👋 Saturday: Goodbyes & Hellos

A day of goodbyes and hellos. The last breakfast at the hostel at 8 am. We had hoped to avoid the crazy lady but she was still at her table. No matter, we just continue to ignore her.

We take our bedding off and put it in the hamper for washing. One last check of our room and we're ready to load Marijn's car. A little after 9 we drive off for Winterthur where Siemen has booked a hotel next to the train station. On Sunday a 15 min train ride will take us to the airport. Perfect! To get a hotel in Winterthur was a tip from Karsten who works in the area during the week and flies home for the weekend. Which makes him familiar with our logistics.

The drive is pretty. Classic Swiss landscapes: lakes, mountains, railway lines, chalets, etc. Unfortunately, there is no parking nearby the hotel so we say a quick goodbye to Marijn when he drops us off. Save travels Marijn!

The room isn't ready yet but we can leave our luggage and stroll into town. Winterthur is prettier than we thought it would be based on the suburbs we drove through. Its center has charming older houses and quaint squares. We enjoy a coffee on a sidewalk.^[1]

Our room is ready when we return to the hotel in the afternoon. We check in and chill out in the room with WiFi and TV^[2] until it is time to find that sushi restaurant.

We spend too much money on sushi but it is somewhat of a tradition and our favorite cuisine. Monique, Karsten, Dirk and Simone can meet us for drinks at 9pm. We pick up a beer and chill in the hotel until they're 5 min out.

Though it had been over 20 years since we last saw one another, everyone is essentially the same.^[3] It was super fun to see them again over drinks at Fahrenheit. We stay up until 11 pm, a record for us this week.