{"id":4400,"date":"2023-11-26T18:58:10","date_gmt":"2023-11-26T18:58:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kpanphotography.com\/?page_id=4400"},"modified":"2023-12-01T00:37:44","modified_gmt":"2023-12-01T00:37:44","slug":"2309-blog","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/kpanphotography.com\/index.php\/2309-blog\/","title":{"rendered":"2309 Blog"},"content":{"rendered":"

Water Fountains<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Kreuzgassbrunnen Fountain in Bern<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I have always had special feeling and favor this kind of drinking water fountain in Europe. You can never find two identical drinking water fountains. Every and each one of them is specially designed and built. They are always unique. Make no mistake, this is the medieval version of our modern drinking water machines. Let\u2019s do a simple comparison with our modern drinking water machines. Even though the modern drinking machine are not always built the same but they literally never get outside of a box. It\u2019s always a box. High efficiency is probably the only merit of our modern drinking water machine because it would never keep letting the water flow.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, there is something missing, something missing from our modern drinking water machines and that is \u201cBEAUTY\u201d. Unlike these medieval drinking water fountains, there is no beauty in the modern drinking machines and it\u2019s a kind of beauty in our living. These medieval drinking water fountains usually built in the middle of a city or town or I shall say the most traffic location. This way it could serve the most number of people. Moreover, it doesn\u2019t just serve people, horses and farm animals or even wild animals could benefit from it. It provides the essential to many, many different kind of living things, not just limited to people. And, because of this reason, it\u2019s not only a functional water fountain, it\u2019s also a place for people to rest. There are usually seats beside these fountains. Other than quench the thirst of people\u2019s need, it also provides a visual rest and comfort for people. And, the never stopping water flowing offers a kind of soothing sound to people which touches and massages people. This is something disappeared, extinguished or wiped out in Europe after the Industry Revolutions, a beauty in our living. In comparison, other than providing drinking water, there is really no other functions with our modern drinking water machines. As the matter of fact, the modern drinking water machines some times it\u2019s an eyesores if we put it in a very well designed location or room. If it\u2019s not because of thirsty, we would never think of our modern drinking machines. On the other hand, the medieval drinking fountain could be a place for people to gather, a spot for travelers to rest, a fountain to quench people\u2019s thirst and for people\u2019s mind to be beautified subtly and gracefully.<\/p>\n

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People and animals are both benefitting from the fountain.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Let\u2019s look at the medieval drinking water fountain from another angle. This facility provides us with a hint of the social phenomenon at the time. People realized that for every or each family to go to river side or well to collect water is very inefficient and finally a public drinking water fountain was born. This kind of drinking water fountain is not only for people but also horses, farm animals or even wild animals to survive. From this point of view, even though the water in this kind of fountain is flowing 24 hours a day but it also serves 24 hours a day. It\u2019s really not a waste. We have to remember that horse, farm animals and wild animals don\u2019t know how to operate a modern drinking machine. I didn\u2019t do any research on these medieval drinking water fountains but I believe they were built by local government. This explains that local governments were carrying people\u2019s welfare to a certain degree. Moreover, there must be a certain quality in these waters because to the minimum it couldn\u2019t make people sick or diarrhea. This is a kind attention in the public health issue. It doesn\u2019t matter from a point of view in providing a subtle beauty in people\u2019s living or attention in public health, this medieval water fountains deserve to be known and praised. For these reasons, as long as there is right opportunity, as long as there is right angle, background and timing, I would take a shot at these water fountains. Forgive me if you have seen them too much, I couldn\u2019t help myself paying extra attention to them. Let\u2019s just say it\u2019s my tribute and respect to the functions that they provided to us.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Language Barrier
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Before I came to Switzerland, I know there is a French district so I downloaded the Google offline translator for French. Little did I know there is also a German district and people speak German there. I was in trouble. The most confusing thing is up till now I still don\u2019t know is the writing language French while in French district and German in German district or is there a common Swiss writing language? Moreover, do French district people pronounce a same word different than people in German district? On top of all these the way they pronounce word is very much different than English. For example, I visited a lake and it is spelled as \u201cOeschinensee\u201d and all I could do was staring at it and produce a weird noise from my throat like \u201cOh, oh, oh\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u201d like I was dying. At Zermatt, a very busy and popular tourist destination, there is a bus stop named \u201cKirchbr\u00fccke\u201d. All I could do was also having some weird noise from my throat like \u201cKir, kir, kir\u2026\u2026\u2026.\u201d, and that\u2019s it. Please don\u2019t give me wrong and I am not promoting the idea that the entire world shall switch to English so I could be comfortable with it. No, if that\u2019s the logic behind it, I would rather the entire world switch to Chinese because that\u2019s my mother tone. What I am trying to convey the idea is since Switzerland is a country heavily depending on tourism and a very modernized place, could we accommodate tourist a little bit more especially at some very popular destination like Zermatt or Grindelwald? Frankly speaking, they do and I must be fair and honest with the fact. There are many places providing several language selections for tourists including English which is convenient for a tourist like me. However, I will also have to be honest with the fact that a lot of times it\u2019s done halfway. For example, I could download train or bus schedule from web. When I get onto the web page, it actually let me select a language that I am familiar with such as English. (There was no Chinese provided so I could only select the second best option for me.) I was so happy and tears almost coming out from my eyes because I could finally read and understand it!!! But then once I downloaded the schedule, everything is back in Swiss language which made me illiterate again. Should I download the schedule? If I don\u2019t, I don\u2019t have a schedule to rely on. If I do, I can\u2019t read the comments or whatever words are on it plus it\u2019s taking storage space out of my phone. Checkmate!!!  Another example would be at the gas station. At the main menu, it would let me select a language out of several and, again, highly appreciated. But then once it comes to pay the bill, it\u2019s all back to Swiss language. Illiterate again, yes. What could I do? All I could do was guessing. If I guess it wrong then guess again. If wrong again, guess again. I would have to keep guessing till I get it right. This is paying bill we are talking about here and it has my credit card. It just makes me utterly nervous. Wouldn\u2019t you? The only thing I could do is keep guessing, praying and letting the fate decide it. I was horrified and helpless. Last time I was this helpless was at Bolivia because I don\u2019t speak Spanish either. However, there wasn\u2019t much opportunities to \u201cread\u201d at Bolivia and it requires quite some reading in Switzerland. For example, again, at Zermatt I must read the map to locate exactly where I am in the town so I could find where the bus spots are. In order to present that they are unique and cultural, some places like to use very fancy and complicated calligraphy to write the name of their business. This causes big issue for me. I can\u2019t tell if the character is \u201cD\u201d, \u201cO\u201d, \u201cP\u201d, \u201cQ\u201d or \u201cG\u201d because it is way too complicated and fancy. Why is this a big issue? The surface area on a map is very limited and they can\u2019t print everything on the limited surface. The solution is to print numbers on the map for business or buildings and then at the back of the map it will correspond the number to the name of the business or building. The issue is if I can\u2019t read whether it is \u201cD\u201d, \u201cO\u201d, \u201cP\u201d, \u201cQ\u201d or \u201cG\u201d then I can\u2019t spell out the name of the business. If I can\u2019t spell it out, I can\u2019t find the corresponding name to a number. If I can\u2019t find the right number, there is no way I would know exactly where I am in Zermatt and hence can\u2019t find the bus stop. I felt so helpless. Well, some may suggest that I could look around and use other business name. Yes, I had thought of that. The issue is I guess because of pandemic many of the business were out of business and I couldn\u2019t find any other references and the map wasn\u2019t up to date. At least not where I was at the time. I felt so helpless and powerless somewhere in the middle of Zermatt. I said before: The main function of language is a bridge for communication but when the languages are different, it, unfortunately, became the biggest barrier.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Mad Cow Disease<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

After three weeks hiking in the mountains and carrying heavy camera equipment, I was both physically and mentally drained. I decided to find a small town, stay there for a few days and take a break to recover. I arrived the afternoon the day before and didn\u2019t get out of bed other than enjoying the breakfast provided by the hotel. It\u2019s afternoon and I was finally kind of recovered and awake. So, what now? I can\u2019t just lie in bed all day long even I want to take it easy. I then remember that I saw a pointing roof from a church yesterday while I was driving into town. I decided to take a look and may be a few shots. I take both of my cameras; because I can\u2019t anticipate what situation I would encounter, tripod, snacks, drinking water and heading out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since all I want to do is \u201ctaking it easy\u201d, I was taking a slow stroll on the streets toward the church. Right about three blocks or 50, 60 yards away, I heard something, something very familiar. It\u2019s the sound of cattle bells! It\u2019s very common practice for cattle and sheep to have a bell under their necks so the owner would know where they are in Switzerland. The only exception are horses and I have never seen a horse wearing a bell. Anyway, it\u2019s different than the cattle bell sound I heard before. Usually, it\u2019s a few bells ringing on and off. This time the sound of the bell never stopped. There must be a huge group of cattle somewhere around. I take a look and sure enough there is an extra long line of cattle moving slowly far away coming down on a hill. That would be a fantastic subject to take pictures of and that was the first idea into my mind. However, they are far, very far away and may be seven or eight hundred yards. Plus, it seems they are taking a turn and moving toward the other direction from here. As I said that I am going to take it easy today and there is no way I am going to pursue them this far away. I am way too tired. I turned into the street leading to the church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After I took a few pictures of the pointing roof of the church, I want to take the interior decoration of the church. As I was opening the door half way, I was stunned to learn that there is some ceremony going on in the church. Immediately, I slowly, quietly and gently close the door. Luckily enough, I didn\u2019t disturb their on going event. Right at this moment, I heard it again, the cattle bell. Instantly, I know I made a mistake. Those cattle didn\u2019t turn away on the hill, they were turning around the hill and coming this way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Without hesitating or thinking, I started to run right away. I know there is a time pressure on this. Once those cattle passing by, they won\u2019t be coming back. I was running mad on the narrow street of the small town. I believe many of you know that European has a habit and that is sitting outside their houses to look at people, cars on the streets and chatting to each other to enjoy a sunny afternoon. When I started running, I had no idea that I would bring up a huge disturbance to this little town\u2019s neighborhood. All I was thinking is I don\u2019t want to miss out this group of cattle. But, as soon as I start running, those old men and women who were sitting in front of their houses enjoying their afternoon sunshine starting to first starring at me and then bursting into laugh, big laugh. There weren\u2019t many of them, may be 7 or 8. They were laughing so hard, they were rocking their chairs! Look, an Asian! You don\u2019t see Asian that often in this outskirt small town, not mention an Asian running like for his life! They know. They know exactly why I was running because they were looking at those \u201cwalking cattle\u201d too. How refreshing! This bumpkin Asian guy apparently never seen walking cattle before and running on the street like there is no tomorrow! Hearing and looking at them laughing, suddenly I start to laughing too as I was running. Because I know, I know exactly how ridiculous and funny I look like at this moment. I was holding a camera in my left hand, tripod in my right, another camera hanging down from my waist and wearing a pair of heavy hiking boots yet I was running like a wind. For what? Just for walking cattle!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After all the commotion was over and I was sitting on a rock to take a breath. I was still panting pretty heavily but then starting to laugh. I laugh because I recall that I made those old men and women laugh. I brought some very special kind of joy to this quiet and rarely any disturbance small outskirt town. All because I want to take some pictures of walking cattle with bells and I didn\u2019t even try to make them laugh. Then I was thinking about how hard this scene to come by. I have seen cattle before in China and Vietnam but that\u2019s only about a handful or may be a few of them. Even deep in the mountains at Nepal, the yak train to carry people\u2019 luggage, they were only about 20 to 30 at once. There is noting like so many cattle walking on the street here. I would say close to a hundred or more. Moreover, it\u2019s so lucky that there is actually some event at the church regardless it\u2019s a workday not weekend. If there is no event, for sure I would be getting into the church and taking some pictures. Once I do that, there is no way I would hear the cattle bell. Just as I was smiling and laughing, I notice there is a truck driver with a mustache looking and smiling at me because I was still panting pretty hard and laughing. His truck was stuck in the traffic caused by those walking cattle. I smile back at him. Then he said something I presume in Swiss language which I have no clue at all. I spoke back to him saying \u201cIt\u2019s beautiful, very beautiful!\u201d. From the looks on his face, I am pretty sure he doesn\u2019t know what I was saying either. We then look at each other and laugh and almost simultaneously gave each other a thumbs up. Beauty! This is beautiful. This is beauty in life and this is beauty in living. We don\u2019t know each other and encounter with each other for merely a few seconds. I don\u2019t understand his language nor did he understand mine. Nevertheless, we respect each other. There is no language obstacles, no racial differences, no social classes, we successfully communicated with each other with our smiling and joy. We don\u2019t need to understand each other, smile covers it. It\u2019s beautiful, just beautiful. It\u2019s my \u201ctaking it easy\u201d day yet I was panting so hard with smiling on my face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the way, so running like there is no tomorrow just to see a group of walking cattle with cattle bells, does this count as a special kind of \u201cmad cow diseases\u201d?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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By standers including both locals and tourists.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Note:
While I was conducting the post process of these pictures at home, only then I noticed that I was for sure not the only one who caught this \u201cmad cow disease\u201d because there were many people standing along the streets to observe this phenomenon. From the clothes they worn, there were many tourists like myself but also lots of locals. This made me believe that this really is some sensational event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n