Bastian Sick - Happy Aua

das neue Buch des deutschen Grammatik-und Sprachmeisters Bastian Sick ist da. Der Untertitel lautet , ein Bilderbuch aus dem Irrgarten der deutschen Sprache, und das ist es auch. ein Buch mit gesammelten Schildern aus dem deutschen Sprachraum oder aus Ländern, wo zumindest der Versuch gestartet wurde die deutsche Sprache würdevoll zu vertreten.. es werden die schönsten Sprach- und Grammatikfehler in diesem Bilderbuch. da gibt es das Schild im Supermarkt, 1x Ananas, 2x Ananässer,mit Ueberschriften die einen noch mehr zum lachen bringen.. oder.."wir stechen Ihnen Ohrlöcher ohne Schmerzen auch in die Nase"..dieses Buch ist ein muss für den kritischen Bürger mit einem besonderen Fable für sprachbezogenen Humor..

Hiking Trip Gurtis-Sattelalpe

The trip starts in Gurtis,first there is path trough grass, later up the woods, and then along a very small path along the rocks.. we reached Sattelalpe after about 1.45 hours.. It would take another hour to the Gurtisspitze but the weather got quite bad so we decided to go back down..

This is the description to the Gurtisspitze:
Gurtisspitze

Dauer: 4 Stunden
Schwierigkeitsgrad: rot
Ausgangspunkt: Gurtis Parkplatz rechts von der Kircher. Sie gehen an dem Gasthaus Gurtisspitze links vorbei zum "Oberen Winkel" und dort führt in Serpentinen mit der Markierung weiß/rot/weiß der Weg zur "Bazora Alpe". Der Aufstieg über die "Bazora Alpe" zur "Gurtisspitze" ist gut markiert.

Es ist ein etwas anspruchsvoller Weg, der über wunderbare Alpenmatten führt und eine phantastische Aussicht bietet. Von der "Bazora Alpe" führt ein schmaler Fußweg bis zur "Gurtisspitze" (1770 m). Genießen Sie den einmaligen Rundblick, bevor Sie dem Fußweg über die ?Sattelalpe? nach Gurtis folgen. Es ist ein empfehlenswerter Tagesausflug für Bergwanderer. Für geübte Bergsteiger führt ein Pfad von der "Gurtisspitze" über die "Hohen Köpfe" zur Galina-Alpe und über die Sattelalpe zurück nach Gurtis.

Near Wildhaus Switzerland

Wildhaus, Toggenburg offers many facilities to go hiking, walking, biking and other sportive and relaxing activities.. on the way down to Gams there is the nicely placed Gasthaus Zoll where you cn eat outside with a beautiful view over the Rheintal (Rhine valley)

Island of Brissago, Ticino

The Brissago Islands, the botanic Garden of Canton Ticino, give you the wonderful opportunity to escape from the noise and confusion of frenetic modern life. The exotic plants, the colors and perfume of flowers are beneficial to your wellness.. i visited it in Augsut 2007 and was impressed by the very special athmosphere..
take the boat from Ascona (about 15 minutes) or from Locarno (about one hour)

Leo the proudest cat of he world

my parents cat Leo, picture taken by Daniel.. the best photo of Leo ever..

Cat Poetry

Loving and Liking
Long may you love your pensioner mouse,
Though one of a tribe that torment the house:
Nor dislike for her cruel sport the cat,
Deadly foe both of mouse and rat;
Remember she follows the law of her kind,
And Instinct is neither wayward nor blind.
Then think of her beautiful gliding form,
Her tread that would scarcely crush a worm,
And her soothing song by the winter fire,
Soft as the dying throb of the lyre.

William Wordsworth

More treasures from Vallemaggia Switzerland

Trip to the Vallemaggia, Ticino

A beautiful day trip from Locarno is the Vallamaggia (Maggia-TRal in German)..




The valleys around Locarno are groaning with hiking possibilities, and offer some of the most beautiful scenery in the whole canton – which means that trails can get a little overcrowded in the summer season. Val Verzasca and Valle Maggia both lead north from Locarno, while the gorgeous Centovalli runs west on one of the most scenic and dramatic train rides in the country. The small resort of Ascona lies a little southwest of Locarno, with the beautiful Isole di Brissago just offshore.

About 1.5km east of Locarno is the suburb of Tenero, standing at the head of the VAL VERZASCA, the southern end of which is blocked by the gigantic Verzasca Dam, scene of one of the world’s highest bungee-jumps (see “Listings” above). Buses run past the dam to Corippo, at the end of the lake behind, a beautiful cluster of old stone cottages crowned by a tall campanile; 3km north is Lavertezzo, whose claim to fame is perhaps the most-photographed bridge in Switzerland, a graceful seventeenth-century double arch that leaps from bank to island to bank. Many quieter trails head off into side valleys from Lavertezzo, while Verzasca itself cuts deeper and deeper for another 14km to Sonogno at the valley’s end, passing on the way through Brione, whose church boasts fourteenth-century Giotto-style frescoes.

The deeper, even more rugged gorge of the VALLE MAGGIA runs north from Locarno, very narrow in its initial stretches and only opening out further along around Gordevio. You’d do best to take a bus to Bignasco, 30km north of Locarno, where the valley divides into the Val Lavizzara leading northeast and the completely isolated Val Bavona heading northwest. Bignasco and Lavizzara link in with the walking tour of Alto Ticino described in the box on p.491. Bavona is truly wild, a strip of valley floor 10km long that rises 500m over its length and is hemmed in by sheer scarps on both sides. There are twelve rustic, crumbling hamlets in the valley, all without electricity save San Carlo, the last community of all, characterized by tall, narrow stone houses built by the valley’s sixteenth-century inhabitants.

excerpt from Switzerland Tourism

More impressions from Locarno Film Festival

Locarno Film Festival.. get some more impressions from the moving event

Locarno Video from the mini train

Locarno is quite busy during the Film Festival.. here you can see a short footage from the mini train..August 4th 2007

Locarno Film Festival 2007

the famous Film Festival in Locarno is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, the visit there was a great experience..the Grande Piazza, the heart of the town is the location of the big cinema,holding 7000 seats.. if you are not early enough (we fortunately gathered a seat but somewhere quite back) you might end up standing.. and the amount of people is enormous.. the main focus of the film festival is "substance" that means the quality of films is set quite high,the main issue being independent films and specialties for film-lovers all over the world, there are few "blockbusters" like The Bourne Ultimatum, but this is the European Premiere shown in Locarno. we visited the Grande Piazza on Thursday, seeing this very special movie:
J'ai toujours rêvé d'être un gangster or: Drew Barrymore is a Cheeseburger
the film is produced in black and white. it shows several episodes of "usual" people trying to commit a crime but not successfully.. like two unemployed mid 50 men who try to kidnap a female teenager from a wealthy family.. but what they don't know is that the girl is suicidal and is trying to kill herself several times while being kept in thew men's house.. so they start to talk to her and help her to feel better..
it is a movie that tries to get rid of hollywood klischees of the perfect crime, nothing is perfect in this film as far as crime is concerned, everything goes wrong. it shows the human component, the people from the street trying to act like criminals
but being overtaken by the unpredictable happenings of life an their own emotions..