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

Barcelona, Spain

Recently I had a chance to attend IOT World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. After finishing the conference, Anita and Anish joined me in Barcelona and we spent the long weekend in this lovely Spanish city on the coast of northeastern Spain. I visited this city when I was a student and nice to explore this city again with the family. The architecture, the beachfront, the restaurants, the warmth of the people, the blue skies are simply breathtaking in this great city. The Olympic Stadium, the fortress at Montjuic, FC Barcelona stadium, Sagrada Familia are some of the top attractions in the city. We took the city bus tour and hopped in and out of the various destinations. The city is well connected with Metros, Trams, Cable cars. The sea food restaurants with Spanish Tapas is something one shouldn’t miss out here.

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Hoechenschwand, Black Forest Area

Hoechenschwand is a town in the district of Waldshut in Baden-Wuerttemberg in Germany. Anita’s summer company outing took place in a beautiful resort in Hoechenschwand. The various team events, the amazing buffet lunch, BBQ dinners, the drinks and the fantastic weather made it a day to remember in the summer 2019. The Black forest region is a picturesque area of Baden-Wuerttemberg and Hoechenschwand is definitely one of the great location in Schwarzwald with lush green meadows and panaromic view of the Alps from a distance. 

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Oberwiesenthal/ Dresden

Oberwiesenthal is a ski resort in the district of Erzgebirgskreis in Saxony in Germany. It is situated in the Ore mountains, on the border with Czech Republic. Angela and Torsten took us to this place during the Christmas Holidays of 2018. We took the cable car and went to the top which gives a panaromic view of the Erzgebirgskreis. The drive from Chemnitz to Oberwiesenthal is a great experience with picturesque meadows and valleys around. We also had a chance to explore Dresden during this trip. Its one of the city which was heavily bombed during the second world war. The Frauenkirche, the opera house, Dresden Castle are some of the prominent places to visit in Dresden. Anish enjoyed the Dinosaur museum in Dresden. 

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Todtnauberg, Black Forest Area

Todtnauberg is a German village in Black Forest in Baden-Wuerttemberg and a famous Ski resort in the black forest area. Anish had his first Skiing lessons in Todtnauberg which is around 45 minutes’ drive from our home. The town is within hiking distance of Feldberg, the highest point in the Black Forest, and its open, well sunlit valley helps sustain its popularity as a destination for skiing in the winter and hiking in the summer. Definitely a place to be for a day’s picnic.

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Hamburg/Lueneburg - Summer 2019

During the summer of 2019, I had a chance to visit Hamburg and Lueneburg with Anish without mommy. It was the first time that I travelled with Anish without his mom. It turned out really fantastic and Anish thoroughly co-operated with me during the entire trip. I took Anish to the hospital where he was born and it was simply nostalgic. My good friend Prabu arranged for a trip to Heide Park and Animals Park in Lueneburger Heide. Anish enjoyed the holidays with his fellow Lueneburger Nitika and also with Pari in Harburg. It was nice to catch up with many friends in Hamburg and Lueneburg as its like second hometown for me since I spent my first time outside India as a student and close to around 8 years in and around Hamburg. Finally I succeeded to manage Anish for the whole week without Mommy :)

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Cycling & Swimming in the Rhine

Cyling long distance is one hobby which I picked up in Europe and I thoroughly enjoyed cycling during the Covid lockdown times for about an hour daily in the evening. The Covid lockdown gave me a great chance to explore the nearby areas which gave me a surprise that lovely places do exists also in the nearby location. One such place is Sonnenberg which is around 8 to 10 kms from my home.  Swimming in the Rhine River with Wickelfisch in summer is a customary event in Basel. I did quite a few times during the summer from Tinguely Museum till Dreirosenbrucke and it was a fascinating experience. There is no need to swim and the downstream water simply takes you to the destination. I couldn’t imagine doing this in the Elbe river in Hamburg. 

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S