Monday, February 27, 2012

Walking to the Zurich Airport

On a very cold morning in early February, Mom and I had to board a 7 am flight from Zurich to Amsterdam, the first leg of our trip to our American home. Mom got us up early to get ready for my pre-flight walkies, supposedly a walk around the Apart Hotel or a scamper to pay homage to the famous blue cow at the Zurich Airport Hilton just up the hill.


"If we're going to walk, why not just walk to the airport?" asked Dad.

Yes, you can actually walk to the Zurich Airport: There is a path for dogs, pedestrians, and bicyclists!


Because it was 5 degrees Fahrenheit outside, my cozy Dachshund Delights CoverUp was my only hope of making it to the airport without turning into a doggy popsicle.



The first stretch of the airport path is actually a very big sidewalk, and there was enough snow-covered dirt for me to tend to my morning constitutionals.


The path is kept free of snow and ice at all times.


There is so much signage that one would have to make a special effort to get lost.


The second stretch of the path slinks underneath the freeways...


and over to a special airport entrance...


designed for pedestrians to waltz right in, as we did.


There is also free parking for bicycles. Valet bicycle parking is available on demand for airport guests over the age of 90 traveling with their parents.

There's not much going on at Flughafen Zürich at 5:45 a.m. on a Saturday morning.


We had already checked in the night before...


so we headed straight to the departure gates.


After saying goodbye to Dad, it was time for me to withdraw to my chambers.


As we were going through security, the presence of a fellow doggy traveler made me feel reassured.


I yipped from inside my carrier, but my fellow traveler could not locate the barking source.

37 comments:

  1. Aren't you adorable! You went into the carrier.

    I wonder if it's the same way with dogs where I live. We're usually required a carrier or dog crate which should be airport approved. And they're placed in the cargo haul. I haven't seen anybody travel with their dogs beside them or on their laps.

    Huggies and Cheese,

    Haopee

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Most airlines have special rules for little dogs, so that we don't have to travel in the cargo haul. I always travel in my carrier underneath the seat in front of Mom's.

      Keep on wagging,
      Tootsie

      Delete
  2. Woof! Woof! COOl! Hope you enjoyed the plane ride. Safe Travels. Happy Monday Mischief. Lots of Golden Woofs, Sugar

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The plane rides were fun, misconnecting in Amsterdam wasn't :(
      Happy Monday!

      Delete
  3. It’s good that you can travel with Mom :) But it did look very deserted at the airport!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It sure did...there's not much action at the Zurich airport before 6 am on a Saturday in February :)

      Delete
  4. Safe travels. It is great that you got one last walk before being zipped into that bag. :)

    the brown dawgs

    ReplyDelete
  5. That looks like the way to travel! I'd have to fly in the cargo hold, so I don't fly with Mom. Wish I could, though!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. All dogs should be able to fly in the main cabin. For one, we're so much quieter than kids!

      Delete
  6. A walway to the airport....what a novel idea!! Hope you have a safe trip! I have never seen a blue cow before. lol

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love that blue cow :)
      The trip went fine; it was actually 3 weeks ago. As usual (for us), there's a significant delay between the events in the post and the publication of the post :)

      Delete
  7. Have safe travels. That's great you get to travel with your mom. Does the plane scare you?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Not at all! Planes are much friendlier than other creatures, like swans :)

      Delete
  8. Way back in 1992 (long before my time) my Momma had a little Doxie named Tara. They were just in the process of moving from Michigan to Florida and had to make many trips back and forth. Tara went along on one of the trips. She was just a young puppy at the time. She started out in the crate under the seat until the stewardess noticed her and asked to see her. That was the last we saw of Tara for the entire flight. She even went up to meet the pilot. Then all the passengers were passing her around from one to the other. Tara was very happy on that flight.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. OMG...what a fantastic story! Tara must have been adorable!!!
      I wish that happened to me...

      Delete
  9. Did your mom have to carry your leash and luggage too? That seems a pretty big load for that early in the morning (and when it is that cold!) I hope your bag is nice and comfy (and warm!)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No: Dad had us check our luggage the night before the flight, so Mom only had to carry her little backpack and my carrier with me inside :)
      It is very comfy and warm; I call it my "transcontinental house", and I often use it at home, too!

      Delete
  10. Sounds like a great story. What happened that you missed your Amsterdam flight? You are quiet on the plane? Misty loves to bark and let everyone know where she is when in the house or car or bike trailer. Tail just wagging the whole time too. I wonder if she would be quiet on a plane...

    Tanya

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We missed our Amsterdam flight because our flight from Zurich was delayed. Bummer :(
      Yes, I am very quiet on the plane; my average is three yips per transatlantic trip :)
      Don't get me wrong, I also love to bark, especially when I meet other dogs and they're bigger than me!

      Delete
  11. After that long walk to the airport I am sure you were snoozing on the flight!!!

    ~Higgins

    ReplyDelete
  12. Wow it seems pretty cold but I bet it was a fun adventure

    ReplyDelete
  13. You're one brave little doggy - I've never been onboard a plane, but I'm pretty sure I'd bark all the way! *waggy tail*

    ReplyDelete
  14. Wow! You get to ride in a plane. Bella is the only one of us who has plane experience, but we think she was in the baggage area. It was when she came to us.

    Love the free bicycle valet service....BOL!

    XXXOOO Daisy, Bella & roxy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bella is such a sweetie! She should have traveled first class :)

      Delete
  15. Hi Y'all,

    What fun y'all have.

    Just hopped by from Monday Mischief to catch up on your happenings and say hello! Have a great week!

    Y'all come by now,
    Hawk aka BrownDog

    ReplyDelete
  16. Look's like Zurich has things figured out! How nice! And you look so nice in green!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Hey, Bella, Jet here. Safe travels, we really enjoyed your post today.

    ReplyDelete
  18. YOu're brave! It looks FREEZING! Hope you had a good flight!
    Dachshund Nola

    ReplyDelete
  19. Hey Buddy,

    It's cool that you're small enough to get in that carrier - I think I'd be too big for my Mum to carry me! Doh!

    Safe trip :)

    Your pal Snoopy :)

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...