The Photography of Dr. Jeffrey P. Harper

Our holiday vacation actually began at the 17th century farm and workshops of our Swiss friend . . . in the countryside just outside of Geneva. We stayed with them before going off to Germany, and again coming back.

Their farm is surrounded by beautiful tree lines, country lanes, and wetlands.  I took an early morning walk one morning with my new Fuji X-A1.

It was a frosty morning when I headed out along the country lanes near Geneva.

The fallow fields were festooned in frost.

I walked about a kilometer to discover a frozen wetland pond.

Everything was covered in a delicate sheath of frost.

There was a fine old weathered shed in the morning light . . . along the way.

The yellow morning light shown on the barren tree line across the frozen field.

I walked back along the same country lane.  We were packing this morning for a drive to famous Swiss alpine village, Gstaad.

The drive along Lake Geneva was  . . . . well . . . . truly awesome.

One of the most beautiful sights of my life.

GSTAAD

We left the shores of Lake Geneva and headed up into the Alps, passing through small, old villages along the way.

As we drove higher and deeper into the Alps the scenery became more dramatic.

After several hours of driving we arrived in the Gstaad Valley.

What a beautiful place!

After so many years living in the perfectly flat swamp of Bangkok, the mountains were a revelation.

Our friends have an apartment in a wonderful chalet.  They planned some wonderful experiences for us that we were very grateful for.  One was a ride to the top of a mountain in a cable gondola.

I have to admit that this is not one of my favorite things to do . . . but with five of us squeezed into the little cabin, I hardly focussed on the imagined possibility of mechanical failure . . . .

We joined the skiers and visitors at the top for a wonderful meal with cheese in every dish!

A winter wonderland . . . and playground.

It was a perfect day on the mountain.  A perfect day for a walk DOWN the mountain . . . there was no other way!

And so, three of us walked down the five mile road, and two rented sleds for the descent.  I walked . . . and it was the most beautiful walk of my life.

Clear light and beautiful scenery, what more could I ask for?

I have so missed the mountains.

New views around every corner.  Fortunately we passed through Oregon last summer and visited a mountaineering store in Portland:  we had the right clothes for this kind of cold weather . .  and I had excellent weatherproof, insulated hiking boots with good tread for walking in the snow.

The 'trail' we walked down doubled as a sled run and emergency vehicle access to the top of the ski lifts. The walking was easy, the views fantastic . . . but . . .

You had to keep your ears pealed to hear the wild sledges speeding down the mountain.  Imagine, a five mile sled run!

This old chalet, from 1902, was about a third of the way down.  Nice weathered wood.

There were good views of the village of Gstaad all along the mountain trail.

Small chalets dotted the hillsides and hidden mountain valleys.

About half way down the mountain my friends decided to take a short-cut across one of the switchabacks in the road.  It didn't look too steep, or difficult . . . but I discovered that it was too steep and difficult as soon as I started down.  I was not used to walking in deep snow on a steep slope . . . with a camera in my hands . . . and a bad knee!  I made it down 'OK' . . . but fell in the snow numerous times.

After a couple of hours of walking, we drew near the valley floor.

We passed this new chalet on the way.

Some of the sled riders rode in a horse drawn sleigh the rest of the way back to the ski lift.  It was a great day.  We went back to the apartment completely exhausted . . but looking forward to the next day's adventure.

We stopped off at the village of Gstaad and ogled the Gstaad Palace Hotel.  Little did we know that we would be joining a New Years' party a stone's throw from there.

Old Gstaad village had some fine old architecture . . . and a few cranes hoisting up some new, large chalets.

The next day our generous hosts drove us all on a winding road to the top of another ski lift . .  for another fabulous, cheese filled lunch.

There were many beautiful winter scene nearby.

There were many fine chalets dotted about the area.

Like a scene from a post card.

Another fabulous Swiss chalet.

The next day we spent some time in Gstaad.  There were many pretty scenes to photograph there.

Gstaad also had what was described as "the most expensive grocery store in the world," the Pernet Comestibles.  It also had just about every luxury brand as well.  Gstaad, it seems, is the playground of the extremely rich and famous.

Gstaad horses.

Gstaad prancing horse . .  and horsepower: a 2013 Ferrari F12 Berlinetta.I want one.

Château de Gruyères

On our drive back to Geneva from Gstaad we passed by the Château de Gruyères, built around 1270, so we stopped in for a look.  The view of the countryside from the castle mount was fantastic.

There was a charming village within the castle walls.

The medieval atmosphere was very pronounced within the walls.

Château de Gruyères is in a very good state of restoration, as this fabulous door handle attests.

I was able to feed my obsession with weathered doors here as well.

The castle itself was very impressive.

There were many fine pieces of art on and around the castle. A medieval mandala?

The placement of the sculpture was very nice.  The whole village was full of art and art galleries.  The city fathers have made it a wonderful place to visit.

The castle itself sat on the highest point of the hill.

The Château de Gruyères is a fine fairy tale castle situated in a beautiful location in the foothills of the high Swiss Alps. 

A truly beautiful castle.

While walking back through the village, we were surprised to find a Tibet Museum!

The Tibetan prayer flags blew in the alpine breezes.

We were happy to discover the door was open.  We went in, made a donation, and saw the exhibition . . . .

The Buddha exhibit was actually in a converted/reclaimed christian chapel.  I was glad to see that.

It was an exquisite collection, although I immediately wondered how this particular 'museum' came by these Buddhas, satus, and monks.  I hope they were not purloined . . . sold as stolen treasure.  This place was not a Buddhist temple (wat) after all.

Yes, thank you Buddha for reminding me to vanquish Mara.

The lighting and arrangement of the exhibit was excellent.

I hope the museum procured these wonderful artifacts legitimately.  I will assume they did.

This was my favorite Buddha in the collection.  Very powerful.  We sat in the calm darkness of the 'temple' for some time enjoying the tranquility.

We went to Le Chalet for a tasty lunch that included lots of cheese . . . and amazing fresh raspberries and clotted cream.

The restaurant had these cow bells hanging from the ceiling.

Our last stop, before driving on to Geneva, was at an art museum that featured these metal sculptures of aliens . . . erotic and otherwise . . . by the Swiss artist H. R. Giger (famous for his work on the movie Alien).  After the Buddhas, these seemed extra strange.  We humans like images.

This was the last image from our wonderful winter holiday. What a wonderfully humorous image it is . . .