The new site is:

http://blogs.ethz.ch/moore2/

http://blogs.ethz.ch/moore2/
http://blogs.ethz.ch/moore2/

There’s a nice big block of links to make it easier to click.

Hochzeit in German literally means high time, and is their word for Wedding – in case you were wondering.  Last weekend a friend from a long time ago in Tucson – Philipp – got married in Berlin.  Phillipp was a German exchange student at my high school for one year, then I visited him a couple times in Berlin during Euro tours.  When we moved over here I let him know we were now neighbors, only to find out he lives in Chicago.  Oh well.  Anyway, he and his now wife Agata got married in Berlin and we went up to celebrate and say hi, and also see the city.  It was a really fun wedding and good trip all around.

August is a busy month for me with field work… here a few photos from trips over the last weeks. The sites are Randa, Graechen, Walkerschmatt, Aletsch glacier, and the Unteraar glacier.

After work on Friday my co-workers and I took 1 tram, 3 trains, and a rental car to a beautiful, bucolic spot in Switzerland to witness René’s civil wedding ceremony. He and his wife had an enjoyable ceremony filled with dove releasing, Alphorn music, and synchronized Swiss flag waving. At one point we wrote down a promised gift to the new couple and our addresses on orange cards and sent them up to the sky in balloons. If the cards are found and mailed back to us, then we honor our promised gift. Every inch of Switzerland is maintained and looked after, so I think it is a pretty sure bet. The evening was a real Swiss treat for this Amerikanerin. -Jan

Jan and I took a hike last weekend in the Goeschneralp area, for an overnight in a Swiss Alpine Club hut.  These huts are all over the mountains here – some are old and dirty and some new.  This hut turned out to be really nice – old (20s) but clean with friendly owners.  Was a good relaxing weekend and one of Jan’s favorite hikes so far.  Saturday was also the Swiss national holiday, which we celebrated by going to bed at 9.

Fresh back from our annual field course in ‘rock’ engineering geology…

This weekend I joined Valentin, his dad (Othmar), and girlfriend (Patrizia) on a climb of the Bishorn.  The guided climb was a gift from V’s mother to his father, in honor of Othmar’s 59th birthday.  I was lucky to get to come along.

The Bishorn is one of the more accessible Alpine 4000m peaks, but still involves a bit of glacier and crevasse hazard, and our chosen route was a tad spicier than the normal way.  The route first wound up and around the Turtmann glacier and icefall to the Tracuit hut.  The hut was totally full, which it turns out for some people is an invitation to act like a total ass…  And the bathrooms… Otherwise it was a fine hut and a good place to hang out and learn new card games.

Next morning we set out early for the Bishorn.  Super windy up high; on the summit by 8am.  Views were intermittent because of the clouds, and we couldn’t hang around the summit long before getting too cold.  We retraced out steps back to the hut and car, and finally to pork chops and fruit salad waiting for us in Visp.  A good weekend.

route map

Another visit from the folks, our second annual marker of how long we’ve been away.  This time we collectively decided on a practical approach where they took weekday trips on their own (in a sweet Ford focus) and we went out together on the weekends.

Our first trip was to the Gruyeres region (of cheese fame), and to the lake-side vineyards of Lavaux.  Mom arranged a couple good BnB’s for us (one was a barn), and I got to pilot the lame Ford.  We hit Gruyeres just in time for a Renny fair, and Lavaux just as the sun came out.  Mom was crowned Uno champion of the barn.

Next weekend we went to Kandersteg – which you might notice is our new go-to place for Swiss mountain trips.  Kandersteg has a nice quiet atmosphere with few lifts and tourists, but with the same great mountains as some of the more popular areas.  First was a hike into the Gasterntal – we hiked until it rained, then turned around – then the next day to the lake Oeschinensee.  I got to spend some extra time in the hotel room with a migraine while they explored unintended trails near the lake and met some goats.  Mom even rode the lift.

Until next year…

Here are a few miscellaneous pictures taken over the last few weeks from various work trips to Randa and the Matter valley.  The last three are from a trip to the Oeschinensee with Johnny and Leigh.