Author: kenritley

Then and Now – Bern – Bundesplatz

kenritley

THEN:

NOW:

NOW (COLOR):

COMMENTS: 

(1) Very few changes!

(2) I took this snap on a Sunday, but Tuesdays and Saturdays there are markets here!

(3) The signage is much smaller today, but the Café Federal is still present on the right!

(4) Those tricky Bernese!  In the modern snap you see buildings that you THINK are old – such as the ones in the middle – but in fact, Bern had a huge renovation program all during the early 20th century, in which the truly historical facades were destroyed and replaced by modern facades that only look old.

Then and Now – Bern – Waisenhausplatz & Spitalgasse

kenritley

THEN:

NOW:

NOW (COLOR):

COMMENTS:

(1) This changed a LOT!  People think Bern is old – but in fact there were huge projects in the early 1900s that harmonized the facades and rooflines.

(2) Interestingly, that little booth with the pointy top – people look at it today and hardly give it a thought, and yet in the original snap you can see an early version of it. So booth may it be – but a historical one!

Then and Now – Bern – Rathaus

kenritley

THEN:

NOW:

COMMENTS:

(1) This really got ugly!  I have not yet done any research, but I have heard that after Bern was declared a UNESCO city, considerable money was invested to harmonize the architecture – apparently there were tremendous projects between 1900 and 1950, so much so that what you see today “looks medieval” but is not really medieval.  Really a shame – because the building in the older photograph looks much nicer than the modern version!

Then and Now – Rapperswil – Bahnhof

kenritley

THEN:

NOW:

NOW (COLOR):

COMMENTS:

(1) Those Swiss are tricky people!  If you look at the Bahnhof building today, it LOOKS old. But looks can be deceiving. If you have a look at the original picture you’ll see the the right side of the train station once looked quite awful – but TODAY it looks like a magnificent old building from the Middle Ages!  So, when you see something in Switzerland that LOOKS old – such as the entire city of Bern itself – in fact what you are looking at is probably NOT old!

 

Then and Now – Bern – Waisenhausplatzbrunnen – “Fischbrunnen”

kenritley

THEN:

NOW:

NOW (COLOR):

COMMENTS:

(1) It’s been turned!  I don’t know when that picture was taken, but you can see the fountain is in exactly the same place, but turned 90%

(2) According to what I could find, the fountain was installed in 1841. That lower bit on the right is actually a horse trough so that the horses could drink. If you think about it, the original position makes more sense, since the horses are likely to have easier access to the trough then they do today. But of course, today there are hardly any horses!

(3) It really, really causes me intense mental anguish to think about the plumbing. I would really, really like to understand how the water feed from below the street is attached to the fountain. 

To smoke or not to smoke – PERFECT SWISSNESS

kenritley

When you think you have experienced life everywhere else, you need to move to Switzerland – because only by living here can you truly appreciate the MAGNIFICENCE of Switzerland.

And by Switzerland I really mean the Swiss culture: low-key, non-offending, non-judgemental, and above all: democratic.

So it was NO SURPRISE to me to find this sign about not smoking at the train station:

If you don’t speak German, then here is a translation:

“In order to improve the cleanliness and out of respect to the non-smokers, smoking at this train station is not allowed. This also includes smoking e-cigarettes. Smoking is only allowed by the ash containers.”

So there you have it. On just one sign: Smoking is not allowed. But . . . well . . . in case you smoke, it is allowed.

I think only by living here for a while in this AMAZING country will you come to know, understand, and LOVE this sign!

Then and Now – Bern – Waisenhausplatz

kenritley

THEN (probably earlier than 1800s)

NOW

NOW, in color

 

 

COMMENTS

(1) The building to the left of center is still there today – and I don’t think many people stop to realize it is contemporary with the tall Fachwerkhaus on the right! 

(2) And what’s really interesting is that the tower in the old painting had no windows – so it makes one wonder what exact purpose the tower served when it was built? Often towers served to house grain or wheat – but then in a case like that there would usually be a visible pulley. This is the Holländerturm and interestingly, nobody knows how old it is!  It’s part of an original defensive wall – but that bit on the top is a recent addition, dating back to the 1600’s by a mercenary from Holland. I don’t know if it is true or not, but I was always told this is also called the “Raucherturm,” or smoking tower, since people would come here to smoke tobacco – and at the time, tobacco was illegal!  Amazing!

(3) Probably what many people overlook are the steps to the buildings in the old painting. This is still common in many countries since it can be an advantage to have the floor raised enough to escape the pooling water when it rains.

Machita Shoten in Zurich: is this the worst ramen shop, ever?

kenritley

I was pretty excited when I read that a world-famous Ramen chain would be opening a restaurant in Zurich. Silly me!  The normal bowl of their signature dish was not only around CHF 30 – but it was the smallest bowl of ramen I’ve ever seen, anywhere – it was literally what you might call a “tasting bowl” at any other ramen shop, if they offered anything like that. And it came with NO side offerings at all!

I’m not “dissing” the price – if you try to eat in the world’s most expensive city in the world’s most expensive country, you are going to pay the price. But surely a restaurant of this caliber can size the portions according to international standards, then add “extras” give you the feeling it was a good meal.

If you are in Zurich and a big bowel of tasty ramen is what you crave . . . I’d go just about anywhere than here!

A comfortable place to shoot

kenritley

Compare the French vs. the Germans. The Germans build their city walls with little holes so they could shoot arrows to kill the invaders. The French did exactly the same – but look at the little chairs they built for themselves next to the hole! In fact, the even added some space at the bottom for a lunch bag and a bottle of wine!

Then and Now – Bern – Bubenbergplatz

kenritley

THEN (late 1800s)

NOW

NOW, in color

COMMENTS:

(1) I could not find a date, but it was certainly after around 1860 because the original tower stood where the fountain is standing today.

(2) It makes me really wonder, how was the power generated for the water fountain?  Was it purely decorative, or — like its cousin in Geneva — was it is a necessary way to relieve overpressure in the first public water infrastructure?

(3) I’ve seen some old photos and also drawings of this scene. As far as I can tell this is Bubenbergplatz – or at least it was. In the older drawings you could see horses working through the water – and that makes a certain amount of sense, since in the old photograph you can see left and right embankments but a subtle drop at the foreground of the fountain. According to ChatGPT, if horses would have ridden in on unpaved roads, it might have been useful to give them a quick cleaning before allowing them into the paved part of the city – although, I assume with horsecrap everywhere that would hardly make a difference. 

To me this shows the impossibility of history: we can hardly understand a scene we see 100 years ago, in our own backyard and culture – how can we possibly understand the Middle Ages or history in other countries???