Excursions

A great thing about being in Europe is of course how nice this continent is, but also how easy and how close things are to experience diversity. Two recent examples.

First Alicante in Spain. While there were meters of snow here and the temperature barely reached minus 5, there a bit more than one hour away is this Spanish town by the sea with blue skies and nice temperature. Great to walk by the beach, to play tennis on clay, to eat tapas and sea food, to speak Spanish! Such a relaxed ambiance, such an easy place.
Second, Cambridge in England. Complete change of scenery. Of course it is bitterly cold - I have to admit that even a McDonalds is a better place than the cold british streets - and the sky is so dark. And do not get me started on their sense of humour...
At least, what is nice about the old town of Cambridge is how they manage to keep things as they have been for centuries. Tradition, I guess. Sometimes, it really feels like in the Harry Potter movies.
So there you have it - the rich cultural heritage of Europe, the change in climate and the different vibes. I am definitely a European! I have to do more of these excursions and make the most of my long week-ends.

Snow !

Most of my friends have been wondering if I am totally allergic to snow. It is time to reassure them!There a few pics of my snow-shoe walking tour in Les Paccots. Nice view and nice weather!
And when I do things, I do them well. So I also went skiing to Les Carroz, in France. A lot of fun. Do not get carried away: I am not going to be turning to a real swiss anytime soon. You will still hear me complain about the cold and the snow!

Zambia - nature

There is a first for everything. Well this time it was my first safari on foot, in the Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park. Ok, there are no big cats, but we did get so close to so many animals. An experience to repeat!
The giraffes could see us from far, whereas the rhinos did smell us. So impressive to be less than 20 meters away from this huge animal. I have to admit that our guide and our armed escort were not too worried at us coming close to this particular white rhino, but that is a story I will tell only if asked.
Another must-do is a cruise on the Zambezi. From our boat, we could see elephants grazing on one of the island. I even saw two elephants crossing the river. These animals are indeed strong.
And then we also came accross a group of hippos. So funny to see their ears emerging out of the water.

Zambia - Victoria Falls

No need to write too much about the Victoriall Falls, on the mighty Zambezi River. The local name of the falls Mosi-oa-Tunya - the water that thunders - tells it all. Fantastic to fly over the falls. At this time of the year, the waters are low and fall only on the Zimbabwe side.
As can clearly be seen from above, the erosion of the river makes it possible for us to see the Falls from the opposite side. It gets a bit wet in the edges!
To finish then two videos to enjoy - with the sound it is even better.

Central Asia

What about going on a marathon 5-country 5-day tour? Well, this is what I did in Central Asia, visiting Turkmenistan, Tadjikistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kirghizstan. This was probably the best way to learn about the names of their president, their capital and their currency. First stop was Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan. It is a strange capital city, with the important builidings built by the French company Buygues and the other by Turkish firms. All this leaves a taste of modernism but without any social life. The most famous building is the one pictured below - the arch of neutrality, with a huge statue of the old president on top. And the best is that the golden statue rotates with the sun...!
The other modern capital in the region is Astana, in Kazakhstan. A town which was a little village still 15 years ago. It is the equivalent of Brazilia or Abuja. At least, the planning is well done. The highlight is this palm tree with its fruit in the middle. There one can put its hand inside an engravings of the president's hand and, facing the president's palace, make a wish.Another interesting landmark is the pyramid. The inside is particularly nice with a indoor tropical garden, a huge concert hall, and some lightplays so that the country's flag is reflected in the main hall. These cities are definitely an architect's paradise.
Still the major player in the region is Uzbekistan, with the capital city Tashkent as the hub. It is the fourth biggest city in the old Soviet area and has a well functioning underground system. The main indoor market is a lively place, where one can buy spices, dried fruits, fresh products, clothing, etc. Still we heard about a peculiar economic problem: there is not enough banknotes physically available. So people have money in their account but cannot have it available in cash...
The capital was almost totally destroyed by an earthquake in 1966. So the cultural gems are to be found to the South, in particular Samarkand. This town was a key passage point on the silk road. The town has many beautiful architectural complexes, including the Tomb of the Kings pictured below. The town has a very special structure.
The town was also a center of islamic studies, with the Registan being its most fascinating element. This owes much to Timur, who made this city a regional trade and cultural center.
We had the chance to see it both with the last sun rays and with the night lighitngs. Beautiful. Still a question remains: how easy would it have been to concentrate there on the studies with so many well decorated and designed buildings?

Serbia

Belgrade is at the confluent of the Danube and the Sava River, as pictured above. A city at the heart of the Balkans, which was occupied/freed by many forces over the centuries. This trouble past is still very much present today. In the capital, there are buildings showing visible traces of the NATO bombings a decade ago. Violence also takes the form of hooliganism and we were there the day a young French football fan died after being stabbed by Serbian supporters. A march was organised in the capital to show that part of the society is in favour of peaceful solutions. What is also special for a curious eye, is that the tramway coming up is an old specimen from Basel. We exported our trams there.
The next day, we boarded the blue train, the famous train of Yugoslavia's ex-president Tito. And we had the opportunity to meet with his impersonation. He told us everything about the train, the celebrities who spent a day or even more on the train. There are a few en-suite wagons and also a banquet room. Socialism is definitely not always equal to modesty. Today, the train has been refurbished for tourists, unlike the rest of the rail infrastructure.
The train ride led us to Sremski Karlovci, a charming and well-renovated town. It is a school town especially for the orthodox church. We went walked in, we were treated to songs by a male choir. Later on, at a school, we saw children wearing dresses of various ethnic groups perform their traditional dance. And in the evening, we enjoy a typical Serbian supper, including with violonists.

Eclipse-China

On July 22, 2009, it was time for another total eclipse of the sun. Actually the longest one of the century (6 min 39 sec). We went to a popular beach, some 50 km south of Shanghai. There were signs showing reserved areas for foreign tourists. But even the Swiss tourists did not respect it...Unfortunately, the sky was not too kind with us. The sun was playing hide and seek with the clouds. So it was annoying for us as we did not know if we needed to wear our special sun/moon/eclipse glasses. Some colleagues started prying to God, the spirits and whoever to make the wind blow the clouds away. But they did not succeed...

So then the sky turned dark. The camera started flasing. The carlights and the streetlights were turned on. Unfortunately we could not clearly see the moon in front of the sun. The difference between the total eclipse (100 percent) and a partial one (99 percent) is so huge. A small 1 percent matters sometimes! So enjoy the video below that starts when things are still pitch dark at 9:30 am.