Posts about Switzerland
Switzerland, a quadrilingual country in the middle of Europe, has been my home since 2001.
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Driving a tank through a miniature world
Using 1970s technology to drive a tank through a miniature landscape.
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Random things in September
The gradual arrival of autumn; clouds clinging to the mountains, fresher air and a wider variety of colours in the landscape. My favourite time of the year is coming.
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Random things in August
A lovely month full of experiences, but fewer random photographs than usual.
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Hiking amongst the glacial screes
Heading to the heights of the Furka Pass to hike into the glacial screes.
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Geneva to Gatwick, 2009
Four shots from the window of an easyJet flight from Switzerland to England in 2009.
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Random things in July
Hiking and keeping cool in the mid-summer alpine heat.
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Lunchtime dip
When it used to get hot back in the days when I used to work in Brienz, a lunchtime dip in the freezing waters of Lake Brienz was the thing. When I worked in Bern, I used to go to the river with colleagues and float along for 20 minutes or so to cool down. […]
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Funnels for non-existent rainwater
I love that the pumpkin leaves are shaped like little funnels, to catch and redirect the rainwater. Now all we need is some rainwater.
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Passers-by
Sitting on the steps outside one of the shops in Bern’s Marktgasse a couple of weeks ago, watching the world go by.
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Random things in May
May is a funny month for me. The countryside is green and lush, with lots of flowers in the meadows and a pleasant mix of cooling rain and warming sunshine, but I often feel a little frustration because the higher mountains are often still covered with slushy snow. This year, I’ve been spending a lot […]
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Random things in March
As the previous post for April went down well, I thought I’d work backwards and start adding a few new little galleries of photos to show what I’ve been up to each month. Here’s March 2022 in pictures.
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Too early for tulips
We travelled to western Switzerland last weekend, primarily to visit the small British supermarket in Gland and the tulip festival in Morges. Although the festival has been advertised and the tents and visitor facilities were already set up, the tulips were lamentably still a way from flowering, so I made do with photographing the daffodils […]
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Urban nature
Walking by the river in Bern, where the views and scenes are more interesting than beautiful. (At least, at this time of year and under uninspiring weather conditions.)
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Age catching up
I had a busy week. Two work projects are due for completion soon and because I felt that I was behind on them both, I decided to go back to the computer after dinner and work on them. I used to work late into the night when I was first establishing my career here, and […]
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Sunset at the lake
You can tell that I’ve enjoyed myself when I come home from a walk or a day out with a set of photos. Here are four from a chilly but lovely winter sunset on the shores of Lac Léman last weekend. I’ve loved square-format images since I started taking photos with a medium-format film camera […]
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Île de Peilz
I like unusual things and the tiny natural island around 500 metres from the lake shore at Villeneuve, on Lac Léman, certainly fits that bill.
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Things which draw my eye
Nail-polish applied to the roots of a tree. Sure. Why not?
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The Belt of Venus
Before dawn in autumn and winter on a clear day, where there is moisture or minutely-fine dust in the air, early risers get to see the Belt of Venus. The pink colouration at around 10°-20° above the horizon is caused by the scattered, reflected light of the sun hitting minute dust particles in the west, […]
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Switzerland doesn’t do health and safety
In most places in the mountains, even heavily-touristed spots like Creux-du-Van, visitors are left to their own common sense when it comes to health and safety. Fences and walkways seem to only be installed where it’s really necessary, although I can’t quite fathom when the decision is made. This allows one the chance to experience […]
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Hiking roulette
Walking on a snow-shoe path without snow-shoes is usually OK, as long as the snow has been well-compacted by plenty of feet. But sometimes, your foot finds a soft bit and you suddenly find yourself knee-deep.
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Fail
Half-an-hour later, the only thing which had changed was the number of Swiss men standing looking at it.
