2014 Gingins Cricket Club Autumn Indoor Tournament Cricket, that wonderfully eccentric sport beloved by an odd bunch of nations whose only real link is that they were once part of the thankfully defunct British Empire. And now in Switzerland, the sound of leather against willow is ringing out from Zurich to Gingins. Over the first […]
Manor in Chavannes reopens
After spending CHF 15 million on the refit of one of its key stores, Manor Chavannes reopens on 20 November. The main renovations and changes include the modernisation of and upgrade of all the departments “to reflect latest concepts”; a significant enlargement of the shop’s already pretty impressive food hall (as well as the enlargement […]
Coloured gems smash records at Geneva auctions
Rubies. Sapphires. Diamonds. Pearls. It seems as though a new record was set every time the gavel came down at Geneva-based auctions held earlier this week by Christie’s and Sotheby’s. At the Christie’s auction, 346 items were sold on Tuesday for a total of CHF 147.2 million, a sum exceeding that of Elizabeth Taylor’s jewel […]
German Community celebrates St. Martin’s Day in Geneva on Saturday 15 November
Imagine small children bundled up in winter clothing carrying homemade lanterns and munching on pretzels. They sing in unison well-known songs like “Ich geh’ mit meiner Laterne” and “Abends, wenn es dunkel wird” (see performances on Youtube) as they follow a man riding a horse through the snowy cobbled streets of Geneva’s old town. Eventually […]
Swiss want yodelling on UNESCO heritage list
Argentina has Tango, Portugal has Fado, China has the Beijing Opera, and Austria has Viennese coffeehouse tradition recognized by UNESCO on the Intangible Cultural Heritage List. Switzerland announced last month that it wants the international body to give yodelling protective status as well. Yodelling started as a way of communicating from mountain to mountain, eventually […]
Geneva ranked as best city in the world
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 […]
