Maui

COVID through a wrench in our plans of going to Switzerland this year in May, rather than in the fall as usual. In early spring, Swiss Airline wanted a final confirmation of whether or not we would fly to Zurich and at that time we weren't sure if we would get the shot in time. So we cancelled the trip 😥. Once we received our second shot we decided to fly for 8 hours in the other direction and booked a fantastic condo on Maui.

The condo was recently renovated and the huge fridge from Thermador still had a piece of Styrofoam protecting the drawers. The view was 180 degree of breathtaking pacific ocean and every night we were able to witness a picture perfect sunset on our private lanai. We snorkeled every day with big turtles up to 3 feet in diameter at turtle city, which was maybe one walking minute away! We also kayaked along the shore line checking out hotels that made us feel lucky to have our own private beach.

Getting up early to drive the road to Hana is essential and absolutely worth it. This would be fun with a car like a Mach-E GT (for more on that a little later) since that car is made for the never ending curves. Right after Hana we stopped by the Wallua Falls. Because it was raining in the morning, the hike up to the falls was hot and steamy. It was quite a sight and even though we got up early, we were not the only ones, but I would not call it crowded.

We continued on the same road that changes to a dirt road to explore the southern part of the island and the climate changed from rain forest and bamboo to dry and volcanic.

Speaking of volcano, a trip up to Haleakalā is highly recommended, so that you can appreciate the full extend of the different climate zones this island has to offer. Believe it or not, that mountain is over 3000 meters high (10,1023 feet). It was so high, that we drove through a cloud layer on switch backs that almost made us dizzy and the view from the observatory was just stunning. A four hour hike down from the crater and then back up again was a reminder what Mars could be like.

On the west side of the island, in Lahaina, we visited the Maui Ku'ia Estate Chocolate factory, which produces a variety of delicious chocolate with cacao beans that are locally grown on Maui. The tasting was being held outdoors in the middle of their farm. And I thought, only Swiss know how to make chocolate. Oh boy, was I wrong. 

The Hali'imaile Distillery uses a unique technique that makes sure the aroma of their product is preserved. They use local ingredients and even though I personally like Whiskey, I was floored by their Pau Maui Vodka.

Medieval Castle in Tarasp

This year we decided to go hiking in the Swiss National Park, which is located in the canton of Graubünden. We found the family owned Schlosshotel Chastè in Tarasp, located in Unter Engadin (Lower Engadin).

Believe it or not, the luxury hotel comes with its own castle that towers over the valley. Just kidding, but the hotel is located in the lower right corner and it's only a stone through away. Obviously, guests can see the castle from the hotel.
The rooms are lovely and the staff is outstanding. The Parzeller family who owns the hotel is proud to makes sure the service is impeccable and we can confirm it: it's impeccable.

Without a doubt, the tasting menu deserves one or more Michelin stars. The chef mixes local and seasonal specialties creating culinary delights, that is best enjoyed with a wine paring. They offer a great selection of local and imported wines.

The castle is owned by a Swiss artist called Not Vital. His art collection together with his own art are displayed in and around the castle. The beautiful castle is decorated with art from Andy Warhol, Picasso and others.
The moon in the castle pond, where they used to raise carp, is one of Not's sculptures.

The local architecture is unique and includes traditional engraving into the concrete facade, called Sgraffiti, paint would fade during the harsh winters with such an intense alpine sun.

Even though we drove through the Swiss National Park, we never made it on hiking boots. However, we hiked from S-charl along the river to Alp Astra and then back through Tamangur (National Forest). This is one of the oldest and Europe's highest ceder forest. It started to rain while we were in the forest and it just added to the mystical surrounding.

Napa Valley

There are so many wine makes in Napa valley, that one simply cannot visit them all during a single trip. This is our second time here and the goal was to taste different wines than last time. We also made a conscious decision to only visit one or two wineries a day and have wine pairings where ever they offered this service.

The cave from Pine Ridge Vineyards offered not just a home to wine barrels, but also to beautiful glass art.

You might think you are in England, but the phone booth holds an actual phone, which is used to call Newton Vineyards and they pick you up. The view from the top is wonderful, as long as the weather cooperates.

A welcome surprise was a picnic offered by Silverado Vineyards. The event was in the vineyard underneath a beautiful tree. The weather was nice and the wines were delicious.

One of the wineries we were looking forward to visiting was B Cellars. Friends of ours shared a bottle with us and we were hooked. The Cabernet Sauvignon is excellent with so many layers.
The art that is on display may not be directly linked to wine making, but we liked it a lot. It reminded me a lot of where I grew up.

Both of us are bunnies, the Chinese astrological sign of course and that is why we felt right at home at Hall Wineries. The bunny leads the way to the tasting room where we enjoyed wonderful Cabernet Sauvignon.

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The view from Joseph Phelps winery is so nice and it invites to sit outside and enjoy their Insignia wine. The old winery that displays a beautiful wooden construction is nowadays used for tastings. We were smart enough to sign up for the culinary experience and we were led on a journey that we won't forget soon.

Napa valley is know for its wine production, but it is also home to some great olive oil. Our favorite is the one from Round Pond. They offer a olive oil tasting, which we did a couple of years ago. 

Don't get me wrong, we love all their wines too, that is why this year we concentrated on their wines.

One winery is apparently not easy to find (our Lyft guy thought so), but it is well worth it. It's not just the art that goes into the label but also the wonderful wines (Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot) that makes Sullivan Rutherford Estate a winner. The actual tasting was in the beautiful yard underneath red woods.

Seealpsee - Switzerland

We love hiking and whenever we are in Switzerland, we find a destination that is worth hiking to. This year we spent some time in the canton of Appenzell and hiked up to the Seealpsee above Wasserauen.
As it is very common in this region, there is a restaurant right by the lake that serves local specialties.

We can highly recommend the local Appenzeller beer which has a brew that has this very lake on its label. It's called "Quöllfrisch" and as the name indicates it is very refreshing, especially after a hike. You should try it out.

Paris

Fortunately for us, this is not the first time we have traveled to Paris, a city that has more to offer than most countries.
This time, our goal was to explore this magnificent city in a way to uncover unusual sites and locations.
Maybe Parisians don't realize it anymore, but every subway station is different and Arts et Métiers is our new favorite. The interior is Art Deco in copper.
The second site we have never visited (how could we miss this!) is Sainte-Chapelle. It's a hidden gem just a stone throw away from Notre-Dame, also located on Île de la Cité. The Gothic nave holding up the ceiling on the first floor is amazing and very colorful.

The second floor was even more stunning (who would have thought that there is even more). While we were lucky to be there during a very bright day the stained glass windows of the newly restored chapel were just stunning.

If you are like us, you will also be amazed by the beautiful rose window that is as spectacular than the one from Notre-Dame, just not as famous. You just have to check it out by yourself.
Now that we have seen it we are puzzled by the fact that this was the first time. Why did we wait this long?

A couple of miles away from the city center is an architectural marvel, the Foundation Louis Vuitton. Despite the fact that it's not easy to get to, it's worth the walk through the park starting at Porte Dauphine. Walking around and through the building reveals many challenges builders must have had. The view from to upper floors towards the city is great.

Going to the graveyard is not everyone's business. Paris has several that one can visit and each is like a city within a city. It's very peaceful. Did you expect anything else?

While we stood in line to get tickets for the Gare Musée d'Orsay, we decided to go and taste absinthe at the most unusual bar. We found Cantada II, a rock bar that offers a fantastic selection of the green fairy in a grotesque environment.

The most interesting Absinthe we just had to try was from HR Giger, you know the Swiss artist that created the Alien monster.

Microsoft Store

Ever since Microsoft announced that they are going to have their own store for Windows 8 and beyond, I wanted to publish my own applications.

I first created and developed the DarkScreen app, followed by SymbolText, which generates text tiles based on the periodic table to spell anything you'd like.

It was a fun experience, even though I was keenly aware that they were not killer apps. Well, Microsoft apparently has a policy in place to remove any apps from they app store that don't create enough traffic.

Microsoft send me a notification that both of my apps were to be removed, since not enough people were interested in downloading my apps. This is very disappointing because I just want to be present and meant no harm.

Dolomites

Imagine an ellipse that starts in Switzerland, goes through Germany, Austria, then Italy and back to Switzerland. That is what we had in mind when we planned this vacation.

A two hour drive let us to the castle that was commissioned by Ludwig II of Bavaria and nearly bankrupted the German state of Bavaria. Luckily they finished building it and now it is one of those points of interest that attracts a lot of people filling the states coffers. Trust me, we had to stand in line to get over the Marienbrücke to climb up to see it from its most beautiful side. I do believe that since it inspired Disney's castle, one needs to to see it at least once in a lifetime. This would be a good time to check it off the list.

Our next stop was scheduled to be in Innsbruck where in 1964 and in 1976 the Olympic Games took place. Why did we pick Innsbruck? Because we needed a place to stay between Germany and the Dolomites and as a bonus we visited the Swarovski museum. I was impressed with the different exhibits that are incredible and so diverse.

Driving over the Brenner pass we ended up in South Tirol, the Italian mountain region where they still speak German. We stayed in a mountain resort town called Badia at the Rosa Alpina Hotel & Spa where we enjoyed an excellent dinner.

We planned a hike around the most famous place in the Dolomites, Tre Cime de Lavaredo. We did read that one should be early at the park because of the limited parking at the Rifugio Auronzo. Guess what, we were later than we expected and police closed the park due and we were force to park our car at Lago Antorno. From there it was a 2.5 hour hike up to the Rifugio, where the actual hike around the "Drei Zinnen" started. We decided to go for and we were absolutely floored by what nature had to offer. After a total of 7 hours we returned back to the car, tired but very satisfied.

We changed the location and stayed at the Miramonti Boutique Hotel from were you look down to Merano. The rooms were incredible with a view of the mountains and so was the infinity pool.

Are we done yet? No, not yet, the circle has to be finished first. From Merano we went back to Switzerland, guided by the GPS, which let us over the Passo dello Stelvio (Stilfser Joch Pass) a very winding pass with more hair needle turns that I have ever experienced. It's the second highest pass in the Alps at 9045 ft, only 43 ft lower than the highest. It was tough driving it by car, but my congratulations go to all the bicyclist that rode up that pass.

Back in Switzerland we stayed in Graubünden with family and enjoyed a typical Swiss hotel in Ardez. They offered free apples, which was wonderful. If you ever vacation in this region I highly recommend a local specialty called the "Bündner Nusstorte", a nut tart with caramel and walnut.