Photography & travel

LAUSANNE – MCBA

Last week of March and preparing to go skiing in Chandolin for a week. But before we leave, we’re going to soak up some culture at the Musée Cantonal des Beaux-Arts in Lausanne. It’s just around the corner, so we don’t even need to put on a coat in this mild spring weather. The museum was designed by Estudio Barozzi Veiga and opened his doors during Covid-19 in October 2019. The Estudio also did 5 projects in Belgium; Antwerp, Brussels, Nieuwpoort, Kortrijk and Knokke-Heist. Something new to visit and added to our to-do list, or wish list. The first thing …

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CINDY SHERMAN @ PLATFORM 10

Platform 10 at Lausanne is one of a kind. It combines 3 museums and 2 foundations (MCBA – mudac – Photo Elysée) on the same premisses. And when they have Cindy Sherman on display we didn’t hesitate to have a look. Cindy Sherman is an American artist who examine themes of representation and identity. Although almost always present in her work, she is never the subject of it. The works presented are photographs of individual parts of her face which are digitally cut & paste into a new composition. The museum (mudac – Photo Elysée) itself is well worth a …

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BATTLE OF THE COWS

On our way back to Lausanne i wanted to stop at Martigny to watch ‘les combats des reines’ or the battle of the cows. It’s really something special. A few years ago, I had the pleasure of attending a combat, but my wife never seen one before. It was the perfect opportunity to show her. The Swiss call the Cow fighting a sport. It involves cows of the Hérens breed, and it is organised in canton Valais, Switzerland, where it is listed as a living Swiss tradition. It’s actually natural behaviour. As the Hérens cow has a lively temperament, you …

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MORCOTE & GANDRIA

About 10 kilometres outside of Lugano you will find Morcote, a small village with a beautiful lake view. Morcote was founded around 1100. At that time, a castle was born to protect and control trade on the lake. 300 years later the church of Santa Maria del Sasso was built. Visible from afar. Visiting the church does not come without an effort, 404 steps separate you from the entrance. But once you reach the top, you will be rewarded with a magnificent panorama. North-East of Lugano lies Gandria, glued to the surrounding hillside of lake Lugano. Access to the village …

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VALLEMAGGIA & VERZASCA

To escape the hustle & bustle of the city, we drove towards destination nature, Vallemaggia. It is one of the most beautiful nature reserves that winds its way through the Alps from Lake Maggiore. We decided to hike from Bignasco to Mondada. It is not the most challenging hike but the natural surroundings are beautiful. After a few hundred meters, parallel with the road, starts a hiking trail. A small rocky path covered in moss beneath the green canopy of oak and beech trees. The whole valley is a sparsely populated area, with approximately 9 people per square kilometre. Which …

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ASCONA – LUGANO

Sometimes everything just works out fine. Ascension on a Thursday, Friday a bridge day and you have a nice long weekend just like that. And with a promising weather forecast we didn’t hesitate at all. Let’s drive to Lugano! You’re still in Switzerland but you’ll get a different experience. More on that later.We decided to take the shortest route possible, not only to save on battery juice, but to experience the Simplon pass. We crossed it around 8:30 in the morning. Perfect timing. The sky was mediterranean ocean blue and traffic fluid. Although it is already spring, there was still …

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LES GORGES DU DAILLEY

An extraordinary walk in a setting that is wild yet easy walkable made possible by a group of enthusiastic volunteers. That’s exactly what we did a year after the route was re-opened for the public. It got partially destroyed in April 2021 by a 4 cubic rock rolling down. We climbed around 600 steps to conquer a 186m height difference with gorgeous views. The history of the path goes back to 1895. In the 1940-ies it got destroyed because of the construction of the Salanfe dam. In 1990 the AAGB (Association des Amis des Granges et du Biolley) saw the …

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WINTER scene

Winter is a forgiven season. Even a thin layer of snow is able to cover the worlds ugliness. But on the other hand, it also makes other beauty stand out because of this.It also provides peacefulness and a certain divinity. On my way to Lausanne, somewhere between Baumes-les-dames and Lure, i spotted a pair of beautiful chestnut-coloured horses. Research learned they are horses of the Haflinger breed. An ideal moment to park the car and shoot some pictures. During the photoshoot they acted as professional models and walked slowly towards me. As they walked, one of the horses, slightly ahead, …

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Genève un après-midi culturel

Quoi faire when the sky is heavy and you’re longing for some brain food.Visit a museum. Or even better, visit 2 museums!Musée d’Art et d’Histoire and MAMCO it is.The clock on the Musée d’Art et d’Histoire’s facade is actually a counter, counting down to the end of the world. To be more precise, the extinction of the sun. Switzerland is not really known for its museums, nor are they numerous, but sometimes you still get surprised. Our first visit was so-so, but the second one was yippie.The building itself has a lot of grandeur but the collection is missing an …

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PAUL KLEE

What to do on a cloudy & rainy day. Just stay in bed, read a book or visit a museum? We decided to go for the last option, after we stayed a bit longer in bed as usual, and drove to Bern. Destination Zentrum Paul Klee. The building on it’s own is already a piece of art. It blends wonderfully well with the surrounding area. It sits half hidden in the ground, and what is visible looks like a set of rolling hills. Design is from Renzo Piano. Paul Klee, was a Swiss born German artist. At age of 1 …

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