Decorative cows

In Titisee, one could see many decorative cows. They are beautifully decorated and colorful too.

cuckoo clocks in modern culture

This cuckoo clock looks so unique..

Long before their appearance in movies and television, cuckoo clocks were popularized by the poet William Wordsworth. In his 19th century work, “Poems chiefly of Early and Late Years,” Wordsworth included a poem called “The Cuckoo Clock.” Famous Canadian poet Robert Service also wrote a poem by the same name.

One thing popular culture often gets wrong about cuckoo clocks is their country of origin. Many people incorrectly believe the clocks originated in Switzerland, when in fact most cuckoo clocks were first made in the Black Forest area of Germany.

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The Rhine

view near the Rhine Fall

The Rhine is one of the longest and most important river in Europe. It runs for over 1,232 km (766 mi) from its source in the in the Swiss Alps (in Switzerland), issuing from the Rheinwaldhorn Glacier 3,353m above sea level.

The Rhine flows through six countries -Switzerland, Principality of Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, France and the Netherlands before flowing into the North Sea at Rotterdam.

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Swiss Cows

Cows are the most decorative souvenir in Switzerland.

Mount Titlis Glacier

View from Mt Titlis..

This unique glacier paradise offers snow and ice even in summer! The highest glacier excursion in the Lake Lucerne region is conveniently located, just a short distance from Lucerne. The highlights of the trip has to be riding on the world’s first revolving cable car; a visit to the Titlis Glacier Cave with all its secrets; an «Ice Flyer» chairlift trip over open glacier crevasses; the breathtaking panorama, as well as the unique Titlis Glacier Park, where you can try out various snowtoys for sliding downhill, such as balancers, snow-scoots, snow tubes etc. If you like scenic beauty combined with lots of fun, then a Titlis trip will be just right for you!

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Lion Monument

Das Löwendenkmal, a.k.a. The Lion Monument or "Lion of Lucerne," is a masterpiece created in the early part of the 19th century. Awe-inspiring and mournful, it is dedicated to the memory of the heroic fight and final defeat of the Swiss Guards in 1792 in Paris. The fateful day of August 10th marked the beginning of the bloody days of the French Revolution. When the Bourbon King Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette, together with their children, were brought back to the Tuileries Palace in Paris after a failed attempt to escape the French Revolution. Working-class Parisians stormed the royal palace - the Tuileries - and the Swiss regiment of the Guards were forced to lay down their arms by the order of Louis XVI, which resulted in their massacre.

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In front of the old swiss house

I was wondering why is this placed in front of the old swiss house. Could it be due to feng shui?

Bucherer Spoon

Rolex SA is a Swiss manufacturer of high-quality, luxury wristwatches. Rolex watches are popularly regarded as status symbol and BusinessWeek magazine ranks Rolex No.71 on its 2007 annual list of the 100 most valuable global brands. Rolex is also the largest single luxury watch brand, producing about 2,000 watches per day, with estimated revenues of around US$3 billion (£1.75) (3.02 CHF billion) (2003 figures)

Omega Lifetime

The Lifetime Magazine Shop

The Lifetime Magazine Shop has been created to give readers the opportunity to subscribe to Lifetime, OMEGA’s biannual lifestyle magazine. Limited quantities of previous issues are also available from the shop. 

Hotel Astoria

3 of us in a room..

The Hotel Astoria is located in the heart of Lucerne, only a 5-minute walk from the Culture and Convention Centre, the lakeside promenade, the famous Chapel Bridge and the train station.

Macarons

I had these two macarons for the very first time..

A macaron (French pronunciation: [makaˈʁɔ̃]) is a sweet confectionery made with egg whites, icing sugar, granulated sugar, almond powder or ground almond, and food coloring. The macaron is commonly filled with buttercream or jam filling sandwiched between two cookies. Its name is derived from an Italian word "maccarone" or "maccherone". This word is itself derived from ammaccare, meaning crush or beat, used here in reference to the almond paste which is the principal ingredient. It is meringue-based: made from a mixture of egg whites, almond flour, and both granulated and confectionery sugar.

The confectionery is characterized by its smooth, domed top, ruffled circumference (referred to as the "foot"), and flat base. It is mildly moist and easily melts in the mouth.

 

Macarons can be found in a wide variety of flavors that range from the traditional (raspberry, chocolate) to the new (truffle, green matcha tea). The fillings can range from jams, ganache, or buttercream. 

Paris bridges

Sous les Ponts de Paris

Sous les ponts de Paris, lorsque descend la nuit,
Tout's sort's de gueux se faufil'nt en cachette
Et sont heureux de trouver une couchette,
Hôtel du courant d'air, où l'on ne paie pas cher,
L'parfum et l'eau c'est pour rien mon marquis
Sous les ponts de Paris. 2x
Quel rendez-vous !

My darling why I sing this song
Is easy to explain.
It tells what happens all along
The bridges of the Seine.

The vagabonds go there at night
To sleep all their troubles away,
But when the moon is shining bright
My heart wants to sing it this way.

How would you like to be
Down by the Seine with me
Oh what I'd give for a moment or two
Under the bridges of Paris with you

Darling I'd hold you tight
Far from the eyes of night
Under the bridges of Paris with you
I'd make your dreams come true

Oh chérie, je veux apporter mes bras
Je veux apporter mon cœur
Je veux apporter all my love

Sous les ponts de Paris
Lorsque descends la nuit
Under the bridges of Paris with you
I'd make your dreams come true.

Mercure

Almost 700 Mercure hotels expecting us all around the world.

At Chez Edouard

 

Friendly waiter at Chez Edouard. He could even a little mandarin.

Large salads:

All Salmon Salad
(Mesclun mixed leaves, smoked salmon, salmon in marinade,
fresh salmon, salmon rillettes and citrus fruits)

Gourmet Salad
(Mesclun mixed leaves, morsels of preserved duck,
shavings of foie gras, hard-boiled egg and tomato)

Edouard Salad
(Mesclun mixed leaves, marinated salmon, prawns in cocktail sauce,
avocado, hard-boiled egg and tomato)

Countryside Salad
(Mesclun mixed leaves, cured ham, fresh goat’s cheese,
beetroot, hard-boiled egg and tomato)
 

Dishes on slate :
Ripened cheeses (A.O.C. guaranteed regional origin),
4 pieces, mesclun mixed leaves and a glass of wine
Day’s selection of fine charcuterie, mesclun mixed leaves and a glass of wine
Mixed selection cheese and charcuterie, mesclun mixed leaves
and a glass of wine

Our pasta dishes:
Large serving of pasta with foie gras
Large serving of pasta with fresh and smoked salmon

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Eiffel Tower fun facts

• The Eiffel Tower has 2,500,000 rivets in it.
• The Eiffel tower is 320 meters high and weights 7000 tons. It has 1710 steps. The  first floor is at 57 meters and 360 steps from the ground, the second at 115 meters and 1060 steps from the ground. The third floor  at 274 meters from the ground is only reachable by lift.
• The Eiffel tower was designed by Gustave Eiffel (1832-1923), a French engineer specialized in metallic buildings. Completed in 1889 for the Paris world exhibition, it was built in two years by 132 workers and 50 engineers.
• The Eiffel tower was very nearly demolished in 1909. It was saved by its use as a telecommunication tower. The Eiffel tower is now one of the most famous buildings in the world and welcomes 5.5 millions visitors each year.
• The Eiffel Tower shrinks 6 inches in winter
• The Eiffel Tower was the tallest building in the world when it was completed in 1889.
• The Eiffel Tower was built for the World's Fair to demonstrate that iron could be as strong as stone while being infinitely lighter.
• This is how you say Eiffel Tower in Spanish. Torre de Eiffel
• Did you know that the Eiffel Towers restaurant seats 200 people? The restaurant gets its name from it being 95 meters above sea level. By the way the name of the restaurant is Altitude 95.
• It took a team of 25 painters to paint the Eiffel Tower.
• It took a year and a month just to build the Eiffel Tower. (From April 1888 - May 1889).
• Protecting the Eiffel Tower from rust requires the application of 50 tons of paint every seven years.
• In 1925, a con artist sold the Eiffel Tower for scrap - twice!
• Solar heating can causes the Eiffel Tower to expand up to 3.25 in.
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Paris

Can you spot the Eiffel tower?

The Place de la Concorde (French pronunciation: [plas də la kɔ̃kɔʁd], is one of the major public squares in Paris, France. In fact, in terms of area, its 8.64 hectares (21.35 acres) make it the largest square in the French capital. It is located in the city's eighth arrondissement, at the eastern end of the Champs-Élysées.

At Charles de Gaulle Airport

What's this?

I simply love this crystal-clear globe.

My camera during my Europe trip

My girl gave this camera to me as a gift.  It would come in handy as my own camera is down..

 Canon power shot A3100

It is image stabilizer. 4x optical zoom.12.1 mega pixels

Thanks, girl..

Wow, this camera is awesome. I took plenty of pictures in Europe.