86/356: Trans Swiss Trail Stage 14: Eggiwil - Schangnau

There is one thing about hiking that keeps fascinating me; no matter how high you get, whenever you think you are about to reach the final ridge, you turn a corner and there is more to climb. 

The ascend on my most recent hike was even tougher than the day before. I did 800m in one go and it was REALLY steep. I will refrain from complaining though because the view was so worth it and I am pretty sure there are more ascends to come before I am done with the trail. Judge for yourself if the view was worth it:

I am finally starting to feel like I am getting closer to the alps. I am really looking forward to get there. Trouble is, the next stage will take me a long some pre-alps mountains and then turns east and away from the alps for a few stages. So far every stage has been great so I am not too worried. I am will get to the alps eventually. 

I am planning with another three stages next week. I want to stay in the villages next week and not return home after each hike. This will depend on the vacancy of the hotels because I will not make any reservations. I would like to get a third of the whole trail done before autumn sets in. I am close, oh so close! Praying for good weather. 

hike on. 

85/356: Trans Swiss Trail Stage 13: Langnau - Eggiwil

I continued my little trek across Switzerland today. The start was, where I left off the last time and the today's goal was Eggiwil. A little village you will probably never hear about again.

It was a really nice walk and I would have loved to go on because it was rather short. Without the break just about three hours. This stage gave me my first taste of what will follow once I enter the alps. I had my firs real altitude change since starting in Bern a few weeks ago. The beginning of the trail was steep and all in all I did about 600m (upwards that is).

I was thinking about doing two stages today but the next stage is over four hours long and I think that would have been a little too much. I guess that first has to wait a little longer. If all goes well I will tackle the next stage tomorrow. Can't wait!

 Tried to show the steepness with this pic. Not sure if I succeded.. let me know!

 Typical landscape from this part of Switzerland.

 A house?!

 Some more landscape.. too bad it was a bit hazy so I couldn't see the mountains.

 This is supposed to be one of the oldest tunnels in Switzerland. It was built around 1839....

 ..but don't take it from me.. read it here.

Just another lovely view I was able to enjoy today.

By the way... I always feel like this when I go hiking:

Keep walking.

84/356: Facial Hair Do Over

I shaved, down to a moustache... let that sink in.

Not only did I have a proper shave for the first time in 3 years, I also went for an epic moustache. I have to be honest with you, this took more guts than I thought it would. First time I saw myself in the mirror, I couldn't stop laughing. But then going outside my apartment and after that facing my co workers, well that was just plain terrifying. Just leaving it for a little or not even going out to face anybody would have been cheating though.

I really stepped out of my comfort zone with this one and that's a good thing. Challenging myself is one of the objectives of my little project. Now without further delay, I present to you, my 'stache.

hope you enjoyed and saved that picture.. it will never happen again.

83/356: Wankdorf Center

It's "en vogue" to build a shopping mall while you're building a stadium. So it should come as no surprise that the "Stade de Suisse", that I visited a few weeks back, also has one. So far I never had a reason to go there. That changed today.

I went to the Wankdorf Center to meet a good friend for lunch. I have never been to the restaurant we went but who wants to read about another restaurant I visited? I sure don't! The Center is rather small and didn't really have any shops that would make me come back. I enjoyed the big "Coop" supermarket but since there is a big one on my commute, I don't think I will ever have the need for this one.

On to a few pictures for you to "enjoy".

Prepare yourself, tomorrow will be a scary one..

Be afraid, be very afraid!

82/356: Dry Cleaning

Funny story, it took me 30 years to go to a dry cleaner. True story. Until today I have never been to one. There is not much to tell but hey, it is a first.

81/356: Kölner Dom

I can tell you one thing; I have seen some big churches, but none have anything on the Kölner Dom. That thing just leaves everything far behind. You really have to see it yourself to believe it. My pictures don't do it any justice. 

Before leaving Cologne we had some time to kill on Sunday so we decided to visit the Dom.. after all it's one of the things Cologne is famous for. After seeing it up close, I am not surprised this beast took over 600 years to build. 

Only the inside of the church is more impressive than the outside. If you are ever near Cologne, be sure not to miss this monument. 

I also got home about 4h late because our train was delayed for three hours and then didn't go to the final station but stopped two before.. yeah, fun experience with Deutsche Bahn. Next time I am flying again!

80/356: Gamescom

I unleashed my inner nerd today.

Together with a good friend I went to Gamescom, europe's biggest game convention. This is my first time to a game convention and I really looked forward to it.

Banners above the main entrance really showed how big of an experience this was going to be. They were huge. After getting a wristband to show that I am over 18, we entered the exhibition halls.

Of course we headed straight for the new console generation which will go on sale this autumn. that thing in the picture is not one of them..... But we did get to play Forza 5 and Killer Instinct on the Xbox One. It was an anjoyable experiene and I see no reason not to get one once they are available in Switzerland. Sadly I was not able to try the next Kinect 2.0.

As you can see in this picture, the attendence was huge. There were were a buttload of people and the most popular new systems and games had hug lines, up to two hours. Neither my friend nor me felt any desire to queue that long to play a game for five to ten minutes. That is the reason I didn't get to try Kinect 2.0 or the Playstation 4.

There were also big esports tournaments running in the convention halls. This one here was an ESL Starcradt 2. Sometimes it really baffels me how popular esports have become. On the other hand, I really enjoyed watching the DOTA2 Internationals myself.

The line for Titanfall, which seems to be awesome but we weren't sure if you actually get to play the game and this line was two hours. We set our limit at one hour. I am eager to get my hands on this game. Oh did you notice that giant mecha just haning out?

Some of the booths were beyond gigantic. Some bigger than the one's at the car saloon in geneva... I am looking at you EA.

All in all it was a great to see it and to have been here but I don't think I will ever feel like I need to visit another of these conventions, not when I can get all the gaming news and trailers I want on the internet from the comfort of my couch.

Now for some well deserved rest, my feet hurt....

 

79/356: Cologne

I managed to solve my picture upload problem and therefore I am able to post earlier than I thought. Rejoice!

On friday, shortley after lunch I made my way to the train station and boarded a train towards Basel. After arriving in Basel I met up with a good friend who also used to be my flatmate. We boarded another train and headed straight on to Cologne. 

I have been to Germany on many occasions but never to Cologne. At least I don't remember ever being here. Since we arrived quite late I didn't get to see much yet. We are staying in an area which seems to be a little funky but has a cool vibe. 

The reason why I am in Cologne will be revealed in post nr 80.

A building we passed on our walk to the hotel

These guys are right opposite the hotel

The hotel facade, it's not that bad around here..

78/356: Inca Kola

Work from 07:30 to 19:30. That left me a *little* tired and not in the mood to go to great lengths and do something fancy. So I went to "Drinks of the World" and got a cola that I never had before. The lucky winner was "Inca Kola". It had a really nice taste to it. Close enough to coca cola but still with a little twist. Sadly there is no picture because the internet I am using at the hotel right now only allows one device per code. Due to this I am not sure if I can post until sunday. I'll see if I can get thr pics from my phone to my Ipad somehow.

Update: picture now available

For now I bid you good night.

77/356: Steelers Nation

Another day of multiple firsts;

A new restaurant
A new beer
A new bar
A new NFL jersey

An interesting question got asked yesterday: If I do multiple firsts on the same day, can I take one of those and use it as a first for the next day? I came to the conclusion that this would be cheating. The idea is to do something each and every day. If I would allow that, it would negate the idea of the project. Still an interesting question though.

Since I have multiple firsts yesterday, I could talk about them all but I would like to focus on the new jersey since I have talked about restaurants, bars and beers a plenty.

Beside the t shirt from fancy, I got another package yesterday.

It was the delivery of my NFL shop order. A few weeks ago a co-worker and me ordered a few t shirts and jersey's. For the jersey I decided to go for a throwback Pittsburgh Steelers Troy Polamalu. I am really happy with it. It looks great.

If you wonder who Troy Polamalu is or why I picked him, take a look at this:

The reason as to why we got this stuff will follow in a few weeks. Stay tuned. 

76/356: Milkshake, Cookies And A Pleasant Surprise

Normal day yesterday..

... I guess when using that terminology I should start thinking about what I am doing with this. The project should not be associated with the word normal. Anyhow, I had one of those adorable cookie monster cookies and the milkshake you see right beside the cookies.

Two reasons for yesterday's picks. I picked the cookies because I loved the packaging and then I picked the milkshake because just trying a new type of cookie didn't seem like enough "newness" and it seemed to go well with cookies. 

The cookie was really good. The milkshake was nothing to write home about.

Today I got a very nice surprise (this is not today's new thing) that I want to tell you about. Remember a few weeks back when I got my first fancy box and how I complained that the t shirt was way too big?

Well I wrote to Fancy and asked them to make sure that in future they would send me the t shirts in my size. I also told them that I will not bother with exchanging the t shirt because the cost of the shipping would not be worth it.

Today I got a box from Fancy, I was confused because I am not expecting the new box for another week or so. As it turned out, they sent me the t shirt in my size with no extra cost or demand to send them the wrong size back. Awesome! Great costumer service Fancy!!

75/356: OrangeCinema

I went to see a movie at OrangeCinema Bern last night.

OrangeCinema is an open air cinema event that takes place during the summer months. Usually there are about three to four cities where it happens. They don't only show new films but also Blockbusters from a few months ago and/or classics. Which explains the movie I watched.

When I was there last night, Skyfall, the newest Bond movie was on.  I already saw it at an earlier point but a co-worker asked if anybody would come along, so I did. I know I have been to an open air cinema event before (Fiji), I am pretty sure I have never been to one in Switzerland and I am convinced that I have never been to one in Bern. I think I am pretty safe about this first.

I really enjoyed the whole experience including food (Tidbits) and beer (Tramdepot) on location.The location is just above the main train station at "Grosse Schanze". Great Place for an event like this.

 A view of the food stands and the screen.

I have to say the setting is really nice, just in front of the Uni Bern. Under the screen you can see the illuminated Bundeshaus once the movie is on.

 No post complete without a food shot. Was yummy too!

The view from my seat.. which was a very comfy deck chair.

There is just something about watching a movie while having the stars above.
Dream on.

74/356: Warm Chicken Vegetable Salad On A Bed Of Salad Rocket

Cooking yummy stuff, always a good choice!

It was the first time I had a go at a so called warm salad. To be quite frank with you, I am rather pleased with the result. The recipe turned out to be just what you would want from a meal on a warm summer evening. Nothing more to say about this, enjoy the picture and about time I get some lunch...

73/356: 1/32 Finals Swiss Soccer Cup: FCB vs FCZ

After Robbie on Friday, it was the 1/32 finals, or the first round, of the Swiss Soccer Cup on Saturday.

The game was FC Bassersdorf vs. FC Zürich. That is 6 leagues difference. FCZ plays in the highest league and FC Bassersdorf in the 2nd highest regional league. It was special to me because some people that I know play in that team, my brother plays and coaches for that club and I lived a few years in Bassersdorf.

It was a great day. Many known faces, great weather, cold bear and six goals. Sadly the goals were all by FCZ but to be honest, nothing else would have been a miracle. Bassersdorf played really well and they gave it their all. The only thing I could have wished for was that Bassersdorf would have scored a goal. Alas that was not to be.

Otherwise it was really a great day and my younger brother starts to be a big input for my firsts. Keep them coming!

For this post I stole some of my brothers pictures and mixed them in with my own.

 The pretty little arena Bassersdorf built for the day.

 FCZ Fans in the Background

 The fun part came after the game. Just having a grand ol' time drinking beer and eating sausages with friendly people.

 Another pic of the sold out seats.

 The team thanking the fans for attending.

The teams facing off just before the game started.

Beer on.

72/356: Robbie Williams Live

Robbie Williams live is one of those things which I would have not done of my own accord but am still glad that I got to do it. 

I got the ticket from my parents for my birthday a few months back. My parents, one of my brothers, his girlfriend, one of my parents the neighbors and me made up the our little group. After a tasty dinner at Rosso we headed to the Stadium and got there a good 30min before Robbie got on stage. 

The concert started a bit slow but then picked up and Robbie really gave it his all. He had a lot of energy and made sure it was a show to remember. I have never owned any of his Cd's nor listened to any of his songs on purpose, I really enjoyed the show. The stage had a few nice surprises. He sure hasn't got any self confidence issues ;)

We stayed pretty far back so my pictures suck (better phone/camera coming in October). So I went ahead and stole some from a friend of mine that seemed to be a little closer to the stage. 

A great evening with the family. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

 Thanks Marie-Louise and yes that is a giant Robbie head.

 Thanks again Marie-Louise, and that lucky lady is barbara from Bern, she grabbed his ass, on multiple instances.

 That was where I was standing, quite a bit farther away. It pays to have good eyes ;). You see that giant head? Robbie again. You see that spotlight, yeah that's Robbie up there just before he started the gig.

 All hail my awesome camera

Thanks for reading. Something completely else in a few minutes. 

71/356: Dried Pineapple

Multitude of new things yesterday. Sausage made from feral pig, a new type of green tea ice tea and dried pineapple pieces. Oh, and also a yoga mat that I bought for my workout sessions.. bout bloody time. Much more comfortable for the planks now.

The highlight of all that, besides not having sore elbows any more, is the dried pineapple. So yummy! Had way too much too eat last night so couldn't eat more than a taster after dinner but I will dig in when I get home tonight.

Tonight I am heading to Zurich again. For what, I will tell you tomorrow, just before I had to Zurich again.

party on!

70/356: Ceiling Fan

I am not what you would call a handy man. To be honest, I have never used a drilling machine in my life.  Yesterday I got in the thick of it though. I help a co-worker install a ceiling fan. To everybody's surprise, the fan worked and as if today hasn't tumbled to the floor.

Good work mate!

69/356: Kinder Joy

Candy!

I was at the supermarket to buy some lunch and saw these Kinder joy eggs. They looked so tempting and so similar to Kinder eggs so I got them. I took one for myself and gave the rest to my team.

The chocolate was good but not what I expected. I didn't think I would be eating it with a little spoon. The toy was disappointing. I seem to remember that there were cooler toys in Kinder products when I was a kid. Or was that only because I was a kid? I guess we shall never know.

Still, you know, it's chocolate.. you can never go wrong with chocolate.