The band arrived in Zürich at around 0830 local time, after an uneventful flight from Washington Dulles Airport. Upon arrival, we were greeted by two bandsmen from the Zürich Central Corps, Willi Erzberger and Daniel Mettler. We also met up with our tour manager from American Express, Ilona Brenner, who will accompany us throughout the tour. We traveled by bus (with extra trailer for some of the equipment) to the Swisshôtel Zürich, where we dropped off our luggage and equiment (as we could not check in until 1500).

Led by Ilona, the majority of the band purchased day passes for the public transport and set off for the Bahnhofplatz. We walked from there down to the lake. The group boarded a lake boat for a 1½ cruise around the lake, giving us some much-needed relaxation after our long journey. Upon returning to the city, Ilona took us to the Fraumünster, where there is a chapel with stained glass windows by the famed artist Marc Chagall. By the time we had finished at the Fraumünster and returned to the hotel on public transport our rooms were ready and we retired for some rest, before going out for a free evening in Zürich.