What exactly is the alpine descent or désalpe? It is the seasonal droving of grazing livestock from high mountain summer pastures to the low valley regions before winter sets in. In German it is known as Alpwirtschaft and in French Désalpage or Désalpe. It is a traditional farming practice thought to date back as far as […]
Archives for 2015
Combine Swiss ingenuity with an alpine cave, and you get this.
Geneva-based writer, Renu Chahil-Graf, hikes around some stunning mountain parts of eastern Switzerland, revealing surprises and extolling the charms of hiking in the rain. Real hikers don’t use umbrellas! So proclaimed Professor Dr. Jürg Hari, our guide on a recent hike. Few would have given up a weekend of confirmed sunshine in Geneva to head […]
“Foreign conflicts must not be settled here”
20 Minutes. Conflict between Turks and Kurds in Bern over the weekend provoked a strong reaction from Swiss politicians. According to the newspaper 20 Minutes, violence broke out between Turkish and Kurdish marchers in Bern leaving 22 hurt, including four police officers and a police dog. In the video below a car can be seen […]
Switzerland decides to support refurb of UN offices in Geneva
Today, Michael Møller, Director-General of the United Nations Office in Geneva, expressed his deep appreciation to the Swiss government for supporting the renovation of the historic Palais des Nations buildings in Geneva. The complex was built between 1929 and 1936 as the headquarters of the League of Nations, later becoming home to the United Nations […]
Could this be the new Swiss national anthem? Many hope so. Some don’t.
Airlines to face big fines for transporting illegal immigrants
Le Matin. Airlines that bring foreigners to Switzerland without valid travel documents, will be fined under new rules from 1 October 2015. The new rules, which were ratified by the Swiss federal council on 2 September 2015, are designed to reduce the number of asylum requests. The new measures apply to all flights landing in […]
A young tennis fan was crushed by the crowd. Roger Federer did what you’d expect
A small boy, who was trying to get the Swiss tennis player’s signature at the US Open tennis match on Wednesday, was saved from a crushing crowd by several security guards. They boy was successfully rescued. Some tennis stars might have stayed focused on their game and not thought much about the event. The young […]
Film reviews: Youth, STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON, LE CHALLAT DE TUNIS, BOY CHOIR
YOUTH *** A clever parody of getting old, this tongue-in-cheek study of various clients in a posh Swiss spa features a superb Michael Caine and a mellowed Harvey Keitel. It is by Paolo Sorrentino, who last made La Grande Bellezza, with its multiple awards including an Oscar and BAFTA for best foreign film. With its […]
Happiness comes to Happy Valley
As colder weather starts to descend on Happy Valley — the bise earlier this week was a rude taste of things to come — your loyal correspondent is pleased to report some interesting developments relating to topics touched on over the past few months. To wit: Back in March, I commented on plans being reviewed […]
Swiss and global market roundup for 11 Sep 2015
Weekly Swiss and global market roundup for 11 September 2015. Brought to you by Investec Switzerland. Swiss market flat, jobless rate stable The Swiss Market Index (SMI) is expected to end the week flat after another volatile trading session. The economic slowdown in China remains central to the recent sell off although… Read more. Euro-area […]
