Having volunteered to take Owain to Cardiff airport for his flight to Alicante to join Clare and the other for a few days, I had to get up earlier than usual. Inevitably this led to me going to bed later, but despite a short night of sleep, I was able to deliver him in good time, then return home for breakfast and a final tidy up,before setting off for Bristol airport for my flight to Switzerland. Arriving early meant quite a long wait, but I managed to catch up on an hour's worth of sleep, just dozing in the departure lounge, and another half hour on the 'plane.
The skies were overcast until just north of the French Jura, and amazingly the descent along the length of Lac Léman from Lausanne to Geneva was under blue skies, spectacular as ever. We arrived 20 minutes ahead of schedule, which enabled me to catch an earlier inter-city pendolino train to Neuchatel, as night fell, and then upwards to La Chaux de Fonds on a second local train. There was snow along the trackside as we climbed, a small but pleasing thing to observe. With a third change I arrived in St Imier just after seven. I always enjoy riding on Swiss trains. Expensive though the fares are, they are punctual, clean, and the staff always courteous and helpful. Worth the money.
Laura and her family gave me a warm welcome, and we supped on raclette. A real Swiss homecoming!
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