2010 - 2011

I am minutes away from shutting down the computer before I go to bed and then head off to the airport. This time we are going to Phoenix via Portsmouth and for 6 months! Unfortunately I have to work there but we hope to get some time to have a look around the area and possibly do a few short trips within the country. 2011 will be about work and a life in another country but what happened really in 2010?

This past year has been dominated by many short trips to Switzerland (for me) and Sweden (for Andy) but we also managed to squeeze in two trips to the Maldives and one to Iceland. Although the trips to the Maldives felt big at the time they now seem quite distant. Both since it is almost a year ago and because we decided not to dive in a few years in favour of climbing and hiking. I am glad that the commute between Sweden and Switzerland is over and that we now live together. It makes everything so much easier and more fun. But even though the short trips were hard I will also miss Lucerne and its surroundings. We have had lots of fun with all the wonderful people there and that I will look forward to coming back to.

If I have to choose one picture to represent this year it would have to be from the mountains in Switzerland. Maybe not because we spent the most time in the mountains, I am not sure we did, but more because for me personally it has all been about Switzerland and the fact I love the mountains.


Lucky me there are mountains in America too.

Happy New Year!

At the beach

Last weekend my brother and I drove down to Gothenburg to go to a beach party. Yes, it is November and bloody cold and dark so how did this happen? One of our sisters and her husband both turned 40 so they took the opportunity to throw a party. It was held at this brilliant place where they had actually built a little beach and with special lamps the temperature came up to about 30 degrees. Before dinner we were hanging out at the beach bar under the lamps with cold beers.

This did not make me long for a holiday in the sun... noooooooo...

Last chance

Winter is definately around the corner. In Sweden we have already seen the first snow. This week we had a snow storm and although it is a few days ago there are still traces of it on the ground. Lucky me then who could go down to Switzerland last weekend and enjoy some warmer weather.

Since the weather was nice we took the opportunity to go on maybe the last hike of the season. Since it is cold and snowy on high altitude we chose Bürgenstock this day. This mountain is only about 1100 meters but beautifully situated at the lake Vierwaldstätter See and famous for its views. This particular mountain does not have a gondola but actually a lift that can take you up the last few hundred meters. This day however it was already closed for the season, not even the café was open. So we did not get our standard beer on the top of the mountain but had to be content with what we had brought along.

On the way we had some serious Sound of Music moments. Like here when we crossed a meadow with this spectacular view.

As we came around the mountain we got this great view of the lake and Lucerne. This side of the mountain is very steep and the footpath is not intended for people that have issues with heights. At some places they have even made tunnels through the rocks. Very nice hike that can be made a little longer if you choose to leave the car close to Stansstad and take the way over Bürgenbergwald.

Bern

Last Friday I went to meet my friend Isabelle in Bern. The sun was shining and it was around 15 degrees Celsius. Bern is a pretty town with a lot of atmosphere. We went for a walk to see if the bears were out and they were, the mother with her two cubs were playing around. For you who don't know, a bear is the symbol of Bern and there are a few of them living by the river in the central part of town.


Before I headed back to Zug I, by mistake, went up on the roof of the central station. It turns out the view from up there is great. It was a particularly clear day and the mountains were visible at the horizon. And there is a café up there as well. Good to know next time I am in town...

Never thought

I never thought that I could get tired of flying. But at the moment I am. The past year I have been flying a lot to Zürich, once or twice each month. Normally the trip is a part of a journey for me, a part I rather enjoy. At first the beginning of a trip when expectations are built and you finally realize that you are on your way. Then at the end when you have time to think about what you have experienced and decide whether you will miss it or not.

Basically I do like flying, the atmosphere at the airport and the isolated time on the flight itself. But in this case the flight has just become a way to get to where I need to go. Like taking the train to work. I don't go by train because it is fun but just because it is the only way of getting there. The flight is not important anymore, just a hassle, just a long train ride. I have noticed that I don't really think of it as travelling but just going somewhere. I do not experience the flight like I normally do. I either sleep or work because otherwise it would feel like a complete waste of time. Every time I am on my way I am eager to get there, I don't feel like spending time on a plane. I just want the time to pass and the flight to be over instead of feeling that it is a part of an exciting trip.

Soon the trips to Switzerland will be over. I can't wait. Then I hope the feeling of flying will go back to what it used to be. Hopefully I will soon enjoy a view like the one in the picture above (which is the Swiss Alps from a flight from Stockholm to Milan).

Climbing in Melchsee Frutt

This past Sunday we went to Melchsee Frutt for some climbing. They have a big climbing wall just a few minutes walk from the car park and cable car station. The wall is not high but long, most routes are one pitch only but there are a few 2 pitch routes around. Totally there are about 130 routes ranging from grade 3 to 8 on the UIAA scale. So there is plenty to choose from although this easy to reach place attracts a lot of climbers.

Having a break at the climbing wall.

As well as on Saturday it was cloudy below 1500 meter but we had beautiful weather. Today it was also 10 Franken day which means it only costs 10 Franken to take the cable car up to Melchsee Frutt. Due to this there were loads of hikers around and you can see the ant trail along the lake which had no end. Fortunately though there were not too many climbers.

The view from the climbing wall. This is the difference between climbing in the Alps and in Stockholm area...

Autumn hike in Switzerland

This past Saturday we did the Four Lake Hike (Vier Seen Wanderung) between Melchsee Frutt and Engelberg. The SBB (Swiss Railway) has a special ticket for this hike which includes train, bus and cable cars on both ends which makes it quite worth its price. Otherwise the trains and cable cars in Switzerland are very pricey.

In the valleys the fog was thick the entire day but above 1500 meters or so the sky was blue and the sun was shining. The perfect day for an autumn hike on high altitude.

Hiking along the rigde from Bonistock towards Tannensee. Below us on the right side there is a climbing wall with more than 130 routes in all ranges. Actually we came back on Sunday to do some climbing there.

Tannensee.

Having lunch at Engstlensee. This was the lowest point on the hike and after this we had to climb about 400 meters to Jochpass and then down again to reach the cable car on the other side. On Jochpass we did get a well deserved beer before we walked down the last bit. The hike took about 4 hours. With breaks we spent about 6 hours on the track.

All pictures were taken by Michael Wicki who brought us on this hike. Thanks for a great day, Quicky!

Autumn finally

One morning this week as I was heading off to the subway as usual I saw something unusual. I have been living here for almost 10 years and I can not remember seeing anything like it. It looked like the building was radiating.

A man who passed me as I was taking the picture had not noticed the light phenomenom but when he saw me looking up he had to stop and take a better look at it. How many people this morning missed out on this because they were only looking down at their feet?

It is now a lovely autumn, cold fresh air and sunshine. The sun is getting lower which means that the sunrise is now coinciding with my travel to work. The light this time of year is magic in the morning. The combination with the colours on the leaves makes this my favourite season in Stockholm. Not even the complete stop in the subway which added 30 min to my trip could spoil my mood after seeing this view.

Timing

Last weekend I went to Switzerland again to visit Andy. This time the weather was not on our side and we cancelled the planned two day hike in Grindelwald. Instead we decided to hike up the Pilatus which is Lucerne's house mountain. It is a "smallish" mountain about 2150 m or so, which is a few meters higher than the highest mountain in Sweden, Kebnekaise.

It was a very hot day with temperatures well over 30 degrees and we did wonder on the way up to the top what the h-ll we were thinking of. We could have been having a lazy day at the lake... Of course we had also decided to walk all the way from town and not from the foot of the mountain. In good time we made it though and could enjoy a well deserved beer at the top before we hiked all the way back again. We had stunning views of the Vierwaldstätter See and Lucerne. Unfortunately I forgot my camera this time so no photos today, you will have to imagine it.

On the weather forecast they had warned for thunderstorms and clouds did start coming in during the afternoon. As we came closer to town the sky was completely black behind us and we started to walk faster in order to make it back before it started to rain. It did start to rain a little and we actually ran the last few hundred meters. When we came up to the apartment it had started to rain very heavily and a few minutes later it hailed. It was one of the more violent thunderstorms I have experienced and we managed to time it by a minute. Considering the whole adventure was about 10 hours I think we did a pretty good job.

Because I do not have a picture from this hike I am attaching one from our latest tour. This picture is of us crossing the rope bridge was taken by Johannes Peschut who we met on the climb.

Good things about hiking in the Alps

There are several reasons why I like hiking in the Alps. I like rock so the dramatic exposed peaks in the Alps suites me just perfectly. Other good things are that the season is a bit longer (than in Sweden at least) and there are no mosquitoes. Also if you don't have a lot of time or don't feel like hiking through the forest on low altitude or have problems with your knees you can in many places take the cable car. This way you can do cool hiking on high altitude even if you just want to do a day hike. But my favourite is that after a steep hike up to a hut somewhere you can always get something cold to drink.

Here, at the Weissmies Hütte in Saastal, we found a sofa where we spent the afternoon with a beer until the guy who worked in the hut came and told us that dinner was served. What a great place!

Via Ferrata (klettersteig) on Jegihorn

The weather made it! It was a beautiful day when we went out to climb the Via Ferrata on Jegihorn in Saastal. We had spent the night in Weissmies Hütte about 1 hour from the start of the Via Ferrata.

The first part of the the route was easy climbing with a few ladders. After an hour or so we reached the ridge. Once on the ridge we had to climb down a little to reach the rope bridge we had to cross to get to the top of Jegihorn.


It was a fairly long rope bridge where you definately had time to think about what could happen if you slipped...


The small dots in the center of the photo are our shadows when we are on the rope bridge.


Immediately after the rope bridge we had to climb up this thing.

After the rope ladder there was a fairly vertical wall we had to climb before reaching the top. They had added some grips to make it easier. This was my favourite part, very exposed and with a fantastic view. Nice!

After about 2 hours on the Via Ferrata we reach the top of Jegihorn on 3206 m. We were hanging around the top for more than an hour talking to other climbers before we headed down to the Weissmies Hütte again for some lunch and a beer. For those who like Via Ferratas I can definately recommend this one, I was climbing it with a smile on my face.

Weather...

When planning to do a long Via Ferrata the weather forecast is quite important. You don't really want to get stuck on a mountain secured to a 1 km long metal wire when a thunder storm arrives. So right now I am obsessed with the weather report. Until yesterday it was going to be brilliant in the area we are planning to go to but now it looks like this:

Damn. I hope they are wrong.... Guess I should start looking for something in another area where the weather might be better. Well, looking forward to going to the Swiss mountains and I am bringing my own sunshine anyway. :-)

Glad midsommar!

The Royal Wedding

I guess many of you know that this weekend there was The Royal Wedding in Stockholm. An event that attracted an amazing amount of people, including some friends of mine and myself... Our plan was to drink something bubbly, enjoy ourselves and look at the spectacle.

We found a what we thought was a good spot to see the happy couple when they would go by in their carriage. Naturally we ended up seeing basically nothing (see picture above) because at the last minute loads of people who had been standing in front of the castle now came our way to see the crown princess again. And on top of that the glasses for the bubbly were stuck in the crowd somewhere else. Bummer. However we managed to take care of that in a bar close by, where they also had big screen tv's. That's where we should have been all along, of course...

The night ended well though with rooftop bar hopping and many glasses of champagne. This is the view from Hotel Anglais's champagne bar.

My new favourite subway

This past weekend Andy and I visited our friend Birgit in Copenhagen. On our way to Christiania we caught the subway. This is the first time I have been able to sit in the very front of a subway train and look out the window when going through the tunnels. I was fascinated and this quickly became my favourite subway. Until now the Beijing subway topped my list where they have very long cars with poles down the middle which enhances the movement of the train. They also have these cool displays in the tunnels. But this was so much more fun. Like it!

Iceland - just the way it sounds

For Easter this year I went with Andy and his company to Iceland. I guess we were 20-30 people and the schedule was full. We spent in total 6 days on the island. We drove from Reykjavik to Akureyri on the north coast and spent most of the time in the area around Akureyri. The landscape around Reykjavik was not too impressive but as we came further north the views were simply spectacular.

Reykjavik.

The view from the house we stayed at in outside Akureyri. This is a very beautiful area which I would like to visit during the summer sometime. Unfortunately there was still a lot of snow in the north which made it difficult to go hiking and horse back riding. But of course perfect for the ones who wanted to rent snow mobiles.

Naturally we had time to visit a few of the many hot springs. This is the famous Blue Lagoon close to Reykjavik.

We also passed a number of water falls, this is Godafoss.

In Reykholt we learnt more about Snorre Sturlasson, the famous writer, who lived and was murdered here in 1241. You would think that such an important historic place would also look impressive but this was a tiny village with about 10 houses, 2 churches and a what looked like an oversized hotel.

I would like to return to Iceland but then in the summer and spend more time hiking or horse back riding. The best thing about this country is the beautiful and vast landscape. The worst thing is the stinky hot water...

Unexpected view of Manhattan

A few weeks ago I got stuck over night in New York on my way to Phoenix. I was not in a very good mood because it was a stupid mistake from the airline that made us come in a few hours late to JFK and I just missed my connection to Phoenix. They set me up at one of the crap hotels close to the airport and I basically just checked in, had dinner and went to bed (in smoking room which was all they had, yuck).

However I did get a beautiful view of the sunset over Manhattan as I came into the room which saved the day and improved my spirit some.

Nice

At the end of April I went to Nice with my friend Helena. The plan was to get away for a weekend, hopefully sit in the sun, eat good food and drink some wine. We managed with all of it, no problem. The weather was perfect, between 20 and 25 degrees and sunny the entire weekend.

We stayed at a hotel at the water front in the old town. It was the perfect location, very close to everything. Just a few minutes away was a square where they had a market during the day and outdoor restaurants at night.

We walked all over town, here we are on our way up the Chateau Hill which has a stunning view of the city and the coast line.

From the top of Chateau Hill you could also see the snow covered mountains in the north. Beautiful!

The old town had lots of winding streets with small shops and restaurants. The colours in Nice are amazing, the houses have the warm yellow and red tones, the blue water and all the flowers with many different colours. I remember thinking the same the first time I was at the French Riviera a number of years ago and it was as striking as back then. I still love the colours.

The small boats in the harbour were also colourful where they were squeezed in between the huge yachts.

A champagne picnic on the beach was an absolute must. Lovely! Could have stayed there for a long time.

Thanks for a great weekend, Helena!

Maldives again

Well, we were not planning to go back so soon but we got an offer we couldn't refuse and we felt like going diving again. :-) This time we did not spend any time on an island but only on the dive boat, the Sachika.

Once again we saw a whale shark but not during a dive but while snorkeling so it was not really the same. Still nice however, this one was a bit larger than the last one we saw, maybe 6-8 meters. What we did see this time was one poor hammerhead shark which quickly disappeared when it saw us and lots of mantas! We had a great manta dive with many rather small mantas, maybe 3 meters at most.

They came very close and were more than I could count.

Manta.

There were also lots of reefs and thilas to be discovered. Some of the dives we had done before but they were all nice dives so it was not a problem for us. And this time we knew what to look for.

And sometimes the current was quite strong.

When the other guests tried to catch some fish from the dhoni (the smaller boat that we dove from) we decided to bring a bottle of wine and enjoy the sunset and later the stars. A perfect end of a perfect little holiday.

Can't wait to go diving again...

My Swiss "office"

Occasionally I work from Lucerne, Switzerland. This is the view from my "office". Today is a lovely day, I think I will go for a walk in the lunch break.

mirror on the wall

At some hotels I have stayed at in Asia they have this great idea to heat parts of the bathroom mirror so that it will not be completely misted over when you get out of the shower. Brilliant, isn't it? However being somewhat above average Japanese height is a problem. What you see in the mirror is about this:

So you end up with a sore back for bending forward until the mist is gone. It almost worked...

let's try eat - back in Japan

This week I am on business in Japan. I haven't been here for a few years so I was happy to go although the schedule might not be the perfect one. We did have some time though when we got to Narita to have a shower and then managed to get some sushi at Tokyo Station before going off to a customer meeting. How is it that the sushi here is so much better than anywhere else? Even at what you would think would be a crap place at the Tokyo station it was absolutely delicious. It is not a coincidence that I try to avoid sushi anywhere else than in Japan.

Coming back on the train from customer site at night after a very loooooong day my mood improved when I realized (and it took more than an hour) what was written on the box my desperation pizza was delivered in. "You can eat tasty and comfortably without feeling anxiety anything". How true is that?

Asia is the best!

First time winter hiking in the Alps

A couple of weeks ago I went hiking for the first time during the winter. I was visiting Andy in Lucerne and the weather was supposed to be good so we decided to go hiking. Our first plan was to hike the Pilatus but they warned us for avalanches so we chose Rigi instead.

When we started it was cloudy but soon we came above the clouds and the sun came out. Although it was January it was really warm. Compared to Sweden the sun actually makes a difference here...

The view was of course superb once we came out of the clouds.

As we came down again the sun was setting over the lake. This was the first time winter hiking but not the last. Until next time...