swiss photos - by k

some thoughts on switzerland, or more specifically appenzell - by k

we're spending our "semana blanca," our "white week" or "ski week" in appenzell switzerland. this is a town where women got the vote in 1990, so we're a long way from san francisco and liberal politics! this is not the picture perfect, disneyland-like switzerland i have visited before. at first there was a bit of disappointment, but once the eyes adjust, there is a lot that is quite beautiful. the mountains are spectacular and there are many charming old houses, and green meadows where the snow has already melted. what have we done here?

we've eaten cheese. lots of it. mostly melted.

we've gone sledding. very fun, very wet.

we've gone hiking. very tiring. very beautiful. dorian hated it until the descent.

we've eaten lots of sausage. well, dorian is correcting me, some sausage, although it feels to me like lots.

i went skiing one day in austria with a friend of ours from barcelona. my favorite part...stopping for lunch halfway up the mountain, drinking weiss weinschorle (white wine mixed with bubbly water) and talking with a group of romanian dentists. (they thought i should have my teeth bleached...too yellow!)

we watched a champion's league soccer match between barcelona and stuttgart in a hotel lobby after searching long and hard for somewhere to watch. this is not spain where every single cafe/bar would have the match on. dorian happy sat in a massage chair the whole time.

that's about it. tomorrow we fly back to barcelona where spring seems to be settling in.

Barcelona Scenes - by b

Here are a few shots from around town over the last month or so....

Here is a busker in Guadi's Parc Guell. This seemed like a lonely shot. Though I thought the woman cleaning is lucky... she gets to listen to some pretty decent music while she works.

Fresh flowers in the Hotel Arts. Despite these, it's ultimately a very sterile hotel.

Looking out

from my office

Glimpses of Kristin

at Flash Flash

Amazing technicolor dreamfamily

Gilded cages in the windows display in a Louis Vuitton store.

Outside My Office II- by b

Sigmund Crosswalk
Originally uploaded by bkassar

This made me smile though? (see Outside My Office I ... it's less cheery)

Contrasts: Outside My Office I- by b

Private Bank
Originally uploaded by bkassar

This contrast.. a little cliche but still real, bummed me out when I went for a coffee today.

First signs of spring by k

I remember this time last year. I wrote about the wild irises sprouting on the mountain...spring had arrived! A year later, I know that spring is not here yet and that the mountain will slowly reveal all its treasures over the next months. Spring is a long drawn out process here. Some trees are already in bloom, but most are still bear. And I have to feel a little sorry for the trees that are blooming because it's still freezing out! They get fooled by the bright sun that warms things up during the day, but it's still definitely winter here.