Watchmakers Galore: Part 1

Cartier

We have been living in a part of Switzerland that calls itself the “Watch Valley”.  Many famous brands are located here – only the factories.  We were not looking for these watchmakers but they stand out –  because they are housed in neat modern buildings in small, quaint towns or villages in the countryside. Most are found near Le Locle and La Chaux de Fonds which are close to the French border.  The pictures are a bit blurry because they were mostly taken while we were in a moving car.

Breitling

Patek Philippe

Ulysses Nardin

Chopard at Fleurier

Baume & Mercier at Les Brenet

Bvlgari is here

While we were driving on the east side of Neuchatel, we drove by a building with Bvlgari written on top.  It has a clock with the Bvlgari trademark bezel outside, we assumed that they makes Bulgari brand watches in that building.  After all, Neuchatel is in the heart of the watch-making region of Switzerland.  We passed Gucci Watches the other day.  After checking the address online (Rue de Monruz),  it turns out to be a factory that makes the brand’s perfume.  I wonder if they have a factory store – doesn’t look like it on the outside.

Incidentally, my employer also have their flavor department in a building located in that part of town.  Here is a concentration of discerning noses. 

Descending Chaumont Video

Here is a seven-minute video of the entire descent from Chaumont to La Coudre on the funicular railway.  Hope you enjoy the ride.

The photos posted in the last few days were taken from this tower which is located next to the funicular station house.  At the top of the tower is a lookout platform where the trees cannot block your view.  THe platform offered a great view but it is not for those with vertigo.

Panorama at Chaumont: Part 2

The satellite map shows the La Coudre-Chaumont funicular railway (faint white line up the mountain) and the surrounding areas.

The pictures show Neuchâtel downtown, football stadium (that happens to sit on top of the town’s only shopping mall – La Maladiere) and neighboring towns (last two photos) – Hauterive and St. Blaise.  These pictures can be stitched together to form a panorama but my Photoshop CS3 is installed on my PC which is still in storage.  Oh well.

Panorama at Chaumont: Part 1

First, this is my 100th post.  I was going to create a special post to commemorate this surprising event – but too busy in the last few days.  Frankly, I did not expect myself to keep up with posting on the blog so semi-regularly (once every 2 or so days) and for such a long time (I started in late November 2009).  Back then, I was in Edgewater staring at NYC across the Hudson.  Now, I am in Neuchâtel looking across a lake at the Alps.

These pictures were taken at Chaumont from a tower at the top of the funicular railway.  The view was breathing taking.  Bracing the chilly swiss mountain air, we snapped as many pictures as we can bear it. They were intended to be stitched together to form one or more panoramas.  The weather on that day was cold and fairly variable with rain and sun, hence the rainbow.  The Alps were not visible due to the low rain clouds. You can see some of the snowy peaks just beneath the clouds in the second but last picture.  The lighter colored-vortex in the middle of the lake is caused by a river that flows into the lake from the left.  More pictures tomorrow.

La Coudre – Chaumont Funicular Railway

Funicular railways are common in Switzerland due to its hilly terrain.  I believe it is one of their favorite civil engineering activities beside building tunnels.  There are at least three funicular railways in Neuchâtel.  Two of them were used mainly for commuting to a higher part of town from the town center – nothing to write home about.  The third one is built for sightseeing.  Sue and I went for a ride on a windy cold sunday afternoon.

Views from the top in tomorrow’s post.

The Cube – one of my workspaces

The Cube is the brand new building that houses my employer’s research and development deaprtments, many of which were previously scattered in various parts of Europe.  My office is not in the Cube but I spend several days a week in here.  These pictures make the place looks like an evil, sinister laboratory where zombies break out or where James Bond fights a villainous army plotting to takeover the world.  In reality, they do take security super-seriously, i.e., facial scan and double doors that would not allow more than one person to pass at a time.

The Cube is located on the shore of Lake Neuchâtel.  The glass walls and ceiling act as a massive canopy under which are situated several mini-buildings, connected by one and other by inside footbridges.  It is a bit like the Winter Garden under the World Trade Center in NYC.  In the summer, a shallow reflecting pond is filled in front of the building (drained as shown) and lunch can be eaten al fresco.  A reading room with double height ceiling is located at the corner of the building on the higher floors.  There are also many coffee corners designed to encourage creativity and social interactions.   Brain teasers, logic games are placed in various public meeting spaces, where workers can chat, drink coffee and smoke.  It is a very well-designed space to work in.  Too bad I cannot take pictures inside.

Aquarium at Hotel Beaulac: Part 1 of 4

In the lobby of the Hotel Beaulac is this wall-mounted aquarium. This is one of the most beautiful and lively saltwater aquarium I have seen.  Part 2, tomorrow.

Lakeside Restaurant at Hotel Beaulac

While I was staying at Hotel Beaulac, I ate quite a few meals at the hotel restaurant – Lakeside.  It has a modern dining room with some traditional-looking cabinets with desserts inside, a bar with fluorescent liquors, and a sushi bar.  The sushi was surprising fresh and of very high quality considering Switzerland is land-locked.  Sushi is in fact much more common than I thought.  The food at this restaurant is overall quite good but eating alone is not fun.  My meals were always at night so I never saw the view outside.  It must be pretty in the summer since it overlooks the marina.  I will come back in the summer, and by that time, I will be a local already.

Hotel Beaulac at Neuchâtel

I stayed at Hotel Beaulac during my first week in Switzerland. It has a modern lobby, a minimalist fireplace, and a restaurant separated from the lobby by a saltwater aquarium (pictures of the creatures will follow).  However, the room I had was basic and much less attractive.  But they gave me mini Toblerone chocolate nightly.  In the pictures, it looks nice and warm with the boats docked outside, in fact, it was very windy and cold.

A Room With A View

When I arrived in Switzerland at the end of January, I stayed at the Hotel Beaulac during my first week because the company apartment was not yet ready.  The hotel is on the lake front but apparently I was not important enough to be given a room with the lake view.  My window faces the center of Neuchâtel, with light reflecting from the snow, the whole town looked luminously golden.  I also have a view of the pier (looking left) and the local art museum (looking right).  This is the museum that put on an exhibition about Suchard, see my earlier post: A History of Chocolate.  Actually, this view was much better because for the entire time I was there, it was so foggy that visibility on the lake was minimum.