First visitors continued

After a pleasant walk along the top of the ridge among the delicate lacework of spring leaves with misted but still lovely views all around, we arrived - with our first visitors - in Albis Pass ... and did what all sensible people do about mid-morning. Stopped for a cappucino in the nearest cafe. We tried to work out what kind of coffee Tim should order - I guessed Kaffee creme which means long black with a little container of "cream" on the side. A macchiato here is just a cappucino with a double shot of coffee. Espresso is espresso. Then there is something called Schale which is actually cafe latte I believe.

We then took the bus to Hausen am Albis which just happens to be at the end of the bus route but is a pretty little town surrounded by fields and lovely walks. So we took another lovely walk to inspect Swiss cows and distant mountain vistas by which time it was lunch time. The local "pub" (the Loewen meaning Lion of which there are many all over Switzerland causing one to wonder if lions were common here in the past) was covered in scaffolding so we decided to give it a miss and return to our haven at Albis Pass where the waittress had been so friendly and helpful it seemed worth another experience of the same.

Getting back on the bus after lunch, we marvelled at the convenience of public transport as long as you are not in a hurry and got off at the nearby Langenberg Wildpark - which most surprisingly for Switzerland was free for entry. Jane was keen to see a bear and after wandering past deer and hare enclosures and seeing some Swiss ibexes with the most immense curved horns (including one who seemed to be stuck indoors because his horns would not fit through the door of the shelter) .

At the bear enclosure we had a great view of two very chubby healthy bears including one at very close range so everyone was happy - first time we saw the bears here. Then we spent a fair bit of time at the wolf enclosure where there seemed to be much wandering about of the pack of wolves but without too much purpose from what we could tell. They look rather like grey dingos. Then at the end of the wander through the woods in which the enclosures are quite naturally located, we saw the two Przewalski's horses whose ancestors quite possibly roamed Europe in ancient times.

Jane and Tim were (fool)hardy enough to accept our suggestion of walking home from the park rather than waiting 20 minutes for the next train. And discovered that it is actually a quite walkable distance from our apartment.

I unfortunately could not afford to take the Friday off so Jane and Tim and Richard went off walking around Zurich and taking the ferry on the lake which, with the weather improving, was a good way to see Zurich from various angles.

Our next adventure with Tim and Jane was a day out in Lucerne in our red car (ie the Mobility car that's located on the hill opposite). We think Mobility is brilliant and almost makes it dumb to have a car at all here. Richard believes there is only one other (vertically challenged) person who uses it because it always seems to be free when we want it. But he always has a struggle getting the seat back to a semi-reasonable position. Anyway every country should have Mobility except that in most countries it probably wouldn't work because people are not RESPONSIBLE COMMUNITY-MINDED CITIZENS like MOST Swiss. Every time we reach the car, swipe our bit of plastic across the windscreen, get in and find that at exactly the appoined minute of your time, you can start the car, I wonder why the whole world doesn't work like this.

I think I feel an Ode to Mobility coming on. On second thoughts I will resist the urge as my Swiss cheese and chocolate dinner awaits and you can't keep a Swiss cheese waiting!