Visiting Zürich
In the alps I’ve been in Europe for research for the last three weeks, and last weekend I made a trip down to Zürich to meet some colleagues at ETH Zurich on Friday and spend the weekend exploring Zürich and the surrounding area of Switzerland with friends. Though I’ve been to Switzerland previously, I’d never been to Zürich.
Grossmünster, Zürich On Saturday, my former Waterloo roommates Heather and Chris, who know live in Lausanne, came to Zürich for the weekend. Heather and spent Saturday wandering around the city. We made a particularly special discovery in the evening at a chocolate shop near the train station. 
Sprüngli Swiss chocolates — the caramel fleur de sel are the best! Of course we had to try a few chocolates. We didn’t try them all, but one of the truffles we had, the caramel fleur de sel, was sooooo good that it must have been the best. While waiting at the airport for my flight the next day, I may or may not have used all my remaining Swiss francs purchasing more of these.
With Heather Heather and I headed out for a drive in the country on Sunday. Switzerland has an excellent car sharing scheme of which Heather is a member, so we were able to take a train out of the city and then pick up a car at the train station. 
Alpine valley with dandelions Heather kept apologizing that the weather was so bad, as you can plainly see.
More photos are available in my photo gallery.
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World Tour: London, England
In 1605, Guy Fawkes and his collaborators in the Gunpowder Plot planned to blow up the House of Lords during the State Opening of Parliament on November 5. They were arrested and hanged. The anniversary is celebrated with bonfires, fireworks, and the burning of effigies.
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World Tour: London, England
Trafalgar Square and Nelson's Column commemorates the victory of the British navy over the French and Spanish navies during the Napoleonic wars. Surrounding the square are the National Gallery, the Whitehall area, the Mall via Admiralty Arch, and Canada House.
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World Tour: Luxembourg
The entrance to Luxembourg's Ville Haute on a ridge is one of the oldest parts of the city, dating to Roman times when a key road passed over a narrow land bridge; control of this rocky outcropping gave Luxembourg military importance through 1867.
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World Tour: Egham, United Kingdom
Royal Holloway, part of the University of London, is located in Egham, near Windsor. Its red brick Founders Building dates from the 1870s.
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World Tour: Dagstuhl, Germany
Dagstuhl is former stately home in western Germany that is now a conference facility for computer scientists. It's in the middle of nowhere, making it a great place to escape into research.
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World Tour: Mycenae, Greece
The Treasury of Atreus on the Peloponnese penninsula in Greece is a subterranean structure that was constructed around 1250 BC to serve as a tomb. It's among the most spectacular sites remaining from the Bronze Age.
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World Tour: Olympia, Greece
The stadium at Ancient Olympia hosted foot races on a 200m long track. It was the site of shot put competitions in the 2004 Olympics.
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