Much breath is expended on discussions about Lake Geneva’s true French name. Is it Lac Léman or Lac de Genève? Discussions can become quite heated the further you go from Geneva. Many in Lausanne recoil at the idea of the lake’s name deriving from a certain town at the far and thinner end of Switzerland’s […]
The Lausanne Church that was targeted by thieves posing as beggars
Begging gangs in Lausanne are operating with increasing audacity and focusing evermore tightly on exploiting soft targets. “We’re used to having beggars pushing for money at the church door and even coming into the church hall to steal money, hats and coats.” A Swiss member of the congregation told Le News. “This episode, however, was […]
Burglary season starts now. Why break-ins rise dramatically in winter.
24 Heures. A Vaud study shows home break-ins in November and December are 44% higher than those in July and August, according to the Swiss newspaper 24 Heures. Most break-ins during winter months occur at the end of the afternoon while shops and offices are still open. Why? According to the local police, criminals like […]
Geneva’s fines for excessive noise and driving in bus lanes more than triple
Tribune de Genève. On 1 October 2015, fines in Geneva went up massively. According to Tribune Genéve, the increases are expected to put an extra CHF 3 to 4 million per year into Geneva’s public purse. The increases impact a myriad of things including driving and parking infringements and excessive noise. For example the fine […]
Swiss pumpkin champion hit by heat wave
2015 was a disappointing season for Beni Meier. Last year he became known as the man who grew the world’s largest pumpkin when he produced a 1,054 kilogram whopper, presented at a competition in Ludwigsburg in Germany. This year Beni still managed to take the prize for the largest Swiss pumpkin, weighing a relatively modest […]
Happy Valley – and the real reasons behind VW’s Dieselgate
Autumn has always been a wonderful time to be in Happy Valley. The leaves are changing, and chasse is on the menu at the local auberge. So imagine my anger when I learned that the crisp, pure autumn air I’ve been breathing is perhaps not as crisp and pure as I had thought. I’m speaking […]
Swiss break alphorn concert record in Milan. An amazing spectacle.
Over the weekend 420 Swiss alphorn players performed a concert in Milan’s Piazza del Duomo. The concert was the largest of it’s kind performed outside Switzerland and will be submitted to the Guinness book of records, according to a post by the Swiss Pavilion of the 2015 Expo in Milan. According to Swissinfo.ch the group […]
Switzerland ranked best place to grow old. Why?
Switzerland did not have the longest life expectancy or the highest score on relative mental well-being. It did not have lowest old age poverty rate and it wasn’t perceived as the safest place for an older person to walk alone. So why did it rank as the best place to live in old age in […]
Could this be the new Swiss national anthem? Many hope so. Some don’t.
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 […]
