hotel. It’s funny how the trip home seems to take so long…and how much more noticeable the various delays seem to be. Even the usually efficient Zürich airport seemed to be struggling. But finally, after a long flight (no business class upgrade this time), and what seemed like an even longer wait for my luggage, I walked out the front door of Toronto’s Pearson Airport. I was now back home. My 2024 Swiss adventure was over.

But wait! There’s more! I’ve saved some Swiss mountain photos and some closing thoughts for another post…coming soon!