It’s already late this year.
My feet got more and more itchy. But finally my #TinaTortuga is ready to take her out for another, bigger trip.
The decision for a destination was hard to find for this winter. There’s no lack on ideas and opportunities, tho. But where to put the priority?
Traveling by my Landrover #TinaTortuga.
Heading to warmer places.
Explorer new regions.
So, let’s start by crossing the snowy Alps, having a coffee in Italy first…
The day hides behind clouds.
The landscape disappears in the mist.
The colors vanish slowly between shadows.
Autumn in its late days brings up mystic moods in nature.
I embrace the dark times with its smells, its sounds, its secrets.
Where the eyesight comes to its boundaries, there’s more space for fantasy and dreams.
A few years back i met that nice lady in Bangalore who invited me to her family stay. Now she’s on a trip trough Europe and i had the honor to meet her again in Zurich for one day. There was a lot to catch up, so we had coffee and chat with her friends who accompany her. Between all the luxurious shops on the famous Bahnhofstrasse we bumped in a guy offering „free hugs“. Big fun and bright smiles guaranteed.
Despite the cool temperature and overcast we had a stroll trough the inner city, seen some ancient spots and cultural highlights. The weekly flea market caught the attention of the visitors. Just before the rain started we made it back to the main train station, where the local „Oktoberfest“-party started…
It’s a day trip over the Swiss alps by motorbike to reach the region of Ticino, the southern part of Switzerland. With the early golden morning sun i picked up a good friend who gave me nice company for this trip. At a lake just before the ascend to the alps started we had a coffee. From there it’s a winding road up to the heights of the mountains. Small, narrow roads, old, stoney bridges -as the „devil’s bridge“- and even a Russian monuments from the war at 1799 shows how busy this route was the last 2000 years.
By motorbike it’s a pleasant journey to lakes surrounded with mountains and palm trees. After a refreshing swim and some original Italian ice cream just over the nearby border, there was a nice stroll trough ancient alleys of town and visiting the castle of Bellinzona. Just before the night fell in, we were already back on the way north, letting the palm trees behind us.
Being a tour guide for my parents was a completely new thing. It brought me a whole bunch of experiences and challenges too. At the start i did a selfie with my crappy cellphone at train station for remembering reason and posted it on Instagram. I repeated it at airport. Somehow i liked it and went on picturing my parents in this selfie style throughout our trip in Namibia. It became a collection of selfies of our journey.
A series of quit recently made pictures from zurich
A cold but wonderful clear evening light
in Zurich/Switzerland.
Just seen in Zürich/Switzerland today.
Santa Claus is traveling fast by motorbike this year.
Thick clouds gathered over the snow capped mountains,. Rain drizzled down, wetting the grass and made the field muddy. At the end of the alp season, the alp farmers sells their cheese on this annually market at Flumserberg/Switzerland. It became tradition not only selling local products, but gathering for a chat with neighbors and live music. The highlight of the event definitely is the famous cow race. Before the race, the cows are showed to the audience in the event tent, so the people can bet for their favorites. With the sound of „alphorn“, the traditional music instrument, the cows get at the start. A jockey rides the cow, while a supporter runs next or behind the cows to push or tow them towards the finish line. Some run faster than one would expect, while other cows stands stubborn on the race track. The crowd is cheering them up, but with low effect. Somehow all animals were brought to the end, for giving the winner the honor to wear a brand new bell.
Zwischen Talnebel und dicken Wolken am Himmel sammelt sich das Volk zum alljährlichen Spektakel am Ende der Alpsaison. In Flumserberg/Schweiz trifft man sich bei Musik und lokalen Spezialitäten auf dem Käsemarkt. Ein Holzschnitzer, Streichelzoo und Schaukäserei bieten Unterhaltung und Abwechslung. Was die Leute aber trotz des Nieselregen hier hoch lockt ist das Kuhrennen. Einzeln werden die „Rennkühe“ und ihre Jockeys im Festzelt vorgestellt, damit das fachkundige Publikum Wetten abschliessen kann. Später werden die Kühe unter Alphornklänge zur Startlinie geführt. Während einige Tiere unerwartet schnell um den Parcours rennen, bleiben andere zum Frust der Reiter bockstill stehen. Da nützen alle aufmunternden Zurufe der Zuschauer nichts. Ein Treiber versucht jeweils die Kühe anzutreiben, zu schieben oder zu stossen. Irgendwann schaffen es alle Teilnehmer zum Ziel und die Sieger können gekürt werden. Neue Glocken zieren nun die Hälse, bzw Wände der Sieger.
In Switzerland, a stroll in sunny autumn is a delight.
Den schweizer Herbst während einem Spaziergang geniessen.
rene bauer photography 