One of the pleasant surprises of our Globus Best of Switzerland trip was an optional excusion to Lauterbrunnen Valley to see the Trummelbach Falls. I had read about this valley as being very similar to Yosemite, and knew were going to be very close in the city of Interlaken. Thus, I was pleased that an excursion to this valley was added to the optional itinerary for our tour.
The photos don’t really do it justice, but this one here taken with my iPhone I hope gives you a sense of the spectacular beauty of the valley.
The attraction we attended in the valley was the Trummelbach Falls (or, Truemmelbachfaelle if you prefer). These falls include portions inside the mountain and thanks to an elevator and stairs you can get a close-up view of these inside portions. It was amazing to see, so I took a top-to-bottom video of the falls.
Here’s a set of 191 photos from our trip to Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Italy, and Holland. These are from my cameras, and Julie has hundreds more. In any case, here’s the set.
Here are my annual Academy Awards picks. My prediction for the winner is noted in bold below. After the ceremony I’ll update with the actual winners.
This year, there appear to be three “locks” (Daniel Day-Lewis, Anne Hathaway, “Skyfall” / Adele) so if you’re going to wager these would be your best options even with low odds. Â I kind of wanted to go out on a limb for Naomi Watts but none of the Oscar prognosticators are picking her so I’m going with Jennifer Lawrence who is a safer bet.
Update: I got 20/24 this year, even though there was a tie in one category and I incredibly didn’t get either of them. Should have been 21/24 but I just couldn’t bet against Skyfall for Best Cinematography in case it actually won.
Some fun photos from our recent trip to Disneyland. We ended up only getting a day and a half in the parks, since it was raining on the Sunday getaway day and we wanted to avoid the snow on the Grapevine. For this trip we purchased a PhotoPass+, which includes photos in the parks and restaurants along with some stock photos. It also includes ride photos, which we took advantage of.
For Space Mountain, Quinn was the one who came up with the two poses. Thanks to Julie’s parents for playing along and everyone had lots of fun.
Nobody in our family likes to ride Splash Mountain except for me, so I took a solo trip. It’s actually really fast and easy for solo riders to get onto the ride. Just walk up the exit and enter the single-rider line where I waited all of one minute before boarding. They usually seat you in the back seat, which is nice because it’s the driest. In this case, I moved up a spot so a mom and daughter (who you can’t really see) could ride together.
You’ll also notice that the front seat gets the most wet… so if you don’t like getting wet then get seated in the back.
Lastly, here are a couple photos from Disney California Adventure. Julie and I rode Radiator Springs Racers in the single-rider line but we still got to be in the same car. This was something we would have done on Sunday with the entire family, oh well. Â The Tower of Terror is a ride I’ve enjoyed more and more each year, though I do always like to “hang on for dear life.”
One of the things about the Disney Parks that I love are the attraction posters. These were important in the early days of Disneyland, used as a way to promote attractions throughout the park. To this day, there are still attraction posters in the tunnels under the railroad tracks leading to Town Square on Main Street USA. This is my list of favorite attraction posters, and you’ll definitely notice there’s an aethetic that I like. In fact, there’s only one in the entire list that departs from the original 1950s style.
A great place to see many of these posters is in the Pizza Port restaurant in Tomorrowland at Disneyland. It’s actually kind of an ironic decorating choice; what says “tomorrow” better than posters from the 1950s?
Disney has released an incredible coffee table book about attraction posters called Poster Art of the Disney Parks. It’s a large sized book and focuses on presenting the posters in a way that speaks for themselves, rather than a whole lot of text describing the process. Well worth getting.
16. Autopia – 1955 (Bjorn Aronson)
The promise of the open road with dad and son. Too bad the actual ride has the car riding on a track so you can’t really steer off the road. The 1950’s design is pronounced in this poster and does set the tone for many future classic posters.
15. Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride – 2008 (Danny Handke)
Several nods to the “cult appeal” of this Fantasyland classic, especially since it was produced so recently. Why are Mr. Toad’s eyes like that? Hmm… There are absolutely no drug references in this poster.
14. Skyway – 1956(Bjorn Aronson)
If there’s a single ride I could bring back to Disneyland this is it. I love the bucket ride! I want to see Disneyland from the air, too! Sadly, it’s no longer available. But, we do have this great poster from pioneering artist Bjorn Aronson.
13. Soarin’ Over California – 2010 (Greg Maletic)
The first of the “retro” posters that Disney put together to relaunch Disney California Adventure earlier this year. Â The flat color style fits in fabulously with some of the classic posters from the 1950s. It’s clear Maletic has studied from Disney poster pioneers Aronson and Hartley.
12. Silly Sympony Swings – 2010 (Greg Maletic)
I like the red color on the skin of the riders in this one, which creates a nice contrast with the blue sky and the color of the attraction. Mickey’s treatment is quite nice here, too.
11. People Mover – 1967 (Ken Chapman)
Kudos to Goodyear for sponsoring the centerpiece of 1967’s New Tomorrowland. Of course, there’s nothing “new” about this poster style, which looks like it would fit in place if the attraction launched a decade earlier.
10. Mickey’s Fun Wheel– 2010 (Greg Maletic)
I like how many of the new DCA posters include a tagline. The mimicking of the lights in the letters of FUN WHEEL is also a great design choice.
9. Monorail – 1961 (Paul Hartley)
This design was later used at Walt Disney World where they replaced the Matterhorn with the Contemporary Hotel.
8. Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room – 1963 (Paul Hartley)
Is the show supposed to be funny or is it maybe a little bit dangerous? This poster perfectly sets up the tension of the attraction.
7. Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse – 1962 (Paul Hartley)
Proving I’m not including just my favorite attractions in this list. I never much cared for this attraction, and much prefer the Tarzan’s Treehouse remodel, but this incredible poster simply must be included. Great nod to the Jungle Cruise too.
6. Grizzly River Run – 2010 (Greg Maletic)
The saddest part of DCA’s relaunch was a deemphasis of the park’s former icon, Grizzly Peak. Fortunately, this poster restores it’s prominence.
5. Monorail Mark VII – 2008 (Scot Drake)
The only poster with a different design style. Though, at its heart, there’s still a strong sentimental quality to this poster that was created when the very retro designed Mark VII monorail cars debuted. Plus, a nice inclusion of Space Mountain and the Submarine rides, too.
4. Fantasyland / Dumbo – 1955 (Bjorn Aronson)
Strong and robust color choices from this classic. Technically a nod to three attractions, it’s clear Dumbo gets top billing. Pink Elephant… get it?
3. Jungle River / Adventureland – 1955 (Bjorn Aronson)
I’m not sure if the Jungle Cruise attraction was ever called the “Jungle River,” but this is a classic nonetheless. Â Spot the kid with the cowboy hat shooting at the hippo.
2. Matterhorn Bobsleds – 1959 (Paul Hartley)
Very strong design with 1959’s E-ticket attraction. Bold use of darker colors are a contrast with the more typical pastel colors normally used in the posters. And doesn’t it look like an exciting ride?
1. Red Car Trolley – 2010 (Greg Maletic)
I simply love this poster, since it tells you everthing you need to know about the new Disney California Adventure. A great sense of nostalgia for the park’s “main street” entrance area, Buena Vista Street. The Red Car Trolley isn’t really a great mode of transportation (you can walk faster than it moves), but the use of this vehicle gives the street a kinetic energy. You could easily see a Disneyland poster that replaces the trolley with a train and the Carthay Circle Theater with a castle.
Once again we participated in the Mercury News’ road trip scavenger hunt. The idea is to collect all the items and have a photo of a member of your party in the photo with the items of note. We did this back in 2010 but were not successful in finding all the items. This year we got all 20 items, plus the two bonus items (pending judging from the Mercury News judges of course).  Julie and I took most of them on our road-trip up to Seattle before taking the Disney Cruise to Alaska. The only item we didn’t find was the funny mailbox so it was very easy to find one of those at Disneyland last week.
1. Tree with a trunk at least as twice as wide as you (or a member of your traveling party)
Victoria BC, in front of Parliament
2. Fully loaded roof rack
near Kelso WA
3. Church steeple
Ketchikan, AK
4. Town motto printed on a sign or archway
Ketchikan, AK
5. Clown
Medford, OR
6. Funny or elaborate mailbox
Anaheim CA
7. Election sign
Skagway, AK
8. Abandoned building
Skagway, AK
9. Someone (not in your travel group) consulting a paper map
Skagway, AK
10. Train or cable car not on tracks
Skagway, AK
11. Statue made of wood
Redding, CA
12. Hat or headgear worn in the region you’re visiting
Skagway, AK
13. A sign that is intentionally or unintentionally funny
Weed, CA (this sign is both intentionally AND unintentionally funny)
14. Lion, real or not
Disney Cruise Line – Alaska Inside Passage
15. Member(s) of traveling party in the water
Disney Cruise Line – Alaska Inside Passage
16. Musical instrument
Victoria, BC Street Piano
17. Restaurant sign advertising the “best” whatever
Ketchikan, AK – Best Pizza in Town (at Mexican Restaurant)
18. Motel/hotel ice machine
Seattle, WA
19. Roadside stand
Woodland WA
20. Something unusual that is not on the list
Seattle, CA – Gum wall
21. Foreign Bonus: A building mural that is not graffiti
Victoria BC, Chinatown
22. Foreign Bonus: McDonald’s, Starbucks, or other U.S.-based franchise with a sign or part of menu in a foreign language
Victoria BC, Starbucks (a sign and a menu)
Last week I took Riley over to Quarry Lakes regional park to do some reconnaissance on some geocaches within the park. This was in prep for a hike today with Quinn and the Cub Scouts (see blog post). Â It was a lot sunnier and nicer last weekend, as you can see in the shot with Riley. Quinn did find a way to have fun though.
Here’s a great photo of the mountain range over at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. This is a shot taken by my wife Julie of the Expedition Everest attraction, and it almost looks like it is a painting and not a photo. This has not been retouched, other than with iPhoto’s ‘enhance’ feature.
Expedition Everest is my favorite attraction at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The ride is thrilling and I love the look of the mountain and the entire section of the park where the ride sits. It feels like you’re walking around in Asia, not Florida.
The Yeti is seen in the attraction, and this was a much-hyped component of the attraction when it opened. Unfortunately, there are problems with the massive figure and it no longer moves. Instead, a flashing light shines on the beast, causing some to call it “Disco Yeti.” And, yes, it’s a bummer. But considering you see the figure for less than two seconds it is hardly a huge disappointment. Especially when even at stationless figure is thrilling. Who wouldn’t want to avoid this paw, eh?
Quinn and I went with the Cub Scouts today to hike to the top of Flag Hill in the Sunol Regional Wilderness – part of East Bay Parks. We had a great day today and as you can see Quinn did a great job posing for photos. The hike was pretty steep but we made it to the top in just over 50 minutes, so it wasn’t too bad at all. Â View all the photos on Flickr.
