Year: 2009

Matterhorn

In September I went hiking around Zermatt in Switzerland. The area is absolutely beautiful and the weather was perfect, not too hot, not too cold and a clear blue sky. The first day I hiked from Zermatt to Schönbiel Hütte, next to Matterhorn, via Trift Hotel. The part between Trift and Schönbiel was fabulous. This was one of the most beautiful hikes I have ever made. Straight ahead I had the Matterhorn and to my left the Monte Rosa massif. Magical!

Halfways to Schönbiel Hütte with a view of the Monte Rosa massif.

Getting closer to Schönbiel.

Having a well deserved beer with a view of Matterhorn on the terrace at Schönbiel Hütte.

The second day I walked back to Zermatt via Hörnli Hütte, from where most people climb the Matterhorn. The Hörnli Hütte is also a popular day hike and I got stuck in a group of older people determined to reach the Hütte. The last bit was quite steep and it was not very easy to pass people, you simply had to adapt to the pace.

At Hörnli Hütte.

The third day I took the train up to Gornergrat (on around 3000 m) on the other side of the valley from where I had been the first two days. Because it is so easy accessible it is also very crowded at Gornergrat. They have a fancy hotel, a shopping centre (!) and an observatory. For me it defeats the purpose of going to the mountains if there is a lot of people around. I like the solitude and the calm. So I had to walk away from the hotel and I did not have to go far to loose the crowd. 15 minutes walk and I was on my own again.

Gornergrat.

I must say my favourite side of the valley was the Matterhorn side. The view of the Monte Rosa from a distance was great. It was a bit more green on that side which I appreciated. Next time I will bring a picknick, some wine and sit down and look at the view for a few hours.

Arlanda Airport is (according to my experience and everyone I know…) the worst airport in the world on luggage handling. Usually you have to wait almost 1 hour to get your bag from the moment they start unloading the plane and now I am not just that unlucky person who always gets their bag last. No, everyone is waiting for a long time. They do give you plenty of time to think about how difficult it can be to transport bags the few hundred meters from the aircraft to the conveyor belt. I am an engineer and do not consider myself the most stupid person in the world, but I can not figure it out.

When I arrived from Switzerland a few weeks ago I had a surprising experience. I got my bag within 10 minutes from when I arrived at the belt! My heart was filled with hope and I thought that finally they had changed the routines and from now on it would be like a dream to come back home.

This morning I came back from Chicago. I was in a little bit of a hurry because I had to make it to a meeting in the office. But light at heart I thought that today I would be out of here in no time. I came to the conveyor belt and at the display it said that the luggage would arrive within 6 min. Perfect, I thought. After about 10 minutes they opened the door in the wall and sent out 5 bags. I am sure these were only dummy bags that disguised staff went out to pick up only to keep people happy for another few minutes. The door in the wall was closed again. This is mentally very frustrating. After 15 minutes or so they opened the door again and out came a few bags. Do not think this was all of them, no, again they closed the door. After a few of these turns and 30 minutes later I finally got my bag and I was not the last one!

Since I travel quite a lot I have to learn how to handle this without going completely crazy. Instead of being very stressed and angry I think of stories about what the staff is actually doing behind that wall. How they are coming up with ways to trick us instead of actually getting the bags. It is now a joke for me and my friend and it makes us laugh instead.

Last week I was on a business trip to Seoul, South Korea. This was the view from my hotel room at the Imperial Palace Hotel. We stayed in Gangnam with a with towards the city centre. This picture was taken early in the morning. The Seoul Tower is on the hill in the centre of the picture.

In Adelaide earlier this year I got caught in the rain. I happened to pass a pub just as it started to pour down. What to do? Of course I ended up at the bar with a beer. This was early afternoon and I was really planning to stroll around town. Instead I decided to catch up a little on the diary which I had not written in a week or so. I had to use the camera and look back at the pictures to remember exactly what had happened what day.

As I was sitting there the bartender asked me if I was travelling. He said that he also loves to travel and always writes a diary when he is away. We ended up talking about our favourite travels and dream destinations between orders from other guests. I eventually ordered food and stayed much longer than I expected. I don’t remember his name or what he looked like really and I could not give directions to where the pub is. But the episode is still stuck in my memory as one of the good afternoons in Australia.

To see someone writing in a pub or café I thought would keep people away. I would probably think that this person is concentrated and does not want to be disturbed. Maybe the diary is just a way for a travelling person to shield herself from the surroundings for a little while without having to sit in a boring dorm room or messy hostel living room. Not that this was my meaning when I wrote my diary during my last trip. I normally just thought it was more inspiring and fun to sit somewhere people were moving than at the hostel or hotel. So I am glad everyone is not like me and starts talking anyway and that it sometimes starts to rain and change your plans.

As I was walking to the baggage claim I saw this picture many times. I think I like this country…

Alain de Botton has got access to Heathrow airport during one week and will write a book about what he sees and experiences. I love that idea, airports are so fascinating! I want that book!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/arts_and_culture/8208951.stm
http://thefastertimes.com/travel/2009/08/19/tft-exclusive-alain-de-botton-reports-live-from-heathrow/
http://www.vagabond.se/Redaktionellt/Nyheter/Resenarernas-egen-filosof-skriver-bok-pa-flygplats/