Québec, Canada
Strange fountain and train/bus stations

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resume

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trips

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04.05.08
New York, NY, USA

26.03.08-27.03.08
Zion Nat'l Park, UT, USA

22.03.08-24.03.08
Grand Canyon, AZ, USA

19.01.08-20.01.08
Singapore

10.01.08-18.01.08
Chennai, India

09.01.08
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

07.01.08-08.01.08
Hue, Vietnam

06.01.08-07.01.08
Da Nang, Vietnam

05.01.08
Ha Noi, Vietnam

03.01.08-04.01.08
Ha Long, Vietnam

01.01.08-02.01.08
Sa Pa, Vietnam

31.12.07
Ha Noi, Vietnam

29.12.07-30.12.07
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

27.12.07-28.12.07
Singapore

22.12.07-24.12.07
Flemington, NJ, USA

01.12.07-02.12.07
Flemington, NJ, USA

04.11.07
New York, NY, USA

26.10.07-28.10.07
Washington, DC, USA

06.10.07
Tripyramids, NH, USA

21.09.07-23.09.07
Flemington, NJ, USA

14.09.07
Concord, MA, USA

27.08.07 Moved to:
Boston, MA, USA

24.08.07
Beograd, Serbia

23.08.07
Sofia, Bulgaria

22.08.07
Rila, Bulgaria

21.08.07
Plovdiv, Bulgaria

19.08.07-20.08.07
Istanbul, Turkey

18.08.07
Bucuresti, Romania

17.08.07
Brasov, Romania

16.08.07
Budapest, Hungary

12.08.07
Zernez, Switzerland

11.08.07
Solothurn, Switzerland

05.08.07
Pisa, Italy
Siena, Italy

04.08.07
San Gimignano, Italy
Pienza, Italy

29.07.07
Lavaux, Switzerland

28.07.07
Arosa, Switzerland

22.07.07
Zagreb, Croatia

21.07.07
Sarajevo, Bosnia

20.07.07
Plitvicka Jezera, Croatia

15.07.07
Graz, Austria

14.07.07
Wien, Austria

08.07.07-09.07.07
Enschede, Netherlands

01.07.07
Bled, Slovenia

30.06.07
Ljubljana, Slovenia
Divaca, Slovenia

17.06.07
Capri, Italy

16.06.07
Alberobello, Italy
I Sassi di Matera, Italy

10.06.07
Mont-St-Michel, France

09.06.07
Loire Valley, France

02.06.07
Kandersteg, Switzerland

02.06.07 Moved to:
Zürich, Switzerland

01.06.07
Paris, France

05.04.07-07.04.07
Stanford, CA, USA

24.03.07-25.03.07
Chicago, IL, USA

15.02.07-17.02.07
Pasadena, CA, USA

28.01.07-01.02.07
Delhi, India

22.01.07-27.01.07
Chennai, India

24.11.06-25.11.06
Köln, Germany

18.11.06
Washington, DC, USA

17.11.06
Baltimore, MD, USA

01.09.06-02.09.06
Québec, Canada

19.08.06-20.08.06
San Francisco, CA, USA

...

Spring break trip to the Grand Canyon, through the Navajo Nation and to Zion National Park (no photo link; camera damaged by water).
Above: Twilight view at Hopi Point, A BNSF freight train moving alongside Historic US Route 66, and a cave in the Navajo National Monument containing 900-year-old ruins.

Final round of pictures from Vietnam: Huế, the imperial capital before Hà Nôi. It is built around a Forbidden City where only the emperors and their closest helpers were permitted entry, and is located on the Perfume River, along which many past emperors were buried in elaborate tombs. Huế is most easily navigated by bicycle and is extremely picturesque; its food is also equally fabulous and even more so for vegetarians who will enjoy the Buddhist food traditions of the city.
Above: Stone statues of concubines at the tomb of Khai Dinh, texture of the gates of the forbidden city, and doors at a temple in the tomb of Minh Mang

Just a few kilometers from the border with the Chinese province of Yunnan, the Sa Pa valley is home to a number of ethnic minority tribes that live in scattered villages throughout the mountains and continue to identify themselves by traditional costumes to this day. Rice farming dominates the landscape, and most tasks from farming to weaving to house-building are done without electricity or automation. Besides rice, bamboo is the other important plant here: it is used to build houses, furniture, fences, walking sticks, rain shelters, bridges, simple machines, as fuel for cooking, and as a source of food as well. Considering the origin of many of these tribes lies in China itself from several hundred years ago, this area perhaps provides a glimpse of rural life in those days. See more: The Sa Pa valley.
Above: A woman of the Black Hmong walking on a mountain path.

First round of pictures from winter break ... See more: Hà Nôi, ancient city and current capital of Vietnam, fascinating for its daily life and market-like atmosphere; Hoi An, an ancient trading port influenced by a variety of Asian and European cultures over time; Halong Bay world-heritage sunken Karst region with dramatic rocks popping out as tall islands out of the sea.
Above: Bamboo district of Hà Nôi, incense burns at one of Hoi An's many temples, one of many varied landscapes of the Halong Bay.

Just came back from a trip to Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam and India. Some pictures from Singapore added to all the ones from 2004... and consolidated here.
Above: Desserts at Bakerzin, Dim sum at Vivocity, and Lontong.

Check out the home-made digital picture frame ...

Getting ready for halloween: 20000 pumpkins near the Boston City Hall, many in this giant structure and many more here and here. Also, here is a guide to making fake flames.

Hiking in the Tripyramids of the White Mountains, with plenty of autumn colours...

Walden and the Minuteman National Historic Park in Massachusetts (where the American Revolution began). See more: Lexington, Concord, and Bedford.

More photos from summer! See more: Zürich and its surroundings - where I lived and worked from June-August. More destinations to be labelled and posted...
Above: Skylight of the Bahnhof (railway station) at Enge, UNESCO world-heritage li0sted and densely decorated Stiftsbibliothek in Sankt-Gallen, Mandelchuebli (almond pastries) in the spirit of Swiss National Day.

What better way to celebrate a clear, sunny Swiss National Day than to go to the Alps? While the Berner Oberland may at first seem overly touristed, with annoying package tours reserving entire train wagons to send packs of people at a time up the Jungfrau (the site of the highest train station in Europe at 3454m), the region is so large and varied that it is easy to escape from the tourist beaten path to whatever extent you wish: simply get off the train and hike! Well-marked trails ranging from ones that you can cart a stroller on to dangerous slopes that would challenge even the world's best climbers are plentiful. Here are photos from a hike up to the summit of the Schilthorn (2971m) through Gimmelwald and Schiltalp, followed by a cable-car descent to Mürren, added to the Kandersteg trip from before. The summit of the Schilthorn offers a spectacular view of the three famous peaks (the Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau) as well as a panoramic view of the rest of the Berner Oberland. See more: Berner Oberland

Enjoy the fantastically scenic (and world-heritage listed) vineyard terraces of the Lavaux region of Switzerland, located roughly from Lausanne to Montreux. While train service between the two cities is frequent, the high vineyard slopes in-between are hardly visible from the train tracks and many visitors miss this gem entirely. The best way to explore the scenery of the Lavaux is on foot or on bicycle (if you are fit for the hills!). See more: The Lavaux

Sarajevo: Just twelve years ago it was a terrible battleground that brutally claimed the lives of over 100,000 including a disturbingly high number of civilians, families, and children. But today Bosnia is being gradually rebuilt and the history of Sarajevo will never be forgotten, both ancient and recent. The city is home to a significant number of Muslims, Catholics, Jews, and Orthodox Christians and the historic town is dotted with mosque minarets, setting its skyline apart from most other European cities. It was severely damaged by the recent conflict as well: bullet and artillery damage to buildings can be seen everywhere. While the city is currently rebuilding housing complexes and other facilities, it is far from easily set up for tourists (the train station hardly has a single sign in it, for example); nevertheless, it is safe to visit as long as one stays on pavement and sidewalks, where there are no landmines.

In nearby Croatia, the world-heritage listed Plitvice lakes, interconnected by waterfalls, are superb transparent turquoise color, so clear that one can see the aquatic life right to the bottom. The capital of Croatia, Zagreb, also recently hosted a great international folklore festival which featured much traditional Croatian music and dances, in addition to performances by folk groups from many other nearby countries. See more: Sarajevo, Plitvice Lakes, Zagreb

Adventures in Slovenia: The idyllic, emerald-blue mountain lake of Bled in the north west sits amongst the peaks of the Julian Alps, with a tiny island in the middle bearing a small church. The geography of the region is also important as it was heavily shaped by the last Ice Age; a few kilometres away is the Triglav National Park and its rocky Vintgar Gorge. 60 kilometres away is the nation's small and beautiful capital of Ljubljana, where one can also purchase many products made from the extremely tasty local wild garlic. But nothing is more astounding in Slovenia than the world-heritage listed Skocjan caves, accessible by a train ride followed by an hour-long walk. The sizes and depths of the chambers are mind-boggling: one could roughly stack Niagara Falls three times vertically in the largest underground chamber. A must-see for Lord of the Rings fans. See more: Bled, Ljubljana, Skocjan caves

The less-touristed eastern coast of Italy has two UNESCO world-heritage sites within easy reach of the industrial city of Bari: Alberobello, the city of conical Trulli houses much as you would imagine out of a fairy tale, and Matera, an ancient settlement believed to look much like ancient Jerusalem would have. Continuing across to the tourist-flooded western coast and the Bay of Naples, one finds the island of Capri, a popular resort location, although one with a long history since the Roman Empire and offering spectacular views from tall rocky cliffs to the bay and Mount Vesuvius. See more: Alberobello and Matera, Capri