All posts filed under: Blog

Facing the Mountains

Published by Sula H.

After a pretty intense day up the mountain yesterday, today was actually a lot easier as far as hiking goes – straight down the mountain. First off, we had somewhat of a rough night, because we were the only hikers in the cabin who didn’t plan to climb the peak of the Weisshorn. That means, every other group of hikers set out in the middle of the night (as early as 2 am, and no later than 3:30 am). At least it wasn’t too crowded in the cabin to begin with. By the next time I woke up, our cabin was empty and our hosts still asleep. It was a bit early, and so we decided to leave without breakfast (just whatever we’d brought with us for our hike, which still was plenty anyway). The day, however, was glorious. Not a single cloud, and the view as clear as you probably only get it few times a year. We reached Randa before noon, and decided to leave the car parked as it was by the …

Trails & Mountains

Published by Sula H.

The Swiss mountains have us back again. This time, we decided to hike in the mountains in Valais near Zermatt, and we got us another quite adventurous trail straight up a mountain called Weisshorn. With an altitude of 4505 m (appr. 14.800 ft), the Weisshorn is the forth highest mountain in the Swiss Alps. Usually, alpine rock and glacier climbers hike up the mountain to a cabin near the top in order to set out in the wee hours of the following morning (that’s usually no later than 3 am) to climb through ice and snow up to the very peak. We, however, made the Weisshorn mountain cabin our hiking destination for the day. After a rainy previous day, weather conditions began to change when we left home early this morning, and by the time we reached the car train we could see the sky turning blue. (Yes, you read correctly: a car train is a train on which you drive with your car, and it takes you through a very very long tunnel across …

Checking Out Berne

Published by Sula H.

We’ve been busy these last two days. Busy, because we’re getting ready for the next adventure – another two-day Alpine hike in Switzerland. Exciting? Yes, but it means that we’ve spent hours today and yesterday to check out places and trails that would make a good hike. Aside from that, however, we also had a chance to check out Berne, and we had fun eating a Swiss-German chocolate fondue (the equipment was Swiss, the chocolate – how sad is that – was German)!   Berne:              

Moving On – Or the Worst Packed Car Ever

Published by Sula H.

My week of school is over, which means it’s time to move on – yet once more. (Didn’t I tell you earlier that I’m living by weekly increments this summer?) Well, and this time, it’s taking us across the border to Berne. So, of course, whenever you move from one place to another, your stuff also has to move. Quite logical, isn’t it? What wasn’t quite that logical to me was the way my friend and travel mate thought would be the feasible way to pack the car. Well, yes! I admit it! I do have a lot of stuff that needs packing and moving (not all of what you see in the car is mine). But with just a little effort, it’ll all fit smugly into the lower half of the trunk, and so we safely made it across the border, without getting stopped for the worst packed car ever, or whichever other reasons Swiss-German border officers might find to put us into trouble! Yay for that!

Into the Depths of the Black Forest

Published by Sula H.

Our goal today was to visit Hell’s Valley, a gorge in the heart of the Black Forest. Now, we didn’t end up quite there, I believe (we kind of took the wrong turn), but we did end up somewhere in the depths of the Black Forest. And if not as “gorgeous” as Hell’s Valley, it was still a pretty place. Here are more pictures of our trip (though sadly I forgot to bring along my camera, so they’re whatever my phone was able to handle):          

School’s Out

Published by Sula H.

School’s out. At least the part of sitting in class, and listening to the teacher is over. The homework and self-study part still is far from being completed, but today it was time to say good-bye to all my classmates and my teacher, something which makes me sad and glad. Sad, because this season of my life is over. Glad, because I’m more than ready to move on to other things. For now, however, I’m saying good-bye to all my new and old friends, and wish them well!

Bananula Giantulus

Published by Sula H.

I’d like to introduce to you a new species: bananula giantulus – a sort of banana one of the people at school showed up with today. Note the huge dimensions of this very long-fingered cluster has. Indeed, I’d say that some bananas went banana here!

Learning How to Learn

Published by Sula H.

My bouquet of experiences is continuing. This week that means I’m back in school! One more week of learning, and what’s exciting about it is that we’re learning about how to learn! Well, good to know that, since I’m nearing the end of my current academic endeavors. I’m glad I’m not missing out on this essential piece of knowledge. And as we learn, we also learn about excellent pieces of art. Such as the one that was at the center of our learning today. Well, then, on to learning new things once more!

Flowers, an Island, and Butterflies

Published by Sula H.

Lake Constance. It’s the largest lake in Germany (though admitted, we share it with two other countries – Switzerland and Austria). And since Lake Constance is pretty big, it even has a couple of islands, one of them being Mainau, which actually is owned by Swedish nobility. And Mainau is a place of flowers, gardens, a castle, rare and exotic plants, and a butterfly house. Reason enough, the family thought, to spend a beautiful summer day at Lake Constance and on Mainau island.