“Most of Canton Schaffhausen lies on a plateau dominated by the Hoher Randen. The summit of this mountain is 912 metres/2,992 feet. The slopes of the mountain are gentle towards the south where it reached the Rhine River valley. Short and narrow valleys interesct these gentle slopes. The Klettgau is one such valley.”(Wikipedia) There is… Continue reading Along Trail 34
Tag: Switzerland
Underdog University
“There is only one road to human greatness: through the school of hard knocks.” Albert Einstein There are moments that show me how very different at times my way of thinking seems to be from the general Swiss philosophy of looking at life. Here in Switzerland documents rule. One cannot do anything without the accompanying… Continue reading Underdog University
Death and despair defeated
The past month has been good for me in that it has awakened long dormant feelings and ambitions that I am only now starting to act upon. Part of this has, of course, been connected with my domestic situation at home, which, after the mother of all discussions and arguments, seems, for the first time… Continue reading Death and despair defeated
The four freedoms
On 6 January 1941, in his State of the Union address, US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt proposed four fundamental freedoms that people everywhere in the world ought to enjoy: 1. Freedom of speech and expression 2. Freedom of worship 3. Freedom from want 4. Freedom from fear Is Switzerland enjoying these freedoms? The Swiss media… Continue reading The four freedoms
Down and out across Switzerland
Zürich Hauptbahnhof, yesterday. Clean-shaven, showered, red backpack from Canada on one shoulder, pulling a new suitcase along on its smoothly running wheels and extendable handle, clean white short sleeved shirt, blue jeans, black leather shoes. Not your image of a homeless man? I approached the station´s Bahnhofshilfe (train station assistance) office and inquired if the lady… Continue reading Down and out across Switzerland
Sympathy for the dialect
Every nation has its faux pas – things that you shouldn´t talk about or joke about…EVER. For example, don´t call a New Zealander “an envious Aussie”, or a Canadian “a wannabe American”, unless you like your tires flattened. Don´t call la Manche the English Channel when you are in Paris or call the French “brie-eating surrender… Continue reading Sympathy for the dialect
No-smile zones
A place is neither good or bad of itself. It is our perceptions of that place that give it its reputation. Some places naturally excel due to their inherant beauty, like Venice, Bruges or Florence. Other places may not leap to mind immediately as tourist destinations, but the warmth and intimacy of their people make the… Continue reading No-smile zones
The walk of life
“They do the walk. They do the walk of life.” (Dire Straits, “Walk of Life”, Brothers in Arms) “Our neighbourhoods aren´t all that hostile… I have a thousand times more often encountered friends passing by, a sought-for book in a store window, compliments and greetings from my loquacious neighbours, architectural delights, posters for music and… Continue reading The walk of life
Delivery refused
Sins, that which is counted against you when one´s life is assessed, come in two basic forms: commission (what you did but shouldn´t have) and omission (what you should have done but didn´t). Clearly, there are no innocents, alive or dead, in the world. This lesson was powerfully demonstated to Ute and I yesterday when… Continue reading Delivery refused
Happiness is a warm gun
“Ideas should not stay inside the brain, but should be released and given expression.”(André Robillard) This year of 2015 the Thurgau Art Museum is paying homage to the work of André Robillard…and after our lacklustre time on the Beaver Trail today, She Who Must Be Obeyed and I also paid homage to his work. We… Continue reading Happiness is a warm gun