Hello again
Before I continue posting about my own snowshoe hike around the Gantrisch, here's a link to a site with some stunning photos from the Swiss Alps, including one that I'm really envious about. It shows the Eiger, Moench and Jungfrau, the three glorious peaks in the Bernese Alps. The Jungfrau has the "cross", a shadow image, that I've been raving about here but never been able to capture.
Thank you, dear cousin, for a great photo!
And here's the link: http://www.gpr.ch/touren/touren_07.html
Showing posts with label Jungfrau with cross. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jungfrau with cross. Show all posts
Friday, January 11, 2008
Friday, November 03, 2006
Winter is icumen in...
Hello again
The above photo shows how October went, the next picture shows how November came in. Here's hoping that the clouds will lift often, especially during the day.
My wish has been granted so far, because later in the day on Wednesday, the cloud lifted and yesterday and today have been brilliantly beautiful days. Right now it looks like we might have another crystal-clear but icy night, the third one in a row. The past two nights were the two coldest so far this year, with frost down into the lowlands of this mountainous country and snow down to about 800 m asl. Temperatures felt even colder because of a northerly breeze. At 8AM today, the thermometer on my little balcony read -3°C... definitely hat-and-gloves-weather, certainly for those of us who ride a bicycle to work every day!
The sunsets have been glorious. Also -- at last -- some images of the Jungfrau with that famous cross that I've been harping on about since early September...
If you'd like to know more about the Bernese Alps, here's the official site of the Jungfrau region -- http://www.jungfraubahn.ch/en/DesktopDefault.aspx/tabid-8/183_read-808/ -- registered something like -20°C!!
Oh, and by the way, this is the view from my desk -- shame about the streetlight, isn't it?
TTFN! Peace!
Monday, October 30, 2006
More Berne in October (06)
Hello there!
After a very dreich Sunday -- grey but not actually cold -- I woke up this morning to the first smidgeon of frost on the rooftop opposite my flat. Fog drifted slowly upwards, winter time meant that the day was further advanced at 8:30 or so than it was two mornings earlier. An hour later I cycled to work squinting into the sun!
It's been a glorious day, and these few pictures should help us remember the contrast as the days grow shorter, the nights longer and colder and rain and snow will set in.
This is what a tree just outside my office looked like at about 1PM (winter time) yesterday, when the sky was grey and overcast:
And this is what the same tree looked like just a few minutes ago (about 4:50PM winter time), as the setting sun lit up its golden leaves:
I had fun contrasting an M-shaped candle with the orange balloon dangling in the branches of a still-green tree outside. Time: lunchtime today -- the candle was a giveaway in the run-up to Xmas last year at one of the big supermarket chains here in Switzerland -- I've kept it for obvious reasons ;)
The yellow-leaved branches of a tree to the right of it reach for the azure canopy:
The leaves are coming down thick and fast -- in a quieter area than this (where traffic noise drowns out almost every other sound) you can actually hear the faint rustle as they touch other leaves in their fall or when they hit the ground.
The Bernese Alps are once again clearly visible, a glory to behold:
The weather forecast calls for much colder weather later this week, with snow down to 800 m asl -- it'll be hat and gloves on for my bicycle ride to work; the warm days of lthe past few weeks are fast fading into oblivion. Ah well -- it was good while it lasted and in a couple of months' time the days will already grow longer again. :)
Peace!
After a very dreich Sunday -- grey but not actually cold -- I woke up this morning to the first smidgeon of frost on the rooftop opposite my flat. Fog drifted slowly upwards, winter time meant that the day was further advanced at 8:30 or so than it was two mornings earlier. An hour later I cycled to work squinting into the sun!
It's been a glorious day, and these few pictures should help us remember the contrast as the days grow shorter, the nights longer and colder and rain and snow will set in.
This is what a tree just outside my office looked like at about 1PM (winter time) yesterday, when the sky was grey and overcast:
And this is what the same tree looked like just a few minutes ago (about 4:50PM winter time), as the setting sun lit up its golden leaves:
I had fun contrasting an M-shaped candle with the orange balloon dangling in the branches of a still-green tree outside. Time: lunchtime today -- the candle was a giveaway in the run-up to Xmas last year at one of the big supermarket chains here in Switzerland -- I've kept it for obvious reasons ;)
The yellow-leaved branches of a tree to the right of it reach for the azure canopy:
The leaves are coming down thick and fast -- in a quieter area than this (where traffic noise drowns out almost every other sound) you can actually hear the faint rustle as they touch other leaves in their fall or when they hit the ground.
The Bernese Alps are once again clearly visible, a glory to behold:
The weather forecast calls for much colder weather later this week, with snow down to 800 m asl -- it'll be hat and gloves on for my bicycle ride to work; the warm days of lthe past few weeks are fast fading into oblivion. Ah well -- it was good while it lasted and in a couple of months' time the days will already grow longer again. :)
Peace!
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Frustrated
Hello again
Have just tried to buy a ticket for a forthcoming trip in Scotland. Impossible to do. The FirstScotrail website -- their slogan is 'transforming travel' -- claims that you can book and buy tickets from outside the U.K. But you have to become a 'member' to buy a ticket. However, their signup interface does not allow for non-UK addresses, so there's no way you can become a member unless you live in the U.K.
I hate this sort of thing, which happens all the time. It's such a waste of time. For example, for my previous visit to Scotland (about five weeks ago), I wanted to prebook a bus ticket from Glasgow to the west coast. Again, impossible to do from abroad, even though the bus company (TransportDirect) claimed it was possible. By the time I was on site, the price had tripled! I suppose there must be some Scottish blood in my veins, or I wouldn't feel so peeved at this kind of thing.
They have these fancy names but pre-travel service could be better. Mind you, I will say that the bus journey from Lochgilphead to Glasgow was comfortable and quick. It was also quite interesting to be sitting in front of two teenagers discussing and sharing their favourite music with each other. They were off on a holiday to France, and the mum of one of them hopped on to the bus to say a quick farewell. Her girl was dead embarrassed, really, but then, waving to her mother as the bus was taking off, she said to her friend, 'My Mum loves me,' and sounded really satisfied. Well done, Mum! (She was about ten years younger than I, and her daughter beautiful and funny. Yes, I was envious!)
Otherwise, everything is hunky dory. The gorgeous weather, however, has broken -- today was a dreich kind of day, but at least it wasn't too cold. And an orange balloon had got caught in a tree outside, looking like a lumped-together bunch of leaves.
The leaves are still spectacular but coming off the trees fast now. The sycamores are still decked with huge bunches of seeds, but the other morning, after a stormy night, my balcony was littered with them.
At 6:30PM the other day, Thursday, this was the view from my office window. Perhaps this time, you can see the cross in the Jungfrau's main face:
More anon. Must go. Ciao!
Have just tried to buy a ticket for a forthcoming trip in Scotland. Impossible to do. The FirstScotrail website -- their slogan is 'transforming travel' -- claims that you can book and buy tickets from outside the U.K. But you have to become a 'member' to buy a ticket. However, their signup interface does not allow for non-UK addresses, so there's no way you can become a member unless you live in the U.K.
I hate this sort of thing, which happens all the time. It's such a waste of time. For example, for my previous visit to Scotland (about five weeks ago), I wanted to prebook a bus ticket from Glasgow to the west coast. Again, impossible to do from abroad, even though the bus company (TransportDirect) claimed it was possible. By the time I was on site, the price had tripled! I suppose there must be some Scottish blood in my veins, or I wouldn't feel so peeved at this kind of thing.
They have these fancy names but pre-travel service could be better. Mind you, I will say that the bus journey from Lochgilphead to Glasgow was comfortable and quick. It was also quite interesting to be sitting in front of two teenagers discussing and sharing their favourite music with each other. They were off on a holiday to France, and the mum of one of them hopped on to the bus to say a quick farewell. Her girl was dead embarrassed, really, but then, waving to her mother as the bus was taking off, she said to her friend, 'My Mum loves me,' and sounded really satisfied. Well done, Mum! (She was about ten years younger than I, and her daughter beautiful and funny. Yes, I was envious!)
Otherwise, everything is hunky dory. The gorgeous weather, however, has broken -- today was a dreich kind of day, but at least it wasn't too cold. And an orange balloon had got caught in a tree outside, looking like a lumped-together bunch of leaves.
The leaves are still spectacular but coming off the trees fast now. The sycamores are still decked with huge bunches of seeds, but the other morning, after a stormy night, my balcony was littered with them.
At 6:30PM the other day, Thursday, this was the view from my office window. Perhaps this time, you can see the cross in the Jungfrau's main face:
More anon. Must go. Ciao!
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