That small window where the hillsides turn white with narcissus (often referred to in English as a white daffodil) is now upon us. The name of this flower comes from the narcissistic youth of Greek mythology, Narkissos. This poisonous plant can be used to make medicine for whooping cough, colds, and asthma. It is also sometimes used […]
Switzerland: heavy drinking linked to education among women
On 12 May 2015 the OECD released its report on OECD alcohol consumption. Over the last 20 years alcohol consumption has declined slightly in the OECD, however this total masks growth trends among women and young people. It appears that men are on average consuming less. Wealthier, better educated people also drink more than average […]
Swiss Rail “doesn’t like its customers”
Feeling Unloved by Swiss Railways? It’s been a week of shattered illusions in Happy Valley. As if the Swiss National Bank‘s unexpected, abrupt ending of the Swiss franc 1.2 floor in January 2015 was not enough to disillusion your correspondent, now comes the humbling of yet another pillar of Swiss predictability and reliability. I am […]
New Swiss driving rules that could have you locked up and deported
Some people are unaware of the severe new driving penalties in Switzerland. A new body of Swiss laws called Via sicura is being introduced in stages, the most recent lot at the beginning of 2015. Penalties for speeders and drink drivers are particularly severe. Even before these new laws, speeding was eye wateringly expensive in […]
Expat interview – Dani Bach biotech investor, intrepid climber
Swiss expat Dr. Dani Bach, a native of Catalonia, Spain leads an interesting double life. During the week, the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) trained molecular biologist works in Zurich helping entrepreneurs build biotech businesses. At the weekends he scales the highest peaks in the Alps and has conquered everything above 4,000 metres. Evangeline […]
7-step guide to getting a Swiss passport
Reform of Swiss naturalisation rules is in the works. Parliament has passed the law but it is not yet in force. Confusion abounds so here is a guide to what has happened and where things stood at 4 April 2016. On 20 June 2014 the Swiss parliament passed a new law which changed the number of […]
Switzerland – Home of the World’s Best Festival?
Cully Jazz, errant bachelors, and the only way to travel to Frankfurt… Your loyal Happy Valley correspondent is sitting on a Kuwait Airways flight from Geneva to Frankfurt. It’s civilized, quick — and amazingly inexpensive. The wide-bodied plane is at best 10% full, which means extra-attentive service, plentiful leg-room and a level of overhead storage […]
Montreux Jazz 2015 already selling out
The sale of 2015 Montreux Jazz Festival tickets opened on Friday 17 April 2015 and already some evenings are sold out. Tickets to the John Legend performance on 3 July, Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett on 6 July and Sam Smith on 7 July are all no longer available online. Getting tickets to the popular […]
How powerful is your passport?
Some passports are better than others. South Africans who travelled during the apartheid era will attest to this. To make comparisons easy, Arton Capital has created the Passport Index. The index ranks passports based on the number of countries the holder can travel to with ease. The index can be navigated via a world map, […]
Switzerland slips down 2015 social progress ranking
The Social Progress Index rankings are out again for another year. The ranking goes beyond GDP and includes measures of Basic Human Needs, Foundations of Wellbeing and Opportunity. The 2015 report is co-authored by Harvard professor Michael E Porter who many business school graduates will remember for his 5 forces model of competition. This year […]
