Paragliding in Brunni

Paragliding, Sky diving, Bungee jumping: The three different sports activities which I always wanted to try before I die. Recently had a chance to try Paragliding in Brunni region along with my friend Prabu who gave great motivation to try this. Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure. The pilot sits in a harness or lies supine in a cocoon-like 'speed bag' suspended below a fabric wing. Wing shape is maintained by the suspension lines, the pressure of air entering vents in the front of the wing, and the aerodynamic forces of the air flowing over the outside. 

Despite not using an engine, paraglider flights can last many hours and cover many hundreds of kilometres, though flights of one to two hours and covering some tens of kilometres are more the norm. By skillful exploitation of sources of lift, the pilot may gain height, often climbing to altitudes of a few thousand metres. My pilot was very flexible and he removed all the fear from me and he took exceptional photos from the top. The weather was fantastic and we got a great panaromic view of the Alps. Certainly an experience to remember throughout my life.

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Apple Picking - Grenzach Whylen

In autumn 2020, we had a chance to perform Apple and Peach picking at Obsthof Drechsle near Grenzach-Whylen, Germany. It was a great experience to pluck the Apples and Peaches directly from the trees, put it in the cart and later purchase them. We had this similar experience of Apple picking in New Jersey when Anish was 2.5 years old. After you visit these gardens, there will be apple juice in the table everyday which gets really monotonous at times ;) Perfect spot to spend a sunny weekend.

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Morschach & Stoos - Schwyz

My good friend Prabu visited me from Lueneburg in Summer 2020 and we had a chance to explore some scenic locations nearby. We had a chance to visit Morschach and Stoos an alpine village located in Canton Schywz in Central Switzerland, about 45 mins from Zürich or Luzern. To reach the village, you ride the steepest funicular train in the world. While going up we took the cable car from Morschach to Stoos and while coming down we took the steepest funicular bahn from Stoos to Schwyz. 

The Fronalpstock at the top of Stoos is a breathtaking view which gives the panaromic view of the lake of Lucerne. We visited this same place in Winter and it’s a totally a different landscape and different world altogether. The restaurants at the top of these mountains are simply amazing and it’s always a great feeling to dine when the nature speaks nearby. The weather was fantastic and it’s always nice to catch up with a friend after a long period of time. Thanks Prabu for the great company and the lovely conversations during the trip. 

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Oeschinensee - Kandersteg

We had a chance to visit Oeschinensee on Swiss National Day – August 1st 2020. It is a lake in Bernese Oberland, 4km east of Kandersteg in the Oeschinen valley. The lake is fed through a series of mountain creeks and drains underground. We had a chance to do row boating in this beautiful lake and it was steaming hot around 37 C – the hottest day of the year. A gondola lift from Kandersteg leads to Oeschinen and 25 minutes’ walk leads you to the lake. The lake is also part of the Jungfrau-Aletsch-Bietschhorn UNESCO World heritage site. The lake is generally frozen during five months from December to May. From time to time ice skating is possible on the ice. 

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Tierpark in Arth-Goldau

Arth is a village, a town, and a municipality in Schwyz District in the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland. The municipality consists of the villages Arth, Oberarth, and Goldau. In summer 2020, I had a chance to visit Tier Park in Arth-Goldau with my son. This tierpark is situated in the convergence of two mountains in a scenic breathtaking view of the Alps and in the area which was devastated by the Goldau landslide of 1806. The drive to this tier park was simply fascinating, the weather was fantastic and Anish thoroughly enjoyed the day to the fullest by feeding the animals. Even though we visited many places in summer 2020, Anish favorite place is certainly this tierpark. 

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Kayaking in Yvonand Les Bains

We had a chance to visit a beautiful beach in Yvonand Les Bains, the French side of Switzerland. When the sun is shining on Lake Neuchatel and the waves are lapping softly, it is almost like being at the seaside. My good friend Suresh and his family also accompanied us to this trip and we had a great time Kayaking together in the lake Neuchatel. Anish loved Kayaking with his mom and he already did Kayaking with his friend Aman previously couple of weeks back. The weather stayed decent enough and we played all sorts of games with the ball in the water. A day to remember!

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Wine Tasting & Knight's Castle - Farnsburg

 In summer 2020, I had a chance to attend World Citizen’s event: Wine tasting & Knight’s Castle, one of the very well organized event which I attended. We went to a vineyard near Farnsburg around 30 kms from Basel, where we tasted different wine from different countries with some lovely Cheese and there was a museum which had wines dating back to centuries. We also did trekking to the top of Farnsburg castle in the municipality of Ormalingen in the canton of Basel Land. It is a Swiss heritage site of national significance. Thanks to World Citizen, Stephan and Alejandro for making lovely Candid pictures during the trip. A day to remember!

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Bern - Heart of Switzerland

Bern, the capital city of Switzerland is definitely a great place to live and visit. We have two great family friends: Naresh, Srija and Ujjwala, Prasad in Bern. Whenever you want to visit any touristic place in Switzerland, you always have to touch Bern and it’s certainly in the heart of Switzerland. The historic old town in the centre of Bern became a UNESCO World Heritage site. The river Aare pierces through the city, the crystal clear pristine water when the sun shines is a treat to the eyes. Prasad and Ujjwala took us to the near by peaks with little bit of trekking which gives a great panoramic breathtaking view. Anish and Aman enjoy their company to the core whenever they meet together. Berner zoo is definitely a must see one for the kids. I always enjoy this charming city whenever I visit it and a great positive vibe around it. 

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Bergsee, Bad Saeckingen

During the fall 2020, we had a chance to explore Bergsee a beautiful small lake in Bad Saeckingen. We visited this lake also in summer and did boating in this picturesque lake but it was totally a different landscape in Autumn with colorful leaves and their reflection in the water. Tatjana and Mathias being locals guided us with a short trekking in the forest, there is a small zoo where one can feed the animals, Anish totally enjoyed it. There is a Kletterwald also near by this lake and with all surprises Anish performed it for the first time and finished the first level. It was a beautiful weather and the pictures came almost for a photo frame. Thanks Tatjana and Mathias for organizing this short picnic and it will stay in our memory forever.

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Snow... Sledge... Skating !!

 Snow in Black Forest area and Basel has been difficult to spot out in the last years because of global warming. I still remember I planned for a week vacation to learn Skiing and there was no snow and I went to Hamburg. Fortunately it was snowing few weeks before Christmas and it was indeed a pleasant sight to watch from the window especially the first Snow. We had a chance to visit Tatjana and Mathias at their home in Rickenbach and it’s around 800 m above the sea level. There was heavy snow, we tried Sledge with the kids and of course the great snow fights. 

Another time, we tried the Ice skating near our home with the Skating shoes and I must say it was certainly very difficult if one hasn’t tried in younger age. It’s certainly in my dream that one day I wanted to learn Skiing, Ice Skating at a mediocre level to enjoy the winter time. Let’s not forget I am a tropical guy having brought up near the beaches and not the mountains ;)

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Colmar, France

Recently we had a chance to explore Colmar, a town in the north eastern France near the border with Germany. Its old town has cobblestone streets lined with half-timbered medieval and early Renaissance buildings. The city is on the Alsace Wine Route and local vineyards specialize in Riesling and Gewuerztrainer wines. We had a chance to do boating with scenic architectural buildings across the banks and the weather stayed great throughout the day. Once again Aman and Anish had a great time together in this short picnic. Heard Colmar’s Christmas Market is one of the best in Europe to be visited during Christmas times. Unfortunately, everything got cancelled in 2020 due to Corona pandemic and hoping for a better future in 2021. 

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Halloween 2020

We never had a chance to celebrate Halloween before in western world. This year we had a chance to celebrate Halloween in our home with our good friends Tatjana and Mathias and their kids Emilea and Amaya. It was a great evening with the exercise of peeling the pumpkins, with ghost songs around and some cocktails ;) It has always been a great Halloween celebration in USA than in Europe and the kids love it a lot with visiting different houses and collecting the chocolates. A day to remember..

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Deepavali 2020

Due to pandemic situation in 2020, we couldn’t celebrate Deepavali in a larger group and we celebrated with our good friends – Aman, Ujjwala and Prasad in Bern. In the beginning we had no plans but in the end it turned out to be great celebrations with food, fireworks for the kids and a nice Indian attire after a long time. Anish and Aman from the same age group gel quite well and it makes easy for us to concentrate on our activities :P  We also had a chance to explore Gantrisch, the nearby mountain peak from their place and it was indeed a great trekking experience with the kids. Thanks Ujjwala and Prasad for the great hospitality and certainly a much needed get together during the depressive times.

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Food festivals in Switzerland

Being a great foodie, I thoroughly cherish the food festivals in various cities in Switzerland. These festivals have always been a means of uniting communities through celebrations of harvests and giving thanks for a plentiful growing season. You get a chance to try food from different countries/continents: Asian –Thai, Chinese, Indian: African, Continental all at the same time. We went in different places in Switzerland – Basel, Rheinfelden, Lenzberg etc and it was a great outing during the summer.

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Papiliorama, Bern

I had a chance to take Anish and his friend Naksha to a butterfly dome Papiliorama in Bern where over 1000 exotic butterflies fly freely around the visitors in a lush tropical garden. With their dazzling colours and various shapes and sizes, they offer an enchanting ballet. The other stages in the butterfly’s fascinating life cycle can also be discovered: the hatching of a butterfly from its pupa in the emerging chamber or the eggs and caterpillars in the terrariums. Both Anish and Naksha had a great time exploring this wonderful simulated place and it’s a great day spent.

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Brunni Bahnen – Die Sonnenseite von Engelberg

 

My good Swiss friend Stephan suggested a very good place in the heart of Alps – ‘’Brunni Bahnen – Die Sonnenseite von Engelberg’’. Engelberg is a village resort and a municipality in the canton of Obwalden in Switzerland. We made a joint trip with our good friends from Karlsruhe and Hamburg to this wonderful place and the kids totally enjoyed to the core. The cable car, the 3-seater chair lift and the T-bar lift Schonegg is certainly an experience on its own and takes you to the top of Haerzlisee at around 2000m above the sea level.

There is a beautiful playing area for the kids with the snowcapped mountains nearby and in my opinion Brunni Bahnen had more to offer than the Titlis which is also quite nearby. While coming down, my friend Prabu and I didn’t take the cable car and it was a great trekking downhill in the peak summer with lushgreen grasses and flowers. Prabu and I also did the Paragliding for the first time and it was certainly an experience to remember throughout our life. The weather stayed absolutely fine and it was a day to remember!!

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Lauenensee am Pfingstmontag!!

On a pfingstmontag we had a chance to travel to Lauenensee, the mountain village of Lauenen which lies between Gstaad and the imposing Wildhorn. From here one can walk up to the Lauenensee, a lake widely celebrated in song. The snowcapped mountain with a beautiful lake around in summer is simply breathtaking to the eyes. One can also do trekking up the mountains which gives panoramic view of the lake Lauenensee. It’s around 200 kms from Basel which covered really nice scenic spots on the way and a perfect place for a day’s picnic. 

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Strict Corona Lockdown - Is it needed?

It’s been 8 to 9 months since the lockdown was enforced to us and now comes the second wave with another version of lockdown. I felt I need to pen down the pros and cons of such a controlling measures from a layman’s perspective. People in IT are lucky in this pandemic times to get their paychecks, pay their bills, and continue their life in an acceptable way. But its not too far way that fire will enter the house even there! How about for gastronomy, daily wage workers, hotels, airlines, culture and entertainment industry for their survival especially in developing and under developed nations?

The lockdown has definitely created lot of physiological imbalance in day to day life of numerous people around the world and it has taken a strain on the mental fitness even for people who are strong enough to face the various adversaries. What’s very hard to digest is kids cannot go to school in Asia and US and let me reiterate the fact kids were going to school even during the Second World War. Thanks to the Govt in Germany and Switzerland who made their decision for the schools to function after a break of 8 weeks in March, April. Thank god at least there is no panic news and scientific studies which says kids are dying with this virus. 

Next question which lingers in everybody’s mind will vaccine solve every problems. Is there a light at the end of the tunnel in 2021 and 2022? I doubt whether vaccine will eradicate Corona but it will remove the fear factor which has been instigated in the minds of people and it’s not far way that everybody needs a Corona vaccinated stamp in the passport like a school certificate. Hurry up Pfizer, BioNTech, Astra Zeneca, Moderna. Please finish all your deals with the government and start the punches. World needs it.

I strongly believe in Science and Statistics. I would like everyone to contemplate on the below numbers:

I am sure the numbers will be higher than Corona with people dying with cancer, heart attack and other ailments. I can totally understand the various demonstrations against these measures in various parts of the world. Critics can argue it’s mainly to stop the influx of patients in the hospital and all my friends who are doctors advised me not to come to hospital if you are infected unless and otherwise you are struggling to breathe and situation becomes worse.

I don’t want to sound philosophical because the numbers can be mere numbers in the news as long as it hits our own kith and kin and sincere condolences to all who lost their beloved ones in these tough times. Heartfelt thanks and salute to all the Covid warriors in the health sector and I haven’t contributed even 1% what you guys have done in these tough times.

This article is definitely not meant to propagate to everyone to break all the social distancing and go back to normal. Definitely not. Social distancing with acceptable day to day life, quarantining if infected, till the situation returns to normal. I strongly believe in my biology’s teacher remarks ‘Survival of the fittest’ and if we can’t survive in this world without vaccines and I think destiny is the answer. I hear the phrase from many people rather than dying at home let me die with Corona by doing something for my family! Let’s fight Corona but not stupidity. I am extremely sorry if I hurted the sentiments of anyone. Eagerly waiting for a better tomorrow in the history of mankind.

Prevention is better than cure !!

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Malta, Mediterranean Wonder

During the Christmas holidays of 2019, we had a chance to explore Malta – Southern European island country in the Mediterranean Sea. There is a direct flight from Zurich to Valletta, the capital city of Malta. The official and national language is Maltese and English is the second official language. We rented a car in Malta and explored some of the beautiful landscapes with blue skies and the Mediterranean waters along the shores. Besides the water front, Malta offers various attractions with Historical Museums, Forts, and Aquariums.  

The ferry from Valletta to Gozo is a great experience and the car can be embarked in to the ship. The country is an archipelago but the three biggest islands are Malta, Gozo and Comino. The scenic spots always remembers me the famous Tamil movie ‘Vinnaithandi Varuvaya’ where the song Hosanna was completely shot here. The weather was fantastic even during December and definitely an island to explore in the Mediterranean Sea. 

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Stoos, Skiresort

Anita’s firm’s winter outing took place in Stoos. It is a village in the municipality of Morschach. It lies at 1,300 meters in the Swiss canton of Schwyz and has about 100 inhabitants. It is used as a small ski resort with a cable car leading to the Fronalpstock. I tried Snow wandering with Snow shoes and it was a tremendous experience to explore the white capped mountains with two sticks and snow shoes. I can strongly recommend Snow wandering for people who found Skiing and Snowboarding difficult. It was a great weekend stay in Stoos with food, drinks, accommodation taken care by Anita’s company for the whole family. 

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

August 1, Swiss National Day

August 1st is Swiss National Day and it’s a public holiday throughout Switzerland. I had a chance to celebrate the fireworks along the shores of river Rhine with Florian and his good friends. The fireworks lasted for around 15 minutes with all the lights switched off nearby. It was a gala atmosphere in the whole of Switzerland. After the fireworks, we had a chance to hit the dance floor and it was a day to remember. Founding of the Swiss Confederation in 1291 Since 1891, the first of August has been celebrated as Swiss National Day. The date refers to a historic alliance concluded in 1291 by the three cantons of Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden. This alliance was to become the focal point around which the Switzerland of today was built over the next 500 years.

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Gruyères, Schweiz

Gruyères is a town in the canton of Fribourg in Switzerland. The medieval town is an important tourist location in the upper valley of the Saane/Sarine river and gives its name to Gruyère cheese. We had a chance to explore this beautiful city with my colleagues and we enjoyed the dining amidst the beautiful serene valley and they spoke mostly in French since it’s the French speaking part of Switzerland. The castle is a picturesque spot in this location and a walk in the downtown is a must in Gruyere and it comes in various films. 

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S