Purple berries

I can't remember where I took this photo, so I can't go back and check the plant, but I expect that the leaves have all fallen off by now and only the berries remain as in the photo on my main blog.

20081012 Nikon Coolpix 950

Enclosure around the refuse containers

Above: A photo to illustrate the roundness of the posts or logs used to make the enclosure for the garbage and compost containers of our apartment building. Related post (with comments that motivated this post) is here: First snow of 2008 on Based in Villigen

Below: An old photo from 2005 of the enclosure when the posts were covered with ivy.


20081030 Nikon Coolpix 950
20051022 Canon PowerShot S410

Brugg's Partnerstadt Rottweil

This post follows from an earlier post on my main blog where Julie, one of my readers, asked for more details. Here's a link to that post.

I don't know how the seal is affixed to the wall. Maybe some sort of cement or glue was used after all. It also looks like it might have been subjected to some vandalism... Is that charring and chipping the result of a flame?

20080805 Nikon Coolpix 950

Excursion: La Chaux-de-Fonds II

A new shopping mall attempting to channel the spirit of the Art deco era?


The cantonal bank building as seen from the rear. I rather like the way the addition was made to accomodate an elevator shaft and stairs.


Murals can be seen all over the place.

20080806

Excursion: Le Corbusier and La Chaux-de-Fonds

Plaque marking the house in La Chaux-de-Fonds where Le Corbusier (born Charles Edouard Jeanneret-Gris) was born.


There is no Rue du Le Corbusier in La Chaux-de-Fonds, but there is this one. Modulor was a system developed by Corbusier based on human measurements. More about it on Wikipedia.

20080806

Excursion: La Chaux-de-Fonds

20050731

Excursion: Moulins Souterrains

A few photos from the underground mill at Col-des-Roches, near Le Locle in Canton Neuchâtel. If you haven't landed on this page via my main blog, please visit the post there from this post's date for more information.


A drawing depicting Col-des-Roche at the museum on site. Pretty much on the other side of the pass in the rocks is France.


The mills installed in the cave were primarily used to grind cereals. Given the climate of region, only hardy crops were viable. Here are examples of Dinkel (spelt) and Gerste (barley.)


There was also a sawmill in the cave, at the lowest part of it where the water power was the greatest. As one might imagine, getting the lumber into and out of the caves was no easy task. An attempt was made to install the sawmill outside the caves, but the losses in energy in the transmission were too great: it was put back in its original position.


A close-up of the teeth on the wheels. They were made of wood and there was an advantage to this. When a lot of water came through, such as after heavy rainfall, the increased flow delivered a lot of energy to the system. As the weakest parts of the mill, the wooden teeth broke off before any serious damage was sustained by the other parts.

20080806

Wildflower: Black vanilla orchid

Photographed near Moosalp in the region of Visp in Canton Valais. More on my main blog (check the post with today's date).

20080710

Bellicose cows

The black fighting cows of Hérens in Canton Wallis/Valais.
An old post of mine related to these cows and cow fighting, Swiss style (not to fret, no gore):
Excursion: near Saas Almagell in Valais

These cows just get into spontaneous fights. See how they're grazing with other cows in the meadows through which the public road passes:



20080710

Bundesplatz in Bern

The Swiss Parliament building with the Bundesplatz in the foreground.


Fun on the Bundesplatz.

20080711

Bär-Lauch blossom sprouting

20080430 Nikon Coolpix 950

Modern, from a different angle

Related to this post on my main blog. The placement of the building amidst the others makes it difficult to photograph.

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