Hello Switzerland Summer 2013

ISSUE No 02/04 | Summer 2013

HELLO SWITZERLAND

SWISS CULTURE | POLITICS | TOURISM | EVENTS

Picture by Hello Switzerland reader Jeremy picture Andre Duvenhage Hicks

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Issue 2/4

Summer 2013

Contents Hello Switzerland is an English-language magazine published 4 times a year as a service to the English-speaking community.

In this issue: Readers’ Page

4

The Wild West of Switzerland

5

A Very Swiss Angel’s Share

8

Challenging Malta and Gibraltar

10

The Treasures of Swiss Hiking

14

Basel Region Basel Roundup, Quartiertreffpunkt LoLa

17

Making Yourself Anew, Lawyers Love and Flower Power

20

Restaurant Fischerstube

23

Bern Region Bern Roundup, The Hills are Alive with the Sound of Music

24

Hamilton Lodge, In Search of Coffee and Ice Cream

26

Lantal, Bern Expat Breakfasts 2013

28

I Know I Could Write a Children’s Book

30

End Station

31

Discover Switzerland: Pets

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Romandie Region Romandie Roundup, Festival of Music, Optimum Bien-Être

37

Geneva Goes for New Cross-City Link, Crêpe-Making Shepherdess

40

Zurich Region Zurich Roundup, A Walk Along the Schanzengraben

42

Summer by the Greifensee, MyGirlfriendGuide

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Alois Carigiet: The father of Ursli

48

Zug/Lucerne Region Zug/Lucerne Roundup, Seilpark Rigi

50

Ticino Region Ticino Roundup, Two Exceptional Talents, FAI Swiss Update

53

Travel: Marvels of Marseilles and Montpellier

56

What’s Going On In Switzerland

58

Voluntary Organisations & Groups

61

Presenting partner:

Free Subscription www.helloswitzerland.ch All issues are now also available online To inform us of changes of mailing address, please contact: info@helloswitzerland.ch Editor-In-Chief Caroline Thonger +41 (0)79 874 5004 Caroline@helloswitzerland.ch Co-Editors Basel Kate Orson Kate.orson@helloswitzerland.ch Zurich, Zug, Lucerne Allison Turner Allison@helloswitzerland.ch Bern Querida Long Querida@helloswitzerland.ch Romandie Catherine Nelson-Pollard Catherine@helloswitzerland.ch Contributors Elisa Bieg, Roger Bonner & Edi Barth, Riitta Burri, Judith Butler, Angelica Cipullo & Deja Rose, Chloé Corbin, Julianne di Nenna, Sarah Ebner, Christina Fryer, Anitra Green, Florian Hehlen, Faiz Kermani, Ellen Massey Leonard, Alison Metzger, Rashida Rahim, Jenny Lind Schmitt, Karin Waldhauser, Jennifer Whistler, Marlen Winiger Cover photograph “Floating on the Aare“, © Andre Duvenhage Publisher Hello Switzerland AG Community & Account Manager Lukas Hayoz / +41 (0)58 356 17 60 Lukas.Hayoz@helloswitzerland.ch Pre-press Layout & Printing Jordi AG – www.jordibelp.ch Distribution 16,000 copies all over Switzerland

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Deadline for the Autumn Issue 22 July 2013

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Editorial Dear Readers, Summer in Switzerland is the season of festivals – from traditional events celebrating home-grown sports such as Schwingen and Steinstossen (Swiss forms of wrestling and boulder-throwing) in the Bernse Oberland, to Buskers Street Festivals in cities all over Switzerland (p. 24). After enduring the long winter months, the Swiss come alive over the summer, with a wealth of open-air events.

The three months of June, July and August abound with feasts of music of every variety: Avenches (opera in a Roman coliseum), Verbier (classical music in the mountains), the Caribana festival on Lake Geneva, Montreux jazz, the Paleo in Nyon, Irish folk in Sion, New Orleans in Ascona, the Blue Balls festival in Lucerne, Muse in Bern … need we go on? We’ve listed as many as possible of the major music festivals in our “What’s Going On” section at the back of the magazine (p. 58).

Jazz Ascona

58

Among the intriguing topics featured in this issue is a perhaps surprising introduction to Swiss whisky (p. 8) presented by one of our regular contributors, Florian Hehlen. Another loyal provider of interesting topics, Rashida Rahim, gives us her impression of the “Fête de la Musique” with musical events taking place all over Romandie (p. 38). For the more active-minded, keen walker Ellen Massey takes us on a breathtaking tour of high-level trails (p. 14). And if you think Heidi and Wilhelm Tell are the most famous characters in Swiss literature, think again. Jenny Lind Schmitt introduces us to Ursli, the little boy who searched for the biggest cowbell for his village in the Engadine (p. 48).

Swiss Whisky

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Our theme for this edition of “Discover Switzerland” covers everything to do with pets – whether you’re importing them from your country of origin, or acquiring them here in Switzerland (p. 32).

We’re delighted that the winning photo chosen for the front cover was submitted by another of our readers, Andre Duvenhage. We felt it perfectly encapsulated the spirit of summer. Make sure you read the item on the Readers’ Page (p. 4), as well as taking note of our advertisement asking our readers for their best photographs (p. 11). And if you’re intrigued by the “post-it” notes scattered through the magazine, that’s just a taster of the changes occurring at Hello Switzerland in the very near future.

Walking St-Bernards 32

Whether you’re a sports fan (practising or watching), or simply enjoy walking around Switzerland’s beautiful lakes, we hope there’s something for everyone in this issue.

From your hard-working Editorial Team, enjoy this summer issue of Hello Switzerland Switzerland.

Caroline caroline@helloswitzerland.ch

Greifensee

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Compiled by Caroline Thonger

4

Readers’ Page European Dog Show, Geneva

Becoming a Swiss Citizen

In line with our theme of “Discovering Switzerland with your Pets” in the current issue of the magazine, we would like to inform our readers about a major canine event coming up in Geneva. As many dog-lovers will know, the worldfamous dog-show of Crufts takes place every year in March, at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, UK. While it is vaunted as the “biggest and best dog show in the world”, the organizers of this European event, taking place in Palexpo over the last weekend of August, claim it to be “the 2013 meeting point for the most beautiful dogs in Europe”.

A recent article by Jeannie Wurz and published on swissinfo.ch highlights both the complexities of applying for Swiss citizenship, and why many longterm expat residents in Switzerland are perfectly happy to retain their citizenship of origin.

Of course the French (speaking) have a word for it: “cynologie” – translated as cynology by dog-enthusiasts, although you won’t find this term in standard dictionaries. It means everything to do with the selective breeding and training of dogs. The show is organised in partnership with the Societé Vaudoise de Cynologie. On the Thursday there is an all-breed international show, awarding the top dogs various categories of CACIB – the Certificat d’Aptitude au Championnat International de Beauté, or Certificate of Ability at International Beauty Championships.

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Reader Photo Competition We’re delighted to announce that one of our readers, Andre Duvenhage, has been selected as this month’s winner in our Reader Photographic Competition.

His winning entry “Floating down the Aare” has been chosen to grace this issue’s front cover. Andre wins a restaurant voucher worth CHF 100.–.

Please see the full-page ad on p. 11 for further details of how your photos could be a valuable resource to the new Hello Switzerland website. www.helloswitzerland.ch

The remaining three days of this prestigious event will culminate in the “Best in Show” competition on the Sunday.

According to the President of the Swiss Cynological Society (SKG): “Dog shows offer the opportunity to socialize on-site, to share experiences with like-minded individuals, and to share with the visitors the diversity of the dog population.”

The whole four-day event is sure to provide something for anyone who loves dogs.

EURODOGSHOW Geneva 29 August-1 September Palexpo, Geneva www.eurodogshow.ch

Our lucky prizewinners in the spring draw: A First Class 1-day travel pass worth CHF 126.– sponsored by BLS V Konya from Bachenbülach V Brenner from Novaggio R Owen from Forch L Skavska from Founex C R Scott from Zug A unique Jubilee book plus DVD sponsored by www.innere-enge.ch A Arora from Bern

A Federal study found that out of the 900,000 people in Switzerland eligible for citizenship in 2010, only 2% were granted Swiss citizenship the following year. From the various long-term expats she interviewed, the author proposed various reasons for this, including: • Switzerland’s very strict criteria for citizenship and • believing that your current citizenship of a well-recognised and respected country shouldn’t be changed.

Who is currently eligible?

All applications are considered at the national, cantonal, and communal levels. Expats who have lived in Switzerland for 12 years are eligible at a national level to apply for citizenship, but requirements for how long a person has to have lived in a commune before applying vary.

Applicants are required to be integrated in the Swiss way of life, familiar with Swiss customs and traditions, in compliance with the Swiss rule of law, and to represent no danger to Switzerland’s internal or external security.

Apology In the last issue of the magazine (spring), we included an article under the Romandie Roundup section about the display of 3,000 candles illuminating the interior of the Cathedral of Saint-Pierre in Geneva, to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Red Cross on 8 May. Due to circumstances entirely beyond their control, the display had to be cancelled. Organisers Kalalumen would like to apologize for any inconvenience caused. www.kalalumen.ch

Contributed by Roger Bonner with illustration by Edi Barth

The Wild West of Switzerland

5

Where can you go in Switzerland on a Sunday without getting stuck in never-ending traffic jams?

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anet and I had suffered through weeks of gloomy winter weather, when at last the sun god rode his fiery chariot over the rooftops of Basel.

“Let’s go for a walk to some place where it’s not too crowded,” she said.

I proposed driving to the Jura, or La République et Canton du Jura, as this French-speaking part of Switzerland is officially called. It is the most recent of the Confederation’s 26 cantons, created in 1979 after a long and partly militant struggle, including arson attacks, to gain independence from the Germanspeaking Canton of Bern.

In Delémont, the capital of the Jura, it struck us how empty the streets were, and out in the countryside the roads were practically deserted. With an average population density of 83 per square kilometre, compared to Basel’s 7553, it was not surprising people weren’t milling about. I suddenly thought of the hordes of skiers and snow-boarders descending upon Alpine resorts, and revelled in our new-found tranquillity.

stopped there. As we got out of the car, la bise cut through our heavy jackets, making us realise why some parts of the Jura are the coldest in Switzerland. In La Brévine, for example, temperatures can drop to as low as -30C. The walk through the fields was wonderful, with wide-open spaces that reminded us of parts of the foothills of the Rockies. Even more so when we came to a bend in the path and saw a sign: Maison Rouge – Fondation pour le cheval. Of course, the Jura is famous for its horses and we assumed this might be a horse-breeding ranch. At the Maison Rouge, we realised something was not quite right. Dozens of horses stood around in the snow-covered fields, looking listless and bored. A few had backsides as bent as Don Quixote’s Rocinante. We continued in the direction of the stables and saw more horses and a donkey with the same depressed expressions. We cheered up at the sight of a restaurant nearby with a sign

advertising vin chaud chaud. While sipping the hot wine, we browsed through some brochures that lay on the table. Then we understood – this was a retirement home for horses! We learned that one could subsidize a horse or donkey’s care by donating a small sum of money per month. It was a good way, I mused, to prevent them from winding up in lasagne.

We left the restaurant and walked around the grounds. As we approached the fenced-in compound where the horses were kept, a couple of them turned and stared vacantly at us.

We felt sorry for these poor creatures, who reminded us of some residents we had seen in retirement homes for elderly humans. Perhaps the horses also needed a program of entertainment to rouse them from their lethargy, such as coach trips to equestrian events, or line prancing. Anything but that triste existence.

“We can go for a nice walk there,” I said to Janet, who was gazing at the glittering white surroundings dotted with old farmhouses.

In Saignelégier, however, we couldn’t find a parking spot! The place isn’t big and consequently the few spaces were already taken. Never mind. We drove on, searching for other trails. The situation looked more promising in the village of Les Bois. To the right we saw a small parking lot at the end of which was a path leading across the field. We

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The Jura does have some skiing areas but they are mainly cross-country, not the real he-man, she-woman downhill variety. I remembered that Saignelégier is a pretty centre for cross-country skiing, as well as hiking, and drove in that direction.

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On our way back to Basel, we noticed that there was more than just one of these senior equine homes. In fact, there were three.

“Why don’t we start one for ageing cows?” I said to Janet. “They spend their short lives providing us with milk, butter and cheese, and how do we reward them? We turn them into stews, hamburgers, and filling for unadulterated lasagne.”

Being a true vegetarian, she was enthusiastic about the idea, and wanted to be the first to adopt a cow.

If you too would like to adopt a retired horse or donkey, go to: www.philippos.ch

Roger Bonner is a Swiss writer/ poet who runs a writing/editing business, Right Style. A collection of his funniest stories and columns entitled “Swiss Me” (CHF 24.90), with illustrations

by Edi Barth, is available from Bergli Books Basel (www.bergli.ch), or bookshops throughout Switzerland.

You can reach him at info@roger-bonner.ch www.roger-bonner.ch

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Contributed by Florian Hehlen

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A Very Swiss Angel’s Share As you drive through the Swiss countryside, you’re very likely to miss this unlikely Swiss product.

Y

ou’ll miss one as you drive through Biel/Bienne. You could miss another one as you meander through the hills of Basel-Land, taking in the scenery. You’re sure to miss one a third time, zooming past Interlaken on your way to the mountains. And you’re most likely of all to miss one as you drive right past one of Switzerland’s biggest kirsch distilleries, Etter.

Just what am I talking about? These are some of the many locations in Switzerland where whisky is distilled.

Before you get upset or declare Swiss whiskies a tourist gimmick, hear me out. Swiss whisky is undoubtedly in its infancy. The distilling of grain alcohols has only been permitted since 1999, and that’s not what Switzerland is renowned for. But this doesn’t mean Switzerland doesn’t have what it takes.

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The aim of this article is to convince you that Swiss whisky is something worth exploring, if not because you are a great fan of whiskey, then because of the new places it will bring you to. Most Swiss whiskies are artisan products and only available in specialty shops or directly from the distillers. Even the ones currently aspiring to more still have a long way to go before they become as pervasive as their well known Scottish, Irish, or American cousins. This should not deter you, but rather encourage you to discover or re-discover Switzerland.

Rugenbräu pot stills where Swiss Highland Single Malt is made

Making a day of visiting a distillery should not be a problem, as many of the places have a visitor’s centre, organise tours and tastings, and even host corporate/group events.

Most Swiss whiskies are made either by brewers of beer or distillers of Schnapps. Meeting with these people has been great fun and refreshing, because they represent something rare in today’s fast-paced world. They all are very patient people who value tradition and quality, yet have an open mind and the spirit to venture into uncharted waters. It was impressive to see how they all share an unconditional respect for their craft.

The Brewers Our Beer One of the strangest names for Swiss whiskies is Our Beer – the child of a union between the Basel-based microbrewery Unser Bier, and the Aargaubased distillery Humbel Brenerrei.

The whisky is aged in casks using the Hungarian dessert wine Tokay. You can sample and buy the whisky by visiting the distillery in Aargau or the brewery and pub in Basel. The Unser

Bier brewery also offers the interesting possibility of becoming a shareholder, and creates 12-year-old limited editions of their whisky through crowd funding. www.unser-bier.ch www.humbel.ch Säntis Malt This came about when its owners tried to imagine how they could capture the flavours of more than 140 years of brewing. Säntis Malt is aged in casks that have been used for the delivery of Locher’s Appenzeller beer for at least 70 and up to 140 years. The Locher Brewery and distillery is located in the centre of the town of Appenzell. There is a great visitor’s centre where the whisky-making process is explained, tastings can be had, and tours of the facilities are provided. www.saentismalt.ch Swiss Highland Single Malt Rugenbräu is first and foremost a brewery, but has risen quickly with a whisky that’s becoming increasingly recognised at international level. It’s situated on the outskirts of Interlaken at the foot of the mountains, which provide spring water and storage space. One of their

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whiskies, Ice Label, is aged for part of its three years up in the tunnels of the Jungfraujoch train line, where the Alpine air and temperatures give it a distinctive taste. Rugenbräu organises tours of the distillery and brewery, and are set up for hosting events. They also have their own Stübli where you can stop by to sample their whisky and beers. Rugenbräu also offers the possibility of owning your own cask that will be aged in their cellars. www.rugenbraeu.ch

Johnett One of the first distilleries I visited was the Etter distillery in Zug, which makes Johnett. Just as Johann Baptist Etter strayed from tradition in 1823 when he created the distillery, the Etter distillery strayed once more in 2003 from over a century of kirsch and Schnapps tradition. A sip of this whisky captures the craftsmanship, geography, history and flavours of this small canton. The mash is made by Baarer Brewery, the barrels for ageing the whisky come from a local winemaker, and the whisky is aged not in a warehouse, but in the humid Höllgrotten caves. If you visit the distillery, you’ll discover a world far away from the corporate and luxury culture often associated with Zug. www.johnett.ch www.etter-distillerie.ch

Mr Bader in one of the cellars where Hollen Single Malt is made

Single Lakeland This is the creation of the Zürcher distillery, located in Port, a suburb of Biel/Bienne. On the day of my visit I met with 3 generations of Zürchers passionately involved with the business.

A limited quantity is distilled each year and when it’s gone, it’s gone. The whisky is only available by mail order or by visiting the shop attached to the distillery. But you can have your bottle set aside each year or mailed to you.

A few times a year they host foodie evenings: they convert the pot stills into pressure cookers and use them to prepare local dishes. www.lakeland-whisky.ch These are just a few samples of the whiskies Switzerland has to offer. 10 years of whisky production has resulted in a very presentable Swiss product. I have my favourites, but have purposely not given my own opinion of the whiskies listed here. Just a hint: I sampled every one of them when I visited the distilleries back in February, I’ve sampled them many times since, and I sampled them again during the writing of the article. I leave the academic task to others, such as renowned whisky writer Jim Murray.

He has given favourable reviews to some of them in his book Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible.

If only I had more time to visit more distilleries, and more space to expand on a subject I’m so passionate about. I look forward to more whisky tasting in the years to come – because I’m convinced more surprises will be revealed, as many of the distilleries are preparing for their first 8- to 10-year-old bottlings.

A new book on the subject, written by Tom Wyss, was published last autumn.

Further information: https://www.facebook.com/ SchweizerWhiskys Author’s note: The “angel’s share” is the alcohol lost to evaporation during the ageing process, typically about 2% per year.

Florian Hehlen lived most of his life in Canada but is originally Swiss, from Suisse-Romande.

He has been back in Switzerland for more than 10 years with his wife and 2 daughters. He is a software developer and an active member of Toastmasters. florian.hehlen@bluewin.ch

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The Distillers Hollen Single Malt At the far end of a Basel-Land valley is the village of Lawil. Off to the right as you enter the village is the Hollen distillery, where the first Swiss whisky was distilled … or so the Bader family proclaims. Mr Bader is a retired farmer/ distiller who has yet to stop distilling.

He ventured into the world of whisky after friends told him: “You make great beer and equally great Schnapps! Why don’t you make whisky?” If you’re searching for places off the beaten track, then this place is perfect for sampling whisky, Schnapps and other gifts from the land. Nearby, the Reigoldswill Wasserfallen cable car can take you uphill to enjoy hiking and other sports all year around. www.single-malt.ch www.wasserfallenbahn.ch

Contributed by Julianne di Nenna

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Challenging Malta and Gibraltar In March this year the Swiss Under-17 National Netball Team won silver.

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ed jerseys blazed to and fro, sending streaks of fire across the court and tremors under the feet of 12 girls.

Blues and whites parted, reds were on their way. But wait, isn’t Switzerland a neutral country? Not when it comes to netball. The Swiss National Under 17 Team challenged both Malta and Gibraltar, beating Malta twice and putting up a fierce battle against Gibraltar in the European Netball Championships held in Malta. The former Swiss President Micheline Calmy-Rey, whose granddaughter plays on the team, cheered them on. “The girls are devoted to the sport,” she said. “They are very motivated.”

“The girls never gave up – they fought for every ball. We are so proud,” announced Swiss Netball U17 Manager Emma Connolly. Their efforts earned Switzerland the silver medal; one of the players also won the ’best player award’.

Netball Switzerland grew out of school teams from Geneva, Lausanne, Nyon, Montreux, Zurich, and Zug. A ’Cadre d’Espoir’ (development team) of 40 girls was created to train the best players, of whom 12 girls aged 13-17 were selected for the national team.

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“We have watched all the girls flourish, including the ones on school teams,” says Jo Beveridge, Vice President of the Southern Region and coach of the Geneva Girls’ Netball Association.

Netball is exclusively a girls’ sport.

“Netball attracts a good level where girls are smart and play tactically,” explained Cath Rich, President of Netball Switzerland. The game is played entirely by passing the ball from one player to the next until the goal shooter can get inside the designated circle to score. But netball doesn’t make the game easy for girls; the hoop has no backboard and is higher and smaller than in basketball.

The national U17 team with the former Swiss President

The Netball European Under-17 Championships were held in St Julian’s, a city built upon rock in the Mediterranean.

“The Swiss team played a good game,” said Stephania Cassar, the Championship Organizer in Malta, who mobilized a squad of 30 women to host the three-day event. “So much of netball still depends on volunteers,” she added.

“Most are mothers whose daughters play netball – not all their girls made the national team.” The struggle to support women still remains; just before leaving for Malta, the family law referendum obliging the Government to fund daycare structures was rejected by slightly more than half of Swiss Cantons.

Cath and Jo point out that netball has its place in Switzerland. “It gives space to girls to thrive, giving them their own game to play.” Netball contributes to girls’ competitive edge as both confidence-builder and fitness-booster in Switzerland. Here women gaining university degrees still take up most of the part-time work even though, according to the Fédération de Médecins Suisse (FMH), there are more women becoming doctors than men. Law and medical schools also report higher attendance among women. “It definitely links to higher education. Girls get involved;

they don’t have to compete with men.

Playing netball gives them an outlet and forum for discussing referendums and elections with their mothers. It lets men cheer them on, too.”

Netball has gained ground in Switzerland. Both Cath and Jo will take the women’s team to battle in the European championships in Aberdeen this year. Cath will also train Physical Education teachers in Geneva to foster development of the sport. Schools in Bernx and Meinier have adopted the sport as part of PE class.

Both Cath and Jo hope that Swiss Netball can get sponsorship, have teams in every Swiss village, and beat a path into the Olympics. “We want the Swiss Netball team to compete with other national teams in the big games,” they say. They just need the Olympic Committee to recognize netball as a sport. “These girls are the talent of Switzerland,” said team coach Jennifer Fields. “They are the future.” Hop Suisse!

Interested girls who want to play netball can contact GGNA to inquire about teams close to them. www.geneva-netball.net

Photo Competition As you will have seen elsewhere in this issue, we’re redesigning Hello Switzerland. Later in summer we’ll be launching our exciting new community website with a great new look and plenty of inspirational content. We’ll be writing about and sharing the Hello Switzerland community’s magic moments in Switzerland and we’d like to involve our readers all along the way.

The best photos will be featured in the new magazine and on the new website, and will be attributed to the photographer. Featured photographers will be entered into a prize draw to win a CHF 100 voucher towards an activity of your choice. We would love readers to submit photos depicting the following scenes:

Swiss magic moments (ideally people shots, not landscapes) Location of photo (recognisable, if possible) Basel, Bern, Fribourg, Geneva, Lausanne, Lucerne, Neuchâtel, Schaffhausen, Solothurn, Ticino, Zug, Zurich Scene

Example

Family activities in…

– The delights of cycling along the shores of Lake Zurich on a beautiful day – My kids going to the carnival in Basel

Enjoying…

– A memorable meal with friends, partner, family – Barbecuing with my son for the first time

Getting around…

– The thrill of catching the ferr y across Lake Geneva (Lac Léman) with friends – The drama of crossing the Alps by road with my partner

Shopping in…

– That fantastic shopping day in Lausanne with the girls – Just me enjoying the hustle and bustle of downtown Switzerland

Sports in…

– Feeling great canoeing on Lake Neuchâtel – The kids head-to-head in a rollerblading race in Geneva

www.helloswitzerland.ch

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Advertorial

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Taxation of Swiss Residential Property Owning residential property in Switzerland may be an attractive opportunity – whether as a personal home, vacation property for own use or as an investment.

H

owever, important legal restrictions apply and different tax consequences should be considered.

The following article focuses on the purchase of property by individuals.

Who can buy real estate in Switzerland?

For the acquisition of Swiss residential property by persons abroad specific restrictions apply, which are ruled in the Swiss Federal Law on the Acquisition of Real Estate by Persons Abroad (no restrictions apply in case of purchasing commercial real estate). Essentially, non-Swiss citizens living abroad are allowed to buy holiday homes not exceeding a specific surface and subject to approval by the authorities. Foreign citizens living in Switzerland are allowed to buy a residential property for own dwelling when they are non-EU citizens. If they are EU citizens, they are not restricted in buying any residential property in Switzerland because of the EU-Swiss bilateral agreements.

SWITZERLAND

Taxes on the purchase of real estate The transfer of the ownership of real estate becomes effective only after public certification and registration in the land registry. Notary and land registry fees vary across the different cantons.

Usually both parties are jointly and severally liable for the fees. In the majority of cantons a real estate transfer tax is levied in addition.

The concept of deemed rental value In Switzerland, homeowners are required to pay income tax on a notional rental value for the home they use themselves, either as primary or as holiday home. This notional value is called “deemed rental value” or “Eigenmietwert”. The deemed rental value is on average 70% of the potential market rent. Usually, the deemed rental value is estimated by the tax authorities.

A typical wooden house in Toggenburg, St Gallen

(© swiss-image)

Deductions lowering the tax burden on real estate Real estate owners may deduct costs for maintenance and restoration, insurance premiums and administrative costs of third parties from the income of the real estate. Furthermore, deductions for investments in connection with environmental protection, saving of energy and heritage protection may also apply. In all cantons and at federal level lump sum deductions are permitted instead of the actual costs for privately owned and used real estate. Lump sum deductions range on average from 10% – 30% of the deemed rental value. As a consequence, even in the case of a newly-built property lump sum deductions are permitted from the first year of ownership onwards. In most cantons the homeowner can choose for each tax year whether they prefer to apply the lump sum deduction or to deduct the actual costs. Special rules apply for properties which are commercially used.

tions are deductible. In turn the profit will be subject not only to income tax but also to social security contributions.

Depreciations on privately-held property are not allowed. However, if the property qualifies as a business asset, depreciations and all actual expenditures related to the business opera-

Interest owed for debts, such as mortgages, are deductible up to the amount of investment income including the deemed rental value plus CHF 50,000.

For businesses and self-employed persons, interest owed for debts can be deducted without any limitation if related to business operations.

Net wealth tax and real estate tax are levied on the tax value of the property Net wealth tax is only levied at cantonal and communal level. An individual Swiss resident is subject to wealth tax on his worldwide assets. Wealth is evaluated at fair market value. Real estate is on average taxed at 70% of the fair market value of the property. This tax value of the property is assessed by the tax authorities. Real estate owned outside Switzerland is only taken into account for determining the applicable tax rate. Personal debts such as mortgages or loans can be deducted from wealth, resulting in the taxable net wealth.

Capital gains tax is due when selling real estate In contrast to other countries, capital gains on privately-held moveable assets are tax-free in Switzerland. Capital gains realized from the disposal of privately-held Swiss real estate, however, are subject to real estate capital gains tax levied at cantonal level. Tax rates largely depend on the holding period and the amount of profit. Typically, disposal within a short period is taxed prohibitively high in order to avoid real estate speculations, whereas taxes are reduced after a holding period exceeding five years. Capital gains tax on real estate will be deferred if a primary home is sold and the sale proceeds are re-invested in another home generally within two years. Special rules apply in the case of inheritance, gift and change of ownership due to divorce.

Tax planning Real estate ownership leads to a variety of tax planning opportunities. Since interest payments for mortgages are deductible, the tax burden can be reduced by choosing the right mix of mortgage and own funds. When renovating or selling one’s home, good timing can lead to substantial tax savings. Finally, where several properties are owned including buildings which are rented out, it might be more tax efficient to hold the not privately-used real estate indirectly by means of a real estate company.

Nicole Bregy PricewaterhouseCoopers AG Tax & Legal Services Private Clients 058 792 40 24 nicole.bregy@ch.pwc.com Nicole, who is Swiss and was an expat in the UK, is an expert on individual wealth and taxation solutions.

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Is it worth importing my car from overseas?

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f you’re considering importing your car from outside Europe, it’s important to get all the information first – the earlier the better. It can be a costly and complicated process. And yet it can also be favourable for you to import your car. Ways we can help include: Telling you – in advance – the cost of importing and registering your car, as well as informing you (free of charge) how much it would cost to buy a similar car here in Switzerland. Once you have this information, you’re sure to come to the right decision.

Please note that we also can help you with sourcing the best matching car here in Switzerland. We have been providing expats with cars since 2002, all over Switzerland. You can either buy a car for cash from us, or just lease it and give it back when you leave Switzerland.

And if you decide to import your car, we can help you as follows: •

• • • •

Arranging customs clearance (if you have owned your car for more than 6 months, you pay neither VAT at 8% nor import duty at 4%) Ordering all the necessary paperwork for the car Arranging reduced CO2 fees (if your car is less than 6 months old) with our www.co2-exchange.ch Arranging insurance with the help of our partner company www.myswissinsurance.ch And finally preparing your car for its compulsory government car test, registration and then delivery to you in person.

What problems might you meet with cars imported from overseas?

Frequently the SatNav fails to work properly, and sometimes not at all. It’s possible to update it, but this can be

very complicated and costly. We recommend using a Tom Tom if your system doesn’t work properly in Switzerland.

Radio frequencies: only 50% work in Switzerland. And last but not least, as American cars are different from those in Europe even with European brands, there might be difficulties in servicing and repairing them in Switzerland, as well as in reselling them. We normally recommend selling them at 20% under the market price for comparable cars in Switzerland.

If you qualify for importing your car as part of your moveable goods (i.e. you have owned the car for more than 6 months), in theory you have 12 months to register your car with Swiss licence plates. This is because 99% of all American insurance companies will refuse to cover your car in Switzerland, meaning that you have to register it as soon as you arrive here.

Rte de la Conversion 261 CH-1093 La Conversion 021 796 37 37 email: markus.haefeli@autociel.ch

SWITZERLAND

Certain cantons levy, in addition, a so-called real estate tax, which is determined based on the tax value of the property and is levied separately from the net wealth tax.

Contributed by Ellen Massey Leonard

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The Treasures of Swiss Hiking The Swiss trail network is arguably one of the best in the world.

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t meanders the length and breadth of the country, taking the hiker through vineyards, pastures, and forests, along rivers and ridges, and up mountains and glaciers. Originating in a time when walking was the only practical way to move people and livestock around the mountains, hiking has now become a national pastime, and an endless array of trails beckon walkers in every canton. There are seven main national routes including the Alpine Panorama Trail from Bodensee to Lac Léman, and countless regional routes. Tour de Mont Blanc and Matterhorn Tour are two of the most famous multi-day excursions, but the options are limitless. The Swiss Alpine Club makes overnight hikes even more enjoyable with their various cabins and huts, many of which are even open in winter for skiers and snow shoers.

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Freshly painted blazes abound, and yellow signposts appear just when you start to wonder if you’re still on the right track. The Swiss Hiking Federation maintains trails in excellent condition and has created a system to signal their difficulty. Yellow blazes, often diamond-shaped and surrounded by a black line, indicate hiking routes.

These easiest trails range from dirt or

Ellen descends the Alpine route to the Col du Pillon

even paved roads to rockier, narrower tracks. Mountain routes, more challenging than hiking routes, encompass a perhaps still broader range. Their difficulty can come in the form of steepness, rock-strewn switchbacks, high altitude, or even frighteningly exposed cols and ridges. Some are equipped with chains for an additional handhold.

A white-red-white blaze indicates a mountain route. Blue-and-white blazes signal Alpine routes, which are generally recommended only for those with technical climbing and mountaineering abilities. They can involve rock-climbing, glacier crossings, or extremely exposed scrambles.

Detailed topographical maps, available at every tourist office and some bookstores, are a further invaluable aid to hikers. They are marked with altitude in meters and with contour lines: the closer these are packed, the steeper the angle of the slope. Glaciers are shown in white with blue contour lines, forests in green with brown lines, and rocky high altitude zones in grey with black lines. One can glean an immense amount of information from the maps: the paths of rivers, railways, and Post buses, the locations of towns and Alpine club cabins, the border

between Switzerland and surrounding countries, even whether or not a lake is man-made. Simple topographical maps have green covers; ski and snowboard touring maps have blue covers; and hiking maps have yellow covers. Walking trails are highlighted in red on the hiking maps. Alpine routes are marked in small red dots, mountain routes with dashes, and hiking routes with a solid line. An exhaustive resource of maps and suggestions can be found at www.wanderland.ch On almost any trail one finds mountain views, the earthy smell of forest and pasture, and sometimes even wildlife, but here are three of my favorites.

In summer or fall, the walk through UNESCO World Heritage site Lavaux commands a panoramic view fronted by acres of leafy grape vines. The Lavaux Terraces tumble down the steep hillsides between Lausanne and Vevey, but the best of the hike is between two small towns: St-Saphorin and Lutry.

St-Saphorin is a medieval town whose train station is built right on the edge of Lac Léman. The hike begins in its shaded streets and soon emerges in the sunlit Chasselas vineyards. The view takes in Montreux and its hills, and across the lake the mountains of France and Valais plunge into the blue water.

Hiking up and down on the narrow paved walkways between terraces, one encounters a variety of restaurants and wine cellars, so it is always inviting to pause along this yellow-marked hiking trail.

Mountain routes penetrate more untamed landscapes, particularly in the rugged Alps of the Valais. A favorite of mine crosses Col de Mille between Liddes and Lourtier. Liddes is an Alpine village below Col du GrandSt-Bernard, and Lourtier lies in the same valley that encompasses Verbier.

Moderate hiking trails lead uphill from both but quickly change into mountain routes. Purple loosestrife and wild raspberries grow beside the narrow switchbacks leading out of the forest.

The tufted grass of Alpine pasture then

Rhone Valley and across it to Mt Blanc.

Another hut, Cabane de Prarochet, awaits at the base of a mountain route down from the pinnacle, or one can walk back along the glacier and board the aerial tramway to return to Col du Pillon.

opens a wide vista of high peaks, their jagged crags snow clad even in summer.

At the top of the col (2472m) is Cabane du Col de Mille where one can stay the night and have a meal. When I arrived in early September, the cabin was being supplied by donkey. I had started early, so completed the 8-hour hike in one day, but breaking the hike into two days and watching the alpenglow on Petit-Combin would be a pleasant alternative. Overhead scores of peregrine falcons hunted for smaller birds or rodents in the grass. Like many of the more remote mountain routes, this was a place to watch the wild inhabitants of the Alps.

Alpine routes often remove the hiker even farther from civilization, but one of my favorites is actually quite accessible. Starting from Col du Pillon between the ski towns of Les Diablerets

and Gstaad, it weaves up sparsely treed fields to a rocky scree. The slender trail is exposed to a long fall over cliffs to the climber’s right, but maintenance crews have anchored chains to the rock on the left for more security. The trail skirts the bottom of the several-hundred-meter cliff rising up to Tête aux Chamois; if one so chooses, there is a Via Ferrata up the rock wall. One can also continue on the Alpine route, climbing past the Cabane des Diablerets, a quaint stone cabin with beds, meals, and a young caretaker. I was lucky enough to see a herd of female ibex and their young on this section of the trail. Finally one reaches the Tsanfleuron Glacier, one of the few made accessible to almost everyone. The ski resort of Les Diablerets has marked a trail free of crevasses.

Tour St-Martin, a pinnacle rising from the glacier at the other end, provides a vertiginous view all the way to the

Hiking can be a surprising amount of exercise, so walkers should be sure to evaluate their fitness and skill level before setting out. Always wear stout, grippy shoes, and bring plenty of water and snacks. The change in altitude on Alpine hikes often means a big temperature drop, so pack warm clothes and a jacket even in summer. Ski or walking poles add good support on the trickier trails, especially for walking downhill. Most of all, decide on your trail carefully and choose one suited to the weather conditions and your level.

Whether in search of mountaineering adventures, ibex and falcons, a quiet moment in the woods, or a lakeside stroll, a hiker can find it on the Swiss trail network, truly a national treasure.

Ellen Massey Leonard lives in Aigle, Switzerland, where she loves to hike and ski. She is a regular contributor to American sailing magazines, and recently completed a four-year circumnavigation of the globe aboard her 38-foot sailboat Heretic. She is now working on a book about the voyage.

She holds a BA from Yale University.

With us you will explore possibilities to continue your career in Switzerland We tailor our services to suit the needs of dual-career couples and guide them through the local job market and cultural differences > We offer our candidates individual support as needed, with research and consulting, to leverage their portable skills > We develop a personal plan of action for each individual > We prepare CV and Cover Letter according to Swiss standards Contact: Jeanette Cerquone, Managing Director / Business owner phone +41 79 279 86 96, jeanette.cerquone@spousecareercentre.com www.spousecareercentre.com

> We lead the research for target markets > We give an overview of regional industries, companies, and functional areas > We support with referrals to target companies > We offer interview trainings focal point for careers in transition

SWITZERLAND

View from Tour St-Martin, Tsanfleuron Glacier

15

www.packimpex.ch

Are you leaving your home?

Looking for a new tenant?

Perhaps we can help you! No charge.

Do you know of a good property becoming available? info@packimpex.ch If so, we would be delighted to hear from you as we are reloBasel:

061 281 58 40

cating people to Switzerland and therefore constantly looking

Bern/Biel/Fribourg:

058 356 14 14

for new properties. Just drop us an email or phone any of the

Geneva:

058 356 15 15

Packimpex offices and we will do the rest.

Lausanne:

021 613 80 20

Lugano:

091 940 26 69

If we are successful in connecting client with property you will

Neuchâtel:

058 356 17 55

receive a bottle of champagne from us as an extra thank you.

Vevey:

058 356 15 66

Zug/Lucerne:

058 356 17 17

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us at any of the locations.

Zürich/Schaffhausen: 058 356 16 66

Buy and sell your cars in another way • We provide you with new and used cars (any brand) at best prices! We work without stock and without fees in order to serve you best!

• We import your car / motocycle / caravan • We rent you a car when you arrive (about half the price of the rental companies) • We help you find the right insurance and car finance • We deliver your new car «key in hand» at your home or office • We can help you resell your car at the best possible price • Other services on demand

For Expatriates All (Premium) Brands

Route de la Conversion 261 CH-1093 La Conversion Tél. +41 (0)21 796 37 37 Email : info@autociel.ch

Contributed by the Basel Team

Basel Roundup

17

Annual English Booksale

Swiss National Day in Basel If you’re planning to help the Swiss celebrate their National Day on 1 August, then you’d better be ready the day before, 31 July, because that’s when they really let their hair down. While country communities tend to light bonfires on local hills, the city makes the most of its natural asset, the Rhine, with boat races and water displays by the fire brigade boat. The banks are lined with dozens of stands, stalls and open-air restaurants and bars, the local folk-dance groups and bands do their bit, and the whole evening finishes with a fantastic firework display. People come from miles around to enjoy the show, some even coming up the Rhine on river cruise ships. 1 August itself is reserved for more serious things like official speeches on the Bruderholz by local politicians. www.basel.ch

Art Basel The world’s premier platform for modern and contemporary art shows takes place 13-16 June. 300 leading galleries from around the world will showcase their work at the Messe Basel.

Described as the “Olympics of the Art World”, the show includes sectors for

Enjoying Swiss National Day in traditional style

every medium, including paintings, sculptures, installations, photography, and performance. Each day there is a full programme of talks, events, and symposiums. Explore the main hub at the Messe, or find hidden treasures further afield at other venues throughout the city. www.artbasel.com

Summer Fun at the Zoo There are a number of exciting events planned for this June at the Zoo. On Saturday 8 June, an event in the atmospheric Vivarium celebrates World Oceans day. On Monday 24 June, musical entertainment takes place in honour of the zoo patron Johannes Beck. Entry is free from 16:00 onwards. The annual zoo night takes place on Saturday 29 June. This is a unique opportunity to learn more about the nocturnal habits of the zoo’s residents. Entry fees discounted from 17:00. www.zoobasel.ch

New exhibition hall ready for use!

The new hall at Messe Basel, Basel’s exhibition centre, is now open and ready for use. A huge inauguration party was held at the end of April with no less than US pop star Lana Del Rey

singing for the crowd of politicians and VIPs, two days before the opening of BaselWorld, the world’s biggest watch and jewellery fair. This impressive and unusual building was designed by well-known international architects Herzog & Meuron – based in Basel – and has completely changed the face of the Messeplatz. Apart from the huge central skylight over the street and two exhibition halls, there’s an event hall holding up to 2500 people and a City Lounge designed as a public area. Don’t miss Open Day on 29 June. www.mch-group.com

Peer support group for carers of people with mental health problems The Zentrum Selbsthilfe is planning to set up an English peer support group for family, friends and partners of people with mental health problems. The idea behind the group is that looking after yourself is an essential aspect of providing love and care for others. The group’s aim is to provide a safe space where people can discuss issues such as managing emotions, challenges and healthy communication. Come along to meet people in a similar situation and to share experiences without being misunderstood. mail@zentrumselbsthilfe.ch

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Following on from last year’s success, the 2nd annual English Booksale will take place at Bibliothek Basel West on Friday 7 June 10:00-18:30, and 8 June 10:00-16:00. The booksale is a joint initiative between Centrepoint, the GGG, the Anglican church, and the American Women’s club. Last year the organisations collected around 10,000 books, and you will find a wide variety of titles in all different genres. Be sure to stop by the café upstairs for delicious homemade cakes and pastries. It’s a great place to relax and enjoy English conversation with fellow expats. www.stadtbibliothekbasel.ch

Contributed by Faiz Kermani

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Quartiertreffpunkt LoLa A meeting place for the Basel community.

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estling in a quiet street in the Basel district of St.Johann is Quartiertreffpunkt LoLa, one of 15 community meeting points in Basel.

According to Elisabetta Dredge, member of the association LoLa and Thomas Bächlin, manager from the Quartiertreffpunkte LoLa Basel outline, the concept is to be a convenient and friendly place in the neighbourhood where people can meet and relax. The Quartiertreffpunkte have no membership fee and openly welcome people to drop by. The benefits for visitors include the provision of important local practical information for daily life, the chance to participate in enjoyable activities, and eat with their friends in the onsite café and restaurant.

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The Quartiertreffpunkte fit in with the philosophy of Basel to be a welcoming city for all inhabitants, and to ensure that everyone in the community has

Quartiertreffpunkt LoLa

access to convenient meeting points in different areas of the city. While all Quartiertreffpunkte in Basel receive financial support from the government, it is the hard work of dedicated volunteers that enables them to offer so many services and activities. At Quartiertreffpunkt LoLa, the work of the volunteers enables Elisabetta, Thomas and their colleagues to ensure that they can run a diverse programme of activities. For example, Quartiertreffpunkt LoLa’s current events calendar features everything ranging from various instructional courses through to yoga, and even the opportunity to enjoy an exotic foreign meal.

As Elisabetta and Thomas explain, new ideas are always welcome at Quartiertreffpunkt LoLa and this explains why there is such a diverse range of events on offer. If someone

wants to suggest an activity they are very welcome to contact the organisers and it will be considered. It is also possible to hire one of the centre’s rooms for a private event. On the ground floor, the rooms can accommodate a maximum of 100 people and if required, catering can be arranged. Often the rooms are hired for lectures or seminars, but recently, Quartiertreffpunkt LoLa even hosted a wedding reception. For those interested in scheduling their own event it is best to regularly check the Quartiertreffpunkt LoLa website, as the event list is always being updated, and then contact the team with ideas.

Besides events, it is also possible to hire rooms for small, private meetings.

An important and popular feature at Quartiertreffpunkt LoLa is the café and restaurant. Visitors are welcome to try the tasty vegetarian menu or just relax with friends over a coffee. The café has seating for about 90 people in the summer and 60 in winter. In addition, Quartiertreffpunkt LoLa offers two bright rooms and a children’s corner with books and toys, meaning that parents are welcome to bring younger visitors with them. As wi-fi is available in the café, people can even bring their laptops. From Tuesday to Friday people have the possibility to enjoy a fantastic 3-course meal for only 14 francs (children half-price). Inan at Quartiertreffpunkt LoLa is an excellent cook and thanks to the work of additional volunteers, the centre is able to offer this special vegetarian lunch.

On Friday evening Quartiertreffpunkt LoLa also offers an Indian Supper (for 10 francs) and occasionally this is followed by a concert to entertain diners.

As Thomas explains, Quartiertreffpunkt LoLa would be delighted to welcome people from the English-speaking international community, who are perhaps not familiar with the centre, to drop by and try it out. He also believes that there is the opportunity to run additional special activities based on their ideas. For example, an event based on a special national tradition would be

19

Making younger visitors welcome at Quartiertreffpunkt LoLa

Handyman Basel & surrounding areas all household tasks lighting/pictures furniture assembly repairs and maintenance satellite installation (Sky) transport/delivery

Jason Glover 061 222 28 19 077 458 74 88 jasonglover@bluewin.ch

It is clear that the team behind Quartiertreffpunkt LoLa understand the value that it can bring to the local community. As an example, Elisabetta highlights her several years of living abroad, ranging from a three-year stay in England through to some time in Africa. She says how happy she would have been at the time to have had access to a place like a Quartiertreffpunkt. When living abroad it can be challenging to meet new people in a welcoming environment. In particular, getting to know people outside your own community can be difficult.

would be delighted to hear from anyone interested in helping with the day.

Many people who have moved to Basel would like to get to know more the city where they have chosen to live and interact with them. Quartiertreffpunkt LoLa is clearly designed to help the local community and so whether you are young or old it is sure to offer something of interest. The centre is also always looking for volunteers, especially for its children’s programmes. Currently, the Quartiertreffpunkt LoLa team is planning for its “Strassenfest” to be held on 24 August. The Strassenfest is an openair event with activities for children, food, and a concert. Therefore the team

Faiz Kermani is part of the PR team for Centrepoint, the international community in Basel.

He also serves as President of the Global Health Education Foundation, a US-based not-for-profit healthcare charity which aims to improve educational resources and training for healthcare professionals in developing countries. www.centrepoint.ch www.globalhef.org

Further information: Quartiertreffpunkt LoLa Lothringerstrasse 63 4056 Basel www.quartiertreffpunktebasel.ch/lola Full details and locations of the 15 Quartiertreffpunkte in Basel: www.quartiertreffpunktebasel.ch

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quite an interesting experience for other people visiting the centre. Similarly, many people would be interested in having a language exchange where they could assist newcomers trying to learn German in exchange for a bit of conversational help with English in a fun and relaxed atmosphere.

Contributed by Kate Orson

20

Making Yourself Anew How moving abroad is an invitation to embrace change.

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hen Kirstin Barton moved to Switzerland, she was looking for some support to help her adapt to the transition. In the UK she’d been a full time working mum in a managerial position. Now she was a stay-at-home mum helping her family adapt to their new life. Finding support wasn’t easy, and so after settling in and building a fulfilling life for herself, she decided to provide help for others. Through her company Alive to Change she works as a life coach assisting individuals to adapt to the transition of life abroad. I went to meet her, to hear all about the inspiring work she does.

How did you get started as life coach?

I’d experienced all the emotions and challenges that relocation has, and I’d worked through them with a coach back in the UK. When I came out here, I was studying for my coaching course, and for my thesis I researched the issues people face when they relocate abroad – outside of the unpacking and administration. Unsurprisingly, people faced many common experiences, for example getting to grips a new

goodbye to everybody, and changing roles, it can be more of an upheaval.

Mums in this position tend to do a lot of behind the scenes work that helps keep family life going smoothly. If we can support mums, and make them feel good about their role, it makes a difference to the whole family and ultimately to the success of the relocation.

Kirstin Barton

language. There can also be an impact on their sense of identity, and level of confidence. People generally felt less confident at first, at a time when they wanted to focus on creating new support networks and making friends.

Energy levels also changed during the transition. At first people’s energy would often be low. Then after a while they often started to feel more confident and productive again.

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I now offer a six-session coaching programme that corresponds to these different phases of adjustment and adaptation. It helps people find their own ways of adjusting to the impacts of relocation. It ends with helping people to create a new vision for their life, and to consider what to do next.

You work a lot with mums, helping them adapt to the changes. Did this come about from your own experience of relocation?

Yes. When I moved here I realised how big a transition it was for the person who wasn’t working (not always a mum of course). For the person who is working it’s more or less a continuum of their working life. For the non-working spouse who’s packing house, saying

However I don’t just support nonworking mums. Some may be the main worker in a family, some the supporting worker. Some are doing entrepreneur work. Some may be on a career break, and might be ready to think about what to do next. There is a massive amount of potential out here. The wages are attractive, so for many families it’s the first time it’s been possible to have just one person working.

What areas of a person’s life can coaching help in?

My coaching workshops focus on three main areas. The first is helping people transition to a new life abroad, and that focuses on work life, as well as practical, and personal issues. The series of ’transitions’ workshops can also apply to any big changes that a person might be going through. I have another series about developing parenting skills, and balancing paid work with being a parent. I also have more general workshops focusing on communication, time management and motivation.

I don’t offer advice, but instead listen and ask questions to help you get your own answers and next steps. Usually we already know the answers to our issues and just need a supportive environment to help us figure things out. People leave the sessions feeling revved up, and excited, having discovered some ways to help them reach their goals.

It must be very rewarding.

Yes. I’ve seen people who really struggled and resisted the change at first go on to embrace life here. They have a big circle of friends, or are fluent in the language, and they’re doing something really exciting, something that they would never have imagined doing all those years ago. I remember one woman who really didn’t want to be here. She was always thinking about going back

1 August celebrations in Samnaun (GR)

Any tips you’d like to share with readers about adapting to a new life abroad?

“Alive to Change” refers to the idea that our whole life is change, we’ve got to be open to it, and ready to adapt to our changing circumstances. It’s also about being positive, deciding what we want the change to be for us. So that we do not feel the victim of life’s changes, but are able to see how to make the most of it.

We should also understand that adapting to a new life takes time. It’s a grieving process. We lose our old life, and miss our old friends. New friends, new opportunities will come along, but it takes time.

I’d recommend doing things that help us to connect with others. Join the Basel Children’s Trust, Centrepoint, or the Professional Women’s group. Find something that you can take part in, perhaps more than just having a coffee with other expats. Above all ask for help when you need it; we’ve all gone through the rollercoaster emotions of moving abroad, and looking for support can help us to create vibrant and fulfilling lives for ourselves.

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Invincible mums Open House, 13 June, for mums abroad who want to feel more invincible in their roles. The day will include bite-sized Workshops, special offers, and the chance to connect with each other in a fun and relaxed environment. www.alivetochange.com

Kate Orson is a British writer living in Basel, Switzerland. She has published articles about travel, health and parenting. She also writes fiction and is curently working on a novel.

(© swiss-image)

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How exactly does the coaching process work?

In a typical session, or workshop we’ll discuss where you are now and what your goals are. Together we’ll come up with some workable strategies to help you reach those goals.

home. Through our coaching sessions, we realised that the issue was she’d recently moved in with her boyfriend, and it still felt like his house. I asked her what would make it feel like her house, and she realised all she needed to do was move two bits of furniture.

The next coaching session, I went to her house, and she said: “This is my living room,” and now she feels at home here.

Coaching is not always about making big changes. It’s often the little things, that you don’t realise will make a difference until you step back and take a different view.

Contributed by Sarah Ebner, Alison Metzger and Anitra Green

entertainment 22

Lawyers Love and Flower Power The Gilbert & Sullivan Society in Basel presents a sparkling new interpretation of Trial by Jury.

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he Gilbert & Sullivan Society is taking to the stage for the first time. Founded in 2004 by a group of English-speaking G&S lovers living in or around Basel, its aim was to provide a forum for G&S enthusiasts to indulge their interest. Now the membership includes people from various countries with a variety of mother tongues, and they have been busy rehearsing for their very first performance, Trial by Jury.

This one-act comic opera, styled tongue-in-cheek as a “dramatic cantata”, was originally performed in Victorian London as a companion piece to Offenbach’s La Périchole (1875). Its subject, treated with Gilbertian wit, ably abetted by Sullivan’s music, was a well-known situation, both in the actual courtroom and on the stage: the abandoned bride, Angelina, must try to restore her honour by suing the fleeing bridegroom, Edwin, for “breach of promise of marriage”.

Nearly a hundred years later, in 1970, when the situation of women in society was supposedly better, the law was changed and it was no longer possible to claim damages from a jilting lover.

However, in the swinging sixties the relevant law was still on the statute book, although seldom applied. And women were still at the mercy of predatory males, whose “intentions” were more than dubious. What would happen if a “cheated maiden” of the flower

power era were to invoke this law, ably assisted by her counsel?

The so-called second wave of feminism (or women’s liberation movement) was making itself felt in all aspects of society in the 1960s. For a start, the law in England was no longer a male bastion.

A small number of highly educated and motivated women could be found in court, putting the male lawyers on their mettle.

The celebrity culture was also well established. In the UK, groups like the Beatles, the Bee Gees, the Rolling Stones and the Who were wowing the young and not so young of the day, as were individual musicians such as Petula Clark, Cilla Black, Sandie Shaw, Tom Jones and many others.

So imagine the scene when Edwin, an extremely successful pop star with a certain reputation amongst the ladies, is confronted by the lovely Angelina in a suit for breach of promise of marriage.

This production of Trial by Jury is the brainchild of two fine professional singers/musical directors, Lisa WingardLulis and Barbara Laurie, supported by an enthusiastic cast and a capable and untiring off-stage team headed by the producers Sarah Nevill and William Jenkins. This groovy production of “Trial by Jury; courtroom comedy in the flower power era!” is a must for all lovers of British humour and British

music, especially as displayed in the works of Gilbert and Sullivan.

Dates: Saturday 8 June at 19:00 and Sunday 9 June at 17:00, Alfa Theatre, Alfa Hotel, Hauptstrasse 15, Birsfelden (tickets 40 francs at Bider & Tanner mit Musik Wyler, 061 206 9996) Sunday 16 June, 17:00, Christengemeinschaft, Lange Gasse 11, 4052 Basel (collection at end) Performances will last approximately one hour.

Another performance with the understudies will take place on Friday 21 June, 20:00, Silberbergsaal, Alterszentrum Zum Lamm, Rebgasse 16, 4058 Basel during the summer apéro of the Gilbert & Sullivan Society.

Further information: contact@savoyards.ch www.savoyards.ch

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The G&S Legacy

Edwin, the Judge and Angelina

Gilbert & Sullivan wrote 14 comic operas that were first performed in Victorian London in the late 1800s and have been regularly staged by professionals and amateurs alike ever since. The librettist WS Gilbert created fanciful worlds where everything is taken to its logical and crazy conclusion, while Arthur Sullivan composed lovely melodies and eminently singable ditties to suit the words. The result is very comical. The Savoy theatre in London was specially built for G&S productions in 1881, hence the name Savoyards for G&S enthusiasts.

Contributed by Karin Waldhauser

Restaurant Fischerstube

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Where locals and visitors meet.

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ischerstube is the home to Ueli Bier, a brewery started in the early 1970s as an act of resistance against the beer cartel’s stranglehold on beer distribution in Basel. It became one of the first independent commercial breweries in Switzerland. Since then, it has become a vital part of the Basel community, hosting celebrations, taking part in Carnival and, of course, brewing beers to match these occasions.

The atmosphere was lively, with an interesting mix of customers. The big wooden tables were shared by couples in their 60s, groups of friends in their 20s and a couple of family groups. We chatted to a couple of other diners and were told that Restaurant Fischerstube is where ’true Baslers’ like to bring their guests.

My menu was in English and showed a range of dishes available from traditional regional specialities to Asian inspired meals. The prices are reasonable, with main meals ranging from around 20 to 40 francs. I chose tuna steak on a bed of asparagus and my husband went with a traditional meal of liver, mushroom and Rösti.

The convivial ambience of the Fischerstube

While we were waiting for our meals, the lovely co-owner Sylvia Murri brought us tastings of their four tap beers. These are the Ueli Lager hell, the Ueli Weizen obergärig (a wheat beer), the Ueli Referenz beer (an aromatic beer) and a dark beer called Robur. The Robur beer is named after a Roman watch tower, the remains of which are on the restaurant site.

Our meals arrived, and my tuna was cooked perfectly, just lightly seared on each side. The portions were good, hearty but not enormous. I still had room for a small dessert. The dessert menu offers typical fruity and chocolatey concoctions, but I can whole-heartedly recommend the homemade ice-cream, made with Ueli Bier Schnapps. Normally I’m not a big fan of Schnapps, but in ice cream? Words fail me.

We took a tour of the restaurant and brewery, although as it was cold, dark and raining we skipped the roof terrace, which I’m told is lovely in summer. The highlight of the tour was the cellar. It’s

like a tiny grotto in a cave, simply decorated and covered in little lights, dating from the 14th century. It was originally used by a monk to treat sick people.

These days groups of up to 60 can use the cellar for special events.

On the night we were there, the cellar was being used for a very special occasion.

The Basel Pipes and Drums Band were hosting their friends from the Lomond and Clyde Pipe Band in Scotland. The two bands have been friendly for over 20 years and on this visit the Scottish Pipe Major and Drum Sergeant were tutoring the Basel group. Both bands will be competing in the world championships in August this year. For me, this summed up the atmosphere of the Fischerstube.

A place where old friends meet, where locals have their ’’stammtisch’ (regular table), and where visitors are always welcome.

Restaurant Fischerstube Rheingasse 45 Basel, Switzerland 061 692 9495 Group tours are available on request. www.restaurant-fischerstube.ch Karin Waldhauser is a New Zealander living in Switzerland with her Swiss husband and twin toddlers. She enjoys reading and writing and has a severe case of wanderlust.

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The restaurant and brewery sits in the picturesque heart of Klein Basel, just across the Mitte Brücke. We arrived at 7pm on a Saturday night and the restaurant was already buzzing. We were greeted, seated promptly and made to feel very welcome. We sat at the back of the restaurant, by the giant window where you can see right through to the brewery.

Compiled by the Bern Team

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Bern Roundup ISBern International Day 2013 Join the fun as the students of the International School of Bern celebrate their school’s cultural diversity. The day begins with the students representing their native countries in a “Parade of Nations” and continues with entertainment for all ages. Children will especially enjoy the games, face painting and bouncy castle. The country stalls sell traditional food, drinks and crafts. You can also win fabulous prizes in the raffle. Bring the whole family to the ISBern Campus in Gümligen on Saturday 8 June for a fun day out. www.isBern.ch

Coming Back to Me & Let Me Go The Caretakers’ summer 2013 production features two plays by Alexander P Sigrist and Fabian Claus. Coming Back to Me is a play in three parts, a play not only about friendship and love, but about the sense and senselessness of each and all our lives, asking the all important questions: Can we ever let go of our past? And who the heck is that barkeeper?

Performances take place at 20:00, 7-9 & 14-15 June, as well as a matinee at 14:00 on 9 June, at Theater Remise in Bern.

Tickets can be reserved online at: comingback@thecaretakers.ch www.thecaretakers.ch

National Swiss Wrestling and Alpine Festival (ESAF)

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A chance to visit the Eidgenössischen Schwing- und Älplerfest (ESAF) doesn’t come along every day. In fact it only happens once every three years, and in 2013 it will be held in Burgdorf from 30 August to 1 September.

A quarter of a million visitors are expected to attend the festival for the traditional sports of Schwingen (Swiss wrestling), Hornussen and Steinstossen

(boulder-throwing) including the hurling of the famous 83.5kg Unspunnenstein. Tickets are required for the competitions held in the Emmental Arena, but entrance is free to the festival area, where there will be entertainment tents featuring folk music and party bands, market stalls selling traditional food specialties and crafts and, of course, plenty of food and drink vendors.

Parking is available, but it’s probably less of a hassle to arrive by public transportation (round-trip to Burgdorf is included in the price of an Arena ticket). Or if you don’t want to miss a minute of the fun, consider pitching a tent at the official campsite adjacent to the festival area.

Tickets and further information (in German and French): www.burgdorf2013.ch

Well-o-tour Pro Velo Bern, the local chapter of the Swiss Bicycle Advocacy Association, is on a mission to get more people on their bicycles. Each year they host biketo-work and bike-to-school campaigns that focus on the practicality of cycling – it’s an easy, clean, cheap and healthy way to get around town. This summer they are going to focus on the pleasure of cycling with the Well-o-tour. This loosely organized tour around Bern encourages people of all ages and all fitness levels discover (or re-discover) the joy of cycling. Details are still in the works, but the date is set: 22 June.

Check the website closer to the date for details. www.provelobern.ch

1 August in Bern There’s plenty to do when you celebrate Switzerland’s national holiday in the capital city. You can start the day off with a brunch at a nearby Swiss farm (reservations required) and then

Steinstossen or boulder-throwing

head back to the city for entertainment. The Parliament building will be open for tours; there will be concerts on the Münsterplatz and children’s games and crafts on the Münsterplatform.

Once it’s dark outside, it’s time for the day’s main attraction: the fireworks display on the Gurten. www.brunch.ch www.bern.ch

Cheers to two of Bern’s summer festivals The 30th Gurtenfestival is taking place 18-21 July. The Smashing Pumpkins, Die Toten Hosen, Die Fantastischen Vier, The Darkness and Johnossi are only a few of the bands performing at this summer’s festival. For a full list of performers and ticket information: www.gurtenfestival.ch The 10th Buskers Bern Street Music Festival is being held 8-10 August. Street performers from all over the world fill the streets of Bern. Everywhere you turn there will be musicians, acrobats, storytellers and magicians. Fun for the whole family on the last weekend of Bern’s school holidays. www.buskersbern.ch

Contributed by Riitta Burri

The Hills are Alive with the Sound of Music

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Bachwochen Thun 2013

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s soon as the Canton of Bern’s school summer holidays have come to an end, Bachwochen Classical Music Festival begin their 26th international program, in the charming lakeside town of Thun, gateway to the Bernse Oberland.

If you have not yet visited the medieval castle of Thun, the dance performance by the American dancer and choreographer Jason Garcia Ignacio creates a perfect opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. The castle’s museum is open to the public until 17:00, giving you ample time to stroll through the old town of Thun and then head back for the cocktail hour ((apéro apéro riche riche)) offered

by Bachwochen and their generous sponsors at 19:00 to ticket-holders.

25 August promises an evening of magnificent singing by the troupe Les Arts Florissants, a well-known and muchloved Baroque ensemble from Paris.

One of the choirs at Bachwochen

Jason Garcia Ignacio, dancer, choreographer & co-founder and member of Company E, USA

Six musicians and two singers will be the highlight of any cultural goings-on in the region that weekend. The main focus will be Scarlatti and Haendel.

Two more concerts worth a trip: La Cetra, Basel’s Baroque Orchestra, as well as pianist Lise de la Salle will be part of this year’s outstanding program.

Another gem in the festival is Arianna Savall, daughter of Jordi Savall, performing on the harp and joined by four musicians. An evening of outstanding music and singing awaits the audience.

This concert will be performed twice due to public demand. This is also another great opportunity to discover Thun and the surrounding area. The 31 August concert will held be in Thun castle, apéro included. And the Sunday 1 September concert will take place in the ever-so-quaint medieval and acoustically perfect church of Amsoldingen in the hills just above Thun.

The festival ends on 8 September with a duo from Germany, Frank Peter Zimmermann on violin and Enrico Pace on piano. Mr. Zimmermann fills halls of 1500+ in Germany, so definitely not a concert to be missed if you enjoy Bach played by a virtuoso.

More information about the festival, detailed concert programs and tickets, at: www.bachwochen.ch The Thuner Freienhof Hotel is offering a 10% reduction on all overnight stays during the festival period. When booking, call reception for your reduction with the keyword: Bachwochen Thun. www.freienhof.ch Riitta Burri lives in Bern and engages actively in various projects.

She is currently doing marketing for Salon K Privé (www.salonkexperience.com), is on the board of Bachwochen Thun, and works at Zentrum Paul Klee. Riitta also organizes memorable parties. www.burrievents.com

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This year’s program has many highlights in store for music lovers. The eight-concert series gets underway on Sunday 11 August with a performance

by Albrecht Mayer, world-renowned oboist. Because this outstanding musician draws crowds in large numbers, the concert will be held in the Stadtkirche (town church), perched on top of the hill above the old town of Thun.

Contributed by Riitta Burri

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Hamilton Lodge Hip Heidi in the Swiss Alps.

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utch apple pie, schnitzel with noodles, lamps made of horns, and crisp white linens await guests in cosy rooms overlooking the mountain range up at the new Hamilton Lodge nestling in the hills above Zweisimmen

by Gstaad. If you are looking for a new hotel experience, probably unlike any you have had in Switzerland, then take a few moments to read this review and perhaps a few days to discover one of the two Hamilton Lodges (or both!).

Ten years ago a Dutch couple, John and Jacqueline Wegink, abandoned life as they knew it to undertake a journey into the hotel business in the Swiss Alps. The first Hamilton Lodge opened its doors on the Belalp (car-free village at 2100m) in Oberwallis, just above Naters, in 2003. December 2012 saw the second Hamilton Lodge receive its first guests on the Rinderberg above Zweisimmen near Gstaad.

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Not only is it the prime location of both hotels that makes them so very special, but also the interior decoration and atmosphere, which Jacqueline has created with the utmost attention to detail.

As soon as you step over the threshold, you feel bathed in something soothing and comforting. The friendly and smiling staff welcome guests to this hotel that is elegant yet cosy, minimal yet warming to the soul. It certainly lives up to their motto: “Hamilton Lodge: feels like home”.

Charming rooms with modern amenities

Hamilton Lodge’s cosy lounge with open fireplace and comfortable armchairs

An open fireplace, numerous scattercushions, comfortable armchairs just where they should be, stylish wooden furniture along with perfect lighting and background music – it all makes for a special atmosphere. Even the tableware at the Zweisimmen Lodge was produced exclusively for the hotel’s theme: Hip Heidi. The iconic Swiss girl rides blue elephants across a white background, with the theme of Heidi goes on Safari.

In summer, the green hills are fragrant with Alpine flowers, grazing cows, while miles of hiking and biking trails await the curious and the adventurous.

River rafting, Scherenschnitt (papercutting) courses, village architecture tours, visits to a cheese-making farm – these are just some of the many activities on offer. Or you can simply enjoy the peace and serenity on the terrace of both locations.

Hamilton Lodge Belalp boasts a spa with outdoor jacuzzi, sauna and massages. The Zweisimmen hotel is a mere

stone’s throw away from top-notch summer cultural and sporting events in the sophisticated and glamorous village of Gstaad. Both locations are sure to take your breath away, with magnificent views of contrasting landscapes.

What could be more refreshing and satisfying, than enjoying a cocktail at sunset on the outdoor patio in the cool mountain air after a day of discoveries and adventures?

Hamilton Lodge Belalp will reopen for the summer on 14 June and Zweisimmen on 28 June. Belalp is accessible only by gondola, Zweisimmen by gondola and in summer by car as well. Both hotels are also equipped for workshops and seminars For more information on Hamilton Lodge, visit their website: www.hamiltonlodge.ch For information about cultural and sporting events in the Gstaad area (Menhuin Classical Music Festival, Country Night, Beach Volleyball tournament, Tennis Tournament, Polo, etc): www.gstaad.ch

Enjoy a meal and take in the view from the terrace

Contributed by Marlen Winiger

In Search of Coffee and Ice Cream

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Have you ever wondered where to go for coffee on a Sunday?

View of Bern from the Rosengarten

ern is beautiful, charming and has a lot to offer – but let’s face it: it’s not exactly a city that never sleeps. On a not-so-sunny Sunday, you can walk its streets and hardly meet a living soul. Like its inhabitants, the city is cosy rather than bustling. They say the Bernse are slower than other people.

This could be true – but you see, that’s not a negative quality. Instead of rushing things, we savour the moment.

One place to spend time chatting over a cup of coffee is Café Wartsaal. First opened in 2011, its popularity is evergrowing. They have a fine selection of tea, coffee and syrup, as well as beer and wine from all over Europe.

The food they serve is plain but of high quality. They organise readings of Swiss authors, language nights and other events.

The café is the perfect place to sit and read a book. In fact, books are part of their concept – various bookstores present a variety of books for adults and children (in German). Visitors are encouraged to read and buy them in the café. You’ll feel welcome whatever your age, because the atmosphere is as relaxed as sitting in your living room.

Wartsaal Bar Kaffee Bücher Lorrainestrasse 15 3013 Bern Open Monday to Saturday 9:00–23:30 Sunday 9:00–18:00 www.wartsaal-kaffee.ch

Possibly the most spectacular view of Bern can be seen from the Rosengarten. You can either go there by bus or – much more rewarding – walk through the old town and up the Aargauerstalden. The park has a rose garden, where non sun-worshippers can find benches pleasantly sheltered by the trees. Most people come up here to enjoy the sunshine in a quiet atmosphere, although it can get lively near the children’s playground. Situated at one corner of the park is Restaurant Rosengarten. You can sip a cold drink on the terrace, while taking in the view of UNESCO World Heritage Bern.

The restaurant is classy and the dishes mostly Italian. While their menu is somewhat on the expensive side, the view is simply beyond price.

Restaurant Rosengarten Alter Aargauerstalden 31b 3006 Bern Open daily 09:00–24:00 www.rosengarten.bern.ch If you prefer ice cream to coffee and Prosecco, the Gelateria di Berna is just for you. Freshly made every day, you’ll find classics such as Chocolate, Stracciatella and Strawberry alongside foreign flavours like Zuppa Inglese, Zabaglione and Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla. The Gelateria is always looking for new combinations of ingredients, even if a certain mixture might sound a little strange at first. In winter, when the Gelateria is closed, they spend time

at the Gelato University in Bologna to keep up to date.

On a lovely summer evening, you might need to queue for your ice cream, but it’s definitely worth the wait. And all of a sudden, you’ll understand the Bernse way of doing things – once you’ve tasted that ice cream, you’ll be sure to savour the moment.

Gelateria di Berna Mittelstrasse 15, 3012 Bern Open Monday to Saturday: 12:00–21:00 Sunday: 12:00–18:00 www.gelateriadiberna.ch If your thirst needs quenching on your way to a café, drink some water from the fountains in the old town. Unless indicated otherwise, it’s perfectly good drinking water.

This summer, Bern seems to be one big construction site. To escape the noise, you can take a walk along the Aare.

There you’ll come upon the occasional little café or restaurant, or even just an invitingly quiet park bench.

Marlen Winiger is Swiss, a Bärner Meitschi. She fell in love with the English language in spite of her dreadful first English teacher. She works at a printing house and finalises the layout of this magazine.

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(© Marlen Winiger)

Contributed by Anitra Green

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Swiss Quality Fabrics by Lantal Next time you travel on a tram, train or plane, take a look at what you’re sitting on.

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he vast majority of people never look at the fabric covering the seat they’re sitting on, unless there’s something wrong with it. They may feel a welcoming, comfortable atmosphere on getting into a railway carriage or aeroplane where the interior has been designed by experts, but unless they’re clued up to such things they certainly wouldn’t be able to explain why.

This is where Lantal Textiles comes in.

From small beginnings in Langenthal 127 years ago, it’s become a world leader in designing and producing high-quality textiles for all modes of transport – the aviation industry, trains, buses, trams, and increasingly also luxury cruise-ships and private yachts. As well as velours for seating, it produces curtaining, carpeting, leather accessories, headrests and everything else you can think of in this line, and all this mostly in Switzerland (there’s also a plant in the USA).

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A visit to their factory is an eye-opener.

Lantal has its own spinning and dyeing works, a fleet of no less than 107 enormous looms for woven materials, velours and carpeting, and even a production centre for hand-tufted carpets, a very special line indeed. Tucked away in the corner of the main building is the laboratory, where they can test materials to destruction, also by fire.

This is particularly important for the aviation industry, and it’s an officially recognized lab that also tests materials for other companies.

A display of Lantal’s colours and fabrics.

One of Lantal’s 107 looms

Lantal has high-profile customers all over the world: Singapore Airlines, Austrian Airlines, Thai Airways, Jet Aviation, Airbus, all four Chinese airlines, railway companies like SNCF in France, Eurostar, the Swiss railway companies, Holland America Line and many more. So how does this Swiss company still manage to be so successful in the face of increasing competition from low-cost countries, especially when the European economy is so challenging and the Swiss franc so strong?

Attention to detail and design You could say that it’s their painstaking (very Swiss!) attention to detail, their insistence on producing high-quality products, cost what it might, and their spirit of innovation. So they listen to their customers and go to great lengths to give them what they want. The aim is to provide an all-in-one solution, which means that seat covers, curtains, carpets, armrests and all the rest of the package are all made-to-measure and ready to fit or install. And they subject every metre of fabric to rigorous quality control.

There’s also the question of design, which should never be underrated.

Lantal has a highly gifted and experienced team of designers who have a strong feeling for colour, pattern and texture, and who also keep their eye on

current styles and fashions. To help customers decide what they want, they’ve created the Essentials line – a set of coordinated patterns, colours, fabrics and styles that can be combined in an almost infinite variety of ways. This was developed after a keen young manager from a railway company insisted on a design that appalled the chief designer so much that she said, well, yes, if you must, but please don’t tell anybody it comes from Lantal. Fortunately he called the following morning to say he’d take her advice after all.

Lantal’s latest innovation, developed specially for first and business class passengers on airlines, is the pneumatic comfort system, PCS, comprising an ultra-lightweight, long-life, maintenance-free cushion and individual seat adjustment. I tried it out at the factory, and it’s amazing – no wonder passengers flying with Swiss are so enthusiastic, or that Lufthansa is equipping its entire long-haul fleet with PCS. And if you’re ever in the Langenthal area, see if they have an exhibition that’s open to the public at their centre in Melchnau; the last one, Fabric of Light, created by students at the University of Art & Design in Lausanne, was truly remarkable. www.lantal.com

Advertorial

Bern Expat Breakfasts 2013 Relocating to or starting up in the Canton is facilitated by the Bern Economic Development Agency (BEDA), which can help find the perfect premises and highly-qualified, multilingual staff; provide information on legal and financial matters; and submit applications for foreign employees among other services. They are actively involved in influencing the wellbeing of expats and foreign residents in a positive and sustainable way.

One example of this pro-active approach is the Bern Expat Breakfast, which aims to foster closer social and business contacts among expats and local businesses. These breakfasts celebrate the Canton’s foreign business community,

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offering an excellent opportunity to meet with representatives of international companies, embassies, international schools and institutions.

Bern Expat Breakfast will take place as follows: 14 June, 7:30–9:00 at the International Ski Federation in Oberhofen / Thunersee. www.fisski.com 12 September, 7:30–9:00 at INSYS AG in Münsingen. www.insys.ch The December date is still open. Please find further information at: www.Berninvest.com/expatbreakfast

If you are interested in participating in the Bern Expat Breakfast, please call or email Ms Annette Hediger at BEDA on: 031 633 40 15 annette.hediger@Berninvest.com

Guarantee a quality education for your children, anywhere.

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Apply here for January 2013 and receive a 10% discount.

Learn more:isberneonline.com/fit

If your local school is not the right fit, you have options. Our online school for ages 12 to 19, supported by staff in Berne, Switzerland and backed by the proven K12 Inc. curriculum and teachers, gives you choice, flexibility, and upon graduation, an accredited diploma accepted around the world.

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CALL US TODAY: + 41 31 528 01 06

Contributed by Jennifer Whistler

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I Know I Could Write for Children Introducing the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators to the Swiss.

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dmit it. You know you could be the next big thing in kidlit. Your children are hilarious, and you are bursting with ideas for picture books.

You have the next Hunger Games filling your brain, waiting to be put on paper. You know you are not crazy (a little eccentric, maybe) when the voices in your head beg to have stories written for them. Or crayons and colored pencils are way more plentiful than pens on your desk. If any of this sounds like you, then consider joining the Swiss chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, an international organization of more than 21,000 people worldwide dedicated

© sxc.hu

to promoting careers in writing and illustrating for children.

SCBWI began over 40 years ago as a way to help emerging writers and illustrators learn about the craft of creating books

for children, find resources to help break into the market, and connect with other writers and illustrators. If you’re already published, SCBWI helps advocate for artistic rights, offers grants and scholarships for works in progress, and keeps you up to date on the ever-changing world of publishing. In Switzerland, whether you are a beginner or have published a dozen titles, there is something for everyone, from critique groups to bookstore events, from major conferences to local meet-and-greets.

“A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit.” Richard Bach

«SO international» Welcome to the Canton of Solothurn • Are you employed as a specialist or executive for a company located in the Canton of Solothurn?

• Are you an international specialist or an executive employee living in the Canton of Solothurn?

• Would you like to meet and network with other international executives and their spouses and partners?

Then join us, we are organising a wide range of events: June 12, 2013

«The bouquet of the Solothurn wines» at the wine cellar of the Bürgergemeinde Solothurn 18.00-19.30 Wine tasting in English with Peter Wagner Meeting point at the Wine Cellar of the Bürgergemeinde Solothurn, Oberer Winkel 5 in Solothurn è Please register by e-mail wifoe@awa.so.ch

July 3, 2013

The Solothurn Beer Brewery «Öufi-Bier» The local brewery in Solothurn has full bodied, well balanced and tasty beers produced in small quantities on offer.

18.00-19.30 guided tour in English and cocktail reception Meeting point at the Öufi-Bier, Fabrikstr. 4, 4500 Solothurn

SWITZERLAND

è Please register by e-mail wifoe@awa.so.ch

We have started a group on Linkedin «Solothurn Meet and Greet». Here we are posting information and starting discussion groups for foreign executives and their families.

You can very easily sign up (no costs): www.linkedin.com see Solothurn Meet and Greet.

Detailed information about «Living in the Canton of Solothurn» are published on www.locationsolothurn.ch > Living in the Canton of Solothurn.

Your contact: Solothurn economic development agency Phone 032 627 95 23 | wifoe@awa.so.ch | www.locationsolothurn.ch

To learn more about SCBWI or to sign up for a local event, visit the website, click on “Regions” and then scroll down to Switzerland: www.scbwi.org You can also join our Facebook page at Friends of SCBWI Switzerland, or follow us on Twitter: @SCBWISwiss For more information, email Jennifer Whistler, the Regional Advisor for SCBWI Switzerland: jenniferjwhistler@yahoo.com

Contributed by Judith Butler

End Station

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Now back in her native Canada, one of our former writers recalls her first arrival in Switzerland.

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ächster Halt Basel. Endstation.” The first time I heard these words, I was a young Canadian music student travelling in Europe in the summer of 1966. On this particular leg, I was travelling alone on a train from Geneva, heading towards Schweinfurt, Germany.

The first stumbling block came when I discovered there was no train in the direction of Schweinfurt until early the next morning. The second was when I found I had no Swiss francs left and, as all the banks were now closed, nowhere to cash travellers’ cheques. This meant no food or lodging for the night.

Laden with a heavy backpack, several bags of souvenirs, my music portfolio and my money-belt, I sank down against a wall to take stock of the situation. A number of rough-looking characters were camped nearby, passing bottles of liquor amongst themselves. As there weren’t any benches, I resigned myself to spending the night hunched down on the cement floor, too nervous to even venture as far as the bathroom.

Afraid that if I fell asleep one of these scruffy men might abscond with my belongings, I twined my legs and arms intricately through the straps of my bags. And just in case I needed to call for help, there was a whistle on a cord inside my shirt; one could only imagine what these dodgy characters might contemplate.

Central concourse, Basel SBB today

It was a long night. The smell of alcohol wafted my way as the men became more animated and the empty bottles piled up. Every now and then a stray dog or cat wandered past. Eventually the lights dimmed, and I was left alone with the guys, the smells and the strays.

The men finally fell asleep, sprawled amongst the empties, but I had a fitful night.

Very early the next morning, the first train heading for Germany arrived and I was ready on the platform. I gratefully sank into an upholstered seat.

As the train pulled slowly out of the station, a woman sitting across from me pointed out the window. “Do you know these men? They seem to want your attention.”

And then I saw them: two of my shabby night-time sidekicks running along beside the train, holding up a couple of parcels that must have fallen from my pack. They were yelling and puffing as they tried to keep up. I quickly pulled up the window and grabbed the bags from them. They waved and gave me big toothy grins as the train gathered speed. I sat back in my seat and reflected on what I had just learned about human nature.

Thirty-seven years later, in 2003, a recruiter in Toronto offered me a job in Basel, Switzerland. “Do you know Basel at all?” he asked me.

(© Juri Weiss Canton Basel-Stadt)

“I was there for a very short time,” I answered, “but it left a lasting impression.” My mind travelled back to that night in the train station, when a city I thought was pretty rough around the edges turned out to have a heart of gold.

When I arrived in Basel to start my job, the station had been updated with a shopping concourse, ATMs, lots of benches and a beefed-up train schedule.

No longer would a traveller have to spend the night on the station floor.

This time, I stayed for almost nine years. When I returned from vacations, I often heard the words “Nächster Halt Basel. Endstation”, as we pulled into the station.

I came to love the city for its culture and beautiful setting on the Rhine, but I never forgot that it was a night on a cold station floor with a bevy of ruffians that convinced me to return for a second look.

Basel had indeed become my End Station.

Judith Butler has retired to Toronto, Canada after teaching in Basel for several years. She returns to Switzerland regularly to continue her cycling adventures and renew her love of raclette and Kambly biscuits.

SWITZERLAND

As we pulled into Basel SBB, I reminded myself of my travel plan: find a connection to Germany as soon as possible and arrive at the home of family friends in time for bed. After travelling for several weeks, I was looking forward to the chance to speak English for a few days before continuing to Salzburg. It all seemed pretty straightforward at the time.

Contributed by the Hello Switzerland Editorial Team

32

Discover Switzerland with your Pets The Swiss could be seen as a nation of animal-lovers – but there are strict guidelines for owning a pet.

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ccording to official statistics, there were nearly half a million dogs, almost 1.5 million cats and 85,000 horses living in Switzerland in 2009.

In this issue of “Discover Switzerland” we aim to present different aspects of owning a pet – whether imported from your home country or acquired over here. There’s a personal tale from one of our readers, and for those unable to own a pet, we feature some close-up animal encounters for children and adults.

SWITZERLAND

Official information – All dogs must be micro-chipped and registered in the ANIS database in Bern (Animal Identity Service) – Dogs imported from abroad must be presented to a veterinarian in Switzerland within 10 days – For every new dog, a practical training class of at least 4 hours of theory must be taken. Dog owners that have recently moved to Switzerland can clarify their training needs with their cantonal veterinary office.

– Biting incidents must be reported to each canton’s veterinary office.

– There are strict guidelines on pet protection, obviously against cruelty but also for dogs and cats to have sufficient contact with human beings.

There are various – unofficial – signs showing what your dog is allowed to do...

Cantons Requirements for owning a dog will vary from canton to canton. Contact your local cantonal veterinary office for specific information. Rules include: using leashes where signed; taking out civil liability insurance; vaccinating against Rabies; disposing of dog faeces in allocated containers (such as Robidog). In Geneva all dogs must wear an official control mark on their collars.

A veterinarian (Tierarzt in German, vétérinaire in French and veterinario in Italian) will advise on important vaccinations.

The Federal Veterinarian Office (FVO in English, OVF in French, BVET in German) provides comprehensive information and will answer questions sent by email. info@bvet.admin.ch www.bvet.admin.ch Travelling with your pet Dogs travelling with their owners to and from the UK require: a microchip; rabies vaccination; tapeworm treatment; and a pet passport to confirm these requirements. Dogs have to be transported in an approved carrier, while their owners have to use an approved route.

Dogs require tickets on all forms of public transport. On SBB trains, however, small dogs up to 30cm in height can travel free of charge as hand luggage if carried in a carrier or basket.

Keeping the streets clean

(© flickriver.com)

Basel area If you’re looking to buy a pet in the Basel area, then it might be worth

considering buying one from a shelter, particularly if you are an experienced pet owner who can offer abandoned animals the kind of support they need. The Tierschutz Beider Basel in Munchenstein has a wide variety of animals looking for placement in caring homes. The Tierschutzbund Basel has a cat shelter in Gundeli.

At the Tierschutz Beider Basel there is a wide range of courses and coaching available (in English on request), in subjects such as animal care and grooming. Others services include haircuts for pets, animal physiotherapy and wellness treatments such as massage.

The payments for these services help to provide the shelter with much needed funding, so visiting here for treatment is a wonderful way to support your own pet, as well as others too. www.tbb.ch www.tierschutzbund.ch In Basel, as in other parts of Switzerland, you’ll find a high standard of veterinary care, with most vets speaking good English. Complementary as well as traditional medicine is widely offered.

The Kleintierpraxis Sevogel is located near the main SBB station, and is a friendly practice with a gentle, respectful approach to animals. They even have their own hydrotherapy centre for animals. Many expats also use the Gemeinschaftspraxis für Pferde und Klientiere in Oberwil. www.sporthundemedizin.ch www.pferdetierarzt.ch There are couple of good options for dog holiday homes. Hundferienheim Forellenbach in Therwil, is reasonably priced and has a high standard of care.

the handlebars of my bike with a clickfix safety attachment.

Dogs can run and play together in a pack, and there is individual housing for older dogs, or those who prefer solitude. Hundeland is paradise for dogs, with plenty of open space for them to play and explore. Here dogs can take a ’sample’ holiday of two nights, to ensure they feel comfortable, before being left for a longer duration. www.tierheim-therwil.ch www.hunde-land.ch If your preferred option is a pet-sitter in a friendly home environment, then word of mouth is often the best way to find one in your area. You can also try posting an ad on Nachbarnet, a Basel website, where people exchange services as a friendly way to get to know their neighbours. www.nachbarnet.ch For dog-owners near the Reinach area, there is a regular walk on Wednesdays for those who want to make dog-walking more interesting and fun for dog and owner. Organized by Eva Freskgard, a breeder and trainer, the group shares tips and advice. They meet beside the

Guide dog training

(© www.blindenhundeschule.ch)

(© www.zoobasel.ch)

ISB football field in Reinach, but check with Eva for the exact meeting dates and times. eva.fresgard@hotmail.com Zoo Basel has a special children’s zoo, containing farm animals such sheep, goats and mini-pigs. Children over the age of 8 are welcome to come and volunteer in the zoo every weekday morning at 8:00 or afternoon at 13:30.

They stay for half a day and help out with feeding, cleaning the stables, and even taking the llamas and ponies for a walk. The idea behind the volunteering scheme is to give children the chance to interact with animals in a responsible, care-giving role rather than simply just for ’entertainment’. www.zoobasel.ch The Blindhundeschule (School for Guide Dogs for the Blind) has an open day every first Saturday of the month.

Visitors get the chance to view the dogs in training, and if possible the puppies too. There is also the opportunity to watch a guide dog at work. www.blindenhundeschule.ch Kate Zurich area A personal experience My two she-dogs go with me (nearly) everywhere – on trains, trams and buses. Our commute is about 75-85 minutes depending on the weather. I ride my bike while Kyra and Kylie run, either in front of me when it’s sunny, or behind me if the ground is wet. I ride slowly, they jog alongside on the sidewalk, and we meet many smiles on our way to the train station. If it’s raining they ride in their dog basket attached to

They love the train station at Romanshorn, where they act as if they owned it.

After the bike is locked up, we board our train, they jump into their train-bag and off we go to work. They know that once we’re onboard it’s sleep time. There are several carrier options: the soft-sided train bag from your local pet store, or a wheelie bag, not as widely available, but possible to acquire. I once saw a girl whip out a plastic Coop bag and tell her Jack Russell terrier to get in, which he did without hesitation. He sat there with his head held high, waiting for the next command.

During busy commuting times, I carry my dogs in their bag. Out of rush hour, however, they walk off the train, heading for the stairs to catch our connection. Trams generally follow the same rule as trains, but I’ve never been checked on a tram while my dogs were with me. Buses are another story. In my town, one of the bus drivers makes me put the dogs in their bag before he lets me onto the bus. Other drivers say hello and pet the dogs as I show my GA card to the back of their head.

Nearly every restaurant I’ve been inside makes a real effort to accommodate us.

The offer of dog-water as soon as we sit down is no longer a surprise to me, especially when we’re in restaurants on hiking paths or up in the hills.

Stores like H&M, Manor or C&A just ask for leash use. Ikea and Coop (City & DIY) don’t allow any animals under any circumstances. Butchers, bakers (and I don’t know about candlestickmakers) have understandable restrictions on four-legged visitors. Very often there are dog tie-ups near the entrance, to ensure your beloved doesn’t wander in after you. The post office also provides tie-ups outside, but it must be the officialdom of the business transacted there that prohibits dogs inside.

Supermarkets are also Fido-free zones, but over the eastern border in Austria, the Interspar in Dornbirn allows dogs to ride on a blanket or in a bag in your shopping basket while you’re shopping.

SWITZERLAND

Hands-on experience for kids in caring for animals

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You’re 100% responsible to pay for anything they consume while your back is turned. Fortunately, Kyra left enough of the label from the cheese to be scanned at the cash register.

Melony Rose Bern area Getting a pet in Switzerland isn’t as easy as asking “How much is that doggy in the window?” It can be a hassle for prospective pet owners but it also helps weed out those for whom getting a pet is a passing fancy. Most people go to a breeder or an animal rescue (Tierheim) to get a cat or dog and they tend to be expensive. Be prepared to pay several hundred francs for a dog or cat, even one from a Tierheim. Ads offering puppies or kittens “free to a good home” are rare.

SWITZERLAND

The start-up costs of pet ownership don’t end with what you pay for the animal. Dog owners are required to get Sachkundenachweis (often referred to as SKN), which is a Compulsory Training Certificate. First-time dog owners are required to take a 4-hour theory course prior to getting a dog to find out what they are getting themselves into. After they get the dog, all owners have to take their dog to an SKN practical course of at least 4 sessions of not more than 60 minutes per session to learn basic commands and how to lead their dog. Dogs must be micro-chipped (often included in the purchase price) and registered with the local authorities so that the owners can be assessed for the annual dog tax.

Once you take the dog home and get it properly registered and educated, the day-to-day costs of owning a pet kick in and they, too, are more expensive than what most expats are used to. Basic dog and cat food can be purchased in supermarkets and premium brands are available in pet stores such as Fressnapf, Qualipet and Zoo Kakadu in the Bern area. The first two offer on-line shopping with home delivery and Zoo Kakadu has a delivery service for large orders. These pet stores have much more than pet food, of course.

You can buy everything you need for a dog, cat or other house-pet. You can

The range of aquariums at Le Scalaire

(© www.lescalaire.ch)

also buy pet fish, reptiles and rodents in larger pet stores. www.fressnapf.ch www.qualipet.ch www.zookakadu.ch

Or you can board your cat in a pet hotel such as Katzenpension Zampone in Oberbalm. www.felicasa.ch www.katzenpension-zampone.ch

Veterinary care in Switzerland is truly top-notch. It isn’t difficult to find a vet near where you live for routine care and immunizations. Complicated cases are usually referred to one of Switzerland’s specialized veterinary hospitals such as the University of Bern’s Veterinary Clinic. In case of an emergency, contact your regular vet first; they will arrange to meet you and your pet or refer you to an on-call partner or hospital. The veterinary emergency number for Bern and its suburbs (costing 3.13 francs per minute) is: 0900 00 25 25

There are also many dog-sitting options to choose from that offer both vacation boarding and dog-daycare, for example Wau! Hundehort in Bern and Hundehort Amici in Schüpfen bei Bern. Keep in mind that many pet hotels are located in rural areas, so be sure to ask if the caretaker can offer a pick-up service for your dog if it is difficult to reach by public transport.

Vets often have contacts for pet sitting service or pet hotels. www.wauhundehort.ch www.hundehort-amici.ch Querida

When you go away for holiday, you can leave your pet in good hands here at home. You can arrange for cat-sitting services to come to your home and look after your cat in its own surroundings.

Geneva area The City of Geneva website has a list of places where dogs are forbidden, and also publishes the Guide Pratique du Chien Citoyen à Genève (a practical guide to dogs living in Geneva), showing a map of places where dogs may roam freely. www.etat.geneve.ch For lost and found pets, the ANIS includes a national data bank of tagged pets. You may also consult Europetnet – the European databank.

There are two societies for the protection of animals in the Geneva area: the SGPA (Geneva Society for the Protection of Animals), and the SVPA (Canton of Vaud Society of Protection

Walking with St-Bernards through the vines

of Animals). A comprehensive list of animal refuges in the French-speaking cantons can be found at: refuges.animaux.ws Excellent expat information on vets is provided at: http://veterinaireonline.com while a full list of vets in Geneva and French-speaking Switzerland can be found at: www.rechercheveterinaire.ch There are many shops and stores specializing in pet food and supplies, many of them with websites and some of them with home delivery and food emergency, such as: www.canicrok.ch

(© Caroline Thonger)

Other pet provision stores in the Romandie area include: www.lescalaire.ch www.petjungle.ch www.bluebone.ch www.jadoremydog.com www.chez-claire.com while Cats and Dogs gives a clear location map of their 20 stores throughout the Lac Léman area: www.catsanddogs-swiss.ch If you are away or ill, you will be to find pet sitting services at: monabsence.ch amichienservices.com Valais For those whose lifestyle or work prevent them from owning a dog, but

who yearn to have a dog-encounter, the town of Martigny at the foot of the Grand-St-Bernard pass is home to the world-famous St-Bernard dogs. The Musée et Chiens du Saint-Bernard has an excellent display of all things St-Bernard-related, from pictures on chocolate boxes to a film showing how those chosen to be mountain rescue dogs are trained. It has a dog-laden gift shop and an excellent restaurant with a sunny terrace called Le Collier d’Or or the Golden Collar. Visitors can see several of the dogs, both inside and out, and there are dog-petting sessions for children.

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In March and April the kennels – situated just outside the town of Martigny and owned by the Fondation Barry du Grand-St-Bernard – organise twiceweekly, 90-minute walks through the local vineyards with groups of up to 10 people and 4 dogs. By June, most of the dogs have been taken up to their summer home on top of the pass (2500m), very close to the Italian border. Here the entrance ticket to the museum includes a tour of the kennels.

The Musée du Grand-Saint-Bernard presents the full story of how the most famous St-Bernard, called Barry, saved dozens of hapless travellers in the 1800s from the snowstorms assailing this high mountain pass. The museum – situated by the hospice founded by Augustine monks in the Middle Ages – is open from June to September. Dog-walking is also available to the public, during the summer months up on the pass.

Musée et Chiens du Saint-Bernard Rue du Levant 34 1920 Martigny 027 720 49 20 www.museesaintbernard.ch

It’s a dog’s life

Whatever your favourite dog, cat or other animal, there’s much to enjoy with your pets in Switzerland.

Caroline

SWITZERLAND

Enthusiasts of the St-Bernard dog can sign up for the newsletter (in French only), which gives regular updates on the latest puppies to arrive, and when the dogs are taken up to their summer home.

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Jyske Bank (Schweiz) AG . Private Banking . 8021 Zurich . Tel. +41 44 368 73 73

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Compiled by Caroline Thonger

Romandie Roundup

37

Cycle Messenger World Championships 30 July to 5 August

being pushed by locals or pulled by horses. The event soon attracted all the major automobile companies of the day.

Calling all cycling fans! Forget the Tour de France – the definitive competition for urban cyclists is being held in Lausanne and is considered one of the toughest courses so far. The Cycle Messenger World Championships competition was first held in Berlin in 1994, and has continued to attract the strongest, fastest and smartest couriers in the world to compete in races that push them to their physical and mental limits.

The rally consists of a different route each year. The planners endeavour to find different roads off the beaten track, and so little other traffic, together with what this year’s website likes to call a “heady cocktail of breathtaking Alpine scenery and remote valleys”. The 2013 route takes in four countries and includes a different combination of the most famous passes in the Alps.

It promises to be an interesting one-off event accompanied by live music, stalls and conferences, where cycling enthusiasts can come together and support this unique way of delivering goods, as well as cheer on local participants. http://cmwc13.com Rashida

ioned floats, brass bands, together with the delights of local fare to sample… it all makes for a real holiday atmosphere.

The Château de Chillon is an architectural jewel located near Montreux, in a beautiful lakeside setting on Lac Léman. With over a thousand years of history, this famous Swiss monument has inspired writers from Jean-Jacques Rousseau to Victor Hugo and Lord Byron, and artists from Delacroix to Courbet. To celebrate Swiss National Day, they’re offering a family day out including an open-air brunch (10:3013:30) followed by quizzes and games to be held in the castle. The event continues until 17:30. Tickets and information: www.chillon.ch

54th Rallye des Alpes 8-13 July 1 August This year’s Swiss National Day falls on a Thursday, the day on which the Swiss Confederation is 722 years old.

As in the rest of the country, Swiss National Day is celebrated in style all over Romandie. From the largest city to the smallest village, the citizens dress up in mediaeval costumes, play raucous music, enjoy open-air feasts, and finally end the day with grand displays of fireworks. A couple of examples: The four villages comprising the Saas Valley in Oberwallis always celebrate Swiss National Day in exuberant fashion. Folk dancers, Alphorns, yodelling groups, street parades with old-fash-

With its history going back more than 100 years, this famous rally is based on the Austrian Alpenfahrt first started in 1910. The organisers used some of the toughest passes they could find, where it was by no means certain that the cars would get up the steep inclines without

Rallye des Alpes from Coppet to Garmisch

Every year the rally has a team of mechanics from Emil Frey on call for motoring emergencies, and the event includes a truck to ferry the luggage of the participating drivers and navigators to the next hotel. The cars are of course the stars of the whole event – this year featuring such famous names as MG, Jaguar, Ferrari, Austin Healey and Sunbeam, with the oldest car dating back to the early 50s.

The five days of the rally start from Coppet on Lac Léman, via Gstaad (Bernse Oberland), Baveno on Lago Maggiore, Ischgl in Austria (including the Silvretta Hillclimb), and ending in Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Bavaria, home of “mad” King Ludwig’s fairytale castle. This is where the victors will be awarded the Coupe des Alpes.

RALLYE DES ALPES Mgmt. Sàrl Avenue du Pont-d’Arve 28 1205 Geneva 022 849 01 23 ridah@rallyedesalpes.com www.rallyedesalpes.com

ROMANDIE

There are 10 categories within the competition: from the MainRace which simulates a delivery and checkpoints throughout the city; the UphillSprint – a feat of thighs of steel; or the Skid – cycling as fast as possible to then lock the rear wheel and skid as far as possible and hopefully break the world record of just over 200 metres.

Château de Chillon

Contributed by Rashida Rahim

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Festival of Music A summer celebration of music in Switzerland.

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very year in the summer the “Faîtes de la Musique, Fête de la Musique” is celebrated in cantons and cities throughout Switzerland.

But this isn’t a local phenomenon as I once presumed – it’s a global event that originated in neighbouring France, and is now a staple feature in our summer calendar.

Musical Roots The initial idea was attributed to American musician and radio presenter Joel Cohen back in the mid-70s as a musical way to observe the pagan summer solstice. The concept was only realized, however, thanks to French government support in1982, with the first “ fête” fêted in Paris. By then the hippy idea of a celebratory day had morphed into a more solid intention of encouraging musicians to share their talents for free.

The occasion was an immediate success, and in France today more than 18,000 concerts are organized, 5 million musicians perform and around 10 million people participate and support the initiative, giving an equal place to amateur and professional musicians.

ROMANDIE

Melodious Movement Once established in France, a concerted effort was made to form a European Network for the Fête de la

Musique aimed at professionals, local and regional governments in order to help each other build and support the musical initiative. In turn this led to the signing of the European Charter for Festivals of Music, in Budapest in 1997, formalizing the establishment of the cultural and musical network of primary importance – in line with the movement to generate a richer cultural Europe.

Châtel-St-Denis, Chaux-de-Fonds, Monthey, Neuchâtel, Haut-Geneveys and Moudon all taking part. The town of Chiasso in the Ticino offers its own spin-off the day through Festate. Thus the transitory frontier is celebrated – not as a boundary or physical limits, but as part of an overall journey where respect, peace and tolerance are regarded and fêted through culture, gastronomy and music.

With a focused concern for the democratization of culture and its accessibility to all, the Charter was signed by France, Budapest, Wallonia Belgium, Berlin, Prague, Budapest, Barcelona, Naples, and Rome. Since then, a network of other cities joined, including Porto, Istanbul, Liverpool and Luxembourg.

It continues to mature, with more countries, cities and cultural operators signing up each year.

2013 Agenda As the idea of the Festival of Music is founded mainly on the goodwill of communities banding together, information on the event can be hard to come by in a centralized format. Most cities like Geneva and Lausanne like to reveal the programmes closer to the date, in order to heighten the anticipation of a free-for-all, friendly and funky day of cool summer beats, rock and roll and all other types of music in between.

And so the spirit of the Fête has grown from France, to Beijing, New York and South Africa – over 100 countries participating each year. The only criterium needed is that the event falls on 21 June and adheres to the founding principles: – Musicians of all levels: amateurs and professionals – are called to perform – Crowds don’t pay to see bands play – Bands share their talent gratis Our fête Due to our proximity to neighbouring France, the Fête de la Musique has a strong presence in the Suisse Romande area with Geneva, Nyon, Morges, Bière, Lausanne, Yverdon-les-Bains, Payerne, Orsières, Bex, Montherod, Fribourg,

More information: fêtedelamusique.culture.fr Links to local fêtes, starting in Geneva: www.ville-ge.ch/culture/fm/ Rashida Rahim British born but Bengali-Italian raised, Rashida is the eternal expat currently residing in Lausanne and despite being a technical trainer, has strong leanings towards all that is artsy-fartsy.

Contributed by Caroline Thonger

Optimum Bien-Être “T

he Spa that keeps its promises” is the bold statement on one of the centre’s striking glossy brochures.

And that’s certainly the impression you get when you first walk through the door. Situated on a corner of the Boulevard du Pont d’Arve, near the University of Geneva, the Spa offers a friendly and welcoming atmosphere.

But instead of the intimidating banks of fearsome machinery you usually expect in a gym, this fitness centre is designed to put you at your ease. When I visited the Spa, there were only two Power Plate® machines on view, while downstairs an exotic purple light bathed the massage and beauty treatment areas in a soft glow.

Founder and manager Wilfried Leclerc is a man on a mission: to create a unique ambiance that encourages fitness and wellbeing, with well-qualified and competent trainers. The courses on offer are carried out both at the Spa itself and in the workplace, and special emphasis is placed on approaching companies with specially designed fitness packages.

A Frenchman by birth, Wilfried displays a youthful exuberance that’s quite infectious. Starting in France and then in Suisse Romande, his qualifications and experience have encompassed hotel management; first-aid; all aspects of fitness instructing including nutrition; freelance photography; marketing; and centre management.

Apart from coaching individual clients, Wilfried has been employed as a personal trainer in Geneva at the United Nations, the Red Crescent, the World Health Organisation, the World Trade Organisation and the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO); for world-class brands such as Rolex and Piaget; and for Crédit Suisse and the French Embassy. Another post took him to the five-star Crowne Plaza Hotel, also in Geneva, as a lifeguard combined with fitness and wellness instructor.

In February 2010 the first Optimum Bien-Être centre was inaugurated in Albany, New York. In June just four months later, the Geneva branch was opened. Wilfried chose the East Coast to start up his fitness business, because of the popularity of personal trainers in the States. By the time this issue of the magazine is published, the Geneva Spa will be celebrating its third anniversary.

What the Spa offers Power Plate® Results of exercising with Power Plate® are claimed to be 10 times faster and 3 times as efficient in, for example: burning fat; reducing cellulite; muscle toning; stimulation of circulation and lymphatic system; improvement of balance. With over 10 years on the commercial market, Power Plate® is the only fitness machine to have proven its efficiency after 40 independent scientific studies, and to have been granted medical certification status under European Directive CE 0086.

Training The Spa’s training programs are designed to suit the individual client’s needs and objectives, involving complete sets of exercises and then individualised targets to ensure exceptional results.

Exercise is always carried out under the supervision of a professional trainer, without risk or pressure, or even any additional charge, to ensure the safety of the client and optimal results.

Coaching Clients have their own specific set of goals. The Spa offers sports and trainWilfried Leclerc (spa manager) Optimum Bien-Être 4 rue Micheli-du-Crest 1205 Geneva 079 647 31 15 contact@optimum-bien-etre.ch www.optimum-bien-etre.ch Booking a massage: www.massage-forme.ch

Spa manager Wilfried Leclerc

ing courses adapted to those needs.

Thus they can train at their own rate and without undue pressure. Whether coaching individuals or small groups, the professional trainers help the clients to attain their objectives – be it to lose weight, firm up muscles, improve their cardiovascular activity, or tone up their muscles.

Massages There is a wide range of massages on offer at Optimum Bien-Être, including: • Californian: this massage creates profound physical and mental relaxation, focusing on pleasure and wellbeing.

• Swedish: this dynamic massage technique firms up muscles and joints, and aims to relax any tension in the body. Ideal for sports enthusiasts.

• Hot Stones: Heated to an ideal temperature, this massage re-energises and invigorates the body.

Massages can taken be solo, but are even more fun as a twosome!

For the full range of fitness classes, coaching, massage and beauty treatment on offer at Optimum Bien-Être in Geneva, see the Information Box. This really is a Spa with a difference.

London-born Caroline Thonger co-founded the Stratford Writers’ Festival. Her first biography “The Banker’s Daughter” was published in 2007. Working as a freelance translator, journalist and editor, she now lives in the Haut Valais.

ROMANDIE

Geneva’s spa with a difference.

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Contributed by Anitra Green

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Geneva Goes for New Cross-City Link Construction sites for the CEVA rail link may be a hassle at the moment, but will bring a huge improvement in public transport.

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iversions on main roads and tramways, stations turned into construction sites, noise and dust in certain parts of town – all these are purely temporary, even if they are a nuisance at the moment and try your patience.

But when the brand-new CornavinEaux-Vives-Annemasse high-speed cross-city link (CEVA) opens in 2017, you can bet that everyone – especially the thousands of commuters – will appreciate how much easier it is to get across the city, even the people who opposed it.

ROMANDIE

As its name indicates, the line will connect Geneva’s main station at Cornavin with Eaux-Vives, and then over the French border to Annemasse. The route is not a direct one, as it goes in a huge loop taking in the suburb of Carouge as well, the idea being to provide efficient public transport also to brownfield areas earmarked for redevelopment projects.

Five intermediate stations are planned, at Lancy-La Praille, Carouge-Bachet, Champel-Hôpital, Genêve-Eaux-Vives and Chêne-Bourg. The station at EauxVives, which used to be the terminus for the French train coming in from Annemasse, has been closed, and is at the moment a massive building site

Vision of the future

to construct the new line, which will be underground at this point, and a brand-new underground station. In fact two-thirds of the entire line will be underground; the part between LancyPont Rouge and Eaux-Vives will be entirely new and provide the missing, all-important link in the cross-city line.

Affordable living accommodation in Geneva is notoriously scarce, but the situation should ease once existing zones along the line at Carouge-Bachet, Trois-Chênes and Eaux-Vives are redeveloped with residential and office accommodation as well as industry.

There are also plans to reserve land above the line for “green” areas with leisure zones and promenades for pedestrians and cyclists, which will certainly add to the city’s attractions.

And every stop will offer connections to the existing tram, bus and trolleybus network in an efficient – and very Swiss – integrated transport system.

Other related measures include a new park&ride facility at the busy traffic interface of Carouge-Bachet.

But it’s not just a quicker way of getting round the city itself. It’s the core element in a much wider scheme to link the

Today’s building site

railway networks of Geneva, the Swiss canton of Vaud and the French department of Rhône-Alpes in one integrated system, making Geneva even more of an international city than it is already.

This means the regional network will cover 230 km with around 40 stations, 20 in France and 20 in Switzerland.

The idea of building this link has been around for a long time, as it was first mooted well over 100 years ago, when rail transport was the most promising mode of transport for the future.

The section to La Praille was built in the 1940s, but the rest of the plan was dropped because of lack of financing.

It was only revived in 2001, and finally gained approval in 2008, but was then delayed until all the appeals against the project had been dealt with.

Meanwhile, the population of Geneva is growing all the time, with over 910,000 people living within a radius of 40 km of the city centre; this is estimated to grow to 1.1 million by 2020. It’s not for nothing they say it’s “bien plus qu’une ligne” – more than just a line. With six trains an hour and transit time of only 20 minutes from Cornavin to Annemasse, it’s bound to add to the city’s already substantial amenities. But you’ll have to wait till 2017.

Anitra Green has been in Switzerland long enough to be part of the scenery. Studied classics in London, now a railway journalist. Favourite occupations: travelling, hill walking, singing, good food, good wine and good company.

Contributed by Chloé Corbin

The Crêpe-making Shepherdess

A scene from the documentary

C

rêpes are the continent’s greasy cutlery-free pleasure, a versatile fast food, and a popular street corner snack. Tightly wrapped in crisp white paper, a good crêpe quickly shows its worth when hot butter starts escaping its porous pouch. Then begins the happy challenge to finish it before the wrapping becomes obsolete, and the crêpe cold.

A food of convenience, or so I thought, having never experienced its more sophisticated side. That was until I moved to Switzerland and a chance encounter found me working part-time in a remote, and very unusual crêperie run by a shepherdess, and recent star of an award-winning European documentary.

The brainchild of 29-year-old Carole Noblanc, La Crêpecidre exists during the winter months, sitting in a basin of snow, outside Vaud’s picturesque village of La Barboleuse. Standing on the edge of a dense pine forest, smoke puffs continuously from the wooden hut’s chimney, acting as a beacon. Known only to passersby, locals and avid crosscountry skiers using the nearby Solalex trail, it is a hidden gem, and a welcome break from the more commercial tendencies of eateries in Villars ski resort, just a ten-minute drive up the hill.

Lit only by candles, with visibility often shrouded as smoke escapes the blazing fire, Carole works busily inside the hut.

She pours, spreads, sprinkles, tosses

(© Hiver Nomade)

and serves her fresh crêpes to tables of talkative customers. Conversation flows vividly between strangers and friends, aided by the regular pop of cider bottle corks, the sweet alcohol warming everyone’s chilled bodies.

Colourful crockery adorns the tables.

Chipped floral plates are glued together, and china bolées used to contain the cidre. Sheepskins cushion wooden benches, travel books line the walls, and local artworks decorate the hut’s wooden panels. It is a hub of natural simplicity, interjected by confident displays of character.

house, and he expressed a desire to film their journey. The documentary “Hiver Nomade” won numerous awards across Europe and she continues to be pulled back to Geneva to talk about her experiences.

Carole is an astute dreamer, lost to her imaginings, but fully engaged with those she meets and fortified by her time as a Swiss shepherdess. Sitting on the sideboard during a welcome lull in customers, she opens up to me about the painful solitude she experienced during one transhumance without Pascal.

After spending three months entirely alone, save for the hundreds of sheep, she said a violent exodus of emotion accompanied her return to Brittany.

Compulsive analysis had overtaken constructive reflection. She was pleased to be back home amongst family and friends, at least for the summer.

The hidden crêperie resembles Carole’s quiet, instinctive decision to leave France and experience the solitary life of a shepherdess in Switzerland. Yet the hut’s vibrant popularity also mirrors her unintended (but deserved) fame as the star of the widely-acclaimed documentary documentary.

Carole’s inspiration for the crêperie came from her roots in Brittany, France, where it is the tradition to eat your galette with apple cider. She grew up sampling her mother’s crêpes, and finetuning the delicious recipes. However, a holiday to the Swiss Alps six years ago changed her course, after she met a Swiss shepherd.

Just as visitors to her crêperie crave the calm traditional atmosphere it provides, her film also gives us a first-hand education into the simple yet disappearing freedoms we all increasingly mourn.

Dropping her life in Brittany, she crossed the border to accompany 53-year-old Pascal on his winter transhumance: the seasonal movement of people and their livestock from winter to summer pastures. Their journey: 600 kms in four months. Their company: each another, three donkeys, four dogs and 800 sheep.

Chloé Corbin is a travel writer and photographer currently living in Switzerland. A former broadcast journalist and human rights press officer, her time is now spent capturing the characters and curiosities of Europe’s hilltops. You can follow her experiences on: http://landhop.wordpress.com

Carole’s notoriety soared after their flock unwittingly passed a filmmaker’s

You can follow the progress of Hiver Nomade and watch its trailer on: www.hivernomade.ch

ROMANDIE

The woman whose spontaneity made her a film star and brought Brittany’s crêpes et cidre to a Swiss idyll.

41

Compiled by Allison Turner

42

Zurich Roundup Highlanders’ Linguist Club The Highlanders’ Linguist Club of Uster was founded in 1982 and has been going strong ever since. While the name may suggest a Scottish club, it is actually a translation of “Oberländer”.

It’s an easy-going club that welcomes guests and new members.

The Club meets every Friday evening except during the local school holidays in the Bildungszentrum, Uster.

Members come together to practise English in an informal atmosphere, listen to talks on a wide range of topics and at the same time meet interesting people of all ages and different walks of life. Upcoming talks range from a presentation of scenes from Jane Austen’s books, through travel reports from North Korea and the Gobi desert to a look at journalism today; also scheduled are a walk around the Luetzelsee and a barbecue party. www.highlanders.ch

Curious Courses Day

ZURICH

If you consider yourself a curious person, or are at least curious about the possibility of being curious, 8 June is the day for you! Curious Courses Day is an opportunity to discover a new passion, to try new things, to meet experts and learn, to network and to have fun.

18 different courses will be given on the day, in the categories of Create, Grow, Care, Move, Taste and Discover.

Choose one from each category, or mix and match. The day runs from 9:0018:00, including a keynote address, lunch and a wrap-up apéro.

Kirchgemeindehaus Seefeld Seefeldstrasse 91 8008 Zurich www.curiouscourses.ch

Züri Fäscht Every three years, on the first weekend in July, Zurich turns into the biggest party in Switzerland. From Friday

Züri Fäscht along the Limmatquai

afternoon, 5 July, to Sunday at midnight, the area in Zurich’s old town and around the lake towards Mythequai will be given over to the stands, rides and attractions of the Züri Fäscht. Over two million visitors are expected.

You can buy clothes, accessories, toys, jewellery, art and of course plenty of food and drink at the 300 stands throughout the area. Musicians and DJs provide music to suit every taste from stages throughout as well. The aim is always a mix of local and international, traditional and new.

And then there are the shows! If you feel brave spinning around on one of the rides, wait until you see the acrobats leaping and flying and tight-roping high above the crowd and the lake; divers flipping around and landing in what I always thought was a relatively shallow river; and pilots barrel-rolling in synch.

The fireworks displays, set to music, on Friday and Saturday nights from 22:30 to 23:00 are two of the five biggest fireworks shows in Europe.

On an amateur note, this year for the second time there will be a Recyclatta – a sailing race on boats made from empty PET bottles, with points scored for speed, beauty (of the boats) and stamina. At the time of writing, there are still a few spots available for more teams; registration closes 10 June. www.recyclatta.ch

(© www.zuerifaescht.ch)

You have probably guessed that driving to the Züri Fäscht is discouraged (impossible is a better word); extra trains and buses are being put into service, some of them around the clock. www.zuerifaescht.ch

Blues’n’Jazz The 15th edition of the annual Blues’n’Jazz Rapperswil-Jona takes place 28-30 June in that lovely lakeside town. 25 bands perform a total of 31 concerts on the four stages in the old town and beside the lake. The headliners include Genesis spin-off band Mike and the Mechanics, and Swiss blues great Philipp Fankhauser. Shows take place Friday and Saturday evenings and Sunday, 10:30-16:00, with the Sunday shows being free for all. www.bluesnjazz.ch

First of August The city of Zurich traditionally celebrates the Swiss national day with a parade along Bahnhofstrasse in the morning and a folkloric afternoon. Think dirndls, embroidered vests, cowbells, alpenhorns and flags being thrown.

The smaller communities will often have a bonfire or a lantern parade, so check your local newspaper if you’re looking for something to do close to home.

Contributed by Elisa Bieg

A Walk Along the Schanzengraben

43

If you have been in Zurich for a little while, you have likely walked along the lake, from Bellevue to the Arboretum Park. epending on where you live and work, you might have taken trams number 6 or 7. If you did, chances are that along the route, your eye was caught by a lovely spot between Paradeplatz and the Stockerstrasse tram stop, a narrow canal nestled between buildings, with boats docked along the sides: an oddly idyllic-looking spot, so incongruous in the middle of the city.

That spot is part of the Schanzengraben, a canal that was used as the outer moat outside the Zurich city walls starting in 1642.

On a sunny spring or summer day, a walk along the Schanzengraben makes for a great break in the heat and noise of the city, with several spots to stop for a picnic or to read a book in peace.

Start your walk just off Bürkliplatz, where the canal connects to the lake, on the right of the Bar Au Lac, and then keep walking along the Schanzegraben’s zigzag shape, crossing Dreikönigstrasse, Bleicherweg, Gartenstrasse.

Just when you start feeling a little lost and are getting ready to check the map on your smartphone, you will get to the Selnau bridge, at which point you might consider taking a little detour to check out the Old Botanic Garden, another little treasure in the middle of Zurich that is undiscovered by many. The Old Botanic Garden has lots of great spots for a picnic, or to lie on the grass or one

Montagsmarkt

of the benches to chat, relax, or read a book. You might find that you prefer to just stop and hang out here.

If you decide to continue your walk, exit the garden from the back and follow the canal and the old city wall to what might be an already familiar place: the old Männerbad Männerbad, located in the back of the new Börse. Among the many closed lakeside and riverside pools (known to the locals as Badi) in Zurich, a few are limited to either men or women, as they were when they were created. The old Männerbad on the Schanzengraben still welcomes men (and boys) exclusively during the day, but by night it turns into the Rimini Bar, a sort of open-air chillout bar, where everyone is welcome. There is no entry fee; guests only pay for their food and drinks, and, weather permitting, it’s open from late May until October. It’s a lovely spot for a mojito and a chat on a summer night, and in September and October groups of 8 or more people can reserve tables for the Rimini Fonduestübli. Details on www.rimini.ch Once a week Rimini is also home to the Montagsmarkt (Monday Market), with booths from small boutiques and local independent designers who sell only online and at local markets. There you can find handmade and vintage jewelry, clothing, accessories and small home décor items. If you have a sweet tooth, you will be glad to hear that Michelle’s

Schanzengraben

Cupcakes also makes a regular appearance at the Montagsmarkt.

Or keep on walking, and you will soon arrive to a spot you are likely familiar with, one that’s a favorite lunch spot for many Zürcher: the canal right behind the Migros City department store.

Surprise! It’s all connected.

A few hundred meters further, the Schanzengraben joins the Sihl river, and when you walk up to street level you’ll find yourself right by the Main Station. Now you’ll have no trouble recognizing your surroundings; after all, you’ve probably walked from the lake to the station and vice versa many times, but this time was much more peaceful and relaxing than a walk along the Bahnhofstrasse or the Limmatquai.

Just when you think you know it all, you realize that Zurich still has a lot of surprises left in store.

Elisa Bieg: A long-time expat, Elisa has been living in Switzerland on and off for the past 10 years. She is a former translator, the organizer of the Zurich Book Swap, happily married to a “Bündner” and currently juggling her duties as a full-time mom with her studies and her passion for travel, writing and photography. She chronicles her life and passions on her blog, www.GlobetrottingInHeels.com

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Summer by the Greifensee

45

Summer is one of the most beautiful times of the year in Switzerland.

T

he season offers so many possibilities - the lakes, the mountains and the beautiful journeys through picturesque Swiss countryside by train or car. There’s so much to explore both near and far.

Lake Greifensee itself lies approximately 12km to the northeast of Zurich, separated by the Pfannenstiel. The lake is the second largest in the Canton of Zurich and is approximately 6km long and just over 1.5km wide at the widest part. It is easily accessible by train and bus, by car or even by bike. In fact, being so flat, it offers great cycling for all the family and the circuit around the lake is extremely popular not only with cyclists, but with in-line skaters, buggy pushers and walkers, and with young and old alike.

(both pictures: © www.NewInZurich.com)

Spanning approximately 22km it can take anything from around an hour, to up to an hour-and-a-half or longer for most people to cycle round the lake, though this can be extended considerably if you stop to take photos, or for a drink or snack, or simply to marvel at the view.

You won’t get bored at the Greifensee.

You can hire rowing boats, visit one of the official swimming areas or Badis as they are known, for example, the fantastically named Bad Egg, or Badi Maur, or Badi Niederuster. Each has its own charm and offers either a kiosk or café, nearby parking, a stretch of grass and access to the lake. Many of the Badis offer fresh sausages, which you can buy and grill yourself on one of the barbeques provided. Niederuster has volleyball courts as well as a swimming pool. As well as these official Badis, there are plenty of areas where you can simply sit down by the side of the lake and have a paddle or swim and use one of the public grills for a barbeque.

Along the lake there are several embarcation points for the boat that makes regular crossings during the summer months, connecting the towns of Maur, Faellanden, Niederuster, Moenchaltorf and Greifensee. In addition to the regular crossings, there are also special Lunch and Evening Boat trips, some of which are themed and all of which make for a fun day or evening

out. Additionally, there is the oldest steamboat in Switzerland, the “Greif ”, owned by the SGG transport company, which was built in 1895 specifically for the Greifensee. It runs a select number of excursions, and the whole boat can also be hired for private functions on certain dates too. www.sgg-greifensee.ch The town of Greifensee is steeped in history: it dates back over five thousand years. The castle, Schloss Greifensee, dominates the little town of the same name. It was once the residence of the bailiff of the imperial city of Zurich,and the current structure was rebuilt in 1520. It is now used for weddings, functions and parties. Several times a year there are markets in the square just around the castle; with the bustle and atmosphere along the cobbled streets it’s a sight to behold. So whenever you decide to visit Lake Greifensee, why not stop by at the small café right on the lake near the castle and enjoy a coffee and a Nussstängli while watching the world go by? If it’s your first trip here, enjoy! I’m sure it won’t be your last. www.greifensee.ch Christina Fryer is founder of the NewInZurich workshops and the website www.newinzurich.com

ZURICH

When I want to do something on the spur of the moment outside Zurich, one of my favourite places to while away a summer’s day is right on our doorstep – Lake Greifensee. A trip to the Greifensee takes no planning and is great for a morning cappuccino at one of the lakeside cafes or restaurants, for a pleasant lunch or picnic, or an afternoon’s sunbathing or a dip or in the lake or even an evening stroll. Mind you, you could quite easily spend the whole day taking in the gorgeous scenery, swimming a little, reading a book while enjoying the views over the beautiful countryside. Then in the evening you could pop into one of the cute little restaurants nearby, or light a barbeque at one of the grill areas by the water and watch the sun setting over the lake.

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Contributed by Angelica Cipullo and Deja Rose

MyGirlfriendGuide

47

Franc Savvy Wines or all those who love entertaining large dinner parties and the energy burst of long, leisurely nights with friends, but dread the credit card bill with its never ending zeros…

Girlfriend Guide is here to help ensure there are no budget excuses for not inviting friends over and enjoying late nights of vino. We’ve done taste-testing ourselves, brought in the experts and even asked our readers to help identify the best Franc Savvy Wines in Zurich.

Here’s a guide dedicated to ensuring your summer nights are deliciously affordable.

Zuri Girl’s Choice: Hitting the streets in search of a franc savvy bottle, Zuri Girl stumbled upon a few favorites awaiting the romance of a lakeside picnic.

Franc Savvy Wine: De Martino 347 Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc, 2009 Price: CHF 9.80 Where to buy it: Zweifel Vinarium Wine Shop Why it’s special: Voted winery of the year in 2011, De Martino is a Chilean wine producer with an affordable and reliable selection. The Sauvignon Blanc is refreshing, easy to drink and goes great with shrimp cocktail.

Franc Savvy Wine: Luc Pirlet SyrahMourvedre, 2010 Price: CHF 14.70 Where to buy it: Landolt Weine Why it’s special: We get to benefit from the luxury of a small price tag for this quality wine, as it is a small winery with just 4 employees. It’s a smooth mix of cherry and pepper, perfect with a juicy barbecued steak.

Experts’ Choice: While we are by no means experts ourselves, we brought in reinforcements and questioned our partners, Steinfels La Maison du Vin, for a taste of their bargain bottles.

Franc Savvy Wine: Senza Parole Primitivo Salento, 2011 Price: CHF 10.90 Where to buy it: Steinfels La Maision du Vin Why it’s special: The best-selling Primitivo in Switzerland means it must be doing something right. It’s a great choice to bring to a friend’s house, as they’ll love the trendy funky look of the bottle with a smooth, full-bodied flavor cleverly balanced by aromatic fruits.

Franc Savvy Wine: Cuvée Michel Léon Gewurztraminer, 2011 Price: CHF 14.30 Where to buy it: Steinfels La Maision du Vin Why it’s special: You’ll be thankful you worked up the courage to learn how to properly say the grape, Gewurztraminer. It’s a super choice full of flowery aromas and tastes, just like a sweet summer day.

Readers’ Choice: Via a fun and friendly survey competition, we asked Facebook followers where they turn when in need of a franc savvy bottle.

Franc Savvy Wine: Baron de Höen Beblenheim Reisling, 2011 Price: CHF 9.90

Where to buy it: COOP Why it’s special: It’s an apéro-lover’s dream, perfect for enjoying an afterwork glass on your terrace before settling down for dinner. It’s crisp, cool and easy to drink.

Franc Savvy Wine: Argento Malbec Price: CHF 10.95 Where to buy it: Denner Why it’s special: Argentinean Malbecs are an excellent “go to” wine when you’re unsure what to serve. They are usually affordable and predictable in taste guaranteeing a full, robust flavor.

We haven’t met too many Malbecs we don’t like!

PS. If we still haven’t convinced you drinking wine can be franc savvy, all Girlfriend Guide readers receive 10% off at Steinfels La Maision du Vin. Simply mention Girlfriend Guide at the checkout, open the cork and enjoy!

Angelica Cipullo and Deja Rose are co-founders of MyGirlfriend Guide, Zurich. Keep updated on hotspots in Zurich as well as stylish Zurich wellness, fashion and beauty tips and Girl’s Nights Out and Ladies’ Spa Weekends. www.mygirlfriendguide.com

ZURICH

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Contributed by Jenny Lind Schmitt

48

Alois Carigiet: the Father of Ursli H

e smiles at you with the same independence and determination he had when he first appeared in the children’s book Schellen-Ursli (“A Bell for Ursli”) in 1945. It’s the tale of a young boy in the Engadine, who treks alone up through the snow to his family’s mountain hut in search of the biggest bell for the village celebration to chase away winter. The picture book, a collaboration between writer Selina Chönz and illustrator Alois Carigiet, was named one of the New York Times’ Ten Best Children’s Books in 1950, and later brought the artist the honor of the Hans Christian Andersen award. In Swiss children’s literature, Ursli comes second only to Heidi in popularity, and along with her and William Tell, Ursli has become a symbol of Switzerland.

SWITZERLAND

I first met Ursli when as an exchange student at the University of Geneva, my Swiss friend took me to stay in his family’s ancestral home in the Surselvan valley of the Graubünden. His mother had grown up in the same house as the artist Alois Carigiet, her uncle.

Evidence of the family’s admiration for their artist was everywhere. His prints hung on the walls, and the numerous picture books he illustrated lined the shelves. I was easily smitten by the fresh, colorful drawings that brought

(both pictures: © Orell Fuessli Verlag)

Travel to the canton of Graubünden (the Grisons), and sooner or later you’ll encounter this popular Swiss children’s hero. the traditions of Alpine Switzerland to life on the page.

On that first visit my friend walked me around the village and pointed out other testaments to its most famous son. On the façades of the two houses facing the church square, Carigiet painted frescoes in the same manner as his most well-known public work, the Hotel Adler in Stein-am-Rhein. On the wall of the village school hung the panel I had already seen on the cover of one of my Swiss textbooks. Surrounded by edelweiss and cornflowers, Carigiet had painted of a line of Romansch poetry: Stai si defenda Romontsch, tiu vegl lungatg. Stand up and defend Romansch, your old language. The artist’s public support for his native tongue was important, as his rise to prominence coincided with the greater cultural recognition in Switzerland of the Romansch language.

Eventually I married that Swiss friend, and have since had the privilege of returning regularly to Trun and learning family stories that went along with the artist and his village. My mother-inlaw tells of her successful uncle, then living in Zurich, sending oranges to his nieces and nephews in the mountains in the 1950s, when vitamin C was scarce in winter and an orange a rare luxury. If you make the steep trek up the pilgrim way to the red-steepled chapel of Our Lady of the Light on the mountainside, the reward awaits of an ex-voto painting of Mary by Carigiet, completed in 1941. In miniature along the bottom edge of the frame is the scene through which you have just walked: the chapel, Carigiet’s birth house and the building with the zigzag shutters, built for the canton of Graubünden’s original halls of justice and which now houses Trun’s museum. One room in the museum is dedicated entirely to the artist, highlighting his picture books as well as his other work as a painter and graphic

designer. Across the road from the museum gurgles a stone fountain that Carigiet designed especially for the spot and donated to his village.

In his later life, Alois Carigiet moved back to Trun and devoted himself to expressive interpretations of the themes he most valued: man, animals, and their place in the natural environment.

His later work won him acclaim as a fine artist, but without doubt his most cherished legacy remains that of Ursli, the courageous little boy with the great big bell. When our own children were small, they loved sitting on the edge of the stone fountain, dipping their feet into the cold water, and delighting in the fact that they could visit “Ursli’s house”.

Museum Sursilvan in Trun Open 15 April–31 October Monday, Wednesday, Saturday 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month 14:00-17:00 www.trun.ch Visitors can walk on the Bell for Ursli Path, where the story of the boy and his cowbell is told in notices and pictures.

Take the funicular from St. MoritzDorf to Chantarella. From there it’s a 15-minute walk to Hotel Salastrains.

Jenny Lind Schmitt is an American writer, teacher and songwriter living in the Canton of Jura with her husband and four children. Her first novel will be out soon. www.jennylindschmitt.com

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Compiled by Allison Turner

50

Zug / Lucerne Roundup to 15 September. There’s a different concert every Wednesday evening from 19:30 to 22:00 from June through August at the Zug Landsgemeindeplatz, including just about every style of music.

But I think my favourite is the Jazz Night Zug, held this year on the 22 and 23 August. There’s a real festival feel at the Landsgemeindeplatz, with the biggest stage and a variety of food and drink stands, but the mood is quieter by the other stages in the streets of the old town. There are international musicians as well as Zugers. www.jazznight.ch

Get Ready for Summer with Living in Luzern

ZUG / LUCERNE

On 28 April, Living in Luzern launched its Get Ready for Summer booklet at a climbing party at City Boulder in Kriens. City Boulder is a new offshoot of the well-established Pilatus Indoor climbing gym in Root. For those not in the know, bouldering is climbing without a harness and without a partner; climbers just grab onto the handles.

How easy or difficult this is depends largely on the slope of the wall, and City Boulder offers a wide range.

The Get Ready for Summer booklet has 48 pages full of ideas for your summer in and around Lucerne – Five perfect days and 45 places to enjoy summer activities, ranging from miniature golf to swimming to museums. The booklet is now available online or in print from the sponsors, and it’s certainly worth joining the mailing list to be invited to Living in Luzern’s next great event. www.livinginluzern.info

First of August As you should know, Switzerland’s first three cantons are in Central Switzerland; representatives from each met on the first (or so) of August in the year 1291 in the Rütli meadow in Uri, near Lake Lucerne. You may be excused for not knowing that they were really four cantons: Uri, Schwyz, Obwalden and Nidwalden. Obwalden and Nidwalden were designated as “Unterwalden” but don’t seem to have ever been a single entity.

Be that as it may, this is the place where the real celebrations happen. You will find opportunities for community breakfasts, lunches and dinners, along with traditional music and folkloric games, in just about every village.

Bonfires and lanterns abound. One of the more moving traditions takes

Musical Summer There’s no shortage of music in the area this summer, with Lucerne’s Blue Balls Festival 19-27 July and the Lucerne Festival in Summer from 16 August

© sxc.hu

place on the mountain above Hergiswil, where torch-carriers wind their way up the hill to light a fiery cross in the darkness.

Another, less folkloric, option is a boat ride. The Lake of Zug boat company is running a special First of August cruise, with dinner and music and no doubt a good view of some fireworks on the shore.

The Great Zug Cherry Run Listen for the bells of St. Michael’s church at noon on 17 June. They mark the start of Zug’s cherry season, which kicks off with a race through town. You may be wondering what the connection is, and the answer is ladders. You can’t pick cherries without a ladder, and you can’t join the cherry race unless you’re carrying a ladder through the town. The streets are rather narrow in the old town! The race ends at the Landsgemeindeplatz, where the cherry market starts at 15:00. And if you don’t hear the bells on the 17th, it means that because of the weather this year the cherries are ripening later, and the race will be held and market will open on 24 June instead. www.zugerchriesi.ch

Contemporary Swiss History in the Limelight Until 22 September, visit the C’est la Vie. Press Photography since 1940 exhibition at the Forum of Swiss History Schwyz. The exhibition was previously presented at the Swiss National Museum Zurich and the Château de Prangins, but this version is adapted to the situation in Central Switzerland. According to the press release, it offers a view of recent Swiss history seen through the lenses of press photographers, and sheds light on the development of press photography to image journalism in the course of the second half of the twentieth century. www.nationalmuseum.ch

Contributed by Allison Turner

Seilpark Rigi

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There’s nothing like the threat of plunging 20 metres into a rocky streambed to keep your mind focused.

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aced with that threat, I thought of my children – specifically, what made them decide to convince me to do this, and how on earth had they succeeded?

However they managed, the fact was they had already made it across this, the scariest part of the highest and most challenging route in the Küssnacht am Rigi rope adventure park. Looking down would at best make me nauseous... and at worst make me lose a contact lens – I’m sure that the various safety devices on whose use we were meticulously trained at the outset wouldn’t fail.

Not that I was done – the whole park comprises seven routes, four kilometres long in total. As I recall, I did three of the routes, my daughters a fourth, in the three or so hours we were there. If you like that kind of thing, it was a good mix of exercise, balance and thrill.

There’s no elevator up to that 20-metrehigh rope ladder, as it turns out, but you

can go pretty fast ripping down the side of a mountain.

Three or four hours is the recommended time, including the safety briefing, although if your children are closer to the minimum size (135cm and 20kg), you may want to stick to the shorter and lower routes. There is no minimum age, but children under 16 need a parent or guardian’s signed permission, and those under 12 must be accompanied by an adult: up to four children per adult.

The price, 42 francs for adults and 29 francs for children under 16 (with various group and family discounts) includes the training and equipment, and you can stay all day if you are so inclined.

The park has a small picnic area and sells drinks and ice creams. Just halfway down the hill – you can travel by the ripcord – is a very good restaurant, the Alpenhof.

Although Rigi is the only adventure rope park I have personal experience with, it is only one of some 45 in Switzerland, most of which are members of the Association of Swiss Adventure Parks. Seilpark Pilatus is the largest one in Central Switzerland; Seilpark am Mythen is also nearby. It’s worth checking out the website if you want a park in a particular region or if

your children are very young – a number of the parks have areas designed for children as young as four, but many are not suitable for anyone under 10. And a lot of them are high in the mountains, but then they aren’t really catering to the acrophobic.

My children also recommend the Atzmännig one near Rapperswil and Seilpark Baschweri in Wallis; an informal poll of my friends suggests two things: Seilpark Rheinfall may be the best of all, and kids of all ages love them. www.seilparks.ch Seilpark Rigi Open from Easter until the end of October: 10:00-18:00, Wednesday to Sunday During school summer and autumn holidays: 10:00-18:00 Mondays 10:00-17:00 Tuesdays Allison Turner from Montreal, Canada, is the Hello Switzerland co-editor for Zurich and Zug/ Lucerne, an English teacher and mother of two fearless teenage girls.

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Many of the rope ladders, ripcord rides, and platforms offer spectacular views of Lake Lucerne and beyond, but this particular one did not. So I looked at my daughters, cheering me on from the safety of the platform some 50 metres away that was my goal. I walked on one rope while clutching another (to which I was also fastened by the aforementioned safety gear) and finally made it across.

Advertorial

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Golf4Fun The Golf Community for expats in Switzerland is not only for those already addicted to the sport.

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olf4Fun has special offers for beginners too. A typical example is Charlotte Hille, a 35-year-old architect from Sydney, Australia.

How long have you been playing golf?

I got involved through a friend just under two years ago, but I haven’t been on a real golf course yet. So far I’ve only been to Driving Ranges and Par 3 courses.

Why golf – just because a friend dragged you into it?

I’d been wanting to try it out for a while. I think the first opportunity came when we attended an open day with Nora [Nora O’Sullivan, Founder of Golf4Fun]. It was a special day where you keep on hitting balls from the Driving Range. They demonstrated the irons and how to swing – and I liked it.

Maybe because I used to play baseball – I’ve been told it’s a similar swing.

How come you joined Golf4Fun? I think I tend to search out English speakers, because I come from Australia. And when you’re starting something new, you don’t want a high [language] barrier. It’s great to meet other English speakers – different people from all over the world. It’s really interesting to hear about what they’ve done in their lives.

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Do you find it easier to make friends in this community?

Yes. Besides golf, there are also events that Nora organizes, like going to McGees, the Irish pub. You get to know the people there, and you know you’ll see them again next time. Everyone’s so easy-going, and I really got on with them right from the start.

What makes Golf4Fun especially attractive to you as a beginner?

There have been a couple of times at the Par 3 rounds where we had flights with a beginner and a player with a lower handicap. It’s so easy to learn how to play, because the experienced player tells you how. They take care of the scoring and say things like: “You can swing here.” You immediately feel

integrated as a beginner. You don’t feel as if everything you’re doing is wrong.

Instead, it’s more like: “Yeah, let’s see what happens.” That’s what makes it fun.

Our trainer, PGA Golf Pro Brian Murphy, speaks English. Is this an advantage?

As far as I’m concerned, it doesn’t really matter. If we didn’t speak the same language, he could also explain a lot of things with hand gestures. In general, I find his tips really easy to follow.

You can see the results immediately.

To start off with, there’s a lot to keep in your head, but you don’t feel pressurised. It’s not like you have to hit the ball perfectly every time. He’ll give you a tip, and if you perform it well enough, he’ll go on to the next one. He compares it to something I already understand, something not related to golf. I like the way he teaches.

So there you have it: Golf through the eyes of a beginner and her experience with Golf4Fun. For more information about the group, check out their dedicated community Home Page: www.golf4fun.ch

Compiled by Caroline Thonger

Ticino Roundup

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Anglo-Swiss Club of Locarno

The Club has a programme of events every month from September to June, and at least one outing during the summer. A coffee morning is held on the first Saturday of every month in the Club rooms, and an informal gathering on the last Saturday of each month at Ristorante DiVino, Locarno. Dinners are held in September, December and June, and a mixed programme of walks, outside visits, lectures, wine-tasting, chestnut roasts and other events is spread throughout the year.

The Club has its own regularly updated library of books in English. The library is run by volunteer members and is open for borrowing on coffee mornings and every Tuesday afternoon during the Club season.

The Club operates in conjunction with the English Film Club of Locarno, which has a programme of 10 films from October to March. A special rate of 50 francs is available to ASCL members for the whole film season.

New members of all ages and nationalities are welcome to join the ASCL. Current membership fees are 50 francs per single member, 80 francs per couple and 10 francs for students.

Further information, programmes and application forms from Rita Martin (Secretary):

Locarno on Lago Maggiore

(© www.mesimages.ch)

Falconeria Locarno

Another Expat Expo Success

Modern-day falconers are actively engaged in projects aimed at protecting endangered species from the danger of extinction. One example is in the efforts undertaken over the last 50 years to reintroduce the peregrine falcon into the wild – whose numbers had been threatened by the use of agricultural fertilizers and chemicals such as DDT.

50 exhibitors from all over Switzerland, along with many local companies and clubs from Lugano, were on hand to greet visitors at the 2nd Expat Expo to be held in the Ticino. The focus was on introducing expats to their specialties designed to make them more at home in this, the most southern canton of Switzerland. Organiser Ed McGaugh was delighted at the success of the Expo, which attracted well over 2,000 visitors from the region. Examples of goods on offer were speciality cheeses from Britain, stunning scarves from India, hand-made cards for every occasion, and jewellery created out of amber from the Baltic. More information at: www.expat-expo.info/lugano

For those who love to see magnificent birds of prey up close, the Falconeria on Lago Maggiore is the perfect place for a family outing. Not only are there daily demonstrations of this 4000-year-old form of hunting, but the birds seem to delight in giving audiences a taste of their acrobatic flying skills.

The Falconeria Locarno is open daily, 10:00-16:30, until 13 November. Bird of prey demonstrations are held twice a day at 11:00 and 15:30. There are reductions for children under 16, families and groups up to 20. Take Bus 311 from Locarno train station to the Case Popari bus stop.

Falconeria Locarno Via delle Scuole 12 6600 Locarno 091 751 95 86 info@falconeria.ch www.falconeria.ch

The Anglo-Swiss Club of Locarno Via Mondacce 187 CP1470 6648 Minusio 091 930 06 70 asc.locarno@gmail.com A falcon in flight

(© fotowettbewerb.hispeed.ch)

The next Expat Expo will be held in Basel on 2 June (see our “What’s On in Switzerland” section).

An unusual way of supporting UNICEF in Ticino Alex and Lisa, a couple in love, are searching for the perfect place to get married by having a sample wedding ceremony in each country they visit.

They plan on going to some 90 different places to tie the knot – and will then return to their favorite place.

Wanting to find a beautiful sunny location in the Alps to experience local traditions and diversity, they chose the Ticino for their Swiss wedding.

Swissminiatur are opening at a special discount price, to include a donation to UNICEF. Regional producers will offer a tasting of Ticino’s local delicacies. www.swissminiatur.ch

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Founded in 1934, the aim of ASC Locarno was to promote good relations between Swiss and English-speaking people. The ASCL is a social club where people living in the Ticino have the chance to meet regularly and converse in English.

Contributed by Caroline Thonger

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Two Artists of Exceptional Talent An encounter with a Swiss-American composer of serious music and his sculptor wife.

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aul Glass is a well-known figure in Carona. This is a typically mediaeval Ticinese village, nestling between the romantic-sounding Monte San Salvatore and Monte Arbostora above Lake Lugano. On the day of our encounter in mid-April, spring had finally made its late appearance, and the steep hillsides were covered in azaleas, rhododendrons and magnolias in full bloom.

The charmingly rustic villa was everything we expected of a place occupied by two such creative, yet complementary, artists. At first a little awed at how we were to address two Professors in the same breath, we were soon made to feel very welcome as we sat outside around a circular stone table, in the shade of a canopy of overgrown vines.

American-born Paul Glass is Visiting Professor of Music History, while his English-born wife Penelope Margaret’s academic title is Adjunct Associate Professor of Studio Art and Sculpture.

Both offer courses at Franklin College (a privately-run American university in Lugano), in the Department of Art and Art History. But that’s only part of the story: Paul continues his passion for composing serious contemporary music, while Penelope Margaret’s astonishingly original sculptures have been exhibited all over Switzerland and elsewhere in Europe.

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Paul Glass exudes a boyish enthusiasm that belies his years. Dressed in casual

One of Penelope Margaret’s sculptures

with the score modelled on the music of English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams.

Some of the people Paul Glass has worked with read like a “who’s who” of the most famous artists of the twentieth century: Otto Preminger, Noel Coward, Laurence Olivier, Jacques Cousteau, Christopher Lee. Never wishing to compromise musically for the sake of cheap commercialism, he decided after his last commission for Hammer that writing film scores was no longer the right environment for his creative abilities.

Composer Paul Glass

blue jeans with matching jacket, he has a twinkle in his eyes as he recounts tales of his past exploits. He was born in Los Angeles of a French father and a mother of Ukrainian descent, a combination creating a trio of unique abilities in their son: musicality with perfect pitch, a mathematical ability, and the gift of languages (his wife Penelope Margaret claims he speaks more than 12).

Despite his father’s film-star background, Paul Glass decided early on to follow the path of serious music. After gaining a degree in music from USC, he won a Fulbright scholarship to study for two years under Goffredo Petrassi at the Santa Cecilia Conservatory in Rome, and later with Witold Lutosławski in Warsaw. In 1957 he received the Los Angeles Chamber Symphony Award and the same year composed his first film score, The Abductors. Like many serious composers Glass developed two styles of film scoring: firstly, the more accessible approach for mainstream movies. These would include the haunting Bunny Lake Is Missing (1965), which became a popular soundtrack album, and Overlord (1975), a respected docu-drama about the D-Day Landings

Since moving to the Ticino in the mid-70s, he has focused on his own composing. The breadth and scope of his musical output to date is truly impressive, with his works being performed by many of Switzerland’s major orchestras and all over Europe. These range from the children’s ballet Kakapo (the world’s largest parrot), to the achingly beautiful tone poem Grandiflora, depicting the 17 distinct colours of the moss rose. Most of his works are dedicated to his wife Penelope Margaret.

Later we’re given a privileged glimpse into the home of these two outstanding yet unassuming artists: into the composer’s cramped but creative music room, strewn with hand-written music scores; and then into a smaller room, where the sculptor’s intricate polygonal structures are displayed. The mutual respect the couple have for each other and their art is remarkable.

Thank you to both Professors for giving their time so generously to Hello Switzerland, and for a delightfully artistic encounter.

Further information on both artists can be found by typing their respective names into Google (in her work as a sculptor, Paul Glass’s wife is known by her maiden name of Penelope Margaret Mackworth-Praed).

Contributed by Caroline Thonger

FAI Swiss – Update

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How this Italian-based organisation has flourished since its introduction into the Ticino.*

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ince its inauguration on 29 November last year as a foundation governed by Swiss law, FAI Swiss has attracted no less than 900 new members. Headquartered in Lugano, FAI Swiss aims to reinforce the ties between Switzerland and Italy on the basis of a shared cultural heritage.

The wide-ranging project looks to the future and offers Switzerland and Italy a new, permanent, cultural and international point of reference.

During an interview at the 2nd Expat Expo held in Lugano in March of this year, she told Hello Switzerland what had originally attracted her to join FAI. “My friends introduced me to FAI,” she says. “I was already familiar with French and British culture, but not Italian. I found the organisation extraordinary in promoting Italy as the cradle of European culture.”

Isole Brissago

Seeing how much local culture was disappearing around them, friends from various origins decided that the Ticino could use FAI’s 30 years of experience to create one cultural organisation, rather than the dozens of little societies existing at the time. The emphasis is on efficiency and above all quality. The dozen or so committee members are all volunteers, with a very small nucleus of administrators – and many young people are involved. These are all very committed people, according to Beatrice, prepared to give up a lot of free time despite their busy family lives.

Apart from the maintenance and promotion of art and culture in the Ticino, one of the main aims of FAI Swiss is the preservation of the local environment – the hidden valleys, ethnic museums, and unique landscape – but avoiding at all costs any notion of a “Swiss Disneyland”. The long-term goal is to promote Ticino’s cultural heritage to the general public.

Benefits of membership An annual subscription to FAI Swiss entitles the member to free entry to FAI properties in Italy, to National Trust heritage sites in the UK, together with free subscription to FAI’S quarterly newsletter. The subscription also allows members discounts to various museums, galleries and special exhibitions in the Ticino, together with special deals at

450 museums, theatres, historic houses and parks with which FAI has reciprocal agreements, with discounts of up to 50%.

Full details are listed on the website.

Recent visits Two recent visits, attracting Italian members to discover more about their Swiss neighbours, have included an exclusive visit in April to the private gardens created by the late Sir Peter Smithers in Vico Morcote (see Hello Switzerland, Switzerland spring 2013); and a guided visit by the Ticinese botanist Guido Maspoli to the Island of Brissago, on the last Sunday in May. Heritage “We want to make the public aware of our goals, despite the current economic situation,” says Beatrice. “That means making local politicians aware of the need to protect the landscape from overdevelopment,” she continues. “It’s all about leaving a heritage to the next generation.”

FAI Swiss Museo delle Culture Heleneum Via Cortivo 24-28 6976 Lugano Castagnola 079 842 03 10 info@faiswiss.ch / www.faiswiss.ch * FAI = Fondo Ambiente Italiano or Italian Foundation for the Environment [equiv. National Trust in the UK]

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Enthusiastic volunteers FAI Swiss committee member Beatrice Groh-de Tavernost, a native of Paris and the Bordeaux area of France, has been living in the Ticino for 21 years. She has an interesting and diverse background – for example working in PR and photography for fashion designer Charles Jourdan. Then together with her Ticinoborn husband, she worked on producing professional catalogues for museums and architects on CD. Further collaboration included the production of animated safety films for airlines, but later when he went into hotel management she worked on interior design.

Contributed by Anitra Green

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Marvels of Marseilles and Montpellier Say the South of France and many people think of Provence …

A view of Marseilles with its harbour

… St-Tropez, Cannes, Monte Carlo and all those resorts made famous by shapely film stars and a reputation for high living. But Marseilles? It’s a place we always used to avoid like the plague when we spent summer holidays in the south of France with our small children – at that time it had the reputation of being a crowded, smelly port and basically not safe. As for Montpellier, well, it was just another place on the way to Spain.

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Now it’s different. The fact that Marseilles is the European City of Culture was a golden opportunity to go and see what it’s really like, and also try out the new Lyria TGV high-speed train service from Geneva.

Marseilles I fell in love with Marseilles, all of it.

From the moment we arrived and took the metro to Le Vieux Port where our hotel was (the Grand Hotel Beauvau, very nice) I was charmed – with the sunshine, the vast promenade, the statues of various animals dotted around the place just for this year of being the cultural capital of Europe, all the tourists and locals happily mingling together in an international melee, the harbour crowded with yachts, the many restaurants and bars and shops, and

above all the view up to Notre-Dame de la Garde, the church perched high on the hill opposite, where the Virgin & Child are said to watch over and protect the city.

The city centre still has the atmosphere of a port, though commercial activities – apart from the ferry to the Château d’If and the Frioul archipelago – have moved out of the old port area to the west. And on the whole it’s safe; although it’s the third largest city in France with a population of 1.6 million, it only comes 13th in the crime rankings (rather surprisingly, Grenoble is top of the list).

The old city is well worth visiting: lots of narrow pedestrian streets with wide steps, little shops selling local specialities like local olive oil, locally made soap, navettes (a sweet biscuit shaped like a long boat), lavender bags, Provence herbs and of course local wine and a beer known as La Cagole after the flirty young woman who’s depicted as serving it (no, I didn’t try it).

At the top of the hill is Place des Moulins, where there used to be over 40 windmills; there are now only two, without their vanes, one of which is now a private dwelling. This square is

a very attractive open space with trees and places to sit and a children’s playground. It was also the site of an ancient Greek temple dedicated to Artemis, Athene and Apollo, for Marseilles was originally founded by the Greeks over 2600 years ago.

You can spend a lot of time looking at lovely old buildings – la Charité, the imposing old hospital renovated by Le Corbusier, the Cathedral, the twin forts guarding the entrance to the old harbour, and any number of museums. But there’s a lot more, for Marseilles seems to have something for everybody: shops for the shop-till-you-drop brigade, the Prado bathing area. Thermal baths, special activities for children and teenagers, concerts and so on. It also has a special programme of events this year to celebrate the honour of being European City of Culture. www.mp2013.fr If you only have limited time, a trip up to Notre-Dame de la Garde is a must.

You can walk up; it’s well sign-posted and takes 25 minutes if you’re fit, or you can take the 60 bus, which takes nearly as long zig-zagging up the narrow streets. The view is fantastic. The inside of the church is also stunning – highly decorated, and rather unexpectedly hung about with small models of ships – a sobering reminder that it does after all overlook a port, and makes you wonder how many sailors at sea would turn their eyes to the huge effigy of la Bonne Mère on the top of the church and pray for protection.

A typical seafood dish

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As for food, Marseilles boasts a wide variety of restaurants of all types, even Indian (you can also have a hamburger if you must). But it would be a shame not to try Marseilles’s national dish, bouillabaisse, a sort of soup with a wide variety of fish served with aioli, so we duly did, first stopping off for the (almost) obligatory pastis at one of the many quayside bars. “Le Miramar” does a superb job, with a special all-in menu with wine, appetisers, starter, The Bouillabaisse, dessert, and all the rest, and it’s very easy to pig out, but they are many other places offering simpler options.

Along the coast West along the coast, the Côte Bleue is one of the most spectacular railway lines in the whole of France (which is saying something), running through the Calanques, a unique rock formation that results in the most impressive scenery. You come out of a tunnel to find yourself looking straight down at brilliant blue seawater in a creek far below. I was told the railway was built over 100 years ago (which I can well believe – nobody would do it today), and I suspect that it’s the only access (apart from by boat) for some of the villages along the route.

Sausset-les-Pins is one of the larger resorts that obviously started life as a fishing village but has now expanded, with any number of holiday flats and villas, one attractive restaurant after another lining the sea front, and a lovely promenade stretching in either direction. From the eastern end, there’s

Montpellier

a very fine view over the bay towards Marseilles, which makes you realize what a sheltered location it has. After a most enjoyable lunch at Les 3 Filles, when we ordered one pichet of rosé after another, we entrained again for Montpellier, right across les Bouches du Rhône – the mouths (plural) of the Rhone. Again, very interesting scenery, some of it industrial, and it certainly makes you appreciate what a vast area the Rhone delta is – we felt like cheering when we finally crossed the main river.

Montpellier Montpellier is a beautiful city and I can’t think why we didn’t explore it before. The eighth largest city in France, it is the home of Europe’s oldest medical school (still thriving) and has an exceptionally large population of students (30%). It’s also said to be the fastest growing city in the country. The city centre is super – wide streets with elegant buildings and shops often with beautiful wrought-iron balconies on the upper floors, and a rabbit warren of narrow street and small alleyways in between, unexpectedly giving access to leafy squares or tiny courtyards with quiet bars or restaurants. You have the impression it’s easy to get lost, but we did find our way back without any trouble to our hotel, a well-hidden Best Western called the Hotel Le Guilhem in what must have been quite an old building, beautifully restored.

One of the finest viewpoints in the city is the Place Royale du Peyrou. If you go up the Rue Foch you have a splendid

view of the Arc de Triomphe built by Louis XIV, and once through that you cross the ramparts on to the square itself. From here you can look over the city in nearly every direction, and there’s an antique market every Sunday.

On the other side is St Clement’s aqueduct, an impressive feature which was built in 1754 to supply the city with water from the spring in the nearby town of St Clement.

Again, there’s plenty to do in this city, for both the culturally and sports-minded; it’s the capital of the Languedoc-Roussillon region with attractive beaches on the coast not far away, a zoo, a planetarium, a golf course and so on. Montpellier is also one of the French cities that has restored its tram services, which makes it a lot easier to get around: they now have four tramlines run by modern trams moving smoothly along like giant caterpillars, and just as brightly coloured. www.resamontpellier.com How to get there/around: By high-speed train, TGV Lyria, from Geneva: twice a day to Marseilles (3h 32), daily to Montpellier (3h 48). Both Marseilles and Montpelier have efficient tram and bus networks, and Marseilles boasts a metro and a city navette service as well. In Marseilles it’s worth getting a City Pass (Eur 22 for 24h, Eur 29 for 48h), which gives you free travel on the public transport system and free entry to many museums, as well as discounts.

The Montpellier equivalent is the City Card. www.tgv-lyria.com

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Sausset-les-Pins

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What’s Going On In Switzerland June Until 2 JUNE Neuchâtel: Festi’Neuch Open Air Music Festival. The first of the summer season open-air music festivals in the Frenchspeaking part of Switzerland. More great talent on the stage-on-the-lake. www.juradreiseenland.ch 2 JUNE Basel: Expat Expo, 11:00-17:00. Messe, Congress Centre. A day of discovering English-speaking services to enhance your lifestyle in Basel. Doctors, lawyers, schools, clubs and societies as well as specialty food, and much more. www.expat-expo.info 5-9 JUNE Crans-sur-Nyon: Caribana Festival.

The best global/rock music festival in the Lake Geneva region. This year’s exciting line-up includes the Kaiser Chiefs and Skunk Anansie. Tickets available online. www.caribana-festival.ch 7 JUNE Bern: Depeche Mode in concert at the Stade de Suisse. www.stadedesuisse.ch

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7 JUNE Basel: second joint English book sale by the American’s Women’s Club, Anglican Church, Centrepoint and the GGG, at Bibliothek Basel West, Allschwilerstr. 90, Basel, 10:00-18:30.

Also on 8 June, 10:00-16:00. www.stadtbibliothekbasel.ch 7- 16 JUNE Basel: A Murder is Announced, Semi Circle. Basel’s English Language Drama Group will be performing this Agatha Christie tale at Theater Rampe. www.semi-circle.ch 8 JUNE Wil (SG): Swiss composer and director Enrico Lavarini directs Concentus Rivensis playing Lavarini, Mozart and Schubert. 19:30, Tonhalle. www.concentus.ch

9 JUNE Bern: Schweizer Frauenlauf (Swiss Women’s Race). www.frauenlauf.ch

20-23 JUNE Bern: MTB EM 2013 (Mountain Bike European Championship) with lots of side-events for sports fans and families.

10 JUNE Bern: Inline Night for rollerbladers to skate through the city twice a month throughout the summer. www.inlinenight.ch

20-23 JUNE Zernez (GR): Burning Mountain Festival – nestling in the depth of the Engadine, this festival is a must for all lovers of electronic art and music.

Camping and RVs are encouraged!

Advance booking for tickets is strongly recommended. www.burningmountain.ch

12 JUNE Solothurn: “A bouquet of Solothurn wines”. Wine-tasting in English with Peter Wagner.

18:00-19:30 at the wine cellar of the Bürgergemeinde Solothurn. www.locationsolothurn.ch 13-16 JUNE Basel: Art Basel. The world’s premier Modern and contemporary art shows. www.artbasel.com 15 JUNE Bern: MUSE in concert at the Stade de Suisse. www.stadedesuisse.ch 15 JUNE Basel: ISB International Festival, 11:00-16:00. Reinach Campus. Enjoy food, crafts, and entertainment from all around the world. www.isbasel.ch

21 JUNE Lausanne: Fête de la Musique. The “summer solstice/shortest night” music festival with performances in the city streets, plazas and the Cathedral. For one day, one night only. www.lausanne.ch 21-29 JUNE Ascona (TI): Jazz Ascona. New Orleans Jazz comes to Ticino for this big European festival. Stages are spread around the lake – and new this year is free access to the weekday concerts.

160 concerts provide 380 hours of music with 300 participating musicians. www.jazzascona.ch

15 JUNE Zurich: Fifty Shades of DAY! sketch comedy show in English. Boulevard Theater, 20:00. www.sylvia-day.com

22-23 JUNE Basel: Swiss Hiking Night. This is when people across Switzerland head to the hills. The Basel hike starts in Ettingen, and follows a pilgrimage trail to St Margrethen. The walk is combined with a visit to the observatory in Binningen. www.wandernacht.ch

15-16 JUNE Bern: 8th Community Arts Festival featuring integrated dance groups from all over Switzerland. www.dampfzentrale.ch

23 JUNE Lucerne: FASC car rally organised by the Anglo-Swiss Club Lucerne, followed by a barbecue. www.fasc.ch

16 JUNE Gstaad: Oberländisches Schwingfest www.schwingfest-gstaad2013.ch

26 JUNE Zurich: The European Professional Women’s Network presents “Success in Entrepreneurship”. Technopark. www.europeanpwn.net

16 JUNE Waldkirch (SG): Golf4Fun, friendly round at Waldkirch Golf Club. For more upcoming events, go to: www.golf4fun.ch

28-30 JUNE Biel-Bienne: Bieler Braderie, a 3-day festival featuring market stands, food, drink and entertainment for all ages. www.bielerbraderie.ch 29 JUNE Lucerne: Luzerner Fest, a one-day street festival with food, music and fireworks. www.luzern.com Until 30 JUNE Zurich: Fire it Up: Ceramic as Material in Contemporary Sculpture, an exhibition by ten artists from German and Frenchspeaking Switzerland. Dienstgebäude, Töpferstrasse 26, 8045 Zürich. www.olgaistefan.wordpress.com 30 JUNE Bern: Bon Jovi in concert at the Stade de Suisse. www.stadedesuisse.ch

July 2 JULY Basel: Open-air performance of Verdi’s Nabucco, Barfüsserplatz, 20:00. www.ticketcorner.ch 4 JULY Lausanne: Athletissima. Taking place at the Pontaise Olympic Stadium, this is Lausanne’s prestigious track and field event. Featuring world-class athletes. www.athletissima.ch 4-14 JULY Locarno (TI): Moon & Stars Rock Festival. Attracting huge crowds, this exciting rock festival takes place in the Piazza Grande, in a setting recently described as “the Montreux of the Southern Alps”. Featuring ZZ Top, Depeche Mode, Green Day and Amy Macdonald. www.moonandstars.ch

4-28 JULY Lorrach (D): Stimmen Festival. This annual festival of singers is now celebrating its 20th year. Over 30 concerts at six different locations in nearby Switzerland, France and at the Burghof in Lorrach. www.stimmen.com

19 JULY Verbier: Verbier Festival. The prestigious classical music festival, held in the famous mountain resort, celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. Until 4 August. www.verbierfestival.com

5-7 JULY Estavayer-le-Lac: Swatch Free4Style.

The biggest FMX (Freestyle Motocross) event in French-speaking Switzerland. www.free4style.com

19 JULY Lucerne: Blue Balls Festival. Not only music acts but also film, photography and video in and in front of the KKL and other venues around town. Until 27 July. www.blueballs.ch

5-18 JULY Avenches: Avenches Opera Festival.

Verdi’s Nabucco performed by internationally renowned opera stars in the open-air Roman coliseum. www.avenchesopera.ch

19-27 JULY Basel: Basel Tattoo, the second biggest open-air music festival of its kind in the world, based on the famous Edinburgh Military Tattoo. www.baseltattoo.ch

5-20 JULY Montreux: 47th Montreux Jazz Festival. This world-famous, 2-week festival is set in the beautiful lakeside town of Montreux. Concerts, boat trips, outdoor music venues, food stalls and goods on sale from around the world.

Music everywhere. www.montreuxjazz.com

20 JULY Adelboden: Gauklerfestival (Street Artist Festival) turns the whole of Adelboden into a stage. www.adelboden.ch

Until 6 JULY Thun: “60 years... and the story goes on, Part One, 1953-1973” – an art exhibition from the post-war years. www.schindlergallery.com 7 JULY Zurich: Zurich Tattoo. An open-air spectacle by the best military and police bands in the world. Liguster, Oerlikon, until 13 July.

14 JULY Emmental (BE): Golf4Fun friendly round at Emmental Golf Club. For more upcoming events, go to: www.golf4fun.ch 18 JULY Zurich: Orange Cinema. Watch new releases and older favourites on a 300-square-metre screen overlooking the lake. Zürihorn, until 18 August. www.orangecinema.ch

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20 -21 JULY Grindelwald: Eiger Ultra Trail is a challenging race for even the fittest, with 101 km and 6700m ascent and descent www.eigerultratrail.ch 23-28 JULY Nyon: Paleo Music Festival. The second-largest open-air music festival in Europe. This year’s big names include Santana, Blur and the Arctic Monkeys.

Village du Monde, circus and street theatre, music day and night. yeah.paleo.ch 25 JULY Bern: Orangecinema, an open-air cinema on the Grosse Schanze. Until 25 August. www.orangecinema.ch 27 JULY Zurich: Tango Week. With courses for beginners and advanced tango dancers, shows and a tango film festival, Tango Week promises to make tango-lovers of us all. Club Silbando, until 1 August. www.tangowoche.ch

SWITZERLAND

28 JUNE Winterthur: Albanifest. Europe’s largest annual town fair, in honour of Winterthur’s patron Saint Alban. Until 30 June. www.albanifest.ch

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27 JULY Spiez: Seenachtsfest. Come enjoy the music, activities and fireworks! www.seenachtsfest-spiez.ch

10-11 AUGUST Bern: Swiss African Cultural and Integration Festival on the Waisenhausplatz. www.saf03.ch

30 JULY Basel: Im Fluss. Live music nightly on the banks of the Rhine. Until 17 August. www.imfluss.ch

15 AUGUST Adelboden: Swiss Ice Hockey champions SCB play their first home match of the European Trophy 2013 at the new Adelboden Arena. www.arena-adelboden.ch

August Farm Brunch in many Cantons Celebrate 1 August in style with what has now become a tradition: a delicious farm brunch. Check out the website (French/ German) for your nearest location. www.brunch.ch 4-10 AUGUST La Chaux-de-Fonds: Plage des SixPompes. A fantastic summer festival taking place over 7 days, and attracting 80,000 spectators. “The Beach” claims to be the largest arts gathering in Switzerland. Something for everyone with 40 different acts in this historic town. www.Neuchâteltourisme.ch

SWITZERLAND

7-17 AUGUST Locarno (TI): Locarno Film Festival.

One of Europe’s most prestigious film festivals (now in its 66th year), attracting up to 8,000 people sitting out under the stars in the Piazza Grande, and watching a fascinating variety of independent films projected onto huge screens. Beautiful lakeside setting. www.pardo.ch 8-10 AUGUST Sion (VS): 19th Irish Guinness Festival, celebrating the best of Irish folk music.

Reductions for all 3 days of the festival.

Tickets available from Ticketcorner. www.ticketcorner.ch 10 AUGUST Zurich: Street Parade. Hundreds of thousands of House and Techno aficionados flock to Zurich for this incomparable dance party in motion. www.streetparade.com

22 AUGUST Zug: Jazz Night Zug. Local and international artists bring every version of jazz to indoor and outdoor stages by the lake and in the old town. Also 23 August. www.jazznight.ch

x.

UPCOMING NETWORK EVENTS

Would you like to meet new

people, have fun and discover Switzerland?

Then join us – we organise a wide range of networking events.

23-24 AUGUST Valais: Grand Raid, the 24th Swiss mountain bike race marathon – one of the toughest bike races in Switzerland.

Takes place in several stages from Verbier to Grimentz. Those fit enough to complete the whole course start at 6:30 in the morning, and cover an astonishing 125kms over 7 vertiginous mountain passes. The race attracts well over 2,500 competitors every year. www.grand-raid.ch 24-25 AUGUST Augst (near Basel): “Bread and Circuses”, a two-day Roman festival in the ruins of Augusta Raurica, with workshops, gladiators, chariot races, entertainers, Roman refreshments and much more. The biggest Roman festival in Switzerland. 10:00-19:00 on the Saturday, 10:00-17:00 on the Sunday. www.augusta-raurica.ch www.roemerfest.ch

Upcoming events include: 28 August, Neuchâtel Cheese & Wine Gourmet Tasting 5 September, Bern Tour of Bern Cathedral 5 September, Lausanne A Day Amongst the Vineyards 7 September, Zug Gold Rush - Napf’s Golden Rivers 17 September, Geneva Happy Hour 27 September, Zurich Zurich Film Festival 27 November, Basel Christmas is in the Air

Further information is available

25 AUGUST Gorneren: Discover Bernse Alpine cheeses and other delicacies at the Gorneren Alpine Cheese Festival.

on our website:

28-31 AUGUST Sierre (VS): Sierre Blues Festival for the 5th year running. Featuring a great line-up of blues artists including Texas (UK), Sherman Robertson, Canned Heat and Five Blind Boys. Discount for 3-day ticket. Sunday is free for all the family. www.sierreblues.ch

do not hesitate to call us on

www.packimpex.ch/events

If you have any questions, please +41 (0)58 356 17 60 or send an email to events@packimpex.ch

Voluntary Organisations & Groups American Citizens Abroad The voice of Americans overseas: a non-profit, non-partisan, all-volunteer organization that represents the interests of Americans living and working outside the U.S. ACA, 5 rue Liotard, 1202 Geneva.

022 340 0233 info.aca@gmail.com www.aca.ch British Residents’ Association of Switzerland (BRA) Regional activities in Basel, Bern/ Neuchâtel, Romandie, Ticino & Zurich. www.britishresidents.ch British-Swiss Chamber of Commerce Independent not-for-profit organisation based in Zurich, with chapters in Basel, Bern, Central Switzerland, Geneva, Liechtenstein, London, Ticino & Zurich. info@bscc.ch www.bscc.co.uk Day Away Association For Women Sponsors breakfast seminars addressing life issues from a biblical perspective, with seminars in Zurich, Bern, Basel, & St. Gallen. www.dayaway.org Federation of Anglo-Swiss Clubs An association of English-speaking clubs all over Switzerland, with a wide range of social and cultural activities. www.angloswissclubs.ch Golf4Fun A golfing group for all levels of golfers, from absolute beginners through to scratch handicap players, complete with its own Stableford HCP relevant tournament series as well as many members events. Courses to learn how to play or improve your HCP are all run in English, as well as many great fun golfing events every month.

076 338 45 21 www.golf4fun.ch

Gymboree Play & Music programme for newborns and children of up to 5 years old in Basel, Bern, Geneva, Zug and Zurich. www.gymboree.ch.

Hash House Harriers, Switzerland Popularly known as the drinking club with a running problem, with kennels in Basel, Bern, Geneva, Interlaken, Lucerne and Zurich. www.harrier.ch Moms In Prayer International An interdenominational, Christcentered prayer ministry for women desiring to pray for children and schools from preschool to college/careers. www.MomsInPrayer.org www.momsinprayer.ch Toastmasters International Meetings in Basel, Bern, Geneva, Lausanne, Zug & Zurich. English as a mother tongue not required. www.toastmasters.ch

Basel American Women’s Club of Basel A non-profit social and philanthropic organization with about 160 members.

Maintains library at Centrepoint with over 5,000 English-language books. www.awcbasel.org Anglo-Swiss Club Basel The ideal meeting place for crosscultural exchange, meetings usually on Thursdays. www.asc-basel.ch Basel Childbirth Trust BCT For English-speaking expectant parents and families with young children. For more information, contact: membership.bct@gmail.com www.baselchildbirthtrust.com.

Basel Cricket Club Weekly training sessions on Thursdays at the Gymnasium Münchenstein. www.baselcricket.ch

Basel Irish Club A meeting place for Irish people and friends of Ireland. www.baselirishclub.com Boy Scouts of America For boys of all nationalities, 11 to 18yrs.

Meetings, 19:00 Wednesdays (termtime), International School of Basel, Reinach. Steve Crump, scoutmaster, steven.crump@bluewin.ch Centrepoint For English speakers of all nationalities including local Swiss. With an English book library, conversation groups in seven languages and plenty of events for the 800+ members.

061 261 2002 info@centrepoint.ch www.centrepoint.ch Connexions Social Events Club Organises social events and activities for English-speaking adults of all nationalities in the Basel region. www.connexions.ch English Seminar Choir Open to all singers. Rehearses on Tuesdays, 12:15-13:45, in the Grosser Hörsaal, English Seminar, Nadelberg 6, Basel. www.esc-basel.ch English-Speaking Cancer Support Group Contact: Sue Style +33 369 10 90 13 suestyle27@gmail.com cancersupportbasel.wordpress.com Morris Dancing Group Meets on Wednesdays in the Halle au blé in Ferrette.

Squire: Pete Sandbach peter.sandbach@roche.com Contact: Lizzie Gleaves 0033 389 07 86 01 lizzie.gleaves@wanadoo.fr www.chamerion.ch/ferrette-morris

SWITZERLAND

Switzerland

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Open Door Zwingerstr 20 4053 Basel. For English speaking families with young children.

061 361 171 www.opendoorbasel.ch

Bern Cricket Club For everyone who enjoys playing and/or watching cricket. http://Bern.play-cricket.com

Rugby Club Bern With teams for men and women. Plays at the Allmend. www.rugbybern.ch

Professional Women’s Group, Basel An affiliate of Centrepoint with over 130 members. Meets on the last Monday of the month. www.pwg-basel.ch

BERNnet A network of English-speaking professionals with a wide range of expertise in English-language services, media, and technical skills. www.bernnetwork.ch

Swiss African Forum (SAF) An innovative voluntary association on African Integration working within charities, organisations and NGOs. www.saf03.ch

Rugby Football Club Basel Founded in 1975, now has 150 members including juniors and women. www.rugbybasel.ch

Canada Club of Bern For singles and families who are from or have lived in Canada. www.canadaclub.ch

Savoyards: Gilbert & Sullivan Society For all G&S enthusiasts, with regular meetings, singalong evenings, visits. info@savoyards.ch www.savoyards.ch

The Caretakers English-language amateur group. http://thecaretakers.ch

Scottish Country Dance Group Meets every Tuesday at the Bettenecker School in Allschwil. www.scdgb.ch Semi-Circle Basel’s English-language amateur drama group, with regular readings and productions twice a year. www.semi-circle.ch

Bern

SWITZERLAND

American Women’s Club of Bern Founded in 1949, with a current membership of around 150 women. www.awcbern.org ASK: All Special Kids Bern Chapter of the Geneva-based non-funded, volunteer parent network, to support the families of children with special needs and learning difficulties. www.allspecialkids.org Australia-New Zealand Contact Club Holds informal social events four or five times a year. tritt.bizland.com/anzcc Bern Dancing Bears American Western Square Dance Club. www.squaredance.ch

theatre

English Club Biel Meets usually on Wednesday. www.englishclubbiel.ch English Speaking Club of Bern A meeting point for English speakers in Bern. Club bar open Thursdays & Fridays from Eight till Late.

031 381 6364 (bar nights only) www.englishclub.ch English Speaking Playgroup/School Founded as a playgroup for English speaking children, the group offers classes and examination courses for children aged 3–18 years. www.esp-bern.ch info@esp-bern.ch Fribourg Expat Woman’s Group A new club with lots of activities and free membership. Visit http://fribourgexpatwomansgroup.com kerri@ fribourgexpatwomansgroup. com Friends of ISBern An extension of ISBern’s Parent Teacher Committee to develop a deeper connection with the community. www.isBern.ch International Club of Bern For people from all corners of the world with English as the common language. wd@bluewin.ch

Swiss American Society Bern (SAMS) “For fostering close contacts between the United States and Switzerland.”

Doris Miesch, VP – Administration Rue des Genevrés 17, 1784 Courtepin d.miesch@bluewin.ch Swiss-British Society Bern Meets about once a month for cultural events with a British flavour.

Contact: Regina Walter-Fuchs rewal@gmx.ch SwissEnglish Services Combines business promotion with networking in the English-speaking community. www.swissenglish.ch Upstage English-language amateur theatre group. www.upstage.ch

Romandie American International Club of Geneva The AIC is a community of Englishspeaking people living around Geneva who are enriched by diverse backgrounds and interests, and connected by a common language.

022 910 25 80 admin@amclub.ch www.amclub.ch American International Women’s Club of Geneva (AIWC) With 700 members from 50 different nations, speaking over 10 languages.

11 Route de Chêne, 1207 Geneva 022 736 0120 www.aiwcgeneva.org

Anglo-Swiss Club of Fribourg Meets monthly on Thursday/Friday.

Contact Reidar Magnus 026 481 5928 www.angloswissclubs.ch English Cancer Association 21 ch. de Saussac, 1256 Troinex 022 300 2967 info@cancersupport.ch www.cancersupport.ch English-Speaking & Anglo-Swiss Club Lausanne Social club for all English speakers, with a wide range of activities.

Case Postale 541, 1001 Lausanne 021 802 2858 www.esc-lausanne.ch Geneva Amateur Operatic Society The largest English-speaking amateur musical society on the continent, with three to four major stage productions each season. www.gaos.ch Geneva International Cricket Club Plays at the sports stadium at Bout-deMonde. www.gicc.ch Geneva English Drama Society Holds three or four full stage productions per year, staged playreadings, workshops and social events. www.geds.ch Geneva Scottish Country Dance Club Meets on Thursdays, beginners’ classes also offered. www.genevascdc.com Geneva Writers’ Group Started in 1993, GWG brings together over 175 English-language writers from 40 countries. Its objective is to encourage all forms of creative writing

in English. Workshops, critiquing, masterclasses, and readings. Publication of “Offshoots” anthology alternating with the GWG Writers’ Conference. www.genevawritersgroup.org International Club Lausanne Social club offering 2-3 activities per month. Contact: icl@urbanet.ch http://home.worldcom.ch/icl International English Speaking Club of La Chaux de Fonds For English speakers of all nationalities, meets weekly. www.iesc-cdf.com International Women’s Club of Nyon Case Postale 2369, 1260 Nyon membership@iwcn.ch www.iwcn.ch Neuchâtel International Club ’The Nic’ is a social club for local English-speakers of all nationalities, with full programme of events for families and singles. www.thenic.ch Organization of Women in International Trade OWIT Lake Geneva (based in Geneva and Lausanne) connects professionals across industries, providing networking, development, and social opportunities.

Drawing from the public, private, non-governmental organization (NGO) and inter-governmental organization (IGO) sectors, our members represent a diverse spectrum of cultures and industries. They benefit from a worldwide network of like-minded women and men interested in expanding their professional networks, sharing ideas and best practices and continuing their personal and professional development. www.owit-lakegeneva.org The Village Players, Lausanne Amateur theatre group.

P.O. Box 7561, 1002 Lausanne www.villageplayers.ch

Ticino

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Alliance Française de Lugano This club is dedicated to cultural exchange and friendship between French-speaking people.

Various activities in French take place during the year, and once a month the Alliance offers the ciné-club at a special rate for its members.

President: Mme Laurence Beauvillain af _lugano@yahoo.fr Movie-club: Sabrina Nicod afinfolugano@gmail.com Big Ben Club Lugano The social and cultural speaking club of Lugano www.bigbenclublugano.ch

English-

International Women’s Club of Lugano (IWCL) Founded in 1988, the Club’s purpose is to bring women together in order to share resources, hobbies, interests, skills and contacts via a wide variety of informal and formal activities. The Club now has more than 250 members from over 30 countries. Most of the members live in Ticino. The only requirement for membership is to be able to speak and understand English. www.iwcl.org MeetUp Lugano There are members of many different nationalities, backgrounds, ages and interests. Regular monthly MeetUp events are held to connect new members, along with many other MeetUp events directly organized by our members. www.meetup.com/lugano-meetup

Zurich American Club of Zurich

Welcomes all US and Canadian citizens living in the Zurich area. For more details, call 079 243 5681. www.acz.ch American Women’s Club of Zurich With over 400 members in the greater Zurich area and its own club house at Schoentalstrasse 8, 8004 Zurich.

044 240 4455 www.awczurich.org

SWITZERLAND

American International Women’s Club of Lausanne Founded by Americans, the AIWC is a friendly social club of English-speaking women of many different nationalities.

The AIWC clubhouse is at Avenue Eglantine 6, 1006 Lausanne 021 320 2688 www.aiwc-lausanne.org

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Asian Ladies Club of Switzerland Frequent social, cultural and other activities for Asian ladies and others with an affinity for Asia. www.alc-swiss.ch Boy Scouts English-speaking Scout Troop for boys between 11 and 17. Meets on Wednesday evenings at 19:00. www.troop684.ch DigiFotoCH Activity and discussion group for anyone who has an interest in digital photography. www.mydigifoto.ch The Elizabethan Singers Perform English music from 1600 to the present day. Director: Roland Johnson.

044 713 2194 www.e-singers.info English Speaking Club Zurich Meets several times monthly, with a regular “open house” on the last Tuesday. www.escz.ch “Expats-in-Zurich” Discussion List A discussion list and resource center for expats living in and around the canton Zurich. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ Expats-in-Zurich F.I.T. SWISS A multi-cultural forum for members to maximize their potential. www.fit-swiss.ch

SWITZERLAND

Highlanders Linguist Club Uster This 30-year-old English-speaking club meets on Friday evenings for talks, activities and discussions. info.highlanders@gmx.ch www.highlanders.ch International Men’s Club (IMC) Weekly round table at the Mariott Hotel, monthly meetings with speaker and dinner. www.zimc.ch International Club Winterthur A lively club with 150 members from more than 20 nations. www.internationalclub.ch

Irish Club of Zurich Monthly meetings. Contact: irish_in_zurich@yahoo.ie Living in Zurich (LIZ) English language orientation course covering must-know topics for newcomers. Contact: 044 240 4455 Professional Women’s Group of Zurich The PWG is an in-person networking platform for women who live in and around Zurich. www.professionalwomensgroup.com Rugby Club Zurich Regular training for men, women and juniors at Allmend Brunau Zurich. www.rugbyzurich.ch Swiss Friends of the USA (SFUSA) Swiss-American Society to promote cultural and business relations. Holds monthly lunch meetings with speaker. www.sfusa.ch Swiss American Chamber of Commerce Non-profit organisation, holds regular meetings in Zurich, Geneva & Lugano. www.amcham.ch Women’s Activity Club For families of all nationalities, with playgroups and “Learning Tree Cooperative School”.

Winterthurerstrasse 18, 8610 Uster 043 305 9250 www.wac.ch Zurich Comedy Club Meets on Monday for play-readings; regular performances. info@zcc.ch www.zcc.ch Zurich International Club Zurich’s largest expat community. www.zhic.org Zurich International Women’s Association (ZIWA) Over 700 members from 65 nations. www.ziwa.com

Zug/Lucerne Anglo-Swiss Club Lucerne Meets fortnightly on Wednesday.

Contact Robin Lustenberger 041 310 2912 www.angloswissclubs.ch English Theatre Group of Zug Produces musicals, pantomines and plays, also other entertainments for special events by arrangement. www.etgz.ch International Men’s Club of Zug Over 250 English-speaking members from around the world. Weekly “Stammtisch” on Thursdays at the Parkhotel, Zug, and many other events. www.imcz.com International Mums & Kids Club Zug The IMKC meets weekly at the Christlicher Treffpunkt in Baar, and also organises outings and family parties for traditional celebrations. www.imkc.ch Lucerne International Women’s Club Holds monthly luncheons, cultural and sports events and special projects for charities. www.iwcl.net Rugby Club Lucerne Training sessions on Tuesdays and Thursday at the Allmend, at 19:00 for women and 19:30 for men. www.rcl.ch Rugby Club Zug Practice sessions at Unterägeri. info@rugbyclubzug.ch www.rugbyclubzug.ch Swiss American Society Lucerne Over 300 members from all over central Switzerland, who get together for events and outings several times a month. info@sasl-lucerne.ch www.sasl-lucerne.ch Zug International Women’s Club The ZIWC offers a full range of activities with “Stammtisch”, outings, special interest groups, workshops, seminars and parties info@ziwc.ch

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