Machines I’m impressed by are the mountain trains – here in Switzerland. They climb, sometimes very steep, several thousands of metres and they go down the same way. Seemingly undisturbed, effortless. And they are comfortable as well.
For Sylvain Landry. What machines are you impressed by? Join in and let us know!
For Cee this week – two man-made men in a staircase. Join in or see more here.
Change – few things in this life we can say will be constant, but one of them is change, and a second one is death.
Architecture’s changings are always interesting – not always in a positive way… but, interesting. Here’s an example from Bellinzona in Tessin, Switzerland.
For public transportation – Cee’s B&W Challenge, I have chosen three pictures. One Danish train, a Swiss mountain train and a Warsaw underground. For more of this, click here.
Swiss mountain train
Danish train to Köge
Nötkråkan – the nutcracker is not that common in Sweden where i live, but in Switzerland these beauties greeted you with a scouting eye. A walk by this lake was accompanied by at least 10-15 of them waiting for you to conjure up some nuts or other candy.
Guarda and Ardez – pearls of Engadin
These two genuine villages belong to the area of Engadin in Switzerland- stretching from the Maloja pass to Zernez. More about them and the technique in sgraffito I.
Ardez is the other painted houses’ village using the sgraffito technique –
Maybe not as beautiful as Guarda, but let’s take a closer look at the details…
I loved their way of doing this! Carefully put together, leaving the window clear.
Water fountains in every open area. And, the windows of course.
Then, walking along the main street, this house really stood out from the others…
Some of the paintings want a restoration, but for the most part they are well preserved.
Hjälp? Help?
Guarda and Ardez – Pearls of Engadin
This area of great beauty in Switzerland, called Engadin, is stretching from the Maloja pass to Zernez. Here, the language used to be 99% Rhaeto – Romanic, but today only 63% speak this old language.
These two genuine villages, Guarda and Ardez belong to the area of Engadin, and they are both painted in a very special style called Sgraffito (plural graffiti) – in Switzerland found only in Engadin.
Starting in Guarda, this village is pearched high up on a hill, and the inhabitants don’t want cars driving through the narrow, cobbled streets, so you have to park your car further down the hill and walk up.
The church is one of a kind.
Almost every house is painted and each in its own special way.
Sgraffito is a technique either of wall decor, produced by applying layers of plaster tinted in contrasting colours to a moistened surface, or in ceramics, by applying to an unfired ceramic body two successive layers of contrasting slip, and then in either case scratching so as to produce an outline drawing.
A closer look will reveal something of the technique.
Sgraffito on walls has been used in Europe since classical times, and it was common in Italy in the 16th century – and, can be found in African art as well. Today there has been a growing interest in this old technique.
Many houses have spectacular, cobbled paths up to the entrances – I tried to figure out why – but maybe its only something common here.
Beautiful, grand doors…
…and other doors of beauty and solitude.
Guarda is by many people seen as the most beautiful village in Engadin, and it is also famous for its many drinking fountains. Useful this hot day.
No people? Well, due to the heat we were quite alone walking through the village.
Leya 
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