Panoramic View From Rigi

Panoramic View from Rigi

I haven't posted much about photography lately. For the good part of the last month I haven't really felt inspired. That tends to happen once in while. I go though creative spurts, and then periods where work, or travel, or something else just get in the way and I don't feel like doing much with the camera.

If are a follower of the blog it is clear when I am not inspired. But you may have noticed that I am posting more lately. The return to Switzerland after the Christmas holiday and this years ski season have ignited a bit of a creative streak.

I have been experimenting a log with panoramic images lately. While we were at Rigi I managed to capture a really fantastic image of the view from Rigi. The photograph was made from 10 images stitched together to make a final panorama that shows about a 180 degree field of view. Imagine looking over your right shoulder, then turning your head to your left shoulder. That would represent a 180 field of view.

So enjoy the photograph of the view from Rigi and be sure to zoom in, explore, and find the skiers.

Moving Your Books

I have been reading a crazy number of books in the last couple of weeks. Something must be wrong with me. It is like moving to Switzerland has encouraged me to want to swallow hundreds of pages of text at a time.

While I do like to read, the last couple of weeks has been nothing like my normal reading pace. That got me to thinking what did I do before about English books, where did I get them and how did I survive?

A lot of people take the obvious route of buying then from big box online stores like Amazon.com or the book depository site out of the U.K. but what if you are local and you like the challenge of the hunt. Here are some options.

1.) Check a library

Some local libraries stock English language books. I was actually surprised at the number of English language books in the Baden public library. It isn't a huge number, but if I was really in need of something to read I am quite certain I could find something.

2.) Find a Brokenstubi

A lot of the second hand stores will have a lonely single box of books written in 'Fremdsprache.' Dig around enough and next to somebodies Abbreviated History of Europe college text that they thought would be useful on their work abroad adventure you might find a novel or two you might want to read. It is a fun hunt if you like that kind of thing.

3.) Find some Friends

I have found a really good way to find books is to find friends that read and swap books with them. In particular I have some colleagues at work that are avid readers. We have started a 'library' at work. Essential if you finish a book and want to share we have a dedicated shelf at work where you can leave it for the next person. We don't track check-ins and check-outs but with a critical mass of contributors we have a pretty sizable collection to select from.

4.) Look for Books While You Travel

When traveling Europe it is not uncommon to wander across an 'English' bookstore in major European cities. While they are rarely on my list of must see sites in Warsaw for example, I would not pass up an opportunity to browse the titles if I spotted a store.

5.) Import them

The most obvious place to get English books is to bring them from an English speaking country. I have started a new trend of buying second hand books in the U.S. Enormous quantities of them. And then testing the baggage limits of international flights. All the airlines say 50 pounds for international flights so if I haven't reached the limit when I am traveling back to Switzerland I got to my pile of books and pile on the weight until I hit the limit.


Happy reading to all of you.

Back In Switzerland

The holiday season if officially over and I am back in Switzerland after a two week trip back to the U.S. As always it was nice to be back in the 'homeland'. I enjoyed the food, family, friends, and most importantly the English.

As this we arrived in Switzerland just yesterday I am still fighting the jet lag a bit. It is now almost 11:00 pm in Switzerland and it feels a bit like mid day to me. I won't be surprised if it takes me a bit of time to fall asleep this evening.

That means my morning wake up call at 7:00 will be a little harsh. The alarm going off right in the middle of the night U.S. time is always a bit jarring while I am adjusting back to the European timezone.

For me it is always about 3 days until I am back to normal. That means I should be in great shape to enjoy the upcoming weekend.

A quick inventory of things I brought back this Christmas

• Cherrios
• 2 cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
• Books, lots and lots of books
• Dramamine
• Tums
• thermal underwear
• A couple of picture frames for American sized prints
  
• a host of other small odds and ends
  

If you care to share, what do you usually bring back? Post a comment.

Eating

I have been eating too much. Hamburgers, ham, pie, pho ga soup, stir fry, chicken caserole, macaroni and cheese everything in sight. It is terrible. At one point it was about 3 days in a row of constant food comas. I was bearily able to keep my head off of the pillow because my stomach was too full.

All the joys of returning to the States for the holidays.

I have hit most of the require stops. Although I think KFC and White Castles are still on the must visit list.

Yesterday morning I was feeling really guilty about it. I did manage to get my butt outside for a jog. I t hink it was about a 4 mile run. A well needed return to fitness in this season of sedentary life.

Resturant Colopic in Düsseldorf

My wife is in advertising. She always says that low brow humor does not have a place in a really 'Creative' ad agency. Maybe, but I don't really care because it still makes me laugh.

Here is a sign I spotted in Düsseldorf last weekend. Yes its low brow toilet humor, so sorry but I'm still chuckling about it.

We made the trip last weekend to visit a friend that moved from the US to Germany. She is just getting used to the expat life. It was fun to catch up with her and hear about all the tough challenges she is facing as she adpots her knew life. She is of course facing the same things we did when we got here. I know exactly how she feels.

Balconies of Barcelona

Balconies in Barcelona

I have posted before about windows being a view into the lives of the people that live inside a building. I think balconies offer a similar perspective. Seeing peoples laundry, plants, and tables and chairs gives you a perspective on the the lifestyle of the people that live in the building.

When we were in Barcelona there was an apartment building right across the street from our hotel. Each morning when I would wake and look on the window there would be different laundry hanging. This image is just one the series. I'll have to put a few of them together and see what I get.

I have been a little slow to catch up on going throught my photos this month. I really want to get through them so I can start on my yearly travel book that I like to make. It usually takes be about 2 weekeneds to finish the book and I need to order it before I make the trip home for Christmas so I guess it is time to get started.

Weekend in Barcelona

I had a business trip to Barcelona on Monday and Tuesday so we decided to go a bit early and spend the weekend wandering around from one resturant to another enjoying the local cuisine and culture. It was a great way to relax and get away from the gray Swiss weather.

Not much to say about the trip right now, other than it was alot of fun and a good chance for me to practice a bit of my extremely rusty Spanish.

Wedding Today

It has been a nice trip back to the U.S. I have really enjoyed the family and food, and a few days off of work to relax. It always amazes me how much simpler things are when you don't have to translate all the signs you are reading all day.

This morning we are headed to the wedding we had come back to attend. It is the wedding of a good college friend of mine. He stood up to my wedding and I really felt like I had to come back to be a part of his wedding as well. Although we don't see each other all that often and generally only speak about twice a year I still consider him a close friend. It is one of those relationships that you don't have to work to hard at, you just get along well no matter how long you have, or have not been in touch.

On a photography note, I got a new lens while I was here as well. It is something I have been mulling over for some time. Seeing as the lens was about 20% cheaper in the U.S. it was time to grab it. I am taking it to the wedding with me and suspect it will get some good use today. I took it for some test shots the last couple of days and think it should do a very nice job.

5 Steps To Getting New Pages In Your U.S. Passport In Switzerland

I'm coming to the point where I don't feel like I am having a lot of new experiences in Switzerland. However, getting new passport pages definitely counts. To make it easier for everyone else that might be looking to do the same, let me give you my punch list of things to do.

1.) Fill out the application form on the web and print it.

2.) Pick a time to go to the Embassy in Bern a 15 minute walk from the main station. Remember counter service is only opened from 9:00 - 11:30 Monday through Friday.

3.) Don't bring a bag, if you need one leave it at the train station in a locker. This includes purses, no purses for the women. If you bring a bag they make you walk around the corner and leave it at a bakery that will charge you a couple of francs to hold it for you.

4.) Yes you should go and stand in the line that says Visas.

5.) Cut to the front of the line. If you are American you get first priority because the embassy is there to provide services to U.S. citizens. It feels a little weird but go in the line to the left, you may be the only person in that line, and will cut ahead of 15 people applying for visas, but it is your right so take advantage of it.

Just to be clear, you will be allowed inside with your papers, a mobile phone, and it might be good to stash a small book or something to read in a jacket pocket just in case.

Once inside you take a number and the process of getting additional pages only takes about 30 minutes if there is no line. It is much less painful than I thought and the service was great.

Hope this helps and happy travels.

Fall in Paris

Late last week I needed to make a short business trip to Paris. It gave me a good excuse to spend a weekend there and take in the sights. The weather was really great over the weekend and I had a chance to meet up with a friend of mine that lives in Paris.

We ate at the one restaurant we always eat at, Chez Papa. I don't think I have ever been anywhere else with him for dinner in Paris. It has become a running joke of sorts. He is from Toulouse and this particular resturant serves typical fair from southern France. I think it is his excuse to get a taste of home.

Following The Cows Home

Final Leg of the Alpabzug

So I last left off with us walking the back roads of Canton Appenzell with our milking producing friends and their colorfully dressed herdsmen. As we rounded each hill in the valley we approached closer and closer to the final winter pasture for the herd.


It is not uncommon to find small mountain restaurants along such roads. The cozy little two story buildings are often in the middle of nowhere, and seem to only attract the locals because frankly, there is no one else around.

As the herdsmen would pass such a restaurant the local inn keeper would run out with glasses of what looked like wine. The reward for the long days journey which can often start at 3:00 am. They had the opportunity to drink the liquid refreshment as quickly as possible in the middle of the street and keep moving with the heard, shoving the glasses greatfully back at the inn keeper while still maintaining and heir of importance.

Final, we reached the pasture. The two prized leading cows were released from the burden of their massive bells and the herd wandered on to the grassy hillside to rest and enjoy a bit of fresh grass.

The herdsmen gathered by the gate. One of them holding the massive bells, on hanging from each forearm. The herdsman slowly rocking the bells to continue the gentle tolling of the bells. This feat of strength continued as the others performed a private yodeling concert for the 8 to 10 family members and neighbors that welcomed them home. The quartet continued for about 15 minutes before calling in quits and having their first chance to rest all day.

What a really interesting cultural experience. We could have never planned it, and just were in the right place at the right time. How lucky we were.

The Swiss Keeping Things Under Wraps

Aarberg, Switzerland

There are plenty of stories of the Swiss concealing a few dirty little secrets. Art during the second world war, money from the worlds rich, as well as a host of other things that foriegners need to keep safely out of sight and out of country.

Then there are the things that the Swiss seem to hide from themselves. I have very rarely if ever seen a homeless person. I have only once seen any form of a late model vehicle with a rust spot. And I have never seen a prison.

That was until I visited Aarberg. What we thought was castle in Aarberg is apparently some sort of youth detention center. The photo above shows the lovely home for the trouble youth on the hill just in back of the church.

I haven't been able to confirm that the castle really is a prison. I've only heard this second hand from other expats so it might be just a myth. But it wouldn't surprise me at all if it were true.

What Is Wrong With This French Toilet

What is Wrong With This Picture

I am not a contorsionist. That is why you can understand my disbelief at this toilet setup we experience in our hotel in Cassis France. Although I thought the Le Jardin d'Emile hotel was acceptable, I found myself continually pondering who in their right mind would have installed the toilet paper holder in such a strange location when there was plenty of perfectly good, and quite accesible wall space just to the left (while seated) of the toilet. Alas, that would be 'impossible.'

Making Change - How to Pay A Bill In Europe

When I was moving to Switzerland I had little idea of how life would change from a world of plastic credit cards to a world of cash. When we first arrived it was difficult to use credit cards. Many resturants wouldn't accept cards, and if they did the waiter would be hard pressed to accept the card unless you were paying more than a 30 Franc tab.

Rather quickly I moved from using plastic back to visiting the Swiss ATMs on a regular basis so that I could pay immediately, for everyting, in cash.

The thing that struck me is that so many stores were prepared to accept large bills. In the U.S. it is often hard to buy something with a bill larger than 20 USD, without the clerk having to check the bill for forgery, or without having to call a 'manager' over to check the bill. The assumption seems to be that Americans just don't have those kind of bills to carry around.

In Switzerland things are different. Store clerks are happy to take your 100s, or even 200 Swiss Franc notes to pay for that 1.30 Franc loaf of bread. Not a problem.

So imagine my dismay when we went to France for a recent holiday and they seem to take it to another extreme. Traveling in France we soon discovered that French culture is similar to Swiss culture in that plastic can be shuned. However, they also seem to have a disdain for cash. Much like everything else in France, even paying seems to be 'impossible.'

The French seem to expect exact change for everything. 'Sorry sir, we can not accept your 10 Euro note, would you have 7 Euro 60 cent?,' I would be told on a regular basis. I can understand a lack of change for really large bills, but to give this line repeatedly, over and over, for purchase under 20 Euros when bills were no larger than 10s or 20s seems a bit much.

If it is high tourist season, and the ice cream shops and tourist souvenir shops are expecting the hords of travelers coming from Paris to the Cote de Azur, then expect to have a bit of extra cash on hand to make some change. After all, we don't all walk the streets with our change jars ready to pay exact for everything we purchase.

Fields Of Sunflowers

Fields of Sunflowers Somewhere in France

I was going through my photos again today. Still working on the images I took during our vacataion. This was an hdr image of a field of sunflowers somewhere in the french countryside.

We just happened to be driving along the road and came across this field. The road along the field was running along a nice high embankment so I could actually shoot down on the field.

French Fields of Purple

Fields of Lavender Near Sault, France

Wow, what great pictures. What a great photographic vacation. I have so many pictures and not enough time to go through them that is for sure. Over 8 gigs of photos in 9 or so days of vacation, I will be busy for weeks sorting throught it all.

So where did we go? Thanks to my wonderful wife, we took a trip to the lavender growing areas of Provence in southern France. Guidebooks are a little slim on details for the particular area we were in, but my wife's hours and hours of planning and combing the internet for small nuggets of information paid off in a huge way.

The center piece of the trip was about 6 days of wandering through the impressive and wonderfully smelling lavender fields near the towns of Sault and Valensole. Sometimes photos just can't do a place justice and I think this is one of those spots.

Prime season for the lavender blooms is July, with most of the harvest completed by mid August. Although the weather was extremely hot and at times close to unbearible, the timing was nearly perfect to photograph the fields of purple.

For the duration of the trip we stayed mostly in 'Gite' hotels. Gites are what I would consider French bed & breakfast style accomidations. Many are in Bastides (farm houses) or other historic buildings run by the owner as a way to live in and maintain a piece of French culture and history while creating a bit of income to keep the buildings in good shape.

I really have to recommend the 'Gite' style of vacationing. The places we stayed were relatively affordable, and well accomidated as compared to European standards. I would do it again in a flash.

During the trip we had a lot of interesting cultural experiences. As I work with quite a few French, most of it did not surprise me, but some of it did. I have plenty of stories to tell from the apparent inability of store clerks to make change from any bill larger than a 5 Euro note, to the shock and dismay of our Gite hostess that could not seem to believe that we did not want to eat our breakfast croissants.

Pulse

A Very Purple Vacation

Yes, I am still alive. Just getting back from a bit of a vacation. Details to come soon....

Have It Your Way - Part 2

So a follow up to my earlier post about my complaint to Burger king....

After a quite some time, I finally got a response. I appreciate the response as it was honest, and outlined that I in fact should have been able to order my Onion Rings, there was at the heart of the complaint a 'training issue.'

Dear XXXX,

I have received a note from our offices that you had a poor experience in one of my Burger King outlets within the Birmingham International Airport. Thank you for your comments as it is only through customer feedback that we are able to improve our service to our customers.

Firstly I would like to apologise for any inconvenience you have encountered on behalf of the management and staff.

I have investigated your comments in detail with the management team in the unit as to why you could not have it “your way” the main reason for this was a lack of training and communication given to the team. You are absolutely right, all Burger King Meal deals can be served with either fries or onion rings as well as having any burger to your specification.

I have communicated with my staff and have spoken to them in depth regarding the importance of customer service and the impact of negative customer perception. I have arranged refresher training in customer service and the Burger King brand as no one in the unit should start work until they have gone through this training. I am very concerned with the poor experience you received, as this is a non-negotiable area of our business.

My staff members are in no doubt of the importance of these areas.

I greatly value feedback from our customers about their experiences at our restaurants and can assure you that your comments are taken seriously. I would like to send you some vouchers for the inconvenience you encountered, if you would send me an address where I can send them. I hope that your next visit will give us another opportunity to provide you with an enjoyable dining experience.

Thank you for taking the time to send us your comments and I welcome feedback from your next visit to our site. If you would like to discuss any of the matters further please do not hesitate to contact me.

Yours sincerely.
xxx xxxxx

I did reply to the note, thanking the sender for their feedback, and also saying that I did not need any vouchers. My intention was not to get freebies, but rather improve the situation for the next guy, so he could "Have it his way"

Nice job BK, I thought you handled this well.

Schwarzwald - Germany

View of the Schwarzwald from a mountain meadow

Last weekend we did a bit of traveling with some friends. We took a trip to Alsace in France, as well as the Schwarzwald (Black Forest) in Germany. One of the highlights of the trip was a stop along the Schwarzwaldhochstrasse drive for a short walk along the edge of the forest.

Although the weather was a bit overcast and slightly rainy it made for some impressive pictures. I have to admit, we did stop for a piece of black forest cake. And it was wonderful. Definately worth a drive if you have some time and are looking for a good place to do some sightseeing.

There must have been a British car club out on the road during our drive as well. We saw well over 100 Jaguars running down the road, all with little signs on the front with a British and French flag. The cars seemed to range in age from about the 1930's to the most modern models. It was neat sight to see.

Stockholm, City Hall

Stockholm, City Hall

I was going through some of my photographs today and spent some time working on this particular photograph.

It turned out just as I had envisioned it when I was standing there trying to capture the photograph. I really like the final result.

Have It Your Way

So I was in transit on Tuesday at the Birmingham airport. I had an extra 30 minutes before I needed to board the flight and as much as I love the little chocolates Swiss gives out at the end of every flight I can't stand their dry, tastless cheese sandwiches. I opted to stop at the Burger King to get a quick, and terribly unhealthy dinner.

I stepped up to order and asked for a Whopper value meal with onion rings instead of fries. To my surprise the cashiers says 'We can't do that.' This puzzled me. There sitting two steps away is a bin of fried greasy goodness. Half filled with fries and half filled with onion rings, and this pimply faced kid is telling me he can't do that. I was dumb founded.

I said, 'fine, give me the fries.' I paid and stepped aside. As I was waiting I heard a group of 4 young women discussing my interaction. I turned to them and made a comment that it was a bit strange and they responded that they had asked for exactly the same thing, onion rings instead of fries and were told it was a 'no go'.

So that begs the question, here I am waiting for my food, and behind this guy is a huge sign that says 'Have it your way, more of the stuff you want less of the stuff you don't.' That was classic.

I sat down to eat and looked over the receipt and noticed an e-mail address for inquiries. I pulled out the old trusty Blackberry and fired an e-mail over to our friends at Burger King to ask why I couldn't have it 'My Way'. I am still waiting on a response, lets see what they have to say.

Weekend In Sweden

Stockholm waterfront

Last week I was asked to attend some meeting in Sweden for work. While I am not a big fan of travel, it did leave me in Stockholm on a friday in the middle of summer with a long weekend ahead of me due to a Swiss holiday.

The same weekend also included a wedding anniversary for my wife and I so it seemed like a good idea to extend my stay with my wife joining me for a weekend trip.

Stockholm was a great place to be in the summer, lots of colors, activities, long days, and too much sun. The 3:30 AM sunrise, and sunsets close to 11:00 pm meant the sun was always out. By the end of each day walking around the city, I felt like a burnt piece of toast. It was almost too much.

Saturday and Sunday we ran around like American's with our Stockholm cards, which gave us free transportation and access to many of the local attractions. The 48 hour card seemed to be well worth the price if you are going for the American style visit which is to cram in every single sight.

By Monday we had slowed down, and took are more leasurly place. Just wandering the streets, with no where in particular to go.

My favorite stop was the Vasa museum. The Museum is home to a ship that sank in 1628 on its madien voyage. It was underwater for 333 years before it was salvaged in the 1960's. The ship has been restored and is the key focal point on the museum. The size of the ship was amazing, I couldn't believe how huge the ship was, and that it was built way back in the 17th century.

View of Santis Mountain from the Lazy Gardener's Place.

Last weekend we had a bit of an adventure. My parents-in-law are here for their annual visit and we decided to head to Appenzell. Little did I know another Swiss friend of ours would offer to show us around the area.

Our friend had insisted that he had several friends in the area and he would be more than happy to make a few calls and arrange for a day trip. Only after we were on the train on the 2 hour trip to the area did we learn that this particular 'Tom's Toxic Tour' would take us to visit a few people that Tom had meet for 10 minutes at some party a couple weeks back. Hmmm.....this sounds like trouble.

Our first stop was in Appenzell to visit an entreprenuer that had her own Lingerie shop in downtown Appenzell. After a Sunday afternoon private tour of the shop we took a walk around town and ended up at the prioprietors house. Her house was one of the oldest in the village. It was one of the few homes that had survived the great fire that went through the town in the late 1500's. She gave us a tour of her house, which is unheard of. And then we had an apero complete with Prosseco and breadsticks in her garden. Our host was wonderfully cordial, and it was a great start to the day.

The next stop on Tom's Toxic Tour was a personal afternoon with the famous Lazy Gardener of Switzerland. He and his lovely wife invited us for an afternoon in their garden with a few bottles on champaigne, cheeses, and other delights. The conversation was wonderful, and the corks kept popping. After several wonderful hours taking in the view and enjoying the afternoon, the Gardener and his wife invited us for a risotto dinner cooked with fresh rucolla from the garden. The dessert also included a fantastic ice cream served with rubarb sauce topping made fresh to order.

By the end of the day, the Toxic Tour had not disappointed. Full of food and drink we slowly made our way back to Baden on the train. I give a special thanks to our hosts in both Appenzell and Tuefen and hope we have a chance to visit the area again.

Hiking In The Spring

Mountain Trail near Giessbach falls

Last weekend we spent some time in the Alps in the region of Switzerland near Interlochen. While interlochen itself feels too commerical and touristy the surrounding areas provide great places to hike and enjoy nature.

We took a hike with friends near the Giessbach falls and the scenary at this time of the year when the leaves are just coming out in the Alps is amazing. As we were climbing one of many hills, I noticed that the light coming through the trees was illuminating the fresh new leaves in a unusual way.

The light during our hike was amazing. There are plenty of great photographs that I have yet to explore from my trip.

Catching Up On Photos

Notre Dame, Paris France

So now that I have my computer back I am catching up on some old photos that I have archieved since my computer dilemma began. As a temporary measure I was storing a bunch of images on my work laptop. Now I have had a chance to move things back over to my personal computer.

Here is a fantastic photograph of Notre Dame Cathedral that I took in early April. I had business trip to Paris at the time. We had decided to stay for the weekend to enjoy the weather and try to get some good photographs.

This image is another example of an HDR image. It is a composition of 3 images put together into one.

Kaiserstuhl, Switzerland

Kaiserstuhl, Switzerland

Last weekend we took a trip to Kaiserstuhl Switzerland on a whim. We wanted to get out for a hike and do somewhere within a short trip. We found that Kaiserstuhl fit the bill. It was about 45 minutes from Baden and was touted as having a great old town center right on the Rhine river.

The town was small, You could walk from one end of the town to the other in about 10 to 15 minutes, but it was still a nice little town. The bridge along the Rhine takes you right into Germany. We strolled across the bridge and no one even seemed to notice. The boarder crossing was unmanned, the staff probably had Sunday off I supposed.

On the German side we walked along the river along a nice path, occasionally met by a group of walkers muttering their 'Gutten Tages' and 'Hallos' as opposed to our usual Swiss 'Gruezis'.

Go to Kasierstuhl for a walk along the Rhine, and only if you are in the area. It probably isn't worth much more than that.

Architecture Photo

Architectural Detail, Antonio Gaudi

I came across this image while I was sorting out my photos. I really like the shapes and the lighting. This was taken on the roof of Casa Mila.

HDR Images From Barcelona

La Pedrera, Barcelona Spain

This past weekend I had a chance to spend a few days in Barcelona. As always I brought along my full compliment of camera gear including a couple of additional pieces of gear that I normally don't carry as well.

In addition to my st camera and compliment of basic lenses I brought along a flash, two extra lenses, an extra camera body and 2 tripods. So why all the gear? My wife had decided to get me a photographic tour from Barcelona Photographer as a birthday gift.



Since it was the off season for tourism in Barcelona, Barcelona Photographer was offering private tours. The cost was a little higher than their standard package but considering we would get a personal guide for my wife and myself I thought it was still a good deal. I was hoping the tour would be a good opportunity for me to get some guidance from a local on the best locations for some great shots of Barcelona, while at the same time giving my wife a chance to learn something about digital photography with a digital SLR, a step up from her standard point and shoot camera.

I chose to do a night photography tour since I enjoy capturing night landscapes. Barcelona Photographer also offers day tours as well.

Our tour guide did a nice job of understanding our needs. He catered more towards working with my wife to teach her the ins and outs of a the basic functions of the digital SLR while pretty much leaving me alone while I took advantage of his past experience and comments on best spots or angles to photograph from.

As this was a private tour, I felt like there wasn't a lot of structure, and getting started was a little slow. The guide did a lot of asking questions about what we wanted to accomplish and after about 30 minutes of wandering and just conversing I felt like we really got started. I think most of that time was the guide just trying to figure out what we wanted to get out of the evening.

As a more experience photographer I don't really want to comment on the quality of the instruction because that wasn't my goal. What I got out of the tour, and I think what was the best value for me was the insight from our guide about the best locations to shoot.

Many of the great shots that I got from Barcelona were not taken during the tour itself but where rather taken during second trips to the same locations, or other spots that the guide recommended we return to during the day. Given that the tour was a fast paced 3 hours, I wanted to return to some of the locations when I had more time to be methodical and take photographs at a nice leisurely pace.

The tour gave me a great opportunity to practice my HDR (High Dynamic Range) image capture techniques. All of the photographs I am including in this post were based on HDR techniques. This is the first set of photos that I am really happy with. I am finally figuring out how it all works.

Stuckey's Pecan Log

Stuckey's Pecan Log Roll

Sometimes you just crave for something familiar. That was the case this evening. As I was rummaging through my cabinet O' American goodies I cam across something that brought a smile. A Stuckey's Pecan Log Roll. A true treasure to behold when one has a craving for home.

Me and Stuckey's go way back. I remember being a kid on a vacation with the family, driving across the U.S. and my parents would spot a Stuckey's and they would tell me the story about how they remembered Stuckey's and how they had these famous peacan rolls.

Stuckey's was founded in 1937 and is known for its pecan candies. Although their website states there are still over 200 locations I am usually hardpressed to find one. I know of only two places to get the world famous peacan rolls. The Stuckey's on interstate 64 just east of Williamsburg, and the hostess factory outlet in countryside Illinois.

I remember in college I had a t-shirt that said 'Stuckey's, An American Tradition.' Can you believe that most of my peers had no idea what the heck a Stuckeys was!? Had these kids ever been on a road trip? Were they all jet-setters and never had the opportunity, or shall I say privalege to spend 14 hours driving across the state of Nebraska with nothing at all to see except the glimmer of hope that was the Stuckeys blue roof spotted from 250 miles off on the flat expanse of the midwestern great plans. And these poor kids called themselves American.

Well, when I want a taste of home. I have two time tested and trusted friends. My Jif peanutbutter and my Stuckey's Pecan Log Roll. So tonight here is too Americana in all 720 calories of glory.

Chateau D'Oex International Festival of Balloons

A Glimpse To the Skies Above Chateau D'Oex, Switzerland.

This weekend was the 31st annual festival of Balloons at Chateau D'Oex. Having read in 1000 places to see before you die a couple of weeks ago that this was something that should be seen my wife put together a travel plan to visit the small town in the Alps for two days during the 10 day festival.

I wasn't really sure what to expect other than a bunch of hot air balloons. That is pretty much what we got, but to see so many balloons concentrated in one small valley was really a magnificent sight to see.

As we got off the train everyone craned their necks skyward to get a glimpse at what seemed to be about 20 balloons, quietly floating thorough the blue skies with the majestic Swiss Alps as a back drop. As many pictures as I can post, I just don't think the photographs do it justice.

On Saturday there was a special exhibition of crazy shaped balloons. One of my favorites was 'Western Spirit' I'll let you guess which balloon that was from the picture. The best thing about the balloon is it was a perfect example of what the Swiss think of Americans. Cowboys riding horses through the western desert. Yep, and I can't believe I forgot my cowboy hat back at the apartment this weekend.

In all fairness 'Western Spirit' was piloted and owned by an American that brought his balloon in for the event. He assured the crowd that he would be back next year as well.

I've had a great time taking pictures and have a pile of images to go through. I'm sure I'll share more in the coming days.

Lets Strike Because The Economy Stinks

There are mumblings around work about the French transportation strike that starts Wednesday evening and runs until Friday morning (story on cnn).

Such strikes cause havoc to our company because our headquarters are in France and when this happens the entire office seems to shut down, and anybody traveling to or from the central office is paralyzed.

Which leads me to the question, why do the French do this? What aspect of their culture do I not understand? To me it makes no sense to strike because you are afraid of the economy and losing your job. What is that going to achieve other than give everyone on a vacation day?

As an American my values tell me to go to work, work hard, and there is a good chance you'll keep your job. If you aren't working your not helping the company, which means no cashflow, wich means no money to pay salaries. You just gotta be there to keep the company afloalt

Lots O' Heavy Books

My Stack O Books

So one thing we found on the cheap in the States were books. Lots and lots of books. As both my wife and I are avid readers and used to love hanging out in bookstores on a Friday night just wandering the aisles looking for something to read, being back in the States with tons of English books was a little overwhelming.

In particular my Mother introduced us to Half Price Books Records, and Magazines. The concept is similar the record stores or CD stores of old that would buy your old stuff from you and sell it at reasonable prices to the next guy. The nice thing about this chain is that it essentially has all the same sections as a normal bookstore. As the majority of the titles are contributed past reads the shelves are littered with strange anomalies.

My favorite find, Twinkie, Deconstructed, which goes through the entire Twinkie ingredient list and explains where each ingredient comes from, how it is made, and why it is in the Twinkie in the first place. It is a great read too.

The only trouble with going nuts in an American bookstore is that you somehow have to get the books back to Europe with you. We had investigated the M-Bag for sending books oversea's via the U.S. Post Office. That was an attractive option at $3 a pound but after weighing our bags just before our flight we realized we have enough weight allowance left to put our stack of books (40 inches high, 1 meter for the metric folks) in our luggage.

With four large suitcases right at maximum capacity getting to and from airports was a bit difficult but now I have what I need to keep me busy for 2009.

As a side note, I had some fun experimenting in taking the photo for this post. I have included of shot of the pile leaning against a door with different tape measures as I was finding the best angle.

Jet Lag

We arrived back in Switzerland yesterday and with the trip back comes the jet lag again.

Somehow I managed to stay awake yesterday until about 8:30 or 9:00 in the evening. I woke up feeling refreshed and ready to go. I didn't even need my alarm to wake up. But then I looked at the clock and it was only midnight. Darn. Back to sleep.

In all of the fogginess last evening I did manage to set my alarm, but I forgot to turn it on. Since my wife's alarm woke me this morning I was about a half an hour late this morning. I still think that is pretty good time considering I was fighting jet lag.

Oh, the joys of going back to work.

Annual Friends Reunion

Today we are having our annual friends get together. We usually get together at a local resturant & bar for a couple of hours and sit around and chat and have a few beers. People come and go as they please. It is a nice time and convinient way to get to see everyone. This year we haven't gotten too much response so I don't know what the turn out will be.

For the first time this year we moved the meeting to the late afternoon instead of the evening. Now that more and more of our friends have kids we figured it would be simpler to do a late afternoon event in case people wanted to drop by with their kids.

As always I know there are a few people I would have liked to have invited but I don't have their e-mail addresses or contact information with me. It is tough to keep everything in one spot with all of the different communication tools we have today.

This year for the first time in addition to sending out e-mails to friends for which I had e-mails I also posted an "Event" and a couple of "Notes" on facebook. I did get some comments and feedback but overall the facebook responses were limited. I guess I'll have to wait and see this afternoon how the turn out is. Some times additional people that I didn't directly invite show up through word of mouth. It is those friends that I really enjoy seeing because I didn't expect them in the first place.

These yearly get togethers are usually a little strange at first in that alot of my friends know more about me that I do about them because of my blog. While it is easy for them to ask about something I did sometimes it takes be a little longer to warm up the conversation for me because I haven't been as in touch with them for a while. But in the end, catching up is exactly what these gatherings are for and thats what we'll do.

Christmas Continues: Day 3

For us today marks the 3rd day of Christmas. Since I missed a post on the 25th due to all of the family activities I want to wish everyone a merry Christmas today. I still have a few minutes before we pack things back into the car for another trip to yet another, and the final Christmas party of the season.

One striking difference between Europeans and Americans is the American capacity to drive what Europeans called 'huge distances' in a single trip. Today we will be making one of those such trips. We and driving a little over 100 miles (160 km) to visit family in the neighboring state of Wisconsin. The trip will take about 2 hours. And yes, we will drive home today.

One thing I do like about Wisconsin is their cheese. Much like Switzerland, Wisconsin is America's state known for making cheese. One of my personal favorites in the cheese ball. My wife's Aunt never fails to server a cheese ball with crackers and I usually attack it with a passion. First off because I like cheese and crackers, secondly, because I can't get yellow sharp cheddar cheese in Switzerland and I love it so.

So I have to run, I have about 2 minutes before we leave and I don't want to be late for my date with the cheese ball. Merry Christmas.

The difference in Public Transport: US and Switzerland

Yesterday due to a logistical issue with our car here in Chicago I decided to take a train from my parents suburban town, to the town of my in-laws to meet them for dinner. As the two towns are on the same train line about 15 miles apart you would think this would be no problem.

Well, think again, things in the U.S. aren't as smooth as I am used to in Switzerland.

The original plan was for my wife to take a train for a 1:00 lunch with a friend but the train schedule would only allow here to arrive at the proper destination at either 11:30 or 1:30, neither of which would work. It seems that outside of rush hour the trains almost completely stop running. This as compared to Switzerland where the trains run on the same schedule hourly from about 6:00 in the morning until about midnight.

So we reworked our plan and my wife took the car to go for lunch with me taking the train later in the day.

Of course when I got to the station there were no windows open to buy tickets, and we don't have ticket machines so I had to just buy the ticket on the train. That is one thing I do like about American trains. If you don't have a ticket when the conductor comes by he simply sells you one. On the Swiss system, if you don't have a ticket he'll sell you one too, for 80 CHF (about 70 USD). It is a fine for not having a ticket.

The other thing I noticed was that there are no signs or clocks anywhere to be seen from the train platform. You don't know which train is arriving at the station or what time it is unless you have you own watch. I have just become too reliant on the Mondaine train clocks in Switzerland and the fact that a brief glance overhead to the electronic sign will tell me exactly which train is arriving and where it is going.

All in all, I made it to my destination for a meer 3.80 USD. A similar ticket in Switzerland probably would have cost me 10-15 USD. So for the cheap price I get a mediocre experience. You get what you pay for I guess.

In general I think this experience highlights why personal transportation in the form of cars is so popular here in the U.S. It is just too difficult, and requires too much fore thought to use public transportation to go any length of distance in the U.S.

The Grocery Store

I was in a Dominik's grocery store this weekend. Dominik's is a local chain in Chicago that has stores across the area. Typically big, huge, American, grocery stores. With selection, lots and lots of selection. As this is the first time I have been back in the U.S. in about a year I found it a bit overwhelming.

I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the chip aisle, and the soda aisle, wow! I don't know why I was so overwhelmed. I guess it is because I am used to the largest grocery stores being about one sixth the size of anything I would see in the U.S.

All the selection and choice makes it a bit difficult to shop. What do you choose? What is the best? I can't tell there is just too much. And, as you go from aisle to aisle there is more and more that you can buy, more and more to take home.

At the end of the usual shopping trip in Switzerland I am usually walking out with 1 or 2 bags of groceries. In the U.S. things seem to multiple 3 or 4 fold. Gotta love it.

Some time before I left on vacation I was telling some friends about twinkies. As Europeans they had never heard of the things. I need to be sure to remember to buy a box before I go back to Switzerland. I just hope I will have room for them.

The 'Whale' a the Porsche Museum outside of Stuttgart

When I was younger I had a unhealthy fascination with Porsche automobiles. I don't know if it was the snob appeal, the speed, or the pure engineering that inspired it. I would like to think it was the idea of the high tech engineering since that was the discipline I choose to study in college.

For the longest time I used to spend hours in my basement as a kid meticulously constructing and painting small models of the Porsche classics. The 356, the 304, the 935, the 959, and the classic 911.

So when we were in Stuttgart for the Christmas markets I couldn't help but make a trip to my personal mecca and visit the Porsche production facility and museum just outside of Stuttgart in Zuffenhausen.

Porsche is in the processes of opening a new, huge museum that was supposed to be open in 2007. Unfortunately it is still in progress. So, we only got to visit the previous, and much smaller museum that only houses about 15 vehicles.

Of course the vehicles that are on display are all the most amazing models. All the ones that I have at home, just in 1:16 scale.

For the enthusiast the museum was great. The new larger museum is set to open January 31st 2009. So not to much longer to wait. Guess I'll have to schedule another trip to Stuttgart next year for the Christmas markets.

Getting And International Driving Permit In Switzerland

I had a recent need to get an International Driving Permit for an upcoming trip back to the U.S. Since my last visit to the U.S. my U.S. license has expired. Instead of going through the DMV lines when I get back and taking tests I decided to see if I could get an International Driving Permit.

These permits are essentially a paper that with translations of you driving privileges based on your current driving license and the permit is sometimes useful when trying to rent a car. I did some investigations and found that the Swiss Touring Club www.tcs.ch can issue such permits.

If you have a valid Swiss drivers license your local TCS office can issue you a permit very quickly. All you need to bring is a passport photo and your Swiss license. The permit will cost 25 CHF and takes about 15 minutes to process. Be advised that the TCS office can only issue International Drivers Permits for Swiss Licenses that were issued in the same canton as the office.

Watch For Falling Glass

Sign in Esslinger, Germany

The world has come to a sad state when we have to post signs asking people not to through glass bottles on the heads of others. That was my first thought when I saw this sign posted in Esslinger, Germany where we spent some time visiting a Christmas market this weekend.

What kind of behavior would warrant posting such a sign. Secondly, how often must this have been a real problem before the community requested, or the authorities decided that such a sign was necessary.

It is obviously a problem of epic proportions in Esslinger because even the man who is the target of the apparent bottle attack is depicted with one arm. He must have lost the other the last time he walked along the wall.

I was also thinking what would it be like to be the graphic designer responsible for designing this sign. Your boss comes in and says, "Hey, I have someone asking to make a sign to stop people from throwing bottles on people, can you put something together for me?"

As much as it is funny, it really is a bit sad.

Stuttgart Christmas Market

We spent a long weekend in Stuttgart, Germany this weekend to take in the Christmas market. It was an impressive event. Much larger than I had imagined. It was a great trip to kick off the Christmas season and get into the spirit.

Most of the time was spent shopping, eating, and drinking glühwein. More about that later.

How Many Countries Can You Name

49

Here is a fun little game to test your world geography skills. As my spelling is not good I got caught a couple of times just trying to get the names right.

Am I A Beer Snob?

One of Many Recently Sampled German Beers

So last week to celebrate the US election I bought a round of MGDs for some friends at work. I thought the imported American beer would be a fine way to celebrate the first tangible signal of the passing of the Bush era. Although the celebration in itself was good, the beer was terrible. This leads me to the question.....

Have I become a beer snob?

I remember when I was living the US and I was a genuine Miller man. Miller Light actually. Loved it. Much better than Bud. Yeah, I would really reach out once in a while and have a Michelob, or a Pabst Blue Ribbon if I was really feeling wild but I never understood all those Heineken types.

Why the heck would someone pay a couple of bucks more for that stuff from Europe. Beer is beer.

After moving to Europe I discovered the beer section at some of the big stores in Germany. Aisle upon aisle of half liter bottles in neatly stacked plastic crates. One can roam the halls and pick up a case, or if you so choose a single bottle from any case. And that is how it all began.

I took to the habit of grabbing a bottle here, and a bottle there. Always taking one bottle of something that I knew I liked, and a few others because the bottles looked pretty, or had funny names, or were from a region I had not heard of. This habit lead me on a path to try many different styles of beer over the last two years.

With all that experimentation I have found my preferred bouquet. I prefer beers in the Hefewiezen (Wheat Beer) style. Something like a Schneiderweiss or a Paulaner Hefe-Weissbier.

There is a bit of an art to pouring a good Weiss beer. There is a Spanish woman at a local tapas bar in in Baden that pours quite possibly the best weiss beer this side of the Rhine. It his difficult to explain the process but lets just say she puts every once of her concentration and effort into ensuring that you get the optimal pour if you so desire. When she serves you she asks you if you would liketo pour it, or if you would rather have her pour it for you. Only a fool would pass up the opportunity to have this seasoned veteran who has undoubtedly served hundreds of thousands of beers in her lifetime not pour you the most perfect, tall, cool, glass of weiss beer you have ever tasted. I found a fitting website that illustrates the practice. The best part about the site is it has pictures, and of course, the guy doing the pouring is wearing Lederhosen. (Note to those less informed, the part about rolling the bottle between your hands is key.)

I diverge briefly to speak fo Lederhosen. What a disappointing word once you learn German. I thought it would have some kind of great transaltion, like 'little funny pants that fat old beer drinking men wear on Tuesdays at Octoberfest.' Instead it just translates to 'leather pants' What a let down.

So after my continued sampling of some of those God awful 'European Beers' that I once despised I now begin to understand those guys. The beers here are a hell of a lot better than MGD, Coors, and I hate to say it, Old Style (sorry Mom). Ah, I fear it has happened, I have been transformed into a bit of a beer snob.

Schloss Hallwyl

Schloss Hallwyl

Swiss culture dictates that things must be celebrated with a fest. One needs not have a monumental reason to celebrate something. As long as you have a piece a paper and a pen, it seems you can draw up a little sign plaster it somewhere and people will come to celebrate something with you.

A few weeks back there were a series of chestnut and apple festivals. We had wanted to attend one of the chestnut festivals but most of them were in the Italian region of the country and were a little far for a day trip. Instead we opted for an apple festival at Schloss Hallwyl about an hour by train from Baden.

The festival was small, about 10 to 15 booths selling various organic produce and apple products. There was also a small outdoor cafe setup. Picnic benches if you will with several people serving various grilled items, baked goods, and one of my favorites, Aplener Macaroni (Swiss Mountain Macaroni). I found a recipe here, have not tried this one so can't recommend it but you'll at least have an idea of the ingredients. It is usually served with a side of apple sauce.

The Hallwyl Castle (Schloss) was one of the best preserved castles I have seen in Switzerland. It was really something to see and included the story book moat, and drawbridge. There is a small fee to enter the castle, 12 Francs for adults, itself but I believe you can wander through the courtyard for free. For the kids with your admission the kids can wear a knight costume.

We didn't have time to enter the castle itself but just wandered through the courtyard admiring the vendors.

About a 10 minute hike from the castle is a beatiful lake with trails around the preimeter. We spent an additonal 45 minutes walking along the lake as well. It was really a great place to spend an afternoon and take in the sights. I would highly recommend it for a weekend day trip.

Working From The Hotel

My seminar finished early this afternoon so I made the quick trip to a different hotel for the next couple of days to setup my laptop and do some work. I could have gone to the office but I needed some time alone to get budgets done.

The quick time in the hotel room was very productive and I am glad I made the choice to work from the room.

On strange event did occur though. There was something wrong with the shower so while I was here this afternoon there was some guy in the shower for about an hour and a half monkeying around with the shower. He was using some kind of crazy strong epoxy so now the entire room smells of chemicals.

I hope the fumes didn't affect my budgets, I guess I'll find out tomorrow.

I will meet a fellow participant from the seminar for dinner this evening. He is from Cypress and we were discussing the fact that he didn't leave until tomorrow. We decided it would be fun to meet for dinner. Two non-French speakers is much better than one. I think it will be a good time. I'll go and meet him in a couple of hours. In the mean time I may sneak out for some photography before hand.

Traveling for Business Again

I am traveling for business again this week. I can tell already it will be a very busy week. I had to fly out on Sunday evening for some early morning meetings in Paris.

Last night there was a problem when I arrived at the hotel. I had an e-mail confirm a reservation, but the hotel didn't have the reservation. This seems to be a trend lately. Luckily, they were able to offer a room at a hotel very close by. So dispite a few minutes of stress everything turned out well.

I had wanted to do a little sight seeting while I am here but I fear I won't have much time for that. I appears that my evenings will be consumed by business commitments. Maybe next time.

Monet's Garden at Giverny

Water Garden at Giverny

After a long week in Paris for business I had decided to stay the weekend to play a bit of a tourist. Since I have spent a good amount of time in the City center with my wife, she decided that she wanted to take a day trip to Giverny. Giverny is a small town in the country that can be reached by a 45 minute train ride followed by either a short bus trip, or a 3 km bike ride. It is the home to Claude Monet's Garden, most notably his water garden.

I suprised by the size of the gardens. I was also surprised at the fact that much of the garden was still in bloom this late in the season. I had orginally thought it would not be a good time to visit but I was wrong.

The house and accomanying gardens were so large it left me thinking how on earth could an artist aford such a place. After a little reading I learned that he orgininally just rented the place and later purchased the house and gardens after he had become famous and was successful in selling his work.

In later September there were a lot of visitors and a tour bus or two, but I have to believe it was less of a crowd than you might see in peak season. At this time of year the main gardens by the house are still full of color, but the water gardens are not in bloom. The color there was a bit dull, but it was still a beautiful sight to see and I could really imagine how an artist could be so inspired by such a garden in peak season.

As a side trip from Paris I would recommend the trip if you have a day to spend. Transportation to and from Giverny was easy, and there were plenty of things to wander around and enjoy. If you are the type that likes little shops and touristy places Giverny might not be the spot for you. Aside from the Gardens there are only a few other little gift shops, and mostly small hotels and resturants where you can find a nice outdoor table to enjoy a meal and a view of the French countryside. If you enjoy to take a stroll and just take in the scenery it is a perfect place.

Returning Home (To Baden)

The last week I have been traveling on business. It was a bit of a long trip considering I am not a fan of business travel. The trip was prolonged by the fact that I decided to take advantage of a 4 day event in Paris and stay for a weekend. My wife had decided to join me in Paris Friday evening.

The weekend in Paris was beautiful, the weather was unbelievable for this time of year. Sunny and in the 70's (lower 20's for those on Celsius). Just a really great weekend to find a plaza, some grass to sit on, and hang out people watching.

This trip I feel like the dog poop issue was really under control. I remember a few times walking down the street when my mind was wandering and all of a sudden realizing I better snap back to attention and turn on my poop radar, but miraculously I didn't have a problem. I wonder if the city has been on a campaign to clean things up. With the poop issue apparently resolved
my only grip about Paris is that wherever you go it seems to smell like urine.

But after all that 6 nights away from home is a long time. Hotel rooms, business dinners, late nights working on presentations for the next day, it takes its toll. On the way home on the high speed train (TGV) some women got on at Strasbourg and began speaking to be in German asking about the seats. I didn't panic, I understood what they asked, and replied correctly. It was a strange experience. The reason being after a week of being surrounded by French, I was actually pleased, and somewhat relaxed to hear German. I never thought German could be so calming to the soul.

And for one of the first times, when I got off the train returning to Baden I had a sense of arriving home. Surely, not the same sense of the word when you arrive at your childhood home, but it was one of the first times I felt relaxed to arrive in Baden.

I was looking forward to jumping into my own bed, making my own dinner from that should surely include some form of Cheese, Pork, and potatoes, and getting back into the routine.

Sking in the Alps, Zurich Airport, Apenzeller Villages All At Swissminiatur

Waiting for a Train At the Swissminiatur Museum

When we were in Ticino last weekend we made a stop at the Swissminiatur museum. Swissminiatur is an outside exhibit of small models of the most famous buildings in Switzerland built at a 1:25 scale. The park also includes over 3500 meters (2.1 miles) of model railroad track.

I had not known quite what to expect when my wife announced she wanted to visit the park. I told a Swiss co-worker from work before we left that we were going to visit and he explained that a visit to Swissminiatur was a right of passage for Swiss children. It is a popular school field trip destination for those in the region.


With that in mind I was expecting something that was aimed towards children. In that sense the park was targeted towards a younger audience with train rides, bumperboats, and a few other activites for children. However, the models did manage to capture my attention and were interesting to see first hand.

As a photographer the park was a great opportunity to practice my skills. Depending on the angles and distances from the models I was able to get some facinating images that in some cases look almost as good as the real thing.

Exhibits featured boats cruising on miniature lakes, working trains that stopped at varios stations throughout the park and even several functioning model cable cars. There was even a model of a popular highway rest stop overpass in our region of Switzerland with a working 4 lane highway of cars passing underneath.

The park was opened in 1959 and the care takers are in a constant cycle of reparing and updating their models. Despite the revitalization efforts some models are clearly in better shape than others. We spent about an hour and a half wondering the grounds and getting lunch.

If you are in the area I would consider it worth a visit. It is good fun for both kids and adults and you'll go home with some great snap shots as well.

Where is the Compassion in Swiss Culture

I am continually reminded in daily life in Switzerland that the Swiss do not have the same sense of compassion, courtesy or respect for other people. There words and actions sometimes strike me as being self-centered and egotistical. Everything seems to be done for the benefit for oneself without a consideration for the greater good.

Go ahead, smoke, and blow it right in my face, please, I beg of you.

That would be fine, just run your shopping carts, and bikes into me and don't bother saying excuse me.

And yes, every seat in this train car is clearly reserved for you even thought there are 20 people standing in the aisle and your friends aren't getting on for another 4 stops.

I had an experience this past weekend where a gentlemen was being what I would consider so absolutely rude that I confronted him in German. I told him he was being discourteous. He acted like he did nothing wrong and I passed him and went on my way to find another seat in the train. My comment must have gotten the better of him because after a minute or two he changed his behavior.

So one small victory in building a bit of compassion and respect in Switzerland.

Ticino, Italy Swissified

Gandria, Switzerland

During our recent family tour we spent some time in canton Ticino. The small canton is right on the Italian boarder. Italian is the local language and the architecture, food, and tempo of life seem to be greatly influenced by the Italians.

However, there are a few things in Ticino that you will not find in Italy. Clean streets and timely and efficient transportation to name a couple. Having visited Italy and then Ticino I found myself thinking that Ticino had all the same pleasures as norther Italy (Como, Belagio, Milan) without the problems associated with those cities.

I wonder what it would be like to live in Ticino for a longer period of time. From a culural perspective it would interest me to find if there the people had more in common with the German speaking regions of Switzerland or their close Italian neighbors. If they do inherit some traits of there Germanic Swiss counterparts what other characterisitcs other than cleanliness have they adopted. Don't know that answer to that question, but it would be interesting to find out.

Getting Back From The Tour

Tour boat on Lake Lugano, Switzerland

This evening we just returned from a 3 night stay in Lugano with family. It was a big group, 6 of us in total. As much fun as it was, it is time for everyone to head back to the US tomorrow and for me to return to my normal work schedule.

I really do enjoy traveling with friends and family and showing them around our host country, but there does come a point when you spent too much time with family. I think 9-10 days is about my limit.

So tomorrow I will say good bye, head to work to decompress, and probably stop at the spa (thermalbad) after work to relax and get myself back in order.

Day trip to Rapperswil

Yesterday we took the family for a day trip to Rapperswil. My mother had wanted to visit the Polish museum in the castle there. The local Swiss Polish community had opened a museum in the castle the celebrate and commemorate the exchange of citizens between Poland and Switzerland.

The museum was large by Swiss standards and had captions in English, German, and Polish. The material was interesting for someone with Polish heritage but I don't know if others would enjoy it.

We stopped for lunch along the restaurant at a place called Marsala. The restaurant had a terrace just above the tree line along the lake so you had a wonderful view of the lake and the mountains across the lake. The food was a bit salty but I thought it was better than most Swiss food.

Visual Evidence Proving Why Americans Are Fat

5 Lake Hike at the Pizol Ski Area

On Sunday we took a train 2 hours out to the Pizol ski area to do a hike that my wife was interested in. While I was there I managed to capture some interesting supporting evidence to the American obesity epidemic.

Take a look at all the people in this picture. Yes, what you see are people, lots of people, for miles on end, hiking. And, I can assure you there isn't a McDonalds at the top of the hill.

What is really amazing about this picture is that this was one segment of a 5 hour hike in the mountains. For the entire time we were hiking the trail was more crowded than aisle 5 of Walmart on the morning of the Richmond NASCAR race.

This was not an easy hike either. And there were no parking lots or air conditioned rest stops along the way, so everyone on the trail had truly committed to marching for 5 hours in the blazing summer sun.

Even though it was crowded, everyone was having a good time, and people were generally quiet and respectful of others. I have some amazing pictures from the trip. But I'd rather post another entry after I have a chance to go through the pictures.

Reichstag Dome

Dome At the Reichstag in Berlin, Germany

I was working on some of my photographs this week and came across a picture that I really liked from the dome of the Riechstag. I liked the composition but when viewed in color it just didn't seem to really stand out.

I spent a bit of time to crop it and convert to a high contrast black and white. I think in turned out much better this way.

Just for comparison, below is the original, as shot image.

Reichstag Am Abend

Reichstag Building, Berlin Germany

Conceptually I go the picture I wanted. Not quite as sharp of an image as I would have liked though.

I blame the sharpness problem on using Canon's liveview feature which lets you use the screen on the back of the Canon 40D SLR like a point and shoot to frame your shot. Only problem is when you use the Liveview feature in disables the autofocus. The way around that is to be sure to focus on your subject before you enable live view, or manually focus while live view is enabled. I forgot to check the focus because I was lazy, tired and it was dark.

Still in turned out good enough for a blog post.

Shirts From The Gap Not Good In Airports

I got a special delivery from home a few weeks back from my Mother. She had sent a few things from the US with my wife including a few casual button down shirts from The Gap. The short sleeved shirts have been getting a lot of use in the hot weather here.

I do have one grip though. It seems that The Gap is now sewing security devices into the shirts. They are sewing the same RFID theft prevention devices that were traditional used for things like CDs, DVDs and computer software inside the shirts in a band of cloth ribbon.

The problem occurs when one forgets about this tag and doesn't cut it out of the inside seam of the shirt.

We'll today, I realized I had forgotten, as I was trying to go through several metal detectors. The first was at the Reichstag Building (German Parliment building) in Berlin. The Second was at the Berlin airport as I was trying to come home from a weekend trip. I hadn't yet come across a pair of siccors so I already new I was in for a good search at the airport. I got what expected.

Sometimes I am amazed at how far US stores will go to prevent theft. I have not done a formal survey, but if feels like there are much fewer theft devices here. I know that there are anti-theft RFID tags on electronics, but I see them much less frequently on clothing in Europe.

Royal Castle, Warsaw Poland

Royal Castle, Warsaw Poland

In all of Warsaw I think one of my favorite spots to photograph is the plaza in front on the Royal Castle. This last trip I had my first chance to try photographing there at night. I love the colors in the buildings and the people that are milling around. It is really a fun spot to setup up a tripod and just hang out taking pictures.

This is one of the better ones from my evening. The square is usually very crowded as it was when I took this picture. However if you use shutter speeds greater than a few seconds, the people walking around disappear in the image. This image was shot with a 4 second exposure at f/14 ISO 200.

Why I Love Warsaw, 2 Pounds of Meat for 15 Bucks

The Officers Special At Podwale Piwna Kompania, Warsaw Poland.

I love eating in Warsaw. Podwale Piwna Kompania in old town is one of my favorite spots. In what other city in Europe can you get close to a kilo of meat for 15 US dollars.

The beauty is in Poland a kilo of meat is a serving for one. This dish included pork, chicken, beef, liver, sausage, and blood sausage.

I enjoyed my dinner, but I surely didn't clean my plate.

Photography: Warsaw Poland, My New Favorite Place

This week I am doing some traveling to Warsaw. I brought my photo gear with me as I usually do. Last night after all of my work was done I headed out to the old town to for a small photography outing. I setup shop right in front of the royal palace where to my surpise about a dozen other photographers were also honing their trade. It appeared that it might have been a photography class from the local university.

The more time I spend in Warsaw, the more it becomes one of my favorite locations to photograph. There is such a neat collection of things to photograph here. The people are interesting, the history is interesting, and the colors are really amazing.

I hope I have some treasures on my memory card, but I won't know for sure until I get back home and load everything into lightroom. Until then. I will just have to wait, and so will you. I'll post some images when I get home.

Swiss Timeliness

A co-worker of mine is in the process of moving into a new apartment. He is still getting used to the scale of things in Switzerland. The fact that everything is small, and close and the quality of public transportation.

He was trying to figure out how long it would take him to get to the office from his new apartment and after looking at the bus schedule from the closest stop he found the bus should take around 14 minutes. Having not used much Swiss public transport yet, he thought that 14 minutes was wishful thinking.

We'll he decided to time the trip on a test run to see how long it would take. And, as it turns out his gut feeling about the 14 minutes was right. It did take longer. 6 seconds longer to be exact.