ZURICH ARRIVAL, ON TO BARCELONA

Zurich Airport (ZRH)
Thursday, November 3, 2022 / 4:15 a.m. Erie time

Foggy

We left Chicago at 6 p.m. Erie time last night and arrived in Zurich at about 2:30 a.m. Erie time EDT. I am really going to get confused with the time change to EST. Right now my Fitbit is registering Erie time, but our phones are on Swiss time, which is 9:15 a.m. at this time.

The flight was very smooth and our seats were in the exit aisle, so we had plenty of room. Just TK and I in our row. We paid good attention when the flight attendant explained our possible duties in case of emergency. Personally, I have found it is really good to be with a firefighter! I noted that our  counterparts on the other side of the plane were texting and looking at their phones the whole time the flight attendant was explaining.  Our seats were on the port side, immediately after first class-I think it is called enhanced seating.

From the Internet:

From what I could determine in the information provided at our seats, we were on the Boeing 737-600, a Next Generation 737 and has a redesigned wing with a larger area, a wider wingspan, greater fuel capacity, and higher maximum takeoff weights and longer range. It has a glass cockpit and upgraded and redesigned interior configurations. The series includes four variants, the −600/-700/-800/-900, seating between 108 and 215 passengers. The 737NG's primary competition is the Airbus A320 family

As of September 2022, a total of 7,124 737NG aircraft had been ordered, of which 7,096 had been delivered, with remaining orders for two -800, and 26 -800A variants. Boeing stopped assembling commercial 737NGs in 2019 and made the final deliveries in January 2020.

 And, Janie added, the engine started right away!

Dinner at 7 p.m. was very good, tender beef, potatoes, a salad, and some vegetables I did not recognize. TK had the vegetarian option and he was not as satisfied and could not identify the vegetables either, perhaps mild radish, rutabaga or turnip (so mild I did not really taste them). The "birthday cake" was delicious. About 8 p.m. it was lights out, but I kept my individual light on for reading.  TK slept some, I did not really try. First class now has a reclining bed like setup, and that looked quite cozy, for an extra gazillion dollars. But I ask, how can one sleep with the restroom right across from me, a crying baby, and no comfortable position?   I read my book for the next 5 hours, Clive Cussler's White Death--reading kept me out of trouble. 

By about 1 p.m. EDT, we were served breakfast -- I had coffee, a Belgian waffle, fresh fruit, and other things I did not know what they were, but they tasted all right. TK just had water. That is not very exciting, but we arrived in Zurich about an hour later.

I am trying my best to be alert and I found out that our flight to Barcelona does not take off till 7:40 a.m.   My mind was not prepared for another 5 hour layover.

The Zurich airport is stark (this is the 3rd time I have use that word in the last 24 hours), but there are many high end shops, like Hermes, Bulgari, Gucci, Rado, and many more.  TK is very tired (why wouldn't he be?)

This post is a place holder, hopefully I will be able to report exciting news from Barcelona!  Back to reading!

TK's Take: He was really disappointed that the two Starbucks shops in the airport did not have the Zurich coffee mug.  He also observed that there was no line at Starbucks, contrary in the U.S. where there are generally15 or more people in line at the airports. (Note: Janie was able to order him a Zurich Starbucks cup from Ebay for Christmas)

Zurich airport

Must be TK's kin--Pretzel King!