It was a tale of two cities, both alike in charm, but with significantly diverging price tags.
The first was Prague. This is a proper walking city, all higgledy-piggledy streets hiding medieval towers, dotted with fantastic coffee shops. We did all the famous stuff, like that bridge and the castle, and then just wandered, soaking up the European history. Not much has happened in Britain since 1066 apart from a bit of royal infighting (plus ça change) while here on The Continent it was all going off! Holy Roman Empires rose and fell, dynasties came and went, nationalist movements burned and sputtered out, and it's all written in the streets of cities like this one.
Most importantly from a Davies perspective, everything's so cheap! We were able to afford a room on the "executive floor" of our hotel. Although, now I think about it, nine of the twelve floors were "executive floors", so I may have fallen for some marketing there. But they had a pianist playing in the lobby, which means it was classy, and a free bottle of water in the room. We also enjoyed some excellent cappuccinos in the aforementioned Prague cafes, and Pete's lunch included meat and whipped cream on the same plate. He was happy.
After our last less-than-ideal overnight journey, I admit to some trepidation boarding the train from Prague to Zurich. But, joyously once again, our Euros went a lot further, and we had an ensuite cabin! Granted, the "ensuite" was more of a cupboard, and the sink and the shower were the same thing, but the beds were long enough for me to sleep in a non-foetal position. Luxury!
You know you're in Switzerland when everything starts to run on time, and we actually arrived in Zurich two minutes early! The air was crisp and clear, the skies were blue, and everything was that much more expensive. €100 for some flatbreads for lunch was certainly a culture shock, and we'd got our hotel using Hannah's business travel points because how much for a sofa bed?!
But Zurich was as lovely as Prague, with similar winding, cobbled streets, and the lake making everything airy and open. I considered opening a famous Swiss bank account, but wasn't sure the three francs I had left after lunch would be enough. A far more significant chunk of change was spent by my wife on chocolate. It may be morally wrong buying Swiss chocs when living in Belgium (you can get Toblerone everywhere, after all) but there are some real confiseurs here, including one with a wall of flowing, liquid chocolate! Even pre-Covid I'm not sure I'd have stuck a finger in there for a taste.
One night in Zurich was enough - for my credit card if not my soul - and we were soon back in the station watching the famous clock hands sweep around as we awaited our next train, onward into Germany!
