Few things get the heart pumping of your Happy Valley correspondent more than la rentrée…that splendid combination of the first whiffs of fall air, and the return of horrendous traffic, as la Suisse Romande re awakes from its summer slumber. But this year, the rentrée in Happy Valley somehow feels…well, rather different. Rather morose, in […]
Swiss climber climbs 82 Alpine summits in 62 days
20 Minutes. The Swiss climber who holds numerous mountain climbing speed records recently set himself a new challenge: climb all European Alpine peaks over 4,000 metres in under 80 days. Ueli Steck, nicknamed the “Swiss machine” announced on Wednesday that he had successfully climbed all 82 peaks in 62 days, well within his 80 day […]
Barbeque bans lifted
20 Minutes. The cantons of Vaud, Fribourg and Neuchâtel have all lifted their fire bans after recent rain reduced the risks. The fire risk level has now fallen to level 3 on a scale from 1 to a maximum risk level of 5. This means fireworks and barbeques near forests are permitted. A level 3 […]
Revolution in the UDC? A Happy Valley Exclusive!
The August 1 Swiss national holiday is almost here. It’s a day awaited with bated breath by your loyal Happy Valley Correspondent. Why? Well, first of all there are fireworks. Many fireworks. Fireworks which even in the tiniest of bleds often rival those of an Olympic closing ceremony. And Happy Valley is no exception. Second, […]
Vaud fireworks ban sparks anger
20 Minutes. Ahead of the 1st of August celebrations of Swiss national day, fireworks have been banned in the canton of Vaud unless set off from the lake by professionals at least 300 metres from the shore. Those working in the industry are angry and think the ban goes too far. Some Vaud fire fighters […]
Growing crowds at Lausanne soup kitchen
Tages Anzeiger. Some might imagine there is little need for soup kitchens to feed the poor in Lausanne. Philippe Reichen, writing for the Tages Anzeiger, describes life at “La Soupe Populaire”, a soup kitchen in Lausanne which feeds around 200 people every day. “La Soupe Populaire” has been enormously popular for years. In 2008, when […]
Swiss army flies in to rescue cows from heatwave
24 Heures. The Jura region of Switzerland has been hard hit by the recent heatwave. So hard that the Swiss army was called in to install and fill water troughs for parched cows. According to one farmer, a cow’s comfort zone is between 5 and 20 degrees Celsius. Outside this range they aren’t happy and […]
The fashion trend banned in some Swiss swimming pools
24 Heures. A trend that started in the US in the 90s is now invading Swiss swimming pools, threatening to turn them into washing machines, requiring the addition of increased water treatment chemicals. Culprits are not easy to catch either according to those running public pools. The fashion called “sagging” involves wearing your pants below […]
Is Lausanne One of The World’s Top Cities?
While perusing the racks at the local magazine shop, your loyal Happy Valley Correspondent was delighted to come across the latest edition of Monocle magazine. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Monocle, it’s a very glossy periodical, with many nice pictures. It describes itself as “a briefing on global affairs, business, culture and […]
Poke your head out of a Swiss train and it could get whacked by a broom
In the United States you might get sued for this. But this is Switzerland and Swiss Rail has decided that getting your head hit by a broom from time to time is far better than getting it knocked off by something harder like a tunnel entrance or a piece of construction equipment. How refreshingly practical. […]
