Serfaus Ski Trip 02.09

For a week in February, Annemieke and I went to snowboard at Serfaus in Austria. The area is huge and so is the apres-ski, which we didn't join every evening for sanity reasons. We had more snow than sun, but that made boarding really fun. Annemieke and I boarded most of the time together and each one at their own pace. Consequently, I had to try to enjoy the surroundings on many occasions. Some trip highlights included me eating fondue chinoise till barely being able to walk as well as superficially cutting my fingers with the board (always, always with the gloves!) and having to pay a small fortune to have them looked at.

Three Celebrations 12.08

Three celebrations; namely my birthday party, Christmas days and New Year's Eve. Just some days after the semester ended, David (a housemate of mine) and I, organized a birthday party for both of us at our house. Out of 3 rooms we made different themes: namely a Russian samovar, a French wine-bar and a shisha lounge. The event was not too crowded, the music was mixed, the drinks were flowing and the shisha pipes were hit hard. I spend Christmas days at Annemieke's family house in Vaassen. My mother joined too. Hikes during the day and long dinners at nights were the norm. Some days in Utrecht followed. I celebrated New Year's Eve with Annemieke in Zurich. After 12, fireworks were shot into the masses of fog and weren't seen by anyone; smart usage of the city's budget! After that we went into a wine-bar which was turned into a crowded disco for that night. The music was great; it all made sense after realizing that we might be the only heteros in the place. I put up a picture of the shisha lounge in the early morning.

Days in South Limburg 11.08

I spend some days in early November with Annemieke's family in South Limburg. The reason was her father's birthday. South Limburg is quite peculiar in Holland, because it can actually get quite hilly. We stayed at a countryside hotel, did some hikes, played games and went to a mining museum. Thus, some cosy days enjoying the end of the autumn.

Kolkata Study Trip 10.08

As I took the ETH Studio Basel for a second consecutive semester, I went on a study trip to Kolkata for just under 2 weeks in October. My research topic was historic preservation in the city; an interesting theme due to the British imperial architecture legacy being battered by the natural elements of the tropics. The city in itself is a huge phenomenon of contrasts, that goes beyond rich and poor. After 10 days of constant late meetings, no vegetables, no decent night life and sitting for ages in organic flowing traffic jams, I was ready for Zurich again. Nevertheless, Kolkata left me wanting to discover and learn more from India. Enjoy the pics; hope you can spot me amongst the construction workers.

Toggenburg Hikes 09.08

For a weekend in September, Annemieke and I did some hikes in the Toggenburg area. One of them included climbing the Chäserugg, one of the highest peaks in the area. The trip was special because it was the area where my Swiss family used to go on holidays some decades ago as well as it coinciding with sheperds bringing herds down from the mountains for the winter. I have put up pictures of some landscapes. I also decided it was time for an individual picture of myself in the blog.

Summer Holidays 06.08 - 07.08

During almost 4 weeks in June and July, Annemieke and I traveled through Thailand and Laos. We started in Bangkok and Ayuttaya, continued with a loop through northern Thailand and Laos (Chiang Mai, Laung Prabang, Vang Vieng and Vientiane) and finished with some days on the beach of Ko Chang. Some of the trip highlights included the variety of the cuisine, the not western influenced temple architecture, the massages, the elephants and the people who we met. I have put up pics from various holiday activities.

Fourth Semester in Zürich 02.08 - 05.08

In February, Annemieke's parents spend some days with me in Zurich, during which they met my mum for the first time. The semester work itself was pretty exciting because I took part in the ETH Basel Urban Research Studio. My topic of investigation were the recent urban transformations occurring in casino and heritage loving Macau. The research included a trip there as well as to Hong Kong, Chinese cities in the Guangdong Province and Dubai. Urban research has since become a strong interest of mine. Additionally, the Delft plans have come to a close due to my will to finnish my studies in May 2009. I have posted pictures from the family meeting and the trip to Asia.

Semester Break in Utrecht/Zürich 12.07 - 02.08

During this short break I spend some days in Munich visiting my family's Mexican friends the Noyolas, X-mas with my family and Annemieke close to Basel, some time shopping, a day snowboarding, New Year's Eve in Amsterdam, the fisrt days of the year sick, studying for 1 ETH exam, as well as working on my application for an exchange semester in Delft. I have put up pictures of the BMW Experience Center in Munich, X-mas night, a nice day in Zürich, and New Year's Eve.

Third Semester in Zürich 10.07 - 12.07

From October till December I worked on a stadium design with another student. We were never really on the same page, which made things not so easy. However, the result was quiet succesfull. During this period I also undertook a furniture design seminar week and of course some fun activities with Annemieke and friends in Holland and Switzerland. I posted a picture of the trip to Torino's catastrophic Stadio delle Alpi, site of our student stadium project as well as the table I designed during the seminar week.

Semester Break in Utrecht/Zürich 07.07 - 09.07

For 2 month I prepaired myself for 9 ETH Bachelor exams in Utrecht and later completed them succesfully in Zürich. Eventhough I was pretty nerdy for 3 month strait, I tried to squeze some fun activities in Utrecht as well as a trip to Barcelona before the exams and one to Cannes after them. I put up pictures of the trip to Barcelona where I met up with Annemieke's family, Alberto and Natiana, a day of studying frustration after which I attacked Annemieke's garden, an architecture tour close to Utrecht, as well as a trip around Cannes with the Nicaraguan delegation. For more pictures of this final event, please visit Roberto Pasos' facebook profile.

Second Semester in Zürich 03.07 - 06.07

During this semester I undertook the Kaijima studio; its design task was a single-family house for a real French client in the medina of Fès, Morocco. Additionally, I was highly visited by friends and family members from within and outside of Switzerland. I have posted some pictures of people who visited me in Zürich.

Seminar Trip to Andalucía 05.07

In May 2007 I took part in an ETH seminar trip to Andalucía that lasted a week and covered Granada, Sevilla and Córboda, as well as some hours in Málaga and Madrid. The trip was organized by the Spanish chair of Manem Domingo and students from all educational levels participated. During the days we undertook extensive city tours and at nights intensive bar hopping. I have put up pictures of the some of the visited architecture sites and one of the group.

Ski Trip in Nendaz 03.07

For a week in March 2007 I went with Annemieke and some Dutch, English and Swiss friends for a ski trip to Nendaz, Wallis. We were lucky to have blue skies all seven days. Additionally to snowboarding and skiing, we played some games, cooked dinners together, sledged, did some aprè ski and recovered from some of the falls. The last day Kate, Therese and I also did a city walk in Bern. I have posted some pictures taken from the slopes and one of Bern.

Semester Break in Utrecht 02.07 - 03.07

During these semester holidays, I spend four weeks at Annemieke's place in Utrecht. I mostly studied for my summer exams. However, I also managed to catch a couple of good movies, do some walks, have some nice dinners, see a Berlage Institute architecture review, meet up with Florian (a housemate from Zürich doing an exchange semester), and spend some time with Lea and Sandy who flew from Zürich to see a bit of Holland. I have posted some photos from a walk near Amersfoort and a day in Rotterdam.

Start in Zürich 09.06 - 02.07

In September 2006 I moved to Zürich to continue my architecture studies at the ETH. I was lucky to find a nice apartment in Zürich, with kind housemates and a little view to the lake and Alps. I was happy to enjoy the student way of life once again. Since my arrival there, I have met some nice people, gone out more and gotten to know the city better. I also really liked studying again and discovering my new university. In February 2007 my first semester there ended. I have put up a picture of my house and another one of the ETH.

Utrecht 05.06 - 09.06

From May till September 2006 I carried out the second half of my internship credits for the ETH program in Utrecht, The Netherlands. I stayed at Annemieke's apartment in the same city and enjoyed cycling along the canals and windmills to get to work. It was nice to spend quite some time with Annemieke and get to know her settings, friends and family better. Additionally, we did some architecture and walking tours in central Holland. I have put up some pictures from these trips.

Summer Holidays 07.06 - 08.06

In the months of July and August I went on two short holidays; once to Italy and once to France. I flew to Italy together with Annemieke and her brother to meet up their parents who were cycling from Holland to Rome. There, we visited Pisa and Florence and spend some time camping together. To France, Annemieke and I went by ourselves. There we drove from Pau in the Pyrenees to Nice. On the way we had some nice meals, went out on a couple of nights, hiked some mountains, visited some sites and enjoyed the beach. I have put up pictures of some of the activities we undertook during these 2 trips.

World Cup in Frankfurt 06.06

For a week in June 2006, while the World Cup was underway, I visited my friend Markus in Frankfurt. Annemieke and her friend Renske came from The Netherlands too. We saw some games at the giant screens of the Main Arena. The World Cup mood was great; we met people from around the world. I have put up pictures of the world cup environment, a night out and the city.

Week in Barcelona 05.06

For a week in May 2006, I visited my newlywed friends Alberto and Natiana in Barcelona. Rogelio, who traveled from Madrid, showed up for some days too. I was highly entertained by the vast architecture legacy of the city. Furthermore, we visited two beaches of the Catalonian coast, played too much video games and hit the bars on a couple of nights. For the best drinking story contact Alberto; the keywords are: Wizard of Oz. I have put pictures of the architecture and my friends.

Basel 02.05 - 05.06

I lived in Basel from February 2005 till May 2006. There, I stayed at my mothers' and carried out an internship, required by the ETH program. It was a time of adaptation and a lot of learning. The metropolitan region of Basel is tri-national and has the most museums per city area in the world. I enjoyed the cultural input of the city. I have put up pictures of the house, the firm where I worked, the city and my family.

Visit to Nicaragua 12.04 - 01.05

After finnishing my studies in the US and before continuing them in Switzerland, I went for some weeks to Nicaragua. I was happy to spend some time with friends and family as well as some sunny days on the beach. I have posted some pictures from some of the beach trips I did and from some of my dad's projects, which include a shooting in a city dump.