This was a deeply relaxed final day. Zurich is one of my favourite places. We spent the middle of the day at the local sauna/wellness complex, where muscles were suitably unknotted and minds switched to reflective mode. (Well, except when the occasional long haul jet passed low overhead on take off from Zurich airport and rattled our brains. Apologies to passengers on flight 248 to New York for an eyeful of us cooling off on the spa roof, outside the sauna!)

The trip has been brilliant! The combination of mountains and northern Italian towns worked really well. Not only did the culture balance the alpine scenery, but the warmer, drier weather of the Po valley was a good antidote to the poor summer in the mountains.

Helen always asks me what I missed from home, and I can never think of anything! I’d be very happy with this as a permanent lifestyle!

One feature that was new this year was the prevalence of heretical electric bikes. Work of the Devil, ridden by smug gits who are going to Hell! Perhaps I should not have shouted that at them quite so loud. Anyway, I am making my theological position clear as a bulwark to future temptation. As Steve Redgrave nearly said “If you see me on an electric bike, shoot me!”

Anyway, I’m signing off now. Helen plans to write some final thoughts tomorrow on the train home. But that’s all from me in a, finally, sunny Zurich.