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Welcome to my travel log! You will find here a lot more than in the travel reports, stripped from political correctness. Enjoy! 
Oct 12, 2008 02:00 PM Varenna (IT) - Lago di Como, planning a weekend
Weather forecast for the 17 October weekend looks awful. So, I am not entirely sure what I am going to do at the lake Como. There are many very picturesque places around to visit, but lousy rain can actually ruin everything.
Not only rustic and lovely Varenna are waiting for me (and my camera lens) but also the hype Bellagio, boasting celebrities' villas. And the lake itself, obviously. What can one do when it is pouring cats and dogs? I am worried that the only activity I will be able to execute will be listening to Kayah or George Michael and sit on the terrace overlooking the lake, and (hopefully) snow-capped Alps.
Surely, Varenna is not far from Milano, so if worse comes to worst I could potentially hop over there. I have never been at Lomo or Milano, so I should be happy with either option.
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Oct 05, 2008 02:00 PM Vaduz (FL) - a tiny capital of a tiny country
Vaduz has formally been appointed the capital of Liechtenstein, 132 years after the country was established in 1806, as Prince Franz Joseph moved his residence here. The principality is 160 square kilometres (62 square miles) and not a metre larger. The entire length of the national borders with Switzerland and Austria is just 76km (47 miles).
The simple Rathaus with a distinct style was my favourite sight. It had a remarkable, and highly unusual in the region, rectangular facade. Its simplicity was stunning and only clever paintwork around the windows and doors made it look more sophisticated than just a grey warehouse. But really, my favourite part(s) were the incredible sculptures scattered around the main drag. The most significant was a tri-sculpture of horses standing in the front of the townhall. The bronze artwork seemed to analyse the most prominent features of the animal. The buttocks were exaggerated and split, whilst the other parts of the horses were individualised in a Picasso-Dalí style. Absolutely awesome.
The views of the incredible snow-capped mountains, looking like giant pyramids, were breathtaking. They are Liechtenstein's main quality! It is hard to describe in words how magnificent they were. I visited in early October. Snow fell the day before. The trees started turning gold and brown, but the meadows on the slopes were still vividly green. Almost juicy! From the top, the snow looked heavy and solid on the rocks, then, as it sat on the treetops, it appeared feather-light and gentle. The pine trees were dark green, almost black from the distance. The leafy trees, which emanated with golden, red, and brown colours below the pines, sat amongst the light, juicy green meadows. All this in 360 degrees!
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Oct 05, 2008 02:00 PM Balzers (FL) - incredible village with awesome castle
A few hundred metres from the border separated from Sargans by the Rhein river is Balzers, a town that boasts an incredibly dramatic location for a castle perched on a steep hill with white mountains in the background, and a lovely church below. The castle is clearly visible from the Swiss side. The buses, which run from Switzerland to Liechtenstein pass through Balzers, and since the ticket on the bus is valid two hours (from Balzers to Sargans in Switzerland is just 1 km, and from Vaduz, the capital of Liechtenstein - 10 km), I broke my journey to take a look around and snap a few photos. People were extremely welcoming, saying hello and smiling. What a wonderful little place - truly!
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Oct 04, 2008 02:00 PM Zurich (CH) - the Euro 2008 made a difference
The European Football Championships 2008 had transformed Zürich into a big party town. Many bars, clubs, cafes, pubs and lounges had opened and looked that would remain operating long after the football extravaganza would have finished. Almost as if the Swiss finally learnt that having more obvious entertainment spots and places to go out are not entirely evil. Surely, almost a third of Zürich population are foreigners, and I am not demonising the lovely Swiss nationals, but why was the night scene in such a low profile before?
Anyway, the centre for partying was the old town, of cource. I did not go into Havanna Club and alike (strip joints) but they were there and advertised their assets with photographs posted on large displays by their entrances. Other clubs were less 'in-your-face' and hidden in little alleys (gasse) off the main drags. And yet, it almost felt like there was just about enough. I looked for about 45 minutes to find a regular drink place with music. I did not fancy a lap dance or hardcore clubbing, or even an intimate venue for those in love of the other kind, and I almost struggled to decide. Perhaps because it was a cold night and doors to venues were closed, making them difficult to distinguish between safe-incidnito place or 'will you buy me a drink, honey?' place.
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Oct 03, 2008 02:00 PM Chateau de Chillon (CH) - an inspiration
About an hour by train from Geneva, the Chateau de Chillon was an old 16th century castle, which had inspired great romantics like Lord Byron. It looked great and impossibly set between the lake and the rail tracks. From the road it appeared small and insignificant but very photogenic. Then from close, it was apparent that it was a mighty fortress, indeed. The thick round towers and the square tower in the centre stood strong stimulating imagination. The stronghold sat directly in the lake, and so no moat was needed. A picturesque wooden bridge linked the main gate with the mainland. There is a train station nearby, but only one train an hour ran. It was better to get off at Montreux and then take a trolleybus to the castle (CHF2.20), which took only about 10 minutes. A walk from Chillon to Montreux would take an hour.
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Oct 03, 2008 02:00 PM Luzern (CH) - a gem, a true gem
Lucerne (Luzern) in the middle of Switzerland truly impressed me. I had known it from the pictures, but I did not realise how picturesque it was and how much there was to see. As the snow had fallen in the mountains the night before, the Alps made a wonderful background for the city. The old town was extremely photogenic and the multiple little squares with their fountains and cobble stones were perfect. The wooden bridges - unique. I wish I had been able to stay a little longer in the city. Weather was a mix of super-bright sun and heavy showers, unexpected ones. I moved by train, which was great and mostly on time. The old Lucerne was right in the front of the main station - how great! No map was needed!
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Oct 02, 2008 02:00 PM Geneva (CH) - discovering more about it
I did not expect Geneva to be relatively nice. Pretty, indeed! When I finished my meetings, I went to for lunch in town and a quick walkabout, before returning to the hotel to work some more. Luckily, weather was nice, and I could snap a little. I liked the area around the townhall (Hotel de Ville) and the bastions. And I was glad, very glad that the Jet d'eau was fully operational - day and night. Actually, in the night, I went out. It was Friday, so I expected some action. It was not too obvious around the old town and I had to move towards the train station to experience some action. With a nicely mixed crowd, I mean multinational clientelle.
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Oct 01, 2008 02:00 PM Geneva (CH) - here I am again
So, and again I am back in Geneva. This time, I will have a little more time to explore. I am staying in Switzerland for three days. I have business meetings all day Friday. Then, I will switch on the discovery mode.
I am speculating what I should see in the country, and perhaps I might even hop into Liechtenstein to check out this Grand Duchy. I do not know. I am flying back to London on Sunday night, so there are a few options.
Friday: Geneva
Saturday: Montreux, Chateau-de-Chillon, Lausanne, Luzern
Sunday: Zurich, Vaduz
I checked the train timetables and they are wonderful. It looks like the trains are very frequent and do not take long between the places. I might pack quite a lot this weekend.
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Sep 24, 2008 02:00 PM Geneva (CH) - just a few moments in town
After the entire day of meetings, or just one mammoth meeting broken for a nice lunch, I had a couple of hours before my flight back to London to check Geneva's centre out. It was a late afternoon, just about 6pm, and the streets were full of people wrapping up their days. I was surprised to see so many expensive shops around with items, like ladies' handbags, priced several thousand Swiss franks. I could not imagine why they needed to be so expensive.
Unfortunately, Geneva's trademark, the Jet d'eau, a jet of water shooting over 100m up in the air from the lake, was off. I did not see it the first time I was in Geneva ages ago, and I was hoping to see it this time round, but to no avail. A pity. After a short walk, I decided to leave - I did not want to miss my flight. Little I knew that there had been a fault at London's Air Traffic Control and flights to/from London were either cancelled or terribly delayed.
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Sep 23, 2008 02:00 PM Geneva (CH) - too late
I arrived in Geneva much too late to go and visit the city. I stayed at an hotel at the airport, and just did not have enough inner motivation to take a taxi to the centre and check how Geneva had changed for all those years I have not been in the city. Had I not had a business meeting at 8:30 pm, I would have most definitely gone and snapped a few pictures 'Geneva at night'. But as I was there on a complex business, the meeting took forever and when the clock showed passed 10pm, I had serious doubts whether I should do it. I stayed in the bar, had a couple of white beers and went to bed.
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