Zermatt

Zermatt (French: Praborgne) is a small town in the district of Visp in the German-speaking section of the canton of Valais in Switzerland. It is located at the northern base of the Matterhorn in the Pennine Alps, about 10 km (6 mi) from the border with Italy.

It takes between four and five hours to get from St. Gallen to Zermatt. It is possible to choose Glacier Express or a normal train. The Express is quite an interesting experience but do it once - you can admire almost the same views from the normal train and you don't have to make a reservation. This pays off, as you may get daily card (54CHF with Halbtax) and the whole Swiss teritory is yours. The reservation costs additional 30 CHF. The route may be attractive for newies in Switzerland but after some time you have seen most of these towns.

Zermatt has a permanent population of around 5,800 people, although the actual population varies considerably through the seasons as tourists come and go. The village is situated at the end of Mattertal, a north-facing valley, at an altitude of 1,620 m (5,315 ft). The valley is a dead end; although the border with Italy is close, it cannot be crossed by road, as it traverses a glacier at an altitude of over 3,000 m (9,800 ft). Zermatt is the starting point of the Patrouille des Glaciers and the Haute Route.

We have decided to choose half of the Glacier Express route. From Andermatt the train went forward in the Urserental valley passing the villages of Hospental (1,452 m/4,760 ft) and Realp (1,538 metres/5,050 feet). Then we entered the Furka Tunnel, leaving the old railway line which climbs the Furka Pass (operated today by the Furka Heritage Railway), to emerge in Oberwald (1,368 m/4,490 ft) in the Goms Valley, in the Canton of Valais. We then continued toward the city of Brig following the course of the Rhone and pass along the villages of Ulrichen (1,346 m/4,420 ft), Münster-Geschinen (1,359 m/4,460 ft) and Fiesch (1,049 m/3,440 ft).

From Brig (678 m/2,220 ft) the train continued to Visp (651 m/2,140 ft), then went through the valley of Mattertal and goes up, passing the villages of Stalden (799 m/2,620 ft), St. Niklaus (1,127 m/3,700 ft) and Randa (1,408 m/4,620 ft), where a spectacular debris avalanche completely disconnected the railway and road in 1991. Täsch (1,450 m/4,800 ft) is an important station as it is the end of the open road, therefore a terminal for motorists. After a steeper section the train finally arrived in Zermatt at 1,616 m (5,300 ft), after nearly 5 hours of our travel.

Così fan tutte

Saturday evening is a perfect time not only for parting but for some higher entertainment as well. K and me, we have decided to visit St Gallen Theater to get to know another opera. Our choice was not made by chance. Big names always are though-provoking. Was he really so good creating this piece? Why is it so famous? Why this subject? Così fan tutte, ossia La scuola degli amanti (Thus Do They All, or The School For Lovers) K. 588, is an opera buffa by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The libretto was written by Lorenzo Da Ponte.

There are three Mozart's operas for which Da Ponte wrote the libretto. The other two Da Ponte-Mozart collaborations were Le nozze di Figaro and Don Giovanni.Although it is commonly held that Così fan tutte was written and composed at the suggestion of the Emperor Joseph II, recent research does not prove this idea. There is evidence that Mozart's contemporary Antonio Salieri tried to set the libretto but left it unfinished. In 1994, John Rice uncovered two terzetti by Salieri in the Austrian National Library.

The title, Così fan tutte, literally means "Thus do all [women]" but it is often translated as "Women are like that". The words are sung by the three men in Act II, Scene xiii, just before the finale. Da Ponte had used the line "Così fan tutte le belle" earlier in Le nozze di Figaro (in Act I, Scene vii).

For me the most interestig aspect was how did he feel creating this opera. What is the feeling accompanying the birth of opera? Unfortunately, I may not get an answer. All in all, I enjoyed it a lot. Pity that the audience was mostly in their 50'ties, 60'ties, 70'ties. On our way back, we met youth near the Mc Donald's. They were younger than me, for sure, put with make-up thick as snow on Matterhorn how could you tell their age? How does Madonna feel when she creates new song? The same as Mozart?

a little bit of Swiss traditional music

Moj pierwszy dzien w pracy

1.12.2008

Mój pierwszy dzień w pracy. Przyszłam w 15 minut zamiast 20, co dosc dobrze wróżyło. Mensa była strasznie wysoko. Trzeba znaleźć równowagę miedzy poczuciem głosu a chęcią wspinania się na tak wysoka górę. I mnóstwo nowych oikosowych haseł. Napisałam kilka maili, nauczyłam się obsługi naszego konta w UBS i poznałam dużo ciekawych ludzi z IWO. Każdego dnia są dwie przerwy: znüni i vierni – o 10 i o 16. Wtedy cały instytut schodzi się na pierwsze piętro, siada przy stole wokół Adventkranz (stroika ze świeczką i jabłkiem), pije herbatę lub kawę i rozmawia. Czasami ktoś przyniesie jakąś przekąskę. Dziś Nina przyniosła ciasto ze śliwkami w formie warkocza, które sama upiekła. Atmosfera była przemiła. Naprawdę było czuć święta. W zasadzie nie ma powodów do zdziwienia – wszak w tym tygodniu będą dwa obiady świąteczne: jeden z IWO, drugi z oikosem. Dziś mieliśmy też obiad (ja, Katha i Jost) z człowiekiem organizującym model WTO. Dzieliliśmy się z nim wiedzą o sponsorach. Fajnie wiedzieć jak w różnych krajach z różnymi firmami współpracujemy (np. Chikita , Nestle, Stell, etc.).