Switzerland. Part I. Main DetailsMapJune 511, 2008 The love Ukrainians have for their national colors (see the story about Kiev) pales in comparison to the love of the Swiss for red backgrounds, white crosses and the Helvetica typeface. ![]() Switzerland is an exceedingly charming and orderly country with fresh air, mountains, meadows and scenery. ![]() Total harmony with nature. ![]() The Swiss could have easily invented camouflage independently from the Swedes (see the story about Stockholm). ![]() Even the dirty water in the harbor doesnt look all that bad. ![]() Taggers try to avoid messing up the walls: everyone tags within the frame that will subsequently be covered by an advertising billboard. ![]() And if a building corner has to be plastered with flyers, the glue is applied in perfectly straight lines—using a ruler with a level and a plumb bob. ![]() They have a yellow signal for pedestrians here. This is what genuine concern for the elderly looks like. ![]() The storm drain grate brings waves to mind. ![]() The post boxes clearly belong to the Germanic post box family. ![]() Trash dumpsters are locked up like bikes so that they dont get stolen. ![]() A digger. ![]() The Swiss love arrows. ![]() All the parking spots are numbered—you have to enter the number into the meter when you pay for parking. ![]() Traffic is monitored by cameras, which are traditionally ugly. ![]() Traffic signs often have a frame made of piping bent to their exact shape (like in Iceland). This doesnt really serve any practical purpose, but it looks sturdy. ![]() Alternating red and green metal flags can be seen along the highway. These are signs for snowplows, which arent allowed to throw snow off the right side of the highway in red flag zones. ![]() In Basel, I came across a traffic light with a white middle segment—just like in the little town not far from Homs in Syria. ![]() Traffic signs and road surface markings can be demarcated with a strikethrough here. I.e., this no longer applies. ![]() You can change lanes in a Swiss tunnel. What a breath of freedom. ![]() A space-age fire hydrant. ![]() An antiquated phone booth model. ![]() Modern phone booths. ![]() Pedestrian crosswalks are always equipped with a safety island. And not just a painted one, but one thats quite concrete. A pedestrian who finds himself in the middle of the roadway will never end up between two cars unprotected. The 3 x” under the sign tells drivers there are three crossings up ahead. ![]() Many cities have such narrow streets that if cars were to park on both sides, there would be no space left in the middle. The street remains two-way, you just have to zigzag through it. ![]() |
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june 2008
Switzerland. I. Main Details
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