Posts about Switzerland
Switzerland, a quadrilingual country in the middle of Europe, has been my home since 2001.
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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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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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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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Half-an-hour later, the only thing which had changed was the number of Swiss men standing looking at it.
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It seems to stick in my mind that by the time we get to January, we’re well into winter. But the snow and ice often doesn’t arrive where I live until January or February, although that doesn’t preclude it being pretty damned cold from time to time. January this year marked the arrival of my…
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Long-time visitors to the site may vaguely remember that I used to collaborate photographically with Bern pop band Choo Choo.
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Walking in the snowy landscape of Axalp, high above Lake Brienz in the Swiss Bernese Oberland.
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Catching the first train from Zermatt onto the mountain and photographing the most well-known peak in Switzerland.
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With so much to do and so many beautiful places to visit, the choice can sometimes be overwhelming.
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A lunchtime walk by the vineyards in the sunshine, ten years after moving away from nearby.
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Last of the swallows for this year, I suspect. I haven’t seen them around much this year at home, but there were dozens out yesterday, feeding their young before their long journey. (We have a perfectly-positioned telephone wire near our balcony, so it’s a great spot to watch and to photograph them.)
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Until I moved to Switzerland, my interest in photography was mainly confined to recording what I was up to; from time with friends and family, to documentary photography on the streets of London and capturing scenes when I was on holiday. I had begun getting interested in landscape photography after a few visits to the…
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My only cable-car trip into the high Alps this past winter season was in February. Webcam confirmation of a fabulous cloud inversion encouraged me to get into the mountains after a long abstinence. I expected the visit to be be a nerve-wracking experience thanks to so many people wearing their coronavirus face-masks around their chins,…
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A pedestrian-only footpath through the woods and cliffs on the southern shore of Lake Brienz.
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Southerly winds form cloud waterfalls in the high mountains of the Swiss Alps.
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Finally got a tow bar fitted to the car, which means we can mount a bike rack, which means we can take our bikes further afield at last!
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A mighty family rose from a little castle amongst the fields in Swiss canton Aargau.
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About as close as we can get to visiting Germany at the moment; the car park next to the Rhine on the edge of Switzerland. (The river marks the northern border, which is closed because of the pandemic.)
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The steamship “Spiez” – known colloquially and diminutively as “Das Spiezerli” thanks to its small size – en route from Thun to Interlaken for the first time after nearly five years of restoration work.
