Switzerland 2024
Wintering between the Alps
The following is a gallery of photographs from my visit to The Swiss Confederation 12—20 February 2024.
I mainly travelled to escape the tropical Sydney summer, plus experience the snow & ice for which The Confederation is so famous…
(When citing this article, please use swiss.4020.net
)
Location | Description | February |
---|---|---|
Schilthorn | Swiss Alps, Piz Gloria, Mürren & packed cablecars | Fri 16th |
Zermatt | Gornegrat & Matterhorn ski resorts | Sun 18th |
Bern | Swiss capital overrun by trams | Thu 15th – Sat 17th |
Lucerne | Small resort city with a beautiful “Old Town” | Wed 14th |
Montreux & Vevey | The Swiss Riviera & Lake Geneva | Mon 19th |
Zürich | Financial capital and home to zealous SBB ticket inspectors | Mon 12th – Thu 15th |
Geneva | Seat of the U.N., Lake and Water Jet | Sat 17th – Tue 20th |
Image Gallery
schilthorn
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Cables to Birg
(Feb 2024) • 510 KB • GPS: 46:33:27N, 7:50:08E
We gathered beneath Rorschach skies to admire the magnificent view and engineering
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Eiger & Mönch from Mürren
(Feb 2024) • 437.3 KB • GPS: 46:33:50N, 7:59:10E
Was incredibly lucky with the weather. Had been warned that winter mountain visits were a lottery because cloud or fog would often obscure the view. Not that day. Had some occasional high cloud, but otherwise the air was crystal clear.
The Eiger is the peak at the left. At its base you just make out the rectangular Bahnhof Eigergletscher railway station [1], the starting point for the Junfraujoch railway, which was burrowed through these mountains at the turn of the 20th century [2]
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Cablecar construction site
(Feb 2024) • 402.6 KB • GPS: 46:33:27N, 7:50:08E
Major construction was being done as part of SCHILTHORNBAHN 20XX, which involved doubling the cablecar capacity by creating a new pair of lines and terminal facilities [1].
Due to the construction, the cablecar station (and Piz Gloria itself) will be closed for five months between 2024-10-14 and 2025-03-15 [2]
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Warmest winter on record
(Feb 2024) • 255 KB • GPS: 46:43:03N, 7:37:39E
On the inter–city train to Interlarken Ost, between Gwatt and Speiz. For a while I had wondered about the snow–free mountains, green fields and grazing cows, so asked a passenger about it. He shook his head and told me:
We had plenty of snow at Christmas, but it all melted in January
[1] -
Cablecar skiers
(Feb 2024) • 300.7 KB • GPS: 46:33:42N, 7:51:24E
Skiers rushed the mountain tops because there was practically no snow beneath 2000m [1]. Unfortunately the only way to get up there was by jam–packed cablecars
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Piz Gloria from Birg
(Feb 2024) • 291 KB • GPS: 46:33:26N, 7:50:07E
Piz Gloria is a rotating restaurant atop the Schilthorn [1]. It became famous as Blofeld's lair in the 1969 James Bond movie
On Her Majesty's Secret Service
[2]. The black speck on the slope below the summit is a skier braving the steep downhill run -
Cablecar from Birg
(Feb 2024) • 400 KB • GPS: 46:33:40N, 7:51:12E
Getting to Piz Gloria from Bern wasn't easy.
Catch the IC–61 inter–city express to Interlaken OST. Then a local R–62 cog–rail to Lauterbrunnen. Then the B–141 postbus to Stechelberg. And then 4× consecutive filled–to–capacity cablecars up the mountain [1].
Getting back wasn't any easier.
2× packed cablecars from Piz Gloria to Mürren. Walk across town, then catch the narrow–guage cog–rail to Grütschalp [2], where you hop onto another jam–packed cablecar to Lauterbrunnen. Catch the R–62 cog–rail back to Interlaken OST and run for the ICE–376 Hamburg express to Bern.
2½ hours each way. 2× inter–city express trains, 3× local cog–rails, 7× cablecars and 1 postbus
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Mürren street & Eiger
(Feb 2024) • 445.1 KB • GPS: 46:33:35N, 7:53:35E
Now this was more like it — a small resort village [1] surrounded on all sides by vast mountains
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Eiger & Jungfrau from Mürren
(Feb 2024) • 458.8 KB • GPS: 46:33:33N, 7:53:33E
I was two cablecars into my journey back to Bern, when I couldn't stand the crush anymore. Got out at Mürren and was relieved to be able to move my arms and legs again without being shoved or poked
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Eiger, Mönch & Jungfrau
(Feb 2024) • 415.5 KB • GPS: 46:33:32N, 7:58:27E
Having witnessed the real thing at Birg [1], I can no longer say
Blue Mountains
[2] with a straight face when identifying where I live. My suburb outside Sydney has an elevation of 273m, these mountains are more than a dozen times that [3]The small village at the bottom of the picture is Mürren
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007 Bollinger promotion
(Feb 2024) • 256.3 KB • GPS: 46:33:26N, 7:50:07E
The Maître D was impressed by my black–fur ushanka [1] and that I had a woollen coat, and not the ubiquitous puffer jackets worn by everyone else [2]. He was even more impressed when I told him I was from Australia, the same country as 007's George Lazemby [3]
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Birg Skiers
(Feb 2024) • 368 KB • GPS: 46:33:44N, 7:51:28E
Five days in The Swiss Confederation — in the middle of winter — and I finally got to walk around on some snow
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Birg viewing platform
(Feb 2024) • 356.5 KB • GPS: 46:33:43N, 7:51:28E
I had read visitors tend to overrun the Schilthorn on weekends. So I timed my visit for Friday morning, resulting in places like this viewing platform being almost deserted. The mountain peak in the background was my Piz Gloria destination
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Piz Gloria skiers
(Feb 2024) • 426.9 KB • GPS: 46:33:26N, 7:50:08E
A family says its goodbyes before starting the black–dot dowhhill run [1]
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Piz Gloria
(Feb 2024) • 316.5 KB • GPS: 46:33:26N, 7:50:06E
The summit is 2970m and the only place where it was cold enough to wear my black fur ushanka [1] — for 20 minutes while outside.
The loft–crane and eyesore barriers were for the “SCHILTHORNBAHN20XX” capital works [2]
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Piz Gloria Restaurant
(Feb 2024) • 359.5 KB • GPS: 46:33:26N, 7:50:07E
The interior of the 360° Restaurant at Piz Gloria [1]. I had the CHF 37 ($AUD 65)
James Bond Buffet
, which was pretty good.The room was amazingly overheated, as you can see by the sweating forehead of the boy in the blue T–shirt. Also it was a revolving restaurant, which combined with the high altitude, meant you didn't have to drink a lot of schnapps to feel wobbly
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Piz Gloria tourists
(Feb 2024) • 312.6 KB • GPS: 46:33:27N, 7:50:05E
Having been sardined into cablecars on the way up, it was a relief to find relatively few tourists at the summit
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How green was my valley
(Feb 2024) • 521.9 KB • GPS: 46:33:47N, 7:53:49E
This was taken at Mürren [1], elevation 1600m. Swiss acquaintances would get upset whenever I showed them this picture, because in the middle of February the entire landscape should have been covered with deep snow.
The temperature that day in the Lauterbrunnen Valley [2] was 15°C, whereas in Bern it was 17°C [3]
zermatt
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Zermatt chalets
(Feb 2024) • 404.9 KB • GPS: 46:01:19N, 7:45:08E
Having come from the epicentre of megafires [1] — the “Blue Mountains” — seeing Zermatt's steep hillsides filled with pine trees and wooden buildings was a worry
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Path wood-shavings
(Feb 2024) • 628.9 KB • GPS: 46:01:17N, 7:45:14E
Month–old snow had frozen into solid ice. To make paths navigable and reasonably safe, wood chips were scattered over them [1], along with the use of guide–ropes
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Matterhorn & Gornegrat 3100
(Feb 2024) • 369.4 KB • GPS: 45:59:00N, 7:47:01E
The observatory and 3100 Kulmhotel [1] at the Gornegrat summit.
The elevation is 3135m, and I noticed you could get quite dizzy if you suddenly turned around or stood up
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Train to Rotenboden
(Feb 2024) • 261.7 KB • GPS: 45:59:07N, 7:46:12E
Aboard the Gornegratbahn heading back to Zermatt. Interestingly it travelled as slowly downhill as it did on the way up
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Snowboarders
(Feb 2024) • 389.3 KB • GPS: 45:58:59N, 7:46:57E
Because the marked–trail gradients at Gornegrat were relatively gentle, there were quite a few snowboard riders. There had been none at Piz Gloria a few days before
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Bahnhof Zermatt
(Feb 2024) • 291.7 KB • GPS: 46:01:28N, 7:44:53E
Another skier crush. In fairness it was just before midday on a school holiday Sunday, so crowds shouldn't be unexpected
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Bahnofstrasse shoppers
(Feb 2024) • 351.2 KB • GPS: 46:01:19N, 7:44:50E
Skiers. Again.
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Gornegrat tourists
(Feb 2024) • 319.1 KB • GPS: 45:58:59N, 7:46:58E
Saw another tourist spending forever being photographed with her index finger pointing at the Matterhorn peak. Then there was the couple manipulating a small box of Toblerone so they could align the Matterhorn picture with the summit of the real thing [1]
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Gornegrat train
(Feb 2024) • 359.3 KB • GPS: 45:58:60N, 7:46:49E
The Gornegratbahn [1] nearing the terminus at the summit. A month later, near the end of March, this section had to be temporarily closed due to heavy snowfall
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Gornegrat train interior
(Feb 2024) • 247.9 KB • GPS: 46:01:23N, 7:46:05E
The inside of the Gornegratbahn, the cog–rail which takes you to the Gornegrat summit [1]. The Matterhorn [2] is visible through the LHS window.
And no, I have no idea who the smiling guy was. I was travelling alone and spent most of the ride engaged in a conversation with a Californian woman and her precocious 10–year old.
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Gornegrat skiers
(Feb 2024) • 364.6 KB • GPS: 45:58:59N, 7:46:56E
Again skiers had to pack the mountain tops because the lower resorts were all closed due to a lack of snow [1]
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Swiss construction poles
(Feb 2024) • 204.7 KB • GPS: 46:01:16N, 7:45:07E
Had noticed poles like these in Mürren on Friday. Thought they were marshalling posts for ski races, but seeing them again among houses in Zermatt quashed that idea.
Did an online search and discovered they were actually markers to indicate the size of proposed building(s) [1]
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Zermatt town valley
(Feb 2024) • 744.4 KB • GPS: 46:01:14N, 7:45:15E
Alongside Piz Gloria (see above), Zermatt [1] was the main reason for coming. Had first seen it in the 2016 TV Series
The Night Manager
[2] and resolved to see the real thing.Had originally planned to stay a few days in Zermatt, but all the rooms in the 100+ hotels were booked due to the
Children's Sporting Holiday
[3], so had to make do with a single day–visit and 2× 3–hour commute from Geneva -
Gornegrat glaciers
(Feb 2024) • 213.7 KB • GPS: 45:57:24N, 7:46:31E
Since 1850, [Swiss] glaciers have lost 60% of their volume. As they continue to melt, the country risks losing an important reservoir, affecting farming, hydro–power production and transport on Europe's main waterways.
[1].The Zwillinggletscher from the Goregrat summit [2]
bern
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Einsteinhaus die
(Feb 2024) • 332.8 KB • GPS: 46:56:52N, 7:27:00E
Brought along my red & white die to put on the table in the Einsteinhaus Museum [1], when the guard wasn't looking. God might not play dice with the universe… [2]
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Saturday morning markets
(Feb 2024) • 368.5 KB • GPS: 46:56:51N, 7:26:55E
Produce markets were held every Saturday throughout the year [1]. The Münstergasse market predominantly sold meat, but there were also fresh vegetables and various kinds of bread
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COOP café
(Feb 2024) • 360.4 KB • GPS: 46:56:54N, 7:26:46E
I prepared almost all my meals from groceries bought from the three main supermarket chains: COOP, Denner or Migros [1]. There were also a few “Aldi Suise” stores, but they appeared to stock the same items as in Sydney, so didn't bother.
A Swiss lady warned me about Denner:
Don't go there. Only foreigners go there!
I gently reminded her about my non–citizen status.You know exactly what I mean
she tersely replied. -
Zytglogge Clocktower
(Feb 2024) • 333.6 KB • GPS: 46:56:53N, 7:26:55E
Rebuilt in 1405, the clocktower [1] is the largest in Bern and a tourist magnet (see below)
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View from Einstein's window
(Feb 2024) • 273.3 KB • GPS: 46:56:52N, 7:27:00E
The Einsteinhaus was somewhat inauthentic in that Einstein moved out in 1905 and all the original furniture has been lost. Consequently…
it has been restored in the style of that period to reflect Einstein's crucial years in Bern
[1] -
Zytglogge tram
(Feb 2024) • 344.7 KB • GPS: 46:56:52N, 7:26:51E
If you weren't dodging trolley buses then you were dodging trams.
In the background is the Zumstein Foto Video store [1]. They had an excellent range of equipment, along with a second–hand “Alpa 12 Sina” camera [2] with 38mm Zeiss Biogon lens, for only CHF 18K
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Bern Barnhoff trams
(Feb 2024) • 329 KB • GPS: 46:56:51N, 7:26:25E
Public transport in The Swiss Confederation was astoundingly good. Many people I met had driving licences yet didn't own a car. Whenever they needed to go somewhere they caught a tram, or a bus, or a local train or inter–city express
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Berner Münster Spire
(Feb 2024) • 228.2 KB • GPS: 46:56:50N, 7:27:04E
Was walking past the Casino when I noticed people in the spire near the top of the Bern Cathedral [1]. CHF 7 + 344 spiral–staircase steps later, I joined them
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Old Town — South
(Feb 2024) • 389.4 KB • GPS: 46:56:53N, 7:27:29E
Bern's Old Town is on the UNESCO register [1] — you don't have to be there long to understand why
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Microlino 2.0
(Feb 2024) • 380.7 KB • GPS: 46:56:50N, 7:26:30E
One pleasant surprise was the general absence of the 2½ tonne utes (and their d**khead drivers) which are destroying Sydney [1]. Instead most of the cars I saw in cities were small hatchbacks, EVs or even smaller two–person vehicles like this “Microlino” [2]
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Bicycles & Zytglogge
(Feb 2024) • 408.4 KB • GPS: 46:56:53N, 7:27:01E
Saw lots of parked bicycles in Bern, but not too many people riding them. Presumably because of the cobbled streets in the Old Town part of the city
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Casinoplatz trams
(Feb 2024) • 290.2 KB • GPS: 46:56:49N, 7:26:52E
Getting ready for a Tenet–like time inversion [1]
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Zytglogge watchers
(Feb 2024) • 442.4 KB • GPS: 46:56:53N, 7:26:53E
Tourists gather before 10AM expecting an exciting display from the Zytglogge Clocktower.
Was amazed by the large percentage of people using their phones to take photographs. Often in a crowd I would be the only one using an actual camera (here a Sony α7RIV [1] + 24mm ƒ1.4 GM lens [2]). Caveat: I too would occasionally use my iPhone (see the “Geneva” below), but it was only for quickie snaps
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Kornhausplatz Soccer Fans
(Feb 2024) • 387 KB • GPS: 46:56:55N, 7:26:51E
Walking back to my hotel [1], I came across a large group of soccer fans getting ready for a match that afternoon [2] at the Stadion Wankdof [3]
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Bundeshaus (Parliament)
(Feb 2024) • 460.1 KB • GPS: 46:56:46N, 7:26:36E
The Swiss National Parliament [1] is on top of a hill at the edge of the “Old Town”, affording decent views of the rest of the city
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Old Town medieval roofs
(Feb 2024) • 648.7 KB • GPS: 46:56:52N, 7:27:04E
A view from the Berner Münster Spire [1]. Was fascinated by the aversion medieval architects had toward parallel lines
lucerne
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Reuss River Arch
(Feb 2024) • 410.2 KB • GPS: 47:03:06N, 8:18:22E
Cobblestones and construction materials along the Reuss River
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Lake Lucerne Mothers
(Feb 2024) • 442.6 KB • GPS: 47:03:16N, 8:18:55E
I was surprised by the relatively low number of children [1]. One reason was that my visit coincided with the annual
Children's Sporting Holiday
[2], when a lot of families left the cities for regional ski resorts. An acquaintance also pointed out the financial burden of childrearing WRT careers and the world's highest cost of living [3] -
Lake Lucerne Swan
(Feb 2024) • 308.5 KB • GPS: 47:03:15N, 8:18:47E
A Mute Swan [1] expresses an opinion
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Lake Lucerne Couple
(Feb 2024) • 401.1 KB • GPS: 47:03:16N, 8:18:50E
Another warm day by the lake. The mountain in the background is Mt Pilatus [1]
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Reuss River Diners
(Feb 2024) • 415.9 KB • GPS: 47:03:07N, 8:18:26E
Late breakfast on the northern side of the Reuss River
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Chapel Bridge Interior
(Feb 2024) • 386.3 KB • GPS: 47:03:07N, 8:18:29E
Following the 1994 restoration, some of the 100+ destroyed triangular paintings have yet to be replaced
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Reuss River Heritage
(Feb 2024) • 415 KB • GPS: 47:03:05N, 8:18:13E
17th–century apartment buildings, hotels and restaurants reflected in the Reuss River
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Chapel Bridge Tower
(Feb 2024) • 216.5 KB • GPS: 47:03:05N, 8:18:26E
Dating from the 14th–century, the Kapellbrüke is the oldest wooden bridge in Europe [1]. At least parts of it was, as most of it was destroyed by a huge fire in Aug 1993 [2] and had to be rebuilt
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Old Town Carnival Flags
(Feb 2024) • 285.9 KB • GPS: 47:03:03N, 8:18:09E
“Foreigner” was a trigger–word in The Swiss Confederation [1]. As one acquaintance put it:
Either you are Swiss, or you are not.
Yet multilingualism is official policy [2] and there was a large amount of immigration, albeit from culturally similar Germany, France or Italy [3] -
Hotel Cane Chairs
(Feb 2024) • 413.3 KB • GPS: 47:03:17N, 8:18:57E
Most outdoor restaurants closed for winter, although soon they will remain open all year round
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Restaurant Mural
(Feb 2024) • 330.8 KB • GPS: 47:03:11N, 8:18:26E
Recently painted murals adorn the front of the 17th–century Restaurant Fritshchi [1] in “Old Town”
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Town Hall clocktower
(Feb 2024) • 379.5 KB • GPS: 47:03:07N, 8:18:22E
15th–century clocktower, which was once a prison but is now part of the Rathaus (town hall) [1]. The flags were remnants of the Lucerne Carnival [2] the night before
riviera
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Casino Pool
(Feb 2024) • 603.2 KB • GPS: 46:25:47N, 6:54:39E
A row of blue–door changerooms for the casino [1] swimming pool
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Ghost apartments
(Feb 2024) • 315.1 KB • GPS: 46:25:49N, 6:54:47E
There were many empty buildings in the cities I visited. A local explained it to me: if an owner dies owing land taxes or rates, then the government will resume ownership of the property. They will then use it for things like community halls, local libraries or temporary housing for refugees, or even keep it empty until an alternative use is found
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Montreux Palace Hotel
(Feb 2024) • 490.8 KB • GPS: 46:26:18N, 6:54:23E
The ornate front of the Montreux Palace Hotel [1], with the statues of Vladmir Nabokov (centre) and Carlos Santana (left) in the foreground [2]
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Viewing Deck, Lake Geneva
(Feb 2024) • 226.5 KB • GPS: 46:25:55N, 6:54:32E
Again I left my coat back at the hotel, as it was warm enough that you could almost forget it was the middle of winter. The mountains in the background are the French Alps, with the border between France and The Swiss Confederation being half–way across the lake
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Rowing on Lake Geneva
(Feb 2024) • 254.4 KB • GPS: 46:27:27N, 6:50:29E
Lake Geneva in the morning near Vevey [1], with ducks and swans in the foreground, and cloud covered French Alps behind
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Casino Barriére Montreux
(Feb 2024) • 395.5 KB • GPS: 46:25:46N, 6:54:42E
Inside the casino [1] at 11:30 AM on a Monday morning
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Montreux shoreline
(Feb 2024) • 405.1 KB • GPS: 46:26:02N, 6:54:35E
A view north along the “Swiss Riviera” [1] shoreline
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Rue de Théâtre & mountains
(Feb 2024) • 296.8 KB • GPS: 46:25:47N, 6:54:45E
The fascinating thing about Swiss towns and cities were the mountains visible from just about any street
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1st class carriage
(Feb 2024) • 311.6 KB • GPS: 46:12:38N, 6:08:32E
To save money, my 8–day Swiss Travel Pass [1] was 2nd class only. Discovered a couple of days later that you could easily upgrade at any SBB counter to 1st class for specific trips
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Queen Studio Experience
(Feb 2024) • 359.3 KB • GPS: 46:25:46N, 6:54:43E
The entrance to the Queen Studio Experience [1], decorated with fan–mail and music fanart
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Dizzy from Success
(Feb 2024) • 598.4 KB • GPS: 46:22:58N, 6:14:02E
We realised a historical necessity. We performed our duty to reform the climate to ensure farmers could double their yields (and subsidies) by farming in the middle of winter
zurich
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Bahnhofstrasse Pedestrians
(Feb 2024) • 346 KB • GPS: 47:22:36N, 8:32:23E
The main shopping district in Zürich, containing many high–end stores. Traffic was limited to pedestrians and trams
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Churches on Western Bank
(Feb 2024) • 278.8 KB • GPS: 47:22:12N, 8:32:35E
Crossed the river Limmat to look back at the Fämunster (left) and St Peter (right) churches, along with ubiquitous roadworks
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Zürich HB Subway entrance
(Feb 2024) • 350.2 KB • GPS: 47:22:37N, 8:32:24E
The main Zürich station featured a large shopping mall underneath [1], which had to be accessed by stairs, escalators or lifts
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Sydney Airport at 0340
(Feb 2024) • 244.6 KB • GPS: 33:56:07S, 151:09:47E
Boarding was at 0530 and wheels–up at 0600, which meant check–in at 0400 at the latest
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Swans on Lake Zürich
(Feb 2024) • 277.4 KB • GPS: 47:21:54N, 8:32:42E
The swans, ducks and a seagulls were as surprised as I was that they could still languidly paddle about in the middle of February.
Locals told me it was an unusually warm winter. In the cities and lowland countryside there was no snow, ice or even frost. Distant mountains only appeared to have ¼ snow cover. No mist coming off the lake or ice lining the rivers or creeks. No condensation when talking or breathing. Out in the countryside there was green pasture on plains and hillsides. Even the cows were lolling about in the warm sunshine and grazing like it was late spring [1]
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Old City lane, western bank
(Feb 2024) • 267.4 KB • GPS: 47:22:19N, 8:32:27E
Narrow medieval lanes, lined with 4–5 storey buildings. The huge clocktower belongs to St Peter Cathedral [1]
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Sunbathing at Lake Zürich
(Feb 2024) • 343.1 KB • GPS: 47:21:55N, 8:32:42E
Golden afternoons by the lake, where only sentimentalists pined for a cold winter [1]. I left my coat at the hotel that afternoon because it was 11°C. A few days later on Saturday, it was 15°C [2]
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Inside Five City Apartments
(Feb 2024) • 362.9 KB • GPS: 47:23:06N, 8:31:45E
My Zürich hotel, with my room being on the second floor, to the left of the LHS balcony (which belonged to another guest).
Getting there wasn't easy… (See
Welcome to The Swiss Confederation
in the NOTES tab above) -
Old Town — East Bank
(Feb 2024) • 473 KB • GPS: 47:22:23N, 8:32:29E
Escaped my lodgings via a No.4 tram to Zürich HB station [1]. Then walked south along the Bahnhofstrasse to discover the “Old Town” district. The photo was taken at the Lindenhof Hill lookout [2]
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InterCity Trains at Zürich HB
(Feb 2024) • 273.8 KB • GPS: 47:22:41N, 8:32:20E
They weren't as fast as the French TGV or Japanese Chuo Shinkansen, but the SBB InterCity trains [1] typically cruised at 160 km/h, more than double the effective speed of Australia's XPT [2]
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Composition 226 in black, yellow, red & off-white
(Feb 2024) • 227.6 KB • GPS: 47:23:06N, 8:31:45E
Finally a hotel room optimised for my INTJ personality [1] — neo–Spartan with a touch of Mondrian [2]
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Bicycles & trams at Zürich HB
(Feb 2024) • 528.2 KB • GPS: 47:22:42N, 8:32:28E
Most of the cities in The Swiss Confederation were so level that it was relatively easy to get around on bikes. The storage rack was outside the Zürich HB station, and presumably commuters left their bikes there to catch trains or trams to work
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Motorenstrasse Construction
(Feb 2024) • 381.7 KB • GPS: 47:23:08N, 8:31:46E
Because temperatures were rarely below freezing, roadworks could be done all year round. Hence the construction site beneath my hotel window
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Langstrasse Drug Store
(Feb 2024) • 285.3 KB • GPS: 47:22:57N, 8:31:47E
The only way to properly enjoy the Gewerbeschule district was by taking Schedule–8 substances [1]
geneva
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Chocolate boutique
(Feb 2024) • 343.2 KB • GPS: 46:12:15N, 6:08:47E
Some of the chocolate stores in Geneva were very upmarket. This one caught my eye because it looked more like a jewellery store than a sweet–shop. Also there were no prices, but I guess if you have to ask…
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Tourist Ferry
(Feb 2024) • 163.4 KB • GPS: 46:12:17N, 6:09:15E
Some of the small ferries on Lake Geneva were workaday things, transporting people across the lake. The more ornate boats were for summer use or permanently moored as restaurants [1]
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Kingsford Smith International
(Feb 2024) • 285.9 KB • GPS: 33:56:04S, 151:10:01E
As our plane neared Sydney, our in–flight movies were interrupted by a video from Australian Border Force, showing images of sad actors in handcuffs being dragged off to gaol for not declaring wood–carvings, untreated leather, seeds, fresh food or plants.
So I declared my cardiac and diabetes pills in the only space available on the “Incoming passenger card”: in the Prohibited Goods category which listed
medicines, steroids, illegal pornography, firearms, weapons or illicit drugs
. When lining up at Customs a roving officer glanced at my form and asked if my medicines were prescription. I answered they were. She then took the form and waved me through… -
Above the French Alps
(Feb 2024) • 392.3 KB • GPS: 45:55:01N, 6:35:14E
On the way home got to see a little more snow, 9 000m above France
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Dubai Airport transfer
(Feb 2024) • 175.5 KB • GPS: 25:14:23N, 55:23:32E
Disembarking from my Boeing 777–300 on the tarmac at Dubai Airport. Had just arrived from Geneva and had to transfer to a slow bus to (eventually) get to the Dubai terminal, then hike to the departure gate for the Airbus A380 Sydney connection at 1:30AM.
I flew with Emirates [1] and was lucky to have a pair of empty seats beside me for 3 of the 4 flights. This enabled me to occasionally stretch out and get a decent sleep, eg. 7½ hours between Dubai and Sydney (!)
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Outside the Ritz Carlton
(Feb 2024) • 432.6 KB • GPS: 46:12:28N, 6:08:56E
My last afternoon in The Confederation. Walked around Lake Geneva and took some snaps using my iPhone
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Lake Geneva Jet d'Eau
(Feb 2024) • 148.2 KB • GPS: 46:12:27N, 6:09:21E
The great water–jet is a Geneva landmark [1]. Wanted to touch the spout on its side, but had to reconsider because of the heavy security fencing and terrifying roar of water
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Apartment blocks
(Feb 2024) • 312.2 KB • GPS: 46:12:35N, 6:08:50E
Confederation cities were quite compact. The main reason is that people lived in 4–5 storey apartment blocks, as seen here from the window of my Geneva hotel
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Bernese Mountain Dog
(Feb 2024) • 425.8 KB • GPS: 46:12:18N, 6:09:01E
The Swiss have taken the expression
Man's Best Friend
and applied it to the maxtreme.The photo is of a random Bernese at Lake Geneva, in front of a waist–high railing. I looked up the breed later:
[…] the Bernese mountain dog is a high–maintenance breed because of their shedding and size. These dogs need frequent brushing and the drool–prone ones need a slobber rag. They're also big enough that owners have to make sure they're not knocking over people or furniture.
[1](See also
Canine Nation
in the NOTES tab above) -
U.N. avenue of flags
(Feb 2024) • 454.3 KB • GPS: 46:13:24N, 6:08:21E
Noticed the irony of having an organisation dedicated to Peace and the Brotherhood of Man [1], surrounded by truck–bomb barriers, razor–wire fencing and swivelling security cameras
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Airport departure gate C54
(Feb 2024) • 408.6 KB • GPS: 46:13:60N, 6:06:37E
Went through immigration without snags this time as there were eight passport officials to check a dozen waiting passengers. When going through the security scan however, was pulled aside because an alarm was triggered by my carry–on luggage — turned out their 150kV X–ray machines [1] had misinterpreted 3× 750g bars of chocolate gifts as C–4 explosives [2]