Showing posts with label Switzerland. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Switzerland. Show all posts

Saturday 17 May 2014

Reichenbach Falls Switzerland



The Reichenbach falls are situated in the lower part of the Reichenbachtal valley, on the Reichenbach stream, a tributary of the Aar River, approximately 2 kilometers south of the town of Meiringen, and 25 km east of Interlaken in Bern canton, central Switzerland. The waterfall is one of the highest falls in the Alps. There’re actually five cascades with an overall height of 650 feet and best known are Upper and Lower Reichenbach Falls, with a drop of about 300 feet.
Therefore; much of Reichenbach’s beauty has been marred by a hydroelectric development, but still its scenic beauty and charm of environment make this area is a popular tourist attraction. The term water falls is not such easy to define. In general, this term means the distinctive structure of the water movement of so-called bodies of flowing water. The waterfall itself is powerful and impressively tall over multiple tiers. It wasn't easy to see all the tiers in one go given much of the overall drop was concealed due to the twisting nature of its stream.
The first and upper level of the Reichenbach Falls is the deepest one. Whereas the height of fall is about 120 metres, and the water quantity distributes on a width of up to 40 metres. In summer, 3 to 5 after a heavy thunderstorm up to 30 m³ water per second flow into the valley. The lowest level of the Reichenbach Falls is unidentified and easy to visit. The medium Reichenbach Falls, however, are hardly passable but can be seen from the funicular. In theory, this waterfall was supposed to be pretty easy to visit. However the funicular ride that would've tremendously cut down the physical exertion. That funicular was first opened in the year 1899, which would make this a pretty historical apparatus. However, the one at Giessbach Falls was said to be actually older.
A cable railway brings tourists up to a platform; it is the starting point for hiking across the Rosenlauital valley, the Groß Scheidegg and Grindelwald. The Reichenbach Falls Train leads up to the upper end of the first Reichenbach Falls. From here a hiking route leads downhill up to above of the falls with numerous viewpoints! (Water-falls photographers are asked to note the enclosed exclamation mark, all non-photographers will not regret climbing up either).

Saturday 19 April 2014

Verzasca River Switzerland


The Verzasca River is famous for its crystal clear, turquoise water, vibrant colored rocks and treacherous currents. It is located in the heart of Swiss Alps and its length is about 30 kilometers flows with mountains. The beautiful Verzasca River is originating at Pizzo Barone and flowing into Lake Maggiore. The Verzasca Dam is a few kilometers upriver from this lake. This dam is remarkable as one of the highest dam in Europe about 220 meters. Dam access is possible by postal bus and by car. It is possible to walk along the dam wall about 380 meters and enjoy the view of the valley from there. The Verzasca River valley is in Ticino, the Italian-speaking region of Switzerland. Its water is crystal clear, and the depth does not exceed 10 meters. Its average temperature is 7 - 10 °C and chestnut trees thrive at the bottom of the valley.

The river is a famous for scuba diving location and the valley is used for bungee jumping. The diving conditions are generally best from late spring to early autumn.  Its beauty had only been captured from the surface. Photographer Claudio Gazzaroli decided to change that, so he put on a diving suit, took his waterproof camera and dived onto the riverbed to take some truly stunning images.  He said; I wanted to show the real beauty of this place in an innovative way. The two main sites on this place are the river itself has naturally crystal clear waters and the bridge over the river constructed by man. I’m simply amazed of water clarity, and love this place and visited countless times. I wanted to have captured underwater world for many years. But only now am I happy with the picture.








 

Wednesday 26 February 2014

Solvay Hut Switzerland


The Solvay Hut positioned right on the slender north-eastern ridge of Matterhorn, in the Canton of Valais, Switzerland. Well; at over 13,000 foot above the ground level, it is the highest mountain hut in the region. The hut was named after his founder Ernest Solvay (1838-1922), a Belgian chemist and industrialist who donated the famous hut on the Hörnli Ridge on the Matterhorn as a gratitude for the memorable hours he spent in the mountains, and from the comprehension that sporadically sudden thunder storms lead to tragedies. Before his alpine career initiated after retirement, Ernest Solvay was an inventor and businessman who conceived the industrial process for sodium carbonate production, from which a world-wide undertaking resulted.

The emergency refuge is owned by the Swiss Alpine club, and is envisioned to deliver food and shelter to mountaineers, climbers, and hikers. At about 1,500 foot below the summit and two-thirds up the mountain, it offers respite to several Matterhorn climbers and rewards them with the magnificent view of all the Monte Rosa summits. It is only meant to be used during emergencies, but climbers do break there to rest and takes photographs. The Solvay hut, which can accommodate around 10 people, is not a recent construction. It was in fact built way back in 1915 and took only five days to complete. 

All the building materials were brought up to Hornli Hut, just 2,500 foot below, with the assistance of animals. A little temp cable car was used to haul up the materials from there, and it was reconstructed in 1966 and an emergency radio telephone was fitted in 1976. The hut offers 10 beds and is equipped with a radiotelephone.

Sunday 23 February 2014

Aescher Hotel - Appenzellerland Switzerland

Aescher Hotel is a beautiful hotel at high mountain of Appenzell which is a region and historical canton in the northeast of Switzerland. 
 



Monday 28 October 2013

The Spectacular Pilatus Railway in Switzerland

The Gorgeous Pilatus railway in Switzerland connects Alpnachstad on Lake Lucerne, to a terminus close to the summit of Mount Pilatus at an altitude of 2,073 meter. The incredible track climbs a slope of over 1,600 meters in just 4.6 kilometer, making it the steepest track railway in the world. It has an average gradient of 38% and a maximum of 48% steeper than the steepest street in the world. This arduous project was planned to build to propose in 1873, suggesting a 1,435 mm standard gauge and 25% maximal gradient. Therefore it was concluded that the project would not be economically viable.

The mastermind engineer Eduard Locher, with great practical experience & knowledge devised a devised an exclusive system with the maximal grade raised to 48% to cut the length of the route in half. Conventional systems at the time could not handle such gradients since the vertical cogwheel that is pressed to the rack from above May, under higher gradients, jump out of the engagement with the rack, eliminating the train’s main driving and braking power. As an alternative, Eduard Locher placed a horizontal double rack between the two rails with the rack teeth facing each side. This was engaged by two cogwheels carried on vertical shafts under the car.

This design eliminated the option of the cogwheels climbing out of the rack, and as well prevented the car from toppling over, even under the stern cross winds common in the area. The system was also able of guiding the car without the required for flanges on the wheels. Definitely, the first cars on Pilatus had no flanges on running wheels but they were later added to let cars to be moved through tracks without rack rails during maintenance. The line was opened using steam traction on 4 June 1889 and was electrified on 15 May 1937, using an overhead electric supply of 1550 V DC.

The original 32-passenger steam cars averaged 3 to 4 KM per hour and took over an hour to arrive at the summit. These day’s 40-passenger electric cars run at 9 kilometers/h and make the trip in about half an hour. The line still uses the original rack rails that are now over 100 years old. While they have worn down, it was found that this can be fixed by simply turning the rails over, providing a new wearing surface that would be enough for the next century as well. The scenery route operates between May and November, when the cog railway is not buried by snow, with trains departing every 45 minutes during the day. In winter, access to Mount Pilatus is only achievable via cable car.