If marriage is a journey (and not a destination, as Jane Austen says), I want mine to be like a car trip: a nice long one, on interesting roads. Although not as interesting as London’s M25 which I was on yesterday and which may have actually taken several years off my life. There are so […]
Didier Burkhalter’s way with words
As President of the Swiss confederation, as Foreign Minister, as Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE, Didier Burkhalter is required to give many speeches. He probably has at least one person helping him prepare the texts. Be that as it may, the introduction to his national day 1 August address, although little commented upon, bears particular attention. […]
The US in Iraq: here we go again?
Getting old has its positive and negative aspects. Positively, there is a growing sense of wisdom because of having been witness to many events over time. Negatively, in contradiction to the growing wisdom, there is the realization that certain things keep repeating themselves, such as the United States trying to save the world or trying […]
Cheaper restaurants – not on the menu
Don’t uncork the champagne just yet. Finance minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf this week outlined the Federal Council’s response to the popular initiative “Stop discriminatory VAT in the restaurant business”, to be put to the vote on 28 September. For several reasons, she rejected the proposal of GastroSuisse, the hotel and restaurateurs association, to bring the standard […]
Swiss cheese off EU over Russian sanctions
As tensions rise between Russia and the West, Switzerland announced last week that it has added 26 Russian and Ukrainian individuals and 18 organizations to its sanctions list, bringing the total number of individuals affected to 87 and the number of entities to 20. Switzerland is not part of the European Union and is not […]
Hiking hazards in Switzerland: Not just bad weather
As Swiss meteorological records point out, July proved to be the wettest month in 50 years. Precipitation was four times higher than normal putting a severe dampener on Swiss tourism. The Lake Geneva region, Bernese Alps, Valais and Jura have all endured exceptionally high rainfall. Many resorts have reported cancellations, particularly among weekend vacationers seeking […]
The natural order – Robyn Goss
“Nasty, brutish and short”, my husband observed the other day, as we sat on the patio in the rain, having sundowners. “That’s a bit harsh,” I said, watching the children smear yoghurt all over the newly washed windows. “Brutish, yes, undeniably. And of course they’re short. They’re still young. But nasty? I don’t know … […]
Plastic flags
Swiss National day is a relatively new public holiday, having only been officially established in 1969 (despite being mooted as early as 1889). With impressive fireworks displays, massive bonfires across the country and somewhat incongruous plastic flags, the holiday celebrates the establishment of the Confederation by what are now the cantons of Uri, Schwyz and […]
Bringing it all home: Our friends on MH 17
The sad news of the World Health Organization’s Glenn Thomas being one of the 298 victims killed in the downing of Malaysian Airlines MH17 has once again brought it home how embedded the international community in Switzerland is in world affairs. Glenn, a former BBC producer who represented WHO as a press spokesman, and hence […]
So … how about this weather?
Funny you should ask. I’ve been thinking about winter a lot, lately. This may seem a strange time, what with all the blue skies and sunflowers, but it’s best to be prepared: what Switzerland lacks in poisonous spiders and man-eating potholes, it more than makes up for with deadly weather. I don’t want to sound […]
