Posts about Travel and tourism

  • Die Bergretter – Air Zermatt

    Fast anderthalb Stunden in Begleitung der «Rotbiene»: der Rettungsdienst von Air Zermatt rund ums Matterhorn. Wenn ich mit 28 mit mehr Geld im Konto in die Schweiz gekommen wäre, wäre ich Helikopterpilot geworden. Weil meine Geschichte diesen Weg nicht folgte, muss ich mich mit ein paar Touristenflüge pro Jahrzehnt und das Zuschauen von solchen Dokumentarfilmen zurecht finden.

  • A picturesque hike on the way to the Faulhorn, from Grindelwald First in the Bernese Oberland of Switzerland.

  • Gries Pass

    Attempting to get away from baking temperatures, we headed for the mountains and a hike across summer snow fields to the Gries glacier.

  • The Great Escape

    A lovely idea from Graubünden Tourism. Set up an interactive video advertisement in Zürich’s main station, showing what a beautiful part of the Alps you could end up in by just getting on a train. Then invite passers-by to join you by printing them a free ticket on the spot. (And wait for the initiative to spread across…

  • 20 days in Antarctica

    Kalle Ljung and his father spent 20 days sailing through Antarctica last winter. They took a GoPro HERO3+ Black Edition mounted on a DJI Phantom 2 Quadrocopter with them, and this is the wonderful, beautiful film they made. (Hat tip: Habi.)

  • A friend from Switzerland appreciated the area through my photos last year and asked for some tips of some “must-see” places to visit on a short summer trip. After emailing details at the time, it’s taken me a while to get the tips into shape for a blog post… but here it is, at last!

  • The hill above Aeschiried has been calling to me ever since we moved to Faulensee. It’s immediately obvious, when looking up the hill, that the views across the lake must be great. There are a few houses dotted across the hillside, and the sharp-eyed will notice a small ski lift leading up into the trees.…

  • In search of a bench with a view, we find a meadow with a view instead.

  • The Bire is a rock promontory amongst the cliffs above Waldegg, at the eastern end of Beatenberg. The name – local dialect for Birne, meaning “pear” – will give you an idea of its shape. I saw some photos from the hike to the viewpoint on the Instagram stream of a local holiday chalet owner last…

  • Giessbach Falls in spate

    The name “Giessbach” translates literally as “pouring stream”, and pour it does, magnificently and powerfully, when there is a lot of rain.

  • Helvellyn with Mark Richards

    Helvellyn – the third highest peak in the English Lake District and therefore the third highest in England – has long been a goal of mine. The peak draws me much more than the higher Scafells, with a famous ascent via the rocky and precipitous Striding Edge and what must be a breath-taking view from the…

  • In which we start the hiking season as early as we possibly can, with the longest route we’ve done to date.

  • Secret Britain

    Secret Britain

    A new BBC travel programme seeks out lesser-known spots in the British Isles, starting this evening.

  • Stormscapes

    Stormscapes

    A timelapse film of giant storms over the American Mid-West.

  • The Grey League

    The Grey League

    Filmed in the beautiful South East regions of the Swiss alps, this film features many classic landscapes of the majestic country of Switzerland. We were based in one the oldest towns in Graubünden, Chur, with a trip into the clouds in Filisur and revealing one of the world heritage sites in the breathtaking Landwasser viaduct.…

  • Île d’Ogoz

    The island of Ogoz, at the northern end of the Lac de La Gruyère in Switzerland, is somewhat unusual in that you can walk to it.

  • An Audi at last

    In which I take delivery of my shiny new A4 Avant.

  • Over 150,00km after buying it, we say goodbye to our “four-wheeled tripod”.

  • Mind The Gap

    Mind The Gap

    If you can watch this video to the end without a tear in your eye, then you are tougher than I. It has reached the official selection for the 2015 London Short Film Festival and is based on a true story. The following explanation was written in 2013 – originally in German – by Konstantin…

  • Review of 2014

    A blessed year of travel, fun, new and re-discovered sights, and plenty of sore legs.

  • Treasure Hunt

    Treasure Hunt

    Kenneth Kendall hosts a British t.v. game show from the 1980s, in which Anneka Rice chases around the Swiss Bernese Oberland in a helicopter.