All posts by Daniel

Asia

Every Good Journey Starts With A Starbucks

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So says an ancient Chinese proverb. My train trip to Munich worked out quite well–the train arrived only ten minutes delayed. However, it was enough for missing the connecting train to the airport. I decided to spend the waiting time at–guess where.

Three stations before I reached the airport, it turned out that somebody committed suicide by jumping on the track. The DB (who runs the trains in Munich) was not able to come up with an adequate solution. They didn’t manage to install buses; people started to call cabs. Furthermore, this event far out of the city center caused a break down of the entire train net. My favorite announcement of the train conductor after several complaints is “It’s not the DB’s fault that somebody jumps on the rail”. There are two trains running to the airport; east and west. Luckily, I scheduled enough extra time. After all, it took me about four hours to get to the airport, instead of the planned 45.

The rest of the journey was very relaxed. At the airport in Munich I had still enough time to walk around the Christmas market. Yes, seriously, there is a Christmas market at the airport :). The flight was perfectly ok–I absolutely can recommend Lufthansa. Sunrise was somewhere above Kyrgyzstan. Later on, we passed the Taklamakan Desert. George picked me up at the airport in Hong Kong.

Check out the photo stream!

Kyrgyzstan

Thoughts

The Hidden World

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“To my mind, most people go through life recoiling from its best parts. They miss the enrichment that just a basic knowledge of the physical world can bring to the most ordinary experiences. It’s like there’s a pulsating, hidden world, governed by ancient laws and principles, underlying everything around us–from the movements of electrical charges to the motions of the planets–and most people are completely unaware of it. To me, that’s a shame.”

Carolyn Porco
Senior Researcher
Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colorado
from The New York Times (Der Standard)
Taking a Tour of Saturn’s Famous Rings
Monday, October 12, 2009

Austria

Poached Egg with Ham Espuma

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On Friday, driving from Linz to St. Anton am Arlberg, we stopped in Salzburg at Hangar 7. Our intention wasn’t just to see the flying bull fleet; the Carpe Diem Lounge-Café offered us a wonderful breakfast. I found something interesting on the menu that I couldn’t resist: poached egg with ham espuma. I had no idea what to expect and was quite surprised: a bowl filled with a very fluffy foam covering the poached egg. After talking to the waitress and additional research, I am still wondering about the exact preparation of the ham-foam.

North American B-25 Mitchell
North American B-25 Mitchell
Thoughts

Slow Dance

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Have you ever watched kids
On a merry-go-round?
Or listened to the rain
Slapping on the ground?
Ever followed a butterfly’s erratic flight?
Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?

You better slow down.
Don’t dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won’t last.

Do you run through each day
On the fly?
When you ask: How are you?
Do you hear the reply?
When the day is done,
do you lie in your bed
With the next hundred chores
Running through your head?

You’d better slow down.
Don’t dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won’t last.

Ever told your child,
We’ll do it tomorrow?
And in your haste,
Not see his sorrow?
Ever lost touch,
Let a friendship die
Cause you never had time
To call and say, “Hi”?

You’d better slow down.
Don’t dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won’t last.

When you run so fast to get somewhere
You miss half the fun of getting there.
When you worry and hurry through your day,
It’s like an unopened gift thrown away

Life is no race.
Do take is slower.
Hear the music
Before the song is over.

David L. Weatherford
from “The Four Hour Workweek” by Timothy Ferriss
http://fourhourworkweek.com

Austria

Traunstein

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Traunstein Summit Cross

Today we finally made it and hiked the Traunstein! It has been on my list for a long time! Starting at around 7.30, hiking the Naturfreundesteig trail, we’ve been up at around 1pm (we are not really experienced hikers ;)), having one break. After an extended lunch break and some coffee we hiked down the (easier) trail via Mair Alm.

After all, for the last 30 minutes walking back to our car we experienced a thunderstorm and got pretty soaked. My hiking boots did not really turn out as waterproof ;). It is a wonderful hike but take into account it is one of the more dangerous mountains to climb in the area.