Spring Break I

Since I've been at university I neglected my friends here in Schaffhausen. Now as the winter semester is over I see them more often again. Recently we had great fun together. On Friday I met my ex-girlfriend for a coffee at Spaghetti Factory in Schaffhausen (By the way: After work in the morning I missed my train so I went to Starbucks at Stauffacher in Zurich. They have a big lounge on the second floor where you can relax and chill out. I read almost the entire Die Weltwoche while I enjoyed my Frappuccino Chocolate).
While I was waiting for her, I saw another girl whom I knew has holidays right now. Besides she didn't know what to do. So I asked her if she wanted to join us for a coffee. She accepted... maybe because I offered to pay :-)

At Spaghetti Factory you usually sit next to the large window front hence you can see all people walking by. Soon we started to play a game which one of us knew more people. At the end I made a proposal: Let's make a bet! So we decided to meet on Monday at 12am. At this time of the day the city is most crowded. The bet was as follows: The person who first knows 15 people wins (it's necessary to say "Hello"). The loser has to pay for lunch at Spaghetti Factory afterwards. I don't know why but she had so much luck! She won 15 to 10 after less than 30 min... So I had to pay for the spaghetti al pesto...

Yesterday was a beautiful warm day. Unfortunatley El Bertin, the best Ice Cream Shop in town was still closed. Reopening is on March 11th.

Barcelona V

We only spent 3 days in Barcelona, afterwards we went to Lloret de Mar which is a 2 hour bus ride away. It's a smaller town with nothing much to see but the beach... which is so overcrowded with old, fat and sunburned tourists. We usually went to the beach in the evening before we went clubbing. Party, Party, Party! This is the only thing you can do in Lloret de Mar. There are clubs, pubs, and discos on virtually every corner. Two of the best were:

Bumper's Disco Club, Sant Lluch 2
Xtra, Avinguda Just Marles 36

Xtra is a famous house club with international DJ's whereas Bumper's is a beautiful lounge with palm trees and small huts where you really can enjoy a drink. In the second floor you will find a disco where the DJ plays all kinds of music.

Once we had party until 8am, went back to the hotel, eat breakfast and went sleeping...


Pics: A grand staircase leads up from the foot of the Montjuïc Hill at the south end of the Avenida de la Reina Maria Cristina to the Palau Nacional which was built in 1929 to host an International Exposition in Barcelona.

Barcelona IV

Barcelona offers a unique opportunity for tourists on foot to walk from Roman remains to the medieval city, and then to the modern city with its open thoroughfares and grid-iron street pattern. It indeed looks like those american cities from the aiplane.
The historic city center is fairly flat, while the modern city fans out towards the surrounding hills, bordered by steep streets that are vaguely reminiscent of those found in San Francisco.

A notable place to go is La Rambla, a boulevard that runs from the city center to the waterfront, packed with crowds until late at night and lined by craft sellers, street entertainers, cafeterias, and restaurants.
La Rambla ends at the old harbour, where a statue of Christopher Columbus points eastwards across the Mediterranean Sea to his birth place of Genova.
Barcelona's largest leisure and shopping destination called Maremagnum is located at Port Vell at the waterfront. There you can enjoy the sea view from a restaurant or from one of the many caffes. We went eating in an italian restaurant providing breath taking views of the beautiful sunset... I'm sorry, I can't remember the name...

Above: Las Arenas de Barcelona

Barcelona III

I guess the most impressing building in Barcelona is La Sagrada Familia, a large basilica which is still under construction. It is the last, and perhaps most extraordinary, of the designs of Antoni Gaudí.
La Sagrada Família was planned in the late 19th century and Gaudí worked on the project for over 40 years, devoting the last 15 years of his life entirely to this endeavour. He intended the church to eventually be 172 m tall. At the moment the highest point is at 115m. Work was interrupted by the Spanish Civil War in 1935 and recommenced in the 1950's, after the end of World War II.

According to the newspaper El Periódico de Catalunya, 2.26 million people visited the basilica in 2004, making it the most popular attraction in Spain, before the Museo del Prado and Alhambra.

I made a big mistake: I didn't enter the basilica. The queue was too long and the price to expencive. But some friends who waited for 2 hours in the queue said the interior was absolutely stunning. Maybe I should have gone inside...

Barcelona II

While the girls went shopping and the majority of the boys in our class were drinking whisky in the hostel (which was in the red light district...) I and a friend went on a sightseeing tour. It was not a tour in a proper sense. We just purchased a ticket for the metro. So we entered a subway train at the metro station next to our hostel which took us by hazard to the Olympic Park. I need to add that Barcelona hold the Olympic Games in 1992 so you can still find many remains in and around the city.

The Montjuic Communications Tower was designed by Santiago Calatrava for the Olympic Games. The 136 m tower represents an athlete holding the Olympic Flame.

Barcelona I

Note: I haven't been in Barcelona/ESP recently, but I'm gonna post the pictures I made in July 2004. It was our last school trip in High School just one day after the final exams. We spent 3 days in Barcelona and another 3 in Lloret de Mar which is more or less the party capital of the spanish mainland.
I can clearly remember we had to get up at 4:30am to get to the airport in Zurich. I think I never get up this early in my life before. So we all were slightly sleepy. But as soon as we were inside the Swiss airplane, our mood was improving. Some of us bought so many bottles of whisky in the Duty Free Shops, they couldn't bear it anymore. So everybody had to take a bottle during the flight... :-) Of course we didn't drink it at 8am! ... Hm, I think there was a friend who started drinking in the plane, so the statement is not 100% true.

The picture above I took during the bus ride from the El Prat Airport. Barcelona has a population of 1'593'000, while the population of the metropolitan area is more than 4'686'000.

Rome IX

Monumento a Vittorio Emanuele II or Altare della Patria occupies a site between the Piazza Venezia and the Capitoline Hill. The monument was designed and built by Giuseppe Sacconi between 1895 and 1911 to honour Vittorio Emanuele II , the first king of unified Italy.

The monument is built of pure white marble and features majestic stairways, tall corinthian columns, fountains and a huge equestrian statue of Vittorio Emanuele II.
The monument is controversial. Its construction destroyed a large area of Capitoline Hill housing a Medieval neighbourhood. The building itself is often regarded as pompous and too large. Anyway...

Besides, we went to see the catacombes on Via Appia Antica, the Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano, the Basilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere, Campo de'Fiori, the Pantheon... It was just fantastic!

Rome VIII

The Colosseum is probably the most impressive building of the Roman empire and the largest amphitheatre built in Ancient Rome. Originally capable of seating 50,000 spectators, it was once used for gladiatorial combat. Construction was initiated by Emperor Vespasian and completed by his sons, Titus and Domitian, between AD 72 and AD 81.

Sad but true:
The marble that originally covered the facade was reused in constructions or burned to make quicklime. During the Renaissance, but mostly in the 16th and 17th centuries, the ruling Roman families (from which many popes came) used it as a source of marble for the construction of St. Peter's Basilica and the private palazzi of Roman families such as the Barberini.

Quandiu stabit coliseus, stabit et Roma
Quando cadit coliseus, cadet et Roma
Quando cadet Roma, cadet et mundus.

(As long as the Colosseum stands, so shall Rome)
(When the Colosseum falls, so shall Rome)
(When Rome falls, so shall the world)

This is a fact: Italy is bloody famous for food. Pizza, Spaghetti, Gnocchi, Risotto as well as sweets like Tiramisu and Gelati. One restaurtant you should check out is Trattoria Pizzeria Luzzi, Via San Giovanni in Laterano 88 near the Colosseum. Guests are mainly italians and the fantastic tasting food is 100% homemade. So it's an ideal spot for people looking for authentic italian food in a good atmosphere without being interrupted by noisy tourists.

If you're not italian, please don't visit this restaurant. Its authentic style might get lost! :-)

Rome VII

I HAD to make a picture of that building. It's the Castel Sant'Angelo, a towering cylindrical building in Rome initially commissioned by the Roman Emperor Hadrian as a mausoleum for himself. The building spent over a thousand years as a fortress and castle and is now a museum.
My name actually refers to Publius Aelius Traianus Hadrianus (January 24, 76 – July 10, 138), Roman emperor from 117–138.

Rome VI

At the evening of our second day we took the 110open sightseeing bus for well-invested 13 €. It was getting cool in the evening but the view was fantastic and compensated everything.

The Basilica di San Pietro in Vaticano Possibly the largest church in Christianity, covers an area of 23000 m² and has a capacity of over 60,000 people.

The dome, or cupola, was designed by Michelangelo, who became chief architect in 1546. As built, the double dome is brick, 42.3 metres in interior diameter (almost as large as the Pantheon), rising to 120 metres above the floor. If you look down at the ground floor inside the church, the people seem to be as small as ants. It's absolutely stunning up there, as you also get spectacular view over Vatican City and Rome.

Directly to the east of the church is Piazza San Pietro, built between 1656 and 1667. In the center of the colonnade, which was designed by Bernini, is a 25.5 metres tall obelisk. The obelisk was moved to its present location in 1585 by order of Pope Sixtus V. The obelisk dates back to the 13th century BC in Egypt. Including the cross on top and the base the obelisk reaches 40 metres. On top of the obelisk there used to be a large bronze globe allegedly containing the ashes of Julius Caesar.

By the way: We almost had an audience with the Pope Benedict XVI together with hundreds of visitors. But we intended to see the large museums, so we decided not to take part of the audience. Besides we tried to talk to a member of the swiss gards but he was from the french part of Switzerland so it didn't work...

Rome V

A fountain stands on each side of the Piazza del Popolo to the east and west. Steps from the Piazza to the east lead up beside a waterfall to the Pincio park, near the Villa Borghese.
Had a short rest there in the roman sun... Lovely...

An Egyptian obelisk of Rameses II from Heliopolis stands in the centre of the Piazza. The obelisk is the second oldest and one of the tallest in Rome and was brought to Rome in 10 BC.
In the south of the Piazza begins the Via del Corso which is partly a pedestrian area with loads of nice but expencive shops.

Rome IV

To take a break during your sightseeing-tour the Scalinata di Spagna is a fantastic spot. We enjoyed the sun sitting admidst the young folk on the steps. The Spanish Steps ramp a steep slope between the Piazza di Spagna at the base and the church Trinità dei Monti above. The monumental stairway, of 138 steps, was built in 1723–1725, linking the Bourbon Spanish embassy, today still located in the piazza below, with Trinità dei Monti.

From this church it's a short walk to the Villa Borghese which is a large landscape garden containing several villas such as Villa Medici. There is another entrance at the Porte del Popolo by Piazza del Popolo. The south part of the park offers one of the greatest views over Rome.

Rome III

Going to Rome and not seeing the Fontana di Trevi would be a sin as it is one of the most famous fountains in the world. It gained fame due to Anita Ekberg night bath in Federico Fellini's La Dolce Vita. A current legend is reported that it is lucky to throw coins with one's right hand over one's right shoulder into the Fontana di Trevi. Throwing one coin in will ensure that the thrower will return to Rome. Throwing two coins ensures that the thrower will fall in love with a beautiful Roman girl (or handsome boy), and throwing three coins ensures that the thrower will marry that girl or boy in Rome.
For the curious in you: I threw just one coin...

In 1730, Pope Clement XII organized a contest to build a fountain. Nicola Salvi actually lost — but was given the job anyway. Work began in 1732 and was finished in 1762, long after Clement's death.
The backdrop for the fountain is the Palazzo Poli, in the center is superimposed a triumphal arch so the fountain is 26m in hight and almost 20m wide.

Rome II

One place I really liked was Piazza Navona. The Piazza follows the plan of an ancient Roman Stadium of 240 x 65 m in size built by Domitian in the first century.
Piazza Navona is now the pride of Baroque Rome. It has sculptural and architectural creations by Gian Lorenzo Bernini who built the famous Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi in 1651 and by Francesco Borromini and Girolamo Rainaldi who created the church of Sant'Agnese in Agone. The Piazza contains two additional fountains sculpted by Giacomo della Porta — the Fontana di Nettuno (1574), located at the northern area of Piazza Navona, and the Fontana del Moro (1576), located at the southern area.

Today it's an lively place with open air cafes around and a superb Gelateria: I tre Scalini which is famous for one thing - it's scandalously delicious Tartufo Nero. But I was so eager to eat some ice cream I couldn't resist and paid 3 € for a chocolate and tiramisu ice cream. Mmmhh...

Rome I

I'm back here after an exciting trip to Rome, the eternal city and the capital of Italy. I don't know exactely where to begin my story... Let's start at the very beginning: The EuroAirport in Basel.
Oh... Actually I arranged a meeting with a friend in Basel and we went to Starbucks and exchanged stories about what had happened to each of us. But that's another story.
Back to the airport. We booked the flight with easyjet.com because it's one of the cheapest airlines flying from and to Switzerland. The flight was pretty short, it didn't feel to be much longer than my daily train rides to Zurich. After landing and the troublesome passport and customs procedure we had a first impression of the italian traffic while we were sitting in a shuttle bus heading for Stazione Termini in Rome. From Termini it was a short walk to the Hostel Carlito's Way located at Via Villafranca. In the evening we strolled around looking for a good restaurant and passed by the Piazza della Repubblica. The picture above shows the Fontana delle Naiadi built by Mario Rutelli in 1901.

Random Thoughts VIII

Holidays just started! Wow, my first term at university is over. Can't believe 14 weeks have passed so fast. The second term starts in the first week of April. If you think of that... April... It will be spring, the trees will have leaves, it will be warm...

If I'm lucky I will have my first spring impressions in two days! On Monday I will be in Rome! I was already surfing the net for the best ice cream shop in Rome (btw: the italian word for ice cream shop is gelateria). It seems to be Gelateria Giolitti, via Uffici del Vicario 40.

Random Thoughts VII

Yesterday I would have had quite a busy day if not... Yeah, sometimes things just happen... Actually class starts at 8am but the first lesson is not compulsory, so I decided to stay in bed a bit longer to get up without stress. I took the 8:09 train in Schaffhausen to get to the biology class just in time. This should be the first and last class for yesterday, cause I didn't go to economy afterwards. Instead I discussed the maths exercises, which are far more important than economy (I don't mean in general but in relation to my studies). After having lunch, our math assistant invited us to the BQM, a coffee shop at the campus. This was not too bad, as I had to go to work soon after.
In the evening 6 friends from uni and I arranged a meeting at an appartment in Meilen not far from Zurich. One friend who is actually from Mexico promised to make dinner for us. It was typical mexican food, a bit hot but most delicious. The only sad thing was I had to leave at 11pm as I had to return to Schaffhausen. Apart of this it was a nice evening. We have to do a remake someday! :-)

Random Thoughts VI

Recently I read an article in Die Weltwoche, which is a famous weekly magazine in Switzerland. The article was about the life quality in cities all over the world: The best place to live in the world is Zurich according to a quality-of-life survey conducted by Mercer Human Resource Consulting.
Zurich was crowned No. 1 for the second year running based on 39 criteria that included a variety of political, social, and economic factors such as the quality of health, education, and transportation services.
And indeed I start to like Zurich more and more. It offers great opportunities for almost everything you can think of. I'm really looking forward to the summer, sitting on the edge of the lake, enjoying the warmth and the sun. Anyway, I have to stop dreaming all the time...

Top 10 Cities With the Best Quality of Life in 2005

1. Zurich, Switzerland
2. Geneva, Switzerland
3. Vancouver, Canada
4. Vienna, Austria
5. Frankfurt, Germany
6. Munich, Germany
7. Dusseldorf, Germany
8. Auckland, New Zealand
9. Copenhagen, Denmark
10. Sydney, Australia

One thing I really like in Zurich is Stadelhofen station. The famous spanish architect Santiago Calatrava built this station in 1991 and earned much acclaim. It's near Bellevue where I've been working for a few weeks. In this area you can find the opera house, some cinemas and lot's of shopping centres. After work I usually go to Stadelhofen to catch the train there instead of taking the tram to the mainstation. It's faster and more comfortable.