These are the photos I (Chris) took and posted on Facebook. The series was started in March of 2013. There is no theme – just something random and visually interesting. We gave each a title and noted where it was taken (to the extent we could remember the city).
#46 – water power – Los Angeles 
#47 – a flat island on the horizon – Madeira
#48 – LV vespa – New York
random photo #49 – untitled – Red Rock Canyon
random photo #50 – working late or wasting energy – Montreal
There were so much to see at the Salone Internazionale del Mobile 2014 in Milano. I will have quite a few posts …
Poliform was one of the first showrooms I visited. From their very well designed web site :
Poliform’s history is that of a company, despite having achieved an international dimension, nonetheless it has maintained its family character. Established in 1970 as the evolution of a small artisan’s shop dating back to 1942, Poliform invested in new production technologies and the products have successfully evolved into functional and modular systems.
The monochromatic concept looks cool but I am not sure if I want to live in the showcased interiors. The living room sofa set looks functional but lacks design flair. Overall, the ambience is too dark.
Their design would really work well in a NYC loft space with triple height ceiling. On their web site, they explain:
Poliform’s comprehensive production range carries with it the design idea of a ‘Poliform house’ with stylistically compatible component parts; a ‘global project’ for each architectural situation thanks to the exceptional versatility of its modular systems.
Not sure about the book shelf/display unit below. It looks nice in a company’s corporate library but at home ?
Their marble tables looked really good, thin and crispy top with interesting legs, especially this quasi-square coffee table.
Poliform acquired Varenna in 1996. I have always been impressed by Varenna’s dark wood, black-and-white marble, and stainless steel look of their kitchens. Check out Varenna’s web site here.
The monochromatic concept is much more palatable when it is in the kitchen where I expect the food to provide the color in the foreground.
No one would have the same storage jars, cups and bottles.
Their interior and kitchen catalogs were among the most informative and substantial.
I loved the stainless steel backsplash (which we had in Edgewater) and marble work top (our next kitchen) ?
Varenna’s look is very industrial, reminding me of restaurant kitchen, including the galleys we visited on a cruise ship, see our post here.
Overall, Varenna’s kitchen works for me but not the Poliform home as showcased in the Salone. Nevertheless, I like their overall aesthetic principles.
After several attempts to go to the annual Salone Internazionale del Mobile (International Furniture Show) in Milan, I finally made it this year. Sue was traveling with her parents on a trip in Asia so she did not come with me. The event started on April 8 and ended on April 13. The last two days, Saturday and Sunday, are open to the general public. On other days, it is strictly for the trade only.
On the Saturday, I left Lausanne on the 06:17 train and arrived Milano at about 09:30. The train made a special stop at Rho Fiera, the station that serves the fairground where the show is held. It saved me probably an hour or more since I did not have to go to Milano Centrale and change to either a metro or a suburban train.
So I arrived soon after the show opened its doors. General admission was 30 euro. With online pre-registration, it took me very little time to buy a ticket.
The Fiera Milano fairground is one of the largest in the world, according to Wikipedia. Located in the west of Milano, near Rho, it was opened in 2005 with an investment of €755 million.
The complex includes eight pavilions for a total of 3,710,000 sq ft of covered exhibition space and 650,000 sq ft of outdoor space. Forget the numbers, it felt bigger than an airport The web site of the Fiera Rho exhibition center is here.
This area is going to be the site of Expo 2015 – see graphics in photo above. I was hoping to see the one in Shanghai in 2012 but missed it. Given Milano’s proximity, I would definitely come to see it next year.
A central double-level corridor runs east-west in the middle of the fairground with pavilions/exhibition halls lining each of the sides. The top level has an automatic walkway like those that ferry passengers between airport terminals.
This is a map of the fairground.
Built in record time to plans by Italian architect Massimiliano Fuksas, the Rho complex is an avant-garde glass and steel structure.
The glass and steel structure is composed of vortices and wavy surfaces.
There were restaurants, cafes and small shops located in the spaces between the exhibition halls and the central walkway.
Unfortunately, the quality of food in the sit-down restaurants looked no better than shopping mall fast food. I ended up eating a kebab on the lawn outside under the spring sunshine.
One of the exhibition hall is shaped like a UFO circa 1960’s due to its metallic skin and legs. It was the site for Design in Puglia during the Salone.
Underneath the giant creature is a small pool.
From a distance, it looks like the undulating roof above the central walkway has swallowed a small building.
I will take you inside some of these exhibition halls in the next few posts.
In the mean time, take a look at the designer-graphics posters for past Salone which I posted here after I canceled my last attempt to see the Salone.
This is the last post on this wonderful one-day tour of the Jungfrau area. From Interlaken Ost station to Jungfraujoch, one way, it took about 2.5 hours and two changes of trains.
We came back down the mountain using a slightly different route. The trip from Jungfraujoch to Kleine Scheidegg is the same except it took a few minutes less than the ascent. From Kleine Scheidegg (elevation 2,061 m, 6,762 ft), we went downhill via Grindelwald (1,034 m, 3,392 ft) instead of Lauterbrunnen where we started. See the first of five posts here.
For the whole circuit, in total, that is 5 hours of train journeys divided into 6 segments in one day.
A one way, second class fare was CHF50, first class fare is doubled that. Except for hang-gliders or some extreme skiers or hikers, there are no other way down. Considering the comfort, convenience and vertical distance traveled, not to mention views, it was worth it.
There were two stations before reaching Grindelwald: Alpiglen and Brandegg.
Grindelwald is a village/ski resort that has been inhabited since Roman times and was first mentioned in print in the 1100’s.
The tourism industry began in Grindelwald in the late 18th century. Many English came to the village to climb the alpine peaks around the valley. It is the only decent size resort in the area that can be reached by car.
We walked around Grindelwald a bit to stretch our legs. The village is full of hotels, shops and restaurants, and many tour buses too.
From the village, looking back, one can see the way the train comes down the mountain.
Zoomed in.
Can you see the narrow railway cutting through the alpine pastures in the middle ?
We got a different train and continued our way back to Interlaken.
The success of this trip depended critically on the weather which apparently changes constantly and abruptly. It was wise to follow the advice of the tourist information center to wait until it is clear. We were in Interlaken for three days – this was our last day. Those tour groups from abroad do not have the flexibility and may have to miss the Jungfrau altogether.
Now that we have an idea of what the area looks like, planning becomes easier. It would be great if we can spend a week in any one of these villages – Lauterbrunnen, Grindelwald, Wengen, Kleine Scheidegg or the nearby Murren and explore the alps and the alpine meadow and woods on foot.
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This is Jungfrau Circuit #4 post. Jungfraujoch is an under-mountain railway station where the mountain train terminates and one can take different routes to explore the area. The first post of the series is here.
For the 100-year anniversary of the Jungfrau Railway, a 250-metre long adventure tour called Alpine Sensation was inaugurated in 2012. It describes the development of tourism in the Alps and Adolf Guyer-Zeller’s great idea (see photo below) and extreme efforts required to construct the Jungfrau Railway. A short light show with shaking floors – it was quite amusing as we were not expecting it.
There were indoor fast food and fine dining restaurants, and quite a few shops – especially watches -Tissot has a big presence here to show off its Touch series of watches which can measure altitude and atmospheric pressure among other geeky functions. I guess it could be fun to see the altitude number changes as one goes up/down the mountain.
Switzerland is famous for these two things – watches and cows.
This tour viewable on an escalator creates a direct connection from the Sphinx Hall to the Ice Palace – it’s not much of a palace, more a series of inter-connecting ice caverns beneath the glacier.
Cutesy ice sculpture decorates numerous alcoves.
The floor was a bit slippery but it was dry inside despite the shiny surfaces.
The walls of the glacier tunnel looked like marble from a distance.
We thought this might be Sherlock Holmes (smoking a pipe) or the king of the palace.
There are numerous caves and dark passages. The Ice Palace is bigger than the Mer de Glace ice caves near Chamonix – see our earlier post here.
The Ice Palace is a touristy thing so all the diversions get you safely back to the exit.
What’s that directly below the viewing area ?
Zooming in reveals the structure as an “escalator” serving a sledding area. No need to pull the sled back up the hill.
There is really so much winter sporty things to do up here even in the summer.
But it’s time to go down hill and head home. More to come.
This is Jungfrau Circuit #3 – our train journey to the Top of Europe. See part 1 and part 2, here and here.
After Eigerwand, the second and last stop under the mountain is Eismeer. Like Eigerwand, we have 5 minutes to look out through the giant windows. But unlike Eigerwand, all we saw was snow.
Located just behind the south-east face of the Eiger, one can observe the Grindelwald-Fiescher Glacier through the window.
According to Wikipedia, the station opened on 25 July 1905, with the extension of the Jungfraubahn from its previous terminus at Eigerwand station. The building of the line this far had depleted the railway company’s finances, and for the next seven years, Eismeer was to remain the upper terminus. After further fund-raising and an extended construction period, the line was extended to Jungfraujoch station in 1912.
Jungfraujoch is an under-mountain railway station situated below the Jungfraujoch col at 3,454 meters (11,332 ft). It is the lowest point on the mountain ridge between Mönch and Jungfrau.
What a place to do hang-gliding !
But the Jungfraujoch railway station, at an elevation of 3,454 meters (11,332 ft) is the highest railway station in Europe and is connected to the Top of Europe building.
We first heard a roar and a few seconds later, these two jets just flew right pass the Jungfrau. Spectacular flying ! We assume those planes were used for air show or tourism since they were bright red. Lucky that I managed to get a shot of them.
This is the summit of Jungrau – just partially hidden behind clouds. When we first arrived in Interlaken, the tourist office folks told us to wait until the third day when the weather was fairer, otherwise there is nothing to see. Thank you for the advice !
The Sphinx (3,571 meters or 11,716 feet) is a peak that lies just to the east of the col. Try match the two photos above of Jungfrau with the view on the left side of the viewing table.
At one of the vantage points, there were viewing tables in multiple directions which list the Alpine and Jura peaks that are visible. The photo below corresponds to the view on the right side of the viewing table.
Same direction but zoomed in to get a better view of Kleine Scheidegg and the little Fallbodensee.
Looking in another direction at the Great Aletsch Glacier which began at the bottom of this spot and extends 22 km – the longest in the Alps.
A zoomed-in view of the Grosser Aletschglectscher.
There is an elevator to its summit, where a small viewing platform and an observatory.
To a get a sense of how the whole area looks, click on the map below to get a jumbo version.
The tour continues in our next post.
This is part 2 of our trip to the Top of Europe … continuing with our train journey from Interlaken up to Jungfraujoch … see our earlier post here.
Located at Kleine Scheidegg is the Hotel Bellevue des Alpes (building behind the souvenir store). Built in 1840, the Bellevue des Alpes was last extended and renovated in 1948. All the great mountaineers of the 20th century as well as celebrities from society, skiing and the film industry have stayed in this hotel.
The Kleine Scheidegg railway station, which serves the two rack railways, the Wengernalpbahn (since 1893) and the Jungfraubahn (since 1896).
The Wengernalpbahn has two branches: one begins at Grindelwald; the other commences at Lauterbrunnen and climbs to the pass via Wengen.
Click this map to get a bigger image. You will better appreciate what the mountains and the area offer in terms of activities and vistas. Can you find Kleine Scheidegg ?
The Jungfraubahn runs 9 kilometres from Kleine Scheidegg almost entirely within a tunnel built into the Eiger and Mönch mountains and contains three stations, while two are in the middle of the tunnel.
An earlier train that departed Kleine Scheidegg to Jungfraujoch (see photo below). The journey from Kleine Scheidegg to Jungfraujoch takes approximately 50 minutes including the stops at Eigerwand and Eismeer; the downhill return journey taking only 35 minutes.
The first stop is at Eigergletscher at 2,320 m (7,612 ft). There is hardly anything here except the entrance of the tunnel and mountain fresh air.
Mountain air.
Fallbodensee, along the way up, a small pond that is clearly visible from the top.
In case you are wondering, our trip was taken in early September.
We think that is Wengen in the distance – the resort village we passed through a little while ago. Then we entered the long tunnel.
Eigerwand is an underground (or more aptly under-mountain) railway station situated at 2,864 m (9,396 ft). The only access to the station, other than by train, is a door in the sheer face of the mountain. This has, on occasion, been used to rescue mountaineers stranded on the mountain.
The station is situated just behind the famous north wall of the Eiger, and its principal purpose is to allow passengers to observe the view through a series of windows carved into the rock face. The holes were used to remove excavated rock from the tunnel during construction. The photos below were taken from the giant windows through thick glass.
Uphill trains stop at the station for five minutes. One can see Fallbodensee and Kleine Scheidegg in the pictures above and below.
That’s how much we climbed in only a short while. The uphill journey continues in the next post.
One of the main attractions of Switzerland is located near Interlaken. The Jungfrau (4158 m, 13642 feet; in German meaning “maiden/virgin”) is one of the main summits in the Bernese Alps. Together with the Eiger and Mönch, the Jungfrau forms a massive wall overlooking the area. There is a height difference of 3,600 m between the summit and the town of Interlaken where the photo below is taken from our hotel room.
We are calling this the Jungfrau circuit because we went by rail up to Jungfraujoch (3454 m, 11333 feet) via Lauterbrunnen and came down via Grindelwald (it can also be done in the other direction). There will be at least two more posts in this series. Click the map for a bigger image of the area.
We did this tour in the summer of 2013. The train for Lauterbrunnen departed from the Interlaken Ost station. My Swiss annual train ticket (general abonnement) got me as far as Lauterbrunnen and a discount for the rest of the train journey from that point up to Jungfraujoch. It is quite an expensive train ride but considering the elevation and the sights, it is well worth it.
The train snaked its way from Interlaken alongside a river up to Lauterbrunnen which is situated in a very impressive trough valleys in the Alps, between gigantic rock faces and mountain peaks.
The name ‘Lauter Brunnen’ (‘many fountains’) came from the numerous waterfalls (apparently there are 72) in the valley, the most famous being the Staubbach Falls. As we did not stop here except to change train, we did not really visit the valley and have to come back to do some hiking.
At the bottom of the valley (792m, 2608 feet).
We changed train and continued our climb. Looking back into the valley.
The next stop was Wengen (1274m, 4180 feet).
Wengen is a car-free resort village. We imagine it to be very tranquil except when the train rolls in. It looked quite busy when we got there.
Lots of hiking trails, and cows, all over the mountain.
Wengen would be another good place to stay for hiking.
Looking back at Wengen.
The climb continued. The next stop is Kleine Scheidegg at 2061 m, 6762 feet.
There were fewer and fewer trees. This is genuine alpine landscape.
Kleine Scheidegg meaning “minor watershed” is a high mountain pass below Eiger and Lauberhorn peaks.
Kleine Scheidegg connects Grindelwald with Lauterbrunnen.
We changed to another rack railway train and continued our climb to Jungfraujoch. Rack railway is a steep grade railway with a toothed rack rail, usually between the running rails (see third rail in the middle in photo above). The trains are fitted with one or more cog wheels that mesh with this rack rail.
The circuit is in our opinion a must-do for visitors of Switzerland as it brings many of the popular elements of this country together in a one-day trip. See our next post for the trip up to the top of Europe.
While we were in Miami over Christmas, we went to the new Perez Art Museum Miami (PAMM). See earlier post here. The museum opened with a show of Ai Wei Wei’s (艾未未) work titled “According to What?”.
Ai Weiwei is one of the leading contemporary artist of his generation from China. First becoming famous for his work Fairytale in 2007 and then he collaborated with Herzog & de Muron on the design of the Beijing National Olympics Stadium in 2008.
China log 2005 (made with 8 pillars salvaged from Qing dynasty temples and assembled using traditional joinery techniques).
But after the Sichuan earthquake, he was determined to create artwork commenting on the value of life. He had been challenging the Chinese government and in 2011 he was detained for 81 days by the Chinese authorities on alleged charges of tax evasion.
Study of Perspective 
This is the first time I saw his work. While not overly commercial, his works feels opportunistic and somewhat unsurprising. His works have been understood to ask certain fundamental questions concerning the human conditions, cultural and social aspects.
According to the catalog, his works are created using a very simple form and systematic method similar to that of conceptual and minimal artists – Sol LeWitt and Donald Judd.
In Feb 2014, a man picked up one of his ceramic works (Colored Vases) in the museum and smashed it. The series consists of vases from the Han dynasty which had been dipped in industrial paint. Ai weiwei had photographed himself dropping one such Han dynasty vase, thereby destroying 2,000 years of cultural tradition as an act of conceptual art. See the NYTimes coverage here.
Moon chests – 2008
His Circle of Zodiac Animal Heads 2010 were also on display in the plaza.
The statutes represent those that were installed at the Yuanming Yuan in the Old Summer Palace which was razed and looted by British and French soldiers in 1860.
We have no idea what the originals looked like but these statutes are rather austere if not downright oppressive-looking.
It was a good show in a beautiful museum. This is a screen capture of a live web cam of the museum on Dec 31, 2013.
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Chris & Sue's Excellent(?) Adventures 
