On the Thursday all three of us were up bright and early. Philippe had worked the rest of the week and Rebekka and I had made visits together, renewing our New Zealand travelling companionship, but, quite rightly, most of the journeys we have made since then have included Phips as well and it was great to have him back.
Before eight o'clock we were zipping through the gorgeous Swiss countryside on a rail system that anyone would be proud of, and indeed jealous of. If only our rail system worked as well as the Swiss one, I would use it more.
A couple of hours later we were in Arth Goldau. Our first port of call was the Tierpark, or animal park. This park is home to lots of native animals with a few not-so-native ones thrown in. I don't like zoos but I do like places like this with their natural looking enclosures giving the creatures lots of space and a habitat they can feel at home in.
The first residents we saw, and you couldn't help it as they were virtually tame, were deer. They were happily mugging visitors for food.