Based in Villigen

Unknown

2011-08-08T21:32:00.002+02:00

One of my other weaknesses: stopping to photograph wildflowers. You'd think I'd be able to identify this in a flash, but no.

Hatter

2011-08-07T22:26:00.001+02:00

Still in Zürich.

zur Schtund

2011-08-06T21:50:00.002+02:00

Another shop sign in Zürich, near Bahnhofstrasse. Unfortunately I've forgotten exactly where.

BÜ's

2011-08-05T19:00:00.004+02:00

Indulging my fascination with shop signs. BÜ's is a restaurant in Zürich, on Kuttelstrasse (direct translation: Tripe Street). The reviews of the place are very positive.

For August 1, Swiss National Day

2011-08-03T21:52:00.002+02:00

Slightly behind schedule.
Seen in a Zürich shop window.

Little lamb

2010-07-08T20:09:00.000+02:00

Tangled up in some vegetation.

Meadow

2010-07-06T20:22:00.000+02:00

In Villigen.

Bitte hupen!

2010-07-05T20:21:00.001+02:00

Literally: Caution Trottinetts, please honk! This as instruction for cars going up the hill.

Trottinett on the line in Filzbach, Glarus

2010-07-04T19:55:00.003+02:00

I think I'm back...

Anyway, would you take a ride down the slope on one of these?

viva ag

2010-05-05T09:24:00.000+02:00

AG = Aktiengesellschaft = corporation. Schwarz, the agribusiness in Villigen, is now Schwarz Viva AG.

By the way, the wisteria is in full bloom all over the area.

Black cat

2010-05-04T09:19:00.000+02:00

View from the Gemeindehaus bus stop

2010-05-03T09:21:00.000+02:00

Last week everything just burst into life.

Bearded cat

2010-05-02T09:15:00.000+02:00

Floral pattern

2010-05-01T09:13:00.001+02:00

These make me think of the sugar flowers on cakes...

The tulips behind the fence

2010-04-30T09:15:00.000+02:00

Magnolia blossom

2010-04-29T20:09:00.001+02:00

The blossoms are actually falling off right now, but this week old photo might still be nice.

Spring blossoms I

2010-04-20T19:55:00.000+02:00

The gourmand among the llamas

2010-04-18T18:34:00.003+02:00

Seem this llama had found an especially tasty patch on the other side of the fence.

Llamas being watched

2010-04-17T20:27:00.001+02:00

I think these llamas across the way were the subject of yesterday's llama's attention.

Llama on watch

2010-04-16T21:21:00.001+02:00

Cat in grass

2010-04-15T22:19:00.001+02:00

Sorry about the interruption in the programming... I forgot that I hadn't queued up some shots.

Cat on cat ramp

2010-04-08T21:37:00.001+02:00

20100402

Two cats on a crane

2010-04-07T22:16:00.001+02:00

Caught these fellows hanging out on a crane pedestal over the weekend.

20100405

Rainbow in Baldegg

2010-04-03T18:42:00.001+02:00

Do you see the rainbow?

20100331

Baldegg in reverse

2010-04-02T14:44:00.005+02:00

Baldegg ("a" as in alms, and the "gg" is a k) is an area in Baden, up on a hill. There's a restaurant there, with a nice view of the mountains (weather permitting). The script of this sign is based on an old document.

Link to the restaurant.

20100331

Ready for her close-up

2010-03-31T05:58:00.000+02:00

Sawblade in the sun

2010-03-30T05:55:00.000+02:00

20100324

Fence and shadow

2010-03-29T05:52:00.001+02:00

20100324

Spring and snowbells

2010-03-28T17:42:00.001+02:00

The snowbells are out!

20100322

View from Paradeplatz

2010-03-24T06:15:00.004+01:00

The Grossmünster in the back (twin spires) and the Fraumünster in the front. And lots of powerlines for the trams.

20090623

Two spires in a blue sky

2010-03-23T08:12:00.003+01:00

On the Landesmuseum in Zürich.

Capriccio

2010-03-22T08:57:00.000+01:00

Yet another shoe store.

Prima linea

2010-03-21T13:53:00.001+01:00

The store sign for a shoe boutique.

Double headed eagle

2010-03-20T08:25:00.001+01:00

Many possibilities for this one: Wiki.

20090623

Leaping golden deer

2010-03-19T08:23:00.000+01:00

20090623

Hammer, pliers, crowned snake ... oh my!

2010-03-18T20:09:00.007+01:00

~~Still looking for an explanation of this sign. I'll just have to go back to the shop and ask.~~

Update: Another reader, Wellingtonia, has found the answer (see the comments). The snake represents wisdom and the tools are those of the blacksmith (as reader Lewi suggested yesterday. This is the coat of arms of the blacksmith guild of Zürich (Wiki).

20090623

Pharmacy Shield of the blacksmith guild

2010-03-17T19:04:00.004+01:00

In Zürich.

Update: As a reader pointed out, the hammer and the pliers probably don't belong in a pharmacy sign (though we all know about the very early days of medicine... yikes!) So, what can this be?

Update II: The area of Zürich where I took this series of photos is home to the trade guilds of Zürich. A little about them here (Wiki). This coat of arms is that of the blacksmith guild.

20090627

Rooftops

2010-03-16T08:33:00.000+01:00

20100102

Ramshackle

2010-03-15T08:21:00.000+01:00

The early sun in an overcast sky

2010-03-14T15:10:00.001+01:00

20100308

The angel at the Hauptbahnhof

2010-03-13T18:31:00.003+01:00

Guardian Angel by Niki de Saint Phalle (Wiki) at the main train station in Zürich.

In memory of PT-P.

20100312

Escher and the SBB

2010-03-12T07:33:00.001+01:00

Alfred Escher (1819 to 1882) was instrumental in establishing the Swiss railway system among other things (such as Credit Suisse). A little about him can be found here swissinfo and here Credit Suisse.

20100308

Chocolats Lindt

2010-03-11T08:30:00.002+01:00

View out the back of the tram at Central in Zürich. I think Lindt has been advertising at this site for decades.

20100308

Stairs at ETH

2010-03-10T09:28:00.000+01:00

The stairs in one of the buildings on the ETH campus.

20100308

Trees in snow

2010-03-09T10:06:00.000+01:00

Another one from ETH.

20100308

Snow on the dining tables

2010-03-08T18:51:00.002+01:00

At ETH Zürich Science City (Wiki entry here) on Hönggerberg, snow on the dining patio of one of the cafeterias.

20100308

House with lake and mountain view

2010-02-23T18:22:00.003+01:00

One of my favorite houses ever, in one of my favorite locations ever. More at ArchDaily.

20070108

A view on the lake

2010-02-22T18:21:00.000+01:00

*Sigh*

20070108

Around Rigi Scheidegg

2010-02-21T18:17:00.002+01:00

The mountain Rigi is perhaps the best known feature of Schwyz and around that area there are others to explore. This is somewhere around Scheidegg as in yesterday's photo. I have a few more for the next couple of days.

20070108

Blues in Schwyz

2010-02-20T17:04:00.004+01:00

Okay, moving on to canton Schwyz now, one of the founding states of Switzerland. Both the name and the flag possibly originate from those of Schwyz. Wiki entry for Schwyz here.

Note the Bernese mountain dog in the lower left... I'll have to do a series on the Swiss dog breeds one day.

20070108

Caldarium

2010-02-19T08:08:00.003+01:00

Relics from a Roman bath in Avenches. Hot air was circulated under the floors to warm them (hypocaust: Wiki).

20070317

A tree in the ruins

2010-02-18T08:07:00.001+01:00

Around Avenches.

20070317

Some more ruins around Avenches

2010-02-17T10:11:00.000+01:00

20070317

Amphitheater steps

2010-02-16T20:07:00.001+01:00

One of my readers recommended taking along a blanket and a cushion for the opera. Good advice!

20070317

Avenches amphitheater

2010-02-15T08:07:00.002+01:00

The Roman amphitheater in Avenches in canton Vaud. Every summer, an opera is organized here. This year it will be Lucia di Lammermoor.

Read (and hear/see) about the opera at the Avenches website here.

20070317

Houses of Gruyère

2010-02-14T16:24:00.003+01:00

One last look from the Chateau de Gruyères. Sorry about the crappy photo.

20070323

Crown glass window

2010-02-12T09:04:00.001+01:00

and decorated wall in Gruyère.

20070323

Knot garden

2010-02-11T20:55:00.004+01:00

Still hanging out around Gruyère. At the Chateau de Gruyères.

20070303

Cow motif everywhere

2010-02-09T09:36:00.000+01:00

Even on motorcycles around Gruyère.

20070323

Mixed media on the wall

2010-02-08T07:23:00.002+01:00

Another piece of wall art that caught my eye in Gruyere.

20070323

Somewhere in Gruyère

2010-02-07T09:59:00.000+01:00

I've decided to make an effort to show more of the French speaking parts of Switzerland. Let's start with a few shots from around Gruyère (Wiki entry here) in Canton Fribourg since many of you may know the cheese. One day I'm going to visit the dairy museum there, La maison du Gruyère (click here for the English version).

20070323

Memories of Fasnacht 2007 Baden 1

2010-02-06T17:14:00.002+01:00

From the 2007 Fasnacht parade in Baden...

20070218

Memories of Fasnacht 2007

2010-02-05T19:40:00.002+01:00

It's that time of year again. Almost. This is a photo from a Fasnachts parade in 2007 in Olten if memory serves.

20070216

More snow, on more trees

2010-02-01T21:53:00.003+01:00

Work has kept me from many a photo-op, but I managed to get this night shot.

20100201

Snow on branches

2010-01-25T22:15:00.000+01:00

All gone in a few hours.

20100125

Chur Kunstlicht 0

2010-01-24T14:43:00.004+01:00

While rooting through my folders I found this older shot of the same shop as in yesterday's post. I thought it might be interesting to compare.

20081009 Canon PowerShot something or the other

Chur Kunstlicht

2010-01-23T08:49:00.000+01:00

A shop that sells designer lamps in Chur. Notice the wall ornamentation.

20081115

Chur wall decoration

2010-01-22T20:37:00.002+01:00

Have I told you about Chur? One of the oldest settlements in Switzerland (dating back to 3900 BC, apparently). How about I let the contributers to Wikipedia do the job?

Link to Wikipedia article.

20081116

Lucerne Museum of Transport: Cogs

2010-01-19T20:11:00.000+01:00

Bits and pieces of a mountain rack-and-pinion railway system at the Verkehrshaus in Lucerne.

Link to the museum (pages in English)

20070303

Stein am Rhein "No e Wili" house

2010-01-18T07:56:00.001+01:00

One of my Swiss readers will have to tell us about the "No e Wili" story from 1478.

20061223

Stein am Rhein Restaurant Adler II

2010-01-17T10:11:00.002+01:00

Scanning up a little higher from yesterday's shot. Look at all that detail...

Link to the hotel and restaurant Adler.

20061223

Stein am Rhein Restaurant Adler

2010-01-16T07:57:00.001+01:00

The hotel and restaurant Adler in Stein am Rhein. The facade painting was done by the illustrator Alois Carigiet in 1956. His work for children's books earned him the Hans Christian Andersen award in 1966.

Link to a site dedicated to Alois Carigiet.
Link to a Wiki entry about him.
Link to a Wiki entry about the Hans Christian Andersen award.

20061223

Stein am Rhein Metzgerei

2010-01-15T07:36:00.001+01:00

A butcher shop in the town of Stein am Rhein in canton Schaffhausen. I've lined up some more photos of decorated building fronts from Stein am Rhein over the next few days.

20061223

Cows in snow

2010-01-14T09:00:00.000+01:00

A photo from the other end of Villigen. This is the same road as in yesterday's photo, but now I'm sort of facing in the direction of Villigen.

20100108

Tree in snow

2010-01-13T08:49:00.000+01:00

The main road leading into Villigen, photo taken with my back to Villigen.

20100112

The dragon of Lenzburg castle

2010-01-12T06:58:00.001+01:00

I wish I could have gotten a better photo.

20100103

The bear and the eagle of Lenzburg castle

2010-01-11T06:56:00.001+01:00

Tomorrow I'll show you the dragon.

20100103

Lenzburg castle looming

2010-01-10T17:08:00.002+01:00

Sorry about the lack of creativity in the titles.

I had mentioned a stone age burial site that was found in this area. I haven't found a lot of information about it, but for my readers who can deal with German, below is a link to a short description that might be of interest. I know, I should be able to do a decent translation, but I just don't have the time.

Link to an entry about the Lenzburg burial site in the Historisches Lexikon der Schweiz.

20100103

Lenzburg castle right

2010-01-09T08:40:00.000+01:00

The oldest part of this castle dates back to 1100. However, the hill itself held a burial ground from the Neolithic (ca 5000 BC) period. Between 1860 and 1956 the castle was bought and sold several times. From 1893 to 1956 it was owned by members of an American family originally from Ohio.

Link to the Wikipedia entry (in English) about the castle.
Link to rough Wikipedia entry about James Ellsworth, the American owner.

20100103

Lenzburg castle left

2010-01-08T08:10:00.000+01:00

20100103

Lenzburg castle through trees

2010-01-07T07:36:00.001+01:00

This is a view of Lenzburg castle from atop the hill that yesterday's stairway leads to. Somewhat better photos coming up in the next few days.

20100103

Himmelsleiterli

2010-01-06T08:00:00.001+01:00

And she's buying a stairway to heaven...

20100103

Somewhere along the Nufenen pass

2010-01-05T09:47:00.004+01:00

A photograph I took while traveling along the mountain pass that connects canton Valais to canton Ticino. Sometime in 2006. Note to self: Return there.

Hofmann retrospective in Baden

2010-01-04T08:35:00.000+01:00

Albert Hofmann, the man who was the first to synthesize LSD, was a Baden boy. The Historical Museum of Baden has an exhibition going on now about his life and work. And yes, the walls and floor are painted a color close to acid green.

Link to Wikipedia entry.
Link to the Historische Museum Baden.

20091230

Icicles

2010-01-03T09:26:00.000+01:00

Ice formation on one of the many fountains in Villigen.

20100102

Lake birds of Zug

2010-01-02T09:06:00.000+01:00

20091228

Lake of Zug

2010-01-01T08:26:00.000+01:00

The canton of Zug is popular for its low tax rate. It also happens to have a beautiful lake and a charming old town.

Best wishes to you, my gentle readers for a peaceful and fulfilling new year! Thank you for your visits and comments.

20091228

A tree seen from Blatten

2009-12-31T11:43:00.004+01:00

Sometimes the fog has its benefits as in this case where it made a blank backdrop for the photo. Blatten is in Wallis. From there one can take the ski lift up to Belalp. I've been up there only in the summer, to wander around and take a look at the Aletsch glacier.

Addendum, though unrelated: Here's a link to a skit on TV that's crazy popular for new year's eve in these parts.

20091225

Villages in Wallis

2009-12-30T23:00:00.003+01:00

Somewhere in Oberwallis. I haven't been able to remember where, but when I do, I'll update the text.

Update: Thanks to reader Wellingtonia for identifying the villages. That's Ritzingen (part of Gemeinde Grafschaft) in front, the little chapel is the Feldkapelle of Ritzingen. A bit of trivia: the birthplace of Cesar Ritz (of the hotel fame) is Niederwald, a neighboring village in this region. Yep, "ritzy" can be traced back to here...

20061225

Art on the wall in Brig

2009-12-29T18:06:00.000+01:00

On a building in Brig in the canton of Valais/Wallis.

20081225

One blacknosed sheep

2009-12-28T18:06:00.001+01:00

The Schwarznase of Wallis.

20091225

Two white goats

2009-12-27T16:23:00.001+01:00

Still in Valais, near Visp.

20091225

Snow on chalet

2009-12-26T15:19:00.000+01:00

20060318

Ornamentation

2009-12-25T13:23:00.000+01:00

Ornamentation in a small church in the Oberwallis region.

20061225

To the mountains

2009-12-24T18:12:00.000+01:00

We're off to the mountains, or rather the valley (Valais/Wallis) as usual this time of year. Hope you all have a lovely Christmas holiday!

20061224

Hickel in Zürich

2009-12-23T19:54:00.000+01:00

A hardware shop in the old town area of Zürich.

20080826

Tire tracks in snow

2009-12-22T19:54:00.000+01:00

20081210

Lugano last December

2009-12-21T21:36:00.001+01:00

In the Italian speaking canton called Ticino. This is a view of the town of Lugano.

20081218

Sheep herd near Volketswil

2009-12-20T21:11:00.003+01:00

A roving band, I think. I saw a shepherd and a sheep dog keeping watch. I don't know how many there are that pass through this part of Switzerland, this is the second I've seen in five years.

Hard life, don't you think? Especially now with the cold wave we're having. Wherever they are, I hope they're warm and dry.

20091212

Das Grossmünster

2009-12-08T23:20:00.000+01:00

The twin towers of the Grossmünster are a landmark of Zürich. An important site in the history of the Reformation, this is where Zwingli preached.

20091128