Photo Blog: Machinery digging up part of the green hillside for making a road

A bulldozer digging up a beautiful Swiss mountainside on the route to Jungfrau, for making a path. The picture looks beautiful, but it was a bit sad to see a green hill being partially destroyed.

Photo: Distant view from the glass windows at the Eiger station on the way to Jungfrau

On the way to Jungfrau, the train passes through a track dug through the mountain, passing through rock. On the way, there are several stations, with a small view point, some restrooms and a small walk to stretch your legs. The view from this station, called Eiger, is spectacular. You can see the tops of hills nearby, showing the height at which you have already reached.

Rat eating plant found in Phillipines

Not many people know that there are plants that eat meat as well. Say again ? Plants that eat meat ? Yes. There have plants such as the pitcher plant and sundew that eat meat. But humans need not be worried as yet. In a recent discovery by scientists, a plant that can eat rats has been found on Mount Victoria in Palawan, central Philippines. The plant has been named in honour of Sir David Attenborough. The plant has a pitcher which attracts insects and rats, and then takes nutrition from these animals (link to article):

The new discovery measures up to 30 centimeters in diameter and is formed by a tendril which inflates into a large cup-shaped trap. McPherson told CNN: "Around the mouth of the pitcher are secretions of nectar which attracts insects and small animals. The rim has lots of waxy downward-pointing ridges which help prey fall directly into the pitcher.
"These plants grow in really harsh areas where soil quality is very poor -- often pure gravel or sand. Catching insects allows the plant to augment nutrients that it otherwise wouldn't have access to." "These plants have evolved to catch insects. But on rare occasions they do catch rats and mice. The first reports of these plants catching rats was made in the 19th century by a British explorer called Spenser St John," McPherson said.

This is very interesting for those people who see a very clear separation between vegetarian and non-vegetarian food. If a plant can itself eat meat, then that separation starts to wither away.

Animal sculptures made of ice inside the ice tunnel in Jungfrau

Jungfrau has an ice tunnel as part of the tourist attractions. The tunnel is made inside a glacier, with the roof, ceilings and side made of ice, and can be a bit slippery. Inside the tunnel, there are sculptures made of ice in the shape of animals.

A train coach decorated with the symbols for Euro 2008 soccer at Kleine Scheidegg station

Euro 2008 was a big event for soccer / football in Switzerland, with motifs and advertising everywhere. And so it was, that on this train ride to Jungfrau, at a considerable height, we saw this train coach with the symbols for Euro 2008 painted on the outside.