Blogs from North-East, Switzerland, Europe - page 2

The next step in the Switzerland discovery for Nui and the rediscovery for Nenad was a stay in the hamlet of Arvenbuehl located about 10 min drive up the mountain from Amden, which itself is positioned high up overlooking the Walensee. In Arvenbuehl we stayed in a chalet with innovative architectural features, very unusual for this region. No wonder it was build and is owned by a retired teacher from Seattle, USA, who runs it as a B&B. Its called 'Mountain Chalet' and has the most amazing mountain views from your bed. A cool way to wake up in the morning. Nearby is the Hotel Restaurant Arvenbuehl, who has an amazing cuisine, especially a Roeschti (a local potato dish), which will make you jodle :-) Arvenbuehl sits at the end of the mountain range called Churfuersten, ... read more

Despite the March cancellation of our initially planned wedding, due to travel restrictions, lock-down and virus dictatorship, we have finally been able to say "yes" on July 3, 11:00 AM in Wil, Switzerland. Nui has decided to be called Butri Benko, keeping her nick name Nui of course. And I have also decided to continue to be called Benko :-). We are pleased to send you some pictures taken at the wedding. It was a small ceremony (bigger ones are not allowed yet anyway) with close friends and family. Alfred Koecher a friend Nenad knows since 1986, acted as Nenad best man, Sirinya Hauser, a university friend of Nui, was her bridesmaid. It was absolutely lovely to see the two Thai ladies being dressed in their traditional silk robes, something the Wiler community does not get ... read more

Pfingsten und super Wetter, was will man mehr. Wir benutzten den Pfingstsonntag für eine kleine Wanderung zum „Biotop Uehlinger“, welches im Wald oberhalb von Neunkirch liegt. Die kleine Wanderung starteten wir an einem Wanderparkplatz im Wald, von dem aus das Biotop in Rund 40 Minuten zu erreichen ist. Die ersten 20 Minuten führen über einen schmalen Trampelpfad, der als Wanderweg markiert ist - was aber die Mountainbike Fahrer nicht abhält diesen auch zu befahren. Die restlichen 20 Minuten führt der Wanderweg über eine nicht geteerte Waldstrasse. Da man (glücklicherweise) nicht bis zum Biotop mit dem Auto gelangen kann ist man dort meist alleine. Im Biotop befinden sich viele ehemalige Bohnerzgruben, die durch das ausgraben von *Bohnerz im vorletzten Jahrhundert entstanden sind. In diesen sammelt sich nun das Regenwasser und lässt so kleine Teiche entstehen. In denen ... read more

When the hotel wrote me last week to say they were having a big private do tonight, restaurant closed, lots of music, "expect some noise" until 2 am. I sorta flipped out. Expect noise? At their prices? So I asked, and they promised a room Higher up, quieter. Top floor with private terrace at the same price, thank you very much indeed. That will do nicely. Maybe I shouldn't have asked so fast. Half an our ago, as we lay here reading, somebody started up a muffled, big band version of "Heartbreak Hotel". (oh, dear.) I opened the window. It WAS a big band. A pretty good one, playing in the square just below us. Next we got Begin The Beguin, followed by about six other numbers. They are gone now, but we enjoyed our private ... read more

I took a different way into the city today - go figure there was some demonstration so my tram was detoured and of course all the announcements were only in German. I followed my GPS dot on Google Maps and hoped for the best lol. Thankfully the detour ended two stops before my stop. I love taking trams, btw. It gives you a more intimate view of the city - little neighborhoods, people getting their groceries, kids dribbling ice cream everywhere, all that good stuff lol. Anyway, I ventured out on my boat cruise today - stifling hot in the sun, so it was gorgeous on the water and the breeze did absolute wonders. I made sure to sit in the shade - it's the first time I've been chilly all week! I was so content ... read more