Zurich - Back for Four Months

Balcony Cleaned and Seedlings Planted Out

Well, I’m now back in Zurich for the next four months. My flight was at 6pm, so I managed to squeeze in one last swim before I left. I’d made a list of things to bring back to Zurich with me, but unfortunately I lost it, so I couldn’t quite remember everything. However, there were some odd things in my luggage such as a funnel and a tray for baking cup cakes. I’d packed my electronic stuff mostly in my main luggage so that I wouldn’t have to haul it out during security, but unfortunately at Hurghada they insisted you unpack even laptops etc in your main luggage.

In addition, I had my TV streamer, which I’d forgotten about, and that was in my carry-on luggage, so I didn’t take it out. I got stopped the first time, and they looked at it, but they didn’t ask me what it was and seemed happy enough. When I went through the second set of checks I was stopped again and this time it was my baking tray in my hand luggage that flummoxed them (my hand luggage was a bit like one of those magician’s hats where all sorts of weird items are pulled out once you look inside). They hauled it out of my bag and the guy asked a colleague what it was. The security chap then asked me, and I explained. He nodded, since I’d just confirmed what his colleague had told him, and let me through. They probably thought it was a really weird thing for me to bring with me to Egypt on holiday! Anyway, this distraction was enough to make me forget to pick up my passport after putting it down to repack my luggage. But that too I got back. Phew.

I’ve found a café at Hurghada airport that does a nice carrot cake, so that’s usually my pre-flight treat. My excuse for indulging is usually that my flight is only economy and I deserve a treat of some kind. This time, because I’d booked myself on a business flight, I had to resort to the excuse that it was my last chance for a proper café latte for the next 5 hours (and really, I don't get to have cake that often do I?). That’s the advantage of having studied philosophy and the art of argument.

Since my flight was at 6pm, it was one of the flights where I’d drunk the most alcohol for maybe a few decades! I didn’t over-do it, but I was happy enough to have a few refills of champagne and to have wine with my meal, followed by another champagne (they were small glasses). I do like an evening departure.

I didn’t get back to my flat in Zurich until about 11.30pm; in my magician's hat luggage I also had a litre of skimmed UHT milk as I knew all the shops would be closed on my arrival (although it seemed a bit immoral taking food from Egypt to Switzerland). I had been a bit anxious that this item would cause me some problems during security checks, as I had no idea what it would look like on the security machine, but I needed it for breakfast in the morning. As it was, it was the baking tray that was the problem. Who would have thought?

On returning, I was curious to see whether my seedlings, which had had to survive on their own during my 27-day absence, had survived. Some of them I'd left in the germination container; others I had planted out really much too early. To my delight, they needed a bit of water, but were almost too big for the germination container and even the ones outside had survived the elements – even one that I thought had died before I’d even left!

My balcony was filthy so I spent Monday morning before work sweeping and cleaning it, as well as transplanting all the seedlings to their final containers so that they could finally be happy plants (I hope). I was surprised the balcony needed so much work as I’d spent a lot of time cleaning it before I left for Egypt, but a load of pollen had carpeted the ground, my windows, and my furniture. The weather was a beautiful 29 degrees or so, so I wanted to start using my balcony as soon as I could.

But once that was done, all was good!