While currently draped in November fog, Geneva might not seem to be the most liveable city in the world. When my wife first came here some years back in mid-winter, she did not even realise that Geneva was surrounded by mountains until one of those heavenly days suddenly lifted the grey from the end of […]
Getting your winter tyres on
According to Touring Club Suisse (TCS), the Swiss motorists association, more many motorists in the country still have to change their summer car tyres to winter ones. This is meant to happen at the beginning of October. According to Auto Suisse, as a general rule of thumb the period for running winter tyres is from October until […]
Leman International Fair in Lausanne
The Leman International Fair at Beaulieu in Lausanne is always vibrant, eclectic and a pleasure to visit. Doors open at 11. 00 on Sunday 2 November. Entry is free and if you are a new arrrival in the area you will find over 100 exhibitors keen to help you settle in. If you’ve been here […]
Switzerland has many carnivals but Halloween is not one of them
Many Anglo expats, particularly Americans, may be dismayed to discover that Halloween is not among the many festivals widely celebrated in carnival-happy Switzerland. In fact, after a surge of popularity around 1999 and 2000, the holiday seems to be on the wane. “Today you notice it mostly in the shops, maybe a result of globalization,” […]
The French Riviera: a glimpse of sunshine
Given all the beautiful places that can be easily reached from Nice airport, such as Monaco, Cannes, St Tropez or even Italy, it may take several weekends to explore the region properly. With winter approaching, the south of France is the perfect destination for a sunny and warm interlude. Be it for a bachelorette party […]
Montreux Art: Uncovering artistic talent
Montreux Art Gallery, now in its tenth year, is a contemporary art fair with a juried selection of more than 150 exhibitors. The fair takes place in the Montreux Convention Centre, situated in the heart of Montreux. “We chose the right place,” says Jean-François Gailloud, director of MAG. “The Centre des Congrès is a very […]
La Nuit de la Guitare: Acoustic guitar virtuoso concert
It is rare to have world-class musical talents come together to give performances in lesser known venues in the region. But this is exactly what is happening in Versonnex on 31 October. For fans of the acoustic guitar, this event promises to be memorable with three highly respected masters coming together for just one evening. […]
The Geneva International Film Festival: Tous Écrans
Celebrating its 20th anniversary, the international ‘Tous Écrans’ festival will feature 131 film and TV shows from 6-13November. The gathering will take over the heart of Geneva in Plainpalais’s art nouveau Pitoëff community hall, where two projection rooms will promote 44 Swiss and two European premieres, plus eight international and 10 World premieres. Canada is […]
Exploring the intersection of creativity and war. L’Elysée Lausanne
Situated in beautiful gardens next to the Olympic Museum, L’Elysée in Lausanne is a museum dedicated to photography. The museum strives not only to preserve the photographic medium in the traditional sense, but also to explore and stimulate new advancements in the art of image-making. Currently on view are three politically charged exhibitions that explore […]
Half of Geneva’s flights private
In 2013, Geneva airport recorded some 50’000 landing and take-offs (about 140 per day). What is interesting though is according to Wijet, a private aviation company, nearly half of these were private flights. The same company has announced that it is now offering private flights from Geneva to 1’200 destinations in Europe and North Africa […]