December 2019 – David Kotz

Favorites of 2019

My favorite photos of 2019.

I had the good fortune to explore many parts of the world in 2019. Along the way, and around my home, I took over 10,000 photographs. You’ve seen many of them in my blog posts, or associated galleries, but I decided to create a gallery of my favorite 75 photos of 2019. I selected them because they are personally important, or photographically pleasing (or both!). You’ll see photos from England, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Italy, South Korea, Malta, Mexico, Switzerland, and the US (New Hampshire, Vermont). Enjoy the slideshow!

Sulzau – ancestral Kotz home

A trip to Germany, and back in time, to discover our family heritage.

Franz_Kotz On a late-winter day more than 180 years ago my great-great-great grandfather walked out of the Main Office of the Kingdom of Württemberg carrying his Heimath-Schein (Certificate of Residence) inside his Wander-Buch (“wandering book”). On that day, March 8, 1830, he was just fifteen years old. This ‘passport’ allowed Franz Kotz to travel beyond his home village of Sulzau – now part of southern Germany. Sulzau, still a tiny village tucked alongside the Neckar river, is just a two-hour drive from Zürich, so we decided to make a quick visit. Read on as we wander the quiet streets of Sulzau, dine in a castle, and dig into our family history.

Continue reading “Sulzau – ancestral Kotz home”

Zermatt and the Matterhorn

Three days, three visits to Zermatt – with very different views of the Matterhorn.

There are few scenes more glorious than the Matterhorn seen from the ski slopes of Zermatt, under sunny skies the day after a snowstorm. I snapped more than five hundred photos in under three days, and was spoiled by some of the best skiing I’ve ever encountered. Read on and check out the photo gallery for more.

Continue reading “Zermatt and the Matterhorn”

Christmas in Zurich

December is a lovely month to be in Zurich.

Zürich really knows how to do Christmas. All the main streets are hung with Christmas lights, ceremoniously illuminated in mid-November, every commercial building (and many residential buildings) are decorated for Christmas. In the early weeks of December there are Christmas markets in all the major plazas – each with dozens of stalls selling seasonal foods, decorations, and beautiful handicrafts. One platz has a “singing Christmas tree” – a tiered riser, decorated with evergreen boughs to look like a Christmas tree, on which choral groups stand to sing Christmas carols. Along the lakeshore, an artist installed a Friedenslicht (peace light) that flickers in the lake breeze. And every café places sheepskin and fleece blankets on their outdoor chairs, so visitors can snuggle while enjoying glüewein or hot chocolate. We took many strolls about town, exploring these sights and smells. On Christmas morning, I walked up to my usual viewpoint, then down through town, along the central avenue to the lakeshore, then back through the narrow alleys of old town. The churches – so numerous – all with their belltowers ringing, called parishioners to morning services. Lovely! We finished the day with a fine dinner at the Dolder Grand Hotel – wow. See the full gallery.

Luzern

A daytrip to explore Luzern and its historic district.

We took a family trip to Luzern – just a brief train ride from Zurich – to explore the famous “Kapellbrücke” (Chapel Bridge, a wooden bridge first erected in the 14th century) and the historic district. It was a cloudy and sometimes drizzly day, but a fascinating place to visit. We enjoyed a fine lunch at Des Alps, along the riverfront, a walk along the historic walls of the old city, and a brief exploration of the stone potholes left by retreating glaciers in the previous ice age. I’ve assembled a gallery of some of my favorite scenes.

Another Uetliberg sunset

Another grand sunset above Zurich.

It appeared that another grand sunset was due to grace Zürich, so my father and I took the train to the top of Uetliberg to capture the view of the Alps. Here is one sample – but check out the gallery for my other favorite photos. If you’re interested in current conditions, check out the webcam view.

Geneva

A day to explore Geneva.

After an evening event speaking to Dartmouth alumni in Geneva, Mara and I had a day to explore the old town and lakefront area. We were fortunate to have a beautiful sunny day, with the city decorated for the Christmas season. Even with such a short visit I feel Geneva is different than Zurich – a different language on all the signs, of course, but also an even more international feeling. Geneva “hosts the highest number of international organizations in the world”, “including the headquarters of many agencies of the United Nations and the Red Cross.”

We wandered the streets of the old town, climbed the towers of Cathédrale de Saint Pierre, ate lunch in the pop-up Christmas Market in the park at la Promenade des Bastions, passed a memorial statue to the founder of the Red Cross, and walked along the lakeshore to view the iconic Jet d’eau and watch the swans (and swimmers!) at Bains des Paquis. We hopped the train back to Zürich before dark so we could view the Alps across the lake as the trained zipped along its northern shore.

A quick visit, but worthwhile. Will need to return someday!

Visit the full gallery for more photos. If you’d like to follow our adventures by RSS or email, click the “Follow” button at right.

Lausanne

A short visit to EPFL in Lausanne.

I made a short visit to EPFL in Lausanne, to give a talk in the Computer Science department. It was also a good chance to catch up with an old chubber friend, who is a professor of geography.

David with Christian Kull '91 in Lausanne. — David with Christian Kull ’91 in Lausanne.

I had a chance for a quick tour of the campus, which is about fifty years old and includes some fascinating architecture – such as the Rolex Learning Center, a curvilinear structure that (to me) evokes a sense of the tiny gears in fine watchworks. That website has much better photos – but here, my photo shows the reflection of the sky and mountains in the windows.

But the most stunning feature of the campus is its spectacular view of the Alps, across Lake Geneva – on this day, mostly clear with a few clouds clinging to some summits. This view is from the rooftop café in the Computer Science building. What a view!

The gallery has full-res photos.

Another beautiful sunrise

Another beautiful sunrise from Zürichberg.

December 15 – Another beautiful morning in Zurich. I’ve added these five photos to the sunrise gallery from earlier this week.

Sunrise view of the Alps from Zürichberg.

Trugberg, Mönch, Eiger, and Jungfrau, as seen from Zürichberg at sunrise.

2019-12-15-76995 — Finsteraarhorn, Lauteraarhorn, Schreckhorn, and Wetterhorn, as seen from Zürichberg at sunrise.

Sunrise view of the Alps from Zürichberg.

Zurich sunset

An incredible sunset from downtown Zürich.

After a beautiful sunrise this morning, we enjoyed an incredible sunset this evening. I was downtown, along the Limmat river, where I caught the best of the few minutes of glory. View the gallery for the best full-screen imagery.