2018 week 31: Flumserberg

The first of August is the Swiss national day. I didn't take any photos this year, and because of the general drought conditions, I didn't find myself in a celebratory mood anyway. 

We did go for a hike in Flumserberg this week and this is one of the photos I took there. The backdrop is the Churfirsten.

Excursion Titlis: Inside a glacier

A foray into a tunnel inside one of the glaciers. This was anticlimactic for me to some extent. Granted the full extent wasn't open to the public when I was there. 

It seems one still has cell-phone reception... Or maybe she's just checking the time.

Excursion Titlis: Engelberg

Here is a view of part of Engelberg, the town at the foot of Titlis. This is to your back as you ride the cable car up to the top.

Excursion Titlis: Cliff Walk

Here we have "Europe's highest suspension bridge", the Titlis Cliff Walk.

Excursion Titlis: Seated figure in the rocks

In the center of the image you might make out a rock formation that looks like a seated figure.

In 1996 the Chinese acrobat Donghua Li interpreted it as a seated Buddha and now that's what it seems to known as all over the internet.

Excursion Titlis: power stations as beacons

Looking out to the north from Titlis.

The two plumes in the distance belong to the nuclear power stations at Gösgen (left) and Leibstadt (right). Villigen is close to Leibstadt and some of you may have seen the plume in my photos from there.

Excursion Titlis: Glacier

About 90 minutes by car from Villigen is the village of Engelberg at the foot of Titlis <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titlis>. I got this shot of a part of the Titlis glacier poking out of the snow on the north side while we were going up to the top in one of the three gondola stretches there. This is the first time I saw in real life what I think of as the eerie-blue of glaciers more commonly seen in the <pictures from Patagonia>.

I'll be posting more pictures from there over the course of the week.

Excursion: Münster IX

And here is a photo of one of the buildings in its entirety. This one is for storage.

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Excursion: Münster VIII

The house from day before yesterday, seen a little more closely. I was prompted to post this following Julie's remark about the siding material. These look like "rund" (round) Schindeln, usually made from larch or spruce.

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Excursion: Münster VII

More weathered wood. This is a door to one of the huts.

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Excursion: Münster VI

A house with what appears to be wood fish scale siding. Not that common over here.

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Excursion: Münster V

The sign on the box reads "Leftover bread for animals".

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Excursion: Münster IV

The buildings that were used to store grains and such were raised above the ground and had slate discs such as this one (covered in lichen) to prevent mice from getting in. So I've been told.

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Excursion: Schwarzhalszeigen near Mund

I do have a few photos of the Schwarzhalsziege (see yesterday's post) in my collection. This one is from the saffron-growing area of Mund in canton Wallis.

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Excursion: Münster I

This week I'll be sharing some photos I took a couple of months ago during a trip to canton Wallis/Valais.

Walliser Schwarzhalsziege = black throated goats from Wallis. I think they're unique to the region. I'll have to see if I can find an old photo of a few.

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Where the Aare begins

I've written often about the Aare as it flows near Villigen, on its way out of Switzerland. But this is the region where it begins, near the Grimsel Pass at the border of cantons Valais/Wallis and Bern. Over the next few days, I'll show some photos I took in that area.

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Hemisphere

On Saturday the weather was just stunning and I spent most of it in Zürich, visiting places I haven't been to before. The botanical garden of the University of Zürich, for example (link to their website). I think this is the dome with the Savannah climate.

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From Uetliberg III: Residential blocks

Different styles of buildings, coexisting peacefully.

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From Uetliberg II: Allotment gardens

Allotment (English Wiki link here, Schrebergarten Wiki link here) gardens in Zürich. Quite popular among apartment dwellers.

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From Uetliberg I: Path

There's an observation deck one can climb up to and have a look around.

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