I spent the last two weekends in Zürich. Pictures can be found here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2075055&id=40804674&l=1b4528f950
Last Saturday I went to Zürich by myself to do some shopping. Mostly did window shopping, since everything was really expensive! But it was still a fun day. I bought a manga that was translated into German and a skirt. I also went into a few different churches and took a boat ride up and down the river.
On Sunday Mom, Dad, Grandma Nancy, and Grandpa Bill got here. I met them at the airport rather than at the hotel like we planned. Which was a good thing because Dad thought the airport train station was the main station and didn't know what train to take. Then we missed the stop closest to their hotel and had to get off and back on the train going the other direction. Hooray for unlimited train passes! We took a walk around the hotel neighborhood (they stayed at the Movenpick in Regensdorf) and had dinner at a cafe. Went to bed early because everyone was really tired (me included since I never really fell asleep after Charles called and told me what happened to Gus on Saturday night).
Monday they came to visit me at PSI so I could show them the solar furnace. We had lunch at the OASE and then I met them in Baden for dinner. Tuesday and Wednesday we did experiments, one with cryolite and a tungsten cathode, and one trying to make Mg from MgO. We are hopeful about making Mg but won't know for sure until this next week.
Friday Dr. Palumbo took us to the hot springs and my family came with. It was so relaxing! The water was warm, but not too warm. They had lots of different jets to massage you. There was also a steam room with menthol or something. It felt weird at first but then really nice to breathe it in. Friday night I went back to Regensdorf to spend the weekend with my family.
We were going to visit the Ballenberg open air museum on Saturday, but it was going to rain and we decided to go to Zürich instead. I had been there the previous weekend, so I showed them some of the cool things I found. Grandma bought an accordion at the antique flea market place. Dad and Grandpa and I climbed up the tower of the Grossmünster, which was really neat. You could see the whole city! We did some shopping, and Dad bought me a Swiss Army Knife (the Climber). I was going to get one anyways so I'm glad he got one for me. The place we ate dinner was pretty cool. Lots of weapons on the walls, including an anti-aircraft gun over the entrance!
This morning I said goodbye to my family at the airport. I really wanted to get on the plane with them. Don't get me wrong, I'm having a great time here, but I also really miss home. Especially Wade. After they went to security I went to the Swiss National Museum. That was pretty cool. I couldn't take any pictures though. They had an exhibit about the history of knives and the Swiss Army Knife, stuff about the history of Switzerland, and old military uniforms and weapons, among other things. After I found some lunch I tried to go to a bird sanctuary, but it wasn't open. But while I was there I found out that the Ironman Switzerland was going on today, so there were tons of people around and a bunch of stands selling food and stuff. And there was a cool percussion group by the race route that I stopped and listened to for a while.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Sunday, July 18, 2010
RIP Symbol of Honor (aka Gus) July 28, 2001 to July 17, 2010
I know this isn't related to my travels at all but it is my main way of communicating with family at home so I want to say it here.
Gus, one of my horses, passed away yesterday. Charles found him out in the field when he went to let him and
Shiloh in. Tammy said he probably had a heart attack, since there weren't any marks on him and there was no sign that he had thrashed around on the ground. So at least he went quickly. Someone is going to come and take him away to be buried. They saved a lock of his mane for me.
Shiloh seems to be okay. He was a little spooked when Charles found him but he's calmed down now. Tammy is going to keep an eye on him to make sure he isn't too agitated by losing Gus.
Gus, one of my horses, passed away yesterday. Charles found him out in the field when he went to let him and
Shiloh in. Tammy said he probably had a heart attack, since there weren't any marks on him and there was no sign that he had thrashed around on the ground. So at least he went quickly. Someone is going to come and take him away to be buried. They saved a lock of his mane for me.
Shiloh seems to be okay. He was a little spooked when Charles found him but he's calmed down now. Tammy is going to keep an eye on him to make sure he isn't too agitated by losing Gus.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Pictures of Me (for Mom)
Mom requested more pictures of "my smiling face" and Nick happened to have a bunch.
Getting water from a fountain.
This oh so flattering picture is me cleaning the black stuff off the aperture.
I fell asleep when we were visiting Brugg.
Grocery shopping in Villigen on our first day here. Carol was helping me pick out some cheese.
I just think it's so cool that you can get safe drinking water from pretty much any tap or fountain.
At the top of Mt. Rigi.
At work monitoring an experiment.
Getting crepes at Jugendfest.
Eating cherries we bought on a hike. Only 6 francs for 1 kg!
Eating lunch on our hike down Mt. Rigi.
More hiking.
In St. Gallen.
About to go into the library.
Grindelwald and Luzern Details
On Saturday we took a trip to Grindelwald. We left at 6 am because we wanted to get up in the mountains and spend time there before the clouds came in. That was an early morning, but worth it!
Once in Grindelwald, we took a cable car up to First, which is one of the mountains in the area. The cable car was pretty neat. I was a little nervous since I'm a bit afraid of heights, but it was still a lot of fun.
We stopped and had coffee and pastries at a restaurant before continuing on. We hiked along the ridge to two beautiful lakes, where we stopped and had lunch. We had sandwiches, apples, hard boiled eggs, and cookies.
After taking the cable car back down, we looked around in some shops in Grindelwald before taking the train to Interlaken. In Interlaken we took a boat ride all the way to Thun. On the way there a storm came up, and it was pretty cool being on the boat in it. It got a little rocky at one point but then calmed down. The waves were so bad that later on in the trip we saw a few rowboats that had sunk in the water a little bit. From Thun we took the train back to PSI.
On Sunday we visited Luzern. We spent some time wandering around looking at buildings in the Old Town area. They were very beautiful. For lunch I had a pretzel sandwich with smoked salmon, lettuce, onions, and horseradish on it. It was super tasty!
After lunch we walked along the lake to the transportation museum. That was way cool. They had separate sections for train, auto, bus, and plane. Plus there were many interactive exhibits that made it even more fun.
Once in Grindelwald, we took a cable car up to First, which is one of the mountains in the area. The cable car was pretty neat. I was a little nervous since I'm a bit afraid of heights, but it was still a lot of fun.
We stopped and had coffee and pastries at a restaurant before continuing on. We hiked along the ridge to two beautiful lakes, where we stopped and had lunch. We had sandwiches, apples, hard boiled eggs, and cookies.
After taking the cable car back down, we looked around in some shops in Grindelwald before taking the train to Interlaken. In Interlaken we took a boat ride all the way to Thun. On the way there a storm came up, and it was pretty cool being on the boat in it. It got a little rocky at one point but then calmed down. The waves were so bad that later on in the trip we saw a few rowboats that had sunk in the water a little bit. From Thun we took the train back to PSI.
On Sunday we visited Luzern. We spent some time wandering around looking at buildings in the Old Town area. They were very beautiful. For lunch I had a pretzel sandwich with smoked salmon, lettuce, onions, and horseradish on it. It was super tasty!
After lunch we walked along the lake to the transportation museum. That was way cool. They had separate sections for train, auto, bus, and plane. Plus there were many interactive exhibits that made it even more fun.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Pictures from Grindelwald and Luzern
Here are some pictures from my travels to Grindelwald on Saturday and the transportation museum in Luzern on Sunday. Enjoy! Longer post about it to come later, brain is too tired right now.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2074361&id=40804674&l=f05acc914c
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2074361&id=40804674&l=f05acc914c
Monday, July 5, 2010
St. Gallen
Today we took a trip to St. Gallen. The main place we visited there was the Abbey of St. Gall.
We went to the library there first. It was gorgeous! They didn't allow cameras in though, so no pictures from me. Here's one on Wikipedia: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d3/BibliothekSG.jpg There were many very old books that were on display in special cases, but it is also a working library.
After lunch we went inside the abbey cathedral. Wow, was that ornate! Probably the fanciest church I've been in. It is a baroque cathedral. Lots of pictures here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2073961&id=40804674&l=9dcc609f8d
We headed back to PSI early today because we were all pretty tired from getting back late yesterday.
We hope to do our first experiment tomorrow if the weather cooperates.
We went to the library there first. It was gorgeous! They didn't allow cameras in though, so no pictures from me. Here's one on Wikipedia: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d3/BibliothekSG.jpg There were many very old books that were on display in special cases, but it is also a working library.
After lunch we went inside the abbey cathedral. Wow, was that ornate! Probably the fanciest church I've been in. It is a baroque cathedral. Lots of pictures here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2073961&id=40804674&l=9dcc609f8d
We headed back to PSI early today because we were all pretty tired from getting back late yesterday.
We hope to do our first experiment tomorrow if the weather cooperates.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Visit to Mt. Rigi
Today we visited Mt. Rigi. We left early and took a train to Arth-Goldau. From there we took the Rigi-Bahn (a privately run train) to the top of the mountain. Some very cool views to be seen.
All pictures can be found here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2073925&id=40804674&l=c9756e38c5
We then hiked 600 meters down the mountain (altitude-wise). On the way down we stopped and had sandwiches for lunch. After the hike we took the train the rest of the way down to Vitznau. In Vitznau we took a boat around Lake Lucerne to Flüelen. That was a neat trip.
On the boat we saw some people playing alphorns at one of the docks. A couple asked us what instruments those were, and we had a nice conversation with them. They have lived in Germany for two years but were originally from India. They are working in Germany doing biochem research.
In Flüelen we went to an Italian restaurant for dinner. I had tortellini al gorgonzola, which was really good. After dinner we came back to PSI.
Tomorrow we are headed to St. Gallen.
All pictures can be found here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2073925&id=40804674&l=c9756e38c5
We then hiked 600 meters down the mountain (altitude-wise). On the way down we stopped and had sandwiches for lunch. After the hike we took the train the rest of the way down to Vitznau. In Vitznau we took a boat around Lake Lucerne to Flüelen. That was a neat trip.
On the boat we saw some people playing alphorns at one of the docks. A couple asked us what instruments those were, and we had a nice conversation with them. They have lived in Germany for two years but were originally from India. They are working in Germany doing biochem research.
In Flüelen we went to an Italian restaurant for dinner. I had tortellini al gorgonzola, which was really good. After dinner we came back to PSI.
Tomorrow we are headed to St. Gallen.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Jugendfest!
Yesterday we went to Jugendfest in Brugg. Jugendfest is a festival celebrating the end of the school year. It is a local holiday so most shops are closed.
For pictures go here (there were too many to put in the blog): http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2073879&id=40804674&l=fbcc67bc5a
The day started off with a parade. All of the schoolkids and teachers are in it, plus some bands.
After the parade we walked around and saw a church from the 1300s. It was very beautiful, and huge inside! It was before they had arch technology, so the church is very long and narrow. We also saw a lot of Roman ruins, as Brugg was once an encampment of the Roman Legion.
After we finished touring the ruins, we bought some sandwiches and had lunch by the Aare River. The food in Switzerland is just fantastic. Everything is high quality. On a sandwich you can expect really good bread, meat, and cheese, and they're usually topped with a slice of egg, tomato, and pickle, with butter.
After lunch we hiked up a trail to a spot where we could see most of Brugg. It was really neat to look down and see all of the places we had just visited. I also took an unintentional nap for 15 minutes or so. I was so tired I fell asleep sitting on the bench! It was very hot yesterday (around 87) so walking for the whole day took a lot out of me.
Coming down from the trail, we went and watched some other Jugendfest activities. There was a soapbox derby, and the fire department was doing a strange game. They had milk crates that you had to stack up, and keep climbing up as they handed you crates. You just kept climbing until the crates fell. But they had you in a harness coming off of the fire truck ladder so you wouldn't hurt yourself.
For dinner we had bratwurst. What they call bratwurst here isn't like brats at home in WI. They are a white sausage and not as spicy as brats. Very good though! And you don't get a bun, just a piece of bread to eat with it.
After dinner we listened to some music. The first band we saw was a rock band that sang children's songs. They were very cool. Lots of energy. Later on we found a concert band and a drumline so we listened to them for a while.
At the end of the night there is a lantern parade and fireworks, but it gets dark really late here (not until 10 pm or so) and we were all really tired. So we ended up not staying for that.
Tomorrow we are off to the Rigi Mountain!
For pictures go here (there were too many to put in the blog): http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2073879&id=40804674&l=fbcc67bc5a
The day started off with a parade. All of the schoolkids and teachers are in it, plus some bands.
After the parade we walked around and saw a church from the 1300s. It was very beautiful, and huge inside! It was before they had arch technology, so the church is very long and narrow. We also saw a lot of Roman ruins, as Brugg was once an encampment of the Roman Legion.
After we finished touring the ruins, we bought some sandwiches and had lunch by the Aare River. The food in Switzerland is just fantastic. Everything is high quality. On a sandwich you can expect really good bread, meat, and cheese, and they're usually topped with a slice of egg, tomato, and pickle, with butter.
After lunch we hiked up a trail to a spot where we could see most of Brugg. It was really neat to look down and see all of the places we had just visited. I also took an unintentional nap for 15 minutes or so. I was so tired I fell asleep sitting on the bench! It was very hot yesterday (around 87) so walking for the whole day took a lot out of me.
Coming down from the trail, we went and watched some other Jugendfest activities. There was a soapbox derby, and the fire department was doing a strange game. They had milk crates that you had to stack up, and keep climbing up as they handed you crates. You just kept climbing until the crates fell. But they had you in a harness coming off of the fire truck ladder so you wouldn't hurt yourself.
For dinner we had bratwurst. What they call bratwurst here isn't like brats at home in WI. They are a white sausage and not as spicy as brats. Very good though! And you don't get a bun, just a piece of bread to eat with it.
After dinner we listened to some music. The first band we saw was a rock band that sang children's songs. They were very cool. Lots of energy. Later on we found a concert band and a drumline so we listened to them for a while.
At the end of the night there is a lantern parade and fireworks, but it gets dark really late here (not until 10 pm or so) and we were all really tired. So we ended up not staying for that.
Tomorrow we are off to the Rigi Mountain!
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