20 Minutes. School holiday dates overlap in several european countries this Easter. Many holiday makers try to head south at this time of year where the weather is starting to feel summery. Those who can depart early have an edge on those leaving on Friday. At least they hoped they would. According to the Swiss Federal […]
Switzerland’s spectacular dams and their uncertain future
Switzerland’s 604 hydroelectric plants aren’t just powerhouses for clean energy. Some dams are also dramatic destinations. But their source of fuel is literally drying up. By Bill Harby Switzerland’s glaciers are shrinking. In 2015, of 99 Swiss glaciers measured, 92 were retreating, 3 were stationary and 4 were advancing. Global warming doesn’t just threaten Switzerland’s […]
Start-up ski airline announces bigger plane for flights to Sion
The new airline PowdAir, which plans to base itself at Sion airport in the canton of Valais in Switzerland and start flying in December 2017, recently announced plans to fly an Airbus A 319 instead of the smaller Fokker 100. According to Swiss broadcaster RTS, the new airline plans to use a single aircraft to […]
Why you should visit the Gianadda gallery in Martigny
Gianadda, that spectacular cultural centre in Martigny, specializes in exhibitions you want to wander round more than once. Its latest show – Hodler, Monet, Munch: painting the impossible (3 February to 11 June 2017) – also lives up to the Foundation’s knack of finding original themes to group masterpieces of modern painting. The Fondation Pierre […]
5 romantic Swiss spring getaway ideas
Buds will soon be on the trees, and our juices will start flowing, so it’s time to plan a romantic getaway with your sweetheart. Here are 5 love-struck suggestions. By Bill Harby Ascona-Locarno, Ticino Canton Nesting: The Art Hotel Riposo in the heart of Old Town Ascona offers intimacy amid fine design with its own […]
First direct flight to Sion, near Verbier, from London Heathrow, arrives
20 Minutes. Back in August last year, the French language newspaper Le Nouvelliste, reported that Swiss would start test flights direct from London Heathrow to Sion in Valais this February after Switzerland’s military stopped using the airport. Over the weekend the first aircraft and its passengers made the first 1:50 minute flight. The aircraft, an Embraer […]
A Swiss experiment begins with ski pass discounts for bad weather
Over the Swiss January school holidays we planned a one day ski trip. Snow conditions were poor so we planned our day around lunch. The plan was to start in Zermatt on the Swiss side of the Alps, then head over to Italy for lunch at a particular restaurant. We arrived in Zermatt at around 10am, bought […]
2016 saw fewer passengers on Switzerland’s highest railway
The train, which takes sightseers to the Jungfraujoch in the Bernese Alpes, carried 916,500 passengers in 2016, significantly fewer than the year before. In 2015, a record 1,007,000 made the journey. Despite the decline, 2016 was still the second best performance recorded. And, at the price of CHF 218.80 for a first class round trip, brought in […]
Film: The Founder – from failed salesman to the Golden Arches – the McDonald’s story
30 December 2016. THE FOUNDER ***1/2 Everyone knows the McDonald’s name, the mass-produced, fast food hamburgers that have conquered the world, for better or for worse. The original idea came from two McDonald brothers in California who were proud of their innovative success. That was in the mid-1950s, and it was like a “symphony in hamburger […]
Alpine panoramas, fondue and snowballs at Europe’s highest railway station
On top of the Jungfrau, the alpine views (and elevation) will take your breath away. By Bill Harby The two-plus-hour train ride up, up, up from Interlaken is at least half the fun of going to the Jungfraujoch visitors center, 3,454 meters above sea level. Traveling slowly on winding mountain tracks, you’re suddenly surrounded by […]
