DEDUCTIBLE JUNKETS
Davos, dahling?
Where can you find a bum in the highest tax bracket? The Swiss Alps. Take Davos, for instance, whose silvery slopes lure Prince Charles year after year, even though it's less glitzy than nearby St. Moritz and most of the other glamorous ski resorts perched in the powdered heights of the alpine region.
Bums aside, the Swiss peaks are an awesome sight - some might even list the massive formations of upward-surging granite and gneiss as a wonder of the world. But the true wonder is the railway network running through tunnels and over viaducts across the area; it's a feat of engineering genius, not to mention punctuality. Board the Davos train in Zurich and whiz southward into the remote canton of Graubénden, called Grischun in Romansch, the modern derivative of Latin spoken here.
Tucked away in southeastern Switzerland, near the Austrian and Italian borders, Davos stretches along the Landwasser River. You'll find most of the shops along the promenade in Davos-Platz, at the southern end of town. Follow the main street northeast to Davos-Dorf, nestled on the banks of the Davoser See, where the locals ice skate in the winter. (In St. Moritz, they organize a truly multimedia sport in which skiers are pulled by horses across the frozen lake.) But the sport of choice, of course, is downhill skiing. You can reach the snowfields of Weissfluh mountain on the Parsennbahn. Ride the funicular in any case - the view is spectacular. When your fingers are frost-fettered, it's time to join the locals at the cozy Café Schneider for a hot chocolate. Or better yet, a mug of steaming coffee and schnapps.
For heartier nourishment, dip into a pot of fondue at the Seehorn, a popular lakeside cookhouse. Back across town in Davos-Platz, you can pick up a pie at Padrino's pizzeria or sup in style at the swank Hotel Davoserhof. One culinary caveat: cannabis has become a trendy ingredient among gourmets since the recent legalization of hemp growing. But don't worry, you won't get any higher than you already are - 5,120 feet.
Feeling a little cooped up? Motor down the hairpin curves of the road into Fléela Valley for dinner at the rustic Tschuggen. To move beyond the bucolic theme, drive on to Chur, the capital of the canton and the oldest city in Switzerland, dating back to 3000 BC. The tourist office was kind enough to paint red-and-green footprints on the sidewalks to guide you to the city's main attractions. The blue footprints, added as a student prank, guide you from pub to pub. Have a few beers and then join in a game of nageln, a test of skill in which players drive nails into a log. The loser buys the next round.
In Chur, Davos, and throughout Graubénden, you'll discover the arresting beauty of the Alps, where every vista could be a scene from Heidi and the days are filled with skiing and chocolate. But don't leave without experiencing the greatest Swiss tradition of all: numbered bank accounts. Open your own at Credit Suisse.
Jessie Scanlon
The Current Roundup (see Wired 3.11)
December 3-8 Supercomputing '95;San Diego. *
December 11-14 Fourth International World Wide Web Conference;Boston. *
December 11-15 11th Annual Computer Security Applications Conference;New Orleans.
December 13-15 VRML 95; San Diego. *
January 3-6 1996 Pacific Symposium on Biocomputing; Waimea, Hawaii.
January 6-7 Low Res Film and Video Festival; New York
What happens when low-budget film and video producers get their hands on computers and other digital tools? View some of the wacky and wonderful results, including premiéres from Nick Philip, Spike Jonze, and the Emergency Broadcast Network, as well as short films by people from Digital Pictures, Industrial Light & Magic, and Colossal Pictures. Registration: US$5. Contact: +1 (415) 995 2363, fax +1 (415) 861 3865, e-mail lowres@lowres.com, on the Web at www.lowres.com/lowres/.
January 18-28 Sundance Film Festival; Park City, Utah
This evergreen film fest in the mountains of Utah spotlights independent movie productions, international premiéres, and rediscovered classics. It's the hottest place to be this winter month. Registration: US$2,500 for full festival passport, $10 per screening for premiéres. Contact: +1 (801) 328 3456, on the Web at .
January 29-February 1 ComNet '96; Washington, DC
Hear keynote speakers Nicholas Negroponte, MIT Media Lab master; Edward Bennett, CEO of Prodigy; and James Barksdale, president and CEO of Netscape.
Tutorials and sessions take you from the I-way to a global enterprise network so speedy your head will spin faster than your hard drive. Registration: US$1,295 through December 15, $1,495 after, $1,595 on site. Contact: (800) 545 3976, +1 (617) 551 9800, e-mail comnet@idgwec.com, on the Web at www.MHA.com/comnet.
February 1-6 World Economic Forum; Davos, Switzerland
The world's-lite corporate officers, renowned scientists (show your Nobel at the door), and heads of government meet in this remote region of the Alps to discuss global political and economic trends - and to have a bloody blast in the process. What does it take to hobnob with these movers and shakers? An invitation, dahling, or a well-connected friend. Contact: +41 (22) 736 0243, fax +41 (22) 786 2744.
February 9-12 MILIA '96; Cannes, France
This International Publishing and New Media Market event has become the killer conference of the trade-show circuit. Topics range from creative questions about multimedia development to concerns about global distribution channels. The hottest products of '95 will be highlighted at the awards ceremony, while the biggest deals of '96 will be cut in the hallway. Registration: approximately US$620 through December 31, $690 after. Contact: +1 (212) 689 4220, fax +1 (212) 689 4348, e-mail 75017,2143@compuserve.com.
Out on the Range:
February 12-14 MicroNeuro96 - Fifth International Conference on Microelectronics for Neural Networks and Fuzzy Systems; Lausanne, Switzerland. Contact: +41 (21) 693 6635, e-mail mn96@di.epfl.ch. *
February 21-24 TEDSELL; Monterey, California. Contact: +1 (401) 848 2299, fax +1 (401) 848 2599. * February 21-23 Imagina 96; Monte Carlo. Contact: +33 (93) 15 93 94, on the Web at http:// www.ina.fr/INA/Imagina/96/Info/info.en.html.
Got a good junket? E-mail junkets@wired.com.
