Did you know that the first full moon of the year was once known as the Wolf Moon? I picked this snippet up online and shared it with my older child one cold January night, as we had a magical mommy-daughter moment, holding hands and looking up at that moon. Perhaps I should have chosen […]
Of Pinterest, Feral Children and the Kruger National Park
Ever since the bigger child turned 8 and is now ‘practically a teenager’, we’ve been clashing over what she is and isn’t allowed to do. ‘You’re, like, totally controlling,’ she told me a few days ago. ‘No I’m not. And speak properly. And stand up straight.’ ‘You’re also overprotective. What do you ever let me […]
Morning Mood
What’s the music of your morning? These days, mine is far less ‘Morning Mood’ and more ‘Ride of the Valkyries’; less sipping herbal tea as I watch the sun peer pinkly over the Alps, and more hefty contributions to the Swear Jar as I run around trying to get everybody ready and out of the […]
5 beauty products you can make at home
Why spend tens and even hundreds of francs on beauty products when you can just as easily make them yourself, using simple ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen pantry? Making your own beauty products will not only help you cut your expenses, but your skin and hair will also benefit from the […]
Gamaret Meylan 2012
Gamaret Meylan 2012 Veering away from Valais towards Ollon this time. Ollon is situated at the foot of the mountains on the southeast end of Lake Leman near Aigle. Gamaret, à la mode for quite a few years now, is a red wine grape variety created at the Station Fédérale de Recherches en Production Végétale […]
Where to commemorate Armistice Day in Suisse romande
Roughly 20 million Europeans perished between the years 1914 and 1918. Various commemoration services are being held throughout the region on Tuesday. A service of commemoration will be held on Tuesday, 11 November 2014 at 11:00 at the British & Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery, St. Martin’s Church in Vevey. And afterwards, HE the British Ambassador […]
Syrah Prestige AOC Valais 2013 Cave Jean Maret, Fully
Syrah Prestige AOC Valais 2013 Cave Jean Maret, Fully Valais has many choices of wine – more than 70 different grape varieties. Even the Dalai Lama has a few vines in Saillon at Farinet’s trail. Farinet was the Robin Hood of the Alps and a master of forgery (do visit the intriguing museum of forgery […]
Swiss companies out-perform analysts’ expectations – except for UBS
Markedly positive third quarter earnings are now being released by Swiss companies. According to IG Bank, eight of the 15 companies that have reported so far have beaten analysts’ expectations by an average 2.21% with the exception of UBS. At Switzerland’s largest bank, UBS, profits were lower than expected at CHF 762 million against analysts’ […]
40-50 Swiss family-owned hotels under threat of closing
Family-owned hotels across Switzerland are striving to compete with larger ones. According to Swiss Info, an estimated 40 to 50 hotels are expected to close in alpine areas over the next few years, largely because they fail to target their guests properly, said Director of Tourism Jürg Schmid. The challenges are mostly financial, as many […]
The French Riviera: a glimpse of sunshine
Given all the beautiful places that can be easily reached from Nice airport, such as Monaco, Cannes, St Tropez or even Italy, it may take several weekends to explore the region properly. With winter approaching, the south of France is the perfect destination for a sunny and warm interlude. Be it for a bachelorette party […]