BERNER OBERLAND - AUGUST 1986

A TOUR IN BEAUTIFUL SWITZERLAND

The Bernese Oberland is one of the most beautiful places in Switzerland and in the Alps! The Interlaken region is wonderful and the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau mountains are awesome. Here we'll see mostly a journey towards the Jungfraujoch, said to be the Top of Europe in winter times!! It started and ended at Interlaken and used one of the most famous routes of the unbeatable Swiss Railways: Interlaken Ost - Lauterbrunnen - Wengen - Kleine Scheidegg - Jungfraujoch - Grindelwald - Interlaken Ost!!


"INTERLAKEN - Nestled between Lakes Thun and Brienz at an altitude of 570 metres above sea level and boasting a fantastic view of the Jungfrau Massif, Interlaken is the ideal departure point for a tour of the region. Like Felix Mendelssohn wrote: «If you haven’t seen the Interlaken countryside, you haven’t seen Switzerland»"


"LAUTERBRUNNEN - Famous for its waterfalls and for the huge and much needed parking for all those heading to the car-free villages of Wengen and Mürren..."


"WENGEN - In the fog..."


"WENGENALP - An alpine meadow at an elevation of 1874m"




"KLEINE SCHEIDEGG - Twenty years and twenty pounds less... At least..."


"KLEINE SCHEIDEGG - At an altitude 2061 m, the pass between the Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald Valleys, lies directly beneath the trio: Eiger, Mönch & Jungfrau"



"JUNGFRAU RAIL - From Kleine Scheidegg the Jungfrau Railway climbs to the station at Eigergletscher and then the trip continues through the Eiger tunnel to the stations at Eigerwand and Eismeer. The large observation windows provide spectacular sightseeing of the solid Alpine rock"



"JUNGFRAUJOCH - At an amazing 3454 metres, this is Europe's highest-altitude railway station! And there one may find the Ice Palace, the Ice Gateway, the Sphinx observation terrace, the Plateau for hikes in the eternal snow, the «Top of Europe» Glacier Restaurant and the High Alpine Research Exhibition..."


"JUNGFRAU - But the best is the mountain!!



"GLACIER - The Jungfrau-Aletsch-Bietschhorn region, listed in the UNESCO's World Heritage List, is the most glaciated part of the Alps. Here we find the Aletsch Glacier, Europe’s longest, and a whole range of classic glacial features including U-shaped valleys, glacial basins, horn peaks and moraines"

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"GRINDELWALD - A bit blurred..."

THE ENGLISH RIVIERA - AUGUST 1986

FROM DÜSSELDORF (APRIL 1986) TO EXETER (AUGUST 1986)

After the wet 1985 summer in Ireland, I had a quiet travel year and stayed most of the time at home. In April 1986 nonetheless, I had a professional trip to Düsseldorf. The only views I had, however, further to my room at the old Breidenbacher Hof Hotel (before the new owners from Kuwait had torn it down and built a brand new one) were these two lousy pictures taken from the room where meetings were held!"



"DÜSSELDORF - I wonder where Peter was on these days..."

***

In August 1986, I went back to the University. Actually, I attended a conference on European Law (Portugal had just acceded to the European Communities), which took place at the University of Exeter, in Exeter, Devon, United Kingdom! On its margins, I profited to have a look at what is known as the English Riviera, the area around Torquay!



"THE CAMPUS - It is said that the University of Exeter has one of the most beautiful campuses in England, in one of the most beautiful counties in Britain"


"THE PROSPECT INN - A bar and restaurant at Exeter Quay"


"WHARFINGERS HOUSE - The Wharfingers Office was built in 1778 to house the City's harbour master. From 1981 it housed the Exeter Quay and Canal Trust, formed to develop the Quay and Canal area"


"EXE RIVER - It was responsible for the development of Exeter city in medieval times"


"ROYAL CLARENCE HOTEL - The historic Hotel is located in the heart of Exeter's Cathedral Yard"


"CATHEDRAL - The Anglican cathedral in Exeter is the seat of the bishop of Exeter. The original cathedral, dedicated to Saint Peter, dates from 1050; the present building was completed by 1400, and has the longest uninterrupted vaulted ceiling in England"


"MOL'S COFFEE HOUSE - It is said that Mol's was a coffee house opened by an Italian in the 16th century. In addition, it's also said that Drake, Raleigh and Hawkins met to discuss their victory over the Armada, in the upper room of Mol's. However, it seems that much of the history of this building was concocted by a Mr Worth, who ran a gallery from the premises in the late 19th and early 20th century. In 1986, it was occupied by the jewellers Nottingham and Walsh, but they also left the premises some time later. It seems that the present occupier is Connection South West, a high-class boutique that sells everything from Mont Blanc pens to expensive handbags..."



"SHOPPING STREET - Is C&A still named for Cheap & Awful?"


"ST. STEPHENS CHURCH on High Street was probably built by a wealthy patron for the use of his family. The church was first mentioned in 1086, although the crypt is probably of Saxon origin. In 1658, Cromwell decreed that all churches in Exeter be closed apart from four. St Stephen's was then sold, to be used as a stable. Four years later, St Stephen's was in the process of restoration when it was destroyed by fire. In 1664, the people of the parish rebuilt the church"


"EXETER WAR MEMORIAL - Dedicated on 29th April, 1923, it is considered to be one of the finest of its type. It shows figures in bronze of a soldier at rest, a sailor, a prisoner of war, a group of Exeter men with prisoners of war in Germany and a nurse. The 2.5 metre high figure of Victory trampling over the Demon of Tyranny and Wrong stands on the top of the granite pedestal. A bronze plaque is dedicated to the 958 men and women of Exeter who died between 1914 and 1918. Additional bronze plaques for the dead of the Second World War were also included"


"EXETER"




"DARTMOUTH is a town in Devon. It is a tourist destination set on the banks of the estuary of the River Dart, also famous for its Royal Regattas"



"TORQUAY is a city at Torbay, an east-facing bay and natural harbour, at the western most end of Lyme Bay. It lies 26 kilometres south of Exeter and 61 km north-east of Plymouth. Tourist authorities call it the English Riviera on account of its beaches and mild climate"

GOODBYE IRELAND - AUGUST 1985

SOMEWHERE IN IRELAND, THE WETLAND!

By the end of our tour the weather improved a little bit; a way to try to bring us back one day...



"ENNISKILLEN CASTLE, located by the River Erne in County Fermanagh, was built in the fifteenth century by Gaelic Maguires. It was strategically important throughout its history, as it was the guard of one of the few passes into Ulster. In the 17th century it became an English garrison fort and later served as part of a military barracks"


"DERRAGARRA INN - According to the publicity in the Internet, «The main bar & restaurant will cater for 70 people in comfort and style. The Auld Bar is a separate function room for private parties, so why not have your birthday, christening or any other celebration here. Outside, there is a beautiful wooden decked area overlooking the River Annaly, where you can eat & drink with only the geese to disturb you». Impressed?"


"RIVER ANNALY - As the picture was next to the Inn, I believe this is the Annaly River. Correct me if I'm wrong..."


"TOURIST GROUP arriving at Newgrange"


"NEWGRANGE - The Megalithic Passage Tomb at Newgrange in County Meath was built about 3200 BC, thus being more than 500 years older than the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt, and predating Stonehenge by about 1,000 years. It's the most famous of all Irish prehistoric sites and one of the most famous in the world"


"ENTRANCE STONE - Named «one of the most famous stones in the entire repertory of megalithic art», the entrance stone includes a triple spiral motif found only at Newgrange and repeated along the passage and again inside the chamber"


"ROOFSTONE - According to Wikipedia this motif «is reminiscent of the triskelion motif of the Isle of Man, of ancient Sicily and of several passage tombs on the island of Anglesey in North Wales»"


"WINTER SOLESTICE - The passage and chamber of Newgrange are illuminated for some 17 minutes at sunrise on the Winter Solstice and for a few minutes in the mornings either side of the Winter Solstice. A shaft of sunlight shines through a specially contrived opening, known as a roofbox, which is directly above the main entrance, and penetrates the passage to light up the chamber. Nowadays, the phenomenon occurs four minutes after sunrise, but calculations show that when it was built, the event would have occurred right at sunrise"


"CARROUSSEL - Always loved merry-go-rounds..."




"CHURCHES - Somewhere in Ireland. Maybe some Irish expert will identify the temples..."



"NICE COTTAGES"

***

LONDON STOPOVER

On the way out from Ireland, we made a stopover in London. St. James Park was at its best!


"ST. MARTIN IN THE FIELDS and the wonderful concerts of the Academy conducted by Neville Marriner; try Vivaldi's Four Seasons..."



"ST. JAMES PARK, probably my favourite park in London..."