Mount Titlis is a great tourist spot in Switzerland. The Bollywood blockbuster DDLJ was shot in Engelberg and other parts of Switzerland. The area has hence become popular with Indian tourists. Mount Titlis on Swiss Alps has snow all the year round. It goes up to around 3,200 m and if the weather is good offers superb views of the distant mountains. …
Mount Titlis snow and superb views of Swiss Alps Read More »
Gengenbach Germany is a small medieval town in the Black Forest. It is 11.4 km (16 min) from Offenburg by road. Black Forest Railway serves Gengenbach . The railway station is small. Parking for cars and bicycles are available.
Near the Bahnhof is a small chapel on top of a hill. The Jakobskapelle (St Jakobus Chapel) occupies a vantage point overlooking the town. Vineyards surround the chapel. You can climb up there by a short walk of 15-20 min through the vineyards. The views are eye-catching.
The chapel is dedicated to Saint James, one of Jesus’ twelve apostles. The chapel was originally built in the fifteenth century and restored in the 1980s. It features a Gothic architectural style with a small bell tower and a wooden altar.
Church of St. Marien is near the market square in Gengenbach Germany. It is a beautiful church. We could not enter as it was past 6:00 pm when we reached. The Baroque tower of Church of St Marien influences the silhouette of Gengenbach. Benedictine monks lived and worked there until 1807.
Gengenbach boasts of a charming town centre. An eighteenth century gate with a medieval spire dominates the market square. It has cobblestone roads leading to it. Half-timbered houses line both sides. There are pretty flowers in stone planters and even an old wishing well. Gengenbach is a small town with 11,000 residents.
In my walks around the town, I came across this ancient water wheel at the Cloister Mill.
Benedictine monks planted the first vines more than 1,000 years ago. High quality wines are still grown today. These include Riesling, Müller-Thurgau, Grauburgunder, Weissherbst and Spätburgunder Red.
A mild climate preserves the vineyards. Many hours of sunshine boosts the production of excellent wines. Among the well-known wineries in Gengenbach are Burg Stauffenburg, Weingut Danner and Schworer Weingut Weinhaus. Some wineries offer wine tasting tours. The town has several wine taverns where you can sample different varieties, including the region’s famous Pinot Noir and Riesling. Do not pass over the chance to try the traditional Black Forest dishes.
I had an enjoyable lunch of Schnitlzel Brot, potato salad and a glass of Durbacher Riesling. This was at Durbach, a pretty town near Gengenbach. The restaurant, Durbacher Weinstube, is in the heart of the acclaimed Baden wine region.
Gengenbach is on the Black Forest Railway in Germany. It is 11.4 km from Offenburg. Further down the line is Triberg, home to cuckoo clocks and a waterfall. From Basel’s SBB station, ICE trains will take you to Offenburg in 1 hr 14 min. Then take a local train to Gengenbach. Incidentally Offenburg is a 22 min train ride from Strasbourg in France.
Gengenbach is helpfully located close to the A5 Autobahn which stretches from Frankfurt to Basel. From the A5, take the exit to Offenburg and follow the B33 bypass to Gengenbach.
The nearest airports are the EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg (BSL) (137 km, 1 hr 20 min}) and the Strasbourg International Airport (SXB) in France (38 km, 35 min).
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Gengenbach Germany – Medieval Town in the Black Forest Read More »
When a Queen of the Night started to open in my garden, I kept a watch. At around 10 at night, the petals had opened up. But the light was low and I could hardly make out the flower in the darkness.
A flash did not produce the desired result. I then used an LED light. It was directed upwards at the flower. Exposure was f/4.5 at 1/50 sec. ISO rating was 400. Subject distance was 380 mm. I made several shots and then photomerged them together in Photoshop.
Queen of the Night Read More »
It was a good photo opportunity which could not be passed by. The aperture was at f/6.3 at a focal length of 18 mm. To get sharpness all over the image was a challenge. I decided to focus on different areas in the scene and later merge them together in Photoshop. I merged eight different shots and here is the end product.
To merge photos, open all the images in Photoshop. Then select File>Automate>Photomerge (more on this in a separate post).
Onam is the harvest festival of Kerala. It is celebrated in the Malayalam month of Chingam which follows the months of south-west monsoon. Today, 16 September 2013, is Thiruvonam. Happy Onam to all my Malayali friends!
This image I captured when I was travelling on Konkan Rail two months back, when the summer monsoon was at its peak. What was striking was that the whole countryside had been carpeted with green grass. The lush green carpet spread out as far as the eye could see. The train had stopped at a signal. So I was able to get down and take a few shots. Incidentally I used my Sony Cybershot point and shot camera.
The image has more than 6600 views and close to 100 favourites on flickr. It has also made it to Flickr Explore. You may like to see it on my flickr page. The picture on right shows a few of my photos on Explore.
By the way, now you will be able to get my email newsletter and it will be through Google feedburner. Go to the Follow page on my site to see the mail subscription link.