Berliner Dom

Berliner Dom is the colloquial name for the Evangelical Protestant Church of Berlin.  It is the parish church fo the Evangelical congregation Gemeinde der Oberpfarr.  The Berlin Catherdaral has never been a cathedral in the actual sense.  It has never been the seat of a bishop.  The Berliner Dom is a baroque Cathedral built between 1894 and 1905. It is located on an island in the river Spree, also known as the Museum Island.  The current building is the third church built at this location.

The first church was built here in 1465. This rather modest building later served as the court church for the Hohenzollern family. The church was replaced by a cathedral, built between 1745 and 1747 in a Baroque design from Johann Boumann. It was remodeled into a classicist building from 1816 to 1822 following a design by the Berlin architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel.

On Emperor Wilhelm II's order, this domed building was demolished in 1894 and replaced by the current Cathedral. Much larger than any of the previous buildings, it was a protestant counterweight to the catholic St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

The baroque building with Italian Renaissance influences was designed by Julius Raschdorff. It is unusually ornate for a protestant church.

Construction of the 114m long and 73m wide Cathedral took place between 1894 and 1905.     During the Second World War, the building was hit by a fire bomb which severely damaged much of the Cathedral. A temporary roof was installed to protect what remained of the interior and - despite plans by the East German government to demolish the building - in 1975 reconstruction of the church started.  The restoration of the interior begun in 1984 and in 1993 the church reopened. It was consecrated for the second time in 1996.

Steamboats and Lac Léman

Swiss lakes are home of a number of large steamships. On Lake Lucerne, five paddle steamers are still in service: Uri (built in 1901, 800 passengers), Unterwalden (1902, 800 passengers), Schiller (1906, 900 passengers), Gallia (1913, 900 passengers, fastest paddle-wheeler on European lakes) and Stadt Luzern (1928, 1200 passengers, last steamship built for a Swiss lake). There are also five steamers as well as some old steamships converted to diesel-powered paddlewheelers on Lake Geneva, two steamers on Lake Zurich and single ones on other lakes.

A company named CGN, owns the world's biggest fleet, (in terms of passengers capacity), of Belle Epoque ships. These ships have been sailing on one of the most beautiful Central European lakes, Lac Lèman, for 139 years, with their paddle wheels rhythm.

CGN was formed in 1873 as a result of a merger between three navigation companies, which brought together the vessels 'Helvétie', 'Léman', 'Aigle' and later the 'Flèche'.

Shipping operations on the lake steadily became more closely associated with the railways (1870). This alliance highlighted the predominance that tourism was to have throughout the Lake Geneva area. Efforts continued to increase the size of the fleet, while maintaining the comfort and speed of transport. The range of destinations and the number of kilometres travelled also increased.

Then came the "Belle-Epoque", a real high point in tourism. Hotels, palaces and railways became the symbols of a period in which luxury was the order of the day. Local transport was no longer of interest; a new chapter had begun.

 

That all came to an end with the start of the First World War. Worldwide conflict and the drop in tourist numbers hit the company hard. 

The boats travel across Lac Léman (Lake Geneva) criss-crossing between France and Switzerland.  From the lake one can see the terraced vineyards of Lavaux and discover the magnificient landscape. 

La Suisse was commissioned in 1910 and has a capacity of 850 passengers.  It also seats 254 passengers for dinner. 


The Montreux was commissioned in 1904.  It holds 560 passengers and seats 152. 

Château Chillon

 Château Chillon is a castle that dates back more than 1000 years.  It is located on the shore of Lac Léman, just outside the city of Montreux, Switzerland. The castle was built on a rocky island because it provided both natural protection and was a strategic location.  The castle sits at the crossroads of the passage between northern and southern Europe. 

The castle consists of 100 independent buildings that were gradually connected to become the building as it stands now.

The oldest parts of the castle have not been definitively dated, but the first written record of the castle is in 1160 or 1005. From the mid 12th century, the castle was home to the Counts of Savoy, and it was greatly expanded in the 13th century by Pietro II. The Castle was never taken in a siege, but did change hands through treaties.

It was made popular by Lord Byron, who wrote the poem The Prisoner Of Chillon (1816) about François de Bonivard, a Genevois monk and politician who was imprisoned there from 1530 to 1536; Byron also carved his name on a pillar of the dungeon. The castle is one of the settings in Henry James's novella Daisy Miller (1878).

In June 1819, Lord Byron and his friend Percy Bysshe Shelley were sailing on Lake Geneva and stopped to visit the Château Chillion.  After touring the castle (and walking through the dungeon in which Bonivard was imprisoned), Byron was inspired by Bonivard's story and composed The Sonnet of Chillon.  Because of torrential rainfall, Byron and his companion rested at a hotel in Ouchy following their tour. In late June or early July, Byron composed the longer fable.  The work was probably completed by 2 July 1816. Following his return to England, The Prisoner of Chillion was first published as The Prisoner of Chillon and Other Poems by John Murray on 5 December 1816.   Click here to read  "The Prisoner of Chillon"

The history of Chillon was influenced by three major periods: the Savoy Period, the Bernese Period, and the Vaudois Period.

Petit Combin

Along the border of Switzerland and Italy are the Pennine Alps.  The Petit Combin sits on the Combin Massife and is the most visited mountain of the massif.

It is a great mountain with great views and it is possible to ascend it almost any time of year. There are many different routes both in winter and in summer. The central ridge that cuts the north face in half is a very good introduction to alpine mixed climbing.

A wider angle view with the Combin de Corbassiere on the left.

The Massif Combin in Summer

The Massif Combin in Spring

Magnolia x soulangeana

Magnolia × soulangeana (saucer magnolia) is a hybrid plant in the genus Magnolia and family Magnoliaceae. It is a deciduous tree with large, early-blooming flowers in various shades of white, pink, and purple. It is one of the most commonly used magnolias in horticulture.

Magnolia × soulangeana was initially bred by French plantsman Étienne Soulange-Bodin (1774–1846), a retired cavalry officer in Napoleon's army, at his château de Fromont near Paris. He crossed Magnolia denudata with M. liliiflora in 1820, and was impressed with the resulting progeny's first precocious flowering in 1826.

From France, the hybrid quickly entered cultivation in England and other parts of Europe, and also North America. Since then, plant breeders in many countries have continued to develop this magnolia, and over a hundred named horticultural varieties (cultivars) are now known.

Magnolia × soulangeana flowers are large, commonly 10–20 cm (4–8 in) across, and colored various shades of white, pink, and maroon. An American variety, 'Grace McDade' from Alabama, is reported to bear the largest flowers, with a 35 cm (14 in) diameter, white tinged with pinkish-purple. The exact timing and length of flowering varies between named varieties, as does the shape of the flower. Some are globular, others a cup-and-saucer shape.