Landschlacht, Switzerland: 13 February 2016 “I often have to remind people I’m from the New World and all the old rules and formalized hierarchies that stifle and overwhelm others don’t necessarily apply to me. Tell me I can’t do something– are you sure, Dude? Let’s see…” The above statement was posted by an American Facebook friend… Continue reading Not from my neighbourhood
Category: Literature
Where there´s a way, there´s Wil
Wil, Switzerland: 2 February 2016 A small walk on a nice day? Why not? Climb some hills, ascend a tower, a leisurely stroll. So while North Americans anxiously worried about whether their local groundhogs would see shadows, I decided to face my own shadows. Prior to this day, the city of Wil represented only one… Continue reading Where there´s a way, there´s Wil
New Switzerland lost and found
Winterthur, 29 January 2016 Wearing my teacher´s hat again this day…conversation class. Topic of discussion: The Swiss Family Robinson, written by pastor Johann David Wyss (1812), edited by his son Johann Rudolf Wyss and illustrated by his son Johann Emmanuel Wyss, is a story about a Swiss family shipwrecked in the East Indies en route to Australia. The… Continue reading New Switzerland lost and found
The Backyard Tourist
“A desk is no place to think on a large scale”. (Rebecca Solnit, Wanderlust: A History of Walking) “An absolute new prospect is a great happiness, and I can still get this any afternoon. Two or three hours´walking will carry me to as strange a country as I expect ever to see. A single farmhouse which I had… Continue reading The Backyard Tourist
The future: Older dog, newer tricks
Winterthur, Switzerland: 26 January 2016 Generally speaking I am not a fan of natural museums, for they often seem to me to be: well, unnatural. “On the Mounted Animal Nature Trail, you’ll be sure to see All Mother Nature’s favourite pets, all sitting rigidly. They’re never hungry any more, their last meal left them stuffed.… Continue reading The future: Older dog, newer tricks
Utopia unrealised
You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. I hope some day you’ll join us And the world will be as one. Imagine no possessions. I wonder if you can. No need for greed or hunger A brotherhood of man Imagine all the people sharing all the world. (John Lennon, “Imagine”)… Continue reading Utopia unrealised
Konstanz: City of Shattered Dreams?
In the two years just passed and in the two years that follow, multitudes of people around the globe commemorate the events of World War 1 (1914 – 1918) that involved 70 million soldiers – 9 million of them killed in action, 7 million civilian casualities, and a conflict that lasted 4 years, 3 months and… Continue reading Konstanz: City of Shattered Dreams?
Where I am
“Making your way in the world today takes everything you’ve got Taking a break from all your worries, sure would help a lot Wouldn’t you like to get away? Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name And they’re always glad you came You wanna be where you can see our troubles are… Continue reading Where I am
Sick daze
Landschlacht, 22 January 2016 Being married to a German doctor has its advantages and its disadvantages. Because Europeans and their higher educational standards are very demanding and extensive, one can visit a physician in Germany and Switzerland in complete confidence that they probably know what they are talking about should you ever have occasion to need… Continue reading Sick daze
The artistic criminal
Zürich, 30 December 2015: We have all seen them. Scribblings, scratchings, stencils, murals up, down, over and under in public places. Simple messages to elaborate street-long paintings. This is nothing new under the sun. Ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans knew them. Today, spray paint and markers and what has been wrought from them are part and parcel of… Continue reading The artistic criminal