Going head to head: Switzerland’s fighting cows
“Huit, evacuée!” “Number eight, you’re out of there!” Spectators cheer as cows with names like Papillon and Surplice face off in an outdoor ring...
Through the lens: Bishkek, Kyrgzystan
Bishkek came as a surprise to me. After several weeks traveling the Silk Roads of Uzbekistan, I’m not sure what I expected in neighboring...
Savitsky’s Kyzylkum inspiration
Igor Savitsky, painter, obsessive art collector and founder of the remarkable Karakalpak Museum of Arts in Nukus, Autonomous Republic of Karakalpakstan—in the middle of...
Rhubarb–Red, tart and tasty
As spring launches a wave of color into the markets around Basel, the vibrant hue of rhubarb demands my attention. Rhabarba (rhubarb) is onstage...
Nettlesome Spring
‘Annoying’, ‘vexatious’, ‘irritating’, ‘teasing’—Spring this year is all of these things. After a few glorious weeks of forsythia, daffodils and crocuses, came the rains,...
Along the Frick Valley’s cherry trail
The Fricktaler Chriesiwäg (Frick Valley cherry trail) is a family-friendly introduction to an easygoing landscape. Last week, I sampled its virtues just in the...
One perfect day on the Bodensee
Last Saturday, I packed sunscreen and a camera and joined an organized group outing to Mainau Island, Germany's "flower island" on Lake Constance (a.k.a....
