Ticket to ride

Currently in Switzerland.

I’ve brought my mother, 94, to Zurich to see her sister Dorothy who has lived here since 1947 and was 100 last month.

We’re staying in the ‘industrial chic’ B2 Hotel in what was previously a brewery (founded in 1867). The interior however feels very modern.

It’s nice but I’m not sure about the location because it’s quite a steep climb to the hotel. On reflection I should have given a bit more thought to my nonagenarian travelling companion.

Anyway, we’re seeing Dorothy today at the residential complex where she now lives. It has a restaurant so we’re going there for lunch.

Tomorrow we’ve been invited by my cousin Rolf to join him, his wife Christa, and Dorothy, for dinner in Frankental, where he and Crista live.

Frankental is a 40-minute tram ride from the centre of Zurich and Rolf has advised against using taxis on Saturday evening.

The tram, he says, is a better option, and he has kindly sent a card with six tickets to our hotel.

“At a tramstop you just shove the card into the slot on the left on the ticket machine and it activates a ticket for every shove.”

Sounds simple, doesn’t it? What could possibly go wrong?!

Watch this space.

Update: We got a taxi to Sydefädeli where my aunt lives, and the tram back.

The card my cousin sent me worked perfectly and I can see why he recommended the tram because it’s a quick and easy form of transport.

Spotless too. We’ll be using it again tomorrow.