Sonntag, 30. März 2008

Easter fotos


View in Val Müstair



Merano



Castello Grande in Bellinzona

Nice plant in the Botanical Garden

Me in the Botanical Garden

Dienstag, 25. März 2008

Easter

Hi Guys!

Easter went by with me going for another short vacation. This time I ended up 2 nights in the Val Müstair, visiting relatives of mine (for those of you unfamiliar with Swiss geography, Val Müstair is about the most eastern end of Switzerland you can get and about the most remote place there is) and two more nights in Bellinzona, Ticino.
From the Val Müstair I visited Merano in South-Tirol. You get there by bus and then by train (Vinschgerbahn). On the bus ride to the train station you can see some old bunkers the Austro-Hungarian Empire built during/before the First World War. It is here, where the infamous mountain front line started. Just imagine fighting on the peaks during winter...
Anyway, with the whole of Switzerland being snowed in over Easter, it was no different in Val Müstair. Therefore it was nice to depart to Ticino on Sunday. It took me about 6h from Val Müstair to reach Bellinzona. I went via Thusis-San Bernardino. On Monday it was time to visit Locarno and the Brisaco Island (Botanical Garden). However, as I had some time left that day, I took the train to Chiasso and then back to Bellinzona.
Today I planed to take the Centovalli train from Locarno to Domodossola and then the bus over the Simplon to Brig... However, as there is only one bus per day, I had to catch it... In fact I didn't! Because I was early in the morning, I ended up going from Bellinzona to Biasca by train and then by bus to Airolo, only to just catch the train back to Bellinzona and Locarno. But I was too late for the Centovalli train I had to catch in order to catch the bus for the Simplon. So I ended up doing the rest (Locarno-Domodossola-Simplon Tunnel-Brig-Lötschberg Basis Tunnel-Bern-Zurich-Eschlikon) by train... I took about 6h...
Ok, thats about it. I guess the next entry is either just before my departure or already from South America.

Donnerstag, 20. März 2008

View from Leopoldsberg The mayor's office
Schloss Schönbrunn
Me in Schönbrunn Garden
Prunktsaal of National Library

Mittwoch, 19. März 2008

Vienna

Hi guys
I have been asked by some of you, where I and when I am exactly going to Southamerica. I will be flying on 7th April to Lima (Peru) and will then continue to Cusco (Peru) on the 8th April to see inca ruins. I will meet with my travel partner Alice (link to her blog below). Together we will travel back to Lima and then up north to Ecuador. On 7th May I will fly back to Europe from Quito.
But first let me tell you from my expirience in Vienna. Let's start with the small Fokker 70 plane in Zurich. That aircraft is real small... and had these old carpet like fabric as a cover for the seats. Compared to the Swiss plane on the way back it was bad, however worse was that sweaty smell there was in the area of my seat. I am not sure, whether it was the voluminous lady behind me or the seat... I think it was the seat.
In Vienna I joined my friend Renato and we went to his place... very interesting. You have to go through the back yard to get to the entrance of the appartment building he is staying for his internship. There is quite some stuff lying in the backyard.
Ok, then we went to the Leopoldsberg to see a first overview of Vienna. Then we went back to his place and tried to bake some pizza. Let me emphasise on the word "TRIED"... (Renato, you have the pictures). After that we went to see Vienna by night and enjoyed a nice Viennese Coffee and a nice Sachertorte. Ah, coffee drinking in Vienna is really fun and so pleasant... (my paradise!) See in this picture the mayors' office.
On day two we went up the Donauturm...for free. It was quite windy up there. Then went into the butterfly house... where there were more people than butterflies!

On day three I went to see Schönbrunn. I was there about 10 mins after it opened. When I was finished with the visit, the Japanese masses were starting to stream in. For me it was time for a Viennese Breakfast (Egg, 2 Semmeln and Coffee). I liked Schönbrunn, but having seen a lot of palaces in the UK as well as Verseilles, I must admit there are nicer ones.

Sadly the weather was not the best that day and it was always on the change between rain and sunshine. I made some pictures, but had to be carefull that the cam did not get wet! In the evening I joined Renato and his collegue and together we went to the Opera to see "Der Evangelimann". For EUR 1.5 for a standing place, its not bad! However, I think that my first time in an opera looks like the last time for some time.... I am not a fan of operas... but maybe this very dramatic piece is not representative.

On my last day in Vienna I went to the "Globenmuseum". Now this is where a Geographer's heart is beating faster!!! I tell you, that place was full of globes! Everyone who has been sitting in "Einführungen in die Kartographie und Visualisierung" knows when I am speaking of Mercator and Zylinderprojektion (or at least should know). There were nice illustrations and animations of how a globe is being constructed. Everyone who has looked at the powerpoint slides of that lecture and who might have peeked into the Haake/Meng/Grünreich (or whatever that green book is called) should know what I speak of. However, it was more educational than the whole book or lecture. After that I went to see the "Prunksaal" of the National Library of Austria. Very impressive.

To finish off my days in Vienna was the visit to the Heereshistorisches Museum and to the cinema to see "Michael Clayton". In short, Vienna is a very nice and beautiful city. Although it's size is about 2-3 times of Zurich, it's less mondial. Not that there are not foreigners, but these people are more of the Eastern European type. Zurich on the other hand is more intercontinental.

Till the next time!

Regards,

Philippe

Mittwoch, 12. März 2008




2 wonderful pictures from the last chapter of skiing for this season... eagerly awaiting next years!

Montag, 10. März 2008

Arosa - Skiing

Hi Everyone

From Friday till today I was in Arosa for 4 days of skiing. Well, what can I say, in the end it were 3.25 days of skiing. Today, due to fast winds 60% of the slopes and montain railways were not open. So it was decided to leave early.
We stayd at a nice, old hotel, which somehow reminded me of these grand hotels that existed around the turn to the 20th century. Although the temperature was overall seen quite high, the snow was at most places good. Funny thing is, that on Saturday, the visibility was until about 1430 not that good, which meant that all the cable cars were quite empty. Then the visibility improved within 15 mins and the weather was beautifull. This had the result, that out of a sudden the pistes were full again with people. This day must have meant a good deal of profit for all the many restaurants just next to the slopes.

cheerio,
philippe