David Kotz

Alpine view

Morning views from Zürichberg.

We are blessed with a view of the Alps from our flat, across the historic district of Zürich, the northern tip of Zürichsee (lake), and beyond the forested ridgeline that separates us from the valley to the west. On a clear morning, like today, it’s a delightful view (below).

Even better, my normal morning walking route takes me straight up the hill behind our flat, nearly to the top of “Zürichberg”, the forested ridgeline that separates us from the valley to the east. It has a lovely viewpoint, from which I have posted many photos (notably, a series of beautiful sunrises in December).

Today, I thought it would be nice to bring you a bit closer to that view, with a 10-second video panorama… including the sound of birdsong and joggers out for their morning run. Enjoy!

Nightingales

The nightingales sing us awake every morning.

It’s 5:22 A.M. Time to wake up! sings a bird loudly from its perch in the chestnut tree outside my window. I sleep with the windows cracked open all night, so the early morning lights and sounds tend to wake me early. As spring arrived, I noticed the arrival of a new bird, one with an incredibly complex, non-repeating song, one I’d never heard before. It was mesmerizing to listen to it chatter away in complete paragraphs, then pause and listen for a response from a distant colleague on a tree down the street. I’m used to the early-morning birdsong back in New Hampshire – where it seems hundreds of birds start their mornings at 4:30am every June – but never before have I heard a song quite this entrancing. Read on, and listen.

Continue reading “Nightingales”

dr Rossmischteler – Röthlisberger

A self-portrait by Röthlisberger.

Today, a self-portrait by Röthlisberger, depicting a rather unusual boyhood occupation.

Hüttchopf ridgeline hike

A beautiful walk through forests and meadows on a clear spring day.

Okay: enough of the “street hiking” in Zürich. It’s time to get back out on the trails and in the woods! It rained the past three days, clearing the air of the haze that accumulated during the long March-April dry spell. Given a sunny forecast, a quiet Sunday morning, and an intriguing route, I hopped a (nearly) empty train to the outskirts of Zürich Canton. An hour later I was walking past the church of the tiny village of Fischenthal, its bell tolling for a service that cannot be held, and then off the road onto a steep dirt track through a pasture. Read on for the full story and more photos.

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Return of the pansies

Another experiment with macro.

I went back to that patch of pansies on a new day to see if I could do a bit better with exposure, depth of field, composition, and other aspects of my photography. I’ve added the best to the macro gallery starting here; below, you see I found another visitor.

d’Gärtnere – Röthlisberger

A commissioned piece by Röthlisberger.

Another interesting statue by Röthlisberger, from the installation on Zürichberg.

Macro snail

Not the fastest critter I’ve ever photographed.

Now that my “hiking” constitutes long walks through the streets of Zürichberg’s hillside neighborhoods, I need to keep an eye out for the smallest of photographic opportunities. Today, I nearly stepped on one as I walked out the front door.

This little fellow was cruising across the path, literally 2 meters from our building door. I put on my macro lens, lay down next to him, and popped off a hundred photos. At one point he looked right at me – yes, I think those are eyes on stalks – just the thing any wildlife photographer loves to see in a subject. Indeed, this subject also had the advantage of moving more slowly than the pansies I shot yesterday. He was making his way around and over the colorful white & red blossoms dropped by the chestnut tree outside our window.

He is perhaps 5cm long when fully extended.
I’ve added full-res photos to the Macro gallery.

Macro pansy

Experimenting with a macro lens.

I’ve done very little macro photography, but while the flowers are blooming in Zürich it seemed to be a good time to pull out that macro lens (thanks dad!) and experiment a little. I found a bed of pansies, beautifully deep purple and dripping from a recent drizzle. Sitting on the sidewalk, while passers-by snickered at me, I snuck in close to these pansies and explored different approaches. Here are a few favorites – I often found it more interesting to zoom in on a droplet, or part of a petal, than on the whole flower. I have a long ways to go to get the right exposure, depth of field, and crisp imagery. Maybe tomorrow.

Same photos (full-res) in the gallery.

Fountain cat

Even the housecats enjoy Zurich’s many public fountains.

Finally, after more than six weeks without more than a drizzle, it’s raining. I went for a walk, as usual, but was diverted by some road construction and ended up on a path that tucks into the entrance to the neurology clinic at the nearby university hospital. There is a truly lovely fountain there, and I was not the only visitor. Like all of the many public fountains in Zürich, the water is fresh and drinkable.

s’Alperösli – Röthlisberger

Röthlisberger statue highlighting a former method of making a living.

A delightful Röthlisberger statue, again highlighting a former method of making a living. Here, a girl who sells flowers roadside at the top of Alpine mountain passes – with a view of the Alps in the background.