tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14131660593045524892024-03-19T08:17:56.248+00:00A Shimmin AbroadShimmin Beghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10350037986748679919noreply@blogger.comBlogger164125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1413166059304552489.post-61912969714624970362018-12-08T16:47:00.000+00:002018-12-08T16:47:21.351+00:00The Night Shift in Beijing<p>
It's 00:38 in Beijing. The grey breathiness of air conditioning permeates the hotel lobby where I sit, tapping at my laptop. I have spent the past three hours marking assignments. To my left, an eerie deathmask gestures at me for silence from a bookshelf, and a humidifier exhales steam silently. There are two charming hotel staff at the faux-marble desk to my right, occasionally chatting; apart from these, the lobby is silent as the proverbial tomb. Perhaps more silent, since I'm pretty sure tombs get lots of creaking and settling noises.
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To cut a long story short, I'm locked out of my hotel room.
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I'm confident this is accidental, my betrothed having retired to our twin room when I started marking in the hotel café. The door isn't exactly locked - I've got the key - but the security bar was over the door, preventing it from opening more than two inches. Alas, it's also an actually good one, which even one of my slender wrist and flexible roomcard cannot flip open. So I have returned, somewhat ignominiously, to the lobby.
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Explaining this situation is one of the weirder things I've had to do so far in China, but at least (once the idea was grasped) they have been sympathetic and helpful. Thankfully there's a toilet here and some comfy chairs. They offered to try and get me in, but on balance I decided staying up really late (until it's technically early, in fact) was preferable to waking my intended wife with the sound of splintering wood in a strange hotel in a distant city. She is a gentle soul and easily alarmed, and I would hate to upset her.
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<p>
Right, let's see what we can get done tonight...
</p>Shimmin Beghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10350037986748679919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1413166059304552489.post-51591394952725480832018-09-19T04:49:00.000+01:002018-12-05T13:45:18.933+00:00The First Fortnight<p>
I have been in China a little under a month, but more importantly, I've now completed my first fortnight of teaching. Somehow.
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<p>
The first few lessons were inevitably tough, but I feel like I do at least have some idea what I'm doing now. I've had the chance to clarify some really important things, like:
</p>
<ul>
<li>"What is the actual content you are expecting them to have learned in this course?" (A: Important issues like that are why we recruited foreign experts; you decide)
<li>"how many students are in the class?" (A: at least twice as many, in all cases, as you were told to expect)
<li>"how am I supposed to assess them?"
</ul>
<p>
There are a lot of unresolved issues to deal with. I'm racking up incredible bills on my UK mobile, since I need to turn on roaming intercontinental data daily for vital things like checking vocabulary, navigating and getting fairly-constant messages from my employers. I still don't have my long-term work permit, which means I can't open a bank account, which means I can't get a Chinese mobile account, which means I can't register for basically any Chinese services because the government demands real-ID linking for most things and nobody accepts foreign mobile numbers.
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<p>
The syllabuses were provided a couple of days before classes began, so I didn't have much time to prepare. Let's be honest; my first classes were outright bad. I like to think I improved quickly, but it's very much a case of frantically running to get ahead of myself, since I have even more classes starting soon.
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<p>
It's the end of summer here, and I am only glad to have escaped "the hot part". I'm still constantly aware of just how warm it is for my delicate rain-fed constitution. Like wading through hot fog, or fumbling through a warehouse filled with heated silks; there’s a physical presence to the heat.
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The combination of jetlag, workload, and the general mental pressure of coping with so many things at once has left me pretty exhausted most of the time, so let's call this one done for now.
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</p>Shimmin Beghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10350037986748679919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1413166059304552489.post-73643374017839041352018-05-30T22:33:00.000+01:002018-12-05T13:54:23.970+00:00A change of career<p>
Ten years is a long time, from a certain perspective.
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<p>
Ten years and six months ago, I deposited my ID and left the building with that unique relief that comes from freedom.
</p>
<p>
If you’ve ever spent six months in the twisting out-of-town lair of a multinational credit card company, sat with a thousand other nobodies in a gargantuan drone-hall that is merely a fraction of the corporate sprawl; wearily tabbing between PDF and ungainly in-house system as you enter the meagre figures from raw, humiliating debt repayment proposals so they can be summarily rejected by the algorithms that dance for your soulless masters; subject to the same endlessly-looping company radio in any room or corridor you enter, as your mind slowly devolves into gruel; watching exploited colleagues on temporary minimum-wage contracts delude themselves into machismotic displays of break-skipping self-sacrifice before being summarily laid off as backlogs clear; passing from inky autumn morning to clinical fluorescence and back to the darkness of early evenings; finding respite only in the nigh-religious ritual of breaking free each noon for an hour of honest air and tranquillity regardless of thundering rain or bone-chilling cold, and granting atrophying muscles a desolate circuit of the palace of Mammon; finally slipping free of the uncaring hand and striding out into the heady air of freedom – well, you’ll know what I mean.
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<p>
Why no, I haven't slept more than two hours before writing this. Why do you ask, imaginary made-up person?
</p>
<p>
In that particular case, I was departing for a voluntary teaching placement in China. During a previous job I’d noticed an advert for volunteers willing to teach at universities in China, and having studied linguistics (amongst other things) and enjoyed the TEFL module I took, this seemed like an interesting opportunity. Expensive, like a lot of these things, but worth it. I did a lot of research and took the plunge, so thankfully the aforementioned six months was leavened by knowing I had an out.
</p>
<p>
So in March 2008 I nervously set off for Xi’an, Shaanxi, central China. Home of the Terracotta Warriors and, of more personal interest, one of the places my dad had visited in the late 1980s as an invited lecturer, when China was beginning to open up more to foreigners.
</p>
<p>
That particular trip is another story for another time. Suffice it to say: it happened, there were ups and downs, and moved on to my next job with the vague feeling that TEFL wasn’t something I desperately wanted to continue with.
</p>
<p>
Seven years and a bit later, in Sheffield, I signed up for a language exchange scheme at the Confucius Institute, where I was partnered with a lady who turned out to be from Xi’an.
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<p>
A bit shy of three more years later, I am preparing to leave my job in Sheffield and move to Xi’an, where I’ve been offered a place as an English-and-associated-stuff teacher in Xidian University. This will involve a huge amount of time, effort, emotional exhaustion, and indeed money. On the other hand, I’ll be able to hug my girlfriend without using an emoji.
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<p>
Plus, maybe I can finally get another bowl of 鸡汤刀削面…
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<p>
<i>P.S. September 1st: The last year or so have been a soup of repeated minor illness, family stuff, work stuff and the huge amount of time that this move has required. Hopefully this will explain the complete dearth of posts recently. Hope to get back to it now I've actually hit Xi'an, but I do have entire courses to write, so who knows?</i>
</p>Shimmin Beghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10350037986748679919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1413166059304552489.post-85156176824440540642017-04-06T20:32:00.002+01:002017-04-06T20:32:45.777+01:00April updates<p>
I just wanted to flag up that there are quite a few posts queued up to finish, as I've been on a trip this spring. However, I'm currently adjusting to some new medication and have very little energy, so I imagine it'll be a while before I get to finish and post them. Apologies for the delay.
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<p>
PROTIP: If you're missing your extremely irregular dose of this blog, you can soften the blow by looking at a picture of some cherry blossom while complaining at great length about inadequate bread.
</p>Shimmin Beghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10350037986748679919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1413166059304552489.post-89069138871945558052017-02-26T13:25:00.000+00:002019-07-27T23:52:09.146+01:00China 2017: Reunion<p>
The visit to Xi'an was a big deal for many reasons. One of these was a chance to finally reunite with my old housemate, Squirrel. She works in Beijing, but we'd agreed to meet up and she was flying into Xi'an.
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<p>
Due to some <a href="http://a-shimmin-abroad.blogspot.com/2017/02/china-2017-long-hello.html">aforementioned problems</a>, things didn't work out as planned. Squirrel had also been hit by delays, forcing her to arrive for a one-day visit rather than the intended long weekend. Meanwhile, the combination of sleeplessness and jetlag had left me with the curious sensation of having had my internal organs, skeleton and musculature replaced, in their entirety, with some sort of dough. Like a fairy-tale doll, lovingly crafted by a childless artisan and awakened to miraculous life by the touch of a passing sprite - one who blends the Johnsonesquely-inept bumbling of modern lore with the disconcertingly-amoral whimsicality of older tales - I moved as one to whom the human body is a new and troubling thing. Feet dragged. Arms moved with enebriate care, guided by a brain whose cogs whirred as slowly as the mills of God. My eyes had a tendency to drift shut even while walking, giving the outward impression that I was always listening to some quiet inner voice guiding my steps for an inscrutable purpose of its own.
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<p>
Nevertheless, we finally met and there was much rejoycing. Also much apologizing (for blamemess lateness on her part, and for inability to use brain and so forth on mine). Our first priority, near enough, was to find a place to chat and also sustenance. For my part, <b>extremely caffeinated</b> sustenance.
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<p>Fancy cakes in the fancy cake shop. This one disconcerts me.</p>
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<p>Additional fanciness.</p>
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<p>Thank the geese and lizards, a purveyor of caffeinated beverages. My quest is at an end.</p>
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<p>You might reasonably wonder why I have this photo. Look closely.</p>
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<p>
If you zoom in and read the writing on those cups, you'll notice a curious thing. The one on the left is mine. The one on the right is Squirrel's.
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<p>
That's right. One of these cups has supposedly been made in the UK! This is very perplexing. Not least because the default assumption is that things like this are made in China, to be honest. But consider - if so, how did it get here? Does a factory in the UK churn out paper cups specially to be sent to China, where they can definitely be produced at a lower cost? If so, why are only some of the cups made in the UK? Is China somehow restricted to making only shorter cups, perhaps because they only have small cup-making machines? Do the staff carry out secret and extremely swift research, carefully matching customers to a country-of-origin cup from a comprehensive catalogue of international stock secreted away in a basement, as part of an elaborate mind game?
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<h3>A Walk around the Walls</h3>
<p>
The caffeine proved largely ineffective, but still, it was better than nothing and gave us a nice chance to talk. We decided to follow up by actually letting Squirrel have a look around the city; and how better to do that than a stroll around the walls?
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<p>The moat surrounding the old city centre. Actually the second old city centre, since the original city of Chang'an was devastated and a much smaller version was rebuilt. After construction in 582, Chang'an was the largest city in the world! 84km<sup>2</sup> within the city walls. After it got steamrollered during the Ming dynasty, it was rebuilt in 1370 at a mere 12km<sup>2</sup>. On the plus side this is much more convenient to walk around.</p>
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<p>I'm not sure about the sticks, in both senses: what they're for, and whether they're a good idea. As far as I can tell they're purely decorative, since they weren't there most of the rest of the year! As an accessory, they look okay, but not stunning. Moreover, because of the repair work being done at the time, the pavement was already greatly reduced by the construction zone (you can see a barrier to the left of the pic) so these things sticking out everywhere didn't help much. There was a lot of stopping to let people squeeze past.</p>
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<p>The man standing on the fence is part of a bucket chain (well, a big sign chain) helping to pass these huge boards over into the construction area. This is 建, which is related to construction, so it's probably just something about building works.</p>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXhlFOPyu4wQniQbnOn-4Zff5C_GKdyXq_tpZTW301HIyGs43rE01DEPRtcgOrZsLIuvOuzL3wLgfzjZHAAEk5HEgBhpSFGil8fJy0BwVOjwc2k32o78KvGu0DdKJyc_mZq1AJJ8ptdQ8/s400/P2260928.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a>
<p> </p>
</div>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB6PRyYEojbHX2AkQ6RtYxm4Na3MTzH7kWb67lm69nrVeIN9A8MNr2_uRkcZs2nr4XENzzFvScqgE-VVU-qFjfhc3TUgQZiiWvLwitOejE-qMX2xNsCMfYQyc4jKj16ry7vciA9B1CPpM/s400/P2260929.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a>
<p>As they often do, a group of enthusiasts were practicing traditional music near the city gates. I have never managed to quite get used to traditional Chinese music; it's interesting, but as with Chinese architecture and so on, I don't have enough background and exposure to appreciate it. I can sit and listen for a while, but the differences from more familiar Western music are still a little jarring. But let's be fair, there are many types of Western music that I also don't like and wouldn't sit around for! This is not an isolated phenomenon of Chinese. Hopefully one day I'll learn to properly enjoy it.</p>
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<p> </p>
</div>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMUnLN-sY0Oac45k91Kt5Yt52sO7HQjYFILl0hcloVLyRmRfr-YgUUijTPV6XCXp1DenSsmqJ0_WBD2KtkjK_WYXOqj3YO9H9Sv_gB2zmtXs5G0g2rzEpRQaiDvBBSHIiyJqbck_P96x4/s400/P2260931.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a>
<p> </p>
</div>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnPSAuQGMnKPYHPu2Cst9UaCoNWnmEqerufK4YefrYr6B74YiFM5Mk4Eqpfj97pB5JtEZlnA3KknL3RpIvPHBeQO11C21Wb8GhC-uxGb2hOL2x3NCFmxewV_WDmTYmocRXupD5-WpK6wc/s400/P2260932.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a>
<p>This is just a hotel that has managed to impress me with its striking appearance. I bet they're well chuffed. Popping the champagne corks, elbowing each other and going "this is it, gang, we finally cracked the big time, that bloke said on his blog that our building is <i>quite good</i>!</p>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj-gVSi-iPooGliJRrki8A8rzABvBU_jAfNyDbD2fEHUXXve095e3fydd29ZzaAsrF9g1mRRQ4RITO4vasfYjTQPg_RENRNqZSKhtPXM5wXsQ4KXUz-Eyjhz4sP5uzhZpj_PviTeb2npM/s400/P2260934.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a>
<p>As you can see, rather tight in places!</p>
</div>
<h3>Park Life</h3>
<p>
After a while, the construction work largely blocked off both the walls and the pavement. Getting tired of awkwardly making our way through (some of us more awkward than others, and also not clearly registering his surroundings) we ducked into a small park on the south-western corner of the city walls.
</p>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1AojXmw1jeMw3W9SZqUF5RS60lIQYaO72xYjD4QFKGioTbNqGlR23nrx76U0Qb6PQhd_HZdMWlaQhTVMBLx8iR2gH7yE3gayTwyS2SiqUjko-JFKhaafJsaJ0HIdiCnnkDrwfW0dECGw/s400/P2260936.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a>
<p>I just like the visual effect. There are huge numbers of these bikes around the city, from a variety of companies with no compatability whatsoever, which is deeply inconvenient for the people who want to use them. Hooray, free market?</p>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheVC-pK-9LyDby56FiMY_ZJ7nzkP5WIFPf6ut7d2FPT468N3g-YAawKBqhyphenhyphenrOVX73HlYsrI8afOPAwczCSs5Rmj_x44sAe1BgOxHXkDwrjZ__7T2DaOt06HfHyowfuHJlGT015a77t8VM/s400/P2260937.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a>
<p>Here's the park, or the bit of it that isn't being ripped out and rebuilt.</p>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheqGOTVNgh2TNqb2gCoejcOnCYmqXk01XMTxKpqq9zFtAZy-D2GOEOCttxeMA1vOx1bVSWEWRxEyaFR1FkgOPN3rZKpXGzwAE8vLC6tqWYy13MPi5WvckfqSrGUzSHe81qyVJSBYiZx2g/s400/P2260938.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a>
<p>I enjoy the look of disturbed-yet-restrained alarm on this statue's face. "Uuuuuuuuh guys I think we should leave <i>right now</i> okay?" as it beholds the gelatinous, fractal Thing emerging from the cellar door they carelessly left open.</p>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHfkZTLUy1p89ylrpybjESwGOizZ9-rGFX0OP7EMN17_rGwWEvHNbF7vnhio4GROxjofzQFTQZsZJNwUNUc1_34IML82CmjUxToYNTojG1oPXkqmTlgW_edY4xiiZ0B8452NYikxj3w9M/s400/P2260939.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a>
<p>The moat bank is being rebuilt.</p>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtWoV6ZrrPzfXwEJA780L149-1kdfWQeo0-gyjvlMhRfsEAXKCnA4NQuxmFYQ5kWvp0KDXJFlnAXXep6Gbv4bLBlXhzwtkT5-dQA0y56lHV0_PiPVNDA5odO0_4dQcdpVgadmglPT955Q/s400/P2260940.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a>
<p>This area has a lot of restaurants, many of them with pretty groovy designs. </p>
</div>
<p>
Around this time I began to dimly realise we were actually in a park I'd visited years ago. My barely-functioning brain was excited but also bewildered by this.
</p>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcHhyFAkHXeIp1bwJDNUhkJTIoZbOxSN9Vt31w6PU1_cOaRk61zEBb9Auhm8p1YeQqndU6A8AMO_oKP1gb8fXONZRbmRqrzLBuz7h2xnQlmg1AzcXh93oN2mnnL6BuFRcmyzPW6z8C57M/s400/P2260941.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a>
<p>We ducked briefly into this side passage, which leads to a number of more traditional-aesthetic restaurants.</p>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGBobAupqneBLvNCvDNEaPK7kPtu_4izYxgZjKaGHpetVFfK3FiLw6X8xOtt_k63PpPw4s3xb_2uRKgAqWgELQWnPBTDYM-FvRo2kzldb71GhCuitmlFvCH5rWUTbjbLGzAerfPEGofAk/s400/P2260942.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a>
<p></p>
</div>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgNBAUzhrQmrHya6iB9bxaBbDlQAXp4xIfAySUBoJ17g4MSoUcHnjwFwx6P1el6kLy8OOgDrquxFOdaDaW5VCaY02k_miOKRzn1xxz3SVvMAXQJIH0NG5Vu78Bs4l-5gFgH2tMR8i8Grk/s400/P2260943.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a>
<p>A memory! I recalled this giant set of noodle-eating chopsticks from my first visit 10 years back, which means I've been in the park before. That time, I'm pretty sure I saw kids (and one of my fellow volunteers) sliding down a bridge.</p>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvTt__uQ8Rt5PluvzHtHcnMC8D4MoMhUm1YA3Qykv51m1kB2RDJCgoftn3RiZTbaImj-4Dt-fsDzl2wPJkxHfLvcO9iWcLH25l7xaG3Aqzrn73iyApvQ6CzvmFVPBH_RJhk-Iz14r_oKQ/s400/P2260944.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a>
<p>Pensioners painting hanzi with water and giant brushes, yep, it all comes back to me.</p>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc_BKPvJavKf_PPHUL_xWVn2hD-jhMbxGAhuboQIHKTNlIulSTSGchIyn7F0TkUkA3xhjENf3kDrk6BMLs9sEXGVtVCR_F9jzxljzjh244qtrPm5mfg8Uia0OsT1ObaXdpQ5n2H5ojOWQ/s400/P2260945.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a>
<p> </p>
</div>
<p>
In this corner of the park is a sad cautionary tale. Many years ago, a vengeful spirit arose near the walls of Xi'an, bringing misfortune to the local families. The spirit had a particular dislike of children, apparently despising their youth and liveliness in contrast to its own withered existence. A group of children defied their parents' warnings and stayed out late, picnicking on cold noodles and playing music; even singing songs mocking the spirit and daring it to chase them. As night fell, the spirit burst upon them and laid a dreadful curse, turning the children to nothing but bronze statues in an instant.
</p>
<p>
Although widely felt to be excessive, this regrettably fell within the scope of local bylaws and thus nothing could be done. The spirit was persuaded to take up residence in a mountain cave some distance away, where it would be left in peace, and the statues are tended to by the groundskeepers to this day.
</p>
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<p> </p>
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<p> </p>
</div>
<p>
Or possibly they are a group of bronze statues, but I mean, come on, I'm struggling to suspend my disbelief. Why would someone put a bunch of bronze statues in a park?
</p>
<p>
Nearby we found one of the common sights of the city, a group of people practicing dancing. This happens a lot - there are several groups who meet to dance on the university campus at night, by which I mean just out on the courtyard, not in a building or anything. The shopping plaza nearby has a veritable motley of competing dance classes every night. It's one of the things I enjoy about being in China. It can be noisy, and even annoying if you're trying to listen to something else; but compare it to the kind of drunken noisiness of a typical British city centre of an evening, or indeed a UK campus, and I know which I prefer.
</p>
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<p></p>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsz5XN47UQ69fEFE-QqmRjuatIicsSSwsRyfWuCdCOvvnOeihgJHuwD4m3c02zDYcR-kREewDcDQ06Dvmhm2vsjF8l79gGbvBZaKPiuLNmyPjaaylhXEt-PT8dSPszsBORjL4he7fj5bk/s400/P2260952.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a>
<p>The crowds are observing with intense keenness</p>
</div>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2W1x2Aa3q8BSoUc-DV3nX_8S7C1BJmR9bC66D0Tsf1pvhNdXROvh1Ey6dcPh-id5ndUefwhxyoktcxhdddiJm_uOs2FczFiv4xIADcnduBwWHTWx8ID6mRYI-V3VYwuv0f2Vveasz1tU/s400/P2260953.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a>
<p> </p>
</div>
<p>
One of the things I can't quite get over is how big everything is. China is massive, and everything in it is massive, it sometimes feels like. The serried ranks of tower blocks, marching in their legions across the landscape, are a very prominent aspect of this.
</p>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8il3jdpmmkvCDm-IKge3oNN6Dw8X1KVJ9vjf5Wk5kArSfqxd_3nJEMUjZGYlFLD95dJelnLXvc0isNTOG0FdDE_gjClukk3x5q5SpF_xM4qks2WOoOD5YwpaM0DSwQf5XeJTF9p82gH0/s400/P2260954.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a>
<p> </p>
</div>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTBxuDAgLazr2tlWTCcWEb9ZR20HCa9XgMJLAd1JUgrdPv_7NJgWPbQN43W1Eaq8K4mxulqR3dTfdCNRh76t2MDULShdb0ex2HTTBDSVp3odOfrRDMEd9qFLWRGkRMjQkrkE3oKvIVcAo/s400/P2260955.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a>
<p>An orchard of apartment buildings, which look set to bring a fine crop come harvest-time. </p>
</div>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI7AbuJpPUhe2HWNDzYBl7atg_NTnSjo7AY6-UxLZSb0YDFSRyXv7HjIvtdIoJOZdoti49289_7JSpgpbh7y5l9HnACMBtCmzEDX1BcJzP3ut1CtKoe7z3S868-VZLXPfAfrGgtmJoqx4/s400/P2260956.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a>
<p>Still time for planting more! A flat-farmer's work is never done.</p>
</div>
<P>
At last, to our regret, the night drew on and it was time for Squirrel to leave. I was very sorry to see her go, and felt immensely guilty for having been a barely-comprehensible, mumbling, detached observer for most of the day. She didn't blame me for it, but it was a real shame not to make better use of a very rare opportunity.
</p>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2hl1UkOTcSu_Dpw_V-pdLDWX9JTVt0EABHT0rHQlZ317khJcsjeX0inXfk452Fsh827Y6zkHeWmi6eRUW4lLBej8iEC5708P2rQx3GQBnSFxNIvK0BVSjHdb4b3mbWNRiiBamtGlpXzQ/s400/IMG_20170226_191221.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a>
<p> </p>
</div>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeB8vMZRvwmIMpZ26-dtqcggMkoeNOs8Na3SMWzIJ9HmpzOmtx6fOPJKNBVIpsux88o2AEnIK8kSfgJrEiCXCPT1dhG385L_7u95Ty7-aR9VObdYwMeqEBStiFb1RBK6aU9_vUvgpWRjA/s400/IMG_20170226_194611.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a>
<p> </p>
</div>
<p>
My brain was, however, very glad of the prospect of being allowed, finally, to commend itself to the infinite abyss of sleep. We bid our farewells and promised to visit when we are in Beijing (which is bound to happen sooner or later, though it's hard to plan!) and reluctantly allowed her to go. Then, my dear TT kindly led me back to the hotel, pointed me in the direction of my room, and I lurched and stumbled and generally incompetenced my way, somehow, into the welcome embrace of a quilt.
</p>
<p>
"in the cosmos there is balm as well as bitterness, and that balm is nepenthe", but it turns out a hefty tog duvet offers a pretty good substitute when nepenthe is in short supply.
</p>Shimmin Beghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10350037986748679919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1413166059304552489.post-6010906486961042892017-02-25T23:30:00.000+00:002018-09-01T20:43:00.341+01:00China 2017: Muslim Quarter<p>
<i>When last we left our very unheroic hero, he had arrived in Xi'an a full day late, without sleeping, appallingly jetlagged, and in the early stages of adjusting to powerful mind-affecting medication, to find his hotel politely reporting they had never heard of him.</i>
</p>
<p>
Well, you may say. Well. Well, well. Um. I mean, I had definitely made a booking, and had money taken <i>for</i> the booking, and I have a fair amount of confidence that STA Travel weren't scamming me.* On the other hand, these nice people couldn't find a record of my booking or payment. What a conundrum, you might say; rather a pickle, isn't it?
</p>
<p>
*they had of course used an intermediary, and in theory they could have been scamming me; but I was far too tired, nauseous and language-shocked to think of that.
</p>
<p>
Obviously I'm not about to do anything outrageous, like throw a tantrum, or burst into floods of tears, or demand to speak to the manager, or proclaim that I was being treated appallingly, or threaten to write to the Telegraph, or insist that they give me a room, or suggest that they might be wrong, or imply in any way that they might personally be at fault, or look cross, or sigh heavily. I must confess I do at one stage raise one eyebrow and show them my booking printout, but in my defence, I am <i>very</i> tired and assume this was all some simple misunderstanding, and no actual injury was intended; though I do of course later send an anonymous basket of flowers.
</p>
<p>
Anyway, I look sheepish and tug my right earlobe a couple of times, and apologise several times for troubling them, and murmur in an embarrassed way that there seems to have been some kind of mistake. These moments are when you realise you're abroad, because this does <i>not</i> send the entire staff into a frenzy of anxious activity; nor does a grizzled veteran named Pam or Tom emerge from a secret abode, plonk a brick-red cuppa down on the desk and stare thoughtfully at my passport for a minute, before rummaging in a hitherto-unnoticed drawer and producing a document that explains and resolves the whole affair. In Japan, too, this behaviour would probably have caused the silent flaring of emergency lights in a back room, from whence a crack team of customer service marines would have sallied forth to deal with the seething client before any kind of rampage could ensue. In China, for some incomprehensible reason, they appear to take my mild demeanour and friendly tone as an indication that I'm not stressed or irate about the latest in a string of exhausting failures, and we can discuss the whole situation at length.
</p>
<p>
My Chinese is definitely not up to this. I have probably never been happier to have a native speaker on hand to help. Between us we relay information back and forth for a good fifteen minutes, comparing different screens and sets of paperwork - I dig out my laptop and fire that up in case it helped (it didn't). Eventually they offer to give me the room, since I do seem to have all the right information, for which I assume HT's silver tongue and obvious trustworthiness is responsible. Personally I tend to have more of a "police are anxious to speak to this Caucasian male seen in the area" vibe. I agree to email my travel agent and ask them to provide more information so we can resolve this in the morning; one of those occasions where the 8-hour time difference causes problems!
</p>
<p>
After my very late arrival, HT suggests we go for a walk. We head to the nearby city centre; it has a concentration of interesting historical areas that I remember well from my previous trip. The sun is slipping lower in the sky, casting soft yellow light.
</p>
<p>
Here's my route: you can sort of follow along, although China and Google maps don't play well, so I suggest you <a href="https://maps.baidu.com/#panoid=c90d77f37bf62ebfb34c49c3&panotype=inter&heading=12.03&pitch=-2.49&l=17&tn=B_NORMAL_MAP&sc=0&newmap=1&shareurl=1&pid=0902150012170626032332548IN&iid=c90d77f37bf62ebfb34c49c3&psp=%7B%22PanoIndoorPoiModule%22%3A%7B%22uid%22%3A%22bff8fa7d9c8b08b9c8213d55%22%7D%7D">use Baidu maps</a> instead for street view exploring.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVl4eeBx2baQ4nC8I5xgrnSwsG6md2VfOP12-yfUFt7xRMwkOFgyBdv5D4WdXVB3LrPGu988mBqOdsxBkf5yobENOQ718SJm2oAqLtcmj5KfbxLQjGagINT697eNPpdDs3X9T_m2xcH-I/s1600/Xian+2017+-+Muslim+Street+02.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVl4eeBx2baQ4nC8I5xgrnSwsG6md2VfOP12-yfUFt7xRMwkOFgyBdv5D4WdXVB3LrPGu988mBqOdsxBkf5yobENOQ718SJm2oAqLtcmj5KfbxLQjGagINT697eNPpdDs3X9T_m2xcH-I/s400/Xian+2017+-+Muslim+Street+02.png" width="400" height="231" data-original-width="983" data-original-height="567" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB_REN_WSqEMnFIL2Xyb0uvhyok3I2HQngpjDgtzNxE31ajIpC237Pb-Nufd_ReerEIhDiAfHavzBq4qzmEBYjlUGyh7gi1rz3NRNlphi2EC0BKmaK1Uf1o5h_VEVvteEvs6SXFIaCYe4/s1600/IMG_20170225_173357.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB_REN_WSqEMnFIL2Xyb0uvhyok3I2HQngpjDgtzNxE31ajIpC237Pb-Nufd_ReerEIhDiAfHavzBq4qzmEBYjlUGyh7gi1rz3NRNlphi2EC0BKmaK1Uf1o5h_VEVvteEvs6SXFIaCYe4/s400/IMG_20170225_173357.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>The underpass that encircles the heart of the Old City</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNL9T2XeyYy7_kryZmyBH4C-_fI3beHTYZeOb5uDfB31z92D0d2yhemY3i0fNIb4vFiUbWa9BOlLCNuzxTuZlNRZgyDmPCrYtSqLCjUGFpSrxX7cx2fP2RwvPayjPO3nn6pdsmZ5JklZ8/s1600/IMG_20170225_173402.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNL9T2XeyYy7_kryZmyBH4C-_fI3beHTYZeOb5uDfB31z92D0d2yhemY3i0fNIb4vFiUbWa9BOlLCNuzxTuZlNRZgyDmPCrYtSqLCjUGFpSrxX7cx2fP2RwvPayjPO3nn6pdsmZ5JklZ8/s400/IMG_20170225_173402.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>^_^</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;" width="100%"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8uRz7TXWdiimzkiJ2709lFtnAbLkck9VzkyCoOsxOBkzBafDWzrOtEbKE5hVFcADAtXNfTN9IxWomHyz4VNE-muGgVDSZs_RizfM-najhuQObGebFdZGckkUsy2psT1-OehkmJQJT7bI/s1600/IMG_20170225_173605.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8uRz7TXWdiimzkiJ2709lFtnAbLkck9VzkyCoOsxOBkzBafDWzrOtEbKE5hVFcADAtXNfTN9IxWomHyz4VNE-muGgVDSZs_RizfM-najhuQObGebFdZGckkUsy2psT1-OehkmJQJT7bI/s400/IMG_20170225_173605.jpg" width="40%" style="float: left;" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUi4LFLA6FQMm-Ia32EHZTosED3Pqz1RDau5aXoX8k5DLrtMsyHhkR0WCAvxX-ERoaL4YSziJ7ofqE8WrjgOOLeQQF0OmL0ey_xQrqgHNqUoPbUOEXv1DMSQWUlgI8zEscN7Piw1ISByA/s1600/P3290220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; ">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUi4LFLA6FQMm-Ia32EHZTosED3Pqz1RDau5aXoX8k5DLrtMsyHhkR0WCAvxX-ERoaL4YSziJ7ofqE8WrjgOOLeQQF0OmL0ey_xQrqgHNqUoPbUOEXv1DMSQWUlgI8zEscN7Piw1ISByA/s400/P3290220.JPG" width="40%" data-original-width="1200" data-original-height="1600"/></a>
<p>Left: The central square by the Xi'an Bell Tower. Right: Archival footage! I took this back in 2008, at the same Starbucks. The lady is Joanne, who was on another volunteer programme. One day I'll get around to blogging about that trip...</p>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbT8ZScb_8q6WSQMQgdO9zoDOc9Rl-XKAVmZxF8TTFcmQ43P-q054yzp1vhogb7hAX7hRntwiOtmjNH-waNA86qDTFBkcAWU8GZc9dFaYrCkgp2n_vUX2EmYCbSrzHAGrbVYqcfIcOI9Y/s1600/IMG_20170225_173610.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbT8ZScb_8q6WSQMQgdO9zoDOc9Rl-XKAVmZxF8TTFcmQ43P-q054yzp1vhogb7hAX7hRntwiOtmjNH-waNA86qDTFBkcAWU8GZc9dFaYrCkgp2n_vUX2EmYCbSrzHAGrbVYqcfIcOI9Y/s400/IMG_20170225_173610.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>Looking up towards the Bell Tower.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;" width="100%">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinrVVEH0us5lYgygXO0Jlhqt4Kri80S-nVJGfz-s20PMG_XPkT2WCLEK-XovslXWaNLvR1JpbcXeLXoYGUw8OqwAHH7Ad0oI6EZfijnaKw1YhgaYENAkb_3PfCS4EA5KYjDLceTy0cfME/s1600/IMG_20170225_173713.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinrVVEH0us5lYgygXO0Jlhqt4Kri80S-nVJGfz-s20PMG_XPkT2WCLEK-XovslXWaNLvR1JpbcXeLXoYGUw8OqwAHH7Ad0oI6EZfijnaKw1YhgaYENAkb_3PfCS4EA5KYjDLceTy0cfME/s400/IMG_20170225_173713.jpg" width="40%" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZvIqaJ1fInqfSwz4h1qHwIPzpg6Ttdje1vrqUlg6YaAgz5p2bIFxPJbsN1ZnI-M1j_qKToGpJf848JaMtut625bdtH8etQmFw1l3e0_A6TJnXCynHiXhYvgiTCZ4psuuiXodyjcQvX_4/s1600/P3090159.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZvIqaJ1fInqfSwz4h1qHwIPzpg6Ttdje1vrqUlg6YaAgz5p2bIFxPJbsN1ZnI-M1j_qKToGpJf848JaMtut625bdtH8etQmFw1l3e0_A6TJnXCynHiXhYvgiTCZ4psuuiXodyjcQvX_4/s400/P3090159.JPG" width="40%" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1200" /></a>
<p>I believe this is a hotel and/or restaurant in the Bell Tower Square. Left: 2017. Right: A view from the bridge in 2008.</p>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoGDQ9RBJe3I2p650DOo_DqOPyqYr94l-pdR7RPDkmxGQywm7DlatJUia9fD6uvmCtyA-mxwtE-5cdn6jmXZp2kuw0yhyphenhyphenj9uZ7bhyBUm5g04_ThniHf4gy8efu9EV4h8hMNNsTXiDNLjA/s1600/IMG_20170225_173927.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoGDQ9RBJe3I2p650DOo_DqOPyqYr94l-pdR7RPDkmxGQywm7DlatJUia9fD6uvmCtyA-mxwtE-5cdn6jmXZp2kuw0yhyphenhyphenj9uZ7bhyBUm5g04_ThniHf4gy8efu9EV4h8hMNNsTXiDNLjA/s400/IMG_20170225_173927.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>This man is creating elaborate pictures inside a bottle by very careful application of sand.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_-aj77KoDQcjK1AP2CK_2YyWosBsfYKQSK_uZc_QxzBAlppZR7Xk6Zut2MHp3NYxdaPYnTYOybVrQttUAnu4I3TgLzZhuNxkzanyC4kPYNdwCY128QS4svqOEyLF4XwCSTlvq_xBnAM8/s1600/IMG_20170225_174134.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_-aj77KoDQcjK1AP2CK_2YyWosBsfYKQSK_uZc_QxzBAlppZR7Xk6Zut2MHp3NYxdaPYnTYOybVrQttUAnu4I3TgLzZhuNxkzanyC4kPYNdwCY128QS4svqOEyLF4XwCSTlvq_xBnAM8/s400/IMG_20170225_174134.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>How many different kinds of shop is this? And more importantly, why? I count: shoes, bubble tea, whole coconuts, and dried fish products. There's nothing wrong with that, it's just... not a combination I would have predicted, you know?</p></div>
<h3>Muslim Quarter</h3>
<p>
This district has a high concentration of Muslim residents; I assume this partly relates to Xi'an's historical role in the Silk Road, bringing traders from across Eurasia. It has all kinds of stalls and shops, and is a hotspot in the evenings. I've heard it's also a hotspot for pickpockets, so as an exhausted tourist I try to take good care.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOwVB35E1X-NShzESctEElZK4RrXnC2NolpankJBePxBLPq8khSiBRfSnTqDv363YWzZHU_jS2tGoV0H7kITbgZekmwCsrYkB6I0RSOA-sVf7PA114niXJh6E247Wr9QIDbiKCQsuiK98/s1600/IMG_20170225_174522.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOwVB35E1X-NShzESctEElZK4RrXnC2NolpankJBePxBLPq8khSiBRfSnTqDv363YWzZHU_jS2tGoV0H7kITbgZekmwCsrYkB6I0RSOA-sVf7PA114niXJh6E247Wr9QIDbiKCQsuiK98/s400/IMG_20170225_174522.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjQ9MYnxEsIBh1ZnN1b_potw7MTfBti4MZWXpK3x2N7WCwo-Y7s6Bj_iDlM5tRiLSDT1dSyBf9HgAY3XT8RBFzPyIOvaubot55J9CJUDuJz-mXGKlYC24GUWS-16vR3W5DDJX82UP07X8/s1600/IMG_20170225_174525.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjQ9MYnxEsIBh1ZnN1b_potw7MTfBti4MZWXpK3x2N7WCwo-Y7s6Bj_iDlM5tRiLSDT1dSyBf9HgAY3XT8RBFzPyIOvaubot55J9CJUDuJz-mXGKlYC24GUWS-16vR3W5DDJX82UP07X8/s400/IMG_20170225_174525.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>It's also busy most of the time, day and night. There are plenty of souvenir shops here was well, and an excitingly windy covered market; but this time we don't go in there.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu6klz9rVQYAXlJbcZM9Y-6Fl471oh1m2CuBMWxkSt6B5_rIwi1jIin5bvnGR9kZ-_ZmxDGAtrw9DnsCPiQD2cVDpVlza85MujdlGyIEUpN_xZsenm_3zggZsNC8FQI97y6qhXjh2n_2c/s1600/IMG_20170225_174528.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu6klz9rVQYAXlJbcZM9Y-6Fl471oh1m2CuBMWxkSt6B5_rIwi1jIin5bvnGR9kZ-_ZmxDGAtrw9DnsCPiQD2cVDpVlza85MujdlGyIEUpN_xZsenm_3zggZsNC8FQI97y6qhXjh2n_2c/s400/IMG_20170225_174528.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>This is not particularly busy by the standards of the street.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXXJRhsbNITvcbypWvxz6XFqsbnFspSxMfL1OuA6adccLc6bi3tAXP6i17IbeeeeZysW9aASSUvfkmn7xb-FJ4IByBYfHibFHTgRpJmPYTTOE0A7e68uDOhb0h7VYBNoNr2EWxr8_hLAo/s1600/IMG_20170225_174531.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXXJRhsbNITvcbypWvxz6XFqsbnFspSxMfL1OuA6adccLc6bi3tAXP6i17IbeeeeZysW9aASSUvfkmn7xb-FJ4IByBYfHibFHTgRpJmPYTTOE0A7e68uDOhb0h7VYBNoNr2EWxr8_hLAo/s400/IMG_20170225_174531.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
<p>Quite a lot of the stalls are dedicated to food. Below is an artisan making traditional sweets, kneading and stretching and twisting dough hung on a hook. It will be cut up and rolled in various combinations of nuts, spices, sugar and other flavourings. On the left you can see deep-fried squid and crustaceans, which are eaten like a lollipop.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ3rutty8BM3oODB8OPGCHP2U0PXy0Dd8BteV3z0LJQ4SjTK_sYyP0UTXYqZOyckZje7sCigTKtJ54PTjNyoZoD9O8PLqb1UVQWpQAJSqj2fc6lXlRLRxItNKPGLVbJT1jjz58DpXkA_o/s1600/IMG_20170225_174805.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ3rutty8BM3oODB8OPGCHP2U0PXy0Dd8BteV3z0LJQ4SjTK_sYyP0UTXYqZOyckZje7sCigTKtJ54PTjNyoZoD9O8PLqb1UVQWpQAJSqj2fc6lXlRLRxItNKPGLVbJT1jjz58DpXkA_o/s400/IMG_20170225_174805.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimh0dX7pf8kZ5gJu_q8j3vml2hom2NXaeUtEGvz9bXe9CfPY-FV78KcDAVZXqzV-3ipzSvzTPfU3YoEKHBmpn0kTDHcM4aO2BycXLRmMH47kukvfjC8tD9zas6Fco2BvzLQFaNp4oHPoU/s1600/IMG_20170225_175115.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimh0dX7pf8kZ5gJu_q8j3vml2hom2NXaeUtEGvz9bXe9CfPY-FV78KcDAVZXqzV-3ipzSvzTPfU3YoEKHBmpn0kTDHcM4aO2BycXLRmMH47kukvfjC8tD9zas6Fco2BvzLQFaNp4oHPoU/s400/IMG_20170225_175115.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>These ladies run a sweet stall - quite a popular one as you can tell by the number of staff.</p></div>
<p>
After a wander round, HT takes me for a meal. She recommends a regional delicacy called Majiang Liangpi (麻酱凉皮, Májiàng liángpí). These are cold noodles, served with a sauce based around black sesame. I try some, because it's not like I get the opportunity often. Unfortunately, between exhaustion and the unfamiliar taste, I find I'm not able to eat very much. I know sesame paste is one of the more acquired tastes in Chinese cooking, so I'd like to try and get used to it.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK3ExYYUPEYRS4qlmHOUmoccLLncoeUT7rBeQ1QyBMrDRedvttYSq1j17zLtaU3Plv3q5Jt-6wS094AYydoCgqqJEmk9TtB_jetCRkHoOsfmhjRdUTSujz4a4S17vuQSo0HugebWDIxUc/s1600/IMG_20170225_175437.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK3ExYYUPEYRS4qlmHOUmoccLLncoeUT7rBeQ1QyBMrDRedvttYSq1j17zLtaU3Plv3q5Jt-6wS094AYydoCgqqJEmk9TtB_jetCRkHoOsfmhjRdUTSujz4a4S17vuQSo0HugebWDIxUc/s400/IMG_20170225_175437.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrFg0p_9iMf740fTF5E3vnoVubAemmTC0rxxUj8HiZ5VSXtBeY1PcfxtDxtFrA09c439TSkudpx7kaN4bE7zsjS3tkB-X78kMvDxrsLE5bqPxkXYRhRxCZlRGST50R4q09coZYVe3_rQM/s1600/Xian+2017+-+Muslim+Street+03.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrFg0p_9iMf740fTF5E3vnoVubAemmTC0rxxUj8HiZ5VSXtBeY1PcfxtDxtFrA09c439TSkudpx7kaN4bE7zsjS3tkB-X78kMvDxrsLE5bqPxkXYRhRxCZlRGST50R4q09coZYVe3_rQM/s400/Xian+2017+-+Muslim+Street+03.png" width="400" height="183" data-original-width="1219" data-original-height="559" /></a><p>I think the green place in the centre is the entrance to the restaurant, but it's hard to be sure.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_6O4DKKdaSZJMTR6RCFo-vePt7jUrnmIyrvrJsE8JnyhWkAp5mi70O7ANQmOv58LKr1QCU_7pK19F7GbtteWWUsDohI1MyAeV5DacDWSxloWGIRO2Yu2vJGFFLWYI26nQOb8fmc24F00/s1600/IMG_20170225_182242.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_6O4DKKdaSZJMTR6RCFo-vePt7jUrnmIyrvrJsE8JnyhWkAp5mi70O7ANQmOv58LKr1QCU_7pK19F7GbtteWWUsDohI1MyAeV5DacDWSxloWGIRO2Yu2vJGFFLWYI26nQOb8fmc24F00/s400/IMG_20170225_182242.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>This is the upper part of just one of the buildings that line the Muslim Quarter. There are lots of these striking buildings near the city centre. I love the architecture. </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIvC-AsG2huKa5K_FPvOviJJOVAwJYVrrob9MxT_jpTogKMDuZI3_YM1Mxo772YwhCSz9AA8EVJ_kGbx5h68pxcEMysW5kDhBkeCLWc8j29oDTU6H7aLem4ZWNXGT2Aayz71LTxSOrIAI/s1600/IMG_20170225_182247.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIvC-AsG2huKa5K_FPvOviJJOVAwJYVrrob9MxT_jpTogKMDuZI3_YM1Mxo772YwhCSz9AA8EVJ_kGbx5h68pxcEMysW5kDhBkeCLWc8j29oDTU6H7aLem4ZWNXGT2Aayz71LTxSOrIAI/s400/IMG_20170225_182247.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>As the evening sets in, it starts to get busy - people are finishing work, or deciding to head out with the children, and congregating here to take advantage of all the food stalls.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1-rcwt_KkT7W5WdwoLLjumh4-EYi24NwI6mopmMSGDTnZ7Uo5JWVWx_bdGUlUkynkV_a0X-0j68ovK9m_PtynAxr7Zo9ZwBiwg6xKZs50hjCsE4b3sCyRXLX4u3G9DOCL3x84GoHuyvM/s1600/IMG_20170225_182530.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1-rcwt_KkT7W5WdwoLLjumh4-EYi24NwI6mopmMSGDTnZ7Uo5JWVWx_bdGUlUkynkV_a0X-0j68ovK9m_PtynAxr7Zo9ZwBiwg6xKZs50hjCsE4b3sCyRXLX4u3G9DOCL3x84GoHuyvM/s400/IMG_20170225_182530.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a></div>
<p>
We decide to call it an evening, and HT kindly escorts me back to the hotel. On the way I take this photo, to help show off the sheer sense of vastness that I always get in China - the cities are so big, so tall, and although Japan was similar in some ways, Xi'an also has (unusually?) some big wide open spaces that highlight it even more. I suppose the areas of clustered tall buildings have a claustrophobic feel, whereas when there's a break in them, it gives you the space to more fully grasp the size of what you're dealing with?
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqbmSCanzTB0AyKnFq2DkNAlY_pr82g3ZfFTD3qNC24Lgti9WzkQJsc3sfruQOv_ZmNSHHm1g0Ofqi6VCE4IqfUIDIKRM7_n46JVBdJySWcGd69R2rVaeCg0MzTd7NYdP8-ImGdBmg9wo/s1600/PANO_20170227_150429.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqbmSCanzTB0AyKnFq2DkNAlY_pr82g3ZfFTD3qNC24Lgti9WzkQJsc3sfruQOv_ZmNSHHm1g0Ofqi6VCE4IqfUIDIKRM7_n46JVBdJySWcGd69R2rVaeCg0MzTd7NYdP8-ImGdBmg9wo/s400/PANO_20170227_150429.jpg" width="400" height="93" /></a><p>I got way too attached to this function.</p></div>Shimmin Beghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10350037986748679919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1413166059304552489.post-76649870574751321492017-02-25T13:26:00.000+00:002018-02-06T22:30:26.347+00:00China 2017: The Long Hello<p>
<i>Hi there! Anyone following this blog in real time - wow, you're patient. So I'm about to post some things I started writing a full year ago. There's reasons for it. Partly it's that I've spent a lot of time working on some other projects that have come up in the meanwhile, and all my blogs have been on hold. Partly, continuing health issues coupled with family stuff and starting a new job, which has meant I just haven't had very much energy to give the blog the time it needs to be vaguely interesting. I mean, if I just wanted to post bad attempts at pretty pictures, I'd do it on Instagram. I know what you all read this for is amusement at my misfortunes, and how can they be funny unless I devote myself to painting you a rich word-picture of each event?</i>
</p>
<p>
<i>Anyway, I will now begin posting these, in the hope that starting will make me more likely to actually get through them. Enjoy.</i>
</p>
<p>
It's a long time since I went to China.
</p>
<p>
Long ago, in fact, that this blog didn't exist. I bought my digital camera specifically for that trip - the most expensive thing I'd ever owned at the time (graduating from a very elderly film camera). It was nine years ago in fact; or, as we Millennials measure these things, five jobs and six addresses ago.
</p>
<p>
But I've been wondering what it's like, and I have a number of Chinese friends, and one of them just recently returned to China. I wasn't sure what I was doing with my holidays this year, and it seems a shame to have spent all this time trying to learn Chinese and not actually visit. So, well, I am.
</p>
<p>
It's fairly well-planned out. After much complicated negotiation with various friends, I'm going to spend a week in Xi'an visiting two friends, then take the plane down to Japan to revisit my Fukuokan friends and to explore a little more. I'd originally thought of spending the whole time in China (much cheaper) but I don't feel confident enough to explore on my own, unlike Japan. On the other hand, a single week is a complete waste given the heavy jetlag and the cost of the intercontinental flights. So two countries it is. I'll leave Manchester in the evening, and arrive in Xi'an the following evening, ready to sleep - this worked well last time and should help minimise the jet lag.
</p>
<p>
A week or so before the journey begins, I am finally prescribed some antidepressants. I begin taking them immediately, which means the key adjustment period will take place while I am staying in a variety of unfamiliar accommodation, travelling enormous distances, violently altering my sleeping pattern, switching diet, operating in a second language, and exposed to a huge range of new and exciting illnesses. Luckily, Sertraline adaptation doesn't cause any inconvenient side-effects like exhaustion, severe nausea, overstimulation or insomnia.
</p>
<p>
Sorry, what was that? I'm holding it upside down? Oh, so I am. My, that is an extensive list of side-effects. Well... pants.
</p>
<p>
On a grey Thursday morning, stuffing Peptobismol into my gob at regular intervals like some kind of junkie hamster, I get on the bus to the station, where I find the trains to Manchester airport are delayed by Storm Doris.
</p>
<p>
So it begins.
</p>
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<p>
With all trains listed as indefinitely delayed, I eventually board one to Manchester itself where I plan to change. We travel sloooowly through the damp, windy countryside, eventually reaching Manchester Piccadilly. As I cross the platform to await the airport train, speakers grimly announce that trains originating from Piccadilly are cancelled and instruct passengers to return home. But mine isn't one of those. I wait.
</p>
<p>
The next train is delayed. The amount it is delayed ticks back slowly, until it passes the time when the following train is due to arrive. This one repeats the process. There are now three trains queued up to be the next on arriving, always due in a few minutes, but like "tomorrow", that time never arrive.
</p>
<p>
After about an hour waiting in the cold winds, occasionally pestering an unfortunate security guard with no insight into the weather or the machinations of rail company management, we begin to filter out towards the taxis. I gather four random passers-by and we head to the airport. It's a long ride, but thankfully not too expensive between us. I have four hours until my flight, plenty of time. Other travellers are reading out updates which boast of how the Manchester pilots are bravely defying the storm to continue flights as normal.
</p>
<p>
After the usual bafflement about exactly how to navigate the floors and passages, I calmly pull my suitcase into the check-in area and glance at the board. There are precisely two flights cancelled. But one of them is mine.
</p>
<p>
I line up for the information desk, and pass my tickets to the busy staff. After much typing, they offer me a flight the following morning. This is exactly what I didn't want - morning flights, arriving in the morning, which result in the absolute maximum jetlag. Plus, my second Chinese friend is only visiting for the weekend and I'll miss half her visit. I try to haggle, but basically anything earlier has already been booked out.
</p>
<p>
They hand me fresh travel information and tell me to go home. I point out that I can't. The trains from Manchester were being cancelled; okay, this is a certain amount of extrapolation on my part, but I have zero faith in the ability of the railways to get me home today. Moreover, even if I did, I don't think it's physically possible to reach the airport for 7am the following day. In the face of my determination they decide to book me a hotel room, and also give me a voucher for tea and a snack.
</p>
<p>
Shortly, a group of us are escorted to a minibus and driven for long, long minutes to Altrincham, a place notable only for the fact that it's a shibboleth for regionality. No, I'm not telling you how it's pronounced... the hotel is okay, but this was really, really not how I wanted to be spending this time. I begin messaging my Chinese friends (and my family) with news of the delays. I also ask both my travel agent and my Xi'an friend to contact my hotel, to let them know that although I won't be arriving on the expected day, I do still need them to keep the room for me!
</p>
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<p>
The evening is slightly enlivened by our meal, as they pack a group of us strandees into a dining room and provide a special meal. We bond over our misfortune and the evening passes fairly pleasantly. Eventually I retire to my room, where the situation preys on my mind enough that I am still awake at 3am. Okay, my new medication is also playing a role here.
</p>
<p>
At long last, with just a few hours' sleep behind me, I drag myself downstairs. A taxi arrives, but the driver says the name it's booked under doesn't match either our airline or the hotel. After several minutes of confusion we establish that it is in fact ours and we're allowed to go.
</p>
<p>
With my flights entirely rearranged, I'm now due to fly with only a single change, via Beijing. This means at least an opportunity to sleep. As soon as breakfast is over, I bundle myself up and attempt to sleep. And again. And a little more. Then I try watching a film, before trying to sleep again.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc4ljEBetI6d-4q7vepSG0l9O0Ou8-l8kZKKNSg2ZDijvb2BAomGxGnMf7svdXgXoPGgFCpujhoipa8vgO_SPO92pRhTKHn-yjlFGCRbq4o_QN2bXHVJOgKED6x10G7Mn5y6p2UzbvjGk/s1600/IMG_20170224_103526.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc4ljEBetI6d-4q7vepSG0l9O0Ou8-l8kZKKNSg2ZDijvb2BAomGxGnMf7svdXgXoPGgFCpujhoipa8vgO_SPO92pRhTKHn-yjlFGCRbq4o_QN2bXHVJOgKED6x10G7Mn5y6p2UzbvjGk/s400/IMG_20170224_103526.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>They do at least manage to get me a spare seat, since my original flight was for a seat with extra legroom. Featured: the revolting neck pillow I bought at the airport.</p></div>
<p>
Twelve hours later, we unload in Beijing, having watched three films (a prologue to <i>Journey to the West</i>, <i>Dr Strange</i>, plus another I can't actually remember) and slept for no discernible amount of time. It's 5am and I'm due to be on another plane in two hours' time.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvczQm4KaP20TAuHzpPTGeS-EYBgCf6jQ71NQjsyvuIz4i2qX7nTJvOoueMMM0wnh_do3YFNHc5OyoCETYlHgrEiOAUNRN1vlEI9o2wtln2Ah9BvKBpnSQd9-tJYL8mtVNf13XEfZVkaw/s1600/IMG_20170224_212122.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvczQm4KaP20TAuHzpPTGeS-EYBgCf6jQ71NQjsyvuIz4i2qX7nTJvOoueMMM0wnh_do3YFNHc5OyoCETYlHgrEiOAUNRN1vlEI9o2wtln2Ah9BvKBpnSQd9-tJYL8mtVNf13XEfZVkaw/s400/IMG_20170224_212122.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>First sight of Beijing</p></div>
<p>
I'm transferring here, but I took the time to check the instructions for exactly what that entails. Basically it's almost entirely the same as arriving; you have to go through immigration. There is a long, long queue for immigration and not many staff. A small group of us foreigners forms and reassure each other about the process.
</p>
<p>
Half an hour later, we have moved fifteen feet. We are not even yet at the official queue. It's seeming likely I won't get my flight. I'm too tired to be fazed or alarmed by this, but I do want to inform my friend who's supposed to pick me up at 9am. I try to connect to the internet, but in a stroke of genius, this requires a Chinese mobile number, which none of us have. In frustration I watch the time tick away, unable to think of a way to stop my friend from leaving. I am also rapidly dehydrating.
</p>
<p>
As my flight departs from Beijing, we are exchanging stories of previous foreign encounters, and are getting quite close to the front of the queue. Two and a half hours after arriving, I am finally through the door and head towards the transfer area. A bored man desultorily feeds my rucksack through a scanner, apparently without interest in the result, and nods impatiently at me. I'm somewhat alarmed by what may have happened to my suitcase in the two hours since I arrived, but find a helpful member of staff who assures me it'll have been collected. I manage to collect my suitcase from the luggage area, then wander around for quite a while trying to find the way to the transfers section, since half the building is still locked up. Finally, I reach the check-in desks. My company is not here.
</p>
<p>
Two members of staff and a twenty-minute walk later, I'm in the next terminal and finally track down Hainan Airlines, who I wasn't originally flying with at all. I'm not especially confident about how this is going to go, but I manage to explain somehow and they find me another flight. It leaves at noon, so I'll arrive five hours later than scheduled.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNzQSGY5Supu4CL6UKSWki2e5gVTEoyEw2BCS8LluqQJ8nUJulMDQGLxel_8uvLeTeGywloyQbOehznl1izfYYnGZlY6dq64Htz1J2L0KCQpJx3UaJdbwNIlNZ9jcYVmprC4V6rnSdibU/s1600/IMG_20170225_075911.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNzQSGY5Supu4CL6UKSWki2e5gVTEoyEw2BCS8LluqQJ8nUJulMDQGLxel_8uvLeTeGywloyQbOehznl1izfYYnGZlY6dq64Htz1J2L0KCQpJx3UaJdbwNIlNZ9jcYVmprC4V6rnSdibU/s400/IMG_20170225_075911.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a></div>
<p>
Eventually I manage to purchase a small drink, and get someone to show me the special machine where you can scan your passport to get a code for the wi-fi. It's a shame they didn't think to put one in the immigration queue because this must be a pretty common occurrence. I finally, finally manage to contact my friend, who is of course already on the non-stop bus to the airport and has nearly arrived. But I can at least apologise.
</p>
<p>
Duties over, I set an alarm for an hour's time, lie down on a hard wooden bench with my luggage lovingly enfolded in my arms, and pass blissfully into unconsciousness for a regrettably short spell.
</p>
<p>
This sort of thing is what's frustrating about air travel. I'm not allowed to check in my luggage until two hours before the flight, but need to leave at least an hour to get through security. This means I can't sleep for three hours and then do the whole thing, but neither can I check in my luggage and then sleep until shortly before my flight, either before or after security.
</p>
<p>
Eventually I pass through into the departure lounge, and fly uneventfully to Xi'an. HT is waiting for me. It's about 1pm and I have slept for 4 hours in the past 48. But I'm finally here.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRkD6gtVro0AKemU2GEcpWFMLRs4IP77rBKagWGwdpS59JKpFZQsszZTmYKXpXsLBl_jxI5Oqt2vVqp8TTBfvsaPocHDd32skOP_8n240d9xhDrWqwaAMWD2m4cASQpbc8ygoyM1H5ZvI/s1600/mmexport1488024265719.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRkD6gtVro0AKemU2GEcpWFMLRs4IP77rBKagWGwdpS59JKpFZQsszZTmYKXpXsLBl_jxI5Oqt2vVqp8TTBfvsaPocHDd32skOP_8n240d9xhDrWqwaAMWD2m4cASQpbc8ygoyM1H5ZvI/s400/mmexport1488024265719.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a></div>
<p>
We head sleepily back into the city on a minibus, which takes about an hour. At long last, I reach my hotel and trundle my luggage to the desk, presenting my passport. After a long muttered conversation, the staff turn to my friend to announce that they are unable to find any record whatsoever of my booking.
</p>Shimmin Beghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10350037986748679919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1413166059304552489.post-85993428363743019772016-12-18T18:18:00.002+00:002016-12-18T18:18:40.084+00:00Shimmin Scones<p>
I've been asked for the sugar-free scone recipe <a href="http://a-shimmin-abroad.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/may-flowers.html">I mentioned in May</a>.
</p>
<p>
This is a set of variations around the theme of my parents' recipe, which they have from my grandparents. It may be centuries old for all I know, although I suspect not because self-raising flour is pretty modern.
</p>
<h3>Sugar-free scones</h3>
<p>
You'll want the following ingredients:
</p>
<ul>
<li>8oz self-raising flour
<li>2oz margarine (or butter)
<li>Spices to taste
<li>1/4 pint water or milk
<li>2oz dried fruit
</ul>
<p>
Mix the flour, spices and marg together, then slowly drip in the liquid. It should start to gather into a ball of dough with a claylike texture - it'll never get quite dry, but it should get easy to handle. If it becomes really tacky you'll need to add more flour.
</p>
<p>
I use a food processor which has only a blade (no blunt stirrer) so I throw the fruit in at the last minute. You can add it earlier if you've better equipment than me. If you add it too early, it can be ground up so small it's no longer noticeable, and it'll also upset the balance of the dough because it's basically adding sugar and water.
</p>
<p>
Although scone recipes normally include sugar, I find a reasonable amount of fruit and spices give it plenty of flavour. If you use butter or jam you should be fine. Personally I don't, but then I make these scones deliberately as a convenient but relatively healthy breakfast - quick to eat and with minimal mess, which means I can eat them at work.
</p>
<p>
Milk supposedly makes for a more luxurious recipe, but water always does fine for me. The milk recipe doesn't keep as well so that's another reason I avoid it.
</p>
<p>
Good combinations I've tried include the old staple of cinnamon + raisins, and cocoa powder + cherries. Cherries have a fair bit of sugar in, of course, so that's less healthy; on the other hand it offsets the bitterness of the cocoa. It's quite easy to overdo cocoa, it'll look very pale in the raw mixture but darkens on cooking. Mixed Spice is also a good bet.
</p>
<p>
I've also had a successful savoury recipe: poppy seed and rosemary, with a dash of salt to bring out the flavours.
</p>
<p>
Because I tend to make these as handy breakfasts, I divide the dough up into large chunks. You can normally get 3-4 large scones from one set of mixture, squash them out into a flat lump and they'll rise nicely (no need for kneading). Smaller ones work just as well, but need a little more watching because they burn more easily.
</p>
<p>
Put them on a greased tray and cook at preheated GM7/220C without fan/200C with fan for about 10 minutes. It's worth quickly separating them from the tray when you take them out just in case they stick; slightly tricky as they'll still be a bit soft. I find carefully shaking the tray side to side is often enough to dislodge them. Don't put them in a box straight away, as they'll release a lot of moisture as they cool and it'll fill with condensation. Leave them to cool (maybe with a dishcloth over them) and then box them up. Mine last a working week without going off, which is as long as I've ever tried it...
</p>Shimmin Beghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10350037986748679919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1413166059304552489.post-91392226219514253352016-11-15T12:16:00.000+00:002017-02-15T20:58:14.136+00:00Basel: Last Day and Departure<p>
By the morning of my third day in Basel, I am rather fed up. I'm still tired and ill from whatever blight has afflicated me. I've spent a good part of two days wandering aimlessly round the city, seeing the main streets and landmarks. I'm sincerely wondering what I can do with the rest of the day.
</p>
<p>
I take the bus into town, where I find a backery and pick up a couple of things to eat: Grättimaa Schoggi (chocolate chip pastry man) and a Schoggiweggli (some kind of chocolate chip pastry).
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoRg5vWP0CeVmzbhs0zKqAxazZq7PZ12zvFg1ZS_FUBwUbiTFy4A41ayVzSXcaaCk-aV4p15-foJ8cgR2sggTcHHDfOSn-NBH9TPnkNJminWd45l__7x1Jt-VOov9134tifKdOpOh1_jU/s1600/IMG_20161115_133800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoRg5vWP0CeVmzbhs0zKqAxazZq7PZ12zvFg1ZS_FUBwUbiTFy4A41ayVzSXcaaCk-aV4p15-foJ8cgR2sggTcHHDfOSn-NBH9TPnkNJminWd45l__7x1Jt-VOov9134tifKdOpOh1_jU/s400/IMG_20161115_133800.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEbbszZyzUm8ou07p6VTHWlubSiNubpbKJJ3NTLguiSIvYctRm55haJMdhg0Fzc-8bGsws4sLzip0Qf5UPwKyjwC3X0LiWWr1XNuufQJJx85VW4wq1p4rjwqzyOiHDMayEP87ZI1jwx24/s1600/IMG_20161115_133806.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEbbszZyzUm8ou07p6VTHWlubSiNubpbKJJ3NTLguiSIvYctRm55haJMdhg0Fzc-8bGsws4sLzip0Qf5UPwKyjwC3X0LiWWr1XNuufQJJx85VW4wq1p4rjwqzyOiHDMayEP87ZI1jwx24/s400/IMG_20161115_133806.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>It all looks so delicious, and there's only one of me to eat it.</p></div>
<p>
Today, I decided to head up through the Old City, which I'd only checked in passing previously. I avoided bringing a laptop so as to keep my bag light and allow for plenty of walking. I decide to turn off after the bridge and take a fairly circuitous route through various back streets. They're mildly interesting, but not in a photogenic way for the most part.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheM_VhCj6bdI-3JSsj0Z_FQN_SEPSdyAjnU6WLC00NQS5VTloXSdvgJl4qB8lPXVYdcmeZ33VmmQ37Jfh_cTiuCuMlrZls9MBZ2Z2gA-kyh7y0h-BrKrOFjJSktJei92t0dL061fuwuDw/s1600/PB150916.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheM_VhCj6bdI-3JSsj0Z_FQN_SEPSdyAjnU6WLC00NQS5VTloXSdvgJl4qB8lPXVYdcmeZ33VmmQ37Jfh_cTiuCuMlrZls9MBZ2Z2gA-kyh7y0h-BrKrOFjJSktJei92t0dL061fuwuDw/s400/PB150916.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>This mural is on a random wall. I have no idea what it represents, but it's both cool and trippy - could easily be early roleplaying game illustrations.</p></div>
<p>
There's a large building ahead which attracts my attention. This proves to be the <a href="http://www.congress.ch/">Congress Centre</a>, which I can't actually get inside. There's some kind of events going on, but there are security - presumably you either need a pass or to buy a ticket. On the plus side, there's some restaurants around too, and one of them is a relatively affordable Japanese restaurant! Hooray. I leap at the chance.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiolSqTkpuruDwE1nqOXCgTKeAvMcKZANmxLqcIZ_WmJa4j8gFscFvd2yX2lmyHfzRjxMsTTNQoVl7rb5kd1tnIgk_xYU9KBe82EfxYvdZ0OhKJ8VdcdcM6Iu-AqUakuAHM0XKAaoOkMg8/s1600/IMG_20161115_125155.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiolSqTkpuruDwE1nqOXCgTKeAvMcKZANmxLqcIZ_WmJa4j8gFscFvd2yX2lmyHfzRjxMsTTNQoVl7rb5kd1tnIgk_xYU9KBe82EfxYvdZ0OhKJ8VdcdcM6Iu-AqUakuAHM0XKAaoOkMg8/s400/IMG_20161115_125155.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXSlXo0qUl83Rs_WoAw_Gc1VmjixuU55Jh1UFLtQaS1hBFPm7urot7qSF8ABhyenoUj4K4YtOxYPsUoOc4mBoyNwRXMHsOBuz1apxjPYiKJHFGwyJ9tmVLnuNIL6iRLHT_jer9jCJ8wmQ/s1600/PB150917.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXSlXo0qUl83Rs_WoAw_Gc1VmjixuU55Jh1UFLtQaS1hBFPm7urot7qSF8ABhyenoUj4K4YtOxYPsUoOc4mBoyNwRXMHsOBuz1apxjPYiKJHFGwyJ9tmVLnuNIL6iRLHT_jer9jCJ8wmQ/s400/PB150917.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>Weird hole in the middle of the roof; it lets in a reasonable amount of light and presumably lightens the roof as well. Kind of cool.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxYaiTTJf2U2sWBy400E3WVVTCzzS3UI0OFW0JMsMlxEdYAmIikjklCQEVQTrvU6BC46WlsZCe9-uvP-9xM5tm0nOt4m3GJ9UFAHnqrpEcohfn44cpNVT_BiirAED7BH42EZLlZs1xQO8/s1600/IMG_20161115_132007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxYaiTTJf2U2sWBy400E3WVVTCzzS3UI0OFW0JMsMlxEdYAmIikjklCQEVQTrvU6BC46WlsZCe9-uvP-9xM5tm0nOt4m3GJ9UFAHnqrpEcohfn44cpNVT_BiirAED7BH42EZLlZs1xQO8/s400/IMG_20161115_132007.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>Not pictured here: very numbers of people breathing smoke all over me from all directions.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrD7xDcCDYohvAWx5RyWVWVdB3xkax2pdMfC8qp28q6Xb0FUGub_svHRyTY1VHwaym1nQr_Lpb6URcXLQk9hUXyx_j6YozIJ6bZuufTmPep_YroaUAM9cmXyNLgHuhQ6N0UTGg5lr4FHo/s1600/PB150918.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrD7xDcCDYohvAWx5RyWVWVdB3xkax2pdMfC8qp28q6Xb0FUGub_svHRyTY1VHwaym1nQr_Lpb6URcXLQk9hUXyx_j6YozIJ6bZuufTmPep_YroaUAM9cmXyNLgHuhQ6N0UTGg5lr4FHo/s400/PB150918.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>This was perfectly pleasant. It came with lamb, which I've only seen at a Mongolian restaurant in Japan, but was quite nice.</p></div>
<p>
Refreshed, I head back towards Barfuesserplatz and the <a href="http://www.hmb.ch/">Historical Museum</a>, which was closed yesterday.
</p>
<p>
I wander inside and find a handy locker to store my stuff. Some confusion ensues, because I'm under the impression that the museum is free, but as I try to wander down a set of stairs to check out the basement gallery, a staff member pounces on me. I apologise and go to buy a ticket I don't especially want. I think the setup may be that the basement part is ticketed but the upstairs is free? I'm confused. Maybe none of it is. Anyway, I pay and get on with it.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3NX1X1vC1Va_nhD8eN8yo61NSk6dbbgqVbTUc0gHMigqKrUTUutA7PosfsMa1m_2p1-32TIun1BvgVoJZeELHVTwfQhMePEwUY4jSZvhbUHTNOcedn3riaQBJOhdnZ3nzb2nwJNUVJEA/s1600/IMG_20161115_140427.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3NX1X1vC1Va_nhD8eN8yo61NSk6dbbgqVbTUc0gHMigqKrUTUutA7PosfsMa1m_2p1-32TIun1BvgVoJZeELHVTwfQhMePEwUY4jSZvhbUHTNOcedn3riaQBJOhdnZ3nzb2nwJNUVJEA/s400/IMG_20161115_140427.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>A town model</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-GOGl4rPTgRg70mJ7Ub9-xenCln1pnbQP9Rf21sUto8AXcwNVCc4H-RG8S8I7mxbM7K6jWl7MDjBxTXEAwVDlEp01wJLotBdswG3aOosuGY_hKC6w9hloAGo_Sgn1TaA02IzbmrpBaRc/s1600/IMG_20161115_140712.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-GOGl4rPTgRg70mJ7Ub9-xenCln1pnbQP9Rf21sUto8AXcwNVCc4H-RG8S8I7mxbM7K6jWl7MDjBxTXEAwVDlEp01wJLotBdswG3aOosuGY_hKC6w9hloAGo_Sgn1TaA02IzbmrpBaRc/s400/IMG_20161115_140712.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>There was an <a href="http://www.hmb.ch/en/museum-of-history/active-agents.html">exhibition</a> of chemistry, innovation and its social relevance.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTteeKgdcYEROL-dKlYWsg2YrLBK957YBqhtAxvihm1b4xawhPG4dpsV8QDvzEuvQ_zbtYSOn7uEP5DU82woeUzRdF6rheJ2HZvnC-TN7i-g0GVHWbWep7ZR74nIohk_lk2DHc8S7Q1_M/s1600/IMG_20161115_141230.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTteeKgdcYEROL-dKlYWsg2YrLBK957YBqhtAxvihm1b4xawhPG4dpsV8QDvzEuvQ_zbtYSOn7uEP5DU82woeUzRdF6rheJ2HZvnC-TN7i-g0GVHWbWep7ZR74nIohk_lk2DHc8S7Q1_M/s400/IMG_20161115_141230.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>I believe this is a coal-bearing rock, or some such.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfkWeeVtUCHZNdNa5KSyq0IYP9BUQo-Rw5_kd9-k_7ksIAeFI5PvILY-h13KX7POH1ETzrf3Y96Q7MTGqgPH8vANXRKopY28A7I9PCpMQBSAKzaiChOVYNI-1R82izhJIcw05kSB7a0oo/s1600/IMG_20161115_141237.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfkWeeVtUCHZNdNa5KSyq0IYP9BUQo-Rw5_kd9-k_7ksIAeFI5PvILY-h13KX7POH1ETzrf3Y96Q7MTGqgPH8vANXRKopY28A7I9PCpMQBSAKzaiChOVYNI-1R82izhJIcw05kSB7a0oo/s400/IMG_20161115_141237.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>Looks pretty groovy to me.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8kyJJoVTtl7pw1pOWVWofkQsOmmIcgZotPVVuQ6X7iSm_RTcz7mo-8WXYi7ST2AoDDNKiytno9xEUYvLizX-GIgyHk2tsVd4dwy9YuJ0OaJBcufqQjBN99bELgZNmhv8Mzc3JxnueU1Q/s1600/IMG_20161115_144039.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8kyJJoVTtl7pw1pOWVWofkQsOmmIcgZotPVVuQ6X7iSm_RTcz7mo-8WXYi7ST2AoDDNKiytno9xEUYvLizX-GIgyHk2tsVd4dwy9YuJ0OaJBcufqQjBN99bELgZNmhv8Mzc3JxnueU1Q/s400/IMG_20161115_144039.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>The museum is inside a church, and most of the fittings are still here. There are also some displays of historical church silverware.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0vT02qkAncYLvJ4ed8Ag0YbjSbZ5-iIeR7n5yb_gehujF2oxT0JrnfMnZg7TqDu9edYmBOqcUZKwfgbpEpHIGO9iOSqvuR_2s4OKIM1uVOU3fyZdc_0CQ3aShPXfwxSXjFOTNdQqMBps/s1600/IMG_20161115_144046.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0vT02qkAncYLvJ4ed8Ag0YbjSbZ5-iIeR7n5yb_gehujF2oxT0JrnfMnZg7TqDu9edYmBOqcUZKwfgbpEpHIGO9iOSqvuR_2s4OKIM1uVOU3fyZdc_0CQ3aShPXfwxSXjFOTNdQqMBps/s400/IMG_20161115_144046.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIjj1HIYrCA-1peWxYvWQUAeMls622Ya93kgQUCCwO44c1ml8HDAIctOFchOKOSv6ZDsrzHV6lFXIfNBLiWzAFxMh2YZT5fEzi7XEiKjVXFiYmufSZmEWvAHAAfePan0iC7XgfTz5mvzQ/s1600/IMG_20161115_144246.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIjj1HIYrCA-1peWxYvWQUAeMls622Ya93kgQUCCwO44c1ml8HDAIctOFchOKOSv6ZDsrzHV6lFXIfNBLiWzAFxMh2YZT5fEzi7XEiKjVXFiYmufSZmEWvAHAAfePan0iC7XgfTz5mvzQ/s400/IMG_20161115_144246.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>The basement contains a more general set of historical goods. Most of them are the usual generic artefacts - bowls, coins, bits of bone and so on. All fine, but I've seen plenty before.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOZTcxCuklfM6YRsxzjaEhAm_yL3sMijo8IheMbOZJ0oc7UL1ir-CB9DAMCb4UzmB8Cu0aRneanMkiY2ZwMC7otKUkll2F71Vhix5Pm7s_QZJDLDJvule4b_x_X4DvYIlaLN3dU2QJWtw/s1600/IMG_20161115_144753.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOZTcxCuklfM6YRsxzjaEhAm_yL3sMijo8IheMbOZJ0oc7UL1ir-CB9DAMCb4UzmB8Cu0aRneanMkiY2ZwMC7otKUkll2F71Vhix5Pm7s_QZJDLDJvule4b_x_X4DvYIlaLN3dU2QJWtw/s400/IMG_20161115_144753.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>These are incredibly thin stackable bowls.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqKsQlqFKhwME0A1cDIHSM8ASEufwWI2p43jBE04L6uKCmnQSipMMAe65hOn1vAEeU83VwVs5CAg5T7nQgz1GgJbTL-DWCwc5BNWi-6XMOfgxbCsO_cVKfOiVAMbojgtHfk3ka0U7RcN8/s1600/PB150919.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqKsQlqFKhwME0A1cDIHSM8ASEufwWI2p43jBE04L6uKCmnQSipMMAe65hOn1vAEeU83VwVs5CAg5T7nQgz1GgJbTL-DWCwc5BNWi-6XMOfgxbCsO_cVKfOiVAMbojgtHfk3ka0U7RcN8/s400/PB150919.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>I think this is a coconut turned into a dispenser of some sort.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqPODxdGA0LsNyMxth2xfQvJq2PU4j-mJpvxaX3p39icp7iTXHMTRxE3QrTHREe91c9MXdaJPXXLvzpJYmFcQbU_EnvyjLj_J0t-1A80bl7p1kwloYtMSVsODrV78kLWkaIgNyYrpHRhc/s1600/PB150920.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqPODxdGA0LsNyMxth2xfQvJq2PU4j-mJpvxaX3p39icp7iTXHMTRxE3QrTHREe91c9MXdaJPXXLvzpJYmFcQbU_EnvyjLj_J0t-1A80bl7p1kwloYtMSVsODrV78kLWkaIgNyYrpHRhc/s400/PB150920.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>Animal samples in a cabinet of curiosities.</p></div>
<p>
There were also plenty of tapestries, bits of mediaeval artwork (including rescued fragments of a huge Dance of Death mural) and samples from various local crafts.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU16zmrwXzdTXwCyg3Fc1xuqA8CZ9NaONKmkuHidbXMXXUTgoWPG4XhltaS0EaJTZ8LjQm9AG2vKRop7TKsRVYFQSngv2GW093G4egoRpRfi26r-mOdgIjx4s_iG4t9biDTyPwxdMq3Ew/s1600/PB150921.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU16zmrwXzdTXwCyg3Fc1xuqA8CZ9NaONKmkuHidbXMXXUTgoWPG4XhltaS0EaJTZ8LjQm9AG2vKRop7TKsRVYFQSngv2GW093G4egoRpRfi26r-mOdgIjx4s_iG4t9biDTyPwxdMq3Ew/s400/PB150921.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>This room is preserved as it belonged to a famous theologian, but embarrassingly I can't remember which and it's not on the website.</p></div>
<p>
Museumed out, I stride off into the steep streets to the south-west, randomly doing a circuit and just scoping the place out. There's not a huge amount of great interest to see here - various shops, lots of houses, but it's fairly ordinary stuff and the lighting isn't very good.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5EF42lxVLW_QPY82mqAJnN9PAab6sdkBD8K54Ao7dgSsk2IkhJJMHFS1luJJZXhG0NU94nqaUgMmzoG9ho28ml3tB921nyZzpH_WCJa2MtkvDaGQ3cpCttaCaM6TxJQlWZ9H2DUnr8NQ/s1600/IMG_20161115_153441.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5EF42lxVLW_QPY82mqAJnN9PAab6sdkBD8K54Ao7dgSsk2IkhJJMHFS1luJJZXhG0NU94nqaUgMmzoG9ho28ml3tB921nyZzpH_WCJa2MtkvDaGQ3cpCttaCaM6TxJQlWZ9H2DUnr8NQ/s400/IMG_20161115_153441.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7JNANHesq1-wzoCl-s_qohV93X72wEPYVSOflZ_MeShy25lTKKAYf_0PK1NkLfc47LMfAUqYjBtv-nblMYL_6ut2DlZ60BOrH02aZoDxSE3daL0r7mGKjE8IUZkgc0zffB_s3WwusK1g/s1600/IMG_20161115_153522.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7JNANHesq1-wzoCl-s_qohV93X72wEPYVSOflZ_MeShy25lTKKAYf_0PK1NkLfc47LMfAUqYjBtv-nblMYL_6ut2DlZ60BOrH02aZoDxSE3daL0r7mGKjE8IUZkgc0zffB_s3WwusK1g/s400/IMG_20161115_153522.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwqNG_H1Mc1jJO0qNFB1ncHctH3SWNliBCU18gaQ2UnNPms76-q14iVN1nCimkglsXIuYrgTWux_nKR-BHi1B2twowptbzcHGEZPLCozzt15eWZJ9JDO5ILG-AtjBW0f7Dof2TbsKpZR4/s1600/IMG_20161115_153746.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwqNG_H1Mc1jJO0qNFB1ncHctH3SWNliBCU18gaQ2UnNPms76-q14iVN1nCimkglsXIuYrgTWux_nKR-BHi1B2twowptbzcHGEZPLCozzt15eWZJ9JDO5ILG-AtjBW0f7Dof2TbsKpZR4/s400/IMG_20161115_153746.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p> </p></div>
<p>
To be fair, most places are not fundamentally particularly interesting. I've learned this more and more as I travel more. Many places are interesting to visit with other people. Some places are very scenic, although that often fades after a while. Most places have a few specific points of interest, which you may or may not be able to appreciate. I suspect it's a little easier if you're very much into restaurants or bars or something, because you can find that sort of thing more or less everywhere.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Gw7RcQF15v89d2miMu2ju3-luhhPWyodASBc0wyU5U6UOiJskEkQZqPtxl1YlT28NnIM3qT5bnYxoBT-OzNQkLgBkaL5bkD0yTguvs_qUkTOnR-whRnlx-FoE6Pc06pKhR_5hW_HXjA/s1600/IMG_20161115_123932.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Gw7RcQF15v89d2miMu2ju3-luhhPWyodASBc0wyU5U6UOiJskEkQZqPtxl1YlT28NnIM3qT5bnYxoBT-OzNQkLgBkaL5bkD0yTguvs_qUkTOnR-whRnlx-FoE6Pc06pKhR_5hW_HXjA/s400/IMG_20161115_123932.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1eO9zIzcC10pwszSGCvv4MyQZfBBC5Hg2jn8ydQXJ9Dl6zMUtbNFgrQVczWDwGxtHMWxmAFExJn7ELehNQUT25E9TsqQqItojuASS-y8nMh21WYaDEkdjA8GnaGSrFowTUG_8Ws3Aets/s1600/IMG_20161115_132807.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1eO9zIzcC10pwszSGCvv4MyQZfBBC5Hg2jn8ydQXJ9Dl6zMUtbNFgrQVczWDwGxtHMWxmAFExJn7ELehNQUT25E9TsqQqItojuASS-y8nMh21WYaDEkdjA8GnaGSrFowTUG_8Ws3Aets/s400/IMG_20161115_132807.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtNEzKZz9L-XGojJ9e0KYllxKTTtTuDap9aO0Hgc9LzYxXi96WCPbn6RIZrZNcGI2ALxHCas83XU9ZAp51HxvyobOkTFa6CoAnsgcj-cxuDY7KzCSXZJPsY30lUQbq1LanrLybsxzAOh8/s1600/IMG_20161115_132846.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtNEzKZz9L-XGojJ9e0KYllxKTTtTuDap9aO0Hgc9LzYxXi96WCPbn6RIZrZNcGI2ALxHCas83XU9ZAp51HxvyobOkTFa6CoAnsgcj-cxuDY7KzCSXZJPsY30lUQbq1LanrLybsxzAOh8/s400/IMG_20161115_132846.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>There is a large barometer in this street. I don't know why. At least, I think it was a barometer.</p></div>
<h3>Roothuus</h3>
<p>
There's a big, distinctive red building in the town centre. This is the town hall; "Roothuus" is the local dialect term for Council Hall (elsewhere "Rathaus"), and a handy homophonic pun on "Red House". It's not particularly striking in the low light conditions that prevail, but when the sun strikes it's very pleasing.
</p>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_RmTWePab-VValhMvJlqZVjftiZkcHlmJuKNomIi89ZBuujIzTYz2rhgSfR2yKXbp5LWS6UImQhutQhWkOAAiRjazeZdgDiQ7bTk8rhwqH1UMsIn9o8bM_yWzCnhQ_vbsAqKxW-iEfyo/s1600/IMG_20161114_161949.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_RmTWePab-VValhMvJlqZVjftiZkcHlmJuKNomIi89ZBuujIzTYz2rhgSfR2yKXbp5LWS6UImQhutQhWkOAAiRjazeZdgDiQ7bTk8rhwqH1UMsIn9o8bM_yWzCnhQ_vbsAqKxW-iEfyo/s400/IMG_20161114_161949.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeoRHIEAvY9c3pcQWLqYmbZa5y5gRisldEx8UGq-s1rOCrx1sEixVYVQ8KeDghQAe9FHt_J7DR9JUvYcL8H46FfCuB1LDXeK7t5XUAKFFGy-PjN0v3hj4S56fD_dFBSoaDsmEaEM1nNlQ/s1600/IMG_20161114_162146.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeoRHIEAvY9c3pcQWLqYmbZa5y5gRisldEx8UGq-s1rOCrx1sEixVYVQ8KeDghQAe9FHt_J7DR9JUvYcL8H46FfCuB1LDXeK7t5XUAKFFGy-PjN0v3hj4S56fD_dFBSoaDsmEaEM1nNlQ/s400/IMG_20161114_162146.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p> </p></div>
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<p>
With the night creeping in, I find a My Thai restaurant in a nearby shopping centre. I was actually planning to buy some bits from a supermarket, but it didn't have a suitable set of things (shopping for one meal for one person in a generic supermarket is suboptimal). So instead, I go for further noodles and nice green tea.
</p>
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<p>
Once I get back, I write for a while and decide on a walk. I'm getting bored and want to get out. I deliberately head away from town, and meander nowhere in particular. It's not hugely interesting, being just a generic residential district, but my podcast is good so it's fine.
</p>
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<p>
The following day, my flight is in the afternoon. For breakfast, I eat my cakes.
</p>
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<p>
I lock up, hand over the keys, and head off into town. Here I find a luggage locker to tuck my case away, and have another wander around. There's not a lot of excitement; I take further photos of the red building, and have my lunch back at My Thai to save the effort of hunting around too much. At that point I see no particular advantage in hanging around and decide to just head to the airport. There's a few intriguing-looking books, but given the extortionate prices here I see no reason to buy them; I can always pick them up from German sources. And I really, really don't need any more books right now.
</p>
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<p>
I sit around bored for a while, having several hours to kill before the flight. I sensibly brought some basic food, because the airport is sparse and extremely boring, though it does have a cafe. And now for the tedious journey back to Manchester.
</p>
<p>
Several hours later, I get into Manchester. The flight has not provided any form of liquid, and I've had no opportunity to collect any. My luggage takes so long to arrive that I have to sprint through the airport and down the stairs to the station, in the hopes of getting the 9.45pm train home. My hopes are dashed when, although I arrive a couple of minutes early, the train's arrival time slowly ticks back minute by minute. Before long, it's evident that there's no point getting it as I'll miss my connection and be stranded in the middle of nowhere overnight.
</p>
<p>
Thank heavens, the shop which earlier seemed to be closed has reopened. It's an all-night concern, apparently, and they were just restocking! I manage to buy a tea and muffin (eventually ferreting out my British money) and collapse at a table to wait two hours. As I do so, I realise that the foil-wrapped chocolate I was kindly given by my host at Aaron's Sleepwell, and hastily tucked into a pocket, has melted in my coat and seeped into the fabric, bestowing a large oily patch and a strong scent of chocolate which (SPOILERS) remains months later after several bouts of scrubbing and treatment.
</p>
<p>
<i>I hate Basel.</i>
</p>
<p>
I eventually get back well after midnight, pay for a taxi (almost unprecedented) and stumble into my flat around 1am. I'm so glad I took today off work.
</p>Shimmin Beghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10350037986748679919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1413166059304552489.post-71074276063034938692016-11-14T21:22:00.001+00:002016-11-14T21:22:41.600+00:00A quick announcement on posting habits<p>
Public service announcement: if you're reading this blog, but just keeping an eye on the latest blogposts, you're probably missing some.
</p>
<p>
For quite a long time I've been going back and filling in various posts which either I never quite finished (in some cases, as far back as my original trip to Japan in 2014) or didn't have time to write at all. For the sake of my blog making sense, I tend to date these on the actual date of the event, rather than letting them float up months or years afterwards and throwing the timeline out of whack. But that means they won't show up as the latest thing on the blog.
</p>
<p>
If that's the case, first off I recommend you get an RSS feed reader.* I use <a href="https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/brief/">Brief</a>, an add-on for Firefox, or <a href="https://feedly.com/">Feedly</a> with my Android phone. If you are not already using RSS feeds, but you read blogs or listen to podcasts or basically anything that publishes (ir)regular content, I really recommend investigating. They've significantly improved my life.
</p>
<div class="quote-tangent">
<p>
* This is a small program that tracks when websites you choose have new content available - new blogposts, episodes, articles and so on. It stands for Really Simple Syndication. The RSS Feed that's being read is just the list of recent content produced by the website, which most blogs and so on create automatically, just like this one does.
</p>
<p>
There's a button on the top right of this page (under "Subscribe") which shows the Posts and Comments RSS feeds for this site. You can click those to get the feed itself, and then depending on your browser and so on the technique for using it will vary. In my case I see a button called Subscribe, and I save it in a bookmark folder that I've associated with my Brief add-on. You can also manually add this feed to your reader with the following URL: http://a-shimmin-abroad.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default
</p>
</div>
<p>
Secondly, you might want to head back and check out the March and April posts from this year, at least, as I've been catching up on my trip there and still have some posts to go.
</p>
<p>
There will be more actual posts forthcoming soon, as I'm travelling right now. Stay tuned for exciting updates on which Starbucks I visited and whether any of the staff gave me cute things.
</p>Shimmin Beghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10350037986748679919noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1413166059304552489.post-37234780239640719232016-11-14T20:42:00.001+00:002017-02-15T20:54:25.471+00:00Basel: Aimless Wandering<p>
<s>Replete with</s> <s>Satiated</s> Having consumed organic matter to maintain my metabolic processes, I leave Burger King, turn on my podcasts, and begin to wander around the Old Town.
</p>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH2Cz3vx682_CNoOdrdA2RU7SOUpfD_U4qgzAhJBYHwE52SYY7DwhsTatQ6WlktNtU-nzCW0Fv07uNocsOTNfPsPbIhEIZUIyxaYBDF6AklX3I8TApYwheVh28ftyUnRKAYsoUwaOCNhhT/s1600/PB140861.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH2Cz3vx682_CNoOdrdA2RU7SOUpfD_U4qgzAhJBYHwE52SYY7DwhsTatQ6WlktNtU-nzCW0Fv07uNocsOTNfPsPbIhEIZUIyxaYBDF6AklX3I8TApYwheVh28ftyUnRKAYsoUwaOCNhhT/s400/PB140861.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>A useful street with a whole swathe of eateries, but I went in the Burger King I saw first because I was way, way too tired and hungry for faffing about.</p></div>
<p>
Or at least, that was the general idea.
</p>
<p>
Having located one of the Old Town landmarks, the history museum based in an old church, I realise that it's shut. I haven't been eating for that long, have I? No, it's just shut on Mondays. Like most museums.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ9-m43OzsufkVIo5-ExWayKBNQXejBGRycmVGT_EY9Fhat3fz-o3J0ABouLNDKiUfkr_SAHhACdDplekwap731EZmzPGFTD2qNgP28P3yEpIOniHP-tC2Z0ppJ4Mdwwivg5FJpfpprx6p/s1600/PB140862.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ9-m43OzsufkVIo5-ExWayKBNQXejBGRycmVGT_EY9Fhat3fz-o3J0ABouLNDKiUfkr_SAHhACdDplekwap731EZmzPGFTD2qNgP28P3yEpIOniHP-tC2Z0ppJ4Mdwwivg5FJpfpprx6p/s400/PB140862.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW4M2q_4O4DscOXQTSDgcTTGhA82WhVbvbCgJ5BwBoqa35_i0HWpZ6GLouH2t5Is09Mw6bt4LCxZl3D25mBCfLVrW0a9Jvms9z5zGPSeo99bXotqQ9y2_L1RSPV_0AxqJfYb_jo4tUEadq/s1600/PB140863.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW4M2q_4O4DscOXQTSDgcTTGhA82WhVbvbCgJ5BwBoqa35_i0HWpZ6GLouH2t5Is09Mw6bt4LCxZl3D25mBCfLVrW0a9Jvms9z5zGPSeo99bXotqQ9y2_L1RSPV_0AxqJfYb_jo4tUEadq/s400/PB140863.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>A very typical scene, with prominent trams.</p></div>
<p>
Oh dear.
</p>
<p>
Circling the museum, I strike north-east towards the river, where I plan to walk along the Rhine looking out for Rhinemaidens (one can always hope) and taking in the scenery. In mere minutes, I find myself gazing upon <s>the sparkling waters of the legend-haunted river</s> a McDonalds I know perfectly well to be almost directly south of the museum.
</p>
<p>
Retracing my steps, I manage to cross the spatiotemporal anomaly that is Barfuesserplatz and progress in a series of unwieldly arcs towards the north, constantly checking my map. My host advised me to check out the Pollock exhibition at the Kunstmuseum (but he's an artist so that's not surprising), which I do successfully find but choose to skip. Taking the road north towards the Wettstein bridge, I find myself gazing suspiciously at the historic townhouses about me, whose continuing ranks become ever more implausible as adjuncts to "being in the middle of a river" as I walk onward.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjHF-x2YCmeO_-0Bgc40pEWDPtOe32kUSMSvhUHVe1y4aJld_oSD7Lfb5GTvfzOZl7TL2-Ae8JWhzgFyaTJq9lIemLCjsUc_BY2KJlQ-lIiPXTZc2psrMt8mFnHud4YbtUcFmVwO00Ddqr/s1600/PB140864.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjHF-x2YCmeO_-0Bgc40pEWDPtOe32kUSMSvhUHVe1y4aJld_oSD7Lfb5GTvfzOZl7TL2-Ae8JWhzgFyaTJq9lIemLCjsUc_BY2KJlQ-lIiPXTZc2psrMt8mFnHud4YbtUcFmVwO00Ddqr/s400/PB140864.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRHnKiTAXiecpJMm9vy4e90icsoFIdqT9agbLOgvwM10JiylQozdFyng2ayff-6-f6xTgmPpVbDwb6Rcs6IlOctdTXJTHXLbcfIdB1R0CNQP4b1ejFMhb54mGlNJq4y-FLZpuEjeuqAnkm/s1600/PB140866.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRHnKiTAXiecpJMm9vy4e90icsoFIdqT9agbLOgvwM10JiylQozdFyng2ayff-6-f6xTgmPpVbDwb6Rcs6IlOctdTXJTHXLbcfIdB1R0CNQP4b1ejFMhb54mGlNJq4y-FLZpuEjeuqAnkm/s400/PB140866.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>This is a particularly cool postbox, in my view.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwTTKUzP9-VC_nPaAklkM_mbO_soP9mRUEmcsOXYJ2iYEOGcoMFVjHybhc7Z96M9uh4hFxqWMsc-BZQjam49Rd3wtU6Amwq63nA6YEeZdOv6hUhvyqQzpknERejKHj_ejBjL2eIQOSE5BI/s1600/PB140867.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwTTKUzP9-VC_nPaAklkM_mbO_soP9mRUEmcsOXYJ2iYEOGcoMFVjHybhc7Z96M9uh4hFxqWMsc-BZQjam49Rd3wtU6Amwq63nA6YEeZdOv6hUhvyqQzpknERejKHj_ejBjL2eIQOSE5BI/s400/PB140867.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>I'm used to seeing 300-year-old buildings around, but I'll admit the 600-year-old houses are impressive.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx7sXp9qh-JLRDfS6h_79phnE6xqNHKcjpWeLDT2tSYfSwfshkClxTcE6Ay-pCbaRfFTVR4nUwzn3TroA24Xu6pMjMgrGJgYTWN1rYgZK-JAqBXosoIoQy9zEQb4kw3PWSOcDOo7mnVB4d/s1600/PB140868.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx7sXp9qh-JLRDfS6h_79phnE6xqNHKcjpWeLDT2tSYfSwfshkClxTcE6Ay-pCbaRfFTVR4nUwzn3TroA24Xu6pMjMgrGJgYTWN1rYgZK-JAqBXosoIoQy9zEQb4kw3PWSOcDOo7mnVB4d/s400/PB140868.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a></div>
<p>
Finally concluding from encountering a park that I am in fact going directly east, I turn sharply to the left. Sheila from the Food Programme is interviewing some hospital staff about hospital food.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-41FMZTrdP-GhtfMVuXEEIjGi2UW4KsC2htIaWa3PpuRdINIaxUX5g1SAsppwjGVxJMgAfJ8hDfSSLtef18nfwEIEnj-oMCB2IX_SZuX6VF8BTTJI4zcj7r2uJnzWSNM6PjEIWeFzpUug/s1600/PB140870.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-41FMZTrdP-GhtfMVuXEEIjGi2UW4KsC2htIaWa3PpuRdINIaxUX5g1SAsppwjGVxJMgAfJ8hDfSSLtef18nfwEIEnj-oMCB2IX_SZuX6VF8BTTJI4zcj7r2uJnzWSNM6PjEIWeFzpUug/s400/PB140870.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a></div>
<p>
I'm pleased to discover a random stretch of what appears to be mediaeval wall, or possibly a facsimile of it. Switzerland has a lot of very old stuff, but given a lot of it's wood and it doesn't look that old, I'd say it's at least been refurbished relatively recently (in historical terms at least).
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw38qgYgWUhUYKvNgVa7C8t1X1S8My6RspNlI-9_WiQ9fraua8j4kOYIgBb-UaoDCRufxpXMokcepk4kSXKicfMIDkrpICPf1DJj899n7HEotcwMREQnkBkFKEFbu1g2x_RwwwF4CAXJa3/s1600/IMG_20161114_152819.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw38qgYgWUhUYKvNgVa7C8t1X1S8My6RspNlI-9_WiQ9fraua8j4kOYIgBb-UaoDCRufxpXMokcepk4kSXKicfMIDkrpICPf1DJj899n7HEotcwMREQnkBkFKEFbu1g2x_RwwwF4CAXJa3/s400/IMG_20161114_152819.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHNHe6Z7U5ClCsmeX8tM1GhBzmic5eAMF_O9nixCOW4JokkU_DPlmahlFYj2Bh9qPCNbl0nKcX4IFujwPpRE9v-57gPkLCesKrLgypb7UYi8p_lSJxPtCl1bjVD7gHDKJmcLJsHWb-J2eD/s1600/PANO_20161114_152408.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHNHe6Z7U5ClCsmeX8tM1GhBzmic5eAMF_O9nixCOW4JokkU_DPlmahlFYj2Bh9qPCNbl0nKcX4IFujwPpRE9v-57gPkLCesKrLgypb7UYi8p_lSJxPtCl1bjVD7gHDKJmcLJsHWb-J2eD/s400/PANO_20161114_152408.jpg" width="400" height="110" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIGHnisY82SsWPX52molRW90dlBLYJ4M3N7PAkoaTsTAGelc9Rv5daSiAusqpM1b-y9PfwsKHNaL4XzzNCV1Qvuj5M8mtFItIcdbNAexyPJ0MEPOUlmkPYDYNxoaslbXAayssuuCDjYkhL/s1600/IMG_20161114_152258.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIGHnisY82SsWPX52molRW90dlBLYJ4M3N7PAkoaTsTAGelc9Rv5daSiAusqpM1b-y9PfwsKHNaL4XzzNCV1Qvuj5M8mtFItIcdbNAexyPJ0MEPOUlmkPYDYNxoaslbXAayssuuCDjYkhL/s400/IMG_20161114_152258.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a></div>
<p>
I know this is near the paper museum, so I circle back to check that out; it's closed, of course.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg88YdmpQwz-KAb284eABHqEVKTm6cagLtq9hGCPYr0DKkiFKV5LgHF7S4ts9wi_YVdzzX5Sbwu6QX7vNe_kAKG4eBLWN-7rjYQ7olIQnh7_UQwVlbXf6WylYyX9MTg-v-eBX_H4DxPtBZH/s1600/IMG_20161114_152514.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg88YdmpQwz-KAb284eABHqEVKTm6cagLtq9hGCPYr0DKkiFKV5LgHF7S4ts9wi_YVdzzX5Sbwu6QX7vNe_kAKG4eBLWN-7rjYQ7olIQnh7_UQwVlbXf6WylYyX9MTg-v-eBX_H4DxPtBZH/s400/IMG_20161114_152514.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9oR-R9wHuWNWGUZpWmNhm2lgKbnzSkp4PzMAwdz_MK9o201el3f8m-qJWSrmyBJu3xWOrCSqfYcwFrkY14NtDwfgIuo_iNI4Bg8mnD40c5lIw1Mok4d7MnVIUxPE0MhhCDzY_R8t53pNQ/s1600/IMG_20161114_152522.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9oR-R9wHuWNWGUZpWmNhm2lgKbnzSkp4PzMAwdz_MK9o201el3f8m-qJWSrmyBJu3xWOrCSqfYcwFrkY14NtDwfgIuo_iNI4Bg8mnD40c5lIw1Mok4d7MnVIUxPE0MhhCDzY_R8t53pNQ/s400/IMG_20161114_152522.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>The machine doesn't respond to the button, of course, because the museum's closed and presumably it's been turned off.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_yoCISEhbD0PbFvGEFUzW0JXWftO7cOgVRypThbDPepvX6UlV-PYc5PaCst73ePt18KB-CHSrsCGriALMrC2XcpaJ02bG0nonWTxIvHEQlbmq65_em8_6BdcDXLBsBJKc-utKlzvncOB4/s1600/PB140873.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_yoCISEhbD0PbFvGEFUzW0JXWftO7cOgVRypThbDPepvX6UlV-PYc5PaCst73ePt18KB-CHSrsCGriALMrC2XcpaJ02bG0nonWTxIvHEQlbmq65_em8_6BdcDXLBsBJKc-utKlzvncOB4/s400/PB140873.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdjEygWQ806pEGICWA8-x9wGuz6EeS5DxNDm0j0Jns1EZ99PD2D0G0j49PeVMGv5oU-ouPV1odKXDCu9zeROeJaLDEOrSzmZUhX7wxOcf5r771IFhEyJF7pEnWmzLpjovIFSAOV19pSJ6s/s1600/PB140874.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdjEygWQ806pEGICWA8-x9wGuz6EeS5DxNDm0j0Jns1EZ99PD2D0G0j49PeVMGv5oU-ouPV1odKXDCu9zeROeJaLDEOrSzmZUhX7wxOcf5r771IFhEyJF7pEnWmzLpjovIFSAOV19pSJ6s/s400/PB140874.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm-OnnY3l0_nLwnZQNfkVnMrLkvuY_qnESS0Wxy221IVfkYXlc29HzANA1EOjHp8NeiMySZzc5ojpzMHTDAzcvr7HYlnB0e9RbUxKtMLy1aPqd-m79QaHKN9-RWxPz1XVM5ErjRM1qmHyL/s1600/PB140875.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm-OnnY3l0_nLwnZQNfkVnMrLkvuY_qnESS0Wxy221IVfkYXlc29HzANA1EOjHp8NeiMySZzc5ojpzMHTDAzcvr7HYlnB0e9RbUxKtMLy1aPqd-m79QaHKN9-RWxPz1XVM5ErjRM1qmHyL/s400/PB140875.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a></div>
<p>
I begin to wander back approximately along the river, appreciating the adequate views of distant buildings over some greyish water in the mid-afternoon winter twilight. Hey, I'll take what I can get at this point.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhlDGr1scCTmBQkhpHEVA1q3UTayJxP395qsvxKPy54QCbkDYJsOctV08J0l1ZXNiyM2wM1TjkXjvJG-9l3_P9l_olc4b6K5XqRsDZtBOKL5nOuEqrWJzVUxSt3kG4-OGLxQ2vXl5hBT3Y/s1600/IMG_20161114_154959.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhlDGr1scCTmBQkhpHEVA1q3UTayJxP395qsvxKPy54QCbkDYJsOctV08J0l1ZXNiyM2wM1TjkXjvJG-9l3_P9l_olc4b6K5XqRsDZtBOKL5nOuEqrWJzVUxSt3kG4-OGLxQ2vXl5hBT3Y/s400/IMG_20161114_154959.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe08S4gnSSpA1HcLdNLhDrGniooaPX5tn8DO5Lizk_1mKJiGKnFAULk2-jx3h1aTpyTmaxVEc4lU0-vMaL8nfo5IzLj8dcvj4SGWT8Hn1-C1aZo8oL2rzeLXMEBXKrHuyz3LtJ0kKaaqGE/s1600/PANO_20161114_152732.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe08S4gnSSpA1HcLdNLhDrGniooaPX5tn8DO5Lizk_1mKJiGKnFAULk2-jx3h1aTpyTmaxVEc4lU0-vMaL8nfo5IzLj8dcvj4SGWT8Hn1-C1aZo8oL2rzeLXMEBXKrHuyz3LtJ0kKaaqGE/s400/PANO_20161114_152732.jpg" width="400" height="124" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfYMOOpEDRhw0vITtI7xPLDJZVctClV03HRX9yqcWTOzLzFl5PbjNTzYy4fZLOwUUhJIp3GWtv-yiG5p0axhPQ84iq3qRva8kTPhFqls64kZuvzRsIcyTpqAgIjoEobcq1DtPrSFVPgqOO/s1600/PB140872.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfYMOOpEDRhw0vITtI7xPLDJZVctClV03HRX9yqcWTOzLzFl5PbjNTzYy4fZLOwUUhJIp3GWtv-yiG5p0axhPQ84iq3qRva8kTPhFqls64kZuvzRsIcyTpqAgIjoEobcq1DtPrSFVPgqOO/s400/PB140872.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS1AUhTiDgxQMDtQKZU0P9Zjj4_3Pwz5yaAsT76Lc-XnBn1b7kRCEMO1PEur5B0-SZSNE9bzMAk9yZEVmyxjvp8Afc2f3UqUTyzK1hJIx0vCQ-c9fBAnrFXGTfGNLJOnQasmnq3ZrrBZ6T/s1600/PB140876.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS1AUhTiDgxQMDtQKZU0P9Zjj4_3Pwz5yaAsT76Lc-XnBn1b7kRCEMO1PEur5B0-SZSNE9bzMAk9yZEVmyxjvp8Afc2f3UqUTyzK1hJIx0vCQ-c9fBAnrFXGTfGNLJOnQasmnq3ZrrBZ6T/s400/PB140876.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggP08X_E4VmFYoRBGmxmSzuq8OoaMRxrWdCL4TqhPbfHoqHwlAZAGpeSzPzck6Hqd0axUzie9_-40soCoNxJQXogGtLdd8RJTInrl9J76uYZ3rQ3VXGdh8FgYnOUF_CwivpipwdOUb3F0W/s1600/PB140877.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggP08X_E4VmFYoRBGmxmSzuq8OoaMRxrWdCL4TqhPbfHoqHwlAZAGpeSzPzck6Hqd0axUzie9_-40soCoNxJQXogGtLdd8RJTInrl9J76uYZ3rQ3VXGdh8FgYnOUF_CwivpipwdOUb3F0W/s400/PB140877.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a></div>
<p>
Along one of the sidestreets I find the Cartoon Museum! It sounds intriguing; if only it weren't closed. In this case, not merely for Monday, but for a renovation. It's almost like there's a conspiracy against me in Basel. I am entirely willing to believe this.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFJ2wh-5UzkmHil1zrxyTcfEAhj3ciTsAkAeSDllLoJp3kr1PXiSwiqZCEVzTZSJ2GC2oNHHeaN7Bq4HMUsgDMDL1iywCuvzq8ososdsLfvtDNSd6NX-kxHAIQMynBUKMm-Gq_bfV_F7OK/s1600/PB140878.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFJ2wh-5UzkmHil1zrxyTcfEAhj3ciTsAkAeSDllLoJp3kr1PXiSwiqZCEVzTZSJ2GC2oNHHeaN7Bq4HMUsgDMDL1iywCuvzq8ososdsLfvtDNSd6NX-kxHAIQMynBUKMm-Gq_bfV_F7OK/s400/PB140878.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8vnpAjnN6j956LOxb42y2WaRdMpyh4pIi8qeQ4PWZZEunVda0kj4_pWo3xvKDu6B28glsP4vV75-VtgMtWTatPI5xwdiqiqJrl6v_LHoME7ibETFAKzGPVzuLL-GMozWcBOHbe76BB7an/s1600/PB140879.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8vnpAjnN6j956LOxb42y2WaRdMpyh4pIi8qeQ4PWZZEunVda0kj4_pWo3xvKDu6B28glsP4vV75-VtgMtWTatPI5xwdiqiqJrl6v_LHoME7ibETFAKzGPVzuLL-GMozWcBOHbe76BB7an/s400/PB140879.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a></div>
<p>
That's a shame, as I expect it would have been interesting, and also I might have found some cool stuff in their shop (according to a sign, there is a shop with lots of comics and stuff).
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOFfQ3ye4ANSugimAVQJY_64GlyqxQsLYXxOMdbr4IR7sJX4ceCThDQAjB2cbCFDtE5fYB1Ca8tJzAu6s-gh6rlEQlxM_mzmupBJHg06IYBY4pdrHU6eqtmSyBT96bQwELKSFobGXMww54/s1600/PB140880.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOFfQ3ye4ANSugimAVQJY_64GlyqxQsLYXxOMdbr4IR7sJX4ceCThDQAjB2cbCFDtE5fYB1Ca8tJzAu6s-gh6rlEQlxM_mzmupBJHg06IYBY4pdrHU6eqtmSyBT96bQwELKSFobGXMww54/s400/PB140880.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p><a href="http://www.eisenbahncenter.ch/wp/catering/cornish-pasties">I don't know either</a>.</p></div>
<p>
There is a red sandstone church nearby, where renovation work is being carried out. I'm listening, by this point, to a podcast about microbakeries and the work of some microbakers in helping at-risk young people take control of their lives.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGc_u2QZFpfBsMy72lCJNTo8OOUyOSPVXuKVSqqfXTan-N5dPQqsy0uGftuAMSnwX844iiKfWFpK8AV6LtIXt40NwyqoRLLaz9UJXU61bJ-pj16z5P4EJHxRNVrI4iTUjHGzisqplCLdJo/s1600/PB140881.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGc_u2QZFpfBsMy72lCJNTo8OOUyOSPVXuKVSqqfXTan-N5dPQqsy0uGftuAMSnwX844iiKfWFpK8AV6LtIXt40NwyqoRLLaz9UJXU61bJ-pj16z5P4EJHxRNVrI4iTUjHGzisqplCLdJo/s400/PB140881.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpZOxsWRxq4K0DYr0BP-krUdjvi1PyqFr3Qo2YwoaSwrKk-WHZxQluqzm_eFhJOT620Y4oW3fF5wTaySslJm43LT-Bdkt3vqxS8Q25mB5vDz56lPxxsjhJZby9u5p4umuQ21Wexf18gYJs/s1600/PB140887.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpZOxsWRxq4K0DYr0BP-krUdjvi1PyqFr3Qo2YwoaSwrKk-WHZxQluqzm_eFhJOT620Y4oW3fF5wTaySslJm43LT-Bdkt3vqxS8Q25mB5vDz56lPxxsjhJZby9u5p4umuQ21Wexf18gYJs/s400/PB140887.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUOnQZKinciji0naLBGv6nPBT_U349ufwXzNVOpcFsk9163ktyrqiKgMk0ORBFDOkJ5-NRwsH-bPpYSvYLrmqt6SZgRdiosrIK3Yko3tQYNDGdXs4eMYrtXgRh15Ryio2CQPhvMoNDHUMq/s1600/PB140889.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUOnQZKinciji0naLBGv6nPBT_U349ufwXzNVOpcFsk9163ktyrqiKgMk0ORBFDOkJ5-NRwsH-bPpYSvYLrmqt6SZgRdiosrIK3Yko3tQYNDGdXs4eMYrtXgRh15Ryio2CQPhvMoNDHUMq/s400/PB140889.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a></div>
<p>
At last, my efforts are rewarded as I find the bridge I was looking for an hour ago and set off across the Rhine.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgojd9G71zmIfTIzwFokOnmwbjB_raS30gR0G13VD4ngsAMMADrn-o7yHwkiT3jKutKKAyr4fIH7LcXjJIVpwpNpbmSAlCLxHk6BCp5PRmJTnLF0HynQpZREC4pRdYjXVhRZXaOGWDFiNNf/s1600/PB140891.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgojd9G71zmIfTIzwFokOnmwbjB_raS30gR0G13VD4ngsAMMADrn-o7yHwkiT3jKutKKAyr4fIH7LcXjJIVpwpNpbmSAlCLxHk6BCp5PRmJTnLF0HynQpZREC4pRdYjXVhRZXaOGWDFiNNf/s400/PB140891.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwytpONUGC3H11vJSR1wPnZGgIx7ttHmHSoWFQ78CCvQQjvQxM30nmp9bTRb1ufq7gkLa6Q9JMP05Pp_pKHN4e5ksXvB_DbJpP0JtMZSpIdOc4H0BioY8N-qrkGSk-47pnDPtmbIqlUOT4/s1600/PB140895.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwytpONUGC3H11vJSR1wPnZGgIx7ttHmHSoWFQ78CCvQQjvQxM30nmp9bTRb1ufq7gkLa6Q9JMP05Pp_pKHN4e5ksXvB_DbJpP0JtMZSpIdOc4H0BioY8N-qrkGSk-47pnDPtmbIqlUOT4/s400/PB140895.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>Around the centre is what I think is a shrine. People have done that irritating padlock thing for some reason.</p></div>
<p>
After a quick look round, I realise it's nearly 5pm and about to get dark. I'm a bit cold, somewhat tired and have been walking around for ages. Rather than immediately start exploring the far side of the river, I decide to cross back and find a cafe. I'm here for basically two more full days; there's really no need to exhaust the full walking-around potential of the city. And who knows, tomorrow I might even be in a better mood.
</p>
<p>
On my way back I pause to listen to a street violinist. This is <a href="http://www.miarenfer.com/">Mia Renfer</a> and she does sweepy atmospheric pieces while I'm sat there. She's got an album out, go and listen to some samples, see if you like her music. I go up to get her website details, and drop some money in her case, with the usual awkwardness of this transaction exacerbated by the usual awkwardness of being British, now coupled with the unusual awkwardness of being in a foreign country.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixPes8OSFcDCVwPiEvl8iRcS_xT6ZLJ5CfbOlWkvLAHCgr23_3E39uBMg9HD-GaZtL5VYxOI_2oTbd3Y5vva7sb5UWIRZfFmj5KaUY-PEl3CupV5zQ_skysnRopU6NTd69uvdlUDUdgEKL/s1600/IMG_20161114_163141.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixPes8OSFcDCVwPiEvl8iRcS_xT6ZLJ5CfbOlWkvLAHCgr23_3E39uBMg9HD-GaZtL5VYxOI_2oTbd3Y5vva7sb5UWIRZfFmj5KaUY-PEl3CupV5zQ_skysnRopU6NTd69uvdlUDUdgEKL/s400/IMG_20161114_163141.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a></div>
<p>
After a couple of hours sat in a Starbucks I realise I should probably go back to the B&B. It's dark and I'll have to eat at some point, though the very late lunch means my body clock is all thrown off. I manage to make my way there without any particular problems, but struggle to find anything particularly suitable for a solo uncooked tea for one in the local shop. I end up eating the remains of my Fladenbrot, now rather stale, washed down with yoghurt. The glamorous life of the European traveller!
</p>Shimmin Beghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10350037986748679919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1413166059304552489.post-85218529350027493462016-11-14T15:43:00.000+00:002017-02-15T17:19:53.221+00:00Basel: An Unpromising Start<p>
Having had a pretty nice time in Lucerne, the time has come to begin what inevitably feels like the rather depressing homeward phase of the journey. I'm due to fly out from Basel, but having come all this way I decided to book a couple of days there first. Now this feels like a mistake.
</p>
<p>
Easily buying a ticket, I hop onto the train and read for an hour, looking up as we pass through the nicer bits of scenery.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRShwKfMOxVfVdURjqxTdjsoSV2OiQeJ6riV9D4EVFJ2O_iIcWuv_MKzGoFQKeHtN4tAF__UF7FQ1dS2WMgLdS1T3H2Xx-SOeurPo-Y1Hn7AMSbXKHXDsUZuKfAsUzalWpB2SWmBkJijzD/s1600/PB140851.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRShwKfMOxVfVdURjqxTdjsoSV2OiQeJ6riV9D4EVFJ2O_iIcWuv_MKzGoFQKeHtN4tAF__UF7FQ1dS2WMgLdS1T3H2Xx-SOeurPo-Y1Hn7AMSbXKHXDsUZuKfAsUzalWpB2SWmBkJijzD/s400/PB140851.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR6yXEDkX0XhwfXTS6mNOFoNj8tInR1g9Jdr-oVaLGf5EfiuDTd1dh0B4XjPmd_zxZ2owxcfKjxPKea6eEUx3IyrgX0AXL9wzpduUEfF5QFKc9Igfb_rtmCCA7F_QUpk-FeTnAi8uCwGAn/s1600/IMG_20161114_110734.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR6yXEDkX0XhwfXTS6mNOFoNj8tInR1g9Jdr-oVaLGf5EfiuDTd1dh0B4XjPmd_zxZ2owxcfKjxPKea6eEUx3IyrgX0AXL9wzpduUEfF5QFKc9Igfb_rtmCCA7F_QUpk-FeTnAi8uCwGAn/s400/IMG_20161114_110734.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a></div>
<p>
Getting off at Basel station, I am greeted by a grey building and a man lighting a cigarette. I drag my luggage onto the escalator into the main concourse, where my initial plan is to look for somewhere to eat. It's early, but getting to the hotel will take a while; if I can eat first and then go to dump all my stuff, that'll be great.
</p>
<p>
Using the handy free wifi available at all the stations I've visited so far (take note, Britain) I hover outside a bookshop and scan for eating places, trying to ignore the smoke wafting towards me from the smoker by the door. There's a few options but not a huge number nearby. I check out the offerings at the cafe across the way, trying not to breathe too much.
</p>
<p>
Failing to find anything appealing, I head downwards again, intending to go through the station and check out a little run of eatery-type streets near the station and tram station. Dodging smokers as best I can, I decide the CHF40-a-head place in the basement isn't for me and head north. This rapidly turns out to be west.
</p>
<p>
The lesson for today is that even Google Maps is not your friend.
</p>
<p>
With much difficulty I manage to loop back in the intended direction, passing a Burger King and a rather intimidating Italian restaurant. Nimbly evading the constant barrage of trams, I attempt to go to a Chinese place just by the station, but looking inside it's fairly clear that my suitcase would be a distinctly unwelcome consumer of space amidst the very packed seats. I give up, deciding to head to the B&B and drop off my things, then come back and eat late.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH3RQLiGe590-Hn93WezOuiUkZyrWpdYOB1l_Ln8co6hjbi7vE4Z2hqgvubXWCzmWMdrNt0jSO2KYZiDBmELisJnV8OmIB-XBV7E0WbPjaraPUE36EG3snxItB3j3SGwETZ7gwTxGe_jqh/s1600/PB140852.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH3RQLiGe590-Hn93WezOuiUkZyrWpdYOB1l_Ln8co6hjbi7vE4Z2hqgvubXWCzmWMdrNt0jSO2KYZiDBmELisJnV8OmIB-XBV7E0WbPjaraPUE36EG3snxItB3j3SGwETZ7gwTxGe_jqh/s400/PB140852.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>If I was summarising Basel in one photo it would probably be this one. There are at least six tram stops in this photo, ideal for first-time visitors who have no freaking idea what they're doing.</p></div>
<p>
It was harder to find somewhere to stay in Basel, so I've been forced to book somewhere in the actual suburbs. This means a two-part trip, by tram and then bus, according to what I can find out. I buy my ticket and wait for the tram, then start watching my progess. Google Maps is behaving very oddly.
</p>
<p>
No, I'm just going in a completely different direction to what I expected. This must be the wrong direction of tram.
</p>
<p>
I get off, now nowhere near where I wanted to be. Exasperated, I decide to set off on foot. It's about a 30-minute walk from where, as best I can tell, I am now. Since the transport options are now different, I'm not sure how to get there by any other method. Also, getting buses in another city is in my experience a very different proposition from getting trams. Trams have fixed stops and it's fairly clear when you're there. Buses do whatever they like.
</p>
<p>
There now begins a Kafkaesque carnival of errors.
</p>
<p>
Diligently reading the names of streets and consulting my map, and Google Maps, I nevertheless progress perpetually further from my intended route in an escalating spiral of fractal wrongness. Every street appears to twist and turn in directions that do not, on calm consideration, reflect the familiar geography of our material universe. Setting out north-east along Sternengasse, I find myself on the wrong side of an underpass to the west ascending Auberg. Elizabethenkirche appears to exert an unholy influence over my fevered movements as I search with increasing grim frustration for a way out of the knotted streets. The stars above wheel in their courses, and hateful shadows dance in the doorways at the corners of my vision.
</p>
<p>
At last, I miraculously break free into Aeschenplatz and, pausing only to solve the intricate puzzle of where the Number 3 Tram might stop amidst a bird's nest of tramlines, find myself at last on the way to Aaron's Sleep-Well B&B.
</p>
<p>
I get off at Breite and set off in what turns out to be the wrong direction.
</p>
<p>
I have never been more thankful that I set up an overseas data roaming plan before coming here.
</p>
<p>
Weaving my way across several crossings and under a flyover, I set off into a suburb of apartment blocks, pausing only to photograph a crop of unfamiliar brain-like fruit fallen beneath a trea. At least, I hope they were fruit.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIPfvuHcAeXx6A-d-laI3j7kYBXEzA-6fZjjRsc4X6Z-mEzC1m48oeumWdH0qAiRi-UFjNRZ7h5HWOHwvE99FnPcbEhp-XqsfRywDD2Eh90Q3FumoH1zNO4WOftz7MwO5EJ0A5cC776QrH/s1600/PB140854.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIPfvuHcAeXx6A-d-laI3j7kYBXEzA-6fZjjRsc4X6Z-mEzC1m48oeumWdH0qAiRi-UFjNRZ7h5HWOHwvE99FnPcbEhp-XqsfRywDD2Eh90Q3FumoH1zNO4WOftz7MwO5EJ0A5cC776QrH/s400/PB140854.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>Based on my experiences so far today, it is entirely plausible that these are <i>not fruit</i>. I avoid examining them too closely.</p></div>
<p>
Following Google Maps with the fervid focus of a dangerous madman, I haul my revolting yellow suitcase over curbs and around cars as I make my way into the maze. At last, I spy the actual corner of Aaron's Sleep-Well B&B distinctly visible before me, amidst the trees. It's just past the bushes, the vans, and that impenetrable wall of hazard fencing erected by the hard-hatted man diligently demolishing the entire road-and-pavement network of the district.
</p>
<p>
Oh.
</p>
<p>
Not to be so easily defeated, I consider sitting down on my suitcase and hoping to be adopted by a passing benefactor, but glimpsing someone striding past on the other side of the hostel I have another idea. Although Google Maps doesn't actually show it (because it's not a road - seriously, it's a major flaw of a product people use for many things other than driving, although possibly not in car-obsessed America) there is in fact a footpath up ahead, beside the canal.
</p>
<p>
I round a couple of corners, pass an apartment block, and drag my suitcase up a very narrow grass-overgrown flight of stairs to the canal, resolutely not swearing.
</p>
<p>
I hate Basel. I don't hate it in any particularly fervent way; not the kind of passionate hate that somehow endears you to a place. It's the kind of dull, grey hatred I attach to taxation paperwork and Crewe Station; I am grimly determined to endure it. I resent the time I have spent pointlessly walking around it, the inescapable smokers, the fact that my hotel is annoyingly far away, the absence of convenient eating-places and the necessity of spending two days here before I can leave. A scrupulously fair judge might consider some of these resentments misplaced, but I have abandoned any pretence at impartiality.
</p>
<p>
Soon, a mere hour and a half after I set off on my twenty-minute journey, I stand outside the hostel.
</p>
<p>
I wander through the gate and knock politely. No answer. It's smaller than I expected...
</p>
<p>
I try the door. Nothing. There is a tourism sticker on the door though, so I'm confident it's the right place. It has a kind of... sitting room look.
</p>
<p>
Giving up, I wander back to the canal. There's a set of steps leading down the side of the building, to the pavement I'd have used if it wasn't being dug up. With no better ideas, I decide to go there and reluctantly drag my suitcase all the way down. Here I do find a postbox with labelling that confirms it's the right building, but no sign of anyone here either. It doesn't look much like a B&B.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgJnqHHv7GLcu3E9j-e6bfvkQIGJbJwWiNkmj-pdMT_5zk3GQxZ93gQqnPS_tG4ihndlJGHt2JUueovEO7DlnULClUXa53aeUEM2k-tdc-9WcGn-lARE3_mjjlJ4fdjlqA02MeUF20tnFu/s1600/PB140856.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgJnqHHv7GLcu3E9j-e6bfvkQIGJbJwWiNkmj-pdMT_5zk3GQxZ93gQqnPS_tG4ihndlJGHt2JUueovEO7DlnULClUXa53aeUEM2k-tdc-9WcGn-lARE3_mjjlJ4fdjlqA02MeUF20tnFu/s400/PB140856.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>Part of the obstacle course from the main road. It looks even worse from the other end, but I think technically you probably can get through in fact. Especially if you don't have a suitcase.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGHXnpsZUlAkGXcl2t6buuRx5jWUn_clb-JYX34g418dvWYHtlrlAxWIMoSJQG5xY1wZHeOqmGLBFylA2IDfCDcUCuAgUpbF_0YkhS_PHbH995CWc-Ma_iLQ-b6Xi7rPM_tpUxJ_7qiqXP/s1600/PB140857.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGHXnpsZUlAkGXcl2t6buuRx5jWUn_clb-JYX34g418dvWYHtlrlAxWIMoSJQG5xY1wZHeOqmGLBFylA2IDfCDcUCuAgUpbF_0YkhS_PHbH995CWc-Ma_iLQ-b6Xi7rPM_tpUxJ_7qiqXP/s400/PB140857.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>The entrance, although not the <i>right</i> entrance, to the B&B rooms. You need to go round the back, to the third entrance you can't see from any external point. Obviously.</p></div>
<p>
Checking my emails, I notice that the staff agreed to expect me about 2pm. It's only 1.30 now. Maybe they're out? I dash off a quick email (thanks again, data plan!) and sit down to wait. Luckily, a few moments later, a man walks around the corner of the building carrying a pillow. He looks surprised.
</p>
<p>
Things are shortly sorted out. This is indeed the man in charge, and he's been cleaning the room. I go inside. As far as I can tell, it's not what I'd consider a B&B at all - which is to say, a house or pub which lets out some of its rooms for short-term guests who also get breakfast. Instead, it's a small building divided into a large and a small apartment, which are as far as I can tell let out by offsite owners. Unless they do actually live upstairs? You can get breakfast, although I don't understand how that would work, and I decide not to.
</p>
<p>
Finally having freed myself of the suitcase, I walk back down the canal towards a tram stop. I don't emerge at the tram stop I expected, but making the most of a small victory over geography I get on the damn tram and like it. A small bonus I discovered is that a stamped card I got from the B&B allows me free travel on public transport, though it's a shame I couldn't get it before I got the tram there - always a problem with these schemes.
</p>
<p>
Disembarking in the middle of town, I look for somewhere to eat. Passing a posh restaurant and a bijou burger shop, I find a Burger King, and decide to give up any pretence at sophisticated tourism or indeed balanced nutrition. Chips it is then.
</p>Shimmin Beghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10350037986748679919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1413166059304552489.post-69156711116343172882016-11-13T17:27:00.000+00:002017-02-15T16:12:10.791+00:00Lucerne: Reunion
<p>
Finally, it was time to meet M-san again. It's been a long time.
</p>
<p>
We arranged to meet near the station, and go for breakfast, before having a tour of the city.
</p>
<a name='more'></a>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinLNcz2WFUzNOAbhfTwlitsNqauWzBHhcviFW1ov2dyziBd7obsncSDg-9yxXM6vXM11Ji3gqSW0qTTTXyJmv81LvBhitVuAYoASPz3lJRKi9BtwBZFEAG6lba3oiBlOHrstREqJWxs0nC/s1600/IMG_20161113_103806.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinLNcz2WFUzNOAbhfTwlitsNqauWzBHhcviFW1ov2dyziBd7obsncSDg-9yxXM6vXM11Ji3gqSW0qTTTXyJmv81LvBhitVuAYoASPz3lJRKi9BtwBZFEAG6lba3oiBlOHrstREqJWxs0nC/s400/IMG_20161113_103806.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>This is the entrance, although the place where we ate is called La Vie En Rose. It's very nice.</p></div>
<p>
I bought a set breakfast option, since I couldn't decipher any of the Swiss German foodstuffs, and I felt asking M-san for a translation into Japanese wouldn't particularly leave me any the wiser...
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwrelKDyWMeO1Qhwqz568g5s7wEN-jxyLqlN1Fk1V4cRH8n-6DiGaATyX74Ckn25mlpnNXhNm9s9jotU1Ora4SbVcTE7ZKBRC5UoG4d5yaM45WvqJ1gj_B29oQMbVBZ672iXxlLrNm6ttS/s1600/IMG_20161113_103943.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwrelKDyWMeO1Qhwqz568g5s7wEN-jxyLqlN1Fk1V4cRH8n-6DiGaATyX74Ckn25mlpnNXhNm9s9jotU1Ora4SbVcTE7ZKBRC5UoG4d5yaM45WvqJ1gj_B29oQMbVBZ672iXxlLrNm6ttS/s400/IMG_20161113_103943.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>There's a big Picasso collection nearby, although I didn't have time to visit. I'm, um, not sure I would have anyway. But it's there.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLJRY7jg8VLFw5Efw1D9bilH6Q4fvg41hTb33eyXyJFmSQFYnGjP44DO19LYeoIS03zCKn7MMfKB4Ha1oJYVw4rzaQxL65shjc9sTfZLqDX2JmWeggbYtHHF4GsyhK7kVVT4GbTCN_ZKzb/s1600/PB130775.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLJRY7jg8VLFw5Efw1D9bilH6Q4fvg41hTb33eyXyJFmSQFYnGjP44DO19LYeoIS03zCKn7MMfKB4Ha1oJYVw4rzaQxL65shjc9sTfZLqDX2JmWeggbYtHHF4GsyhK7kVVT4GbTCN_ZKzb/s400/PB130775.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>It's got some pretty cool stonework too.</p></div>
<p>After a delicious, leisurely breakfast we headed back towards the river to begin our tour. It's great having a local guide who isn't just fairly local, but comes to the city virtually every day! It makes a big difference, as my attempts at tour-guiding around various cities demonstrate.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiowMBV-u8iiZM7uljRmtYxad3D9VebKLUPp226WUCQRdJGDy11WNNoq5ktYeOzS1Vly943McHMQ0zTIOQm-uqFCKKgc10wyTFFBkW53MGgaVeWr6JYnFxHYzdtLer8AqfsU98k0PM6_Ofe/s1600/PB130777.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiowMBV-u8iiZM7uljRmtYxad3D9VebKLUPp226WUCQRdJGDy11WNNoq5ktYeOzS1Vly943McHMQ0zTIOQm-uqFCKKgc10wyTFFBkW53MGgaVeWr6JYnFxHYzdtLer8AqfsU98k0PM6_Ofe/s400/PB130777.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>M-san on the bridge looking towards a mountain. The weather improved throughout the day, but at the time I was expecting basically grey skies throughout.</p></div>
<h3>Chapel Bridge</h3>
<p>
Of course, any tour of Lucern has to begin with Chapel Bridge. You can see why. It's pretty cool.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWbYa68Ca8Ado4CniMfmol2mxloUchWc2Yl79j9N57T8QDJfsthj1S2onkiGFfbvvK5g38VlVph3TPO2LGSCV6vcRyA-zPKmR853rG6LhUPJYcjt3DJXTSJ9J_qtjWwMhYyAvfeOSIOSGV/s1600/IMG_20161113_105446.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWbYa68Ca8Ado4CniMfmol2mxloUchWc2Yl79j9N57T8QDJfsthj1S2onkiGFfbvvK5g38VlVph3TPO2LGSCV6vcRyA-zPKmR853rG6LhUPJYcjt3DJXTSJ9J_qtjWwMhYyAvfeOSIOSGV/s400/IMG_20161113_105446.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfUAvve1BXvFQDCosNcM_4xQwv6rNN3y3FZ-om1Cv8nDeilsMDzYq2zBLQtUOBtbvQfsXs4xCJls4gFWHXFrfK86ayXzYwNMOUQmvNkGcLAhIosBN40Xi2ewIUbTDQ5YZ5vhugG3C12m8r/s1600/IMG_20161113_105508.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfUAvve1BXvFQDCosNcM_4xQwv6rNN3y3FZ-om1Cv8nDeilsMDzYq2zBLQtUOBtbvQfsXs4xCJls4gFWHXFrfK86ayXzYwNMOUQmvNkGcLAhIosBN40Xi2ewIUbTDQ5YZ5vhugG3C12m8r/s400/IMG_20161113_105508.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>Contrary to the picture, we were not (as far as I know) traversing some kind of white interdimensional void. It's just my camera being weird.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYrhGVi9OYilfwGbDhsH9eCHp2zKAckS0KSihpmgvkA7WDUrOyUrhATCfMrU1tQC0SpGIViU8L90oAKjxSzGNUT4yX1S9UtybEMxHIbq2ajLBgEp42XeRtq7AsAwVieNwGjiTC4Ajc8Y31/s1600/1479118151746.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYrhGVi9OYilfwGbDhsH9eCHp2zKAckS0KSihpmgvkA7WDUrOyUrhATCfMrU1tQC0SpGIViU8L90oAKjxSzGNUT4yX1S9UtybEMxHIbq2ajLBgEp42XeRtq7AsAwVieNwGjiTC4Ajc8Y31/s400/1479118151746.jpg" width="400" height="300" /><p>We are the coolest</p></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAcwTmP4vo_wIr5Y6GteU00IlfQ4umKPW-3Ys59XazPuurv4pbot45TgovJC2-BRx6GogJYgNco8uJSuYdLKWJN5LmYaEbVj0rTsqwpTqZXc7sE8oscLBdRLgpG6zRanARCTm2LRsJhaoh/s1600/PB130776.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAcwTmP4vo_wIr5Y6GteU00IlfQ4umKPW-3Ys59XazPuurv4pbot45TgovJC2-BRx6GogJYgNco8uJSuYdLKWJN5LmYaEbVj0rTsqwpTqZXc7sE8oscLBdRLgpG6zRanARCTm2LRsJhaoh/s400/PB130776.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRxLigBcLs56s9A2LIK35X-6RaqxA3FMI3ikBx81iR5GBVyBseJtgFOxp9BY1xi0YOwg1Q-ZZag53vjVwt4or6O4LTyRhAj-lYX2Vwb1UIuy1Y_hhv6F7xQ99pkn5bdi6DXsnLi-ntCEPK/s1600/PB130778.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRxLigBcLs56s9A2LIK35X-6RaqxA3FMI3ikBx81iR5GBVyBseJtgFOxp9BY1xi0YOwg1Q-ZZag53vjVwt4or6O4LTyRhAj-lYX2Vwb1UIuy1Y_hhv6F7xQ99pkn5bdi6DXsnLi-ntCEPK/s400/PB130778.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>Such mountain. Very snow.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijgfPGyOM7NPCChc7aNKNcmYzVJff4fTazerdTs6kD7wwvT4ismqUihkHU-PBbfHQE069c1dcreEYVUJd0DlFyp45Fd81rW06F3ElHDaY8xBVcZALhganzu1cfqR9cdR_MOvs0d5TcMunY/s1600/PB130781.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijgfPGyOM7NPCChc7aNKNcmYzVJff4fTazerdTs6kD7wwvT4ismqUihkHU-PBbfHQE069c1dcreEYVUJd0DlFyp45Fd81rW06F3ElHDaY8xBVcZALhganzu1cfqR9cdR_MOvs0d5TcMunY/s400/PB130781.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>I suppose I should turn up in some of these photos.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjydfNYUdRHiyyYNGur84zmM2ISZ2r8hJpmT9aWBjMGI2v_2C-c4kLtgihE1gdo3SVtsjW79HedpMWIr043m62SN4KEOKWEsfz1z2Na12C0uykogu2IRMWWjHFyy-uzeRtsAhV_RW0QPaS9/s1600/1479118176022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjydfNYUdRHiyyYNGur84zmM2ISZ2r8hJpmT9aWBjMGI2v_2C-c4kLtgihE1gdo3SVtsjW79HedpMWIr043m62SN4KEOKWEsfz1z2Na12C0uykogu2IRMWWjHFyy-uzeRtsAhV_RW0QPaS9/s400/1479118176022.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuWIqin_x6DTA-8nvYSNUN_KNVrCe2nJVtq5yOxQ2WNZZUD7yVp-dtCLCRy7Ba3w71A_pTcUqBrObjLB3xgaJDOcpQNxbCs0538XwLituwXg9AvhQ3lhQVQu2W1jFsh-CQbkqAus2uFskD/s1600/PB130784.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuWIqin_x6DTA-8nvYSNUN_KNVrCe2nJVtq5yOxQ2WNZZUD7yVp-dtCLCRy7Ba3w71A_pTcUqBrObjLB3xgaJDOcpQNxbCs0538XwLituwXg9AvhQ3lhQVQu2W1jFsh-CQbkqAus2uFskD/s400/PB130784.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>A bronze model of the city near the Chapel Bridge.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMBdzRPQRhIDlAmyVoHlbpon_RibUMW7oYbTih_D0JU_E4diA5ELPFs1rPlSGYhUtgEIf9zFAP42GhnsskysFoNxZKNoGLCRhFpe76Vrh_fjQZ5x8d95DSQBJdeCkFRRfay4cEeZvKVpRR/s1600/PB130786.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMBdzRPQRhIDlAmyVoHlbpon_RibUMW7oYbTih_D0JU_E4diA5ELPFs1rPlSGYhUtgEIf9zFAP42GhnsskysFoNxZKNoGLCRhFpe76Vrh_fjQZ5x8d95DSQBJdeCkFRRfay4cEeZvKVpRR/s400/PB130786.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>There's an odd extension on this building, and it randomly turns out to kind of match M-san today. The rest of the building is just ordinary stone, as you can kind of see from the lower right corner.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0uqKmdqtGlGzq5BAYl8RCjxgPP5T0IZ8jwpSPYlhLH_5VZvyet8FWC3phuCl_c4yivuhlc_leuGYgHKrPMVB1mWX99Q8hwpQoo_dIHEaSZY5Kf9acnQLNHJIgzg-ibKGNh8U-6qtGIULR/s1600/PB130788.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0uqKmdqtGlGzq5BAYl8RCjxgPP5T0IZ8jwpSPYlhLH_5VZvyet8FWC3phuCl_c4yivuhlc_leuGYgHKrPMVB1mWX99Q8hwpQoo_dIHEaSZY5Kf9acnQLNHJIgzg-ibKGNh8U-6qtGIULR/s400/PB130788.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>An array of spires on one of the churches.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKf0qGzAELNNXQ9RxkSYYS0Wyrt4nPk2qYb5fpp3f16tbm6bnd66BBclEeT2WHkQv4z1SmwqIn24VgSnyxJ_EmIYDaQSdsn3819XmEODPyk9v-X_KzTP1UuTdLHIOh16Lb3Pum26yN1GGO/s1600/PB130791.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKf0qGzAELNNXQ9RxkSYYS0Wyrt4nPk2qYb5fpp3f16tbm6bnd66BBclEeT2WHkQv4z1SmwqIn24VgSnyxJ_EmIYDaQSdsn3819XmEODPyk9v-X_KzTP1UuTdLHIOh16Lb3Pum26yN1GGO/s400/PB130791.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>There's a vaguely cool shoe shop with a lot of what look like (but in all honestly probably aren't) hand-painted shoes. I've heard those do exist, although I'm sure they're also extortionately expensive if any good.</p></div>
<p>The Old Town is full of old, elegant and interesting buildings. It's strange seeing the national difference here. Of course, I'm not from a city so I'm more used to low-rise anyway. But my impression is that British city buildings tend to be still relatively shorter, and also relatively further apart, than the Swiss model.</p>
<p>
Of course, part of this may be down to history. A lot of older British buildings were presumably lost due to rapid and early industrialisation; in other cases they weren't cities at all before they suddenly industrialised, and a lot of low-quality buildings were crammed in that later got torn down. And of course, there's the whole Blitz thing.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHtJoR2xg4Dn0YaKJJbb_1OcLpnXl9iNGlfc7twW4t8fVovkdSdwMUlltgp08z_t6msoqLtiBOiFwtzWvodjxfr7L89nofetl6gVgN8tMWxAWI6l_1PJkJNOaKnrB8XH9bMH7gTAG91JNz/s1600/PB130792.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHtJoR2xg4Dn0YaKJJbb_1OcLpnXl9iNGlfc7twW4t8fVovkdSdwMUlltgp08z_t6msoqLtiBOiFwtzWvodjxfr7L89nofetl6gVgN8tMWxAWI6l_1PJkJNOaKnrB8XH9bMH7gTAG91JNz/s400/PB130792.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEworVkIeHPVHRM1uCQ3u6bsQ3gAYt5zPeIaBLZY5hvpLQbqPJZrN0zB8jxk-2GD4WwMj_90d0fMHcBKVgubOAh8ruQZQml_f1zPPgY5TjFPQkBz2699hWYrs1mkvAANcqm59EHtboABun/s1600/PB130793.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEworVkIeHPVHRM1uCQ3u6bsQ3gAYt5zPeIaBLZY5hvpLQbqPJZrN0zB8jxk-2GD4WwMj_90d0fMHcBKVgubOAh8ruQZQml_f1zPPgY5TjFPQkBz2699hWYrs1mkvAANcqm59EHtboABun/s400/PB130793.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Omf_4XP9ICjtHtSLwsELVuapo2VN4b_5MlLmAzla940IC8jhDKl_bXgxnknZZW9QutQS19Vevwe-LpwObgg_iCJ9wuv2ra6bmlVIEK6IDJvYOkBMynCFrqZf3v70PPu9u0dOZbWmawqC/s1600/PB130795.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Omf_4XP9ICjtHtSLwsELVuapo2VN4b_5MlLmAzla940IC8jhDKl_bXgxnknZZW9QutQS19Vevwe-LpwObgg_iCJ9wuv2ra6bmlVIEK6IDJvYOkBMynCFrqZf3v70PPu9u0dOZbWmawqC/s400/PB130795.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>A rather diabolical fountain. The central mask reminds me of the oni masks I saw at festivals in Japan. </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnSe-5dM3tqQqNnRVMA-P71PEibuGZNw_REL8L7yROTDZ_51eIm0b_ZhGLcShNNVR6uwgE82CgF2T7jfki0ExEEnGRXgMLu88q6WdmBkC6PZZ-_Im2hqihbF4g2VbA80GF6jVHS_JTrgrX/s1600/PB130796.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnSe-5dM3tqQqNnRVMA-P71PEibuGZNw_REL8L7yROTDZ_51eIm0b_ZhGLcShNNVR6uwgE82CgF2T7jfki0ExEEnGRXgMLu88q6WdmBkC6PZZ-_Im2hqihbF4g2VbA80GF6jVHS_JTrgrX/s400/PB130796.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbfUbMX654A3f5SFzRGdIzUFkpCu1UeRuNzKb0jhxCtnUhmNY2ezOjTd1BoRlgnVunb0mR6qTVdkvTO6Gccwc0rYyhSDqrdBgnmsKf0NwjvuJIZQ6JDUKMvcMuH0H5-i4brZCFgdp8ee-9/s1600/PB130797.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbfUbMX654A3f5SFzRGdIzUFkpCu1UeRuNzKb0jhxCtnUhmNY2ezOjTd1BoRlgnVunb0mR6qTVdkvTO6Gccwc0rYyhSDqrdBgnmsKf0NwjvuJIZQ6JDUKMvcMuH0H5-i4brZCFgdp8ee-9/s400/PB130797.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>A nifty signboard. This building only dates from 1334 is all. Your city is still cool or whatever. </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0qJ8E49bfe6eqx9P7pyRLVPHiXuU0iP4cml43MWN-EqzhzDZas_xSZkCedQMJW5F7Y1j0wU64lJEz7PId6dgbmtKXfgVJQ7u1gZBmBkj6B_z8hPAFV_dInCUICUWUOTvTPQ6ITULssxvJ/s1600/PB130798.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0qJ8E49bfe6eqx9P7pyRLVPHiXuU0iP4cml43MWN-EqzhzDZas_xSZkCedQMJW5F7Y1j0wU64lJEz7PId6dgbmtKXfgVJQ7u1gZBmBkj6B_z8hPAFV_dInCUICUWUOTvTPQ6ITULssxvJ/s400/PB130798.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQZfSjF8LMe5Dvt4rdt0Kg6ILjZF21V5ip9daRhBmoSxDb-R8NU-WOHpA_4uUickqz5zTadMRA3M7awRxKUYsX6ZdsHQP5vBTG2mDxmRdQd59QraqohnY4W7VJLmJ-f6BghOoihSi2N7yw/s1600/PB130799.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQZfSjF8LMe5Dvt4rdt0Kg6ILjZF21V5ip9daRhBmoSxDb-R8NU-WOHpA_4uUickqz5zTadMRA3M7awRxKUYsX6ZdsHQP5vBTG2mDxmRdQd59QraqohnY4W7VJLmJ-f6BghOoihSi2N7yw/s400/PB130799.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYavBxfQKnOGAh01becJ0lsTPYfZk8JNnL4486ZkTT5P0pJw3j8SOYpfXV2wFZVURUejev42akOSJl67UNkiW4F0Y90tJ2wgXAHK-a0ws5uCwCctI21WiPFjGsTPgxYvLFX9oHdQ-houA3/s1600/PB130800.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYavBxfQKnOGAh01becJ0lsTPYfZk8JNnL4486ZkTT5P0pJw3j8SOYpfXV2wFZVURUejev42akOSJl67UNkiW4F0Y90tJ2wgXAHK-a0ws5uCwCctI21WiPFjGsTPgxYvLFX9oHdQ-houA3/s400/PB130800.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>Oh hey some guy called Goethe used to live here? </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCjQE327VCNUO8EITiUcNVK_WljN3vOZbkcoMnSPL1cK3VzkFeIB69umxCCWse-OjRSduh1IXhMYs9bmePqPrAAOP4TIHcgCFRBv8sXqvOOKQzrp5P6zXehLthPjigb5NO7udUUWoqS7yv/s1600/PB130801.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCjQE327VCNUO8EITiUcNVK_WljN3vOZbkcoMnSPL1cK3VzkFeIB69umxCCWse-OjRSduh1IXhMYs9bmePqPrAAOP4TIHcgCFRBv8sXqvOOKQzrp5P6zXehLthPjigb5NO7udUUWoqS7yv/s400/PB130801.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>I don't know why, but this vaguely delights me. </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNhUVY4P75quXFDRBc4ldsz6jNnoMvix1c6PNOYDnOpfNgYgvrwM_Sf9BG6w_R8D42YtMEtysQu1_GQL3RzeL_8h55hz8sUj68ZJaHKjC8qa3IZTqRkoFVV19BzMNJJ-930x1eGU0gbHLA/s1600/1479118200249.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNhUVY4P75quXFDRBc4ldsz6jNnoMvix1c6PNOYDnOpfNgYgvrwM_Sf9BG6w_R8D42YtMEtysQu1_GQL3RzeL_8h55hz8sUj68ZJaHKjC8qa3IZTqRkoFVV19BzMNJJ-930x1eGU0gbHLA/s400/1479118200249.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a></div>
<p>
After exploring the city centre, M-san suggested we head upwards, towards the Mauegg. This is a complex of towers and a defensive wall that used to help protect Lucerne. Apparently the wall is closed to walkers in winter, but you can still look at it. So we began to wind our way slowly up the hillside, enjoying the views over Lucerne.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiLq6IqZ2m-km6yKiCS92rn8NkJBxYmC4M2iOcCn8d1quPsBrbTAhgLu41YH7yBxGcYfgH1hUtKzkFnsQAktYDiwSK3xlbw1PBOoCw74I7ozmVOALY_AWG-08h8OtNFVTJERm6oGxZZxEe/s1600/PB130802.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiLq6IqZ2m-km6yKiCS92rn8NkJBxYmC4M2iOcCn8d1quPsBrbTAhgLu41YH7yBxGcYfgH1hUtKzkFnsQAktYDiwSK3xlbw1PBOoCw74I7ozmVOALY_AWG-08h8OtNFVTJERm6oGxZZxEe/s400/PB130802.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>This used to be a city granary; we aren't sure what it's used for now. </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK40sPn89BfB9mYJVhx-V-g8PPOZ6TGxLtmmC5r_QjAc2UUvSG5Ghh9d-2d5MDQ2PkN9dk0f5oGFronYWGcvaWZFqxo2RKLb5K064vwBH3WhOKhhyphenhyphenymjusTggjaewKAjzroDCwZeMUveaU/s1600/PB130803.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK40sPn89BfB9mYJVhx-V-g8PPOZ6TGxLtmmC5r_QjAc2UUvSG5Ghh9d-2d5MDQ2PkN9dk0f5oGFronYWGcvaWZFqxo2RKLb5K064vwBH3WhOKhhyphenhyphenymjusTggjaewKAjzroDCwZeMUveaU/s400/PB130803.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>Some lovely views over the city, and this is in fairly unpromising lighting conditions. It must be really lovely on a clear day, or at sunset.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw3rrUvhyaeGrvsD96efjFna55pyVm5zNAnK3WthpmQ1lr37KddPE1e2AvNcjc0vPbILsgt-5uma5dTpE_QFHMoKGk-t-4bIm5Hese2ya1-ULP6vk_mlHd1RuII0eLp7qkFPryEdmT_LVL/s1600/PB130805.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw3rrUvhyaeGrvsD96efjFna55pyVm5zNAnK3WthpmQ1lr37KddPE1e2AvNcjc0vPbILsgt-5uma5dTpE_QFHMoKGk-t-4bIm5Hese2ya1-ULP6vk_mlHd1RuII0eLp7qkFPryEdmT_LVL/s400/PB130805.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>It was a bit unclear to us whether we were actually allowed up here, based on some notices lower down, but we decided that probably only applied to cars.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJuua_04fW0d06QDsZZOa01lf7Ijs6uUCAgBHdyyqsnKgCoNoYQODaplVWqw93gdpUSHJjBjV5JLGFxdFxCwzuEreSQhzciJstQD58eMAPjqWzvnD4CSCem5F2yi5HU4d306iR-99i4Vs-/s1600/PB130810.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJuua_04fW0d06QDsZZOa01lf7Ijs6uUCAgBHdyyqsnKgCoNoYQODaplVWqw93gdpUSHJjBjV5JLGFxdFxCwzuEreSQhzciJstQD58eMAPjqWzvnD4CSCem5F2yi5HU4d306iR-99i4Vs-/s400/PB130810.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>M-san is photogenic as always.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvmV4Lq1Nh_NVgV6c75hwAQtt895XvwwT1ERoEpTjq9hyphenhyphenqWnqPJWxYF6cVT48Q5hnTmBBuwdI3ikSNDC0p5v_3rVF-pY8zQUsxqxoaTaI0NRinX4GlyXdJqcV55cCZpSWOEC2drDhXPbmV/s1600/PB130811.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvmV4Lq1Nh_NVgV6c75hwAQtt895XvwwT1ERoEpTjq9hyphenhyphenqWnqPJWxYF6cVT48Q5hnTmBBuwdI3ikSNDC0p5v_3rVF-pY8zQUsxqxoaTaI0NRinX4GlyXdJqcV55cCZpSWOEC2drDhXPbmV/s400/PB130811.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>Just look at this mountain. This is as mountainlike as you can reasonably get.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9uSvGAlTVzeaNw4ypLYwtzUaXIzI4FtUpWgQEOtq_VRvuP4mamJkifXxEfLXdWY9x7tz20p65b9nAS5k5Wduhd9lRwZenrHpn5RH1vF39HJcv-wu6y7xRbAzpKwCaBKa3nbPczSP402m1/s1600/PANO_20161113_120918.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9uSvGAlTVzeaNw4ypLYwtzUaXIzI4FtUpWgQEOtq_VRvuP4mamJkifXxEfLXdWY9x7tz20p65b9nAS5k5Wduhd9lRwZenrHpn5RH1vF39HJcv-wu6y7xRbAzpKwCaBKa3nbPczSP402m1/s400/PANO_20161113_120918.jpg" width="400" height="112" /></a><p>Compulsory panoramic shot.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsm6Rqg75KJD9lpducTK_DAb1IUzMEmuXVj70ULxq50YQIVWznS2KhCjigw_5SObP3S07y7jzXSJcmbZBKpHwHiFGdZpCEWclJliHN3jKF-zYMCP4fXD6WcSxRuojlABtcBfYNXNwf9zvG/s1600/PB130813.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsm6Rqg75KJD9lpducTK_DAb1IUzMEmuXVj70ULxq50YQIVWznS2KhCjigw_5SObP3S07y7jzXSJcmbZBKpHwHiFGdZpCEWclJliHN3jKF-zYMCP4fXD6WcSxRuojlABtcBfYNXNwf9zvG/s400/PB130813.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>Not a bad little place really, is it?</p></div>
<h3>Mauegg</h3>
<p>Pretty sure this is the local equivalent of Mauer-Weg, "wall path". We couldn't actually access the path (it's restricted to certain months), but we walked around it and admired it.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYlmlxGXdWipz8LFzVAx4zVXPRa_18s2VV5s5bciQgUwDyAYI2VJeVYQkrObwH57OP9Wop8n4x7hTg7iv0-20d0cccnozVQExz2NJw-iOaM2S3CW_qanUvua0csgAITvB-dIc4chc8eO4l/s1600/PB130814.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYlmlxGXdWipz8LFzVAx4zVXPRa_18s2VV5s5bciQgUwDyAYI2VJeVYQkrObwH57OP9Wop8n4x7hTg7iv0-20d0cccnozVQExz2NJw-iOaM2S3CW_qanUvua0csgAITvB-dIc4chc8eO4l/s400/PB130814.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>A rather nifty clock tower.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLwvv8qvEtb9exQ-gKHw8vkgOTFXZjF9olMGAj1qBXLw28hrxucKxTWieujrtOg3gYX-5Nh5LWIdHGSAaE8gFydGUX-nAP3Wo3mIfy4nnERSHkH9XaesQK5v29ioaxIYg2qnytY3TZPUlv/s1600/1479118192387.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLwvv8qvEtb9exQ-gKHw8vkgOTFXZjF9olMGAj1qBXLw28hrxucKxTWieujrtOg3gYX-5Nh5LWIdHGSAaE8gFydGUX-nAP3Wo3mIfy4nnERSHkH9XaesQK5v29ioaxIYg2qnytY3TZPUlv/s400/1479118192387.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>Yes, I am really here. For once I'm toting around a small bag instead of usual rucksack of stuff.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaV9yQyU-A-3-o6R-bqG1HynK7VytHCHNz2E7g1ouOxMWsrYHnxniJd393_Y-L6VEiGPyCpXJdZj85BYpk7zLWvgTaYElsRsikcUih9VGsq-WYoRkNiBWQp26D0jTaTrTA89fFYS90z1B_/s1600/PB130817.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaV9yQyU-A-3-o6R-bqG1HynK7VytHCHNz2E7g1ouOxMWsrYHnxniJd393_Y-L6VEiGPyCpXJdZj85BYpk7zLWvgTaYElsRsikcUih9VGsq-WYoRkNiBWQp26D0jTaTrTA89fFYS90z1B_/s400/PB130817.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0dc2PeAwZZ8dxsKv96oBk3pnhh0mFT2FqWUhXiwL7pmsDFEKLQ4T98HOBEYETLkX3PhMhePVEZJiptlcpeIF_fUwb4EArDB1hi5-L_GRy50KFfSxxFf152urdbytL7Boj-R2BG__LF3cq/s1600/PB130823.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0dc2PeAwZZ8dxsKv96oBk3pnhh0mFT2FqWUhXiwL7pmsDFEKLQ4T98HOBEYETLkX3PhMhePVEZJiptlcpeIF_fUwb4EArDB1hi5-L_GRy50KFfSxxFf152urdbytL7Boj-R2BG__LF3cq/s400/PB130823.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>City wall plus mountains and trees is a good view, I feel.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg14QuJ2COXbgXd_BdQghKbDIYqhTVexbGssxcOLZXo0DLKy7uMOQXT08AVTeOnohVuhCYIJHDPTJdOQ8Yg7UPbPyc7MD6Wy4e8PA6R26TM78YxP04ShtWJIewNH8bQWNck52X9rtZ5EE7M/s1600/PB130822.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg14QuJ2COXbgXd_BdQghKbDIYqhTVexbGssxcOLZXo0DLKy7uMOQXT08AVTeOnohVuhCYIJHDPTJdOQ8Yg7UPbPyc7MD6Wy4e8PA6R26TM78YxP04ShtWJIewNH8bQWNck52X9rtZ5EE7M/s400/PB130822.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>A wayside chapelette. We don't really have these in the UK, but I've seen a few here.</p></div>
<p>
We eventually descended and strolled down towards the lake.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZYW6PlSc5Ada8O99PLZ36cuotOx7tx1VVScjek1TElvaYP_EKh3Scsncf_DV-jgLsNyWIVrJ1BXXd8v27GLKm8pZ9Vc2UVYB34AlwCZ5XU2hoHWGmEzrxcOUONzVCN4dIJ5hheqGsJi1r/s1600/PB130826.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZYW6PlSc5Ada8O99PLZ36cuotOx7tx1VVScjek1TElvaYP_EKh3Scsncf_DV-jgLsNyWIVrJ1BXXd8v27GLKm8pZ9Vc2UVYB34AlwCZ5XU2hoHWGmEzrxcOUONzVCN4dIJ5hheqGsJi1r/s400/PB130826.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>M-san and the Lion of Lucerne </p></div>
<h3>Lakeside</h3>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifsvcuWQr9D4Hbvc9vwAATEaEWxhyphenhyphenYoxI_dwQ1ZNXXxLF8L-SBIQiSAXcfx0sel0mmVOI_SgVsggDhJJbAH7a6QhPpXmX2Yb0r66VBJqW1mgSJmnvdsGRWKDKvFpKYRn0NOEMz5Ah6S-EK/s1600/PB130827.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifsvcuWQr9D4Hbvc9vwAATEaEWxhyphenhyphenYoxI_dwQ1ZNXXxLF8L-SBIQiSAXcfx0sel0mmVOI_SgVsggDhJJbAH7a6QhPpXmX2Yb0r66VBJqW1mgSJmnvdsGRWKDKvFpKYRn0NOEMz5Ah6S-EK/s400/PB130827.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>Get a load of this.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpmF5a063NP5g9R_pN4sR0u5SUq6HdkMLxHhwB9INU6lKv56580QMg9CCvGqUbTAo_xc4QU72ky7C9SMlIG0Yy2CUC2lxsdkHSu4k56-DqfsED0sZo7oYYLUtgv4vhmVU0hOivOhceRcje/s1600/PB130830.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpmF5a063NP5g9R_pN4sR0u5SUq6HdkMLxHhwB9INU6lKv56580QMg9CCvGqUbTAo_xc4QU72ky7C9SMlIG0Yy2CUC2lxsdkHSu4k56-DqfsED0sZo7oYYLUtgv4vhmVU0hOivOhceRcje/s400/PB130830.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>And this! Frankly unfair, isn't it?</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYG9adbNYdJEyzly-SHeWMyGyjcZenWcv2UBpyr-CsFaDoLMpDm-HPG0R2298_HsoVHpVDFZa2928zLACSS9wJ3Mvu75vhDzH8moZBh6HH2HHgDZLf5zqPmj8eaXPiqRPgFIzOOMwFJahQ/s1600/PB130831.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYG9adbNYdJEyzly-SHeWMyGyjcZenWcv2UBpyr-CsFaDoLMpDm-HPG0R2298_HsoVHpVDFZa2928zLACSS9wJ3Mvu75vhDzH8moZBh6HH2HHgDZLf5zqPmj8eaXPiqRPgFIzOOMwFJahQ/s400/PB130831.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>We decided this is probably a boathouse.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIGCHz1XQS6N7oOstTmX1zWf-bUSuvyCkekBH9krC2E3hB0n_7teTCWBZZXWcVwOfEGZc1YSbKymFBzYkx4swYEwg90TtCTqIRqZlL6UMHFMgF-HyAtscwlqC8uPOpT1_UoHnxfWCr07cI/s1600/PB130832.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIGCHz1XQS6N7oOstTmX1zWf-bUSuvyCkekBH9krC2E3hB0n_7teTCWBZZXWcVwOfEGZc1YSbKymFBzYkx4swYEwg90TtCTqIRqZlL6UMHFMgF-HyAtscwlqC8uPOpT1_UoHnxfWCr07cI/s400/PB130832.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>So many coots! M-san taught me the local word, and I forgot it :(</p></div>
<h3>Swiss Museum of Transport</h3>
<p>Our eventual destination was the <a href="https://www.verkehrshaus.ch/en">Transport Museum</a>. We didn't especially have time to go around it (and honestly I'm sure M-san has visited before) but it was a very pleasant walk, and it looks fun. I should've brought my brother, who I'm sure would have appreciated it.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDbC8apWkdqoGJa00BBdr_ifMlVGNch9vLP8Cyy_d-4YU1b-pZm-Zjrtuw-rwoIGF5mffPZPXOEwhJtgoDbPoTrQ9UmtZs8olWK5F98YxYcbIr9qg9AmyXhsWYqRilxDqu_ZW4ioMF8K8W/s1600/PB130835.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDbC8apWkdqoGJa00BBdr_ifMlVGNch9vLP8Cyy_d-4YU1b-pZm-Zjrtuw-rwoIGF5mffPZPXOEwhJtgoDbPoTrQ9UmtZs8olWK5F98YxYcbIr9qg9AmyXhsWYqRilxDqu_ZW4ioMF8K8W/s400/PB130835.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>A section from one of the tunnels through the Swiss mountains.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVcqkwxRDitd2v7KLGCtdBSl5IxU2HbDbyNmJtkbsHj9qW8xvMJb4MN8aHkhHnT6WZYDpyv5Kh73nH6UgX9cr6SzCk5xVUPJvQe9cBfzjsPWi7iRj7dM65oI5dW4GG_9UxpLxujbkCUgfA/s1600/PB130833.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVcqkwxRDitd2v7KLGCtdBSl5IxU2HbDbyNmJtkbsHj9qW8xvMJb4MN8aHkhHnT6WZYDpyv5Kh73nH6UgX9cr6SzCk5xVUPJvQe9cBfzjsPWi7iRj7dM65oI5dW4GG_9UxpLxujbkCUgfA/s400/PB130833.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
<p>We stopped for lunch here and I had a very nice schnitzel. It was huge though. I was forced to buy a satsuma in an underwhelming attempt to add some plant to my meal.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCdIGIV6mJQf98tFOh38uUUEbfi1rbFslGbGAT2C15XAbFgy1CcWfmuO16mmEh85LWUBfZQgRFBWBDU8RKBDpGRxRuCU_wt-GX1D4EQmlobsEO7r6RBf22iDItK6b0Yhy93jeN8en4714n/s1600/IMG_20161113_132459.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCdIGIV6mJQf98tFOh38uUUEbfi1rbFslGbGAT2C15XAbFgy1CcWfmuO16mmEh85LWUBfZQgRFBWBDU8RKBDpGRxRuCU_wt-GX1D4EQmlobsEO7r6RBf22iDItK6b0Yhy93jeN8en4714n/s400/IMG_20161113_132459.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi90aE8vN-cZtASxS-IUjJmE4qz-Go7A35fk2orDrEoVfN_1zpNH1TU7jJXtufbE26E9bi1EEbcJNsfIQLU1YCYnQHeyMcdyIbdf8vsXGRGRDngzKJjiDZ1hhNMQvzsScpx2Hj0RXP2iXv7/s1600/PB130834.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi90aE8vN-cZtASxS-IUjJmE4qz-Go7A35fk2orDrEoVfN_1zpNH1TU7jJXtufbE26E9bi1EEbcJNsfIQLU1YCYnQHeyMcdyIbdf8vsXGRGRDngzKJjiDZ1hhNMQvzsScpx2Hj0RXP2iXv7/s400/PB130834.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>A mould from a tunnel borer.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl-Iid_WXu3utaIpyxKNEmP16GIr9TiVDXCNSNiGcEMo-DUKc76w2mfLuhCoMVKFNP1wEDGKHe2NSz8OBGWoUzz9BOOeeqTKTNwLqj2EznFwM56c8C13__Ln3c8jVWYB7FjY-QOl4TCDLO/s1600/PB130836.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl-Iid_WXu3utaIpyxKNEmP16GIr9TiVDXCNSNiGcEMo-DUKc76w2mfLuhCoMVKFNP1wEDGKHe2NSz8OBGWoUzz9BOOeeqTKTNwLqj2EznFwM56c8C13__Ln3c8jVWYB7FjY-QOl4TCDLO/s400/PB130836.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>It was thinking about getting dark as we walked back.</p></div>
<p>
M-san had to head home fairly early, but we walked through the shops a bit so I could buy a fridge magnet for my boss.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6jYShyphenhyphen_tXyjO8Fix1iSpov40uhPS6QmcBSTHKVoLSMlLHuuHYAq_eH3PbGa4GJzyn6BvqaCQWkH3qj9kJChyUzmWm_FWDPT05Ep6MUrMpVUsp0IhS8RP-q3k-5IbFYcXZnbDks9udKbfF/s1600/PB130838.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6jYShyphenhyphen_tXyjO8Fix1iSpov40uhPS6QmcBSTHKVoLSMlLHuuHYAq_eH3PbGa4GJzyn6BvqaCQWkH3qj9kJChyUzmWm_FWDPT05Ep6MUrMpVUsp0IhS8RP-q3k-5IbFYcXZnbDks9udKbfF/s400/PB130838.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>Some of the wall of clocks in the souvenir shop.</p></div>
<p>
We decided to have a cup of tea at the station before parting ways. I got some rather impressive flowering tea.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLXmHnGK5rUVwE4DQUtWCYA2iM0WKoDODEK8DC5wPA7NsFc2xzoMlLGYyls61V8gPx6PPiOTISA9awJwPtOATcohrsbUrj9fbdQRTbjOx2BxMDlDBkPZ3EBRkekEcZqXF-TI6BaMyM1JCu/s1600/PB130843.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLXmHnGK5rUVwE4DQUtWCYA2iM0WKoDODEK8DC5wPA7NsFc2xzoMlLGYyls61V8gPx6PPiOTISA9awJwPtOATcohrsbUrj9fbdQRTbjOx2BxMDlDBkPZ3EBRkekEcZqXF-TI6BaMyM1JCu/s400/PB130843.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>A soothing cup of oolong tea.</p></div>
<p>
And so, goodbye to M-san! Safe journey home! Maybe I'll see you again in London...
</p>
<h3>Evening</h3>
<p>I still had time in the evening, so I decided to talk a walk around the district past my hotel. After all, the hotel was rather gloomy (as mentioned earlier) and not an ideal place to spend a long evening. Plus, I like walking.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWjYGmjRHftHSyxzaZqH36W0s2HUQkSXYyDqq_blZdwt7-ysRX5TPKP58qhJbP6859Ku7BVTol1USiWFDPkBBuCaiy31huMztu2TQXV1_qdo-PtQPDLne_VMJiL3eVx4rBvGRD-yogQLfi/s1600/PB130845.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWjYGmjRHftHSyxzaZqH36W0s2HUQkSXYyDqq_blZdwt7-ysRX5TPKP58qhJbP6859Ku7BVTol1USiWFDPkBBuCaiy31huMztu2TQXV1_qdo-PtQPDLne_VMJiL3eVx4rBvGRD-yogQLfi/s400/PB130845.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>A rather typical house. It's mostly apartments in Switzerland (or rather in the cities) but there are a few houses further out.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvQrY5C5IntB4iQm2O5w-k4xLSX92UkMfIjJI0GfJvH4OokHvL3CgRrRUSNOxfftzgr9E5ML5nh5Fu9nu0Tgr4JdPt4t6Te3Cc0PV9hAPXsTPCsCW0naEo-hR0nV-Rg7Fi0tvau3FKttSx/s1600/PB130848.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvQrY5C5IntB4iQm2O5w-k4xLSX92UkMfIjJI0GfJvH4OokHvL3CgRrRUSNOxfftzgr9E5ML5nh5Fu9nu0Tgr4JdPt4t6Te3Cc0PV9hAPXsTPCsCW0naEo-hR0nV-Rg7Fi0tvau3FKttSx/s400/PB130848.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>The houses soon start to blend into the countryside.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWAkCfYoC0IV-DFO23zfSrcaJ1wPc0gYJEPKcZaF9KYzoWv2V4_w0b8dDOF7iI2P_OCaG4XusSyeJ0HwuJ-oouqXmdgRvzs-e4hyphenhyphen9i8PiCSDaI_vZRCKpIJy8sXQc6GFJgKdq2Mt3kX2sZ/s1600/IMG_20161113_165542.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWAkCfYoC0IV-DFO23zfSrcaJ1wPc0gYJEPKcZaF9KYzoWv2V4_w0b8dDOF7iI2P_OCaG4XusSyeJ0HwuJ-oouqXmdgRvzs-e4hyphenhyphen9i8PiCSDaI_vZRCKpIJy8sXQc6GFJgKdq2Mt3kX2sZ/s400/IMG_20161113_165542.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>There's a brook running through here, barely visible.</p></div>
<p>
And that's it for a fairly packed day. Phew. Time for bed.
</p>
Shimmin Beghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10350037986748679919noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1413166059304552489.post-44348535051937597162016-11-12T21:46:00.001+00:002017-01-25T23:21:38.058+00:00Lucerne: Hotel Alpha<p>
Tonight I'm staying at <a href="http://globreshotels.com/alpha">Hotel Alpha</a>, fairly near the station and town centre of Lucerne.
</p>
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<p>
The room proves to be only slightly better than the last for lighting. There is at least a central light over the bed, and a secondary one for the washbasin, as well as table lamps. It's still quite dim though. There are a couple of sockets, but they're a long way from the table where you might want to plug in a device or two while you use them.
</p>
<a name='more'></a>
<p>
The bathrooms are decent though. There's several showers for the floor, and they're proper tiled wet rooms. There's also blissfully bright lighting, although I discover to my consternation that not only is it on a timer, but that the sensor is by the main door. So, um, don't linger. Nevertheless, I am sorely tempted to just come and stand by the basin reading of an evening.
</p>
<p>
In fairness, it turns out not to be necessary, because there's a lounge as well, and this is (to my surprise) reasonably lit. On the downside, by the time I get back (9.30pm) it's locked. Presumably they're worried that guests will sit up there being noisy and annoy the other guests? It's rather frustrating from my point of view, though, because I was hoping to sit there until bedtime. It's psychologically better for sleeping than sitting up in your own room, and also the lighting's much better.
</p>
<p>
On the Saturday night, there were people sporadically shouting in the streets nearby throughout the evening. I have no idea why, it sounded a bit like sports-related yelling, but occasionally veered into more worrying-sounding, "are these people actually causing trouble?"-type yelling. I just thought I'd mention it; both as a general tip about the area and an observation on the limited soundproofing. Bring earplugs, is what I'm saying.
</p>
<p>
A minor gripe, but there's no coathook. It was dry when I stayed, but having to sling your coat on the back of your chair isn't ideal - if it'd been as wet as it was in Zurich, I'd be sitting on my own wet coat as I wrote.
</p>
<p>
The internet provision is bizarre. On check-in, I get a ticket with a username and password. It's good for only one device.
</p>
<p>
Typically hotels just provide you with a generic password. Sometimes they give a password for each room. In a few cases, like the one where I stayed in Manchester before my flight, they don't even bother with passwords.
</p>
<p>
This is the first time I've come across a system where you have unique usernames and passwords and you're only allowed to access the internet on one device, and it's really quite annoying.
</p>
<p>
See, I use my laptop for research and blogging and all that jazz. But since I bought it last year, I use my mobile all the time. In particular, here in Switzerland, I use it to stay in touch with people - including M-san, who I'm due to meet. We use LINE messenger.
</p>
<p>
If I can't get internet on my phone in my own freaking hotel, I'm going to have to hunt down somewhere local where I *can* do that. Sigh.
</p>
<div class="quote-tangent">
<p>
Spoiler: there isn't any such place that I can tell; you have to trek 500m to the station.
</p>
</div>
<p>
In other respects, it's a passable and reasonably-priced hotel, within walking distance with a wheelable suitcase if you're reasonably fit. It sadly doesn't seem to have any meal provision other than breakfast, although breakfast is fine ("Restaurant" appears on the site, but it's just a breakfast lounge; don't get confused).
</p>Shimmin Beghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10350037986748679919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1413166059304552489.post-18151717889099854422016-11-12T20:50:00.000+00:002017-01-25T23:08:44.540+00:00Lucerne: Gletschergarten<p>
Near the lion, I notice a flight of stairs leading to a small hut, and somewhat intrigued, I wander up. This is the Gletschergarten.
</p>
<p>
On a whim, I go inside. It turns out to be small and rather nice, and surprisingly interesting in that low-key way that peculiar museums often are. The site is a set of geologically-interesting relics of the ice age discovered during the building of a wine cellar. There are rocks with marks left by the glaciers, and peculiar potholes caused by the swirling action of sand-laden meltwaters.
</p>
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<p>
Nearby there's also an exhibition about glaciers. A hall of mirrors was transferred here from an exhibition that closed elsewhere. And there's a lookout tower.
</p>
<p>
It's the first time I've been in a hall of mirrors, to the best of my recollection. It was genuinely pretty fun, and also disconcerting. More disconcerting was the period after leaving, when it took my brain a surprisingly long while to readjust to the idea that what I was seeing was probably actually there.
</p>
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<p>
I never actually walked into anything, but they'd been kept in good nick and very clean, so it was pretty convincing.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH2eJGXQNpZ6T0hQXgAL5tI3ASaw2iI4QQbNJQyBC9nsVHoBEZ_6FoicalDiJ5CRaTY56LW1MN0dqsin0rNArjPrM04HoJOp4Ifp5o4PbFJcN00Sv43KfTNkE-PlAuw0UPjP2Ay3Uft8MI/s1600/PANO_20161112_141344.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH2eJGXQNpZ6T0hQXgAL5tI3ASaw2iI4QQbNJQyBC9nsVHoBEZ_6FoicalDiJ5CRaTY56LW1MN0dqsin0rNArjPrM04HoJOp4Ifp5o4PbFJcN00Sv43KfTNkE-PlAuw0UPjP2Ay3Uft8MI/s400/PANO_20161112_141344.jpg" width="400" height="134" /></a><p>The entrance to the hall of mirrors</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLlzahjz3Xpa25zeOx9YjrMcACJ4nrsTrZZDXkcAJjz_F_Iku1OmlDRpmp0cJTuaDQhQglI4brkJmXvXaGMsr2UXje0_DWNWYlNJ6uinEAGU55pMb8fvKfj05kH1qwlSFDm32iRjjVxYor/s1600/PB120725.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLlzahjz3Xpa25zeOx9YjrMcACJ4nrsTrZZDXkcAJjz_F_Iku1OmlDRpmp0cJTuaDQhQglI4brkJmXvXaGMsr2UXje0_DWNWYlNJ6uinEAGU55pMb8fvKfj05kH1qwlSFDm32iRjjVxYor/s400/PB120725.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>Cool peacock bro</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiofiwNf6SWoOGdXwtba2cB65DsNpjyWA_ZAa0OdnpTOXdDpoV6oN-8QSXh2y786L0hNUwZ49eRoHeflkMGGuj8Noz5PHbps98XvEBGiBBUMSG-Oa22Lck7EAbqvMepZpe27gF9E9tNVtBN/s1600/IMG_20161112_141238.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiofiwNf6SWoOGdXwtba2cB65DsNpjyWA_ZAa0OdnpTOXdDpoV6oN-8QSXh2y786L0hNUwZ49eRoHeflkMGGuj8Noz5PHbps98XvEBGiBBUMSG-Oa22Lck7EAbqvMepZpe27gF9E9tNVtBN/s400/IMG_20161112_141238.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>I can't even remember what was going on with this</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtLwL43Ij4wJGd-ovyNlEiVbmb3Red3ZMXew_GPb7GPlAI4W6KH-RgwxXLMVRY1OTCpvq09pFQ7Ju2GyxVdI_X9PfLzdm-b1-EfR3EtcTZPwjOCG0ibIZGmHE6NjwXZcRfrmIt5WXQ_ZQ8/s1600/PB120731.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtLwL43Ij4wJGd-ovyNlEiVbmb3Red3ZMXew_GPb7GPlAI4W6KH-RgwxXLMVRY1OTCpvq09pFQ7Ju2GyxVdI_X9PfLzdm-b1-EfR3EtcTZPwjOCG0ibIZGmHE6NjwXZcRfrmIt5WXQ_ZQ8/s400/PB120731.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>At last, an accurate mirror</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip6ogQlho5nHRK4QCSMNjXfzvlQUKB9fbXOuaY_dBh3VAG-fZLPS6hss2ODoIn_ezywWYEVk-biugZ6sGw-ckYiP3dcw__Mpc5dGtqbKvjdOCgHW1-UYxUNMhxlw1RDjLbocWR6FptTr71/s1600/PB120733.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip6ogQlho5nHRK4QCSMNjXfzvlQUKB9fbXOuaY_dBh3VAG-fZLPS6hss2ODoIn_ezywWYEVk-biugZ6sGw-ckYiP3dcw__Mpc5dGtqbKvjdOCgHW1-UYxUNMhxlw1RDjLbocWR6FptTr71/s400/PB120733.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>I have wasted away due to illness</p></div>
<p>
There's some exhibits about the alpine area in general too.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUzeFUHLymnXjG3EFv_OUqqeahRg25x1aQ0dZVcuuk97qIaH9U-ua-sjYDlqO3j4QePSQ9GW_BwfVvx2hyphenhyphen7O8T3eZnHmSju80D94wL1879yraIQGClZ4cNT0KSt17W4z5oHCshvzUiGqgR/s1600/IMG_20161112_143744.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUzeFUHLymnXjG3EFv_OUqqeahRg25x1aQ0dZVcuuk97qIaH9U-ua-sjYDlqO3j4QePSQ9GW_BwfVvx2hyphenhyphen7O8T3eZnHmSju80D94wL1879yraIQGClZ4cNT0KSt17W4z5oHCshvzUiGqgR/s400/IMG_20161112_143744.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfYOOtWUL0ef4WjNBCHYSrtheUV-VexJRlOWhyphenhyphenbw925EL5wQh1Vf_pM1IlZijbrSsN2YvpIKH6ML36q2MSwuDZpxfYv1KTec0Jx7TfM3mV_WgRd_uPbPkcWglUt2FEuXZpVXYS__8OyLJe/s1600/IMG_20161112_143731.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfYOOtWUL0ef4WjNBCHYSrtheUV-VexJRlOWhyphenhyphenbw925EL5wQh1Vf_pM1IlZijbrSsN2YvpIKH6ML36q2MSwuDZpxfYv1KTec0Jx7TfM3mV_WgRd_uPbPkcWglUt2FEuXZpVXYS__8OyLJe/s400/IMG_20161112_143731.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>Shawlfie</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwCmqOeOMgZ4pMvZhb1IpkrutgkpVZCV-GrIRCYJwWKRuoJCGlD5O8rgGjT_whFKNi7y0Iz9u-B4UPkYscXWjQz1iNSpKMFdXvIVS0L9EiGjpUMk0Gg7rl2AUb2v52QmAuIBJwcurA4r_V/s1600/IMG_20161112_143823.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwCmqOeOMgZ4pMvZhb1IpkrutgkpVZCV-GrIRCYJwWKRuoJCGlD5O8rgGjT_whFKNi7y0Iz9u-B4UPkYscXWjQz1iNSpKMFdXvIVS0L9EiGjpUMk0Gg7rl2AUb2v52QmAuIBJwcurA4r_V/s400/IMG_20161112_143823.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
<p>
Leaving the mirrors, I went for a quick wander around the rock-strewn area. There's a little path up a cliff with various sample rocks, but honestly neither the tree-obstructed views, the concrete path nor the grey lumps of rock were very photogenic, so just imagine that bit.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8fjr9ZJEwbxCjdrkmLogqY_MwpFylDYnSB6iMubWz7Y4OSEWXfxux-ZFhbM29zqRr0hoeRktkeslMILqlPf0-uo2jqFlybosQYRVEJ_1N8uzFccZyYzdGN1rm5tK4GADRLy9b3FmwBP2R/s1600/PB120735.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8fjr9ZJEwbxCjdrkmLogqY_MwpFylDYnSB6iMubWz7Y4OSEWXfxux-ZFhbM29zqRr0hoeRktkeslMILqlPf0-uo2jqFlybosQYRVEJ_1N8uzFccZyYzdGN1rm5tK4GADRLy9b3FmwBP2R/s400/PB120735.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>This is a rough mock-up of a crude alpine hut, as far as I can tell? I'm not sure what it's for. Maybe an example of what old huts used to be like?</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5VR-7kiBtS7i6HGkXiUNmvQiSzXwIpT41AZExcVr4GLPmYm-iINSqYjGOzQvAJzxq7QIQH8lM3hRIPNNdL9VHN2LurmR33JOufA-Xs5EDMgaKblYh-af5i5xPr5OfpfrFuS1b0sAkEadO/s1600/PB120746.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5VR-7kiBtS7i6HGkXiUNmvQiSzXwIpT41AZExcVr4GLPmYm-iINSqYjGOzQvAJzxq7QIQH8lM3hRIPNNdL9VHN2LurmR33JOufA-Xs5EDMgaKblYh-af5i5xPr5OfpfrFuS1b0sAkEadO/s400/PB120746.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>Inside the hut. Not very comfy! I can't imagine people living here? Maybe this style were used for hunting expeditions, or something? Or just as summer camps if you weren't worried about the cold?</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7hU8b9DJ62Elc9Gwf5zm7fPQU5hK8v9_EAejVDD29r9zfqyFi-QP5nQIwW0BBsRqX2Eob3h4JGJhCn4-NsSwERZOHmdSLrzZxVBNXWIIPDNmvdoORf1JOf7i0CwtDqG5cXCtyJy4oZElu/s1600/PB120736.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7hU8b9DJ62Elc9Gwf5zm7fPQU5hK8v9_EAejVDD29r9zfqyFi-QP5nQIwW0BBsRqX2Eob3h4JGJhCn4-NsSwERZOHmdSLrzZxVBNXWIIPDNmvdoORf1JOf7i0CwtDqG5cXCtyJy4oZElu/s400/PB120736.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>The leaf-strewn roof of the glacial stone exhibit</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjovs4H9iaC6SaSrKdYXKfYQnjwdEkPTWDemOyT4AEeIsc-9dwVZ0nROuHG2QfQ6wtkR_aBvT0kw5ICs_gj-zmJHE3JwyvrrjODBKySSmVK9l5zB-agFoI8M5cxYPTmNYYr_rEmdMzXz1Ia/s1600/PB120738.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjovs4H9iaC6SaSrKdYXKfYQnjwdEkPTWDemOyT4AEeIsc-9dwVZ0nROuHG2QfQ6wtkR_aBvT0kw5ICs_gj-zmJHE3JwyvrrjODBKySSmVK9l5zB-agFoI8M5cxYPTmNYYr_rEmdMzXz1Ia/s400/PB120738.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>Part of a chalet that's part of the Gletschergarten. This section is preserved in a traditional style.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8epqaCd5YtvyyxB2c6nANzd0Dh5iBq_eTJE32EHIO-lqBIRGGSrwSy2-YUbnOR0UMAxurHSgWlW_794TDuKi6liseU4eAvrSwbH2KJv18SHJpN3v-TGGUS971WWC4ATtgg2XoO9q-RH0G/s1600/PB120739.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8epqaCd5YtvyyxB2c6nANzd0Dh5iBq_eTJE32EHIO-lqBIRGGSrwSy2-YUbnOR0UMAxurHSgWlW_794TDuKi6liseU4eAvrSwbH2KJv18SHJpN3v-TGGUS971WWC4ATtgg2XoO9q-RH0G/s400/PB120739.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXx7m9M5SbVtwhMSZ0tRgjU12npDcXKcGpPQh3CZWmyPYhA3mzyWyTerOnyWr_Ptww3un1ziqOchNyzYwRpRlorMVFwzTzICmpoAmUj5K3MwTAt2qAna4NWt5ruivYY74tW-T0mUDCSCEc/s1600/PB120744.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXx7m9M5SbVtwhMSZ0tRgjU12npDcXKcGpPQh3CZWmyPYhA3mzyWyTerOnyWr_Ptww3un1ziqOchNyzYwRpRlorMVFwzTzICmpoAmUj5K3MwTAt2qAna4NWt5ruivYY74tW-T0mUDCSCEc/s400/PB120744.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibVOBfdbRNMmGBObp8kGm5Jx7-is7rmzvcNiOFNRgtkihusPdMxb3ohpZ604Q96y5XCTcQkgKQ9RcCRUGM3zc7pYogpPu716RH6vGKoX_Fi451CO65GD0nuNHqTyN7Q_lSKvuai7CH_V-z/s1600/PB120745.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibVOBfdbRNMmGBObp8kGm5Jx7-is7rmzvcNiOFNRgtkihusPdMxb3ohpZ604Q96y5XCTcQkgKQ9RcCRUGM3zc7pYogpPu716RH6vGKoX_Fi451CO65GD0nuNHqTyN7Q_lSKvuai7CH_V-z/s400/PB120745.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
<p>
There was a model of a battle here. Someone called <a href="https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Ludwig_Pfyffer">Pfyffer von Wyher (German link)</a> was associated with the building - maybe he used to live here? But either way, he made a whole load of these kinds of dioramas. There were some further exhibits downstairs, which seemed to be about local geography and some more Pfyffer models, but I was a bit tired by this point so I just looked at this one.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipJutsLVUoZjvPH_CqTfbZWgoXo0ySuSmUOH9ZEQG3izJj_eOYsnrt1lcHBsexYAhDAuPlRMddL6yCwu8HsXx50IjCitr60V7LOVUSHc6MNnpgrwQCbmWiOnMFjsq2bYW45QJ1BZkbZ1M3/s1600/PB120740.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipJutsLVUoZjvPH_CqTfbZWgoXo0ySuSmUOH9ZEQG3izJj_eOYsnrt1lcHBsexYAhDAuPlRMddL6yCwu8HsXx50IjCitr60V7LOVUSHc6MNnpgrwQCbmWiOnMFjsq2bYW45QJ1BZkbZ1M3/s400/PB120740.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0MohewqlO4w8uCEGxMgGkKymo8tLgnQdzFWB3UIPGSizNK8N-v6DzOy-nPmK_mY2CI-iTnPuh5UHzsyd368vg9AN433ZY2t1SmYf0fiKcFrWZ6cRMJLHKnzgYjhHW3Z2yHJ5Y7CgZ977l/s1600/PB120741.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0MohewqlO4w8uCEGxMgGkKymo8tLgnQdzFWB3UIPGSizNK8N-v6DzOy-nPmK_mY2CI-iTnPuh5UHzsyd368vg9AN433ZY2t1SmYf0fiKcFrWZ6cRMJLHKnzgYjhHW3Z2yHJ5Y7CgZ977l/s400/PB120741.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitzIlE-63_SDR0ZjeMiVnAMntoDXqxSknaosQOXsuEmOZ1CDpC6OcZGzgFzlnKMpvgk-LIxugvqy77BL3upib-m7LQgSKr97gBOiCCp6P2HbPx7bS9swJnBNJMsD4S-Td76N50Vke29NAB/s1600/PB120742.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitzIlE-63_SDR0ZjeMiVnAMntoDXqxSknaosQOXsuEmOZ1CDpC6OcZGzgFzlnKMpvgk-LIxugvqy77BL3upib-m7LQgSKr97gBOiCCp6P2HbPx7bS9swJnBNJMsD4S-Td76N50Vke29NAB/s400/PB120742.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRP2dFZ8gGUiIJwaPKP7Rnncair8d-Wx7tZCYEIAIMVloLBEEqkitOYtEIBygQ3fg9aOiLjdb16UDz4u2TLAEZRry23Pu1eR4YTZPhDKaomohR8eTm-DYdYsNCyfJ9toSUNEJYvmGrMmoF/s1600/PB120743.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRP2dFZ8gGUiIJwaPKP7Rnncair8d-Wx7tZCYEIAIMVloLBEEqkitOYtEIBygQ3fg9aOiLjdb16UDz4u2TLAEZRry23Pu1eR4YTZPhDKaomohR8eTm-DYdYsNCyfJ9toSUNEJYvmGrMmoF/s400/PB120743.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
<p>
Further up the path was another chalet, this one carefully mocked up to give the the view over an alpine glacier.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsGPcEdqaTEodEpV-viWOKNebPUIXmEDe7gF_EDL6alOrU7kWZ9xNYAuG0gIG8BDkL9sB7qvLN8ltI_KMj7wWUU1DAjtZHCkCYFHf2MS7Tpf3j6HQ5Cybl-w9JQToTGnfj6P3XX5xvYXDF/s1600/PB120749.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsGPcEdqaTEodEpV-viWOKNebPUIXmEDe7gF_EDL6alOrU7kWZ9xNYAuG0gIG8BDkL9sB7qvLN8ltI_KMj7wWUU1DAjtZHCkCYFHf2MS7Tpf3j6HQ5Cybl-w9JQToTGnfj6P3XX5xvYXDF/s400/PB120749.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>It's really pretty good, I think! Especially in cold weather like this.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL5oOSvdfsaJZua9JWS0UGHH2z18tI3rQ9PH2-iUmtyi87Hy3-U1G8jP9CwrnRQ4-eQFkMeiRUzVc0YEJXW4JAhGDHdxym5CTzHpP6XEQXw3gMmxxx_nShwzN90dttH5RJhC80zVvsdb0m/s1600/PB120751.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL5oOSvdfsaJZua9JWS0UGHH2z18tI3rQ9PH2-iUmtyi87Hy3-U1G8jP9CwrnRQ4-eQFkMeiRUzVc0YEJXW4JAhGDHdxym5CTzHpP6XEQXw3gMmxxx_nShwzN90dttH5RJhC80zVvsdb0m/s400/PB120751.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfnhOETI_LFfKIWEMRMvlOG4GHBr0wjeVpaSeLv7-7ti2QnXCAH5YAY6YrAgta7RvIz2Al3aKddNrBs2kp9FinWYOMSyMHuU5wukMCCXfQMh37JCdM9lQjydOAo_dopQDp85ZA462ny1mn/s1600/PB120752.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfnhOETI_LFfKIWEMRMvlOG4GHBr0wjeVpaSeLv7-7ti2QnXCAH5YAY6YrAgta7RvIz2Al3aKddNrBs2kp9FinWYOMSyMHuU5wukMCCXfQMh37JCdM9lQjydOAo_dopQDp85ZA462ny1mn/s400/PB120752.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>It must be even better when it's actually snowing.</p></div>
<p>
Climbing to the top of the cliff, I trudged up the observation tower to look out over the town. I suppose that's two of these I've done now, though thankfully this one was easier than the church tower. With the sun actually present today, it was rather more cheerful than Zurich. I must confess though that it's quite rare for a sizeable town to look genuinely pretty even from above. Lucerne does pretty well. Still a lot of concretey bits around though...
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuXQPGD55vXoQmFP68ENRTvP7Bi8JIp21PUdwJs37u0md4vM42ZGMv3un95FSb17CZar9o88GX5cptCac386TC_FWJdcfghKanZpH3zabXurJJbhQ7GpTv4slXo9GnkI-q7vJjkh6GY_JN/s1600/PB120753.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuXQPGD55vXoQmFP68ENRTvP7Bi8JIp21PUdwJs37u0md4vM42ZGMv3un95FSb17CZar9o88GX5cptCac386TC_FWJdcfghKanZpH3zabXurJJbhQ7GpTv4slXo9GnkI-q7vJjkh6GY_JN/s400/PB120753.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIv9iOCyjL9wkfPv6frXlk2lfKMJGxuUoQO5FFkiwQsARSZuUey8Z8V7mhwPu-fpNSyiesjzZbV48919U8eyoUI2zOxIn_9XK9uKTs_JDGsdsvJo_hDaqiOIthxJp_ehNgSpoUqLf5Gukb/s1600/PB120756.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIv9iOCyjL9wkfPv6frXlk2lfKMJGxuUoQO5FFkiwQsARSZuUey8Z8V7mhwPu-fpNSyiesjzZbV48919U8eyoUI2zOxIn_9XK9uKTs_JDGsdsvJo_hDaqiOIthxJp_ehNgSpoUqLf5Gukb/s400/PB120756.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
<p>
So honestly, the Gletschergarten was a very solid pick. If you're in Lucerne I would definitely recommend visiting - it's not something you'll find anywhere else, it's got a variety of things that are modestly interesting if you're the kind of person who likes quiet little corners of knowledge, and it's not too expensive. If the weather's good you can take a picnic, and you can get some lovely views too.
</p>
<p>
Rather to my dismay, it turns out that there is no cafe at the Gletschergarten. None at all! There's a small area where you can eat a picnic, but that's all. Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas any more... having seen my fill of rocks, it's time to leave. After all my walking, I'm keen to sit down for a warm drink and a rest. I start strolling back through the city centre in a zig-zag pattern, seeking somewhere I might find one.
</p>
<div class-"quote-tangent">
<p>
It is perhaps worth noting that I never made it to the actual Alpenium. There was a building labelled that which just looked like a restaurant? I couldn't tell that it was still functioning as anything other than a restaurant, but maybe I missed out through hesitancy.
</p>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrR96_S04E3J8i019szpOVorrc0CLDcxS_w1ZNdIn6YVICXtPHY9evX0vX1N9okqL-CNAzw1SRprt7dbbAqM8aw6-BNyp3ErJNdjIRe6zVX7Xp-HGEo0WQzHTwMWUTEMXRsnZ6jDMZcRod/s1600/PB120757.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrR96_S04E3J8i019szpOVorrc0CLDcxS_w1ZNdIn6YVICXtPHY9evX0vX1N9okqL-CNAzw1SRprt7dbbAqM8aw6-BNyp3ErJNdjIRe6zVX7Xp-HGEo0WQzHTwMWUTEMXRsnZ6jDMZcRod/s400/PB120757.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>A fine ivy-clad building</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBNipcxlvVuHWv2v5imo7AoLX6tgcLvRhLeWMtR7UsCSCA8wFe9WF0gDhgffFT897liQd5MjA7cr3HnXqzuli1pkkKfCQkajkxnXrCnOgTXU0nOtkrNdnhVsppLpir7WtcXRAM6s_DrVXa/s1600/PB120758.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBNipcxlvVuHWv2v5imo7AoLX6tgcLvRhLeWMtR7UsCSCA8wFe9WF0gDhgffFT897liQd5MjA7cr3HnXqzuli1pkkKfCQkajkxnXrCnOgTXU0nOtkrNdnhVsppLpir7WtcXRAM6s_DrVXa/s400/PB120758.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>Rather impressive doors embedded in a long solid wall. Intriguing!</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTYpTQTwHc-4O26KAJsqndxFxO-ocl57jyTjRb3Az52abNO7bypdDHsDRZ6IqoVbvdeOGrBzFxl_f4BqVF0i1guyOjUonAjWP5h6ZvEFBcTuqmYYXbqeGplBW8cJpWatjUTdXQLLlpVEcY/s1600/PB120759.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTYpTQTwHc-4O26KAJsqndxFxO-ocl57jyTjRb3Az52abNO7bypdDHsDRZ6IqoVbvdeOGrBzFxl_f4BqVF0i1guyOjUonAjWP5h6ZvEFBcTuqmYYXbqeGplBW8cJpWatjUTdXQLLlpVEcY/s400/PB120759.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>Oh hey, it's that guy! You can find more amenable information about him <a href="http://www.terrainmodels.com/pfyffer.html">here</a>.</p></div>
<p>
Near the town centre, several buildings are highly decorated and rather pleasing.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqdEgLguHbgtK-6ndPMlZb-BW8IzlGDainfhn5qMKoPGee4WXUZfmU1a7HFGQc6nHxIOEHeak4CkRpp4bjyRG5tFDPTU12SN8pmCQSYTtgG0Rt-u2SPZRTuHi6_EoRcPO3xgzEDocGCODa/s1600/PB120760.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqdEgLguHbgtK-6ndPMlZb-BW8IzlGDainfhn5qMKoPGee4WXUZfmU1a7HFGQc6nHxIOEHeak4CkRpp4bjyRG5tFDPTU12SN8pmCQSYTtgG0Rt-u2SPZRTuHi6_EoRcPO3xgzEDocGCODa/s400/PB120760.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkb5JWxxnrTzTKTi2qdP-rdZiYp-39sT9ncv56MLFHWhd_GJdmMoD_NO-W_VosdIG0yUEZuM_o4uQXPFWY6-FVjFKdJnKQi8_HuphtdF1xOjRA8yTlUhOJbXXYPgyknNpXjPFOsK9Skoui/s1600/PB120761.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkb5JWxxnrTzTKTi2qdP-rdZiYp-39sT9ncv56MLFHWhd_GJdmMoD_NO-W_VosdIG0yUEZuM_o4uQXPFWY6-FVjFKdJnKQi8_HuphtdF1xOjRA8yTlUhOJbXXYPgyknNpXjPFOsK9Skoui/s400/PB120761.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
<p>
It's well worth taking a stroll through these squares and streets just to look around at the buildings. The ground floors are mostly generic shops, though.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc8f-QmtBS6zss0hz6exXxynGHW_I2w_x01P842-seJ7uDfRb_dU-8YDcdkWArwO3Qigfjd1zpaR4cFC3nyR08Agt880Vi84SbdHdqmT0teztMRQxnRBi6Y-evrrhAFHqJWHSSg0A7Eo2d/s1600/PB120762.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc8f-QmtBS6zss0hz6exXxynGHW_I2w_x01P842-seJ7uDfRb_dU-8YDcdkWArwO3Qigfjd1zpaR4cFC3nyR08Agt880Vi84SbdHdqmT0teztMRQxnRBi6Y-evrrhAFHqJWHSSg0A7Eo2d/s400/PB120762.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2boWFo7iE9DGqhgyPopM_vZT0Y8HfrEMk2BPz40iyPHF2Wvsmi6MynHmVkM9nMtPGrrimdjo9e_LeLEXox21atvUBXhJ5CyTUwItXfLw48QMX76mXjckwlYJjBxYvw21vE8-tM2rfqyxj/s1600/PB120763.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2boWFo7iE9DGqhgyPopM_vZT0Y8HfrEMk2BPz40iyPHF2Wvsmi6MynHmVkM9nMtPGrrimdjo9e_LeLEXox21atvUBXhJ5CyTUwItXfLw48QMX76mXjckwlYJjBxYvw21vE8-tM2rfqyxj/s400/PB120763.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR9c9Y9QwWld31iDUytZJohjU-iNm5jxtWqnVeGXR4CjTpOiBrLkfiM4mBgpe-t0P5VIYs_rkUcja1H29BpIRUBJi_m2RK5RhQdZkCCTr_3AV0sJPmk3JjkxUI7_sF64CIzT1oPBthfuPA/s1600/PB120765.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR9c9Y9QwWld31iDUytZJohjU-iNm5jxtWqnVeGXR4CjTpOiBrLkfiM4mBgpe-t0P5VIYs_rkUcja1H29BpIRUBJi_m2RK5RhQdZkCCTr_3AV0sJPmk3JjkxUI7_sF64CIzT1oPBthfuPA/s400/PB120765.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEGhAj9WLgwgXTaA_XqtL7_wsF95joDuQ4jYTWB7pUZSc3J85womC3_pbUbRvy5FXHOFaHRBOORZlTF7z1zk-GIGxxsaBtRNEQq9xh4gBAdl4nEa_fkHUM6eYf0ukU_XKbV-3FEHxOwm84/s1600/PB120766.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEGhAj9WLgwgXTaA_XqtL7_wsF95joDuQ4jYTWB7pUZSc3J85womC3_pbUbRvy5FXHOFaHRBOORZlTF7z1zk-GIGxxsaBtRNEQq9xh4gBAdl4nEa_fkHUM6eYf0ukU_XKbV-3FEHxOwm84/s400/PB120766.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>You can rarely go wrong with a shot of something towerish by a lake with the sun behind it...</p></div>
<p>
I don't know quite what I'm doing wrong, because I am completely unable to identify any cafes.
</p>
<p>
There are a few restaurants dotted around, although not as many as I expected in a town centre. But I can't find anywhere that looks like a place to get a drink and maybe a light snack. Google Maps can't find any either. I see a couple of places which physically sell drinks, but have nowhere to sit down.
</p>
<p>
I head back through the station. I realise now that much the same thing prevails here, as indeed it did at the Zurich station. I thought absence of seats was a distinctly Japanese phenomenon, but although Switzerland has better public seating provision (which is to say, it <i>has</i> some), there is a mysterious tendency for places to sell drinks without letting you sit down.
</p>
<p>
I don't understand this at all. Surely the whole point of cafes is that you can sit down, while supping a beverage. The drink element is frequently incidental, in my experience. There's a whole genre of cafes that exist in the UK to serve those in need of a seat, from tired parents of toddlers to elderly people with limited walking range. But here, as in Japan, the assumption seems to be that for the most part people have tireless mechanical limbs.
</p>
<p>
Of course, I'm noticing this particularly because I'm ill, so really really do need to sit down and rest. Inside, out of the cold. But when (inexplicably, to a Brit) you can't get a cuppa at the museum nor at any of the open-to-the-public churches, and not even at the station, what's a man to do?
</p>
<p>
I grimly continue back towards my hotel, passing some nonexistent coffee shops that Google Maps insists are on the way. Eventually, I strike a tiny, welcome nugget of precious metal in terms of the <a href="http://crazycupcake.ch/">Crazy Cupcake Cafe</a>, not far from my hotel. I collapse here and wearily consume a hot cup of black tea, eventually recovering enough to also read some manga.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeLHq90582JPW-juv_Co3U12QsFshZd14lnlnWiex9Av8vEJle28OorYRgwhQFDonr-lbz0VFw61vrYS97-7hOCqjDHfXwIxwsmxDoHLcMnXgxcoI-3SjxBAst7oHzBbBZ5dd1Ib5bfuY-/s1600/IMG_20161112_154736.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeLHq90582JPW-juv_Co3U12QsFshZd14lnlnWiex9Av8vEJle28OorYRgwhQFDonr-lbz0VFw61vrYS97-7hOCqjDHfXwIxwsmxDoHLcMnXgxcoI-3SjxBAst7oHzBbBZ5dd1Ib5bfuY-/s400/IMG_20161112_154736.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p> </p></div>
<p>
It's cheerful, fairly full (it's small, in fairness), seems to have a regular clientele, a good array of cakes and drinks, and also serves food. I am not in a state to consume anything other than tea, though.
</p>
<p>
After about 45 minutes, it's nearly closing time and I feel strong enough to get back to the hotel.
</p>
<p>
I reach the hotel, drop my bags, and crash like a plummeting rocket, sprawling exhausted on the spare bed. The inexplicable shouting from down the street barely stirs me. I don't sleep, but I do lie in a motionless heap for about an hour while a degree of strength drains back into my body, and the leaden cobwebs that had embraced my eyes and the hindparts of my brain gradually dissipate.
</p>
<p>
When I'm functional again, I get up. It's about half six. I reluctantly activate the data on my phone, and get a message from M-san confirming our arrangements for tomorrow. Fingers crossed that I'll be able to get up in time to meet for 9.30... not a sentence I would write in my normal state of health!
</p>
<p>
I end up heading into town with my laptop. Primarily that's because I need something to eat, and the hotel doesn't offer it. I only want something fairly light, and there are no restaurants or cafes near the hotel. So I plan to just pick up something at a conbini and then continue on to Starbucks. I'd be delighted to go to an authentic Swiss cafe, but so far it's proven very difficult to find any at all, and the Crazy Cupcake shut at 5pm. I need hot caffeinated beverages, thanks.
</p>
<p>
My expectations are confounded when both of the conbinis I'd pinpointed turn out to be shut. It's 7pm on a Saturday. Unable to reconcile these facts, I march glumly back to the station, where I find one that's actually open. Despite some embarrassment at not having weighed my apples prior to reaching the till (a cultural quirk that had not occurred to me) I manage to buy bread, apples, yoghurt and - somewhat out of desperation - a pot of edamame beans so I'd get at least some protein. Luckily, there's one seat free at the station seating, so I slump there for a few minutes and stuff myself.
</p>
<p>
The bread I picked up on a whim - I was going to get rolls, but I noticed some <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramazan_pidesi">Fladenbrot</a>.
</p>
<a title="By Csopso (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ARamazanPidesi.jpg"><img width="128" alt="RamazanPidesi" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/91/RamazanPidesi.jpg"/></a>
<p>
I haven't had this stuff since I was visiting a friend in Vienna shortly after graduation, and he took me to the Turkish market, where we bought a bagful of fresh, soft Fladenbrot. It was aromatic and warm, and we ripped it into tender handfuls and devoured about three entire loaves with a bowl of noodle soup. I dossed down in his room on a borrowed matress, while a perpetual column of ants marched silently across the ceiling above, wondering for a long time whether one might lose its sure footing and plummet onto my sleeping face. Perhaps one did.
</p>
<p>
I remember walking the grounds of Schönbrunn Palace; a crow perched atop a statue in perfect posed mimicry of the figure below; gigantic Viennese fingers; Hundertwasserhaus; standing on the balcony watching a performance of <i>Romeo und Julia</i>, grasping only a fraction of the words. A time before... well, before a lot of life happened. It feels so distant.
</p>
<p>
This is the first time I've seen this bread in nearly ten years.
</p>
<p>
It's... not as good. Unsurprising. I mean, it's bagged stuff from a convenience store probably made last week, as opposed to unpackaged stuff fresh from the oven at a Turkish bakery stall. Still, it does the job. My memories remain rich and fragrant, untained by the years.
</p>
<div class="quote-tangent">
<p>
Man, names are confusing.
</p>
<p>
I've only ever known this stuff as Fladenbrot. The Wikipedia link is a generic "<a href="https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fladenbrot#Regionale_Auspr.C3.A4gungen">flatbreads</a>" page, obviously useless. Looking for Turkish flatbread via that site found me two options, the more promising being <a href="https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pita">Pide</a>, which brings us to the English "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pita">pitta</a>" page. Pitta bread as I've always seen it used in the UK in no way resembles Fladenbrot as I've experienced it, but thankfully I was able to narrow it down to the Ramazan Pide variant. Phew!
</p>
</div>
<p>
I stroll to Starbucks, and am relieved to find I can actually get a seat. And I begin writing this blogpost.
</p>Shimmin Beghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10350037986748679919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1413166059304552489.post-59881404931745472872016-11-12T07:25:00.000+00:002017-01-25T19:34:53.559+00:00Luzern: Lakesides and Lions<p>
I awoke to relatively glorious, relatively sunshine. That is, it was not raining, and strands of sunlight were intermittently visible through the clouds. Dragging myself out of bed sometime around 9am, I packed and left for the station.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYXXv53jU9nhIlw3K8IFtFfHeKbyiVN0LD9MxbVjAC-UVKzZ8AlMl4n3JrK3jlHbP80RzwY305i5VbHHb3NAmhTGg3nYmaql7x0d1r26sT9HCGmdeqSFkri3CeFzPSJ1f_vpuwBJ5msRUN/s1600/PB120668.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYXXv53jU9nhIlw3K8IFtFfHeKbyiVN0LD9MxbVjAC-UVKzZ8AlMl4n3JrK3jlHbP80RzwY305i5VbHHb3NAmhTGg3nYmaql7x0d1r26sT9HCGmdeqSFkri3CeFzPSJ1f_vpuwBJ5msRUN/s400/PB120668.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
<a name='more'></a>
<p>
I grabbed some breakfast and much-needed tea before heading to the station and buying my ticket.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZgtK5DG3TKXNj8kX-wSDxxcVu0e24ChNBJ-KMMagwE94iNNrEYyHPvmm1MSxf4T1Nj5nauuLeVBKwVObku5Pkw7eSqqNuX6ymt8bIW5BxYLqXhA3mP-9sjsgieAw7K70uqNJbQJzi4Vve/s1600/IMG_20161112_095210.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZgtK5DG3TKXNj8kX-wSDxxcVu0e24ChNBJ-KMMagwE94iNNrEYyHPvmm1MSxf4T1Nj5nauuLeVBKwVObku5Pkw7eSqqNuX6ymt8bIW5BxYLqXhA3mP-9sjsgieAw7K70uqNJbQJzi4Vve/s400/IMG_20161112_095210.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p> </p></div>
<p>
For once I'd successfully timed things so that my train was due a few minutes later, so everything went smoothly. The journey wasn't the most scenic in the world - in my experience it's actually relatively rare that train journeys are, since they tend to involve travelling through relatively sunken bits of landscape rather than balanced precariously on the highest point around where you get a nice view. However, I drank in a bit more of generic urbanised and suburban Swiss landscape, and saw a few more rural bits that looked very much like rural England, to be honest. I suppose it's all relatively cold bits of Europe, so we have fairly similar bits of ecology going on.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhwm-nd6eHTK0lOMG_D4ObylCUrp2JYPJfXcfLbEJBuiUB7BCTcujVNDmtxny_N5KBslkY5he1_vIOLGL4l7s2PsL0I1lg-XOEyfR3Rjfzzz4v88pwMzcD5TAJLY2Vzo8iQKBRV1RAqpF_/s1600/IMG_20161112_102955.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhwm-nd6eHTK0lOMG_D4ObylCUrp2JYPJfXcfLbEJBuiUB7BCTcujVNDmtxny_N5KBslkY5he1_vIOLGL4l7s2PsL0I1lg-XOEyfR3Rjfzzz4v88pwMzcD5TAJLY2Vzo8iQKBRV1RAqpF_/s400/IMG_20161112_102955.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0klxHgiu5tSRSZzdF3mhHX7cUt6PlylGh8NbrzrTHNIaF2lrZJtM6zmK8jinWffZNaTrMmjnVAdd9Mwj4eoFvssPxGsitp6ZnI6lfToYW5JjWrizbED60A7xXnp48AxsxAK-PVJew6RUP/s1600/IMG_20161112_111200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0klxHgiu5tSRSZzdF3mhHX7cUt6PlylGh8NbrzrTHNIaF2lrZJtM6zmK8jinWffZNaTrMmjnVAdd9Mwj4eoFvssPxGsitp6ZnI6lfToYW5JjWrizbED60A7xXnp48AxsxAK-PVJew6RUP/s400/IMG_20161112_111200.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
<p>
I arrive safely and quickly, and immediately head off to drop my bags at the station. It isn't far to my hotel (Hotel Alpha), and I decide this time I'd rather get rid of my stuff before looking for a meal, even though I still plan to eat relatively early.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwEH65MC1x8_0bqwxcnKhClaOQf-J3wOWRcpGlRh6QfY8tpBPkcaN6H1hUrg1s2-R_DSs4zkD_x8M5d0UT2TWEy1H-H_pyOLSjUYDp9e2udQEDLNImratwHVGkmjqYcyhjDLeke4cZ8fS9/s1600/PB120670.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwEH65MC1x8_0bqwxcnKhClaOQf-J3wOWRcpGlRh6QfY8tpBPkcaN6H1hUrg1s2-R_DSs4zkD_x8M5d0UT2TWEy1H-H_pyOLSjUYDp9e2udQEDLNImratwHVGkmjqYcyhjDLeke4cZ8fS9/s400/PB120670.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>First look at Lucerne. I rather like this building, with its circle theme.</p></div>
<p>
Having deposited my bags, I slope back into town, carrying only a light bag with postcards, pen, manga and camera.
</p>
<p>
For what it's worth, I've found it's generally worth aiming to eat at slightly unusual times when touristing. You're already trying to hunt down somewhere you want to eat, in a situation where you don't know the place well, which means finding any restaurants at all may be a challenge (yes, even with Google Maps). Since city centres (where you probably are) tend to be busy at mealtimes, and if you're in a touristy area (you probably are) there will also be tourists seeking food, that just exacerbates the problem. You can easily end up wandering round for ages getting increasingly hungry and irritable before finding somewhere you can actually get a seat.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHUVOAXUcgekRHZqexO0gJFqdKjDuaardZXFFQbA9FqIbqlZUxU1_2huFBbK6pQBMrs4SThwe6bxyD1kHlsC_DF7JScVr7ecxOcprM7NOjrospEB6UB34NQ58Vs_dCVh6jr3dpjBOsFUH-/s1600/PB120672.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHUVOAXUcgekRHZqexO0gJFqdKjDuaardZXFFQbA9FqIbqlZUxU1_2huFBbK6pQBMrs4SThwe6bxyD1kHlsC_DF7JScVr7ecxOcprM7NOjrospEB6UB34NQ58Vs_dCVh6jr3dpjBOsFUH-/s400/PB120672.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>I can't remember what this building was, but it's quite nice.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ1lX_IZ8eqxJhO5CRnV4EE0CuilXhi7jXO1BvcGrm9-L1YcMkMkUyjcoLmorpFr5Q5PWCISgJ_rpeF-eEMloPRgL34kTDVczYlzFc-SOEVmIM4eLzzmK1rOZEg9vPmF3RupK8UGc_9YfE/s1600/PB120673.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ1lX_IZ8eqxJhO5CRnV4EE0CuilXhi7jXO1BvcGrm9-L1YcMkMkUyjcoLmorpFr5Q5PWCISgJ_rpeF-eEMloPRgL34kTDVczYlzFc-SOEVmIM4eLzzmK1rOZEg9vPmF3RupK8UGc_9YfE/s400/PB120673.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>The welcome arch at Lucerne Station</p></div>
<p>
For lunch, I end up drifting through the station and spot what seems to be a local chain called <a href="http://www.bobby-fritz.com/">Bobby & Fritz</a>. Currywurst is a big deal here, so I feel like I should at least sample it.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVD2t3bEWL2aroe7JL0VvgPiEUWWjeLQ6noZV8rXsYFa9sS-3ffvE01dKyQuw2FPJptbDEk1j4xH0FUFRjDxCxmUiCYLa4s7cmLDJrS3UujvYmDrk0yaBQ8Pa9w__4jrsRtdq6NzdyvicR/s1600/PB120671.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVD2t3bEWL2aroe7JL0VvgPiEUWWjeLQ6noZV8rXsYFa9sS-3ffvE01dKyQuw2FPJptbDEk1j4xH0FUFRjDxCxmUiCYLa4s7cmLDJrS3UujvYmDrk0yaBQ8Pa9w__4jrsRtdq6NzdyvicR/s400/PB120671.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>Currywurst</p></div>
<p>
It proves to be pretty much exactly what you might expect from a takeaway sausage and chips in curry sauce. I was slightly concerned when I realised I'd accidentally agreed to the "very hot" sauce, but it turns out this is no hotter than the curries I normally make, so all fine. Could have done with some kind of vegetable, though. There was onion on offer, but that's my point exactly.
</p>
<p>
Since tomorrow M-san has offered to show me around, my plan is just to roam around the Old Town to some extent looking at things I suspect she won't take me to. Wild guessing, initiate!
</p>
<div class="quote-tangent">
<p>
Spoiler: I was less than totally successful.
</p>
</div>
<p>
I cross the river via the ancient Chapel Bridge (very nice), and strike off along the shore.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghPIsAWFzGyFRFa-M3h1g3zYQDTgyj7mp3V21vlQ7xZaC5-zdvVw6gj4gIk2WiMiTW2Pf4hUtvkRxSeWjpubJ9fptrLGRoMYucFSl4imbGoFKs3xBKaNhxoN8bmARml45fLNrM6pJWizVq/s1600/PB120674.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghPIsAWFzGyFRFa-M3h1g3zYQDTgyj7mp3V21vlQ7xZaC5-zdvVw6gj4gIk2WiMiTW2Pf4hUtvkRxSeWjpubJ9fptrLGRoMYucFSl4imbGoFKs3xBKaNhxoN8bmARml45fLNrM6pJWizVq/s400/PB120674.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>Chapel Bridge</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz4KVGVrFDf5B7Oa67HFBBcWYhMTAV6SRnmT6PNgT0XhhLJUFCPLKddUFLAGfF9DeNj3q8Q918G974QZBKnIWS0a76rtFry37Tq-_wnjXEFEY_dTEi75dKzbdABqWjlQVnctaUZkRnKbQ6/s1600/PB120675.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz4KVGVrFDf5B7Oa67HFBBcWYhMTAV6SRnmT6PNgT0XhhLJUFCPLKddUFLAGfF9DeNj3q8Q918G974QZBKnIWS0a76rtFry37Tq-_wnjXEFEY_dTEi75dKzbdABqWjlQVnctaUZkRnKbQ6/s400/PB120675.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>Chapel Bridge Tower</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXfM8RDcgfcYtfIOSjVCuwFS2dRVzE8F_Ox8ILO9eyHs9QGygOFq3shdEI-tAvn6TkStZVORES9IZJnl2I-Aq5HnYNi0sFsy_a8ZwaMwAmoSju-Ij33kXPCwyEM2wss9JA6ezwCI2EVrSx/s1600/PB120676.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXfM8RDcgfcYtfIOSjVCuwFS2dRVzE8F_Ox8ILO9eyHs9QGygOFq3shdEI-tAvn6TkStZVORES9IZJnl2I-Aq5HnYNi0sFsy_a8ZwaMwAmoSju-Ij33kXPCwyEM2wss9JA6ezwCI2EVrSx/s400/PB120676.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>View inside the bridge</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfa_5SdADBPDw4jcBYE1bhgp0DNguR_Q4ALFS2cZn-k39UbmsiHrTJHYu-PYY6XQ6wiESNCOQZb2qXUemAJ9_nV2s1ELcywvxkDyWFPN6k0pmX5yhfvTvhl0a5qjLeTvah2mkTPBEar2H7/s1600/PANO_20161112_130036.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfa_5SdADBPDw4jcBYE1bhgp0DNguR_Q4ALFS2cZn-k39UbmsiHrTJHYu-PYY6XQ6wiESNCOQZb2qXUemAJ9_nV2s1ELcywvxkDyWFPN6k0pmX5yhfvTvhl0a5qjLeTvah2mkTPBEar2H7/s400/PANO_20161112_130036.jpg" width="400" height="116" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNaP7bGprg784tVJnRIZgmggDj8fXrkSlTJ4CXqfdRVi_cSyEC-pNQ7rOrhXysnglSHiHt2YLyfYdaAU4dJWbN85dL6WfNuSn3-c-zueIdVXzJCya8kJ5s3SjqXe9y_tDyR-LyOD1RPQNq/s1600/PB120677.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNaP7bGprg784tVJnRIZgmggDj8fXrkSlTJ4CXqfdRVi_cSyEC-pNQ7rOrhXysnglSHiHt2YLyfYdaAU4dJWbN85dL6WfNuSn3-c-zueIdVXzJCya8kJ5s3SjqXe9y_tDyR-LyOD1RPQNq/s400/PB120677.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>There are historical panels at intervals along the bridge</p></div>
<p>
I can tell you now that this post is mostly just photos, so if you're looking for searing social-cultural insights... actually, why are you on this blog again?
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7LYNTr-PzqilLQr1uVZRerdSzAEGezcQ5AsUcmKLmoZXSIOVEJPkR6HeOQTq3dLhISC1WCks3bUjvnPENk_fSA16Y2vzChLF1w4Vticb7e9QaN7XqrvFpBECZ01QcAm8q0UaCUi_rm563/s1600/PB120678.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7LYNTr-PzqilLQr1uVZRerdSzAEGezcQ5AsUcmKLmoZXSIOVEJPkR6HeOQTq3dLhISC1WCks3bUjvnPENk_fSA16Y2vzChLF1w4Vticb7e9QaN7XqrvFpBECZ01QcAm8q0UaCUi_rm563/s400/PB120678.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>The riverside</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSJcXyASd2vGS_GX_E7_tMHQYVx8ivIMOUEYrKAihTfZ2A1aLLivu9YpugflMBSi3nRhJUy3jgf1JBCvH6Nm8wpP9XFMVgCprPGSXzqMyb5C2o3qTE2uQsdxsXfLoWCizAZxftrGpClvNJ/s1600/PB120679.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSJcXyASd2vGS_GX_E7_tMHQYVx8ivIMOUEYrKAihTfZ2A1aLLivu9YpugflMBSi3nRhJUy3jgf1JBCvH6Nm8wpP9XFMVgCprPGSXzqMyb5C2o3qTE2uQsdxsXfLoWCizAZxftrGpClvNJ/s400/PB120679.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>More riverside</p></div>
<p>
An awful lot of the town is genuinely old. It's fairly unusual, though perhaps being brought up in an area transformed by the Industrial Revolution prejudices me here. Liverpool waterfronts are very different!
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi67jmMhhUqNMe2KGra1kqTbelwq9Nhyphenhyphend7wR1S8ajxtIRHSw9AXQwnAgSYQE5AaKOqHhDpmEP2Xm6VBCuUaUG0qL3650AOCDNieaDZyFoSuIgPqB4QesUjqwHZqSz8ALMtHW8KxYzgNaNxK/s1600/IMG_20161112_130152.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi67jmMhhUqNMe2KGra1kqTbelwq9Nhyphenhyphend7wR1S8ajxtIRHSw9AXQwnAgSYQE5AaKOqHhDpmEP2Xm6VBCuUaUG0qL3650AOCDNieaDZyFoSuIgPqB4QesUjqwHZqSz8ALMtHW8KxYzgNaNxK/s400/IMG_20161112_130152.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8d2S5M_cxrgoZ7nrwmBTsZHkTXS0u_xnDuW-Yw4T99qeSq2wLTirKdVVISbgodRrLV-DWjdgkqPZdO8OwOyEVT37NdYnnk7RXAslKbAe1zUC91hGYXLOxaMS1o-22JlSEXF0-mBWjlbCA/s1600/PANO_20161112_131154.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8d2S5M_cxrgoZ7nrwmBTsZHkTXS0u_xnDuW-Yw4T99qeSq2wLTirKdVVISbgodRrLV-DWjdgkqPZdO8OwOyEVT37NdYnnk7RXAslKbAe1zUC91hGYXLOxaMS1o-22JlSEXF0-mBWjlbCA/s400/PANO_20161112_131154.jpg" width="400" height="105" /><p>Gorgeous lake, right?</p></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjng2NYwyX05PLU8ADPG0UumzQcFzfXBfTCMd3DihKtDGYUUh4IWOet7XYNuoD1YGRmXrHDLlUeqv21gpJYuaJApBkmII8sNVtz-R8KSvlsaZLAtto79USUPHmrgvCXtk82fhf8IAZdF3Tr/s1600/PB120680.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjng2NYwyX05PLU8ADPG0UumzQcFzfXBfTCMd3DihKtDGYUUh4IWOet7XYNuoD1YGRmXrHDLlUeqv21gpJYuaJApBkmII8sNVtz-R8KSvlsaZLAtto79USUPHmrgvCXtk82fhf8IAZdF3Tr/s400/PB120680.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
<p>
The better weather means I can see some rather nice bits of mountain lurking amidst the clouds.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWsDjw1mo-XlKe2VM6VK1VsmVn6_IWs9jg3Ou9x8QeVkwHegXd6XM9iqqriTNMP0XZb46lKRt-KOTGnw9FB41aDOLrAm6lnRWP4YGztBal8C5cqrWhYxLHKpEZfxlZtprJVIzoEJlsmPLg/s1600/PB120681.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWsDjw1mo-XlKe2VM6VK1VsmVn6_IWs9jg3Ou9x8QeVkwHegXd6XM9iqqriTNMP0XZb46lKRt-KOTGnw9FB41aDOLrAm6lnRWP4YGztBal8C5cqrWhYxLHKpEZfxlZtprJVIzoEJlsmPLg/s400/PB120681.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj7ih5muSymxO9NKI-rGTS9VUmxyvEbWyU8qKughC-8qOEQyQjKEIC-L0mEI6oq6pMFJlJ7I8IY4EtRTUxtYLq9dJD5j1OzXv6a4vZWMX211hx7ea51fAl2GLIrSieZL_t-Z0z3_83V1if/s1600/PB120683.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj7ih5muSymxO9NKI-rGTS9VUmxyvEbWyU8qKughC-8qOEQyQjKEIC-L0mEI6oq6pMFJlJ7I8IY4EtRTUxtYLq9dJD5j1OzXv6a4vZWMX211hx7ea51fAl2GLIrSieZL_t-Z0z3_83V1if/s400/PB120683.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMd8TllkYPFZ-jYaye2FrDUiPCoQ95NnXKCQQX3nBzHZn61D5n9qVUw7qKFInrCM3atwdfLDD5nAj6MB8Np9mofPySLEUJ5wUYRT5nObEa6Uqfb3UQOADRV27CYvrq7fRw3WfTnT9a6Ye3/s1600/PB120684.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMd8TllkYPFZ-jYaye2FrDUiPCoQ95NnXKCQQX3nBzHZn61D5n9qVUw7qKFInrCM3atwdfLDD5nAj6MB8Np9mofPySLEUJ5wUYRT5nObEa6Uqfb3UQOADRV27CYvrq7fRw3WfTnT9a6Ye3/s400/PB120684.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJBTSgPdim2qrfMFzMLXQCFsRn-JKI5KN7J7KqW9SpfuGNFH7HAKxXHV0UixuBjfuqU-cfPBqnFEgs6ihCyHbkHekZpc4Q7LaDRve_oy2CZ1QMASjkqDITAakhESvukKDWmnO_GywW1gk2/s1600/PB120689.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJBTSgPdim2qrfMFzMLXQCFsRn-JKI5KN7J7KqW9SpfuGNFH7HAKxXHV0UixuBjfuqU-cfPBqnFEgs6ihCyHbkHekZpc4Q7LaDRve_oy2CZ1QMASjkqDITAakhESvukKDWmnO_GywW1gk2/s400/PB120689.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>Swans circle on the lake</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjag3zbj6xnryQz-kqv8ydjzVydkmrqrsO3VQ6LpeWcNbNiAvGdCCFpmUG3nkClgWINyjlU9hHy71e7E_42LpDLI2SDsZIG7yHa8eV54SHRHrr8iXQCaQFQAntXZ8JnCVBZRSUxZWGl9mBC/s1600/PB120691.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjag3zbj6xnryQz-kqv8ydjzVydkmrqrsO3VQ6LpeWcNbNiAvGdCCFpmUG3nkClgWINyjlU9hHy71e7E_42LpDLI2SDsZIG7yHa8eV54SHRHrr8iXQCaQFQAntXZ8JnCVBZRSUxZWGl9mBC/s400/PB120691.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEAgTUIRMylNBVe1AFZSfM-gs6_JU9Xakem6cFWJzVkpMjqqoklUc2GA7zZmdhYEQeZib2VPBaLwKhbdqPefYOM2-b_-XZCYxBy1GLR9croF6Xwkw-vmK0TlbwYSyx1vl65sNmAeyNthTy/s1600/IMG_20161112_130823.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEAgTUIRMylNBVe1AFZSfM-gs6_JU9Xakem6cFWJzVkpMjqqoklUc2GA7zZmdhYEQeZib2VPBaLwKhbdqPefYOM2-b_-XZCYxBy1GLR9croF6Xwkw-vmK0TlbwYSyx1vl65sNmAeyNthTy/s400/IMG_20161112_130823.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>Seelfie (German joke!)</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwJbdpCx74ghyseQe7hcL73HZgH-fWpQabbaBnnJhb2NPmtygu8piGGxx_wLgfch4VS2XEBi4rdTGzU3SlmyQVU9XQoR5o9pPtZkbJkhnZlK15RgVv_VpVXX4tGJ42fQtSa70xCQVM0f2u/s1600/PB120687.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwJbdpCx74ghyseQe7hcL73HZgH-fWpQabbaBnnJhb2NPmtygu8piGGxx_wLgfch4VS2XEBi4rdTGzU3SlmyQVU9XQoR5o9pPtZkbJkhnZlK15RgVv_VpVXX4tGJ42fQtSa70xCQVM0f2u/s400/PB120687.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>A rather nice weird tree</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGK6Dz_FWRcqXo4CeatN22qASNxG7mUZLW6sLA7tUJ0X4VxwGliCqgGt1v3TJhu5LkRd8nYxIfSuWwgyRziKFKvzYd0dQfkySN7dx9wMWObEnWK8STeJFRiZt4H_MOo4R1kp0kKCtBF6eO/s1600/IMG_20161112_113306.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGK6Dz_FWRcqXo4CeatN22qASNxG7mUZLW6sLA7tUJ0X4VxwGliCqgGt1v3TJhu5LkRd8nYxIfSuWwgyRziKFKvzYd0dQfkySN7dx9wMWObEnWK8STeJFRiZt4H_MOo4R1kp0kKCtBF6eO/s400/IMG_20161112_113306.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPyIbFrXNGo5JdfV82A9G2ptI83mM0ZoTEdl_7VbLf5DKOKbo24iRGXOghTCDlXz9Hk_hlcMfmVsFZMiJn6NEtwyGCixjL7IvUFTlEYU0tfP849BreWf5tMaqRlVhxXZC63vCCvsTTSfLp/s1600/IMG_20161112_120835.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPyIbFrXNGo5JdfV82A9G2ptI83mM0ZoTEdl_7VbLf5DKOKbo24iRGXOghTCDlXz9Hk_hlcMfmVsFZMiJn6NEtwyGCixjL7IvUFTlEYU0tfP849BreWf5tMaqRlVhxXZC63vCCvsTTSfLp/s400/IMG_20161112_120835.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY10IRaBhLgOfb5rSA6PnB4Yg9U03LiQlpc4SnZxyTU261wjCIpuR083rzNTqJNibXxvBOF2P4kOCqQr7l0UnqFbUEwWdiHx3BaCQk0AZBerzBssZ1uJYkS8JtegaIPSfMcthOCE_cZ7B_/s1600/IMG_20161112_134507.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY10IRaBhLgOfb5rSA6PnB4Yg9U03LiQlpc4SnZxyTU261wjCIpuR083rzNTqJNibXxvBOF2P4kOCqQr7l0UnqFbUEwWdiHx3BaCQk0AZBerzBssZ1uJYkS8JtegaIPSfMcthOCE_cZ7B_/s400/IMG_20161112_134507.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>...I've got nothing, it's just a selfie. I am definitely in Switzerland, and not playing with Photoshop from a dubious motel in Rhyl.</p></div>
<p>
There's plenty of what I assume are old, traditional-style buildings along the lakeshore.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq-QsRDJfuZe6Tn_g1ktetcy3D3UM86X7abN9XvzVhyphenhyphenPUBpWlm0uvk1MVCdrpU_L_4rgzUG4n-bppm7nnOBTdzXPMIjUF5aq8P10XUPYfw-v7U7pPTM_6qFZydXXz3kywYOyok7QhfLIIe/s1600/PB120690.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq-QsRDJfuZe6Tn_g1ktetcy3D3UM86X7abN9XvzVhyphenhyphenPUBpWlm0uvk1MVCdrpU_L_4rgzUG4n-bppm7nnOBTdzXPMIjUF5aq8P10XUPYfw-v7U7pPTM_6qFZydXXz3kywYOyok7QhfLIIe/s400/PB120690.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>A group of people playing boules at what seems to be an outdoor stage</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqNyHb7piK4_3tprFZeKxnz2RgXB3uKFqVDKmGFGvEbyZhf6bUNfp9cEr7TayQUiLCNAf-UbsW6NB25kT_OFk4UgcXfyAC0lxpbh0lk-9fmfcP_G_5P2q-dQfx6M9UJKyLmz9yKqDotXhF/s1600/PB120692.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqNyHb7piK4_3tprFZeKxnz2RgXB3uKFqVDKmGFGvEbyZhf6bUNfp9cEr7TayQUiLCNAf-UbsW6NB25kT_OFk4UgcXfyAC0lxpbh0lk-9fmfcP_G_5P2q-dQfx6M9UJKyLmz9yKqDotXhF/s400/PB120692.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>Some kind of hotel, I think. Fairly typical of the area</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvddHjnNqatjL8jTQJfy2zgF9xUFc9pUfTtaxJBKcYTed5rO8-8QmZj1z3IdDXjf56dOSZKxXpERIldpyIvyTR4hW9ObNcyqD7V0snULIamCz276mUYjdCXQ0cJTASb58CTXHWCq5RBqAU/s1600/PB120693.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvddHjnNqatjL8jTQJfy2zgF9xUFc9pUfTtaxJBKcYTed5rO8-8QmZj1z3IdDXjf56dOSZKxXpERIldpyIvyTR4hW9ObNcyqD7V0snULIamCz276mUYjdCXQ0cJTASb58CTXHWCq5RBqAU/s400/PB120693.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM1suhDkYv11UcpkZT57bFd-h6TtO29lZY3HQ394h7C5XF_zfzMR90fFs_ba2YsFfqYehqfeNK8U40jEBEsnfx3WxpaO1NdHWYk3B6F4pWC2sdtye7Mmg3VoCAXtaIrH9scOKTBDMURGHT/s1600/PB120694.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM1suhDkYv11UcpkZT57bFd-h6TtO29lZY3HQ394h7C5XF_zfzMR90fFs_ba2YsFfqYehqfeNK8U40jEBEsnfx3WxpaO1NdHWYk3B6F4pWC2sdtye7Mmg3VoCAXtaIrH9scOKTBDMURGHT/s400/PB120694.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a></div>
<p>
My first real stop is Hofkirche, a distinctive twin-spired church nearly beside the lake. Unlike the others I've seen to far, it's both free to enter and allows (or at least, doesn't forbid) photography. I take advantage of this, although out of habit I turn the flash off so as not to disturb anyone else.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKFNZqh6iR08N4q4xigwPqjoTNMSaVywlMsjzlB6V89p9sLwg9MDEv2TyHQpKQ0uxjdAGegJJLRkDhWC4HoiScE6-21s75dpUNQEQER5oeySFbH5EU_CTEJlq4-ir7fKpCcSsgrbP4Cdqd/s1600/PB120695.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKFNZqh6iR08N4q4xigwPqjoTNMSaVywlMsjzlB6V89p9sLwg9MDEv2TyHQpKQ0uxjdAGegJJLRkDhWC4HoiScE6-21s75dpUNQEQER5oeySFbH5EU_CTEJlq4-ir7fKpCcSsgrbP4Cdqd/s400/PB120695.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>Hofkirche</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOk2GLUbC-1PFVYE5FSj0kSKRK-vUfR61xM_nDmZ8wQXuZK7KmI8R_nw-D7LZH_tvBbpb6De7p-B5xX-j8IjT7Kv-DNGefrH25LzhZFTkUw_j24nIZtn3cKHte4DwWW5uZQaOEh2MfWgiW/s1600/PB120696.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOk2GLUbC-1PFVYE5FSj0kSKRK-vUfR61xM_nDmZ8wQXuZK7KmI8R_nw-D7LZH_tvBbpb6De7p-B5xX-j8IjT7Kv-DNGefrH25LzhZFTkUw_j24nIZtn3cKHte4DwWW5uZQaOEh2MfWgiW/s400/PB120696.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>Some of the old burial plaques and markers at Hofkirche</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpye5U3Q9ljkK-fzowHKy189K9SvCUVQD7E__5jyEP0I4hFfyEnX9bsrisHTt9UWeTpdNC7-Xq3aHKyXKgbWYL-bwoaCvno2iM5oM5LiQAk3MUsmEDhxy7aCmDWZ_IgY7hcnF7oDBlYzLy/s1600/PB120697.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpye5U3Q9ljkK-fzowHKy189K9SvCUVQD7E__5jyEP0I4hFfyEnX9bsrisHTt9UWeTpdNC7-Xq3aHKyXKgbWYL-bwoaCvno2iM5oM5LiQAk3MUsmEDhxy7aCmDWZ_IgY7hcnF7oDBlYzLy/s400/PB120697.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>All the doors of Hofkirche seemed to be in this pattern.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdeVrcAU5s6BgXySJayabOtbFo_ZmwOH5KroKvS1ILW9dGX4CuIAlkyq7qooior07TxwPZwsjx2qKX2J6kKdQ6deX08scwScpd8sNrNcWPyP1gU46OuLb-kR27KSEJqFrrigNKel7970K3/s1600/PB120698.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdeVrcAU5s6BgXySJayabOtbFo_ZmwOH5KroKvS1ILW9dGX4CuIAlkyq7qooior07TxwPZwsjx2qKX2J6kKdQ6deX08scwScpd8sNrNcWPyP1gU46OuLb-kR27KSEJqFrrigNKel7970K3/s400/PB120698.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>Statuettes and ornamentation around the main door</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidRnkWWk5fkhBJrXfUXUdg0RpifE8x2sCsnnV-RWf9u6-VCIYLZXRln06A9T71WkDjD32VQf1KfHwfK4AFYM1mQD8cQdiHSenR30vcagxJ7oC2gfFC-EkYSexBJNZKGe2T-T7Ktn9rhyyG/s1600/PB120699.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidRnkWWk5fkhBJrXfUXUdg0RpifE8x2sCsnnV-RWf9u6-VCIYLZXRln06A9T71WkDjD32VQf1KfHwfK4AFYM1mQD8cQdiHSenR30vcagxJ7oC2gfFC-EkYSexBJNZKGe2T-T7Ktn9rhyyG/s400/PB120699.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>This seems to be a font surrounded by an iron gate.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdfDQMzDy3ii3jmfGPeAEUFOBroF3aN3_0YCc6LNVoejpjyynoCMiRhw8lZ6YSezB8VaGY96rR0RHwbRWvCP_8yClRGYnG-cjgy9PjxbLTeXrTl1-UiHY1VZGWDOM6uwl1gh0RgWR1e9tH/s1600/PB120700.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdfDQMzDy3ii3jmfGPeAEUFOBroF3aN3_0YCc6LNVoejpjyynoCMiRhw8lZ6YSezB8VaGY96rR0RHwbRWvCP_8yClRGYnG-cjgy9PjxbLTeXrTl1-UiHY1VZGWDOM6uwl1gh0RgWR1e9tH/s400/PB120700.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYiTcEUrgW0lYKpieZ1-GeQkzIwxYwKwOEwEAaaN1m-jqlNhLRVf0XOVYGve99XzfBc6bjBY8mL7vofv2IAoDxWd4DdUlpDHmlH-k7NuzOiSofxH3A1hJ3iAUz_ndem-wcDAJwcgP1VT08/s1600/PB120701.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYiTcEUrgW0lYKpieZ1-GeQkzIwxYwKwOEwEAaaN1m-jqlNhLRVf0XOVYGve99XzfBc6bjBY8mL7vofv2IAoDxWd4DdUlpDHmlH-k7NuzOiSofxH3A1hJ3iAUz_ndem-wcDAJwcgP1VT08/s400/PB120701.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD6TGiJzIzSSki2ZlhnSxWmbi3T-Qa7rJvEol9UCIL_P1E7-750WxaEWF1nMP9zxjx5aX5dkruitZ98F87ZQxb-rOSj5zK4eAUfbytJ23NMq5rkMwZ_HGlfAqyxUkC0y0RVCM6DrxzwRNW/s1600/PB120707.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD6TGiJzIzSSki2ZlhnSxWmbi3T-Qa7rJvEol9UCIL_P1E7-750WxaEWF1nMP9zxjx5aX5dkruitZ98F87ZQxb-rOSj5zK4eAUfbytJ23NMq5rkMwZ_HGlfAqyxUkC0y0RVCM6DrxzwRNW/s400/PB120707.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a><p> </p></div>
<p>
It's a nice enough building. I've seen plenty before, and it's not massively different, nor do I have a lot of historical context to tie it in with, so I don't stay long.
</p>
<p>
Leaving the church, I strike vaguely north for the Alpineum. This is some kind of alpine-themed thing, and I think it's probably worth a glance. There's some reasonably nice and typical architecture along the way, and eventually I reach a big lion.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUNY1nCV6OPXSpxG9nOA3RzqM1uCIQ2e6C8olkPbjI88udEdbR08Pj4HiMI85N2S4KeuedtPPYfMV0qfbgUXgMPLKWpsI5I7ZoAiiMnarXrVqCyj32Ax7f7yIDXP-PICxpK8ZxgeMhMj2U/s1600/PB120708.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUNY1nCV6OPXSpxG9nOA3RzqM1uCIQ2e6C8olkPbjI88udEdbR08Pj4HiMI85N2S4KeuedtPPYfMV0qfbgUXgMPLKWpsI5I7ZoAiiMnarXrVqCyj32Ax7f7yIDXP-PICxpK8ZxgeMhMj2U/s400/PB120708.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy6oD95sl7Pqq9DeaQVvUCedNVmXhjVK4QYszitqdBdH_fEOsK_uIi1pkqSrkQy6ZF2LoQ2XmPeWmL6viNjR8XZ1gK8yOmSHfiLBh_IPDkpNj_2n-cT74rCTLJ7a-riGL0MPN4iSPMDv_N/s1600/PB120711.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy6oD95sl7Pqq9DeaQVvUCedNVmXhjVK4QYszitqdBdH_fEOsK_uIi1pkqSrkQy6ZF2LoQ2XmPeWmL6viNjR8XZ1gK8yOmSHfiLBh_IPDkpNj_2n-cT74rCTLJ7a-riGL0MPN4iSPMDv_N/s400/PB120711.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYUKMYqEcQWXmlZG6H7YsLu9OKTsBjwB1HiFTQwV2LO8DCsLBanK-9lCe-kjvXEDJ2UejPOYaDsn7_gpCkxm2sQOVUZk6lWuKlRWKEcKQiCnbS_RIpxn9_ALWMPvYjyA4kWKKEYeAGdvz8/s1600/PB120712.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYUKMYqEcQWXmlZG6H7YsLu9OKTsBjwB1HiFTQwV2LO8DCsLBanK-9lCe-kjvXEDJ2UejPOYaDsn7_gpCkxm2sQOVUZk6lWuKlRWKEcKQiCnbS_RIpxn9_ALWMPvYjyA4kWKKEYeAGdvz8/s400/PB120712.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi538DY0WkhPzeO-i2BmvhDKCcbd3k71z9NmXfLAL79yBvZ5KAmAiuKhr41q7V2HdZk_YgpsMcfLhuO5DBt_wgbouQkQGQ3khEkRAXyYYiXtl6NvPjPbbkscMpJdZmiWEXzX00O6YFG0asQ/s1600/PB120710.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi538DY0WkhPzeO-i2BmvhDKCcbd3k71z9NmXfLAL79yBvZ5KAmAiuKhr41q7V2HdZk_YgpsMcfLhuO5DBt_wgbouQkQGQ3khEkRAXyYYiXtl6NvPjPbbkscMpJdZmiWEXzX00O6YFG0asQ/s400/PB120710.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC82IGRgVBt9B1tOYNlgScPy1NDpo-aoewyNfvj-NUxF1kiQGornCXxPXrtcW5YLbBTQ1P83rwaONZMVHb0qR4WGccV2t87CD9MfARPHQiynVZgSyH1F-Ka4aMmmYBsP-K2HakGtKUY8J6/s1600/PB120713.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC82IGRgVBt9B1tOYNlgScPy1NDpo-aoewyNfvj-NUxF1kiQGornCXxPXrtcW5YLbBTQ1P83rwaONZMVHb0qR4WGccV2t87CD9MfARPHQiynVZgSyH1F-Ka4aMmmYBsP-K2HakGtKUY8J6/s400/PB120713.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
<p>
And I think that's plenty for one post, so I'm going to leave you on that enigmatic and feline note.
</p>
Shimmin Beghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10350037986748679919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1413166059304552489.post-86423280282399688042016-11-11T17:23:00.000+00:002017-01-25T19:15:19.920+00:00Zurich: Music, Museums and Miyuko<p>
Strolling down the streets of Zurich, my eyes were drawn to the muesli shop. Yes, you heard that right.
</p>
<a name='more'></a>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTUK5Kmh-xFfu8IuvSOczOqfTe2ss0Rg7x9hvXo2mnkOcilbzNQcTle6cVmFuFPtbt9FL78ZGvch6MV4cHA5Wj32rjPAQu7UnKc3ItL4GmcGg7bX0CYDUkVN5D8HGrZvK1bHtSGVJTMzBQ/s1600/IMG_20161111_120708.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTUK5Kmh-xFfu8IuvSOczOqfTe2ss0Rg7x9hvXo2mnkOcilbzNQcTle6cVmFuFPtbt9FL78ZGvch6MV4cHA5Wj32rjPAQu7UnKc3ItL4GmcGg7bX0CYDUkVN5D8HGrZvK1bHtSGVJTMzBQ/s400/IMG_20161111_120708.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9WxKznTFNbHZwN05RSamxmUgnlloTSNIZWt0R7Ym4OLpGFdWTNJPkcuRYrLXnI6oFvH0Wwg0oAgDHyxfDxFffaIJt1ifYsvMQhzOgQJYjGbLaA_h_WvxlLJPdRkGG5VtuMJYh5qbHif59/s1600/IMG_20161111_120722.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9WxKznTFNbHZwN05RSamxmUgnlloTSNIZWt0R7Ym4OLpGFdWTNJPkcuRYrLXnI6oFvH0Wwg0oAgDHyxfDxFffaIJt1ifYsvMQhzOgQJYjGbLaA_h_WvxlLJPdRkGG5VtuMJYh5qbHif59/s400/IMG_20161111_120722.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>Inside is a succulent array of dozens of special hand-picked mueslis, hunted in the mountains by skilled <i>müslhandlers</i> whose families have pursued the trade for generations. The liver, which is said to be the most invigorating part of the müsl, is usually consumed raw on the spot before it can spoil, and so is never found in the dish itself.</p></div>
<h3>Music</h3>
<p>
As I strolled vaguely northwards, the distant clamour of celebration - which is to say, brass bands - came to my ears. Intrigued, I wandered over towards it, twisting through narrow cobbled streets until I burst upon a square crammed to the gills with people in colourful costumes, many of them wielding instruments.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVKF_pqtM7BfmkcHbKrTeOcOILQ7fJZS-3LYerhFmrvDbP9618uaqLqLaVEYQzR9VeCSUKwMfxSNnx02iw22h1aAaSCdom9G60lWWO-dqciAiALH-JeD8_yJRJVc0xFFMPYXg8EP_veyQL/s1600/IMG_20161111_120900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVKF_pqtM7BfmkcHbKrTeOcOILQ7fJZS-3LYerhFmrvDbP9618uaqLqLaVEYQzR9VeCSUKwMfxSNnx02iw22h1aAaSCdom9G60lWWO-dqciAiALH-JeD8_yJRJVc0xFFMPYXg8EP_veyQL/s400/IMG_20161111_120900.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEvijlwOveeMUoop8XpPXqc0pCcCkKJzWzQwtUQ42iQVJLA4o-GCoEHvErBKiBYZE4JjP1zGbyD-RxG8htv7CZmxl-XB7NNQkfogOsmzzCUI2oF1HbAWD22nfjGpmf3HlWxTt4bmgK65wW/s1600/IMG_20161111_121407.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEvijlwOveeMUoop8XpPXqc0pCcCkKJzWzQwtUQ42iQVJLA4o-GCoEHvErBKiBYZE4JjP1zGbyD-RxG8htv7CZmxl-XB7NNQkfogOsmzzCUI2oF1HbAWD22nfjGpmf3HlWxTt4bmgK65wW/s400/IMG_20161111_121407.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmThmvMNetOcSiCmUPOXAwCG2fh9k6MhDvGSkn1Z3B_sgBqGLIu3VpWxUSy37eYDtAIMR_mqHIGs5KHHURUUFp8ukupMSJK0j4uFQBNTobISzxMTKN45CjOF1YRlWW5zb1xuobySrrxHC_/s1600/IMG_20161111_121512.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmThmvMNetOcSiCmUPOXAwCG2fh9k6MhDvGSkn1Z3B_sgBqGLIu3VpWxUSy37eYDtAIMR_mqHIGs5KHHURUUFp8ukupMSJK0j4uFQBNTobISzxMTKN45CjOF1YRlWW5zb1xuobySrrxHC_/s400/IMG_20161111_121512.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4plD1_a-pQ31r9ur5bTZ_pZg8WP8wspktxfAF7_ErG5MWY0e49PO1C3eby1u0gLuElZ0PL32z9j5cbTIFz3clsQlIqOOH_Q1RvG1dwW9whqtRb7cSOISYuLIgH4uHuV2U2xMjt7HCNSUR/s1600/PB110641.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4plD1_a-pQ31r9ur5bTZ_pZg8WP8wspktxfAF7_ErG5MWY0e49PO1C3eby1u0gLuElZ0PL32z9j5cbTIFz3clsQlIqOOH_Q1RvG1dwW9whqtRb7cSOISYuLIgH4uHuV2U2xMjt7HCNSUR/s400/PB110641.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>I am not entirely sure what the hordes of Mordor are doing performing brass band music, but I presume it's hard to get paying gigs now - Sauron isn't exactly giving out references.</p></div>
<p>
After several enjoyable renditions of songs I didn't recognise, I reluctantly wandered off again, in search of my next quest: eventually food, but first, the Zoology Museum.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjei9w35WiNJ27D5ETHf8ExecX4JselQTcNc0Hg4nkC3k-LN8Pp5hOpr9eUv2s1Y9nIQAg2nWDzAYgDR_qXJStoIOqj5lOOdIU-WK4xIbAz7nRX9nPanhHxb3MBXLig0QzftNTAZeEZGja6/s1600/IMG_20161111_123110.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjei9w35WiNJ27D5ETHf8ExecX4JselQTcNc0Hg4nkC3k-LN8Pp5hOpr9eUv2s1Y9nIQAg2nWDzAYgDR_qXJStoIOqj5lOOdIU-WK4xIbAz7nRX9nPanhHxb3MBXLig0QzftNTAZeEZGja6/s400/IMG_20161111_123110.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p> </p></div>
<p>
Quite a nice university here.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHiGnIymXD2QrsSAsD9F5NVnl1yGJvA1awIHPDtATkC48UiNjU9OdfEbjVPmHVQzWFXrbv074CuNABSki57uNOaQo4A-eXQ31MJAZkiuc3P_XO6cWll3IDz-GQzxgwcggO34m0hyADy4Df/s1600/IMG_20161111_123131.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHiGnIymXD2QrsSAsD9F5NVnl1yGJvA1awIHPDtATkC48UiNjU9OdfEbjVPmHVQzWFXrbv074CuNABSki57uNOaQo4A-eXQ31MJAZkiuc3P_XO6cWll3IDz-GQzxgwcggO34m0hyADy4Df/s400/IMG_20161111_123131.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p> </p></div>
<p>
Absolutely everything in Zurich is basically up a hill, apart from the things that are down a hill instead.
</p>
<h3>Museums</h3>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOuPtafpdVVPSybEhw4OghViiJwMqa_kEFUmBucurrsEZVBGfSMX_RrAccTywjd48a1NqlxyJsa_gKRenv2cHAeNqQJBBRXYBAhxCt6-KUKpiCe1TpfVQNPkzHNefCt-VrC1AwtH_Tv9Rs/s1600/PB110654.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOuPtafpdVVPSybEhw4OghViiJwMqa_kEFUmBucurrsEZVBGfSMX_RrAccTywjd48a1NqlxyJsa_gKRenv2cHAeNqQJBBRXYBAhxCt6-KUKpiCe1TpfVQNPkzHNefCt-VrC1AwtH_Tv9Rs/s400/PB110654.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVUr-Avt0-2o1Bi0jFAeBkijGYw6Z_yRnTFVcN9qlCnXtSc21LqfGecKIu54f-vam64EgXgTeJHsSyvCzuVXArRTZQrjfq7K2PGFlfaqDCySAPqU-D5iZ5bh5qmq2oAyAN5IqOefGF1JG_/s1600/IMG_20161111_123432.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVUr-Avt0-2o1Bi0jFAeBkijGYw6Z_yRnTFVcN9qlCnXtSc21LqfGecKIu54f-vam64EgXgTeJHsSyvCzuVXArRTZQrjfq7K2PGFlfaqDCySAPqU-D5iZ5bh5qmq2oAyAN5IqOefGF1JG_/s400/IMG_20161111_123432.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm1jJMTbYVUh4KKLD4IzPXxhqwLG0uiUyl8AmCwWHBsZInmVo4EdqYv7squVQ8K9mZ2d7Ihrrvwz0JcjJIuBvxpiJeu_ZxUnRjhWJD_J2Rl7nP6dbnYlXzEzt8JXZO_eH86kudmxN06Yco/s1600/PB110645.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm1jJMTbYVUh4KKLD4IzPXxhqwLG0uiUyl8AmCwWHBsZInmVo4EdqYv7squVQ8K9mZ2d7Ihrrvwz0JcjJIuBvxpiJeu_ZxUnRjhWJD_J2Rl7nP6dbnYlXzEzt8JXZO_eH86kudmxN06Yco/s400/PB110645.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>An impressive mammoth</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsfca8NxyGseOyNzLdaPh-87lEC0s70CybupCdGPiRCpVl6SDZtTzwQcWYFN6ZULZ-v3OcSo1smnGy4IyVZMgf1VVekJwiRnaE1lzXrA_UwviH01YAgY-tb4ZLcsfAEqF-1ywUcEArSH07/s1600/PB110649.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsfca8NxyGseOyNzLdaPh-87lEC0s70CybupCdGPiRCpVl6SDZtTzwQcWYFN6ZULZ-v3OcSo1smnGy4IyVZMgf1VVekJwiRnaE1lzXrA_UwviH01YAgY-tb4ZLcsfAEqF-1ywUcEArSH07/s400/PB110649.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>I believe this chappy is a cave hyaena</p></div>
<p>
It was a moderately small museum, with lots of smallish exhibits, so after a few minutes I decided I was hungrier than I was keen to look at all the exhibits. And to be honest, I've been to a lot of natural history museums and I studied zoology, so I had a reasonable idea about it all anyway. To my dismay, the museum did not feature a restaurant, or even a cafe. Tragic! I roamed away in search of food.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi426dp4qHATqq_vwzW40TCGXx8gl12YPyqpOQaX3gb-DjKMHvRrsY-IU5maSAlddc4YmEDIbrWbS8tMe0WMb7821HDTzuzZ6O5rWLyo-594FLyEvTffVrtDVAM8WIma-x1e1l7Q0UbMw6A/s1600/PB110655.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi426dp4qHATqq_vwzW40TCGXx8gl12YPyqpOQaX3gb-DjKMHvRrsY-IU5maSAlddc4YmEDIbrWbS8tMe0WMb7821HDTzuzZ6O5rWLyo-594FLyEvTffVrtDVAM8WIma-x1e1l7Q0UbMw6A/s400/PB110655.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
<p>
After a quick meal at the station (yeah, yeah, but it had seats free and didn't cost £30 for a lunch) I headed over to the national museum. I don't know much about Switzerland, after all. We don't exactly study it at school.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzfIDKgqqWm2qLDAEnIQeahQmT1w-deBjJytl8xy4WmaIlMypW7O4vITi6NeSKYmWTDNZHpPdzZF9Ugn1pYseTleA3Zyrpi1VcmBQzzpOb7hBQwt2eq8naBNMKK_tqEzXlX7XNDwisbDHy/s1600/IMG_20161111_133827.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzfIDKgqqWm2qLDAEnIQeahQmT1w-deBjJytl8xy4WmaIlMypW7O4vITi6NeSKYmWTDNZHpPdzZF9Ugn1pYseTleA3Zyrpi1VcmBQzzpOb7hBQwt2eq8naBNMKK_tqEzXlX7XNDwisbDHy/s400/IMG_20161111_133827.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPm0yav878-1B5D5cjObDpzLH2LwSd90kq12NvNJsaoIG18lNoLIZnFv5Da4sTZlPczJAUhhDmpylecxQVy_IjfLPlehz5TOPOrB5CGFM_UiQhJ-aoFh9E0uyMHBn5OpkL2fdSIF0pOZ9-/s1600/IMG_20161111_133932.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPm0yav878-1B5D5cjObDpzLH2LwSd90kq12NvNJsaoIG18lNoLIZnFv5Da4sTZlPczJAUhhDmpylecxQVy_IjfLPlehz5TOPOrB5CGFM_UiQhJ-aoFh9E0uyMHBn5OpkL2fdSIF0pOZ9-/s400/IMG_20161111_133932.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>An old mail coach, rather garish, but it has a certain style.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgklz0mj31oPoxdzvhb5M98k8AXS7U0ABTfZQ3J5xcWElTE0HLZrTcLyYvRDErSOiq9hRXuVKUTmACokOgm0WsZXFcRFNpgUBkphACx0LvT9kdoKnPzsauXPtui3xRCMtEBaKITUEz4i6Tb/s1600/IMG_20161111_133944.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgklz0mj31oPoxdzvhb5M98k8AXS7U0ABTfZQ3J5xcWElTE0HLZrTcLyYvRDErSOiq9hRXuVKUTmACokOgm0WsZXFcRFNpgUBkphACx0LvT9kdoKnPzsauXPtui3xRCMtEBaKITUEz4i6Tb/s400/IMG_20161111_133944.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>A map of mail coach routes, which just makes me think of <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thurn_and_Taxis_(board_game)">Thurn and Taxis</a></i></p></div>
<p>
In a lot of the museum you're not supposed to take photos. I'm never clear on when this applies, whether it only means flash photos (which can degrade exhibits as light is bad for many substances), and to what extent it's a conservation matter rather than a commercial one. I think crowd control is also a consideration. These next two photos were before I realised you weren't supposed to take photos in that section!
</p>
<p>
I didn't fully understand the labyrinthine layout of the museum, but it seemed like this section was a special exhibition on the ancient and mediaeval world, before Switzerland proper existed?
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBZWXq-WGdxUIdN5ep6csBaV8kUGq5yP4YderKkOKH7uJ5xZn0VTrtWBldJrjdc-DjRvrODM6k9ex-dwLK5H21juYwpMf6uJFjxt6tqHq2b8xoX3utbxw26JGAqFbS2UFwAsULQbmfD5oE/s1600/IMG_20161111_140454.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBZWXq-WGdxUIdN5ep6csBaV8kUGq5yP4YderKkOKH7uJ5xZn0VTrtWBldJrjdc-DjRvrODM6k9ex-dwLK5H21juYwpMf6uJFjxt6tqHq2b8xoX3utbxw26JGAqFbS2UFwAsULQbmfD5oE/s400/IMG_20161111_140454.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>Mediaeval trading routes</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibxVe976RXJp7Hi9HwEWtfJfOouGyyX4BellIQj7KhnOvjotpt_6tmqykgV6oSoT1PmE074GNEq6qZ32XywUtxo_3q9zIC_GmmQvO555H_WSkheu-zNnxKH5hoBqwst9Plz78qqLrbuYkL/s1600/IMG_20161111_140553.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibxVe976RXJp7Hi9HwEWtfJfOouGyyX4BellIQj7KhnOvjotpt_6tmqykgV6oSoT1PmE074GNEq6qZ32XywUtxo_3q9zIC_GmmQvO555H_WSkheu-zNnxKH5hoBqwst9Plz78qqLrbuYkL/s400/IMG_20161111_140553.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJte2Rifh4BTvag5Au0jU1oJpRTsavw8eJeZw-LTikjnJi4KUH_dcAhqyK246sr_XSueUZUvPFrECgxvmLAjlEg5fvEX-7xIeve_xT4EuUKjLaGC61T2ZL79Akt2RNmfEL6Dq053qD9Grx/s1600/PB110656.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJte2Rifh4BTvag5Au0jU1oJpRTsavw8eJeZw-LTikjnJi4KUH_dcAhqyK246sr_XSueUZUvPFrECgxvmLAjlEg5fvEX-7xIeve_xT4EuUKjLaGC61T2ZL79Akt2RNmfEL6Dq053qD9Grx/s400/PB110656.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs-xWclfEV7xCzDSFUlDNGgkCdmNIMuqKYYG7EVmeq4ad13eNtJ_MJU8FNARIzRBsnZhtlWgccxtsKvyc_qP47MWkAbPpY-TbrNwP2RIkSUusRPpd3CjySZoWs_8zh6PrRmHDu9iYL4Kq0/s1600/IMG_20161111_142313.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs-xWclfEV7xCzDSFUlDNGgkCdmNIMuqKYYG7EVmeq4ad13eNtJ_MJU8FNARIzRBsnZhtlWgccxtsKvyc_qP47MWkAbPpY-TbrNwP2RIkSUusRPpd3CjySZoWs_8zh6PrRmHDu9iYL4Kq0/s400/IMG_20161111_142313.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>An interesting window looking out over the park</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdTOwg8FsPkG7tKJkA5Ga9dpDX0zbZjTN3Em74NFPTRp1Kar8Dt72jl4mTI0jF1160TfuRp4nW2vBK4l3c9L1mTqdVj-Ixfd_a9ZADKZ46NlmAby2GjKdrnBnmFpZDpl6OF0uqV1MRplSG/s1600/IMG_20161111_142824.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdTOwg8FsPkG7tKJkA5Ga9dpDX0zbZjTN3Em74NFPTRp1Kar8Dt72jl4mTI0jF1160TfuRp4nW2vBK4l3c9L1mTqdVj-Ixfd_a9ZADKZ46NlmAby2GjKdrnBnmFpZDpl6OF0uqV1MRplSG/s400/IMG_20161111_142824.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>A new exhibit will be set up here, as far as I could make out the signs. So much work going on here! There were also carpenters at work.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3vfq_NPw5Ndt0hVmy_G8Qr0r9TaZy9AnLeLbGPdqpXbOE7r5Mmtk7l4Gowv-_djdOJZpupHEwcIAWmqKr76m6RUEBMnWj-JGfWDZgu2mJGNbFxUK5Vx31PfeVonzZ8BGuuk4mEydeDTv6/s1600/IMG_20161111_142837.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3vfq_NPw5Ndt0hVmy_G8Qr0r9TaZy9AnLeLbGPdqpXbOE7r5Mmtk7l4Gowv-_djdOJZpupHEwcIAWmqKr76m6RUEBMnWj-JGfWDZgu2mJGNbFxUK5Vx31PfeVonzZ8BGuuk4mEydeDTv6/s400/IMG_20161111_142837.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>This looked like it was maybe some part of a staircase, but I honestly don't know. It's bizarre.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTh81XQrGWO9oo_o5PK_SJ9PjouiHYgaYPKE9dVzx9AzwkuFKe0byJqukdxq92Q_Jh0sq2v8gsGY_7rnIw0cC64RuAf4Jl9U_E8GJsoLdLWfCuMQkg11AxtmDubr0ABK4JCBOfsqxRnvkN/s1600/PB110657.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTh81XQrGWO9oo_o5PK_SJ9PjouiHYgaYPKE9dVzx9AzwkuFKe0byJqukdxq92Q_Jh0sq2v8gsGY_7rnIw0cC64RuAf4Jl9U_E8GJsoLdLWfCuMQkg11AxtmDubr0ABK4JCBOfsqxRnvkN/s400/PB110657.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a><p> </p></div>
<p>
When we got onto the general museum, I was struck by the first room. That's because it is a display dedicated to the Swiss banking system, with a strong emphasis on how legal, honest and trustworthy it is (though the cynical cartoons in several parts of the museum raise an eyebrow at this).
</p>
<p>
I dunno, guys. I sort of feel like at the point when you feel obliged to begin your national history museum with an exhibition earnestly asserting how [national feature X] is not morally reprehensible in any way, you've already lost that argument.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTELUQ2mgIjIoqxaTcu2pkx_kTlfvRGfVOxuA3q0GE6OZ1hn6apk6iE5XSQm5uBdHE-f6l7xCAETsx5lFIF5ARcBfn38gbBACRPQ6Uv1m_IJmws61H5KJOk8WIr0ckwmVwnMatvP6HbQfO/s1600/IMG_20161111_143016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTELUQ2mgIjIoqxaTcu2pkx_kTlfvRGfVOxuA3q0GE6OZ1hn6apk6iE5XSQm5uBdHE-f6l7xCAETsx5lFIF5ARcBfn38gbBACRPQ6Uv1m_IJmws61H5KJOk8WIr0ckwmVwnMatvP6HbQfO/s400/IMG_20161111_143016.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZLKNZPOu2ZqkWmP_YOfzFpNlYgqoQiIIhJeqc6-FwPsx6pOyXaepqi_ZXjn_ZT2l0VU66eC1pn2ZUU8DwwpFGAG_dN5-JY0Tuhz2mbPOfbQJysjsvKiJR2-GOoslRvmvv36o6jpKv6DLa/s1600/IMG_20161111_143215.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZLKNZPOu2ZqkWmP_YOfzFpNlYgqoQiIIhJeqc6-FwPsx6pOyXaepqi_ZXjn_ZT2l0VU66eC1pn2ZUU8DwwpFGAG_dN5-JY0Tuhz2mbPOfbQJysjsvKiJR2-GOoslRvmvv36o6jpKv6DLa/s400/IMG_20161111_143215.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>Safety deposit boxes, some with random sample items in.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikiXv6mMsp4_V2r_L0aWR6QHtmdfNJaHvjPcusm8FBPePkGKOCj-OklSKOjNVMlQLlEQWz4zSXbVQyvC2I3CtCPHbNM8cvh1AD8TQA-G82Op3Eth4U9xCVJSSX4U79G0VrUyPE1SIC7bFp/s1600/IMG_20161111_143919.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikiXv6mMsp4_V2r_L0aWR6QHtmdfNJaHvjPcusm8FBPePkGKOCj-OklSKOjNVMlQLlEQWz4zSXbVQyvC2I3CtCPHbNM8cvh1AD8TQA-G82Op3Eth4U9xCVJSSX4U79G0VrUyPE1SIC7bFp/s400/IMG_20161111_143919.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>An interesting display of cynical cartoons.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghaxGJzfSMHjimJN4I8TYXerhrmiNKqEBpRvbyHIElcW9jM5SLmLK42WNIyqrlPED59cqSnyDr0ctRoXZKN77jzcAZIUtRAMTsqpW94ZW3nEX_woZFMFy7nI25aFyOXpTkZBekmZLFF7fV/s1600/PB110659.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghaxGJzfSMHjimJN4I8TYXerhrmiNKqEBpRvbyHIElcW9jM5SLmLK42WNIyqrlPED59cqSnyDr0ctRoXZKN77jzcAZIUtRAMTsqpW94ZW3nEX_woZFMFy7nI25aFyOXpTkZBekmZLFF7fV/s400/PB110659.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>It's quite a nifty building in general.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrwD_25A9wKJ_Vf_2xMTzet_dYji_l_vJ78mfgo6WSaGmleCqY0FJ_96h-6E-U3H1rR5RmPXvSrZ6cWALNciJUI3Bp2_ST3F2wiCfJb8NibN6wxio3chTbquWzZ7DkFtIoJ8-cJo2LelNj/s1600/PB110662.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrwD_25A9wKJ_Vf_2xMTzet_dYji_l_vJ78mfgo6WSaGmleCqY0FJ_96h-6E-U3H1rR5RmPXvSrZ6cWALNciJUI3Bp2_ST3F2wiCfJb8NibN6wxio3chTbquWzZ7DkFtIoJ8-cJo2LelNj/s400/PB110662.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYKTY4ibnjPF52ZyYArAc-SURGt3ddxivwfvtvquM_B2ECC_ttH7rUI7UqMuXk1aPwmdfbwta-Tg_9lnaFxvVdvqe4EiayNMA_EwNJO6sy23KM8SByVvjZ_Bfwz-RKW6Jglcb1fnLkHJcH/s1600/PB110663.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYKTY4ibnjPF52ZyYArAc-SURGt3ddxivwfvtvquM_B2ECC_ttH7rUI7UqMuXk1aPwmdfbwta-Tg_9lnaFxvVdvqe4EiayNMA_EwNJO6sy23KM8SByVvjZ_Bfwz-RKW6Jglcb1fnLkHJcH/s400/PB110663.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>Alas, the rich grey of the skies in late afternoon doesn't really come through, since my cameras both insist on auto-adjusting to lighting conditions! It was darker than this, with a really interesting twilight cast everywhere.</p></div>
<p>
I was in serious need of a rest when I finished my tour, but the cafe was completely chocker, so no tea for me. I found a nearby seat, and ended up chatting to a Brit who was visiting his girlfriend, and contemplating emigration.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG1XU5NG-MOOv5tXB6_XdKcD9eBAPrFu_mgSAH6MckfhjgtLhM9FylGAsdiPuehkydGLpNDxwh8M43BwZPQJ5U-SbbmAfILen0c9K6Jc9q9WIj9YZjp7ysdCrbuV-Hn3KcBBfhUgN4Afa8/s1600/IMG_20161111_150317.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG1XU5NG-MOOv5tXB6_XdKcD9eBAPrFu_mgSAH6MckfhjgtLhM9FylGAsdiPuehkydGLpNDxwh8M43BwZPQJ5U-SbbmAfILen0c9K6Jc9q9WIj9YZjp7ysdCrbuV-Hn3KcBBfhUgN4Afa8/s400/IMG_20161111_150317.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>This mosaic is just on the wall of some kind of business.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz-JcynmlZlyPfPN6vH0A9aATFwjFcVH_nI6dntXRnMHO9im493DMEopeXAAejpmlpOQ9FnBWdlnvzV-hF7DrGCk3dYTxT590y0V_zkzQj851QIp30iND2lsy70dB2unWTvEp5gaMxv-OA/s1600/IMG_20161111_150346.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz-JcynmlZlyPfPN6vH0A9aATFwjFcVH_nI6dntXRnMHO9im493DMEopeXAAejpmlpOQ9FnBWdlnvzV-hF7DrGCk3dYTxT590y0V_zkzQj851QIp30iND2lsy70dB2unWTvEp5gaMxv-OA/s400/IMG_20161111_150346.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>I have no idea what Neumuhle does.</p></div>
<h3>Miyuko</h3>
<p>
M-san had straitly instructed me to visit <a href="http://www.miyuko.ch/">Miyuko</a> cafe, so I made sure to visit. I was by this point pretty exhausted, due to mysterious illness, but I was keen to fight it and not let myself pass out in mid-afternoon in a hotel room every day of my trip.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2-7S6-N0NI0jQDZZoepXv-DRGQQyrOZ2Z-TrdNlHkscqHtq_FBJLXaXzoynapfxnInl56FHHrXPodr730RcqXqGKmPCjWwkP6tEPAbimC9Kc_O2fQcXxY-urOOK1eJrfRzoqChRLRrYCN/s1600/IMG_20161111_151003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2-7S6-N0NI0jQDZZoepXv-DRGQQyrOZ2Z-TrdNlHkscqHtq_FBJLXaXzoynapfxnInl56FHHrXPodr730RcqXqGKmPCjWwkP6tEPAbimC9Kc_O2fQcXxY-urOOK1eJrfRzoqChRLRrYCN/s400/IMG_20161111_151003.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>Excellent cake architecture there</p></div>
<p>
I ordered... Dreamcake, I think this one is called. It was an attractive chocolate and mango cake, with an Earl Grey tea I think.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjppbCVMDj_XC7jV61gzUepuQzaGmIujx8g2Dg1JMQSYf0UdbDyMv-19QgYoRbv7VI0XCLH2Ri-SHC9xkigTAz_hD0x2FSLDvyey6TkSuiI7ea12s5hYnVwDN0QSJuWcmjJvjF83Em8SX4-/s1600/IMG_20161111_151409.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjppbCVMDj_XC7jV61gzUepuQzaGmIujx8g2Dg1JMQSYf0UdbDyMv-19QgYoRbv7VI0XCLH2Ri-SHC9xkigTAz_hD0x2FSLDvyey6TkSuiI7ea12s5hYnVwDN0QSJuWcmjJvjF83Em8SX4-/s400/IMG_20161111_151409.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p> </p></div>
<p>
It's a little softer than I prefer my cakes ideally, but then it's a sort of Japanese-inspired cafe so that's not surprising.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix3OHJQ-6EPqN6_77reBMeyi8zdq1FW_ggZkc0KZUNJkBEysiUl5K5x8IqIZk6OTE9k4YGOGQYf39i5ZVOKf9TOabodYTM0ji1elxFnobrkJvkerWyLW_bBzut3RP5s-XHpmh7qNPzFfVI/s1600/IMG_20161111_153644.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix3OHJQ-6EPqN6_77reBMeyi8zdq1FW_ggZkc0KZUNJkBEysiUl5K5x8IqIZk6OTE9k4YGOGQYf39i5ZVOKf9TOabodYTM0ji1elxFnobrkJvkerWyLW_bBzut3RP5s-XHpmh7qNPzFfVI/s400/IMG_20161111_153644.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>Some of the delightful array of cakes.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw5Y-R7IqFgy0ut55GbDOgz6fkqkp-6O-Qf4wr1eKtigZiBPNICEfrIVtBKWsu17WM-w9JXp8neKjd5gptR8d5vmhjUVdvUfuDeM7_1jioro9cEOBJiTgcITmKuCSJKVc0mq-doMJqln5v/s1600/PB110665.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw5Y-R7IqFgy0ut55GbDOgz6fkqkp-6O-Qf4wr1eKtigZiBPNICEfrIVtBKWsu17WM-w9JXp8neKjd5gptR8d5vmhjUVdvUfuDeM7_1jioro9cEOBJiTgcITmKuCSJKVc0mq-doMJqln5v/s400/PB110665.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
<p>
And now, time to head back, write blogposts and prepare for an early night.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7PSz7V0DbksQ7NWgRv-npVDsIMRadFdPBOzUaAuQkwd0n24C1wh74IsatQmlgI2QFLQ8yiE7EnoLDh4PsReUbrhe0Qo0uMVvHTgpbkRLNHj9SdqQ2JkyZv0f0KB4KC5nIQCmD0EeVkFry/s1600/PB110666.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7PSz7V0DbksQ7NWgRv-npVDsIMRadFdPBOzUaAuQkwd0n24C1wh74IsatQmlgI2QFLQ8yiE7EnoLDh4PsReUbrhe0Qo0uMVvHTgpbkRLNHj9SdqQ2JkyZv0f0KB4KC5nIQCmD0EeVkFry/s400/PB110666.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
Shimmin Beghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10350037986748679919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1413166059304552489.post-72581908305769938932016-11-11T10:22:00.000+00:002016-12-27T09:41:11.927+00:00Zurich: Hey Hey We're The Munsters<p>
Today I celebrate being on holiday by not getting up until 9.30.
</p>
<p>
That might seem so routine as to not be worth mentioning, but I normally get up between 6.30 and 7.30 even on weekends, so for me it's pretty extraordinary. As I said though, ill.
</p>
<p>
This is relevant only insofar as it curtails my activities a bit, and also means I've missed the hotel breakfast by the time I am functional at about 10.30am. So I head out and buy a few morsels at a local coop. Here I cause confusion by assuming that if a menu simply states "tea", and I ask for "tea", I would receive tea. There is an awkward silence before they try to work out what kind of tea I want, and having no idea what the likely options were I just look confused. All is eventually sorted, although they do put hot frothed milk in my tea for some unfathomable reason. Possibly an obscure form of punishment. Ah, the joys of travel!
</p>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgbn7Px3yhQh1eB6wziydL6dEVmIF1G4WdAnTVisMaKgcib57SucLjQIn_CJ6ymgF8r_PqtQs1zPKEZWKVz5NL2rwZsplkz6EHYRZuC1OJmjvhJIaUmMdiebOaOCwILlZ2WFyiVjlnPDZB/s1600/IMG_20161111_101804.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgbn7Px3yhQh1eB6wziydL6dEVmIF1G4WdAnTVisMaKgcib57SucLjQIn_CJ6ymgF8r_PqtQs1zPKEZWKVz5NL2rwZsplkz6EHYRZuC1OJmjvhJIaUmMdiebOaOCwILlZ2WFyiVjlnPDZB/s400/IMG_20161111_101804.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>I feel like a sign indicating the part of a shop where customers are welcome to eat their purchases should look less like a horror novel.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Fl5UctntdIny88WhSog6Dbk2GfWd4dvMJdbVWAJJB7ULTXg5H3053MTZW56BfAoHyk5gPqx-reYi-OBMljCohQK_WQWDtyh2o9DOzFhbTX5HCjBnpLh7CjEdbJ5Al8bC5ObPSaPDQuDe/s1600/IMG_20161111_101759.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Fl5UctntdIny88WhSog6Dbk2GfWd4dvMJdbVWAJJB7ULTXg5H3053MTZW56BfAoHyk5gPqx-reYi-OBMljCohQK_WQWDtyh2o9DOzFhbTX5HCjBnpLh7CjEdbJ5Al8bC5ObPSaPDQuDe/s400/IMG_20161111_101759.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a></div>
<p>
Some more general street scenes, to get you in the mood.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw1sD3hyphenhyphenL8DAQMJQSa0ABaCOUr8z6rX2CfPpFiKjBt3MGWWIyoQFpt9VYWRhg6OSRVK1MeGsEjjOb0qi9GmvXAU2HOiqjkcfxRzhVtM29m5tXuh8HU6el8D-mo0kk8j_CtgVTh0zRALaU6/s1600/IMG_20161111_105623.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw1sD3hyphenhyphenL8DAQMJQSa0ABaCOUr8z6rX2CfPpFiKjBt3MGWWIyoQFpt9VYWRhg6OSRVK1MeGsEjjOb0qi9GmvXAU2HOiqjkcfxRzhVtM29m5tXuh8HU6el8D-mo0kk8j_CtgVTh0zRALaU6/s400/IMG_20161111_105623.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiANEJlKgdcJsXDSJMlvR430lkOdK0FYHE7Zle2D4JU67i468a2jeC80EXdrLNvm4GgTFjg6KMq2HayraoUgwACq75gFrcetjEKJHDfL7yEc-gYGx2aadPyp1xso6VIY55fajnjeg84cWy7/s1600/IMG_20161111_105002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiANEJlKgdcJsXDSJMlvR430lkOdK0FYHE7Zle2D4JU67i468a2jeC80EXdrLNvm4GgTFjg6KMq2HayraoUgwACq75gFrcetjEKJHDfL7yEc-gYGx2aadPyp1xso6VIY55fajnjeg84cWy7/s400/IMG_20161111_105002.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-SOBb7LjL5AaqMo6lCz3WPynxz81dGdCm55PXsH2InvICahknA1nB3rn_6Js6RIo67OGHPCe9k6-leao3oSZo2dOEWiB8vuKGpQal8hinJHhO48vSNucYHCaBn6PoDGTIfgj4d5PTJZQT/s1600/PB110601.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-SOBb7LjL5AaqMo6lCz3WPynxz81dGdCm55PXsH2InvICahknA1nB3rn_6Js6RIo67OGHPCe9k6-leao3oSZo2dOEWiB8vuKGpQal8hinJHhO48vSNucYHCaBn6PoDGTIfgj4d5PTJZQT/s400/PB110601.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBM9zs1dSZ4C1-_47LyQ8p1l25bNGs4DEZL2IBPIiBAYvbT-16TG5-h3iuY4Z6VPP_8yK4hGfZUorZtUkwYjSiL1PsUSQ-I3yEfvN5z6th4WT3QMrBHUYKLRG6TDVVpbvGwR64JodCPBAK/s1600/PB110602.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBM9zs1dSZ4C1-_47LyQ8p1l25bNGs4DEZL2IBPIiBAYvbT-16TG5-h3iuY4Z6VPP_8yK4hGfZUorZtUkwYjSiL1PsUSQ-I3yEfvN5z6th4WT3QMrBHUYKLRG6TDVVpbvGwR64JodCPBAK/s400/PB110602.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJx4CmExPAbg6Koskra1GAEs15rY2_rNkMYw3_IF_ubKZUCyoH6uOnjDcJWJHls6z-uR8Zy1T8uwGOThgLKRdH_73v6ip6n7XQpwK-m1IrGcR_SpXJ3H1LBT36TJf1IHdYy4mQtdMbxYLq/s1600/PB110603.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJx4CmExPAbg6Koskra1GAEs15rY2_rNkMYw3_IF_ubKZUCyoH6uOnjDcJWJHls6z-uR8Zy1T8uwGOThgLKRdH_73v6ip6n7XQpwK-m1IrGcR_SpXJ3H1LBT36TJf1IHdYy4mQtdMbxYLq/s400/PB110603.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>Around the Paradeplatz in the town centre</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieZNERt2HPi8XwXrJDLGSlqq9Xte4MGAyErjVESkRK0hXf3B8h6nI3-HnYOymXwYaznyrxQTdGiEzECdAKDDqfpD16qgXG03fZaYpC_SIawTyoYvLBAHdnUOvS2gQlI9E0T4JDUVOrpUe2/s1600/PB110604.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieZNERt2HPi8XwXrJDLGSlqq9Xte4MGAyErjVESkRK0hXf3B8h6nI3-HnYOymXwYaznyrxQTdGiEzECdAKDDqfpD16qgXG03fZaYpC_SIawTyoYvLBAHdnUOvS2gQlI9E0T4JDUVOrpUe2/s400/PB110604.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>An intriguing courtyard</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwYWM38prX777ZEQm3Yd2bZYkRNJgKUov2_HPgq_v45Byk-MpWWnpAT_9GQm2yINF13uHqiLt6TUVua0L3GoYa32BbOwtKgIzm4vCFL-y2S8F4uADeDRi8zNvExpsbGqqeaUy48PEMbI6c/s1600/PB110605.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwYWM38prX777ZEQm3Yd2bZYkRNJgKUov2_HPgq_v45Byk-MpWWnpAT_9GQm2yINF13uHqiLt6TUVua0L3GoYa32BbOwtKgIzm4vCFL-y2S8F4uADeDRi8zNvExpsbGqqeaUy48PEMbI6c/s400/PB110605.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>I don't think this fountain symbolises anything.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuK50xLiPVyLCGEiMQgVNDVyktD3n29ofICYd5hzlR_h82Jkrva-EGjIyzwwZxCQQGflnWrVN2a3oeJpe6hMiUDx4XpiZapQT5pLyA_bf8Cn_QqYbvtHQL2uXcLuhEZXmFqGy3WHYIFCzk/s1600/PB110606.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuK50xLiPVyLCGEiMQgVNDVyktD3n29ofICYd5hzlR_h82Jkrva-EGjIyzwwZxCQQGflnWrVN2a3oeJpe6hMiUDx4XpiZapQT5pLyA_bf8Cn_QqYbvtHQL2uXcLuhEZXmFqGy3WHYIFCzk/s400/PB110606.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>This is Fraumunster, which used to be a nunnery.</p></div>
<p>
Since I'm planning to visit Grossmunster afterwards, and you can't take photos inside Fraumunster, and there's an entry charge, I decide not to go. I'm not averse to paying to visit, I just couldn't work out what I'd actually get for my money without having done more research than I had.
</p>
<p>
On that note... I'm finding places that don't let you take photographs to be mildly annoying as a tourist. Not just because it infringes on my precious Freedoms or whatever. And don't get me wrong, I do appreciate there can be good reasons - like not disturbing other people in the space (especially non-tourists), and avoiding damage to sensitive museum stock.
</p>
<p>
The thing is, I'm a lone traveller. Most of the time, my experience is purely ephemeral; I have no shared memories to reminisce about with companions. There was no Time When We. And it can often end up feeling unreal, like something that happened to another version of myself.
</p>
<p>
My photos, and my blog, are partly my way of compensating. They didn't start out that way - I began the blog to <a href="http://a-shimmin-abroad.blogspot.com/2014/03/what-is-this.html">document the experience of becoming a full-time intensive student of Japanese</a>, to help others considering the same thing. But nowadays, one of the functions it has is letting me share those travel experiences with other people. In looking back through my photos, in writing about what I've seen and experienced, I reinforce those memories with a little more reality and make them feel more valuable. And as a bonus, some people also enjoy reading about it.
</p>
<p>
The downside is that where a place or occasion doesn't allow photographs, I can't do that. Something happens, but I don't have a way of sharing or capturing that memory. It's not a major problem - life is usually like that, after all! - but on the whole it inclines me towards things I can photograph, rather than things I can't.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNE117VWCCIxqtOyJPzHq2_qaMNSPxy5A3VupG7-M6wVZ5Cj6hgAGg6f6Ri7dUbucnacfphAYi1yginlMVXOGp1xA5OMjCmjS6bqFsH7vA3r8bpd8yZrlBg94_qvgYR3xsm1YphJt1UjA9/s1600/PB110607.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNE117VWCCIxqtOyJPzHq2_qaMNSPxy5A3VupG7-M6wVZ5Cj6hgAGg6f6Ri7dUbucnacfphAYi1yginlMVXOGp1xA5OMjCmjS6bqFsH7vA3r8bpd8yZrlBg94_qvgYR3xsm1YphJt1UjA9/s400/PB110607.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>A very typical street</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJEqILsaO19I1rl_GvJH65_NX1e5fOz3DgWDx2dTv-P9FlzhHuJS_gwhpY8ixaLMsi741FOVn_5ChE-ZH3CenSLIHhQJHBKI_Zgs1cYVRJ8HZpOXBRy-DOzfiwsy6Q7XFd2fhShH235P2R/s1600/PB110608.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJEqILsaO19I1rl_GvJH65_NX1e5fOz3DgWDx2dTv-P9FlzhHuJS_gwhpY8ixaLMsi741FOVn_5ChE-ZH3CenSLIHhQJHBKI_Zgs1cYVRJ8HZpOXBRy-DOzfiwsy6Q7XFd2fhShH235P2R/s400/PB110608.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>Buildings around the Paradeplatz</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaALkPkfHNa1jhrvTKqy3tg2mjKHt2gu9SeyvACVQZGqCDPCHInCzCMpQF3zQi-1daVtHD6ZuI9ygC9p4aGmDx3XY0isyFZCX0tnBo-OMXcU8hrV4of-HTZM2Vs-fZ1eYE-djxTvice4C9/s1600/PANO_20161111_110519.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaALkPkfHNa1jhrvTKqy3tg2mjKHt2gu9SeyvACVQZGqCDPCHInCzCMpQF3zQi-1daVtHD6ZuI9ygC9p4aGmDx3XY0isyFZCX0tnBo-OMXcU8hrV4of-HTZM2Vs-fZ1eYE-djxTvice4C9/s400/PANO_20161111_110519.jpg" width="400" height="106" /></a><p>Paradeplatz</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh3Ywen6IEMOi-WK_kJeimwhID5YUX6BWS5LQ7-xa8_KlDa48WO-iEUBMj0J5Cmk6PSBvhxVWkkGPCETPvab2jZNMfPqMK34Xor7QOm27PuUs6fAJSKixjCuwue7jRrChdH1xpTxFzewpM/s1600/PB110609.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh3Ywen6IEMOi-WK_kJeimwhID5YUX6BWS5LQ7-xa8_KlDa48WO-iEUBMj0J5Cmk6PSBvhxVWkkGPCETPvab2jZNMfPqMK34Xor7QOm27PuUs6fAJSKixjCuwue7jRrChdH1xpTxFzewpM/s400/PB110609.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>I saw quite a few places called Zunfthouse around, and often they seemed to be restaurants, so I spent quite a while trying to work out what food-related thing it could mean. It's actually Guildhouse. Apparently quite a few were built in various town centres, and later became restaurants.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCM9X9OkbdHErGTTNYr399ZPKlUKoU9gvF5GCT1AzEEf_o14QZq1_9uOgrqOJgFmn0JpafFz21uZfl1GzWCgDriwU41khdm2Pn30NCr87jp0P6o19E3y5xIrYAYglGL-q1Bn2uIQGllCL2/s1600/PB110610.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCM9X9OkbdHErGTTNYr399ZPKlUKoU9gvF5GCT1AzEEf_o14QZq1_9uOgrqOJgFmn0JpafFz21uZfl1GzWCgDriwU41khdm2Pn30NCr87jp0P6o19E3y5xIrYAYglGL-q1Bn2uIQGllCL2/s400/PB110610.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>More of Fraumunster</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTS5flFu8nzVpFH1ZgUuUjYJImVnzGQgJ88cWzgTjZi1njvCwJkzN1YC1LRVnPiE6cmHva2amK0Kk1dA3PcGxUqh34KvRR6dSxPJJUo1-nHjuU3XXO0AhI0oA9y6nx1lrVKSFFq08zzCQu/s1600/PB110611.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTS5flFu8nzVpFH1ZgUuUjYJImVnzGQgJ88cWzgTjZi1njvCwJkzN1YC1LRVnPiE6cmHva2amK0Kk1dA3PcGxUqh34KvRR6dSxPJJUo1-nHjuU3XXO0AhI0oA9y6nx1lrVKSFFq08zzCQu/s400/PB110611.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>I don't know why there's a Camel Guildhouse either.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsLworCS6HHEGnF0fEK0Z7KojFYtxe4JJuTkXpKg5xJ9dYmL5Av2sAQ2728K95DaB49IEAxDIfLr0abSjTAYKbotv7oeA-kwMsjGxkss9HWUskUSFjiaJWc11Mx3jzx7j6HEHjMaEVWbRM/s1600/PB110612.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsLworCS6HHEGnF0fEK0Z7KojFYtxe4JJuTkXpKg5xJ9dYmL5Av2sAQ2728K95DaB49IEAxDIfLr0abSjTAYKbotv7oeA-kwMsjGxkss9HWUskUSFjiaJWc11Mx3jzx7j6HEHjMaEVWbRM/s400/PB110612.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>This building has a very cool façade - and it's called Zum Thor. What's not to like?</p></div>
<p>
I love the display in this tailors' shop.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6eT_-1p_8SuB0EjfRZ3fT_Yha0iNy9it5-r19SpKrTYY0r1vl-btF3ZysGy7HeaUVzkkdHJkq4RbM5eSeL_u6P7Iao6do4UggFZcFFIn5Ta6DCsggR8-XDhgIPJeZPzuC1ZI_6FL1DZAq/s1600/PB110613.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6eT_-1p_8SuB0EjfRZ3fT_Yha0iNy9it5-r19SpKrTYY0r1vl-btF3ZysGy7HeaUVzkkdHJkq4RbM5eSeL_u6P7Iao6do4UggFZcFFIn5Ta6DCsggR8-XDhgIPJeZPzuC1ZI_6FL1DZAq/s400/PB110613.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWeUswYP7MB79qA5FbDgNC2RgSGdOoo9nFXicudyF5a-V1oKqgATc_c9NlkvsF7s0px-NjwI_I7zAbjZ9aNB2vzVNyyC2t_5VsAHjCg7PBCrf5TstvM4yRImvNqH9nV7u8GrWP2Lu0TjFF/s1600/PB110614.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWeUswYP7MB79qA5FbDgNC2RgSGdOoo9nFXicudyF5a-V1oKqgATc_c9NlkvsF7s0px-NjwI_I7zAbjZ9aNB2vzVNyyC2t_5VsAHjCg7PBCrf5TstvM4yRImvNqH9nV7u8GrWP2Lu0TjFF/s400/PB110614.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>Not sure if they are engaged in a Great Work or a Great Escape...</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_c7iZYDEuCeQCoHosoajVTssN956-yoQzIS5JduL-_NBroRtmghxhWUJ_G9wNhui_VYfhlc7nrSEoxXBMcVXxXgYLKbczsEGMIC32QRzRlQWdzwtfnCXdJlXGpncYzOiSKnmdVzKk6m2o/s1600/PB110615.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_c7iZYDEuCeQCoHosoajVTssN956-yoQzIS5JduL-_NBroRtmghxhWUJ_G9wNhui_VYfhlc7nrSEoxXBMcVXxXgYLKbczsEGMIC32QRzRlQWdzwtfnCXdJlXGpncYzOiSKnmdVzKk6m2o/s400/PB110615.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>Just a cool waterfront building</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj24RJR3edwaYuDGkGnCLzBrVEPOWVuOkFt8GlKTsULeiMRBFPwikKwsMKUKYlGsiZXbfAGbd9zch5EBCOvMT9kAu72d16WY4To4wjgAZ7ZkYY6noi2HZZN3IXZ0rbUAFZvqaSOhNnvcwb/s1600/PB110617.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj24RJR3edwaYuDGkGnCLzBrVEPOWVuOkFt8GlKTsULeiMRBFPwikKwsMKUKYlGsiZXbfAGbd9zch5EBCOvMT9kAu72d16WY4To4wjgAZ7ZkYY6noi2HZZN3IXZ0rbUAFZvqaSOhNnvcwb/s400/PB110617.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>The Two Towers of Grossmunster</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgxfhf2j6ZY1TbD2kBZJhTpdWLIB8CO8qe7uYS9xFUxZfIfpYFMgJlWYDiVqmz4oYIU1pBAuEZAL7m7DluumtqcDzh041CjIeeVDlFf2POJGqLI0vAHAQDRG_yjLNqqtWMyNS9412FTrHK/s1600/PB110618.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgxfhf2j6ZY1TbD2kBZJhTpdWLIB8CO8qe7uYS9xFUxZfIfpYFMgJlWYDiVqmz4oYIU1pBAuEZAL7m7DluumtqcDzh041CjIeeVDlFf2POJGqLI0vAHAQDRG_yjLNqqtWMyNS9412FTrHK/s400/PB110618.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>"This merchant, Friedrich Zygler, became infamous for exploitation of workers and a series of clashes with the Guild of Stonemasons in the late 18th century. Zygler died in bankruptcy, and shortly afterwards this stone was placed over the door of the house where the leader of the Guild then lived. It bears a striking resemblance to the face of Zygler, locked in a permanent scream, and legend has it that the Guild enacted a diabolical pact to ruin their foe." <i>A Book I Just Invented</i>, A. Falschenkerl, 1998</p></div>
<p>
I passed St. Peter's church along the way, which has a cool sculpture outside.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLmqhbUGSuRrUSv0BouY0_PhWu814D9OI6fEoREHwrU5VFoY-ReG46aT28vv7H9XUQ_ftHOYqORgGd62MeMWrNJgni1H2gt7UtZpYjI1tp5dAfCZ8HRo7Hb73HwCSqeu8ksOpfj9KjcdU-/s1600/IMG_20161111_111540.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLmqhbUGSuRrUSv0BouY0_PhWu814D9OI6fEoREHwrU5VFoY-ReG46aT28vv7H9XUQ_ftHOYqORgGd62MeMWrNJgni1H2gt7UtZpYjI1tp5dAfCZ8HRo7Hb73HwCSqeu8ksOpfj9KjcdU-/s400/IMG_20161111_111540.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>This is not at all menacing or sinister.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiphOD4zDJzahrUTZJ-D8xRorCtJreBcWwQlbFlqdSBpBchkQ_BqVq6X9ff1GaRghtvnJcfyXa0EYZXgr0XjMQuLPjL0_ny-FWaFXTiQVUOHCH_dfWREMYre2fIMqzPmKPWxZFOtq8S5kTN/s1600/IMG_20161111_111608.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiphOD4zDJzahrUTZJ-D8xRorCtJreBcWwQlbFlqdSBpBchkQ_BqVq6X9ff1GaRghtvnJcfyXa0EYZXgr0XjMQuLPjL0_ny-FWaFXTiQVUOHCH_dfWREMYre2fIMqzPmKPWxZFOtq8S5kTN/s400/IMG_20161111_111608.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>Obviously from one perspective it's an intriguing amalgam of thematic symbology related to spiritual forgiveness and tolerance and the need for dialogue, as the artist's description says. It's just than from another perspective it's a terrifying mass of fused entities towering over you in the twilight.</p></div>
<h3>Grossmunster</h3>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWoU_xIUY23q7unqI2AXtviSTvJQIfEphNAcwYfn9r7g_UnUtS38h-8FB7yGh1ajy1PrW5J_WypnG-WYXh3ElnM2vQ35hmwSDcGnfCVVGY5O8y2hNSBwDuTU_rdLU0HzKsghyphenhyphenThYtk2Cmb/s1600/PB110619.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWoU_xIUY23q7unqI2AXtviSTvJQIfEphNAcwYfn9r7g_UnUtS38h-8FB7yGh1ajy1PrW5J_WypnG-WYXh3ElnM2vQ35hmwSDcGnfCVVGY5O8y2hNSBwDuTU_rdLU0HzKsghyphenhyphenThYtk2Cmb/s400/PB110619.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>J'arrive</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG61l8PFtXxC4pIrTgANDFX487SNI-ewmJVfBRjauctGbm4sN4eapwelzbhotVEJlUwBjt_qCSDjgq9M68uPURzO3gypWBaCFzZ1-cZ_2apINvFEEtK6LBl4L3v15BfO8pqDSJnl61s9dZ/s1600/PB110620.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG61l8PFtXxC4pIrTgANDFX487SNI-ewmJVfBRjauctGbm4sN4eapwelzbhotVEJlUwBjt_qCSDjgq9M68uPURzO3gypWBaCFzZ1-cZ_2apINvFEEtK6LBl4L3v15BfO8pqDSJnl61s9dZ/s400/PB110620.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>The Grossmunster has a very cool door, decorated with all kinds of Biblical scenes.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-0VkxNQP7nicr4KWDgMqZHgXJ5kyAhCy-MfB0D53IHWiBfuJHzx1mOSTnNoTNf6fC2369OgHRtU2LFIc-5kgyndF-uRRTqMhGQQ1Kt4nuF_M4UoeH0s8t2hGGTnQkqS9hcpH_yjDThyphenhyphenrs/s1600/PB110622.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-0VkxNQP7nicr4KWDgMqZHgXJ5kyAhCy-MfB0D53IHWiBfuJHzx1mOSTnNoTNf6fC2369OgHRtU2LFIc-5kgyndF-uRRTqMhGQQ1Kt4nuF_M4UoeH0s8t2hGGTnQkqS9hcpH_yjDThyphenhyphenrs/s400/PB110622.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpVNgnyW1e98NmDZ7fiQIoug8bgB_HnGHd5Mlo3bkUVl8zOTpM4BByQoCIetwsLt4l43gYQiw9B3siCWgLG8CzrHHFJj0FBaqr20SZwwJmRj3KLUaZm_17A3iw1NoD7sgASRVO7BcAQTaA/s1600/PB110624.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpVNgnyW1e98NmDZ7fiQIoug8bgB_HnGHd5Mlo3bkUVl8zOTpM4BByQoCIetwsLt4l43gYQiw9B3siCWgLG8CzrHHFJj0FBaqr20SZwwJmRj3KLUaZm_17A3iw1NoD7sgASRVO7BcAQTaA/s400/PB110624.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>The doorframe is pretty cool too. Nice Celtic-inspired spiral knotwork.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLCTQ0vB65s1vaGLYnYJkWcCLFIidtylCUp2PVlMsCrSs9W1EuF6eijmK5Ho4prKhGV9-Prx5DrpOtJzPWJIzxG7rp9zxDcKpE7Lfaor_v6kefWPpvsgFlGh1Po9iqZMrYMhZKxuZbZS27/s1600/IMG_20161111_112932.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLCTQ0vB65s1vaGLYnYJkWcCLFIidtylCUp2PVlMsCrSs9W1EuF6eijmK5Ho4prKhGV9-Prx5DrpOtJzPWJIzxG7rp9zxDcKpE7Lfaor_v6kefWPpvsgFlGh1Po9iqZMrYMhZKxuZbZS27/s400/IMG_20161111_112932.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAtNndKTP88Kf5TNUAjFPnCnCFNr6eTJwD2Iptn1E_uZowjxgHbbiUmCg_eLBrcUGY3azlW9SvdhzUM3kyi7owjdjnMUq42-AFRlu_Mll4gNQ2ZEDwhJR8wiE-WcCWou8fgD1XVpqxUg_4/s1600/IMG_20161111_112955.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAtNndKTP88Kf5TNUAjFPnCnCFNr6eTJwD2Iptn1E_uZowjxgHbbiUmCg_eLBrcUGY3azlW9SvdhzUM3kyi7owjdjnMUq42-AFRlu_Mll4gNQ2ZEDwhJR8wiE-WcCWou8fgD1XVpqxUg_4/s400/IMG_20161111_112955.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA26COWOoYsKDRTW2TAt602QRVXjI_qzPkhy0PBrNPMt0P4PGSy5Yuyy39XYqtp9XGQt1RQn4jGN4DVl_Zr4P4uHu5GvpEs95IgnncH2l37NKA1M6IgOrqyvCNtc9wuiI0vNmaN4v4qJZV/s1600/IMG_20161111_113007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA26COWOoYsKDRTW2TAt602QRVXjI_qzPkhy0PBrNPMt0P4PGSy5Yuyy39XYqtp9XGQt1RQn4jGN4DVl_Zr4P4uHu5GvpEs95IgnncH2l37NKA1M6IgOrqyvCNtc9wuiI0vNmaN4v4qJZV/s400/IMG_20161111_113007.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2s7_w-FehJR1gejpiIvYdM71gMXnb8toXpo3l-JBHa82G9Zm4ssIYPDNbtc19GXAICDo3AWFU6vdkoGZERT5TVG_6nPzb8J-8NLa5bsSzQbVg9lbDkrXzcgQjPbYWpwApxlSszGbZnCj3/s1600/IMG_20161111_113159.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2s7_w-FehJR1gejpiIvYdM71gMXnb8toXpo3l-JBHa82G9Zm4ssIYPDNbtc19GXAICDo3AWFU6vdkoGZERT5TVG_6nPzb8J-8NLa5bsSzQbVg9lbDkrXzcgQjPbYWpwApxlSszGbZnCj3/s400/IMG_20161111_113159.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p> </p></div>
<p>
You're actually not supposed to take photos in the main part of Grossmunster either, but since it's free, and I can take photos elsewhere, and I've walked all this way, I go in regardless. It's a nice nave and all, but I couldn't talk about it even if I remembered it more clearly, and I don't have any photos, so let's move on to the tower!
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU5Xo16YJU1yiIQ6JZgab2a91-m6zkLEtKXfRhyphenhyphenjpQJBbHyupF4AGdagplwPAOj0ihQY3kkAFM9Cek9vwCXBXOdVj-J-vapyBcXiHthDzGjamtVCejCW5NJ4budI6YGyowvJ-ZtH5Zk47z/s1600/IMG_20161111_113149.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU5Xo16YJU1yiIQ6JZgab2a91-m6zkLEtKXfRhyphenhyphenjpQJBbHyupF4AGdagplwPAOj0ihQY3kkAFM9Cek9vwCXBXOdVj-J-vapyBcXiHthDzGjamtVCejCW5NJ4budI6YGyowvJ-ZtH5Zk47z/s400/IMG_20161111_113149.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpyDs1Ga9YyE1pT4qTmXAgEweD30eT1j4dkO1-IRHzGbZejXJ3MxehWNo1X7moIX_8F_c8A635usOOpWTn39Xway5QfTIKNV5LJFJhrqwsNqK-GtHIgNXpmjvvIaqddO8PGrnpoQS0UYzN/s1600/PB110625.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpyDs1Ga9YyE1pT4qTmXAgEweD30eT1j4dkO1-IRHzGbZejXJ3MxehWNo1X7moIX_8F_c8A635usOOpWTn39Xway5QfTIKNV5LJFJhrqwsNqK-GtHIgNXpmjvvIaqddO8PGrnpoQS0UYzN/s400/PB110625.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKHS5mSB7buujcFIMPcnsCbZnuXRk8jcvieCwBGyZzXXtve9_I_hDyQOoV2DXSfc-RtDSbZgL4jfRSw_LtaFuzShAk8SesAdqCm4VpG7BhXi0rEBzYkxnvpYzclCoDh2iu_fPG471T4rbw/s1600/PB110627.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKHS5mSB7buujcFIMPcnsCbZnuXRk8jcvieCwBGyZzXXtve9_I_hDyQOoV2DXSfc-RtDSbZgL4jfRSw_LtaFuzShAk8SesAdqCm4VpG7BhXi0rEBzYkxnvpYzclCoDh2iu_fPG471T4rbw/s400/PB110627.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a><p> </p></div>
<p>
There's access to one of the towers, up about 160 steps, and I rather recklessly decided to pay my CHF4 for the privilege. I say recklessly, since being mildly ill it may not have been the best idea... but I didn't think about that until I'd started, so hey. The way up is, of course, a windy spiral staircase with barely room to move, let alone pass anyone else. Thankfully only a couple of kids squeezed past me at a passing-place.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv1K677jI6Z37ZciwFA-a5zh8cUtW48B8htEIjOd7MIR600DuG51NI0NgYmY0e23Bbu4OmXa7vMrhzg89kSja9RjcmoNdhr4iv5USODXSQqWM29uJ4GyamNyfRRjIzskLEMia7uLbyLpY8/s1600/PB110631.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv1K677jI6Z37ZciwFA-a5zh8cUtW48B8htEIjOd7MIR600DuG51NI0NgYmY0e23Bbu4OmXa7vMrhzg89kSja9RjcmoNdhr4iv5USODXSQqWM29uJ4GyamNyfRRjIzskLEMia7uLbyLpY8/s400/PB110631.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>A side-room visible through a door as you climb. There are some models of the cathedral inside.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7qUCevY51ZUmeGcX-McyGYTO5sf78nP29PnMK7AnHSDzzd4eDroS4r5WQWPS8pHFv37giFfAStrTmYBJokdhAp2vj608dO8d0x2ekTcvTr-F7B9RoCEk4KPIA4CA-gqf8RjI-LVbb6MRl/s1600/IMG_20161111_114822.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7qUCevY51ZUmeGcX-McyGYTO5sf78nP29PnMK7AnHSDzzd4eDroS4r5WQWPS8pHFv37giFfAStrTmYBJokdhAp2vj608dO8d0x2ekTcvTr-F7B9RoCEk4KPIA4CA-gqf8RjI-LVbb6MRl/s400/IMG_20161111_114822.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>The mid-way landing has these chairs where you can sit, rest and still get a decent view, which is thoughtful.</p></div>
<p>
You get a couple of decent views at landings along the way, eventually reaching the not-quite top of the tower, where there are four lookout points.
</p>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZYdLPrjLQp9vgecFO48uM-HSngIkIEZkiNdQzwEDhBvy-9ZnFfzoULCb_kRfseHGuIbyP-AtNhqvKsDdRdFme4y4JjMGNdB9UPpepGsKfz0mlnZK8Nxt3HeOE6ot98YyjEwSgq63grOEt/s1600/PB110636.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZYdLPrjLQp9vgecFO48uM-HSngIkIEZkiNdQzwEDhBvy-9ZnFfzoULCb_kRfseHGuIbyP-AtNhqvKsDdRdFme4y4JjMGNdB9UPpepGsKfz0mlnZK8Nxt3HeOE6ot98YyjEwSgq63grOEt/s400/PB110636.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a></div>
<p>
The views from the tower are genuinely good, and the weather's thankfully still, though still not clear enough to really make the difference. I'm grateful for the absence of bone-chilling wind or driving rain, though, which have been many of my previously experiences of standing in high places.
</P>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_68ZqvkZfPBI3_rDpRKqd8GSY9o85BQRPpN00hMU328DcO-TlISx5xJ1u3lil5pPymvY-BKi9hqM6XJCZcOwUAOVeBdlpBjsfCFjfCno-T7WQcGSR5ITQ5VhNV_nWSt0-0ShyLHesWcHB/s1600/IMG_20161111_114836.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_68ZqvkZfPBI3_rDpRKqd8GSY9o85BQRPpN00hMU328DcO-TlISx5xJ1u3lil5pPymvY-BKi9hqM6XJCZcOwUAOVeBdlpBjsfCFjfCno-T7WQcGSR5ITQ5VhNV_nWSt0-0ShyLHesWcHB/s400/IMG_20161111_114836.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWiBEN7hDjA5Z7FhdVlBME2Ux7WWsRHxVv2AgrDpn4zLc430jUQC13WL4Vu9XVSVrhfuDaqUUXUFBEgfvlMWDuFMP9Bc8KhdE8KkeZgVcyjim7f0tLl6z7g0kQiopm3GrcLrE3rZOxoEfm/s1600/IMG_20161111_114842.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWiBEN7hDjA5Z7FhdVlBME2Ux7WWsRHxVv2AgrDpn4zLc430jUQC13WL4Vu9XVSVrhfuDaqUUXUFBEgfvlMWDuFMP9Bc8KhdE8KkeZgVcyjim7f0tLl6z7g0kQiopm3GrcLrE3rZOxoEfm/s400/IMG_20161111_114842.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihldkKLnekdd_XDatB-WHJRPJCbODQMRTkZ6cXWu0s3SYle25yrTN_VbG5zGdAQKbFy0rsioYI0gFyixiSUmyMFAaSHviUPEyS2Tv437fvbAtfc5_iByMivs_Uhx9bOolQkrY-5uJCm-ll/s1600/IMG_20161111_115310.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihldkKLnekdd_XDatB-WHJRPJCbODQMRTkZ6cXWu0s3SYle25yrTN_VbG5zGdAQKbFy0rsioYI0gFyixiSUmyMFAaSHviUPEyS2Tv437fvbAtfc5_iByMivs_Uhx9bOolQkrY-5uJCm-ll/s400/IMG_20161111_115310.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfdrs6Z-NljOgkX0I1afyvldFs-wg5K-FpQulQdLm3G5PqjADTccisJxwPcsY8kMXcsPAGEmIa9hfjnHykO0J8cIZKa7oH7wIVmRdByzcsGdjchINWxeCxBqsKN9ARA8kejyZdd1drfl4r/s1600/IMG_20161111_115319.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfdrs6Z-NljOgkX0I1afyvldFs-wg5K-FpQulQdLm3G5PqjADTccisJxwPcsY8kMXcsPAGEmIa9hfjnHykO0J8cIZKa7oH7wIVmRdByzcsGdjchINWxeCxBqsKN9ARA8kejyZdd1drfl4r/s400/IMG_20161111_115319.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRlYag8fGQ_aTOES453_Lxo-FPypZm1hUAAQeUNkFs_KwRovT8zSj4zTCNctDfjz2gFip_ceeSKY3McduZv1TC0vT16E9zZOpTbE2ftwiRG8giCDDsPJLQ5z9I__fwWI-Epeta_qaYIbJa/s1600/PANO_20161111_115346.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRlYag8fGQ_aTOES453_Lxo-FPypZm1hUAAQeUNkFs_KwRovT8zSj4zTCNctDfjz2gFip_ceeSKY3McduZv1TC0vT16E9zZOpTbE2ftwiRG8giCDDsPJLQ5z9I__fwWI-Epeta_qaYIbJa/s400/PANO_20161111_115346.jpg" width="400" height="93" /></a><p>A view over the city</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifoTGVX8NZ1Xpl_gI7ODPlNTebEaGpvayenumFRTb1wYybUcSaTfbMiCUr636GCdwZfS1C2ZXzMUU-9Claf6fmZxAnsfo7BqvtE8OdCyZYtQ9tzzHH4LSgjwABr-wYsKob1GciVHBHkntj/s1600/PANO_20161111_115837.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifoTGVX8NZ1Xpl_gI7ODPlNTebEaGpvayenumFRTb1wYybUcSaTfbMiCUr636GCdwZfS1C2ZXzMUU-9Claf6fmZxAnsfo7BqvtE8OdCyZYtQ9tzzHH4LSgjwABr-wYsKob1GciVHBHkntj/s400/PANO_20161111_115837.jpg" width="184" height="400" /></a><p>The bell tower from the observation tower</p></div>
<p>
Leaving the Grossmunster, I find a mildly pleasing building opposite, before heading off into town again.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOHGvbG-_QseNfu2sCpTq6YtLgd0RwPIT0La8TQzHcVOaYZhr4GdekkO85a5VkSzzpx4Wy6uHUdWzBgBFMjvht1KBhf-mQlTO8BMVSds-LQWh_NDUaV3MJgjxwr7q_cW7tjQAqvj9RL5rh/s1600/IMG_20161111_112704.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOHGvbG-_QseNfu2sCpTq6YtLgd0RwPIT0La8TQzHcVOaYZhr4GdekkO85a5VkSzzpx4Wy6uHUdWzBgBFMjvht1KBhf-mQlTO8BMVSds-LQWh_NDUaV3MJgjxwr7q_cW7tjQAqvj9RL5rh/s400/IMG_20161111_112704.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqWjw7Hr59YuOosvUqZgH7YjQccmVMsAHgrB71UcXFH6eDhI5pMzOE4yvnh3j9Er-kzk1tmF2vjiW7gfPXmS0fep3COqD74fMv1l-ZpCHAqFVPQIJ7mQ28-T9dCThMJBqEypKg-Ae5agv0/s1600/PANO_20161111_112712.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqWjw7Hr59YuOosvUqZgH7YjQccmVMsAHgrB71UcXFH6eDhI5pMzOE4yvnh3j9Er-kzk1tmF2vjiW7gfPXmS0fep3COqD74fMv1l-ZpCHAqFVPQIJ7mQ28-T9dCThMJBqEypKg-Ae5agv0/s400/PANO_20161111_112712.jpg" width="400" height="94" /></a><p>Outside Grossmunster</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT6oj8I5SCCU4zs8MvwNbI8guX3dHU6G15Zilk-i25REu9eexrxgJnr2HqECjOQsVYiBN6Dm6sjHqGCBZlN1fefFjdsvz1iCpO9D8X2v9JwbOg1Ojygs7I3kg6FADW8I5Spodrhq3xYXyu/s1600/PANO_20161111_112810.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT6oj8I5SCCU4zs8MvwNbI8guX3dHU6G15Zilk-i25REu9eexrxgJnr2HqECjOQsVYiBN6Dm6sjHqGCBZlN1fefFjdsvz1iCpO9D8X2v9JwbOg1Ojygs7I3kg6FADW8I5Spodrhq3xYXyu/s400/PANO_20161111_112810.jpg" width="249" height="400" /></a><p>Vertical panorama of flats opposite Grossmunster</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr-e8i_q9nzk5gOkEswNiwOJkMMP719KsotB99J9zBSu1Sv7Hns8xi_FZLzNQm3EXBztbf5Kv32xrfFsikFEuhDZn7PZ_Xue3b4aTr30sW4u2s4vi-4F2ZQxFbryZ7RN1B0izlI3RrQ0ow/s1600/IMG_20161111_112845.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr-e8i_q9nzk5gOkEswNiwOJkMMP719KsotB99J9zBSu1Sv7Hns8xi_FZLzNQm3EXBztbf5Kv32xrfFsikFEuhDZn7PZ_Xue3b4aTr30sW4u2s4vi-4F2ZQxFbryZ7RN1B0izlI3RrQ0ow/s400/IMG_20161111_112845.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huldrych_Zwingli">Zwingli</a>. He was a big deal.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPuJCdYfp7hcOAMW17LO6dPRgeJdffx0t2kwuBa2YQSWaOFMPJ2Ov33SlelS6hQyfaRpHckhReUr4e0zy1EaM2-bxX8BufwIV7IDUQ6-03ltkWHzDVIt9-y6ztLiwI6SXf_XbTfZ7usS6u/s1600/IMG_20161111_111841.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPuJCdYfp7hcOAMW17LO6dPRgeJdffx0t2kwuBa2YQSWaOFMPJ2Ov33SlelS6hQyfaRpHckhReUr4e0zy1EaM2-bxX8BufwIV7IDUQ6-03ltkWHzDVIt9-y6ztLiwI6SXf_XbTfZ7usS6u/s400/IMG_20161111_111841.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>Narrow street</p></div>
<p>
There were a few chocolatiers in this part of town, with particularly strikingly lavish wares.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDcGltjGxtcWX8g29Ixa1Ll3V8Uievl6ko5yUpO_4oepIzMbvavpADUkKFyRqeSsQZ_xloYmJU0LHDEC2VqvZYpWkxSi0i6OKwuK6dQuJNs90M8J-njgPpUSw4QMq9Nas6HHgi7Wue6NhI/s1600/IMG_20161111_111914.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDcGltjGxtcWX8g29Ixa1Ll3V8Uievl6ko5yUpO_4oepIzMbvavpADUkKFyRqeSsQZ_xloYmJU0LHDEC2VqvZYpWkxSi0i6OKwuK6dQuJNs90M8J-njgPpUSw4QMq9Nas6HHgi7Wue6NhI/s400/IMG_20161111_111914.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>Terrifyingly expensive Fathers Christmas in a chocolatier.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVVnFrwXSBvjjLqiFlPsi3ZI0J5w7ZTIIds1g6zLFof8Zp-gRGHeBR84jYC_GX_wpSPly5U3e2uQ6v1DuShEdeFBk5NnXsrMW9sY2xwsRcPkEk1YLQEwNaDUFJFYV_0Eda4BD7czAs2j67/s1600/IMG_20161111_112049.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVVnFrwXSBvjjLqiFlPsi3ZI0J5w7ZTIIds1g6zLFof8Zp-gRGHeBR84jYC_GX_wpSPly5U3e2uQ6v1DuShEdeFBk5NnXsrMW9sY2xwsRcPkEk1YLQEwNaDUFJFYV_0Eda4BD7czAs2j67/s400/IMG_20161111_112049.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>Sweets!</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIp0cNPsBOa8j720YHo24UR77DW2na5Sy6-eDpuqGs29qN4TB1HdZGcPcHq9A8V97qtyjXierfEI952_hmOBT9-xR86GX-IK_Geh88Fu8FBKw12bmzQ9DWehNnpzRY_RbL66bfBfqmst2a/s1600/IMG_20161111_112037.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIp0cNPsBOa8j720YHo24UR77DW2na5Sy6-eDpuqGs29qN4TB1HdZGcPcHq9A8V97qtyjXierfEI952_hmOBT9-xR86GX-IK_Geh88Fu8FBKw12bmzQ9DWehNnpzRY_RbL66bfBfqmst2a/s400/IMG_20161111_112037.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>This gingerbread house will set you back about £100.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZHmsxz26W1ao-YfXiZqG1dQRCw8L6E3YIFd0NINoDICguPbXIEPDJMJ4uBpEwCbcoW2b5Ok5oKd9S8lzcKwbKWJUtAkmvTCzBrQa30Ss63Z1S4KvqyRZtpMczLWwMKWS-QBtsNtVUbtAA/s1600/PANO_20161111_105208.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZHmsxz26W1ao-YfXiZqG1dQRCw8L6E3YIFd0NINoDICguPbXIEPDJMJ4uBpEwCbcoW2b5Ok5oKd9S8lzcKwbKWJUtAkmvTCzBrQa30Ss63Z1S4KvqyRZtpMczLWwMKWS-QBtsNtVUbtAA/s400/PANO_20161111_105208.jpg" width="400" height="94" /></a><p>A general street panorama</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAupap3lN2JbmrtT1kfnnk2xPsuuz6VLOhQHjkKkNKJwmteZmiyNt_V4fKyykdd7ZWsIjZbemxHqRe5t3ZBEtC9VF31P1D5ZttFReNLNt1nal0gfiayIm7fbKtnSuDceDVkwv3xrqx-lQO/s1600/IMG_20161111_112351.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAupap3lN2JbmrtT1kfnnk2xPsuuz6VLOhQHjkKkNKJwmteZmiyNt_V4fKyykdd7ZWsIjZbemxHqRe5t3ZBEtC9VF31P1D5ZttFReNLNt1nal0gfiayIm7fbKtnSuDceDVkwv3xrqx-lQO/s400/IMG_20161111_112351.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>View across the lake.</p></div>
<p>
In a few moments another unexpected turn occurs, but let's leave that for another post...
</p>Shimmin Beghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10350037986748679919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1413166059304552489.post-81936140474441508152016-11-10T21:04:00.003+00:002016-12-18T18:30:46.053+00:00Zurich: Hotel St. George<p>
I thought I should give a quick overview of my hotel while I'm here.
</p>
<p>
I'm staying at <a href="http://www.hotel-st-georges.ch/">Hotel St. George</a> near Zurich Hauptbahnhof (the main station). It's easy to reach from the airport, and a fairly simple walk from the station - about 500m and simple to navigate. It's also fairly affordable. This does mean it's a basic hotel with shared bathroom.
</p>
<a name='more'></a>
<p>
I can say that the service seems very good - the staff are friendly and helpful, and speak good English (despite my attempts to speak German to them - but then I don't even know if they're first-language German). They lent me a plug adaptor when I discovered the Swiss have a special unique plug socket standard that doesn't match the main European one.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3FgKHwu4dBvtd1C2CqIDIM0nETGUl12spf1Uuo4H5jOEzOpuHhyzpui4HwMIivloxJfMo38qcBv8Bi1a54iyAuTvy9z5WJI4ag0oaDUvMPbBI_OG_zDspF0Ck1dDRdSpbmVCN5oMw2Sk7/s1600/IMG_20161110_181758.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3FgKHwu4dBvtd1C2CqIDIM0nETGUl12spf1Uuo4H5jOEzOpuHhyzpui4HwMIivloxJfMo38qcBv8Bi1a54iyAuTvy9z5WJI4ag0oaDUvMPbBI_OG_zDspF0Ck1dDRdSpbmVCN5oMw2Sk7/s400/IMG_20161110_181758.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p> </p></div>
<p>
My room was on the fifth floor, so lifts up and stairs down was the order of the day. The lift is quite small so it's definitely something to be aware of if you have any claustrophobia-type issues.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ0eV8At1BqXKtSGWmMBYFCzCYeYtNfBjIyMdqRxZELQ_kjLbGEPpzk0Ov4myuuXXbkGCuqmgW_Qu2_feAbFwyDx7xjQ1O8vCdlrzLO2Icpk6rE4jQH4bT4Gfr9oU6ViblSp4e4SlsEqv1/s1600/IMG_20161110_222441.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ0eV8At1BqXKtSGWmMBYFCzCYeYtNfBjIyMdqRxZELQ_kjLbGEPpzk0Ov4myuuXXbkGCuqmgW_Qu2_feAbFwyDx7xjQ1O8vCdlrzLO2Icpk6rE4jQH4bT4Gfr9oU6ViblSp4e4SlsEqv1/s400/IMG_20161110_222441.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>Lots of stairs! </p></div>
<p>
The rooms are basic, it's only a 2-star restaurant. There's a washbasin in my room, but definitely no en-suite. That's the first time in a long time I've had that, actually - not since I was staying in a <a href="http://a-shimmin-abroad.blogspot.ch/2014/12/kyoting-i-arrival.html">ryokan in Kyoto</a>, I think. I suppose I don't stay in that many hotels, though.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzzWK-WZP8JGduqG78Wswf9AfVKk96bghz83vYPcTM2TeUe-G40QABJgda9f68JVRHzbBMoshnFIlSsv7Wk1wrT_R-l4sZqAh-vFfSMtjItsDml8jdzJBjWc2EG2LPovm0YQ0zUWVXSE1a/s1600/IMG_20161110_191259.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzzWK-WZP8JGduqG78Wswf9AfVKk96bghz83vYPcTM2TeUe-G40QABJgda9f68JVRHzbBMoshnFIlSsv7Wk1wrT_R-l4sZqAh-vFfSMtjItsDml8jdzJBjWc2EG2LPovm0YQ0zUWVXSE1a/s400/IMG_20161110_191259.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9PouA-EgE_j7FwoTqW6ppkdKTUlFPj-1d_TkUdur3knOF_DMtMs6PoP_gwn1wwBMkxdb1b9tqoBHqm1SsgrJaPdEJ26JSwh36tdH_F05-V-HhOnZZpubqFTf-NTvuW2Mbl-UIK4knucT9/s1600/IMG_20161110_222026.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9PouA-EgE_j7FwoTqW6ppkdKTUlFPj-1d_TkUdur3knOF_DMtMs6PoP_gwn1wwBMkxdb1b9tqoBHqm1SsgrJaPdEJ26JSwh36tdH_F05-V-HhOnZZpubqFTf-NTvuW2Mbl-UIK4knucT9/s400/IMG_20161110_222026.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>This gives a fairly accurate impression of the lighting conditions, except that it's yellower in real life.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy7glXUVFLZdyrQvuR-ontWAc0hDcsJQHiNlwnS2oRBAcA8nUi8lDJIDzbek64s2RmezlIlzb5u5f4exWdEKOaMRWzGJ4S9p6-snEFBTOYXmgQBe11DTfXgGCkpb4uW23PHKgHREZpzse_/s1600/IMG_20161110_222502.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy7glXUVFLZdyrQvuR-ontWAc0hDcsJQHiNlwnS2oRBAcA8nUi8lDJIDzbek64s2RmezlIlzb5u5f4exWdEKOaMRWzGJ4S9p6-snEFBTOYXmgQBe11DTfXgGCkpb4uW23PHKgHREZpzse_/s400/IMG_20161110_222502.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>Parts of the hotel get genuinely rather dark at times, as you can see. It's got a reasaonable amount of general decoration to keep it from feeling soulless, though.</p></div>
<p>
Although I'd forgotten about this, there is a genuine inconvenience to the lack of en-suite. You do have to think about when you can shower etc., and of course you can't guarantee being able to get to the toilet when you need to. Another oddball one for those of you who like your light: I normally find the bathroom is the best-lit of any part of a hotel, so when the dinginess of rooms is getting to me it's handy to be able to wander in and have a glass of water as I soak in some photons. Plus, you can leave the door open and usually double the brightness of your room! Here, not so much.
</p>
<p>
Also, other guests may decide to use the toilet as a smoking-room when they don't feel like going outside in the rain, apparently. Which means the place occasionally smells revolting for rather unexpected reasons... I don't think this is official policy, but then I don't know. Different countries, often perplexingly different attitudes to smoking.
</p>
<p>
The facilities in the room are basically just what you'd expect - small bed, small desk, two chairs actually, and a few shelves. There's a TV (I don't normally bother with these) and a socket that's quite hard to reach.
</p>
<p>
For the most part the room is basically completely adequate. I knew about the bathroom situation when I booked it so that's okay. I do have to ding it for the room lighting - even by the standards of hotels, I found it oppressively dingy and was reluctant to spend a second longer there than was absolutely necessary. The lounge downstairs was better, but you don't necessarily want to sit in a public room for the evening. The TV is on most of the time, which will be fine for anyone used to background TV, but I found rather distracting.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7501XpoTg8VfFe8HThmlZGPTpF3LuXQrWIfmO2u0nmwKlyki6lK3UzlHv830iTB3hmUF2mU37inurZxdXyfMoYaFN3IuTXLvekQYwAcyJ8ISIsMYuEYPquxVzwwAJ1AFzTxN4xw6o44hr/s1600/IMG_20161110_222603.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7501XpoTg8VfFe8HThmlZGPTpF3LuXQrWIfmO2u0nmwKlyki6lK3UzlHv830iTB3hmUF2mU37inurZxdXyfMoYaFN3IuTXLvekQYwAcyJ8ISIsMYuEYPquxVzwwAJ1AFzTxN4xw6o44hr/s400/IMG_20161110_222603.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbIIvXMwvPoASKsrFtH1ZRPKomOoQUKrvMcToIp5MlARruHlC4nZ_R4vWd0wYseMT2a0Ts9Cq5mXrGjcKw_ctq5WTLeLddat9AnH_j21bYFSptGeCuTRelDUF3lFXGNJF9oxZls4k8DHgK/s1600/IMG_20161110_222609.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbIIvXMwvPoASKsrFtH1ZRPKomOoQUKrvMcToIp5MlARruHlC4nZ_R4vWd0wYseMT2a0Ts9Cq5mXrGjcKw_ctq5WTLeLddat9AnH_j21bYFSptGeCuTRelDUF3lFXGNJF9oxZls4k8DHgK/s400/IMG_20161110_222609.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a></div>
<p>
Also be aware there's no facilities for drinks, other than pouring yourself a glass of water. So you can't sit quietly over a cuppa or anything like that, or brew yourself one to drag yourself away.
</p>
<p>
Breakfast is available, but it's an extra 12 Francs, which struck me as rather a lot. I decided I'd rather head out and look for a cafe instead - I'm sure it'll be just as pricey though.
</p>
<p>
There's also a rather interesting arrangement for the keys.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4whGKJcz25JKhISCAYE8pK4g2tTjjOd_KOD_DUMj7VQtmdQ8P0nArBdQ-vRNQIG2M-vSjeEfLkKdyiHOHi5N6P9u7nG3WSQ98q6XBJRUtq1ipBF-KLTPEwguKxdmi0ZwrltpDSLLM6MzE/s1600/IMG_20161110_222531.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4whGKJcz25JKhISCAYE8pK4g2tTjjOd_KOD_DUMj7VQtmdQ8P0nArBdQ-vRNQIG2M-vSjeEfLkKdyiHOHi5N6P9u7nG3WSQ98q6XBJRUtq1ipBF-KLTPEwguKxdmi0ZwrltpDSLLM6MzE/s400/IMG_20161110_222531.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>When you go out, you stick your room key (with tab) in here to unlock the night keys (without tab). And when you return, you insert and turn the night key to unlock your room key. This means after hours, you can get into the building, but you can't lose your room key. It also makes things very complicated for thieves, who wouldn't know which room to try and break into even if they stole your key.</p></div>
Shimmin Beghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10350037986748679919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1413166059304552489.post-35881211546582419832016-11-10T20:45:00.000+00:002016-12-18T18:27:04.007+00:00Zurich: Beneath a Steely Sky<p>
What with one thing and another, at the start of October I was finally able to book holiday again. I had quite a glut too - in a fit of enthusiasm-slash-pessimism, I took the option to buy some extra days.
</p>
<p>
And then I hit my never-ending problem: what to actually do with them.
</p>
<a name='more'></a>
<p>
Musing on my holiday allotment, I worked out that a) it had been seven months since I last had a non-trivial break from work, and b) I should really get started making inroads into these holiday. There's a large chunk of the year when I can't easily take any (or it's too expensive), I didn't really want to lump much holiday in with Christmas, and I was hoping to do something in spring which I need a certain amount of leeway around. So, time to book something.
</p>
<p>
It's been absolutely ages since I went to Europe, as it turns out. In fact, I think I last visited in 2007? Since then I have been to North America, Madagascar (for family reasons), China and Japan (twice) but only set foot in Europe as a stopover for the Madagascar flight. And my German could certainly use the practice...
</p>
<p>
There's really only a couple of sensible options for me if I'm visiting Europe. I don't like going to places where I can't speak the language, and the only European language I speak adequately is German, so it's the Germanic belt. And I have friends in Switzerland and Germany. Since I've never been, though, I thought I should finally get round to paying Switzerland a visit.
</p>
<p>
And so, much too early on a November morning, I left a hotel at Manchester airport and headed to the plane.
</p>
<h3>A brief disclaimer</h3>
<p>
Things got particularly inconvenient because, shortly after I booked this holiday, I developed some health problems. Although I seem to be improving gradually, it's still not entirely clear what they are. Regardless, I've been off work for the past week and fairly exhausted - but the doctor advised me not to cancel, so here we are.
</p>
<p>
As a consequence, I suspect my reports of Switzerland will perhaps lack some of my usual cheery sparkle (ahem) - for which I apologise.
</p>
<h3>Off to Switzerland!</h3>
<p>
I hopped onto the train, enjoying the classical landscape of snowy hillsides as we rushed along.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQbaW_fJZbd_3W7tK4DACtB9Gw9P4j30babO9p7kbZWLLbd3pjfCkW9UGjW2HjBKKBQ08xIXweCNd0fdxb9OpR1QUvOyKzvKrQuc58yNedIUoT-yu7uWWYw5L6wIG5euf_sJWHt7cSmPSs/s1600/IMG_20161109_153140.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQbaW_fJZbd_3W7tK4DACtB9Gw9P4j30babO9p7kbZWLLbd3pjfCkW9UGjW2HjBKKBQ08xIXweCNd0fdxb9OpR1QUvOyKzvKrQuc58yNedIUoT-yu7uWWYw5L6wIG5euf_sJWHt7cSmPSs/s400/IMG_20161109_153140.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6SqU88MFEyxbqDX6S8eaO3wYi1_VL7m6Gh3zB7QHOtnwHPU6RgDPVFBT4zeGYL8OoU00_PNv-gqeUexYinWL1SKfYb3cGt6jnCQuVpC3IPQDKAq7-XxB1go2i7mDz6BDqICNfMzU8Yk7I/s1600/IMG_20161109_153111.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6SqU88MFEyxbqDX6S8eaO3wYi1_VL7m6Gh3zB7QHOtnwHPU6RgDPVFBT4zeGYL8OoU00_PNv-gqeUexYinWL1SKfYb3cGt6jnCQuVpC3IPQDKAq7-XxB1go2i7mDz6BDqICNfMzU8Yk7I/s400/IMG_20161109_153111.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
<p>
Yes, that's right - the Peak District.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkgIJjmlmA46NB9YPzEHMpOftmTPAt50YD6ujpGv1JyfMLfrAk9d8VmJZbFnfu4D0yRpeaxrEwMhrfh4MA5AyUh2XPZbSphp5FjJDb1iVdU_4a1u6mi5nDpIF1qYaOF8Z1qbfrdy9jovPQ/s1600/IMG_20161109_184353.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkgIJjmlmA46NB9YPzEHMpOftmTPAt50YD6ujpGv1JyfMLfrAk9d8VmJZbFnfu4D0yRpeaxrEwMhrfh4MA5AyUh2XPZbSphp5FjJDb1iVdU_4a1u6mi5nDpIF1qYaOF8Z1qbfrdy9jovPQ/s400/IMG_20161109_184353.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>The cyberpunk tunnel between the terminals of Manchester Airport. Rather an eerie place to walk around at night.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpPi_R-XwkV5FdZHvjkTAdEd1nDpY-atmNuPBIIJKopbWkCayqQRhCtZAV2Ttuo3kqLvBJguSdrk8P89YrlDR2NLnGB8B64YEdBNOGy_TiLQCOQUbO4D4QRbqjtXPgObXCBWIfSWrMPTgf/s1600/IMG_20161109_221842.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpPi_R-XwkV5FdZHvjkTAdEd1nDpY-atmNuPBIIJKopbWkCayqQRhCtZAV2Ttuo3kqLvBJguSdrk8P89YrlDR2NLnGB8B64YEdBNOGy_TiLQCOQUbO4D4QRbqjtXPgObXCBWIfSWrMPTgf/s400/IMG_20161109_221842.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>Ladybirds! Two of the three or four blighters I detected... after going to bed, I felt an odd tickling sensation and discovered several ladybirds had been nesting in my pyjamas! There've been a fair few in my flat recently so they presumably snuck in there. Rather disconcerting.</p></div>
<h3>Arrival</h3>
<p>
At about 11.30am local time, I arrived in Zurich airport, where it was raining. Slipping relatively quickly through immigration, I made my way to the station and, after a little confusion about platforms, boarded the double-decker train, noting how expensive the ticket seemed to be.
</p>
<p>
This will become something of a running theme.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiazUPv9vhiP6dp2_UVIO3QpT-tTjkcs9yUNneW-7rGMUkLvvJPxSKwsE80Lc6ztLeuSEDOY1_BTilHuS2RElpKwgkOBUM3DGnrDCSLFPZHTUeh-14sJGLh8kq2RzXk4FvbhrjbTG0_CoD/s1600/IMG_20161110_105119.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiazUPv9vhiP6dp2_UVIO3QpT-tTjkcs9yUNneW-7rGMUkLvvJPxSKwsE80Lc6ztLeuSEDOY1_BTilHuS2RElpKwgkOBUM3DGnrDCSLFPZHTUeh-14sJGLh8kq2RzXk4FvbhrjbTG0_CoD/s400/IMG_20161110_105119.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO3S0J8PTRvxW9vPnWgS40yp1WvsrZyJpoZKMHMGKnl2Lp_j685T3i7BhsDBN_IHdknTuP8f-MKkk88BNy542_1GyFubnm0kqE4rEMi1VppXUtd9-jkYBqaO-O8GMu-hK-GQ46z5o-2wli/s1600/IMG_20161110_122407.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO3S0J8PTRvxW9vPnWgS40yp1WvsrZyJpoZKMHMGKnl2Lp_j685T3i7BhsDBN_IHdknTuP8f-MKkk88BNy542_1GyFubnm0kqE4rEMi1VppXUtd9-jkYBqaO-O8GMu-hK-GQ46z5o-2wli/s400/IMG_20161110_122407.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>I'm doing a small tour, but still only covering a tiny chunk of Switzerland - a triangle between Zurich, Lucerne and Basel.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis4-bz2ypCbIFGqdxTmjmyeqJIyeTuQsCBt-s6tv_urVfRRcm1BgB8sj3WkwEUumo53Gzz_KBJLBqXcoUdmC9n0cCO5wzi9MY1x1b4VDxVhds5U5xGkR2ofWo0Df346anVTWLHS45gV-qJ/s1600/IMG_20161110_122449.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis4-bz2ypCbIFGqdxTmjmyeqJIyeTuQsCBt-s6tv_urVfRRcm1BgB8sj3WkwEUumo53Gzz_KBJLBqXcoUdmC9n0cCO5wzi9MY1x1b4VDxVhds5U5xGkR2ofWo0Df346anVTWLHS45gV-qJ/s400/IMG_20161110_122449.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p> </p></div>
<p>
At the station, I found a thriving shopping centre, and decided to take the opportunity to eat. I knew my hotel didn't serve meals, and wasn't sure that there was anything very convenient nearby. At least there were quite a few eateries by the station. I picked a friendly Asian food place and attempted to order.
</p>
<p>
At this point, some kind of problem arose. I confess I am not sure exactly what it was. I think the situation was that whatever I ordered would have to be cooked from scratch, and the lady was pointing out that they had various other things available immediately. Rather than get into a long discussion in my bad High German and her slightly uncomfortable Swiss German, I conceded the point and ate something vaguely similar and very spicy. Delicious, although I'm not sure if very spicy food is ideal when I'm ill. Perhaps that chilli last night was also a mistake...
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhufK1z8O_kIXsD2mMo2f0UwALSPhmol5STMfjQrBWB9OE5DiL57JKuqlvroLTkEoFew4lJ3PERNLhoBa-qnejRADXS4v9QpJ5Ie9zZRnGr49Y2rnzXmspl3QjlpsbTSlCqK3Niv8MRVR-i/s1600/IMG_20161110_125736.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhufK1z8O_kIXsD2mMo2f0UwALSPhmol5STMfjQrBWB9OE5DiL57JKuqlvroLTkEoFew4lJ3PERNLhoBa-qnejRADXS4v9QpJ5Ie9zZRnGr49Y2rnzXmspl3QjlpsbTSlCqK3Niv8MRVR-i/s400/IMG_20161110_125736.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p> </p></div>
<p>
Fed, I started making my way to the hotel. Strolling along the busy leaf-splattered streets as the rain beat down, I tried to gaze around and drink in the exotic Swiss scenery, but the rain kept getting in my eyes. Apart from the very Swiss-looking occasional passing tram, and the architectural style of some buildings, I could have fooled myself that I'd never left Manchester.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxDGLohTfbfgPVJWA4ZocQJvXW2PGwb1377djfC-pNQepI2JA5lLBg3rEwop1-wXSHRo4EWYUAQ7b7DwwJ6psVYmLuowAeH-Zat1SAQ0GgLGne_Fw45nEvSCHFdpMyZXZi8om_ZliP5l8B/s1600/IMG_20161110_131226.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxDGLohTfbfgPVJWA4ZocQJvXW2PGwb1377djfC-pNQepI2JA5lLBg3rEwop1-wXSHRo4EWYUAQ7b7DwwJ6psVYmLuowAeH-Zat1SAQ0GgLGne_Fw45nEvSCHFdpMyZXZi8om_ZliP5l8B/s400/IMG_20161110_131226.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXnNRwn6zs4nMrtOwOC6H2pWvA5GTR6ApS9f05DCt1-xnKsWpvhrrXAFGYMthAPq7F3ShUOjlnrDKS7hkX8oAfI8r84k0PZa9jNRqqmiZ-S12oTxZRsOGrSLSZiqcF7MJk0TgYl4NWsbQC/s1600/IMG_20161110_131238.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXnNRwn6zs4nMrtOwOC6H2pWvA5GTR6ApS9f05DCt1-xnKsWpvhrrXAFGYMthAPq7F3ShUOjlnrDKS7hkX8oAfI8r84k0PZa9jNRqqmiZ-S12oTxZRsOGrSLSZiqcF7MJk0TgYl4NWsbQC/s400/IMG_20161110_131238.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Drl42eMwstQonD_5EA1qm-3-RbTWhdjdzKxGTSK8uayBOmdKN3WlrhxPtDyA2-UJlE-esZ-Hcl0bYNqqnaL9fqGCBxd3OQjSyur36krJX19QGlHBbECdHEZnBCb7_jad4ujEWS4Gm1S4/s1600/IMG_20161110_144442.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Drl42eMwstQonD_5EA1qm-3-RbTWhdjdzKxGTSK8uayBOmdKN3WlrhxPtDyA2-UJlE-esZ-Hcl0bYNqqnaL9fqGCBxd3OQjSyur36krJX19QGlHBbECdHEZnBCb7_jad4ujEWS4Gm1S4/s400/IMG_20161110_144442.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>This was a rather unexpected development.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpfIHsrlLe3Mk55mJVq8nXX-M-STmMFKfkfYREqcXFxZhPAvz_uSoD9RluKVV17mtxktYOMzrAiaGJOPcv7bTKh3sXGrT0PpuBmNmwJdrnKySWRcn67jev2RrYMnmHK1_k3yt5vxFE9yzG/s1600/IMG_20161110_144448.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpfIHsrlLe3Mk55mJVq8nXX-M-STmMFKfkfYREqcXFxZhPAvz_uSoD9RluKVV17mtxktYOMzrAiaGJOPcv7bTKh3sXGrT0PpuBmNmwJdrnKySWRcn67jev2RrYMnmHK1_k3yt5vxFE9yzG/s400/IMG_20161110_144448.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>That's right - a Traditional English Pub! Haven't seen one of those in a while... perhaps because I live there?</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGe-3Rav8U-cRLzUqfEYU-6WGNiQUEs6pC2fD7Eu40fIvzidPfq51_gG2QEzF-XEGa4GPYD_1ZpY_cX899ezvGuAK7ZqzTs5TAl4tJCF56xU60PiQMMx-b12DZXmjhCQbOqlVz5wZNqAeu/s1600/IMG_20161110_144504.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGe-3Rav8U-cRLzUqfEYU-6WGNiQUEs6pC2fD7Eu40fIvzidPfq51_gG2QEzF-XEGa4GPYD_1ZpY_cX899ezvGuAK7ZqzTs5TAl4tJCF56xU60PiQMMx-b12DZXmjhCQbOqlVz5wZNqAeu/s400/IMG_20161110_144504.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>It is super English you guys, get a load of this quintessential Englishness. Wonder how many takers the Hot Irishman gets..?</p></div>
<p>
I finally deposited my stuff at the Hotel St. George, and paused for a break.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieQOBLmdYEQyL79qEw63JG17RhumgHrLcFN_3j_aq2OKlBIX7SCaTww9GkSofOJHyPF94bznvlfv4aQIe5d1LprVbPKwEeqbs5-F09WXKUAfD4Nz-RcqYZ5so18CArk4rlA3YVcVgf2LEC/s1600/PB100592.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieQOBLmdYEQyL79qEw63JG17RhumgHrLcFN_3j_aq2OKlBIX7SCaTww9GkSofOJHyPF94bznvlfv4aQIe5d1LprVbPKwEeqbs5-F09WXKUAfD4Nz-RcqYZ5so18CArk4rlA3YVcVgf2LEC/s400/PB100592.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>Hotel St. Georges</p></div>
<p>
I was a bit confused to see that all my bedding seemed to be uncovered - bare quilt, pillow etc. I wondered briefly whether it was like my apartment in Japan, where most of it was stored in cupboards for guests to put on themselves? Then I briefly started wondering whether it was some quirk of Swiss hotels that I didn't know about, and I was expected to bring my own... thankfully, around this point a cleaner knocked to ask if I wanted the room finished. They'd obviously got as far as stripping all the beds, but not redoing them! D'oh.
</p>
<p>
Hey, I said I was tired...
</p>
<p>
As two cleaners bustled into my room to sort things out, I decided this was the time to light out and go for a walk. Besides, I wanted to do that anyway. I grabbed my phone and shoulder bag, and marched out into what was now just drizzle.
</p>
<h3>Mean Streets</h3>
<p>
My idea at this point was just to scope out the city in general. I'd never been here before, and it was already early afternoon, so I wouldn't have much light left. I was hoping tomorrow would be nicer for touristing, and planning to do a circuit of the big landmarks, which are all pretty close together. So I just headed out on a general ramble around town.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisRKQ7-3bv98VTdNtYGjAbn5zlLUcBs5-BBcCiSFflcUXxFViVdPlzORyeZkSIez-XTC0mOvaZBYWzw3h17FVE_4VSMzzLQ_CvZtcVIHhBgcmbIP251chxV7nwEo2r7v6EfoXImDeZgU3d/s1600/IMG_20161110_145140.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisRKQ7-3bv98VTdNtYGjAbn5zlLUcBs5-BBcCiSFflcUXxFViVdPlzORyeZkSIez-XTC0mOvaZBYWzw3h17FVE_4VSMzzLQ_CvZtcVIHhBgcmbIP251chxV7nwEo2r7v6EfoXImDeZgU3d/s400/IMG_20161110_145140.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>This building is cool, but I couldn't work out what it actually is.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwbXmEWa7JkQ9j7M0V_lpUuiBoevggBo57Jm3dbzcR9tEg7RMJjtmfxAxa0P6a6_ZO-jSU3Cz8hZG22m5CJr7Ck7rDLywGLpC2K7Hx-093TkMAATTYpXzd7vnFIsMD-OlAPuBAjGPqRzVa/s1600/IMG_20161110_142131.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwbXmEWa7JkQ9j7M0V_lpUuiBoevggBo57Jm3dbzcR9tEg7RMJjtmfxAxa0P6a6_ZO-jSU3Cz8hZG22m5CJr7Ck7rDLywGLpC2K7Hx-093TkMAATTYpXzd7vnFIsMD-OlAPuBAjGPqRzVa/s400/IMG_20161110_142131.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>They're a bit hard to make out, but this style of balconied flats seem to be fairly archetypal.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCVPjhyBqVDjVzO5Dy9Cd8dMLIpzm_UmaeSfM84qUuub7rGZJ_76NxBVoCZcU2igyI1qKFOjUlxVzRGDPKBVTH0SzYRB3-jkm77ENrXkqYLDXk_Y91x8x2iSv5iqCrOjr6ChMKWmxbMahi/s1600/IMG_20161110_144325.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCVPjhyBqVDjVzO5Dy9Cd8dMLIpzm_UmaeSfM84qUuub7rGZJ_76NxBVoCZcU2igyI1qKFOjUlxVzRGDPKBVTH0SzYRB3-jkm77ENrXkqYLDXk_Y91x8x2iSv5iqCrOjr6ChMKWmxbMahi/s400/IMG_20161110_144325.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
<p>
It was sort of interesting, in the way rambling around unseen bits of towns can be. I've got to admit that the on-and-off rain, the gloom and the fairly heavy traffic didn't really help show the place at its best. There's quite a lot of nice buildings around, with some pleasing sets of apartments in particular. The river is probably also quite nice at times, but today it was a roaring grey slug decked with sullen mouldering trees, while cars thundered in the spray of the adjacent roads.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnX-WFiCdffNNgRzKgqlMVXb_pHouqMJuayxSgOmwGhbGM6F4-8uFpqtaLB1hAyg58Ua3rvCAN6xdrYlb4G6r8vtwIclLRRkea-LbkzSec515t5elu0-Jd0TXg07dMGKormjpmVmp8JZN8/s1600/IMG_20161110_141753.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnX-WFiCdffNNgRzKgqlMVXb_pHouqMJuayxSgOmwGhbGM6F4-8uFpqtaLB1hAyg58Ua3rvCAN6xdrYlb4G6r8vtwIclLRRkea-LbkzSec515t5elu0-Jd0TXg07dMGKormjpmVmp8JZN8/s400/IMG_20161110_141753.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhYP9bWwMSfw1nMHU2kM6dCNqxyG8V183pK5hGQmxWS7RWSfd0Mz7sy6xdzH5imVvoBk9Oi7LYHHxPwXgswkwWp6EDeyrMJ4BydVFXMxJteWWrdZ85islA0r9RviifcTauoQ0UuVNS5mbX/s1600/IMG_20161110_142143.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhYP9bWwMSfw1nMHU2kM6dCNqxyG8V183pK5hGQmxWS7RWSfd0Mz7sy6xdzH5imVvoBk9Oi7LYHHxPwXgswkwWp6EDeyrMJ4BydVFXMxJteWWrdZ85islA0r9RviifcTauoQ0UuVNS5mbX/s400/IMG_20161110_142143.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>It looks better in real life.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ6JO6lVOu9hCMKloyGhBad3MNATjHza56bPm2G7RqZw2QaL6gCGGp34tm0lmy8o2R4LTrh5SAjLqZ8N9-drXcGgUrd5-ASLYLkIYnKfLFxysIz5LEiQ6WlDeXp9aHK6X7iKr-dsBMdPl1/s1600/IMG_20161110_144200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ6JO6lVOu9hCMKloyGhBad3MNATjHza56bPm2G7RqZw2QaL6gCGGp34tm0lmy8o2R4LTrh5SAjLqZ8N9-drXcGgUrd5-ASLYLkIYnKfLFxysIz5LEiQ6WlDeXp9aHK6X7iKr-dsBMdPl1/s400/IMG_20161110_144200.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>This fountain symbolises international cooperation in the quest to provide everyone with clean, safe water. No, honestly it does. There's a plaque in four languages and everything.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOzKUIv60w7N0P1BUuAW81ZFDROPj96SBOIwMawmzjBiaDtzeT2DNWC0Hk_SoL8_ymAqxaME_a9RD6xsV4tPsiJPgJGTIfZhysTPFGT1r3V9LcUu2czCESVEqK2q3fr2biMTBY4BOJ12MH/s1600/PB100593.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOzKUIv60w7N0P1BUuAW81ZFDROPj96SBOIwMawmzjBiaDtzeT2DNWC0Hk_SoL8_ymAqxaME_a9RD6xsV4tPsiJPgJGTIfZhysTPFGT1r3V9LcUu2czCESVEqK2q3fr2biMTBY4BOJ12MH/s400/PB100593.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgNBj2PFoasidbL6VWwY6G-jR2FtI47YB-O_2tFgviFUWBH6ISooOWvxksQeRWrUHFgzv8h_EZ7H1ny9r1tkOAQELwboOVcz78qZ2NM1ztgQ8QtSez0dGTwXCecmpYIdP2WS_A9tZSZXfV/s1600/PB100594.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgNBj2PFoasidbL6VWwY6G-jR2FtI47YB-O_2tFgviFUWBH6ISooOWvxksQeRWrUHFgzv8h_EZ7H1ny9r1tkOAQELwboOVcz78qZ2NM1ztgQ8QtSez0dGTwXCecmpYIdP2WS_A9tZSZXfV/s400/PB100594.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>That isn't actually a distant cable car overhead, but it kind of looks like it... not sure what it is, mind! Something tram-related?</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQgEWP6HmahN0kyUGDhahMP9zohyphenhyphenI3WLhNTJCkl1VSfkf1p1NUbvIiGiFIRAsHB8Zl4ns3V6iRtGIqU2lFyNlxyjKGTqsN29n63bFi1HrROW27Igg25OnH2jwpN5BcKm7cFTvWdLQmiv9U/s1600/PB100595.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQgEWP6HmahN0kyUGDhahMP9zohyphenhyphenI3WLhNTJCkl1VSfkf1p1NUbvIiGiFIRAsHB8Zl4ns3V6iRtGIqU2lFyNlxyjKGTqsN29n63bFi1HrROW27Igg25OnH2jwpN5BcKm7cFTvWdLQmiv9U/s400/PB100595.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>Rows of glistening trees along the riverbank</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyqO19fxFu13LDlkYnKZfD_8xdYle6QhqUj0s3DB-TRT9DS-UzNPnWdOFjMAcuIJv8i1_Y7tTJrnnvrN5HxuZFwRVn-xX_-AzmkKp4sEHiwC9x8nwgAAZIUSejNOlM5ifeaRj81qU6OpvM/s1600/PB100597.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyqO19fxFu13LDlkYnKZfD_8xdYle6QhqUj0s3DB-TRT9DS-UzNPnWdOFjMAcuIJv8i1_Y7tTJrnnvrN5HxuZFwRVn-xX_-AzmkKp4sEHiwC9x8nwgAAZIUSejNOlM5ifeaRj81qU6OpvM/s400/PB100597.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>This play area has an elephant-shaped play apparatus.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWE2BISyMDI95hOhX6J6xn-nfUplMWr3Nc16GeSouWOKZcxK1rsxv5joMMXxEnVbdLpjvHOrizTBgnbCJMOp6mKaaCyczKtr3sI_R4dGhMWqx-80Cjt_NbbokLXPnIAp0d_bshcM1xIOsa/s1600/PB100598.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWE2BISyMDI95hOhX6J6xn-nfUplMWr3Nc16GeSouWOKZcxK1rsxv5joMMXxEnVbdLpjvHOrizTBgnbCJMOp6mKaaCyczKtr3sI_R4dGhMWqx-80Cjt_NbbokLXPnIAp0d_bshcM1xIOsa/s400/PB100598.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>And a giraffe. What luxury!</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCNiqCNG_AXZsCe_gKzwVHiVIGqhs_JkIF2TSJoDi2-g3ZTg7KUNc0ISwQIY1lY0XZuWUjaw3pp6IYuyKJ4_2L20TtT9KWK6_PkPLctEdaB25xcLlbhHqkyEXSf-2TlimtcEPcG5aHSGaF/s1600/PB100599.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCNiqCNG_AXZsCe_gKzwVHiVIGqhs_JkIF2TSJoDi2-g3ZTg7KUNc0ISwQIY1lY0XZuWUjaw3pp6IYuyKJ4_2L20TtT9KWK6_PkPLctEdaB25xcLlbhHqkyEXSf-2TlimtcEPcG5aHSGaF/s400/PB100599.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>This is the idlest lion (I think it's a lion???) ever. I do not know why it has a tiny crown.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGH1E7kP66vddLSBsEFVQ9U4pKpBiuEjAyxZTH3g1KPpPquDW7vEAbJC1StmoKBT5ag6ln9FI-nyQQrtsqKx24Ap-CMy21RmjBBm5olRM_jiHg7Oc8PeqVsVMR0dOsYZDxdA5CxbqZ_6L9/s1600/PB100600.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGH1E7kP66vddLSBsEFVQ9U4pKpBiuEjAyxZTH3g1KPpPquDW7vEAbJC1StmoKBT5ag6ln9FI-nyQQrtsqKx24Ap-CMy21RmjBBm5olRM_jiHg7Oc8PeqVsVMR0dOsYZDxdA5CxbqZ_6L9/s400/PB100600.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a></div>
<p>
M-san (<a href="http://a-shimmin-abroad.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/okonomiyaki-farewell.html">who you may remember</a>) had sent me a list of suggestions, so I decided to scope out some of those. I did manage to find the Asian foods store and had a wander round, but resisted buying sweets yet. I sat down for a cuppa in a Starbucks (yes, yes, but that's what I found) to recover my energy and was rather horrified at the price.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik11HhahFbLwLlK0Px5Gy_3xGDIpCGUloDrwtXsocVKa4oPPrvwcYT0IlbtLsXmrQcGb9Nak1be8bt79JO_f112sN8mqLE5WURJUsJ4PmBZ-Yb9KgQ3lKetfruC1ESkd_L73W_pbejAaU2/s1600/IMG_20161110_144655.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik11HhahFbLwLlK0Px5Gy_3xGDIpCGUloDrwtXsocVKa4oPPrvwcYT0IlbtLsXmrQcGb9Nak1be8bt79JO_f112sN8mqLE5WURJUsJ4PmBZ-Yb9KgQ3lKetfruC1ESkd_L73W_pbejAaU2/s400/IMG_20161110_144655.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNQlyriWFFcFC0Qums9BGPyrvDGMboLV1MfAZr2rHDFYF3VtcFWLSFbGy9cY6zqWjtZ03DfE-ZtnDx80DnA-KHkSScX9IMe6N2DPTkDv-JsU8viqUWpW0PT1H_NLxyNx2G4vbaaxU2kusR/s1600/IMG_20161110_144708.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNQlyriWFFcFC0Qums9BGPyrvDGMboLV1MfAZr2rHDFYF3VtcFWLSFbGy9cY6zqWjtZ03DfE-ZtnDx80DnA-KHkSScX9IMe6N2DPTkDv-JsU8viqUWpW0PT1H_NLxyNx2G4vbaaxU2kusR/s400/IMG_20161110_144708.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p> </p></div>
<p>
After a bit more strolling, I came back to the station and picked up a few things to eat from the shops there - a tasty croque monsieur, yoghurt and fruit salad. I didn't fancy looking for a restaurant tonight after a hot lunch, and saving money seemed like a good idea considering! So I just ate those in my room.
</p>
<p>
At this point I discovered a couple of other things.
</p>
<p>
Thing one: man, this room is dark. It's dark enough that I can't get a picture of how dark it is because my camera auto-compensates by brightening everything. It's got a single yellow bulb in a plastic diffuser box over the sink, and a tiny desk lamp. I thought my bedroom the previous night was dark, but in lighting quality this room resembles the less salubrious parts of a school boiler room. It's dark enough that reading isn't feasible - I'll just exhaust my eyes. I almost think it would be brighter - although colder - under a streetlamp outside.
</p>
<p>
Thing two: I have forgotten the cable for my actual camera, so I won't be able to get any photos off it until I get home. And I've almost filled the SD card, which means I either need to manually delete a load of old photos, or restrict myself to only 17 more decent-quality photos. Sigh. Maybe I can buy a new SD card? Although I'm sure that'll be extortionate as well...
</p>
<p>
Thing three: adaptors. Switzerland has a rounded two-pin arrangement, like the rest of Europe, right? Well... no. <a href="https://www.quora.com/Do-I-need-a-specific-power-adapter-when-travelling-in-Switzerland-or-can-an-EU-adapter-be-used-with-Swiss-power-outlets">It's a bit more complicated than that</a>.
</p>
<p>
To boil it down to very simple terms, the Swiss use socket pins which are approximately 0.2mm thinner than those of other European plugs, because they can. This means that you cannot physically cram the plug of a normal European adaptor into at least some Swiss sockets. And of course, I had not grasped this bizarre fact because <i>why, why would I check the diameter of the otherwise-identical two-pin plugs????</i>
</p>
<p>
Thankfully, the hotel was able to lend me one for my stay in Zurich, but I'm going to need to (sigh) go and buy one. If you're travelling to Switzerland, make sure you bring a Swiss-compatible adaptor!
</p>Shimmin Beghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10350037986748679919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1413166059304552489.post-35052852501051241682016-10-15T19:40:00.002+01:002016-10-15T19:42:26.981+01:00GenkiJACS wins a Star Award!<p>
I'm a bit late with this news, but in September GenkiJACS finally <a href="http://www.studytravel.network/star-awards/past-winners/2016/">won a Star Award</a> after several 8 years of nominations.
</p>
<p>
The <a href="http://www.studytravel.network/star-awards/">Star Awards</a> are a massive peer-voted award in the language-travel industry, so basically other language schools and experiences chose GenkiJACS as the 2016 winners.
</p>
<p>
Given that Japanese is a pretty minor player in the languages field, and GenkiJACS is a fairly small organisation in terms of language schools, it looks like it's a major achievement, so congratulations to everyone there (if anyone at GenkiJACs is reading this!).
</p>
<p>
For anyone planning a trip, the school have announced that they're offering a discount on tuition this December. More excitingly, you can <a href="http://genkijacs.com/free-japanese-study-competition.htm">win a year of free tuition</a>! There may be some more competitions coming up as well. Keep an eye out!
</p>
<p>
More information <a href="http://genkijacs.com/blog/index.php?itemid=1534">on the school's blog here</a>.
</p>Shimmin Beghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10350037986748679919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1413166059304552489.post-22989946655805614392016-09-21T11:57:00.002+01:002016-09-21T11:57:42.732+01:00Farewell to Flashcards<p>
So a couple of months ago I suddenly took a step I didn't really expect: I deliberately abandoned Anki.
</p>
<p>
I've been using Anki flashcards for around four years now, and paper flashcards for several years before that. I dutifully spent an hour almost every day going over first individual words and characters, and then (once I got better at knowing how to learn things in a way that suited me) entire phrases. It wasn't usually a solid hour of drilling, mind; I would end up needing to have quick breaks that spaced it out.
</p>
<p>
I think the flashcards really did help with cementing some key characters, words and phrases into my mind. I don't regret it.
</p>
<p>
Over time, though, the number of flashcards grew steadily into the many thousands, and I found it increasingly difficult to motivate myself to spend that hour. This was partly psychological, and partly down to practicalities.
</p>
<p>
At one stage I'd been able to comfortably schedule my Anki into my normal routine. I'd do them in quiet moments in one of my reception-style jobs. I'd practice flashcards over breakfast, or during my post-tea cuppa. When I went to Japan, I ended up waking early a lot of the time, and I could readily do an hour of flashcards at 6am, get breakfast, shower and head to school; or else I'd be unable to get to sleep in the heat, so would sit up late to practice. When I came back, I was unemployed for nine months (bar a bit of freelancing) so it was easy enough to maintain my flashcards, even though I was living with my parents so my mornings and evenings were not solitary.
</p>
<p>
Eventually though, life built up. I got a new job with less time in the morning, and busy enough to keep me occupied with actual work (which I prefer). I have fewer free evenings, partly for social reasons: as most of my friends now live hundreds of miles away, I have weekly Skype meetups and lots of emails, rather than simply going for a coffee. My new flat was too noisy to comfortably concentrate on drilling languages.
</p>
<p>
More importantly, a whole bunch of stressful things happened in my personal life that wrecked my focus and made it increasingly difficult to face going through hundreds of flashcards every day trying to memorise language. I wanted to do escapist, light-hearted things that didn't require much brainpower. There were a few periods when I didn't touch Anki for days and eventually came back and slowly toiled my way though the backlog.
</p>
<p>
I was growing resentful of Anki. I was also getting stressed when I did other things, like Skyping friends, in the knowledge that Anki wasn't getting done and it was getting late and I'd have them all to do tomorrow. I had quite a lot of nights where I stayed up much later than I should purely in order to get through my Anki. And then I noticed something definitely bad. When I was sitting down to go through my Anki, I realised that I was quite explicitly doing that <i>instead of actually using my languages</i>.
</p>
<p>
We tend to compartmentalise things in various ways. There's work, and housework, and social obligations, and leisure. There are different kinds of leisure too. Naturally, I couldn't spend time and energy on Anki in place of my job, or food shopping, or visiting a friend, so it had to come out of my leisure time. But I still needed some of that leisure time to chill with friends, or go running, or read something undemanding. So when I was picking Anki, <i>I was picking Anki over reading my Japanese novels, or doing translations, or watching Chinese TV shows, or writing to my L2 friends</i>.
</p>
<p>
I was sacrificing the chance to use my languages to do the things for which I started learning the languages in the first place, improving them in the process, in order to make sure I got my language drill in.
</p>
<p>
And that's when I stopped.
</p>Shimmin Beghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10350037986748679919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1413166059304552489.post-3497264512327176902016-09-09T18:32:00.001+01:002016-09-09T18:32:54.976+01:00Delays in posting<p>
If you are reading my blog, sorry! ブログが遅れてごめんなさい!
</p>
<p>
I still have things to post about my trip to Japan, and maybe some other things I've been doing. Unfortunately, recently I've just been overwhelmed with other things to do, including having to move house at short notice. A crucial point here is that my new flat has no internet, so not only can I not blog there, I also have to venture several miles into town to do more urgent internet-requiring things, like try to inform the government of my new address. And I'm really tired!
</p>
<p>
When I have some free time and some energy, I hope to get back to writing about Japan and other things. I don't want to put up careless posts without really thinking about them and doing my best to entertain you a little bit.
</p>Shimmin Beghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10350037986748679919noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1413166059304552489.post-47726972662211799882016-05-31T22:38:00.000+01:002016-11-17T15:20:09.799+00:00May Flowers<p>
I am incredibly belated at writing my blogposts this year, for various reasons (for posterity's sake, I'll note that I'm writing this in November). Honestly, for most of the year I haven't done anything terribly exciting (and certainly not to blog about), but I'm going to spend a couple of posts just throwing out snapshots of my summer.
</p>
<p>
Spring this year was pleasant; summer would soon become, to my mind, pretty ghastly, but that's still a way off as these photos were taken.
</p>
<a name='more'></a>
<p>
With my holidays burned up visiting Japan, coupled with most of my office taking summer holidays and a pretty strict policy that I can't take leave in early autumn, it would be seven months before I was able to take another break. This would prove to be something of a mistake, but never mind. The main event of May was therefore a weekend away in Oxford, <s>my old home</s> one of actually quite a few places where I've lived.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2u9F8mP00QoC_TKWTh_zZrWGoEw4UOX6IPwSB8E_UL5dbK-oCMnO3DU9Cm8FeLh-oASHcTuSIZTmOGgQQzwn33Kw6qPKeX_BQX4yk3oxfAqxJRZo9A69EInUR_pyfPt7lw4ZQr-0-Inzs/s1600/IMG_20160503_173240.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2u9F8mP00QoC_TKWTh_zZrWGoEw4UOX6IPwSB8E_UL5dbK-oCMnO3DU9Cm8FeLh-oASHcTuSIZTmOGgQQzwn33Kw6qPKeX_BQX4yk3oxfAqxJRZo9A69EInUR_pyfPt7lw4ZQr-0-Inzs/s400/IMG_20160503_173240.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>Blossom in the sun on the way to my flat</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlG-Ygw-8eRH6cX5M9gzTTJwzUHuZ252AdDOLMODGtr-XFQ5xjM6E0Y2Xr8VXtjwvgReTpv4FNh3PxNSvnAPAIaXaNQbvRhEBp9gXuuUPpp7EtA7sPVJyXGvr0rcRb0bB1kOM_WLYIBqg-/s1600/IMG_20160504_140241.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlG-Ygw-8eRH6cX5M9gzTTJwzUHuZ252AdDOLMODGtr-XFQ5xjM6E0Y2Xr8VXtjwvgReTpv4FNh3PxNSvnAPAIaXaNQbvRhEBp9gXuuUPpp7EtA7sPVJyXGvr0rcRb0bB1kOM_WLYIBqg-/s400/IMG_20160504_140241.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>A ladybird settles peacefully on my hand as I study Japanese in the park.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgIB9zDNGqJ__6Makdg587XAcBEVcmexKnyrUTQl5o_fAOVD2N7rKdipHRDwK9xGAz8Mxo-wSYv-9VrzTf5UKwUG3sofaWmAN75Myv4D7WwuNidCTErSmkU3-Z0ME3UjHYe8xfKWdaEfqu/s1600/IMG_20160508_111048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgIB9zDNGqJ__6Makdg587XAcBEVcmexKnyrUTQl5o_fAOVD2N7rKdipHRDwK9xGAz8Mxo-wSYv-9VrzTf5UKwUG3sofaWmAN75Myv4D7WwuNidCTErSmkU3-Z0ME3UjHYe8xfKWdaEfqu/s400/IMG_20160508_111048.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>Geese and goslings in Oxford</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxBOKc6nsHv8S3ssU3CQHyYyAn_l7hg9q-OBpSKspzwIHFV8DffMEIV7yxtPNh8e7lO7LiDYi0CueIfR9fzmS6_udCkAALNz0stz43NGQ8eIUlj8HaZceV9jPyYmJltgaG6b7fdP4o-L0Z/s1600/IMG_20160508_111929.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxBOKc6nsHv8S3ssU3CQHyYyAn_l7hg9q-OBpSKspzwIHFV8DffMEIV7yxtPNh8e7lO7LiDYi0CueIfR9fzmS6_udCkAALNz0stz43NGQ8eIUlj8HaZceV9jPyYmJltgaG6b7fdP4o-L0Z/s400/IMG_20160508_111929.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>More geese and their young in Christchurch Meadow</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig2ikC_MPIWhS10DwHleevF_4n5GTYOeU_cdB8bd0CWBeyFavBirqhMSsE2-JtNiqMdGPDG1lpwKbaub3TToP6LbedKC3NS9GMmDbaiRN0Bo332m9cxy1kjXVLvJk0JLCRrmhEpB65UTbz/s1600/IMG_20160508_135818.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig2ikC_MPIWhS10DwHleevF_4n5GTYOeU_cdB8bd0CWBeyFavBirqhMSsE2-JtNiqMdGPDG1lpwKbaub3TToP6LbedKC3NS9GMmDbaiRN0Bo332m9cxy1kjXVLvJk0JLCRrmhEpB65UTbz/s400/IMG_20160508_135818.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>I ate a delicious rendang at Banana Tree with a camera-shy friend</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr6JFSnPsfUduje7kMIY4oskv2VmK_BnQcKmXJatRTwN6twsityZfv9YPHtxKTvagnBFcuz7_odjE3DZhrXBqe2hRuxvYBrbsJ8EOPk1TUZKkNuEqjxHEfanERHoOa4PrDlINq-zk_6ql9/s1600/IMG_20160508_160255.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr6JFSnPsfUduje7kMIY4oskv2VmK_BnQcKmXJatRTwN6twsityZfv9YPHtxKTvagnBFcuz7_odjE3DZhrXBqe2hRuxvYBrbsJ8EOPk1TUZKkNuEqjxHEfanERHoOa4PrDlINq-zk_6ql9/s400/IMG_20160508_160255.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>Part of my continuing series of "plants in close-up along surfaces", though not my best work. I can't believe just how sunny it was, basically the whole time.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMm1fppt5iBZ3Ro7Swsd-6RvKVvzwBlStci8-4kUMVFuxrFvjCwIFdgwdn1XMojKRmWi_Tj9ry7Wq_vBdRcLtyKNmjHcdSLbk4vTm_orC9yYPc5sECL_AwKhVv9MVMcTyKy5y4I9Kv0JdZ/s1600/IMG_20160512_141211.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMm1fppt5iBZ3Ro7Swsd-6RvKVvzwBlStci8-4kUMVFuxrFvjCwIFdgwdn1XMojKRmWi_Tj9ry7Wq_vBdRcLtyKNmjHcdSLbk4vTm_orC9yYPc5sECL_AwKhVv9MVMcTyKy5y4I9Kv0JdZ/s400/IMG_20160512_141211.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><p>Lesser-noticed, but still nice, bits of Oxford. I got a bit blasé about the nice architecture after a while, and slightly more interested in things like the fact that 99% of the theatre was either revivals of the Greek classics or very earnest student-written experimental stuff, or the fact that I couldn't ever afford to upgrade from living in a 10' cube to something with my own bathroom that wasn't in a flood zone. Now that I don't live there I appreciate the architecture a little more again.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXUDRsM_lJlRyIAPGbEK5_DJKrLkonf_ulKgY-q4_xVpGoLsiB98zlnljRgg58z9V1_5CpuB-h6zDAJWSyNiUre9GoE3oYJmJFXeco3OrItPGBxDeFYO6B3OMQQGdqRZZkzzikb87nUTyN/s1600/IMG_20160516_090347.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXUDRsM_lJlRyIAPGbEK5_DJKrLkonf_ulKgY-q4_xVpGoLsiB98zlnljRgg58z9V1_5CpuB-h6zDAJWSyNiUre9GoE3oYJmJFXeco3OrItPGBxDeFYO6B3OMQQGdqRZZkzzikb87nUTyN/s400/IMG_20160516_090347.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>So very sunny, and green.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhJAODC02wUW81wD6bWopHIlU_ge1u87rTToTmPaW3-EqyG8mL3apDrI5rMkD6g2Fofs8oPlRpsv9kne31QNF1ThwJxogojkFQ0T-oJlgKSZK-eSrxUeKdGFbrDiRBVc3hb2x1PVskH3fV/s1600/IMG_20160517_221327.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhJAODC02wUW81wD6bWopHIlU_ge1u87rTToTmPaW3-EqyG8mL3apDrI5rMkD6g2Fofs8oPlRpsv9kne31QNF1ThwJxogojkFQ0T-oJlgKSZK-eSrxUeKdGFbrDiRBVc3hb2x1PVskH3fV/s400/IMG_20160517_221327.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>I successfully developed a solid, reliable sugar-free recipe for making Healthy Breakfast Scones. This one is chocolate and cherry and as big as my hand.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLOc5he55R7Q8rbeTMXU9BipKT1ypE1wmzaE8Z0B4iKCa4u9urOIc3R_G1KewYStSuHK0eBeKn0kBw2z4fgclssKiZTs1HOATV7UjxYyyBbHz2uYETA39XYEPIBbZxgf247d3gnnhyLVGk/s1600/IMG_20160519_205829.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLOc5he55R7Q8rbeTMXU9BipKT1ypE1wmzaE8Z0B4iKCa4u9urOIc3R_G1KewYStSuHK0eBeKn0kBw2z4fgclssKiZTs1HOATV7UjxYyyBbHz2uYETA39XYEPIBbZxgf247d3gnnhyLVGk/s400/IMG_20160519_205829.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>I was invited for a meal with my Chinese teacher and a few others. They kindly prepared all kinds of things for us, including these chicken feet. They're very grisly, and thought I had a bash, I couldn't really work out either how I was supposed to eat them, or really what part of them was supposed to be eaten. Other cultures are a lot more open to textural variation than Western Europe, from what I've been able to tell.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilrNVa3yQMKnTe3Ag_A4UB2iC9hSMgcUvez401wJqge7N1mRciSXxuf2LFRHIT6S4ZXhlBolshWIbM9AKedozdV4QZShkvZigwoMPBBzCAAfbS0p7iDnDzFPf-8nQSOZRzNUwoldgKLvB7/s1600/IMG_20160522_105427.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilrNVa3yQMKnTe3Ag_A4UB2iC9hSMgcUvez401wJqge7N1mRciSXxuf2LFRHIT6S4ZXhlBolshWIbM9AKedozdV4QZShkvZigwoMPBBzCAAfbS0p7iDnDzFPf-8nQSOZRzNUwoldgKLvB7/s400/IMG_20160522_105427.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>More charmingly green plants under the sun.</p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1M3xB72pMlSE748Ssjw0p2pVKoo15PxP3IDNHbLM0rr84j16N-Rr5pge4eiQ5CzGqE1DzT3UPYm5V8Xvt8cwt-uN1I6WiYl4JcdkFDhCAxckVpiiFXCXBPVb78FOTCRxp-iRAS4A1LwNv/s1600/IMG_20160524_210416.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1M3xB72pMlSE748Ssjw0p2pVKoo15PxP3IDNHbLM0rr84j16N-Rr5pge4eiQ5CzGqE1DzT3UPYm5V8Xvt8cwt-uN1I6WiYl4JcdkFDhCAxckVpiiFXCXBPVb78FOTCRxp-iRAS4A1LwNv/s400/IMG_20160524_210416.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><p>I brought back a lot of edibles from Japan, and wasn't able to usefully distribute all of them. I ended up with this box of sakura chocolates, so tragically I was forced to eat them. To my astonishment I managed to stick to eating one a day. They were delectable.</p></div>Shimmin Beghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10350037986748679919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1413166059304552489.post-28059153097837671002016-04-27T01:16:00.000+01:002016-04-27T01:16:00.189+01:00Genki Japanese vs. Minna no Nihongo<p>
<i>More ancient half-written posts unearthed from my previous trip</i>
</p>
<p>
As I've made the switch from <i>Minna no Nihongo</i> to <i>Genki Japanese</i> at GenkiJACS, I'm in a position to somewhat compare the two, at least from a student's perspective.
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Major differences
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<h4>Use of English</h4>
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<i>Genki Japanese</i> uses English, <i>Minna no Nihongo</i> is Japanese-only and you must buy a separate English book if you want that support. For me personally, I soon found the Japanese textbook fine as it's usually pretty clear what's going on. However, you really can't work through it independently - a teacher (or the teacher's book plus English guide) is essential. I had an excellent teacher, so that wasn't a problem.
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More on this later.
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<h4>Clarity</h4>
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I have to say that despite the language, I found the exercises in <i>Minna</i> + teacher much easier to process than <i>Genki</i> + teacher, particularly when it comes to homework.
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<i>Genki</i> often gives exercises without making clear what they want to achieve. To take a genuine example, there might be a string of sentences with the instruction "Answer the following questions". Well, I can usually just write "Hai" and "Iie" to all of them, but that's clearly pointless. I can write out the same sentence without the question grammar, if the point is to practice writing those words. We worked on transitive and intransitive verb pairs, so maybe the point is to practice those - but are we just practicing using the same form as in the question? Or are we supposed to transform them to the matching intransitive form, which the teacher very briefly mentioned in passing in class but I'm not sure whether that's a general rule or one instance? In short, there are many ways to do this exercise, but it's not remotely clear which one is intended or useful. These exercises are okay as classwork if the teacher realises they need an explanation; if not, there's the awkwardness of asking for an explanation, and as homework they are a bit of a pain.
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<i>Minna</i> has a clear and reliable structure for exercises. There is an example at the top, showing how a word is inserted, or a conjugation applied, or a sentence transformed from past to hypothetical. In general, it is good at indicating to you what it is you're supposed to be practicing in a given exercise. There are still, of course, some cases where I don't immediately get it; but I've found this to be the case more often with <i>Genki</i>.
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<h4>Independence</h4>
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There are a large proportion of "write your own sentence" exercises in <i>Genki</i>. Some are literally asking for an entire sentence, others want you to provide a suitable start or finish to a part-written sentence.
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I'm torn about these, because they have good and bad points. It's a really good idea - vital, in fact - to spend some time writing entire sentences, rather than just learning to slot a word in according to a structure that you just learned. The former will prepare you for speaking a language, the latter for solving word-slotting puzzles. However, I feel it's important o add the disclaimer that often, sentence-writing exercises are <a href="http://a-shimmin-abroad.blogspot.com/2014/07/pushmi-pullyu-exercises.html">pushmi-pullyus</a>. They can offer the bored student a chance to get creative, but they can also be a frustrating waste of time, with the time spent actually practicing the grammar coming a poor second to the time spent meeting all the other requirements of the question.
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<h4>Illustration</h4>
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Both books often use picture-based exercises, where you assign or create sentences based on what's going on in a picture. On the whole I would tend to say the pictures in <i>Genki</i> are easier to interpret, and therefore it's easier to get on with the language bit. In <i>Minna</i> I did have fairly regular confusion over what was occurring in some picture or other, so coming up with the Japanese was tricky.
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<h3>Imperfect Polyglottery</h3>
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I haven't actually asked anyone for the reasoning behind the choice of <i>Genki</i> (it would seem cheeky), and I've no reason to think anyone actually sat down specifically to decide between <i>Genki</i> and <i>Minna</i>, but I think a key point from the school's perspective is the English text. It sounds counterintuitive given the point is to learn Japanese, but <i>Genki</i> provides a single book with English instruction. This is efficient and simple: the student only needs to bring one book along with them, and the school only needs to order one book per student, rather than two or more. English is essentially the second language of the school, used by most students for raising issues they can't handle in Japanese.
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Technically, <i>Minna</i> offers more flexibility because each student can have the accompanying volume in their own preferred language; in practice, though, this would present problems in an international school. As an administrative point, the school would have to buy the general Japanese <i>Minna</i> volumes (gauging how many of each volume to buy), and also order the correct number of each accompanying volume to match the incoming students and their levels. Guessing this in advance would be a very tricky business. Students aren't placed until they arrive and complete a placement test, so this would likely cause a delay in providing books, especially for the less common languages. Even if they did decide to order in bulk and stash hundreds of books in multiple languages somewhere (and I can't imagine storage space in central Fukuoka is cheap), the school would lose out on economies of scale and bulk discounts, which would make things more expensive for the students.
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A second consideration is that the English text is probably the fairest option that can realistically be provided. It does absolutely privilege English-speakers, but this isn't an arbitrary decision; it's a result of how dominant English is internationally. Because of this dominance, all the teachers speak very good English, and the vast majority of students who come to the school also speak very good English - not least because it would be hard to make all the arrangements with the school otherwise. Things are done in Japanese as far as possible, but as a fallback option, there is English (another advantage here is that not only the student asking a question, but also the rest of the class, can probably understand a response in English). Several teachers and staff do speak other languages as well, but those are a useful bonus rather than something a student can assume.
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If <i>Minna</i> was used with the companion books in a student's native language, then students might well find some of the material easier to follow. However, the teachers can't all be expected to fluently speak several dozen languages, so they would not generally be able to follow up by dealing with questions in those native languages; in particular, they would struggle to answer questions based on what is written in a particular translation of the textbook. Students would have to get used to <i>three</i> sets of terminology, as they switch between the Japanese explanations, those in their native language, and the English versions. This additional complication would likely make things more difficult than simply working in Japanese and English all the time.
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This would also create a substantial gap between students, depending on whether their native language was supported by the textbook. <i>Minna</i> is available in ten major languages of Europe and Asia, and these do cover most of the students I've met, but there are also students from other countries who don't necessarily speak any of those fluently. There are no Scandinavian or Eastern European languages, no African languages, no Hindi, Urdu or Punjabi, no Arabic, and of course no lesser-spoken languages. In a multilingual classroom, most students would have the advantage of instruction materials in their native language (and, in a hypothetical world, polyglot teachers), while a few would have to use the fallback of English. It seems like this would create a divide between the students. Using English does still privilege native speakers, but the pool is much smaller that way, and the pool of second-language speakers is much bigger, so the playing field is probably flatter. Because so many people are obliged to learn English to a very high level, and use it frequently, it's likely the smallest privilege gap you can practically produce.
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<h4>Self-study</h4>
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The second major advantage of <i>Genki</i> is indeed that it's self-contained, so you don't need a companion book nor a teacher to explain it (at least in theory!). New topics, vocabulary and concepts are introduced and explained in English, with examples of usage and tricky points to watch. If you're having trouble with a concept, you can review it yourself and see what might be causing trouble. If, like me, you end up joining a class partway through a textbook due to the placement test, there is bound to be some vocabulary you missed, or some grammar you don't know because your last textbook used a different order: with <i>Genki</i> (or any English book) you can check through the earlier sections in your own time to catch up on such things. It's also just plain easier for most Roman-script-natives to flick through and rapidly spot the bit you wanted, compared to trying to skim-read a book that's entirely in Japanese.
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<h3>Overall</h3>
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On the whole, I would tend to stick with the arrangement I actually had. Use <i>Minna no Nihongo</i> for small-group or individual tuition where everyone speaks the same language, because the focus on Japanese and the clarity of the exercises makes this efficient and demanding. The difficulty of self-study is less of a problem for individuals, as the lessons should already be going at the pace that suits them, and it’s easier for such students to ensure they have an appropriate companion book if they need it.
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For mixed groups, <i>Genki Japanese</i> probably is the best choice, because it’s linguistically accessible and makes it easier for a learner to do whatever additional work is needed to match the pace of the class. Although it sounds frivolous, having only one textbook is also a surprisingly big advantage; it just makes things less complicated, so the chances of you forgetting or mislaying one of your books are cut substantially. A bonus is that people can share the textbook if necessary, which wouldn’t work so well if everyone owned one in their own native language.
</p>Shimmin Beghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10350037986748679919noreply@blogger.com2