Hello Switzerland Winter 2012

ISSUE No 04/04 | WINTER 2011

HELLO SWITZERLAND

SWISS CULTURE | POLITICS | TOURISM | EVENTS

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Issue 4/4

Winter 2011

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‘ Letters

4

A Sort of Christmas Story

6

Hydro Energy

8

Fasnacht/Carnaval/Carnevale

10

Restaurant Review: Zur Mägd

11

Polo World Cup on Snow

12

Divonne-les-Bains: So French, yet so Swiss

14

Basel Region Brief News, IB Curriculum at Basel State School, Crescenda!

17

BaselConnect Update

21

Berne Region Brief News, The 1,001 Nights of Zobazzar Town Bern Airport, Design Preis Schweiz Discover Switzerland: Food Romandie Region

Special vou

22

! chers to win

24 32

Brief News, Looking for a Gap Year?, Les Avants, Goms

37

Book Review, Drapeau Suisse

41

Zurich to Paris in 4 Hours

43

Zurich Region Brief News, The Rewards of Successful Integration

45

Curiousity Keeps You Alive, Great Hostess Gifts

49

Zug/Lucerne Region Brief News, Zuger Chriesi: The Cherries of Zug

51

Travel: Dijon

53

Travel: A Picturesque Corner of the Pyrenees

55

What‘s Going On In Switzerland

57

Voluntary Organisations & Groups

60

Places of Worship

63

Free Subscription www.helloswitzerland.ch Editor-In-Chief Caroline Thonger / +41 (0)27 565 4128 +41 (0)79 874 5004 Caroline@helloswitzerland.ch Co-Editors Basel Anitra Green Anitra@helloswitzerland.ch Zurich, Zug, Lucerne Allison Turner Allison@helloswitzerland.ch Berne Querida Long Querida@helloswitzerland.ch Romandie Catherine Nelson-Pollard Catherine@helloswitzerland.ch Contributors Roger Bonner & Edi Barth, Judith Butler, Angelica Cipullo, Angela Ernest, Robert Home, Michel Hueter, Olivia Hutton, Olivia Kappert, Selina Man Karlsson, Ellen Massey Leonard, Kurt Metz, Tsitaliya Mircheva, Franz Andres Morrissey, Jo Ann Hansen Rasch, Deja Rose, Roxanne Samide Cover photograph ENGADIN ST. MORITZ – At the Alpina hut with a view of Pontresina and surrounding mountains. (© swiss-image.ch/Christof Sonderegger) Publisher Hello Switzerland AG Advertising Lukas Hayoz / +41 (0)61 206 90 53 Lukas@helloswitzerland.ch Pre-press Layout & Printing Jordi AG – www.jordibelp.ch

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© The articles in Hello Switzerland may not be copied or reproduced in any form without the prior permission of Hello Switzerland AG or the author. Hello Switzerland accepts no responsibility for the views or opinions expressed by its writers.

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Editorial Dear Readers, By the time your copies of this issue of Hello Switzerland have arrived in the mailbox, we’ll probably all be experiencing the full onset of winter. But at the moment of writing, the temperatures are unseasonably mild with all the autumn colours still much in evidence.

During the three-month period covered by our winter edition, some of the most exuberant markets and festivals take place throughout Switzerland. At the start of December, Christmas markets of every variety make their appearance in many Swiss cantons. We tell you about the famous market in Basel (p. 17), holiday shopping in Berne (p. 22), the retail phenomenon of Schilliger in Romandie (p. 37), and the multitude of little markets occurring in and around Lucerne (p. 51). And for those of you who live in Zurich but have run out of inspiration, our talented duo of Angelica Cipullo and Deja Rose have put together a whole page of clever ideas for the perfect hostess gift (p. 50).

After the New Year has been celebrated in an explosion of fireworks – from the tiniest village to the largest city – the latter half of February sees the traditional start to Lent: Fasnacht (otherwise known as Carnaval or Carnevale).

Carnevale This time we have given you an overview of the festivities taking place all over Switzerland (p. 10).

The last weekend in January heralds one of the most prestigious events in the sporting calendar: the World Polo Cup on Snow. Polo as a winter game has been played on the frozen lake of St Moritz since 1985, but horse racing on snow in the Engadine region goes back to 1907, and is known as “White Turf”.

Our special feature not only covers this unique sporting occasion, but also gives a flavour of the glamorous resort of St Moritz, supposedly the birthplace of winter tourism in Switzerland (p. 12). And look out as well for our exciting special offer of tickets for the World Polo Cup on Snow.

Fasnacht

10

White Turf

12

Raclette

34

To keep you going through the winter months, our “Discover Switzerland” section features something close to everyone’s heart: Food. Join us on a voyage of gastronomic discovery, presented in the form of a “Swiss Menu”. Some dishes will be very familiar, while others will be intriguingly new to the more recent expats (p. 32).

Our Travel section highlights two different destinations: Dijon and the Pyrenees (p. 53); while our intrepid reporter Anitra has braved the new highspeed TGV, experiencing a train journey at 320 km/h (p. 43).

From the entire Hello Switzerland editorial team, may we wish you all a very Merry Christmas and an exciting, fun-filled and prosperous New Year.

Happy Holidays!

Caroline

caroline@helloswitzerland.ch

Rhine-Rhone TGV 43

Collated by Caroline Thonger

4

Readers’ Letters From Bertrand in Geneva

DRIVING SAFELY IN WINTER

Hello I just wanted to thank your team about the Hello Switzerland magazine.

Even though I’m a native of Geneva, I still like reading it. It’s really interesting. I’ve got to know it because I was a member of the English Forum Switzerland where some members put a word about it.

The following information has been taken off the AngoInfo website, which contains excellent advice for safe winter driving in Switzerland.

Tyres & Snow Chains For prolonged stays in the mountains it is recommended that the vehicle be fitted with snow tyres; most major garages can do this. Snow tyres are specially adapted with a thicker tread and improved performance in cold conditions. Take professional advice about fitting procedures.

If you are driving in the mountains in Switzerland during the winter, it is compulsory to carry snow chains in the vehicle. These can be rented from petrol stations marked Service de Châines à Neige or Schneekettendienst.

I wish you the best, Bertrand – Geneva Thanks for your interest, Bertrand. **** At Nestlé, Hello Switzerland magazines have been disappearing like hot cakes!

Chains are relatively inexpensive but are invaluable if you are caught in bad weather.

Before the trip, read the instructions and do a trial run of putting them on. Keep a pair of gloves with the chains; hands get cold very quickly. www.angloinfo.com

SWISS FEDERAL ELECTION RESULTS 2011 In the last issue of Hello Switzerland we published an “Election Feature”, where we asked the leaders of the six major political parties to give a statement on their party’s attitude towards expats in Switzerland.

Listed below are the results of the federal elections held on Sunday 23 October 2011. These refer only to the six parties we featured, but give an idea of what changes have occurred in the United Federal Assembly, or Swiss Parliament. The parties are listed in the order in which we featured them, and the statistics are compared to the last elections held in 2007.

Party

Full Name

SVP/UDC

Representatives

(Female/Male)

Swiss People’s Party

(2007) (2011)

28.9 26.6

62 54

8F / 54M 6F / 48M

Swiss Social Democratic Party

(2007) (2011)

19.5 18.7

43 46

18F / 25M 21F / 25M

The Liberals

(2007) (2011)

15.8 15.1

31 30

6F / 25M 7F / 23M

CVPChristian Democratic People’s Party

(2007) (2011)

14.5 12.3

31 30

12F / 19M 10F / 18M

GP

The Greens

(2007) (2011)

9.6 8.4

20 15

10F / 10M 6F / 9M

Green Liberals

(2007) (2011)

1.4 5.4

3 12

2F / 1M 4F / 8M

BDP Conservative Democratic Party

(2007) (2011)

9

2F / 7M

SP FDP

SWITZERLAND

% in parliament

GLP

Other parties combined

(2007) (2011)

didn’t exist yet as a party 5.4 11.7 13.5

Figures taken from the website of the Federal Office for Statistics and Elections (www.politik-stat.ch).

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Contributed by Roger Bonner with illustration by Edi Barth

6

A Sort of Christmas Story In memory of Franky, who knitted the best socks in the world.

E

SWITZERLAND

very year on the third Saturday of November my partner Janet and I eagerly head off to the Anglican Church Christmas Bazaar in Basel. It is one of the social highlights of the year and attracts hundreds of expats and Swiss.

We enter the doors of the Oekolampad Church, the big brown brick building where the bazaar is held, shortly after the doors open at 9:00. Aiming directly for the café we meet old friends, and chat over cream tea and delicious homemade scones served by British ladies in frilly aprons. As the tables fill up, we know it is time to make space for others with a craving for traditional baked goods, and head over to browse through the section where donated used English books are sold for a couple of francs each. Among the neat rows of crime

novels, biographies and travel books, I always find something. Once I even bought two books, which I had donated to the church only the day before!

With our backpacks filled with books, we saunter over to the main hall where we explore the brocante and various stalls lining the walls. One is laden with UK products such as teas, dried mustard, custard powder, Christmas puddings and, of course, homemade jellies, jams and chutneys. At other stalls you can buy handicrafts, jewellery, Christmas cards, crackers and candles, second-hand clothes. But near the children’s corner there is a special table where a little old lady has been selling her knitwear for years. She is the storybook kind of granny right down

to the rimless glasses. I always go there and buy socks because they are the best in the world. Who knits genuine woollen socks anymore for just 18 francs a pair? Every time I say, “I think your socks are wonderful. I buy two pairs every year.” With a demure smile, she thanks me for the compliment, but I can see that she doesn’t remember me. After all, she has a lot of happy customers.

“You know,” she says with a light German-Swiss accent, “I find just listening to the radio or watching TV boring, so I knit to keep my hands busy.”

“Well, I hope you keep on knitting for a long time,” I say and leave.

It is noon and people are queuing up for a typical British lunch of Cornish pasties, shepherd’s pie with chutney, apple crumble and bottles of English beer and ale. As we search for an empty table, we run into more friends and acquaintances, many of whom we only saw at last year’s bazaar. Soon a local group of Morris Dancers, with bells jingling on their trouser legs, appears to entertain us with their rhythmic steps and tapping. The afternoon lingers on while I enjoy an ale or two, maybe even a third. We engage in some lively discussions while we await the results of the raffle. Everyone is hoping to win a prize. By 4pm the crowd dissipates and the volunteers begin dismantling the stalls. We say good-bye to everyone, in particular the Chaplain of the Anglican Church, Reverend Geoff Read, and leave the hall. I usually take a last look at the table where my Swiss lady is clearing away what little is left of her knitwear, and look forward to seeing her again the following November. I realise that I don’t even know her name.

The year goes by fast and it’s time again for the Anglican Church Christmas Bazaar. We have our regular cream tea

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with friends, and then I browse through the used books while my partner lays in a stock of jam and tea. As usual, I buy almost as many books as I have donated, and wonder when I’ll find the time to read them.

“Ninety-four,” the woman answers. “If you want any socks, you’d better hurry.

They have always been very popular.”

I go to the stall with Christmas cards and buy some to send to friends in Canada and the United States. Afterwards I turn toward that special table with its array of new knitwear, but instead of the little old Swiss lady, another woman is in her place. I assume she has stepped out for a few minutes, but then I see a sign on the table, “Last Chance to Buy Franky’s Socks”.

“Where’s the lady who knits all these great socks?” I ask the woman rather hesitantly.

Now this Christmas when we’re in our chalet high in the Alps and it is snowy and cold, but my feet are warm as toast, I will be thinking of you, Franky, and how all those years you listened to the radio or watched the telly while busily clicking away with your knitting needles…and you never missed a stitch.

“Oh, you mean Frau Frank?” she says.

“We all call her Franky. I’m afraid she passed away two months ago and I’m here to sell off the last of her knitting.”

“I’m very sorry to hear that. How old was she?” I ask, feeling sad about losing such a kind, familiar face.

I buy three pairs in my size, hoping they will last a long time.

This year the Anglican Church Christmas Bazaar is on Saturday 19 November. For more info, go to: http://web.me.com/anglicanchurchbasel/1/bazaar.html 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 Home Page: www.roger-bonner.ch

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Email address: edi.barth@bluewin.ch

Contributed by Robert Home

environment 8

Hydro Energy About one-third of the power produced in Switzerland is water-generated.

I

f you ever study marketing, you will learn about product differentiation.

That is the study of what makes one particular product different from others and the example usually offered is that of salt. You will learn that salt isn’t salt, even though it all looks and tastes kind of the same. It is cleverly differentiated by many characteristics including how it’s made, whether it has iodine in it (which for some reason is interesting to some people), and by where it comes from. But if salt is all the same by the time it gets to the table, it’s a product with a huge variety when compared with electricity. Electricity is barely recognisable as a product; given that you can’t see it and we have to blindly believe the power company when they tell us how much we have used. Many of us, and especially me, don’t know very much about electricity, even though we buy it and couldn’t imagine living without it. Most of us do however know that we can buy different packages of electricity at different prices depending on how our electricity is generated.

SWITZERLAND

When I started to research this article, I went down to the anti-nuclear camp on the front lawn of the Energie Wasser Bern (EWB) building in Berne. I

Muehleberg

figured that if anybody was an expert on alternative energy, and by extension hydro energy, then they would be. It turned out to be a wild goose chase, and the “information” person suggested I go into the building they were picketing and pick up a brochure. Slightly puzzled and a little bemused, I did just that, and much of what follows is sourced from the EWB. Similar to buying eggs at a market, we can choose what kind of energy we want. We can choose whether it should be as environmentally sensitive as possible, such as with sun or wind (ok, I know that there is some debate on this but let’s just believe the marketing blurb for the moment), whether it should be sustainable and at the same time good value, such as with hydro power, or whether it should just be as cheap as possible and we couldn’t care less where it comes from. This last option is called “basis” but in reality is nuclear-generated electricity. The plan we are on makes absolutely no difference to what comes out of the power socket and we really have no idea where the actual power that makes our appliances work was generated. If you choose the “Hydro” option, you

won’t get a new power line coming to your house from a water-powered generator. The same power comes out of the outlet. So, what is it exactly that we are buying when we choose the much more expensive “Nature: Solar” or marginally more expensive “Hydro” options? The short answer is that we are paying the production costs of the various alternatives and we are buying the good feeling we get when we do just that little bit extra to look after our planet. Hydro electricity is quite a good deal in that sense, because we can buy the “warm and fuzzy” feeling at quite a bargain price.

Energy is classified into primary and secondary energy. The primary energy describes the sources of the energy, such as water, wind, sunshine and coal – most of which are found in nature.

Once we change this primary energy into something a little more practical, such as electricity, we talk of secondary energy. We describe our use of electric energy by the demand of the appliance (in Kilowatts), which is then multiplied by the time the appliance is in the “on” position (in hours). The result is our power use expressed in kilowatt-hours (kWh) and that is multiplied by the unit price from the power supplier. The price for electricity in Berne is 6.5/10.5 Rappen per kWh for basis, 7.0/11 for hydro, and 75/75 for solar (night time/ daytime). With one kWh, you have about enough power to cook a meal for 4 people, or to watch TV for an evening. About 1/3 of the power produced in Switzerland comes from renewable sources (not nuclear or burning garbage), and almost all of that comes from hydropower.

Hydro energy in its primary form has been used in Berne since the 13th century when water energy was harnessed using waterwheels at the Aareschwelle, below the present day Federal Parliament buildings, and used to power sawmills, mills and other businesses in the

environment

Matte quarter. The first conversion of the energy into secondary energy was in 1891, and the occasion of the 700th anniversary of the City of Berne was celebrated by, among other festivities, the installation of electric lighting in the streets and squares between Zytglogge und Hirschengraben, using carbon arc lamps. The citizens of Berne were impressed and demand grew rapidly, so the power-station at Felsenau was built at the beginning of the 20th century to meet the new demand. Even with the new power-station, the Bernese were still obliged to buy electricity, which must have irritated the city fathers no end. Demand increased even further during the First World War when because of the shortage of coal and electricity it seemed like an even better idea than before. In 1925, the powerstation at the Matte was replaced with a much more efficient dynamo machine producing alternating current, and the era of DC power came to an end.

Fortunately, the Swiss landscape lends itself to the production of hydro electricity, which relies on using moving water to drive turbines. A prerequisite for this is hills, and Switzerland has plenty. Hydro powered electricity generation is therefore the backbone of the Swiss electricity system. There are two primary forms of hydro powered electricity generation. They are running water (read “rivers”) and water

storage (read “dams”). River-powered generation uses the natural flow of the rivers to drive the electricity generating turbines. The fall between the upstream and the downstream is quite small in comparison to dams, but the volume of water tends to be much higher. The river-powered systems are permanently in operation and the amount of power they generate is dependent on the amount of water flowing down the river.

They tend to produce more electricity in summer than in winter. The power station in the Matte started in 1891 and produces power for 1,750 households (on average), Felsenau started in 1909 and produces power for 17,500 houses.

If you happen to have flowing water on your land, you can usually get permission to install your own personal power station, and can sell the electricity to the power grid.

But there is limited control over the amount of power that is generated, with changes happening more or less on a seasonal basis. Power demand changes dramatically in a single day, for example, peaking as we turn on our coffee machines in the morning. The dampowered electricity generation provides a solution to this changing demand. The tremendous advantage of dam-powered hydro electricity is that the generators can be turned on and off in an instant, which makes them extremely practical for managing the changing demands

9

In typical Swiss fashion, the system is well thought through and efficient.

During the low demand periods of the day, the river workhorses keep chugging away and producing enough power to cover the demand. When the peak periods kick in, so do the dam-powered electricity generators to make sure the demand is covered, while not producing too much. The system works well enough that power shortages are almost unheard of, and times when the power fails, such as a few years ago when the trains stopped for a couple of hours, it’s a national scandal. For people such as myself, I’m happy to know everything works just fine, and that I can buy my warm feeling of being environmentally responsible without it being too expensive.

Robert Home Lives near Berne and works for the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL. He enjoys spending family time with his two boys and is a self-described compulsive tourist who is nowhere near finished exploring Switzerland.

SWITZERLAND

Power-station at Matte

for electricity over the course of a day.

River-based means of generating large quantities of electricity continue churning out their power, but alternating current electricity cannot be readily stored, so enough must be produced to meet the demand at any particular time. With dam powered hydro electricity generation, as more electricity is needed (morning and evening for example), switches can be flicked and the electricity is there. The hydro electricity in Berne is generated in Oberhasli, which started in 1932 and produces power for 82,500 households; Sanetsch, which started in 1963 and produces power for 5,000 households; and Maggia, which started in 1953 and produces power for 15,000 households.

There are literally hundreds of smaller hydro powered electricity generation facilities in Berne, which are often owned by municipalities, although many are privately owned.

Contributed by the Hello Switzerland Team

10

Fasnacht / Carnaval / Carnevale Whatever the name, the Swiss know how to celebrate the traditional start to Lent.

B

asel traditionally holds the largest event each year. To ring the changes, our brief overview of Fasnacht events taking place over Switzerland starts with the smaller events first and ends with the biggest and most renowned.

Ticino The most famous carnevale in Ticino is called Carnevale Rabadan Bellinzona – a highly traditional carnival, with a big masked procession, street performers and masked balls. 16-21 February 2012. www.bellinzona.ch Romandie In the Alpine resorts of the Frenchspeaking part of Switzerland, Carnaval marks the busiest (and most expensive) week of the whole ski season. Usually coinciding with the half-term holiday for schools all over Europe, it’s regarded as the best week for skiing in terms of snow conditions combined with good weather. In 2012 the week of Carnaval is 18-25 February. In the lower-lying areas of Romandie, however, more traditional parades take place.

Fully (near Martigny) – holds its traditional nocturnal parade from the Saturday before Mardi Gras. 16-21 February 2012. www.carnafully.ch

SWITZERLAND

Bolzes (Fribourg) – face-painting, elaborate costumes and exuberant bands parading through the streets mark out this annual event. 17-21 February 2012. www.carnavaldesbolzes.ch

Fasnacht in Berne.

Two Tschaeggaetae in the snow near Kippel (1376 m), Loetschental in Valais, during their Carnaval celebrations of Roitschaeggaetae. The masks are carved out of wood. (© swiss-image)

Brandons de Payerne. Held annually in the town of Payerne, on the south side of the Lac de Neuchâtel. The official colours for 2012 will be red and gold. 24-27 February 2012. www.brandonspayerne.ch Zurich area Zurich has no carnival tradition to speak of, but it is conveniently situated roughly between Lucerne and Basel.

Many of the towns and villages (even quite tiny ones!) in the canton do have their own Fasnacht celebrations, typically in early February, with Gugge musicians and a parade. This is often a great chance to get to know your neighbours, and the music is every bit as good as in the larger parades.

Fasnacht celebrations in Zug include the usual dressing up, Guggemusik and parades, following the Catholic pattern of celebrating from Thursday 16 to Tuesday 20 February. Zug’s twist is an old lady called Greth Schell who parades through the old town on Monday afternoon, carrying her drunken husband home.

Fasnacht in Lucerne is a real party, and everyone dresses up and gets in on the action. In 2012, it begins on Thursday 16 February at 17:00, with an explosion that’s sure to wake up the few residents who haven’t made it to Kapellplatz.

Those who have enjoy dancing to the Guggemusik, throwing confetti, and eating the oranges thrown by the guild members. Lucerne’s Fasnacht also has parades on the Thursday, Monday and, for children, Tuesday afternoons, with dozens of Gugge bands and of course, thousands of onlookers, mostly in costume. The last parade, the Monstercorso or Monster Parade at 19:30 on Tuesday 21 February, is this Catholic city’s last chance to party before Lent.

Berne Fasnacht in Berne isn’t an old tradition, but it’s lots of fun! What exactly is going on? Well, on 11 November at exactly 11:11 the Fasnacht bear is locked into the Käfigturm to hibernate for the winter. Then, at 20:00 on the Thursday after Ash Wednesday, he’s woken up and set free for three days.

This is called the Bärebefreiig and it is the official start of the Fasnacht celebration. Like any prisoner on furlough, the Fasnacht bear wants to eat, drink and be merry – and the whole city joins him.

Colorful costumes and Guggemusik are the hallmarks of Fasnacht in Berne.

The usually quiet and reserved Bernese really let loose for three days. On Friday afternoon there is a children’s event when children and their parents dress up and parade through the streets and enjoy the Fasnacht in a kid-friendly

Contributed by M. Stannard

Restaurant review: “Zur Mägd”

11

This traditional restaurant in an old part of Basel has now become a lively Italian restaurant with an excellent menu. stone’s throw from the St Johanniterbrücke in a narrow street almost totally taken up by tram tracks, the Restaurant “Zur Mägd” has a long tradition. The current solid construction with its long windows and lovely stairwell was built in 1900, replacing a much older building dating from the Middle Ages; there’s even a record of a banquet being held there in honour of the famous painter Hans Holbein in 1538. Mägd, or Magd, incidentally, means maid, as in serving maid.

The management of the restaurant has changed a couple of times in the past few decades, but it was always a typical Basel “Beiz” serving good traditional food and providing a meeting place for locals. Now it’s entered a new dimension by becoming a genuine Italian restaurant, attracting not only locals but business clientele and visitors as well.

And the food is fabulous. Adriano Giordano and his team concentrate on providing authentic Italian food with fresh ingredients at reasonable prices, and the service is fast and friendly. We started with a generous amuse-bouche atmosphere – the music isn’t quite as loud and the crowds aren’t quite as big as they’re going to be on Saturday when the main parade takes place. Last year there were about 100,000 spectators (most, but not all in costume) and about 50 Guggemusik bands from Berne and the surrounding areas. The parade route begins near the Nydegg Bridge goes through the middle of town to the Bundesplatz, where all the bands come together for a “Monster Concert”.

Further details (in German) at www.fasnacht.be Basel Basel has the biggest Fasnacht in Switzerland – some people live only for these three days and spend all year preparing for them. It’s always held exactly

with delectable scampi, a square of pizza and wonderful fat olives. The parsley soup was hot and clean-tasting, and the warm goat’s cheese on focaccia with the restaurant’s own pickled fungi was a delight. Both were relatively light, which was great since our next course consisted of tagliatelle with giant prawns and tomatoes, and a whole baked sea-bream with lemon and herbs, with excellent roast potatoes and some nicely cooked green vegetables. It all arrived piping hot, straight from the pan as it were, and was utterly delicious.

There are plenty of other possibilities on the menu: lamb filet, tripe à la “Mägd”, stuffed aubergine, gnocchi, risotto with prawns, octopus … the menu varies according to what’s available, and the lunch-time menu changes every day.

The short dessert menu offers a choice of attractive morsels; the restaurant makes its own sorbet (which is delicious – I had the plum one), and cantucci, those hard little Italian biscuits with nuts, which we ordered with a glass of Vino Santo dessert wine – superb. Or you can order their cheese-plate. They six weeks before Easter, i.e. during Lent; they say that’s because Basel wanted to thumb its nose at the Pope, but I’m told this isn’t in fact true. This winter it’s on 27-29 February, starting with Morgestraich in total darkness at 4 in the morning and lasting exactly 72 hours. There are even restaurants and

Basel Waggis on the Mittlerebrücke

Restaurant Zur Mägd

also have a long and interesting wine list and, naturally, grappa, which I must try next time.

The restaurant has a distinct bistro-type atmosphere, but if you find it too loud you can always book a table in the Holbein-Stube in the corner, which is quieter and more intimate and has some interesting old wall paintings. The restaurant boasts a fumoir for smokers and at the back is a lovely courtyard, which is very popular in summer. There’s also a banqueting hall on the first floor, used by various clubs for their regular meetings.

Open Tues-Fri, 11:00-24:00, Sat 18:0024:00, closed Sun & Mon. www.zurmaegd.ch bars that keep open for the duration. The procession ((cortège cortège)) through the city cortège on Monday and Wednesday afternoons is a huge attraction: cliques playing drum and pipe music in a style unknown elsewhere, brass bands (Guggemusik) Guggemusik Guggemusik) and floats with Waggis chucking sweets, oranges and confetti around, and all dressed up in traditional costumes with amazing masks. Look out for the lantern display on the Münsterplatz on Tuesday (congratulations if you can understand the local jokes), and the monster brass band concert that evening at various locations. There are lots of specialities to enjoy, like Mehlsuppe (flour soup) and onion or cheese tart, and a whole programme of events leading up to Fasnacht itself. www.basel.com

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Contributed by Caroline Thonger

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Polo World Cup on Snow One of the most world’s most prestigious winter sporting events takes place in the glamorous resort of St Moritz in the Engadine.

The game The sport of polo dates back more than two thousand years, to Ancient Persia.

Sometimes known as the “Sport of Kings”, the modern game was popularized by English cavalry officers in nineteenth century India, during the time of the British Raj. At the same time, settlers in Argentina found time to practise the game on the pampas.

Players score by driving a small white plastic or wooden ball into the opposing team’s goal, using a long-handled mallet. Polo ponies are specially bred not only for quick bursts of speed, stamina, agility and manoeuvrability; their temperament is also critical. Traditionally each polo team consists of four riders and their mounts. Polo is played professionally today in 16 countries, but is not an Olympic sport.

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The Event This year’s event attracted some 15,000 spectators from all over the globe.

The four world-class teams came from France, Germany, Great Britain and Switzerland, but included seven Argentineans among the sixteen riders.

The spectacular Polo World Cup on Snow

Each team plays every other team, with the climax of the tournament coming in the final on Sunday, in the ultimate battle to win the coveted Trophy. The matches are played at the highest level and demand concentration, strength, skill, stamina and courage, both from the world’s elite players and their horses.

The unusual combination of playing on snow, the exceptional location at 1800m and the cosmopolitan character of St. Moritz make the tournament truly unique.

The four official team sponsors for the 2012 event are Cartier, Ralph Lauren, BMW and Bank Sal. Oppenheim jr. & Cie. (Switzerland) AG. The 28th St. Moritz Polo World Cup on Snow, the world’s most prestigious winter polo tournament, will take place from 26 to 29 January 2012.

The Resort According to legend, St Moritz invented winter tourism. The story goes that Johannes Badrutt, a successful hotelier in the flourishing summer tourist mar-

ket 150 years ago, made a daring bet with four English guests. He promised they would be able to enjoy the mild Engadine sunshine on his terrace in their shirtsleeves, even in winter; if not, he would reimburse their total travel costs. Returning to the Engadine at Christmas, the English guests never left until the following Easter. It was the birth of winter tourism in the Alps.

Since that time the British have been keen visitors to the Engadine, stamping their mark with polo and cricket tournaments, and creating the first Cresta Run for skeleton and bobsleigh racing.

Engadine St Moritz is also known as the most pioneering town in Switzerland.

Among its many “firsts” are: the first electric light in Switzerland (Kulm Hotel, Christmas 1878); the first telephone installation in the canton of Graubü nden or Grisons (1889); the first electric tram in the Alps (1896); the first horse race on a frozen lake (1907); and the first polo tournament on a frozen lake in Europe (1985). The latest “first” is the plus-energy hotel in the Alps on Muottas Muragl (2010).

(© swiss-image)

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So treat yourself to some delightful days. From CHF 749.– to CHF 1739.– per person in a double room.

St. Moritz awaits you. www.engadin.stmoritz.ch / T +41 81 830 00 01

Located in the easternmost canton of Switzerland, with its stunning Alpine scenery and abounding sunshine, St Moritz has managed to retain much of its original authenticity and Swiss “old-world” charm. And despite its glamorous reputation, this is no Monte Carlo in the mountains. Skiers, winter walkers and celebrities alike happily rub shoulders throughout the winter, to enjoy the enchantment of St Moritz.

White Turf: The furious excitement of horse racing on snow, St Moritz

(© swiss-image)

An exclusive event for Hello Switzerland readers!

Want to learn more about another beautiful and historic Swiss holiday destination and attend at the same time one of the most prestigious winter sporting events as a visitor? Then join us for our one-day outing to St Moritz – we’ve put together a fabulous program for a group of 20 people, so tickets are limited and will be distributed on a first come first served basis.

More information and details about how to sign up by 21 December latest are available at www.helloswitzerland.ch/events or call Lukas on 061 206 9053

SWITZERLAND

More information: St Moritz/Engadine Tourism Via San Gian 30 7500 St. Moritz Tel: 081 830 08 12 pr@estm.ch www.engadin.stmoritz.ch www.polostmoritz.com

Contributed by Angela Ernest

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Divonne-les-Bains: so French, yet so Swiss Two thousand years of history link Switzerland and the French town of Divonne-les-Bains. utting aside centuries of tumultuous rivalry and changing frontiers, Divonne is now a favourite place for Swiss people to take a “wellness break”, shop, gamble, play golf and enjoy the Sunday market – to mention only some of the attractions of this small town. It is on the Franco/Swiss border, 18km from Geneva and 45km from Lausanne

by Swiss Autoroute A1, exit Coppet.

Divonne and its region, the Pays du Gex at the extreme southwest of Switzerland, have been through many savage upheavals. Fought over, occupied, pillaged and poverty-stricken after the wars of religion in the sixteenth century, it has been under the jurisdiction of many different rulers since Caesar, notably: the Bernoise, the Genevoise, the Duchy of Savoy and France, to which it was reattached in 1601. Following the creation of the first Zone Franche in 1775, the resumption of free trade between the Pays de Gex, Geneva and the Duchy of Savoy was a huge boost. Updated Zone Franche agreements are still in place for the area – one of the reasons why the Swiss love shopping in Divonne.

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The creation of the direct Paris-Divonne train line in 1900 heralded the town’s “golden era”. Popular as a curative destination, Divonne now became a chic and fashionable place to pass “the season” from June to October. The rich, royal, famous and beautiful flocked to “take the waters”. They came, with mountains of luggage, from as far away as America, Egypt, Russia and Turkey,

Hotel Pension de la Truite, still one of the most popular restaurants in Divonne

as well as England and all of Europe.

To keep them informed of stock market movements, a board in the middle of Grande Rue carried the latest figures each afternoon, electronically transferred from Paris.

Nearby, a small Protestant church holds English-language services, as it did when it opened in 1870, against stiff opposition. The Mayor of the time marched in with gendarmes and broke up the service, ordering the congregation to leave. Scandal! A truce followed, and hostilities were then forgotten with the 1905 law separating church and state. A plaque on the wall commemorates a Miss Isham who sank with the Titanic in 1912.

As the number of visitors multiplied, so Divonne developed. Extravagant hotels were built, a Casino – still popular with “high rollers”, a theatre and a superb golf course. Dozens of restaurants thrived, as did services and shops catering to exacting international standards.

Many of these attractions still exist, and in some areas of town one can easily imagine those glory days of conspicuous idleness.

Nowadays, the Sunday morning market transforms Grande Rue into a humming hub of activity, and cross-border visitors flock in. The centre of town is filled with hundreds of stalls selling anything from clothes, shoes, household items, wine and spices, to top quality cheese, meat and poultry, superb fish, fruit, vegetables and much more. From 7:30 in the morning the air is filled with the aroma of fresh coffee, baking bread and roasting chicken. A favourite meeting point is the fish stall, selling plates of oysters and crab with a glass of wine.

What more congenial way to brunch by the river in summer, or freeze with friends in winter?

As throngs of people meander through town, regulars reserve a lunch table

Postcard of la Grande Rue, 100 years ago

at the writer Maupassant’s beloved Restaurant de la Truite – it’s still popular, and one of the few hostelries unchanged on Grande Rue. Some people load up with gastronomic delights from the market and enjoy a picnic by beautiful Lake Divonne, created in the 1960s – along with an open-air Olympic size swimming pool that’s closed in winter. The historic notion of “the season” is long gone and most of the town’s attractions are available all year round.

Switzerland and France are joined seamlessly at Divonne-les-Bains. It’s where people of all nations share the delights of living in this region – and “abroad” was never so near. www.divonnelesbains.com www.monts.jura.com www.paysdegex-lafaucille.com www.infoleman.org

Angela Ernest has enjoyed many interesting and unusual assignments in her life as a journalist in radio, television, newspapers and other forms of media. After living on several continents and witnessing the frequently devastating results of human folly, Divonne is, for her, as peaceful and close to home as it gets! She lives near Geneva and is a “regular” at the Divonne Sunday market.

Photo by V. Harrison

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Advertorial

3rd Pillar Possibilities

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You can save taxes with Switzerland’s social security schemes.

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rom a tax point of view, the social security system in Switzerland offers a range of interesting opportunities for retirement and certain private real estate investments. This article highlights the possibilities within the 3rd Pillar (3a) and also sets out why a pension fund buy-in may be a good deal.

A 3a account has a better return than a normal savings account In Switzerland, the 3a savings plan is popular and widely used. It saves taxes and encourages people to fund longterm personal savings. For employees with a pension fund, annual contributions up to, currently, CHF 6,682 are tax deductible. Assuming a marginal tax rate of 30%, putting this amount aside each year leads to tax savings of around CHF 2,000 p.a. Not only is the contribution tax-deductible, but also the interest received is tax free – and no wealth tax is due on the balance.

Interest rates on the 3a account may

vary from bank to bank but are generally higher compared to the – taxable – interest on normal savings accounts.

This tax relief is leveled off at withdrawal from the 3a account, since at this point income tax is due (at progressive tax rates). However, the special tax rate applicable at withdrawal is generally considerably lower than the normal tax rates at the time of contribution. As a result, net return on investment (see figure 1) from a 3a savings account is significantly higher than from a normal savings account. On the other hand, 3a savings can only be withdrawn if certain circumstances apply, such as reaching the age of 60, when buying a primary residence, when repatriating, or when setting up one’s own business.

Pillar 3a offers a choice of investment strategies The calculation in figure 1 is based on an investment in a 3a savings account on which you receive interest on your savings. Banks and insurance

companies, however, offer a range of investment strategies within Pillar 3a – from savings accounts or insurance policies to investments in portfolios comprising stocks and bonds in different mixes and with varying levels of risk. The law stipulates that the amount of stocks may not exceed some 50% of the portfolio. Subject to this statutory limitation, investors are free to decide which strategy mix fits them best. As a general rule, insurance policies prove to be most appropriate for people with qualified requirements to be insured; for all others either a 3a savings account (for short term savings) or portfolio investments (for mid to-long term planning) are recommended.

Why a voluntary pension fund buy-in may be a good idea In a nutshell, a pension fund is a compulsory savings plan. Each month contributions are deducted from your salary and credited to your individual pension fund account. The benefit upon retirement is that pension fund accruals are generally most peoples’ largest asset. A Swiss pension fund, however,

Example of net return on investments in Pillar 3a

PwC

Net return on investments in Pillar 3a Age 50, married, withdrawal 10 years later (age 60), City of Berne

Taxsavings on deduction (marginal taxrate 30%) Net investment

6,682 – 2,004 4,678

Net investment: You get: Net return*:

Period Avg. interest rate

46,780 73,969 8,2% p.a.

10 years 2,5%

Savings in 10 years

76,732

Tax on withdrawal

– 2,763

Net amount saved

73,969

* The return on investment depends on the marginal taxrate, number of years, interest rate and taxrate at withrdrawal

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Max. annual contribution

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can also be financed voluntarily. Those who are able to put more money aside than is allowable in Pillar 3a may wish to make a voluntary pension fund buyin. A pension fund buy-in is feasible if there is a gap in your pension fund, and in many cases the gap is a large amount.

Similar to Pillar 3a, a pension fund buy-in is tax-deductible. Although, limits do apply in the first five years for people moving to Switzerland and who have never contributed to a Swiss pension fund before. The calculation of the net return on investment is similar to Pillar 3a (see fig. 1), however, a pension fund buy-in offers more flexibility regarding the amount paid in.

A further difference is that the pension fund is legally required to provide a minimum interest rate (currently 2% on the occupational benefits fund BVG).

Some pension funds, on the other hand, offer the opportunity to invest in portfolio investment (non-mandatory occupational benefits only), in which case the risk is carried by the person insured.

What to consider before making an additional pension fund buy-in As in Pillar 3a, the pension fund account can only be withdrawn under certain conditions (see above). There are, however, two additional issues to consider: (1) when repatriating to an EU country, only non-mandatory occupational benefits can be withdrawn; (2) making a voluntary buy-in into the pension fund leads to a three-year lock-in period, i.e. withdrawals from the pension fund are not possible within such period. Additionally, it is recommended to clarify with the pension fund what would happen to the buy-in amount in the case of death during the period of contribution. Finally, one should exercise caution when investing in an underfunded pension fund.

What you need to do before the year-end Despite the constraints on withdrawal, contributions to the Pillar 3a and pension fund buy-ins are, thanks to the tax incentives, interesting investments to make savings for retirement or to

purchase a house. Additionally, in years when, for example, a high bonus is paid out, a pension fund buy-in is of interest to mitigate taxes. Whether a buy-in makes sense should, however, be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Payments into the schemes have to be settled before the end of the year in order to benefit from tax savings in 2011.

Cecilia Stenberg PricewaterhouseCoopers AG Swiss Federal Tax Expert 058 792 76 52 cecilia.stenberg@ch.pwc.com

Swedish-born Cecilia speaks three languages, and has lived in Switzerland for the last fourteen years.

She’s an expert on personal wealth and individual taxation solutions with a focus on expats.

Overview: Pillar 3a and Pension Fund Savings

PwC

Pillar 3a

Pension Fund

Tax deductible amount

CHF 6,682 if in a pension fund, other levels apply if e.g. self-employed without pension fund.

According to pension gap, however limitations apply within first 5 years for newcomers to Switzerland.

Disadvantages

Savings are locked in until the age of 60/59 (m/f)

Savings are locked in until retirement or the age of 60/59 (m/f). Particular attention required in case of vested benefits.

Early withdrawal possible if…

Repatriating or buying a house/apartment (primary residence) or commencing self-employment (without affiliating to a pension fund).

See opposite Additionally, withdrawal is not possible within 3 years after contribution has been made without negative tax effects.

Tax at withdrawal

Marginal taxrate applies at withdrawal.

It‘s advisable to open at least two accounts and withdraw from these in different years.

Marginal taxrate applies.

Tax optimization of the withdrawal is complex and requires specialist advice.

Investment strategy

Flexible within defined boundaries (insurance/account/securieties).

In accordance with the pension fund plan.

Normally pension funds apply the interest rate required by BVG-regulations, though some are linked to securities.

Prudence is particularly adviced if the pension fund is underfunded.

Contributed by The Basel Team

Brief News from Basel

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A double celebration

Vogel Gryff

It’s not often that Bider & Tanner’s bookshop sees such a crowd on its premises, but then it’s not often it plays host to two celebrations at once. About 170 people crowded onto its upper floor recently, with standing room only for latecomers.

Sue Style’s long-awaited book on Swiss Cheese has come out at last, wittily written and beautifully researched with fabulous illustrations, and she was kept busy signing copies during the lively wine & cheese party (what else?) that went on around her.

The other celebration was the 21st anniversary of Bergli Books, the publishing house founded in Basel by Dianne Dicks. Bergli has published several of Sue’s previous works and other popular books on aspects of life in Switzerland.

The next, due out next year, will be on the Swiss state school system. www.suestyle.com www.bergli.ch www.biderandtanner.ch

One of Basel’s quaintest customs is Vogel Gryff, organised by three traditional guilds in Klein-Basel and involving three mythical creatures: the Wild Man, the Lion and the Gryphon, who spend most of the day treading their ancient dance in the streets. This winter it’s held on 20 January, with the Wild Man arriving at the Klein-Basel side of the Mittlerebrücke by water at around 11:00. www.vkb.ch

This could be your lucky day – Museum Night in Basel this winter is being held on Friday the Thirteenth, usually regarded as an inauspicious day. Treat it as auspicious instead, and go and see what jollities Basel’s museums have organised this time. The event involves most if not all the museums in the city, and some outside it, with a fantastic programme of workshops, entertainment, music and refreshments, starting at 6 pm on 13 January and continuing till 2 am. Special bus services are offered, tram rides are included in the ticket price, and you can even take a boat to the shipping museum.

Look out for the new permanent exhibition in the basement of the historical museum in the Barfüsserkirche: “Wege zur Welterkenntnis” (ways to knowledge of the world), shedding light on facets of Basel’s history according to subject. www.hmb.ch

Skeletons and old bones aren’t everyone’s idea of fun, but the exhibition “ “Knochenarbeit ” at the natural history museum is an eye-opener, with bare bones revealing some surprising secrets. www.nmb.ch The Vitra Design Museum in Germany has launched a major retrospective exhibition on “Rudolf Steiner: Alchemy of the Everyday”, a searching look at this influential but controversial reformer who founded the Waldorf schools. www.museumsnacht.ch

Christmas Market Basel’s Christmas market, the oldest in Switzerland, gets more popular every year and it’s amazing how many different languages you hear when you get off the tram at Barfüsserplatz, where the main activity it. Drink a cup of Glühwein, wander among the colourful stalls selling everything from sausages to silk shawls, cardigans to candles, raclettes to rag dolls, and hats to humorous signs. There’s a huge Christmas tree on Münsterplatz, loaded with 750 shiny decorations, and even more stalls. If you’re shopping in KleinBasel be sure to call at the Yspalascht (ice palace) on Claraplatz. Last day is 23 December. www.basel.com

“Chienbäse” in Liestal Chienbäse is the most incendiary spectacle in the entire area, taking place on the Sunday after Ash Wednesday.

It’s said to be a pagan spring ritual: a torchlight procession of people marching through the walled town with huge burning bunches of pine branches on their shoulders, punctuated with whole wagons blazing to the roof tops. People come from all over Switzerland to watch, and extra trains are put on. Why the whole town doesn’t burn down is a mystery, but fire brigades for miles around are ready with hoses in case of need. A word of warning: wear thick, old clothing for protection from the incredible heat and the sparks, and avoid going into the town with small children (it’s safer outside, and you can still see). This winter it takes place on 26 February 2012. www.chienbaese-verein.ch

Chienbäse in Liestal: for pyromaniacs only

BASEL

Museum Night

Signing the Cheese book: author Sue Style (right) backed by up publisher Dianne Dicks

Contributed by Anitra Green

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IB Curriculum at Basel State School The gymnasium on the Münsterplatz started offering the International Baccalaureate in August.

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he Münsterplatz Gymnasium (high school) is a well-known school in a fantastic position next to the Münster, and has a long and prestigious 900-year history behind it. So it’s fitting that it should be the first state school in the city of Basel to take the leap to offering the International Baccalaureate curriculum.

Hello Switzerland visited the head of the school, Dr Eugen Krieger, in his office in one of the school’s oldest buildings. “We’ve had a lot of Englishspeaking families in recent years,” he said. “The question is, how to integrate the children in a way that’s feasible.

So we’ve had to offer something of a mixture, teaching almost half the topics in English. We’ve been offering the bi-lingual Swiss Matura for the last ten years, which is why people send their children to us. But it’s not accepted by all universities, and that’s why we decided to integrate the IB. We have the bilingual experience and a similar philosophy to the IB, so we didn’t have to adapt a lot. What the IB expects, we expect too.”

For expatriate children, the school offers a learning centre with special teachers. They’re taken out of normal

Dr Eugen Krieger, headmaster

German class; their work is marked by a different system with specific goals over a realistic period so they can catch up. “Then they’re expected to be at the same standard as their Swiss contemporaries,” explained Dr Krieger, who has been headmaster for five years and has three children at state schools. “It takes three years, so they have to be

14–15 years old. The problem is if you have too many expats in one class – six is too many. But it doesn’t often happen. And there’s no difficulty with integrating,” he smiled. “If expats are here only for two to three years then a private school is best, but if they stay for ten years, they’re better in a state school.”

Swiss state school system

BASEL

At the moment, children are obliged to go to school in their own canton. Children in Basel-Land – except Allschwil – may not attend a school in Basel-Stadt. With the introduction of HarmoS, the inter-cantonal agreement for harmonisation of obligatory schooling, expected in 2016, parents will be able to send their children to school wherever they want. HarmoS will standardise schooling on six years of primary, three of secondary I and four of secondary II. Until then, people who change canton still have to reckon with considerable differences in schooling systems.

Two information evenings on the current Swiss state school system are being organised in January 2012 by Kaya Usher-Samayoa of “Ready…Steady…Basel!”, the Basel branch of “Ready…Steady…Relocate!”. The first evening on kindergarten and primary school education is on 16 January, and the second on secondary school education on 23 January; both will be given in English by Dr Eugen Krieger, head of the Münsterplatz Gymnasium.

Register at: http://readysteadyrelocate.com/basel/school.htm

The move to providing the IB took some preparation. “We took the new teachers to Zurich as this canton has five years’ experience of the IB. They couldn’t imagine how it would work, so this allayed their fears. One of the issues is giving up responsibility of marking exam papers – unheard of for a Gymnasium teacher!” Dr Krieger is proud of his staff, who he sends to IB workshops: “They come back very happy and the others are fighting to be the next to go.” Some teachers are English, others are Swiss with US training or the Cambridge English proficiency certificate, and others come from a bi-national family with an English background, “which is important,” he said. There isn’t too much difficulty finding new teachers except for maths.

Courtyard of the Münsterplatz Gymnasium

Meanwhile, the other four gymnasia in Basel and the five in Basel-Land are watching the Münsterplatz Gym-

nasium’s experience with the IB curriculum with great interest: “Everyone’s thinking of it, and I hope they’ll follow suit.”

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The Münsterplatz has 500 to 600 pupils of which 15% are expats, i.e. four or five per class. Asked about the possibility of expansion, Dr Krieger confirmed that there would indeed be room to expand in about 18 months’ time, to the premises of the WBS further training school next door. “This will give us room for another 150 pupils or so.” www.gmbasel.ch Anitra Green Originally from London, studied classics and came to Switzerland before women even had the vote.

Apart from many types of massage, LarissaSPA offers a wide range of beauty and therapeutic treatments, complemented by next-generation cosmetic/medicinal care products and remedies.

LarissaSPA is an oasis of wellbeing right in the city centre! The most up-to-date methods and an extensive choice of products are all available together with our expert advice. It’s the ultimate treatment and relaxation from head to toe – for her and for him!

Services – For her and for him – facials – massages – manicure and pedicure – warm wax hair removal – eyelash and eyebrow treatment – makeup

– medicinal peeling – Bio-Mega-Dermabrasio Abrahydri® – Ultrasound – Mesotherapy (without injection) – body treatments – anti-pain therapy

Steinenbachgässlein 49 | 4051 Basel Telefon +41 (0)61 271 18 21 info@larissaspa.ch | www.larissaspa.ch

Contributed by Anitra Green

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Crescenda!

The concept is unique in Switzerland.

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t’s an organisation to help immigrant women set up in business on their own and become an integral part of the local community.

If you read Crescenda and think of crescendo, it’s no accident. Beatrice Speiser, a Basel lawyer who initiated the project, said she hit on the idea of using this word with its connotations of burgeoning growth, and found it exactly expressed what she was hoping to do.

The idea of setting up a centre offering coaching and advisory services specifically for women who’ve moved to this country took a while to develop.

“I’d been to India and Santo Domingo several times in the past, working for voluntary organisations,” said Beatrice Speiser to Hello Switzerland Switzerland.

“I saw what an important contribution the women make in these countries, especially in India with the help of micro-credits, and I wondered why we couldn’t do something similar here in Switzerland. When they come here, women are often left by the wayside as far as jobs are concerned: their qualifications aren’t recognised, or they’re limited by their family situation

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

BASEL

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or cultural background.” Setting up in business by themselves is often a way out of their dilemma.

Crescenda’s dedicated team – the entire project is very much a team effort – sets out to help these women develop their potential with a carefully structured programme starting with a self-orientation course for 8–12 women at a time.

The aim is to find out what their interests are, their knowledge and training, their resources, and, essentially, their limitations too. This is followed by other courses and professional coaching from specialists on a modular basis.

The key concept is empowerment.

Crescenda also does a wonderful job helping women with problems to find their feet: “It’s very rewarding when you see someone start to smile again,” smiled Beatrice Speiser.

Everything is in German, since it’s important for these women to integrate into the Basel community on a long-term basis. “They must be able to understand enough German when they come to us, as our instructors use only German. Then they start speaking German with each other, too. And they have to be committed,” she emphasised.

“The women have the most varied backgrounds and come from all over the place – California, South America, Caribbean, Africa, East Europe, Germany, France, Philippines, Iran and even China.”

At the end of their course, the women receive the Crescenda diploma, recognised by EduQua, the Swiss certification procedure for further education institutes.

Swiss Integration Prize In 2007 Crescenda received the Swiss Integration Prize, a well-deserved acknowledgement of its achievements.

Its work is easier now it’s moved into the Villa Crescenda, a superb privately owned Jugendstil villa by the

The Villa Crescenda

Schützenmattpark, which Crescenda can use free of charge. For Crescenda is an association, supported almost entirely by donations, grants, subsidies, subscriptions and so on. The Swiss government has made a substantial contribution, and there’s a long list of companies and prominent local people who also help. Beatrice Speiser is president, and says – with another smile – she hopes it’ll provide a role model for the rest of Switzerland!

Bistro and rooms for rent The Crescenda team does more than help immigrant women set up in business: it also provides services. The Bistrot in the basement is run by Crescenda graduates and offers a wonderful selection of exotic food and a lovely garden, and is steadily getting better known. New is an American-Canadian brunch with a mouth-watering menu on Sundays, masterminded by a Senegalese married to a Canadian.

There are also six rooms for rent. At the top of the villa is a huge, newly converted room just under the roof – just the thing for a dinner for up to 50 people, an apéro, birthday party, wedding celebration, seminar or anything else.

All catering is supplied by the Bistrot staff, whose record to date, I heard, was 180 people! The others are smaller, offering accommodation for meetings of every description, from a small room for four with period furniture, to a modern seminar room with its own kitchen and large terrace, and what looks like a boardroom. The income from these also makes a useful contribution to Crescenda’s budget. www.crescenda.ch

Contributed by Anitra Green

BaselConnect Update

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A report on progress since the BaselConnect event on 29 August.

The workshop in November

he half-day event exploring ways of helping expats integrate into the regional community is, as hoped, causing reverberations in a number of directions. Awareness of expat issues is slowly growing on a political level, as reported in the last issue of Hello Switzerland, but developing ways of Switzerland putting ideas into action is taking a bit longer.

A detailed report on the results of the six workshops and the round-table discussion should now be available on the BaselConnect website. Many useful ideas were aired, but coordination is needed before they can be put into practice, especially if funding is involved. A meeting of workshop leaders was scheduled for mid-November to deal with this issue, and as one of the three BaselConnect organisers, Kathy Hartmann-Campbell, explained, this is effectively the first stage in developing a special expat portal to practically any online information that’s available in English. Only then can Basel’s city government act on its promise to provide such a portal, she said. As for Basel-Land, although its government has no integration commission, there is a move to include a representative of the expat community in their next round-table discussions.

Other projects are underway. An example is academia International School, which as a direct result of the BaselConnect event has decided to launch

an apprenticeship bridge programme.

“This is to meet a need amongst expats, whose children are not going to college but would like to have an apprenticeship under the state-run apprenticeship scheme in Switzerland,” said Kathy.

The school has also launched a bilingual programme of lunchtime, after-school and holiday activities.

Other signs of progress are shown by increased media interest in expat issues (as anybody who reads the local press knows), and the fact that more and more academic papers are being written on this subject. Moreover, “Mix”, the twice-yearly magazine published by the integration department of Basel city government, recently devoted an issue to voluntary activities, which are the basis of the BaselConnect initiative.

“Movement is slow,” said Kathy. “But things are definitely happening at grassroots level. We have to nudge things along, as people are busy, especially when it comes to education and training. Somebody even asked me the other day if there was a similar organisation to BaselConnect in Zurich! So awareness is growing elsewhere – and it’s not going to go away.”

BaselConnect has been launched to promote collaboration between expats and locals in the Basel region, with the help of large team of volunteers. www.baselconnect.ch

BASEL

T

Collated by Querida Long

22

Brief News from Berne Advent at Art Place88’s New Location Art Place88 is moving on 1 December to a new gallery with a small Artisan Boutique in Freundenberg Zentrum (Giacomettistrasse 15, Berne). The new location is easy to reach by public transport (end of the Number 7 Ostring Tram) and car (Autobahn exit Ostring) and there is plenty of parking.

The Opening exhibition is “24 ARTISTS ON 24 DAYS – Artist Advent”. There will be a daily “Christmas Advent Calendar Apéro” at 17:00. The vernissage will be on 30 November at 16:00.

On 7 December there’s a special dégustation event from 13:00 till 17:00 when Michael Jones of the British Cheese Centre presents cheese and port wine from England.

Opening hours: Monday to Friday 12:00-18:00; Saturday 11:00-15:00; Sunday 14:00-17:00. For more information, see www.artplace88.com www.facebook.com/artplace88 or email info@artplace88.com Olivia Kappert

My Federal Square

BERNE

Federal Square, or Bundesplatz as the locals call it, is one of Berne’s main attractions. The beautiful architecture, special events, weekly markets and, of course, the fun fountain with its 26 spouts of water encourage passersby to come and see what’s happening. On 1 November each year the fountain is turned off for the winter, but now you can play virtually in the fountain no matter what the weather. On the website, you can create your own water show and then use social media to share it with friends around the world.

The water show is amusing, but it isn’t all that the website offers. You can use it to find out what events are planned to take place on Federal Square, so you never miss a thing. It also has handy

Berne at night.

links to the city government services (in English) to help you with routine matters such as how to register a marriage or birth. You can use it as a starting point for finding out more about what goes on in the Swiss federal government, too. Federal Square is in the middle of Berne and my-federalsquare.ch is in the middle of Berne online. Both are good places to start when you want to find out more about the city. www.my-federalsquare.ch

Holiday shopping in Berne December is the best time for avid shoppers in Berne. In addition to shops in the city center, the weekly markets and the various suburban shopping centers, there are also two Christmas markets, one on the Waisenhausplatz and the other on the Munsterplatz, open daily until Christmas Eve. The stalls in both markets are full of wonderful gift ideas, with the Munsterplatz market featuring mostly handmade items.

Sonntagsverkauf or Sunday shopping, Sonntagsverkauf, is what seems to really excite holiday shoppers. Shops are usually closed on Sundays, but not during Advent. This year the shops in Berne will be open on 27 November as well as on 11 and 18 December to accommodate all the

(© swiss-image)

holiday shoppers. (Not all suburban shopping centers open for Sunday shopping.)

If you don’t love to shop, but someone on your holiday gift list does, consider getting them a BERNcity gift card. Not only will they be able to get exactly what they want, you’ll also be giving them the thrill of shopping without going through the hassle of shopping yourself. www.berncity.ch

Murder and Manslaughter This winter instead of curling up with a murder mystery on a cold afternoon, visit “Murder and Manslaughter: An Exhibition about Life” at the Historisches Museum Bern. The exhibit looks at our fascination with murder and manslaughter from the earliest times up to today. Topics include the value of a human life, murderous gods, war, terrorism, shooting sprees, spectacular murderers and murders, criminal investigations and the problems of punishment and prevention. The exhibition challenges visitors to examine their own beliefs about life, justice and legality and stimulates discussion on issues like punishment and prevention. www.bhm.ch

Contributed by Franz Andres Morrissey

The 1,001 Nights of Zobazzar Town

23

How panto came to Berne.

C

And the audiences know what they are in for. Since the Victorian Age when the panto emerged as a form of commedia dell’arte and was introduced to the audiences as jocular entr’acte between lengthy opera scenes, the British pantomime has successfully established its own traditions and routines. Every panto reinvents its own well-known tale or story, be it Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty or Puss in Boots; enchants the audience with a number of songs, mainly composed for the occasion, partly taken from the pop charts; and relies on a set of stock characters. No panto is complete without a fair amount of cross-dressing: the Principal Boy, be it Prince Charming in Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella, the eponymous Aladdin, even Robin Hood, the so-called “Best Boy”, is always played by a woman – which gave male audiences of yore a rare glance at a young lady’s tights and legs, of course. The comic women by contrast, for example Widow Twankey in Jack and the Beanstalk or the Ugly Sisters in Cinderella, get a lot of laughs by virtue of the fact that they were and are men, Dames, playing their roles in an over-the-top, camp manner, complete with a barrage of double-entendres.

One can only hope the children in the audience don’t understand, and don’t ask questions about these – or don’t end up explaining the meaning to their parents. In the same way that audiences can count on certain set characters, they can also expect certain routines.

Audience participation is as inevitable

ALADDIN AND THE MAGIC LAMP

A PANTO WRITTEN BY FRANZ ANDRES MORRISSEY 8.|9.|10. December | Theater am Käfigturm doors 7 pm | beginning 8 pm | ticket reservation: aladdinthepanto@gmail.com | www.panto.ch

an element as the fact that the lovers, even though they are likely to be both female actors, are going to live happily ever after. Theatre venues reverberate with contradictions: “Oh no, you’re not” or “Oh yes, he is”, in shouting matches that break out between the characters or while actors talk across the footlights.

Excited children trying to warn the goodies about their impending doom, with repeated screams of “He’s behind you”, are as much part of the panto tradition as baddies being booed and hissed at when they come on stage.

Luckily, this cheeky, zany, irrelevant and typically off-the-wall form of pre-Christmas fun has also made its way across the Channel to far-away Switzerland. Since 1998 the English Department at Berne University has been putting on pantos and has raised its students not only to eagerly participate in the productions – be it as actors, directors, producers, stage designers or make-up artists – but also to dearly love this peculiarly British Christmas tradition. For connoisseurs born and bred on the British Isles, these performances might deviate a little from what they are used to, as the routines have had to be adapted to a Swiss audience

unfamiliar with the panto tradition.

But rest assured, all the familiar and cherished elements are in there, only waiting to put a smile on the faces of both the young and the young at heart.

After this season’s performances of Aladdin and the Magic Lamp, which take place at the Theater am Käfigturm on 8, 9 and 10 December, many will leave the theatre still chuckling about His Royal Highness’ Sultan Sheik Italla Bout’s ineffable incompetence and Widow Twankey’s dangerously high and shattering soprano, or fall in love with Genie’s irresistible quirkiness and Buttons’ constant quest for food.

In the end, what can be guaranteed to all, aficionados and novices of pantos alike, is that this year’s tale about the good-for-nothing Aladdin will be great entertainment. www.panto.ch Franz Andres Morrissey teaches at Berne University, plays Rock and Folk in various bands and writes for the theatre, poetry and a foodblog, www.fam-food.blogspot.com

BERNE

hristmas is panto time! It’s when this quintessentially British form of family entertainment is staple fare all over the UK. Performers can hail from ad hoc amateur troupes formed by employees in large firms and public institutions, to well-known theatre companies in all the major cities with their roster of stars and celebrities.

Pantos are for everyone, for the small and the big stage alike, performed in local village halls and the West End.

Contributed by Kurt Metz

24

Hassle-Free Travel: a Dream Comes True at Bern Airport The Bernese people are known to be slow – but when it comes to take-off from Bern Belp you will be proved wrong.

B

ern has the swiftest ground procedures of any public airport. Ever heard of a check-in time of 20 minutes for a scheduled flight and 45 minutes for charters? Or a walking distance of roughly 100m as the crow flies from your car through customs and security to the plane? There’s valet parking available at low cost from the entrance itself, like a five-star hotel. While you’re away, they’ll even clean your car and service it if you wish. And when you return from your business trip or holiday, the vehicle will be waiting for you at the terminal exit.

BERNE

What may sound like a traveller’s dream is reality in the relatively small but highly efficient airport of the Swiss

capital. And to top it off: compared to any other airport in the country, never mind Europe, the daily and weekly parking fees are something of a laugh – they’re the cheapest in Switzerland.

This has all been in place for some time, but only a few passengers have taken advantage of it due to the lack of scheduled and charter flights. The Star Alliance Hub of Munich (Cirrus/ Lufthansa) and Paris Orly (Air France) were the only regular destinations throughout the year, plus a few charters in summer to the Mediterranean islands of Italy, Greece and Spain, and the occasional flight to Tunisia. Over winter weekends between Christmas

One of Skywork’s fleet of airplanes flying out of Bern Belp airport.

and Easter, there’s quite a lot of incoming traffic for winter sports fans from Southampton, Manchester and London Gatwick, bound for the Bernese Oberland and the Valais, or Interlaken, Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen with connecting bus services.

It all changed when some Bernese investors decided to buy a Dash 8 Q-400 with some 70 seats and to rent it to Skywork, a specialised general aviation company based in Bern Belp with – among a fleet of business jets – a Dornier 328 turboprop with 30 seats.

Aaretal Reisen, the area’s local tour operator specialising in travel packages from Bern, guaranteed the necessary number of flying hours to keep the new plane in the air. Despite the usual teething troubles, Skywork really took off. To cut a long story short, in 2011 there were six scheduled flights and

(© skywork)

YOUR PERSONAL WAY TO FLY

25

COUNT ON US TO GET YOU THERE. 24 destinations from Bern.

HAMBURG

BERLIN

AMSTERDAM LONDON

COLOGNE BONN VIENNA BUDAPEST

Bern

BELGRADE SPLIT

flyskywork.com about 20 charter destinations on their roster. Helvetic Airways (based in Zurich) stationed a Fokker jet with 100 seats at Bern Belp, Darwin (Lugano) and InterSky of Friedrichshafen operated flights to holiday destinations as far afield as Greece and the island of Usedom in the Baltic.

With the winter schedule in operation from the last weekend in October, the number of new destinations and frequencies to existing ones has risen again. Skywork serves 11 European airports from Amsterdam to Vienna, including London City. With their fleet up to three Dash-8 and four Dornier 328 aircraft by spring 2012, they will fly to 24 destinations on a regular basis.

Helvetic Airways has confirmed the return of its Bern-based aircraft for summer 2012 and plans charter flights to typical holiday destinations in the Balearics, the Greek islands and southern Italy.

MADRID

BARCELONA REUS

MINORCA MAJORCA IBIZA

ELBA

THESSALONIKI

ROME

FIGARI

OLBIA

PREVEZA

CAGLIARI

A second terminal is due to open just before the Christmas rush, so that Schengen and non-Schengen passengers can be handled separately. Then Bern Belp airport will be fully fledged, boasting a three-star hotel with a fine restaurant on site, kiosk and bar inside the terminals, lounge for frequent flyers, tax-free shop – and planes taking off and landing throughout the day.

This includes many business jets, too, as places like Interlaken and Gstaad are only about one hour’s drive away.

Bern Belp is served by the airport bus from Bern’s main railway station and linked to various S-Bahn stops in the area by the Tangento bus. By car, you take the A6 motorway towards Thun and exit at Rubigen, where the access road is clearly signposted.

Taking off and landing in Bern offers another bonus: a breathtaking view of the Bernese Alps. A personal hint:

CATANIA

when you fly from Bern to Munich, make sure you get a window seat on the right-hand side to enjoy one of the world’s finest panoramas with Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau – and that’s just for starters. www.flughafenbern.ch www.parkandfly.ch www.flyskywork.com www.helvetic.com www.aaretal-reisen.ch www.bernmobil.ch

Kurt Metz is a communications consultant for the tourism and mobility industries (www. konzeptchuchi.ch), likes to travel, loves to cook, eat and drink and takes pleasure in sharing his experiences by writing travel features.

BERNE

NICE

Contributed by Michel Hueter

26

Design Preis Schweiz Swiss Design Award 2011 showcases Swiss design.

I

nitiated in 1991 by the Design Centre in Langenthal, the design award is being held for the eleventh time this year. The stated aim is to recognise Swiss design and present this to an international audience.

Design Preis Schweiz observes and has a defining influence on the market.

It pays tribute to outstanding performance, and sees itself as providing uncompromising encouragement for courageous ideas that will smooth the path for the design of the future.

One main objective is its cultural and economic significance: the meeting of different disciplines encourages dialogue between designers, companies, creative talents and buyers.

The top-quality works to which prizes are awarded will reflect the innovative strength of design as an economic factor. As both a national and international platform the design award assists the breakthrough of visions, research projects and implementation in line with market requirements.

BERNE

The award has continued to develop since its initiation. The competition has

The exhibition in Langenthal

constantly acquired new ideas through unique and close cooperation with highly acclaimed partners from both the public and private sectors. The international travelling exhibition has been significantly enlarged, and has gained a position in the international arena, mediates and networks.

After the exhibition in the Depot for Design in Langenthal, the nominated and award-winning works in Design Preis Schweiz 2009 were shown in prestigious institutions in Strasbourg, Geneva, Winterthur, Berlin, Shanghai, Chicago, Washington, Oslo, Tokyo, Miami, Beijing, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Vancouver, Milan and finally back in Switzerland in La Neuveville.

Design Preis Schweiz Facts Acknowledged experts from each of the disciplines nominate the projects entered for the attention of the panel in a two-stage process.

The international panel awards the prizes to the works. The members of the panel for the 2011 prize are Liesbeth in’t Hout, Ascan Mergenthaler, Jasper Morrison, Lars Müller, Eugenio Perazza and Robb Young.

The competition is aimed at designers, companies and students from colleges of design.

Disciplines Communication Design, Furniture Design, Interior Design, Textile Design, Fashion Design, Product Design and Research.

Swiss connection To be eligible for entry, projects must be by designers and students of Swiss nationality or who are working or studying in Switzerland.

Companies must have either their headquarters, their research and development site or their production facility in Switzerland.

Main award categories Market For products and services which have been successfully launched on the market between 2009 and the entry deadline for Design Preis Schweiz 2011 (end of April).

Newcomer For products and services which are close to being launched.

Research For projects in the sphere of applied design research, design theory and design history, which are distinguished by innovative methods or results, and which stimulate the design discourse.

Awards – in collaboration with acclaimed partners Textile Design Award by SWISS TEXTILES & ZUMSTEG FOUNDATION a) For innovative solutions involving textile products such as fabrics, textile floorings and carpets. This award is for an outstanding textile product which has already been launched on the market or will be soon, and which achieves distinction in areas such as the combination of materials, functions or technology. The award is aimed at the textile industry.

b) For innovative projects in the textiles sector. This awards young designers as well as students and graduates from design colleges or universities.

The award is aimed at talented upand-coming designers.

Particular attention is paid to the designer’s sense of responsibility in dealing with natural resources.

PFISTER Interior Design Award For projects in the interior design sector. The prize is awarded to an outstanding interior design product that achieves distinction through the highest standards of quality, skilful craftsmanship, contemporary creativity and individuality. The prize is aimed chiefly at talented up-and-coming designers.

RADO Product Design Award For industrial products that achieve distinction through the innovative use

of materials or material combinations, innovative functionality or novel production methods. The prize is aimed at industry and at talented up-and-coming designers.

Prize money Based on previous experience, around 40 projects are nominated and at least three prizes and three awards presented. The international panel has prize money totalling CHF 220,000 at its disposal. All nominated works are included in the international travelling exhibition and in publicity material.

Financing In addition to the main partners Textilverband Schweiz, Zumsteg Foundation, Rado Uhren and Pfister AG, support for the Design Preis Schweiz is mainly provided by the cantons of Berne and Zurich, the city of Langenthal, the Schweizerische Stiftung für Design, the

Jaberg Stiftung and the Swiss Design Association.

27

Presentation of the prizes took place on 4 November 2011 in Langenthal. The exhibition of nominated and awardwinning work can be visited in Depot Design in Langenthal.

More information www.designpreis.ch Contact Michel Hueter, Deputy Curator Design Preis Schweiz D’S Design Center AG Mühleweg 23 CH-4900 Langenthal michelhueter@designnet.ch Phone: +41 62 923 03 33 Mobile: +41 79 758 12 50 Berne Economic Development Agency www.berneinvest.com

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Looking for a new tenant?

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cating people to Switzerland and therefore constantly looking Basel:

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employment 28

The Spouse Career Centre (SCC) Interview with Jeanette Cerquone, Proprietor of SCC* Q: Which countries do foreign workers or expats in Switzerland come from?

A: It varies. Over the last ten years there were phases when many expats coming to Switzerland were from India, and then other times when these were predominantly from China and Japan. We can always reckon on a large proportion coming from the USA, and then again from European countries such as Germany, France, Italy, Great Britain or the Netherlands.

Q. How many expats currently live in Switzerland?

A: In the Basel area alone there are around 35,000 expats. And ten percent of taxable income is generated from the foreign workforce in this region, which is why integration is such an important political and economic issue.

Q: Do the women mostly come to Switzerland to accompany their husbands?

A: Quite the contrary: at the moment our company is dealing with more than 50% of cases where the men are following their wives. Last year the figure was around 40%. More and more women are taking up demanding positions in management, in determined pursuit of their own careers.

Q: Why is it so important for spouses of either gender to gain a foothold in the Swiss job market?

A: They are often equally well trained and qualified. The deciding factor for professionals to come to Switzerland from abroad depends very much on the opportunity for their partner to find work locally. Very often transfers fall through, because the spouse or partner isn’t familiar with the market and doesn’t believe they’ll be able to find a job. And that means offering them support is a fundamental element of successful recruitment. But it also means that the prospective employee can be engaged for a longer period by Swiss businesses.

Q: Does the satisfaction of the accompanying partner have an effect on how long an expat will stay in Switzerland?

A: Yes, there’s a direct correlation.

Contracts are often terminated early if partners or spouses feel unhappy.

Q: Which particular jobs does this apply to in Switzerland?

A: It depends if the prospective employee arrives with a background in training and experience that is recognised and sought after in the Swiss job market. Frequently an expat can be working in a specific field that doesn’t exist in Switzerland. We once

What we do

We aim to be the best partner for expats whose careers are in transition, offering search tools, extensive networks and deep expertise.

Jeanette Cerquone, business owner of SCC (© Mercer)

had a case of an astronaut who was apparently going to have to change career, but who was ultimately able to take up an appropriate research post at the ETH in Zurich. It’s often necessary for the person in question to retrain, gain further qualifications, or take up employment at a lower grade or level.

Q: How highly do you rate your success?

A: It depends how you define success.

We also handle many people who are “difficult to place” – for example, a female dentist from the Indian subcontinent needing to perfect her German in order to take the requisite Swiss State exams. On the other hand, in these or similar cases we have always been able to identify the options available in the pharmaceutical or implant technology

Contact Jeanette Cerquone Managing Director / Business owner phone +41 79 279 86 96 jeanette.cerquone@spousecareercentre.com www.spousecareercentre.com

• Employability assessment • Career coaching; individual support as needed, with research, consulting and networking, to leverage the spouse’s portable skills for the local job market • Social integration support • with a diverse group of local and international professionals and expertise of 10 years in this field

spouse

career centre GmbH

employment sectors. Very often we succeed in finding openings in these fields within nine to twelve months. For international people who are already well integrated into the international job market, the chances of finding a job within four to six months can be as high as 70%.

Q: How do differences in mentality affect this process?

A: This is a very significant factor.

Americans, for example, are much more used to making a decision once they have submitted their application for employment, and they are quick to demand clarification on the financial situation. Expats from the Far East, find our culture of feedback and direct communication often completely alien.

There are often marked differences in attitude when applicants have to complete their CV to the standard expected in Switzerland. Expats from the Indian subcontinent believe a CV should be

written in the smallest detail and in prose. For them, creating a short, concise résumé is on a par with laziness.

Q: How sensitive are Swiss employers to this situation among spouses and partners?

A: Internationally oriented employers in particular are well aware that close attention has to be paid to the whole issue of relationships. This then ensures that expats can be integrated for longer periods. But first of all line management has to be convinced that this will save costs. This “luxury of support” can often be regarded as completely useless. It is further argued that the costs of engaging expats are already high enough. Yet to date our service has been involved with more than 80 businesses, and demand is rising.

Q: Do these companies pay for your advice?

A: Yes, they engage our services directly. Some businesses tie this in with their HR policy, but a few of them refuse to handle demands for support.

29

* Abridged from Sonntag, November 2011, and translated by Caroline Thonger The Spouse Career Centre was founded in 2001 in Switzerland, providing career-related counseling and social integration support to accompanying spouses. Spouse Career Support Programs have proven to be instrumental at times when international companies move parts of their businesses from abroad to Switzerland or hire people internationally. The SCC works in collaboration with multinational companies from various industrial fields. www.spousecareercentre.com

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All you need to feel at home in Switzerland: Beyond Chocolate – understanding Swiss culture

by Margaret Oertig Davidson This fascinating portrayal of Swiss attitudes and values points out potential misunderstandings about friendship, neighbourliness, being professional, giving and getting compliments and criticism, parenting, schooling, being polite, entertaining, decision making, etiquette, leadership, taking risks, and much much more.

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Contributed by the Hello Switzerland Team: Caroline, Anitra, Allison and Querida

32

Discover Switzerland: Food Keep warm throughout the winter on our tour of Swiss gastronomic delights.

“F

SWITZERLAND

ood and drink keep body and soul together” is a proverb often displayed in kitchens and dining rooms in Swiss homes. It shows how seriously food is taken, and that eating together is the focus of family life.

And although Switzerland is a landlocked country with influences from the other European countries around its borders (France, Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein and Italy), Swiss cuisine has a distinct flavour all of its own. The way Swiss cooks prepare their local fare, using regional, seasonal and festive food recipes, is often referred as “true cooking”.

In this issue’s “Discover Switzerland”, we have decided to give another slant to our virtual tour around the country.

Instead of writing about different delicacies according to region, we are presenting this section in the form of a “Swiss menu” to include: starters and soups; main courses; potatoes, pasta and vegetables; cheese specialities; puddings and cakes; and finally biscuits for special occasions. Sweet or savoury, we hope we can tempt your taste buds!

Starters & Soups The most famous soup in Basel is Mehlsuppe (flour soup), served during Fasnacht. This is supposed to be an age-old tradition, but in fact it’s nothing of the sort – it only became popular about 100 years ago. That is, according to Basel Küche, the book of Basel recipes produced (in German only) by Minu (Hans-Peter Hammel), Basel’s best-known writer on food and other things. Another fascinating source of information (in English) is “A Taste of Switzerland” by Sue Style, who has lived the Basel region for many years.

The canton of Aargau specializes in delectable carrot dishes: as a starter, they make a thick, creamy soup, tempting enough even for children who won’t usually eat vegetables.

Over to the east, the Bündners have just the thing to keep you warm and satiated in winter: Gerstensuppe, or barley soup. While it’s always tasty, nicely spiced and chunky, the exact recipe seems to vary from valley to valley, or perhaps from day to day. In addition to the barley, the typical vegetables are

Fasnacht food from Basel: Mehlsuppe and Cheese & Onion tart

(© AG)

Grilled cervelat

(© sxc.hu)

onions, leeks and carrots and especially beans and potatoes. Some versions have cream, but most, it seems, do not.

For a less substantial starter, the Swiss have always specialized in beautifully presented salad plates, whether small or large. These usually feature the most cheerily colourful salad vegetables.

Mains (mostly meat) St. Gallen’s best-known contribution to the national cuisine is very straightforward: the veal sausage, or Kalbsbratwurst. It contains at least 50% veal, along with bacon and milk. In the summer, it’s typically grilled or roasted over an open fire and eaten with a hearty roll. In winter, it’s best covered with onion gravy and eaten with Rösti.

One of Berne’s famous local specialties is a carnivore’s delight: the Bernese platter (Berner Metzger-Platte). A Bernese platter typically includes beef tongue, various sausages and thick slices of pork belly all boiled and served with green beans, Sauerkraut and potatoes. It’s usually considered a winter dish, but at some restaurants it’s available year-round.

Zurich’s most renowned dish is Züri Geschnetzeltes, which tends to be translated into English on menus as “Zurich Style sliced veal” or something even less appealing. It is indeed made with small slices of veal, but the key ingredient is the mushrooms, while a vegetarian version is also excellent.

They are cooked in a creamy white wine sauce and traditionally served

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with Rösti, although Spätzli are another good choice (mini dumplings found throughout southern Germany, Switzerland and Austria).

Suure Lääberli is another typical local dish, liver in a wine sauce and served with bread, rice or polenta. Suure Mogge is only served in autumn or winter: a powerful and warming dish, which involves marinating a chunk of beef in a mixture containing red wine and vinegar for several days before cooking it slowly in a large pot.

La Chasse (September) The hunting season in Switzerland varies from canton to canton, but traditionally takes place during the month of September. At this time many local restaurants display menus proudly proclaiming “la chasse” (in French) or “Wild” (in German), in other words dishes predominantly featuring venison and other game. In parts of the Swiss Alps this can even include chamois.

Feast of St Martin This traditional festival of the pig takes place throughout Romandie in November, a time of year celebrating pork products in all their varieties.

The most typical dish of the Valais region is the Assiette Valaisanne, featuring thinly-cut slices of air-dried beef, pancetta-style bacon, home-cured ham and local Alpine cheese. This is presented on a wooden platter and served with small silverskin onions and baby gherkins, together with regional rye

Grotto in the Ticino

(© swiss-image)

bread. A variation is Brisolée, traditionally served in autumn to reward the harvest-gatherers.

The Grotto is a rustic eatery, only found in the Ticino area, offering traditional food ranging from pasta to home-made meat specialties. Popular dishes are Luganighe and Luganighetta, a type of peasant sausage. Authentic grottoes are ancient wine cellars re-imagined into restaurants. Due to their nature they are mostly found in or around forests and constructed against a rocky background, where the façade is built from granite blocks with tables and benches on the terrace outside made of the same stone.

Pasta / Potato / Speciality Vegetables Being so near the border with Germany and France, Basel has also taken over some of their traditions. Metzgete is popular in autumn, fresh blood and liver sausages with mounds of choucroute, or Sauerkraut (pickled cabbage

Brisolée

(© swiss-image)

originating from Alsace). In the spring the entire population seems to gorge on fresh asparagus from the Rhine plain in Alsace or Germany.

Rösti is a classic grated potato dish served throughout the German part of Switzerland. In fact, the dividing line between the French and German regions is often called the Röstigraben (Graben means “ditch”) because it’s eaten much less in Romandie. However, despite its Germanic name, some of the best Rösti can be found high up in the Alps, in the French-speaking part of the Haut Valais. It’s a particular favourite among skiers and mountain walkers alike.

A hearty meal for a cold day comes from the Vaud region: Papet Vaudois.

Made from potatoes and leeks boiled and sometimes mashed together, it’s filling and simple but delicious. It is best complimented by a selection of local sausages, especially saucisse de choux, boiled in the same pot.

Throughout Innerschweiz, Alplermagronen is macaroni and cheese at its best: cream and mountain cheese (Brinz, produced around the lakes of Lucerne and Brienz is the classic) melted together and mixed with the pasta and potatoes, sprinkled with fried onions, and sometimes with bacon.

Pasta was introduced to Switzerland

SWITZERLAND

During Fasnacht the citizens of Basel traditionally eat Klöpfer, fat brown sausages known as Cervelat in most other parts of Switzerland. Also common are Fastwaehe, flat rolls cut in a lattice shape then baked with caraway seeds, One genuine Basel speciality is salmon Basel style – Lachs Basler Art – fresh salmon with a hefty portion of brownfried onion rings, usually served with boiled potatoes. This must date from the time when salmon ran freely in the Rhine, and it was apparently forbidden to serve it to your apprentices or servants more than two or three times a week because it was such a cheap option.

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by Italian immigrants building the Gotthard tunnel in the 19th century.

Some versions of Alplermagronen are baked, and the Urner version omits the potatoes (though it still doesn’t qualify as low-carb). It’s traditionally served with Apfelmus or apple-sauce.

If a platter of boiled meats doesn’t make your mouth water, perhaps you’d like something with onions. In late November, the Bernese host the Zibelemärit (Onion Market) when you can get everything imaginable made from onions, including Zibelewähe (onion tart). On the day of the Onion Market every bakery in town sells onion tarts.

Whole or by the slice, onion tarts are a favourite all winter long.

SWITZERLAND

In Italian-speaking Switzerland, Ticinese dishes include Pizzoccheri, Polenta and Saffron Risotto. Pizzoccheri are short tagliatelle made of buckwheat flour cooked along with greens and cubed potatoes. For centuries polenta was regarded as a meal for the poor.

Corn was introduced to the south of what is now Canton Ticino as long ago as the beginning of the 17th century, which led to a change in the monotonous cuisine. But it took another 200 years before polenta became the staple dish of the area. Saffron Risotto is another typical dish from the region.

Raclette

A brief word on Romansh When the people of the Engadine speak Romansch, visitors cannot help but smile: the local language sounds like Italian soaked in sunshine. Here, the traditional Engadine lifestyle is not so much celebrated as lived on a daily basis. Uniquely local customs are much in evidence: Chalandamarz (the largest children’s festival in the region, held on 1 March) and the Schlitteda (Romansh for sleigh-ride); sgraffito art on the façades of the houses (elegant wall-paintings and decorations); and particular culinary specialities. These include delightful-sounding capuns (chard-wrapped dumplings), and maluns (a potato dish).

Pizokel (similar to Spätzli in other parts of Switzerland) are eaten in a wide variety of ways. In some places when eaten on their own they are known in Romansh as “bizochels bluts”, meaning “plain” or “bald”. If someone leaves a small amount of any kind of food on the serving dish for the sake of politeness, in the Engadine this is called “ far sco quel dal bizoccal”, meaning more or less “leaving the last pizokel”.

Cheese dishes The canton of Berne is probably best known for its cheeses. Everyone knows Emmentaler, the holey cheese that is

(© swiss-image)

simply called Swiss cheese in much of the English-speaking world. It’s an all-purpose cheese that can be paired with Gschwellti (boiled potatoes) for a simple meal, melted over Rösti to turn it into something a bit more special, or combined with Gruyère for Fondue. The Emmentaler Show Dairy in Affoltern im Emmental is well worth a visit. You’ll not only get to see how Emmentaler cheese is made, you’ll also learn that there’s more variation to it than a typical supermarket would lead you to believe. It ranges from the very mild young cheese to the strongly flavoured Premier Cru, which is aged for over a year in caves. The show dairy also has a cheese counter with a splendid selection of other, less well-known cheeses from Berne. Here you can taste Belper Knolle cheese, which was invented by Belp cheesemaker Peter Glauser in 1993 and won the 2007 prize for Swiss agricultural innovation. This handmade cheese is formed into a ball and then rolled in Himalayan salt, local garlic and pepper and ends up looking like a truffle. The cheese is then aged for up to a year until it’s rock hard and can be shaved, much like a truffle, over pasta, risotto or salads.

Back up in the French-speaking Swiss Alps, there are three popular dishes featuring cheese designed to warm you up during the coldest winter months. Fondue, of course, is usually the most popular dish to share with friends, and many local restaurants will jealously guard their own secret recipes. Varieties can include adding tomatoes or onions, and traditionally a glass of Kirsch will be served. Another favourite is Raclette, where half a large wheel of local cheese is placed under a special hot grill, and the molten cheese then scraped off onto a plate.

Holding fondue and raclette parties at home is also very popular. Another variation on the theme is Croûte, where bread is used as the basis under the cheese instead of potato or polenta.

Varieties can include adding bacon with pears or a fried egg on top. In some ski resorts of the Haut Valais, Apéro raclette is served after a hard day’s skiing at around 5pm.

PRIZE DRAW!

An exclusive competition for readers of Hello Switzerland.

2 vouchers worth CHF 200 each for Restaurant Walliser Kanne Basel: Traditional Swiss Restaurant with Valais specialities and exquisite gourmet classics. www.walliserkanne-basel.ch

In possible direct competition to Basel, the Valais is also famous for its fruit tarts – especially Tarte aux Abricots.

These are created on deliciously thin flaky pastry bases, lined with ground hazelnuts and crème patissière, and topped with slightly caramelised halves of fruit. Another speciality featuring the region’s abundance of fruit is Tourte aux Noix, a round covered pie filled with a sweet walnut paste.

Chestnuts are a popular food in Zurich, as in much of Switzerland. In the winter, little bags of them are sold roasted from stands all around town. The nifty bags have a clever extra pocket for the shells. Candied, they make a side dish, especially in autumn with game.

They’re also made into soup or breads, or pureed, sweetened and squeezed into thin strings (vermicelli) to be eaten as dessert with some whipped cream.

Aargau has a rich, moist cake made with ground almonds and decorated with

Swiss Meringue

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2 vouchers worth CHF 200 each for Restaurant Stadthof Basel: Traditional Swiss Restaurant for a business lunch or a romantic dinner. www.stadthof.ch 1 voucher worth CHF 110 cute marzipan carrots. for a massage or other beauty treatments.

The most famous GrauLarissaSpa is an oasis of wellbeing right in the city centre Basel. bünden specialty is the www.larissaspa.ch Engadiner Nusstorte, or walnut cake. It’s essential1 voucher worth CHF 100 ly a pocket of rich, dense and take advantage of discount buying at Switzerland’s and buttery cake with an second Master of Wine. even richer filling of walnuts, www.realwines.ch honey, sugar and cream. A little goes a long way!

To take part in the prize draw, just send an email For a sweet end to a meal, Caby 16 December 2011 to Lukas@hellowitzerland.ch ramelköpfli (caramel custard) is typiincluding your postal address cal of the Bernese Oberland region, as and subject line Food Competition! is Emmentaler meringue.

And talking of meringue …

According to legend, the name Meringue came from the Swiss village of Meiringen in the Bernese Oberland, famous for the Reichenbach Falls immortalised by Arthur Conan Doyle and where Sherlock Holmes was supposed to have met his nemesis. The villagers claim that it was an Italian chef called Gasparini who invented the confection.

The Swiss version of Meringue is made by whipping egg whites with sugar over a bain marie to warm them up, and then whisking the mixture steadily until it cools. It is then baked, usually in the shape of swirling roundels, and served with thickly whipped cream.

Ironically, frequently neither the German-speaking Swiss nor Germans themselves use the name “meringue” at all, but instead call this sweet “Baiser” (taken from the French for “kiss”!).

The canton of Vaud specialises in Carac, a round pastry consisting of a piecrust filled with chocolate, and topped with green icing.

Biscuits (for special occasions) Switzerland excels in a whole variety of speciality biscuits for the Christmas period. Many are baked into beautiful stars and other shapes, just to decorate the Christmas tree. Two of these types are genuine Basel traditions: Basler Läckerli and Basler Brünsli. You can get

the spicy honey-flavoured Läckerli all the year round from the Läckerlihuus, but eat them fresh or they’re liable to stick your teeth together. The Basler Brünsli – chocolate biscuits with a difference – are only for Christmas; you can buy them ready made, buy the dough and bake your own, or make them from scratch, which is a popular activity for the entire family.

During Epiphany on 6 January, known as Dreikönigstag, one tradition is to buy sweet buns each garnished with a gold paper crown. In the Romandie, bakeries feature special cakes for the occasion (Fête des Troi Rois). A few weeks later, Fasnachtskiechli or thin crispy pancakes dusted with icing sugar, are a very popular treat to munch during the Fasnacht celebrations.

Whichever part of Switzerland you find yourself in, you will never go hungry!

Basler Läckerli

(© laeckerli-huus.ch)

SWITZERLAND

Puddings & Cakes Fruit grows in abundance all over Switzerland, each region boasting its own version of Torte or Tarte. The famous Basel cherries come from the orchards on the hills stretching from Pratteln to Sissach, Rickenbach and beyond. Local citizens love to help with the cherry harvest, while enjoying a slurp of Baselbieter Kirsch. Then there are the plums, known as Pflümli or Schwätschge. All these are baked in open fruit pies with an underlay of milled nuts and set in a custard.

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Compiled by The Romandie Team

Brief News from Romandie Jack and the Beanstalk is this year’s theme for the pantomime to be performed by the Geneva Amateur Operatic Society (GAOS). Quoting from their flyer: The Kingdom of Absurdia is broke – its citizens are fearful of the evil Giant and his even more evil sidekick, Slimeball.

These two are causing havoc, demanding money and taking hostages. It is also rumoured that the Giant likes to eat people – especially children! When Jack’s true love, the beautiful Princess Rose, is captured he sets out to save her, assisted by his dodgy bunch of helpers.

With Jack and the Beanstalk GAOS brings you a really traditional family show, complete with magic beans and a pantomime cow.

Venue: Aula du College de Saussure, 9 Vieux Chemin d’Onex, 1213 PetitLancy, Geneva.

Dates: 25, 26, 27 November; 1, 2, 3 and 4 December.

Tickets: CHF 31.

Bookings and information: www.theatreinenglish.ch www.gaos.ch

Schilliger If there’s no place like home for the holidays, then there’s also no place like Schilliger, the Romandie retail phenomenon. With 6 locations, the Gland store must be amongst the most magical. This Christmas season life-sized mechanized polar bears, snow leopards, and reindeer in snowy settings inhabit a glistening retail forest of wreaths, bejewelled boughs, elegantly trimmed ribbons, and a range of Christmas Crackers and decorative bulbs created in beautiful taste. The toy village scenes include figurines twirling on a skating rink, and even pet owners struggling to haul their respective dogs apart. Toys for children range into a higher quality, as do pet care products. Pet Head shampoo in a Blueberry Muffin scent?

GENEVA AMATEUR OPERATIC SOCIETY PRESENTS THE GENEVA PANTOMIME 2011 AULA DU COLLEGE DE SAUSSURE 9, Vieux Chemin d’Onex 1213 Petit-Lancy, GENEVA

JACK & THE BEANSTALK

By Damian Trasler, David Lovesy and Steve Clark 25 November 2011 at 20h00 26 and 27 November at 14h00 and 18h30 1 and 2 December at 20h00 3 December at 14h00 and 18h30 4 December at 14h00

Tickets at CHF 31.From 29 October on : www.theatreinenglish.ch From 14 November on : +41.22.341.51.90

www.gaos.ch A traditional family show

At Schilliger, you are truly spoiled for choice. Carried on by the family, and including occasional art exhibits, Schilliger is also open on Sundays from 30 November through Christmas. www.schilliger.com

Fewer Trams for better service?

If you take the tram in Geneva be aware that changes are afoot – from 11 December, there will be just three Geneva tram services instead of the current seven. And a ticket price increase is also on the way. According to Philippe Anhorn from TGP, it won’t save the city of Geneva any money, but it will allow the system to run more efficiently. www.tpg.ch

International Hot-Air Balloon Festival in Château-d’Oex Held in January, the International Hot-Air Balloon Festival attracts balloonists from 20 countries around the globe. The picture of colourful balloons against the snow-capped Alpine peaks is unforgettable.

Around 100 hot-air balloons take advantage of the exceptional winter climate in the Alps. Skiers can hear the slow breathing of the multicoloured balloons in the sky above them. The festival was initiated in 1979 by balloonists Hans Bücker and Charles-André Ramseier, former director of the Château-d’Oex tourist office, for the benefit of their winter guests. The festival draws large crowds who come to see the flights and the “son et lumière” night show.

The first balloon that flew around the globe without stopping left from Château-d’Oex in 1999. The Breitling Orbiter steered by Betrand Piccard and Brian Jones accomplished this feat in 20 days. For hot-air balloon fans, Espace Ballons in Château-d’Oex exhibits the balloonists’ achievements. www.chateau-doex.ch

Lausanne: City of Taste Lausanne has been voted “City of Taste 2012”. Look out for lots of events in the New Year! www.lausanne.ch

Geneva’s Version of Carols from Kings Holy Trinity Church in Geneva holds its annual Christmas carol concert, based on the format of the famous “Service of Nine Lessons and Carols” broadcast annually around the world from King’s College Cambridge, UK. http://holytrinitygeneva.org

Christmas lights in Lausanne, City of Taste 2012

ROMANDIE

Panto Season

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Contributed by Olivia Hutton

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Looking for a Gap Year?

Try Altitude, the Ski and Snowboard Instructor’s Course in Verbier.

A

ltitude Futures is a ten-week programme tailored specifically to Gap Year students wishing to become a fully-fledged ski or snowboarding instructor. Altitude boasts that their Futures instructors are some of the “best in the business”, holding the highest national qualifications, with many having previously competed at international level. These instructors guide their charges through the intense training programme, helping them to prepare for their BASI Level One and Two exams (British Association of Snowsport Instructors). By the end of the course, “Gappies” gain their ski or snowboard instructor license, a first aid qualification, and some invaluable practical teaching experience. The course is pricey, setting you back a cool £7000 (approximately CHF 9,800) for the Gap Course, which includes accommodation, evening meals (excluding the weekends), lift pass, equipment deals and 200 hours of coaching.

ROMANDIE

Katie has finished her A-levels, and has decided to take a Gap Year before taking up her place at Bristol University, England to study primary school teaching. She has now successfully passed her BASI Level One exam, and is currently training hard for her Level Two. Asked if she thinks that participating in the course is something that universities or prospective employers would look favourably upon, she enthusiastically agrees.

“It’s an extremely valuable experience,” she says. “It shows that you are committed and willing to go one step further to learn something new. It builds your self-assurance, and it enables you to meet many new people while showing that you are able to deal responsibly with adults and children of all ages with confidence.”

The course itself is intense, to say the least. Gappies hit the slopes at 9am sharp and finish at 4pm, before

rounding their day off with a one-hour video debrief and lecture. They have a sixty-minute lunch break at midday, and two ten-minute coffee breaks morning and afternoon. Katie advises any potential Altitude Futures skiers to gain a “suitable level of fitness”, in order to be able to deal with the very active nature of the course.

Training for your BASI Level One exam generally involves skiing on the piste. The main focus is The Central Theme, which assesses how the participants would go about teaching different styles. Katie describes how they had to individually prepare, deliver and evaluate a twenty-minute teaching session directed at the rest of their group. This covered such things as: introductory activities (a warm-up), sliding, the snowplough, snowplough turns, plough parallel and parallel turns.

In preparation for the Level Two exam, the students continue to look at The Central Theme, but this time the lessons they prepare for the rest of the group are up to50 minutes long. The focus has now shifted to more advanced problems such as: variables, steeps, short turns, long turns, carving, bumps and the dreaded mogul runs (sections of snow with large raised lumps, carved out by over-eager skiers).

Another important part of the Level Two preparation is to shadow qualified instructors during lessons. These can range from three-year-olds to adults of varying abilities. Katie has enjoyed developing her teaching skills but adds ruefully, “Taking seven three-year-olds for a hot chocolate can be an experience, as most of it ends up everywhere – around their mouths and on the floor.”

However, the Gappies do get welldeserved breaks. They have every weekend off to do what they please, and some Wednesday mornings. When asked what she and her friends get up to at the weekend, Katie laughs,

Gap Year in Verbier

“Sometimes they relax, but most of the time they ski.”

It certainly sounds like they work and play hard.

Altitude also runs day and residential summer camps in Verbier for children aged 3-16, so perfect for parents wanting to find some activities for children.

For more information see www.altitude-futures.com or email Laura on info@altitude-futures.com For Verbier summer camps check out: www.altitude-camps.com Olivia Hutton Graduating this year with a 1st in English from Exeter University, Olivia has been gaining experience on Ghana’s national newspaper, the Daily Graphic, and volunteering on a teaching project with underprivileged children. She will spend the first 5 months of 2012 in Whistler, Canada, hoping to qualify as a ski instructor.

Contributed by Jo Ann Hansen Rasch

Les Avants

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“Switzerland is a small steep country, much more up and down than sideways, and is all stuck over with large brown hotels built on the cuckoo clock style of architecture,” wrote Ernest Hemingway.

I

f this is not an entirely accurate description of the country, it is a chiseled portrait of the Alpine villages perched above Montreux, in the canton of Vaud, especially the once-famous holiday place, Les Avants.

With a population of only 380 inhabitants, Les Avants has gone from being one of the most famous Swiss resorts of the first half of the 20th century to a tranquil haven for those who have retreated from the busy towns along the edges of Lake Geneva. The skating rink is only a memory, and the Grand Hotel is now a finishing school, Le Châtelard, where young South American girls are educated. English playwright Noël Coward and Australian opera singer Joan Sutherland both had homes in Les Avants, and they graciously presented end-of-term awards at the school.

In the centre of the village, the oldest European flower clock continues to tell the time even if the famous and fashionable have abandoned the village.

Nature’s beauty remains. Many hiking trails exist, the most popular being La Tour du Cubly, where during the month of May generations continue to walk through the white enchantment of fields of narcissi, with alternating views of the towering Alps and the wide horizon of

Old postcards from Les Avants, 1911 to 1919

Lake Geneva. Les Avants is also a stop on the cultural hiking trail, indicated with yellow signposts, that crosses Switzerland.

In winter, sledding takes over from hiking. In 1910, a funicular opened from Les Avants MOB train station to Sonloup, a pass above the village. The nature of the landscape demanded the audacious creation of a viaduct with eleven arches and two bridges. With the advent of the funicular, bobsleigh races were initiated. When young Hemingway stayed in the region with his first wife Hadley in 1921/22, he wrote to his father: “The bob is only big enough for two … and goes all the way down the mountain through the wildest country you ever saw. Black forests of pine trees and gorges and the big mountain La Dent de Jaman. You ought to see us come down with Hash steering.

She thinks it is a sign of cowardice to ever put on the brake. I use it every once in a while on account of the fine way it makes the slivers of ice fly up … It is the healthiest and nicest place you ever clapped a dead light on.”

Sledding remains Les Avants’ winter pastime. Every day, from 9am to 8pm, the funicular takes people up to the beginning of the run where they then slide down 2,100 metres to the centre of the village. On Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays the funicular stays open

(© les-avants.ch)

until 10pm for night runs. Sleds may be hired at the train station. At Sonloup, there is also the opportunity for beginner skiers or children to try their skills on an easy slope.

Les Avants has only one hotel, and it is difficult to rent holiday apartments, but the village is a great place for a day excursion, easily reached by car or train. While the visitor is sipping a hot chocolate on a café terrace after sledding or hiking, Les Avants awakens a peaceful, slightly nostalgic spirit that is easily disregarded in today’s world.

For more information and schedules go to: www.lesavants.ch www.goldenpass.ch www.montreux.ch Jo Ann Hansen Rasch is a published writer of nonfiction-narrative essays and Blowing Feathers, a memoir in her mother’s voice. Her first collection of poetry, Transition, came out in Switzerland in November 2011.

She holds two wonderful passports, New Zealand and Swiss, but prefers to be identified with a love of regionalism rather than nationalism. www.joannrasch.com

ROMANDIE

Les Avants, one of the first ski resorts in Switzerland and home to the first Ice Hockey European Championship in 1910, still evokes the fragile magic of a special time and place. Situated at around 1000m, 3.5 kms above the town of Montreux, the village is the gateway to the Pays d’Enhaut, the High Country, which joins up with the Bernese Oberland. It may be reached in 20 minutes by car from the centre of Montreux, but the easiest way to arrive there is with the MOB, the mountain railway company that links the many facets of the region with its GoldenPass Line.

Contributed by Kurt Metz

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Goms in Winter: Cold, Charming & Cosy The unique Goms valley is not very well known but has a lot to offer.

Y

ou may have passed through on the famous Glacier Express train from Zermatt to St. Moritz, or driven along it when heading from Lake Geneva through the Valais over the Furka pass to Andermatt and the Gotthard Region.

The Goms stretches from Brig, the principal town in the German-speaking part of the bi-lingual Canton of Valais, to the tip of the Rhone Glacier, running east-west almost in a straight line. It was virtually isolated after the Simplon railway tunnel was built from Brig to northern Italy, which meant that goods were no longer carried by mule and on people’s backs on the adventurous route over the passes.

ROMANDIE

So the hamlets and villages of the Goms and their economy have largely remained stuck in the early 20th century. Evil tongues say the attitude of the Gommer population is at about the same level. I think this is unfair, as the road is good, the Matterhorn-GotthardBahn runs at least once an hour in both directions, and some of the hotels and restaurants are quite famous, though maybe not yet among the most popular ones. This is partly because they are rather small, and partly because the valley remains a little in the shadow of its more upmarket competitors like Crans Montana, Saas-Fee and Zermatt.

The Goms is one of the surest areas for snow in Switzerland, as it gets the white fluffy stuff from both sides of the Alps, whether the clouds bring it from the Atlantic northwest or from the gulf of Genoa to the southwest. As the valley is surrounded by mountains over 4000m high the sun doesn’t always reach every corner, so the temperatures stay low and the snow remains lying for a long time. This pleases the aficionados of all winter activities, and the Goms has the whole variety on offer.

Alpine skiing is mainly done high above the valley on the sun-kissed Bettmeralp and Riederalp, linked together with the Fiescheralp and its sharp peak, the Eggishorn, with its breathtaking view over the Aletschgletscher, still the longest glacier in Europe. Two dozen ski and chairlifts as well as gondolas and cablecars give skiers comfortable rides up to almost 3000m. Families may also choose to go to Bellwald with its gentle slopes. For cross-country skiers the Goms is a paradise with countless kilometres of finely prepared tracks.

The same goes for walkers, who find well maintained, well-marked paths all along the river Rhone and back to the tiny villages. When you’re tired or feel like a snack (and a drink), the red trains of the Matterhorn-Gotthard-Bahn stop

The famous Glacier Express in the Goms Valley, canton Valais, with the Galenstock in the background (© swiss-image)

at almost every shack and provide ample space for skis, toboggans and any other gear.

Speaking of eating and drinking in the Goms, “Rhone-Köche – The Spirit of César Ritz” is the backbone of the Swiss Culinary National Team. No wonder: César Ritz, king of hoteliers and hotelier of kings, was born in the tiny village of Niederwald. He is the father of the sophisticated hotel industry and founder of the Ritz-Carlton Hotels. His ideology of genuine hospitality has left traces in the Goms valley right up to the present time. Try Tenne in Gluringen, Walliser-Kanne in Fiesch or “Castle” in Blitzingen. The Alpenhotel Castle is perched high above the valley and gives you an uninterrupted view over the whole upper Goms. Hosts Peter and Brigitte Gschwendtner offer regal hospitality as well as haute cuisine.

And the Ritz spirit lives on in the local produce from this unique valley: more than a dozen different cheeses made from organic milk are produced by the Bio-Bergkäserei in Gluringen.

Galloway cattle from Scotland are quite at home in Obergesteln, and provide the main ingredient for Walliser Trockenfleisch, air-dried beef. A round, fairly flat rye bread is another regional speciality and goes well with cheese and wine, preferably from the Frenchspeaking areas of the Valais. If you want to combine the enjoyment of hospitality, travel and culinary delights at one go, then hop on the train: the Matterhorn-Gotthard-Bahn organises gourmet trips from Visp and Brig through the Goms Valley to Andermatt and Disentis throughout the winter and spring seasons. All aboard the panoramic train!

For detailed information consult the following websites: www.goms.ch www.caesar-ritz.ch/en www.aletscharena.ch www.hotel-castle.ch www.mgbahn.ch www.sbb.ch/en/leisure-holidays.html

Contributed by Caroline Thonger

Book Review

41

Living Along Lac Léman

by Catherine Nelson-Pollard Designed by millerdesign.co.uk ISBN: 987-2-8399-0921-1

With a few exceptions, all the splendid photographs are Catherine’s own work.

The front cover photo is an instant attention-grabber, featuring a lad in Hawaiian shorts in a mid-air dive above the lake.

Including a forward by the Mayor of Nyon, Daniel Rosselat, Catherine’s lavishly illustrated and colourful book is divided into three sections entitled: “A Flavour of Nyon and La Côte Region”; “Nuances of Languages and Customs”; and “Around the Year”.

This delightfully readable book is a compilation taken from Catherine’s regular column in the “La Côte” newspaper.

Catherine’s many years of experience as a freelance journalist, and now as a practised radio broadcaster with WRS, have served her well in the creation of this book. Her style is informative and quirky, giving the reader a wonderful insight into Swiss life, customs and traditions, as well as a flavour of life as an expat living along the Lake of Geneva. And who could fail to be

Nyon in snow

intrigued by her chapter titles? “Fondue Fuddle”; “A Staycation in Vaud”; “Pas de Souci”; “CH – Conféderation Helvetica or CHocoholics?”; and “Bonkers For Conkers”, to name just a few.

Just before the magazine went to press, Catherine was able to secure her book sales at the “Off the Shelf” bookshop in Geneve. For opening hours see: http://books.offtheshelf.ch/ As Catherine says in her introduction, this is “a light-hearted look at living along Lac Léman”. But the book offers more than that: it’s an excellent window into many aspects of Swiss life. www.livinginnyon.com cnp@bluewin.ch Caroline Thonger was born in London and lived for thirty years in Stratfordupon-Avon, where she co-founded the Writers’ Festival.

Her first biography “The Banker’s Daughter” was published 2007.

Working as a freelance journalist, editor and translator, she now lives in the Haut Valais.

(© Catherine Nelson-Pollard)

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ROMANDIE

At the time of going to print, the book is on sale through Catherine’s website, and at Nyon tourist office. It’s retailing at CHF 29, and would make a wonderful Christmas present for anyone, whether living inside or outside Switzerland, along the Lake or elsewhere.

Contributed by Ellen Massey Leonard

42

Drapeau Suisse A tale of Swiss mountain generosity.

S

eth had the camera ready before the Postbus pulled to a stop in front of our trailhead. He jumped out into the whirling snowflakes and snapped a photo. “You’re taking pictures of the bus?” I asked.

“It’s got chains on!” It was true: the lumbering yellow bus was driving through a blizzard with rear-wheel chains. It was a picture of the indefatigable Swiss.

Switzerland has the great advantage of a punctual and thorough public transit network. Aboard les petits trains and les cars postales, one can access even the most remote hamlets. My husband Seth and I had left behind cold Geneva rain for Alpine snow. We were in front of an isolated Postbus stop near Trient above Martigny. Restaurant Drapeau Suisse, open upon reservation, was the only reason a stop was there at all. We were armed with our skis, avalanche beacons and shovels, and climbing skins that adhere to the base of skis to provide grip for going uphill. Our plan was a day-long ski tour, alone among the larch woods and the first snowfall in a month.

I was attaching my climbing skins when I realized Seth had emptied his pack into the snow. “Where are my skins?” he finally asked. “Are they in your pack?”

“No. You had them on the bus.”

ROMANDIE

He groaned. “I had to take them out to get the camera. I must have left them on the seat!”

It was Sunday in winter and the bus didn’t return for over two hours. Our heady expectations of the first day of good backcountry skiing all season came crashing down. “But what if they’re not on the bus when it comes back?” he said. “Then I haven’t just wasted our day, I’ve lost 250 francs.”

“I’m sure they’ll be there. The bus just

says he will try to be as quick as he can.

He is going to meet the bus and he will bring les peaux de phoque here. It will be perhaps forty-five minutes.”

“But that’s fantastic! That’s so generous of him!”

“I’m sorry he can’t be here sooner, but in this snow …” he shrugged. “Would you like coffee?”

Drapeau Suisse

goes to Trient and sits there until it’s time to come back.”

Seth looked skeptical.

“What’s going on?” Seth asked me in English over the coffee. “His friend is coming?”

“Yes, he’s friends with the weekday bus driver. It’s his day off, but he’s driving up to Trient to meet the bus and get the skins.”

“Look,” I said. “Let’s go down to the restaurant and ask if they know the bus driver’s cell number. Then we can call and tell him to hold onto your skins until he comes back.”

“What? Are you sure you understood right? He’s driving up there in a blizzard on his day off just to get my skins?”

Seth still looked unconvinced.

When the man arrived, he brushed off our thanks and only reluctantly took the gas money Seth offered. We could hardly believe our good luck: not only had Seth recovered his skins, but thanks to the immense generosity of these Valaisans, we still had time for our ski-tour. We glided over snow as soft as down, climbing into the silent, snow-laden world; flakes fell whole and perfect in the windless air. Behind us, wood smoke from Drapeau Suissse rose straight into the sky.

“It’s such a small community, they’ll at least know someone who knows the bus driver.”

A little cowbell jingled as we pushed open the door to Drapeau Suisse and smelled the butter of baking croissants.

The proprietor dusted the pastry dough off his hands, and listened attentively to my slightly halting French. I was glad my French teacher had taught me the word for climbing skins. “Which driver was he?” he asked. “Tall? With glasses?”

“Yes, I think so.” I hadn’t paid close attention, but I thought he had glasses.

The proprietor picked up the phone and dialed. I didn’t catch his whole conversation, but it didn’t seem positive. “I’m sorry,” he said when he hung up. “It’s the other driver working today.”

“It’s ok, we’ll just wait,” I started to say, as he interrupted. “But my friend

I nodded. “That’s amazing!”

Ellen Massey Leonard is a writer living in Aigle, Switzerland.

Before moving to Geneva in August 2010, she and her husband spent four years circumnavigating the globe aboard their 38-foot sailboat Heretic. Ellen is working on a book about the voyage and has written several articles for Ocean Navigator magazine. She holds a BA from Yale University.

Contributed by Anitra Green

Zurich to Paris in 4 Hours Now a quick trip to the Wicked City is more attractive than ever.

43 to Montpelier. And there are plans to launch a direct train from Basel to the south of France in 2012.

The Mulhouse-Dijon stretch is the eastern branch of the Rhine-Rhone highspeed line, which will have two more branches out of Dijon: the southern branch to Lyon, effectively linking northern Europe with the Mediterranean arc, and the western branch as a link to the existing high-speed line between Lyon and Paris.

F

ull commercial service on the TGV to Paris on the new route will start on 11 December, and it’s been possible to book in advance for some time. But a daily train has been making trial runs on this route since it was opened on 11 October, and your faithful reporter was able to make the trip between Mulhouse and Dijon with other journalists to see what it was like.

With a maximum speed of 320 km/h it was quite an experience. The brandnew Euroduplex double-decker trains with their distinguished livery of purple and blue offer a very smooth, comfortable ride. There’s a display screen at both ends of the carriage showing you where you are and expected time of arrival at the next stations, and also the speed you’re travelling at – leaving you thinking, it doesn’t feel that fast!

The new high-speed section of line, 140 km of it, doesn’t actually connect the main stations Mulhouse and Dijon yet; the 35 km section from Mulhouse and the 15 km one from Dijon are being constructed in a second phase and should be complete in about 2015. Two huge, beautifully designed TGV stations have been built in the middle of the countryside, at Belfort-Monbeliard and Besançon, with large carparks (as at an airport), shops, restaurants and so on.

The biggest advantage is that the train no longer has to take the dogleg route via Strasbourg, so it saves a lot of time.

The Paris train now goes through to Gare de Lyon in Paris (not Gare de l’Est). Swiss customers travelling first class on the Lyria, the joint SwissFrench marketing company for highspeed rail travel to France, have an excellent meal included in the price of their ticket. There are six return trips a day; journey time from Zurich to Paris is just 4 hrs 3 mins, and from Basel 3 hrs 3 mins.

The new link also cuts travelling time to Lyon and the south of France: the trip from Mulhouse to Lyon takes only 2 hrs 50 mins, with six trains a day, of which three go on to Marseilles and two

At the moment the project seems to be bogged down with administrative hurdles, and priorities lie elsewhere. But the locals are more than hopeful that it will come – it’s only around 20 km after all – then they, too, can enjoy a quick trip to Paris with minimum fuss. www.tgv-lyria.com

Mock-up of the new station at Belfort-Montbeliard, seen from the air

SWITZERLAND

The new Euroduplex TGV

Restoration of cross-border Jura link There’s been a plan afoot for years to restore the cross-border railway line between Biel and Belfort, where the fast regional train on the Swiss side only goes as far as Delle on the border; the line on the French side was closed in 1992. Supporters of the scheme point out that the catchment area of Biel and surrounding towns – one of the centres of the Swiss watch industry – is just as large as that of Belfort/Montbéliard, and people can conveniently change to the new high-speed train at the new station.

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PRE-CHRISTMAS APÉRO Thursday, 1 December 2011

Come and join us for our annual Pre-Christmas Apéro, meet old friends and make some new ones.

Thursday, 1 December 2011 From 6pm to 9pm Everybody is invited and we are much looking forward to seeing you at Steinenring 10, 4051 Basel!

No registration required.

Further information is available at www.packimpex.ch/events

Contributed by Allison Turner

Brief News from Zurich According to the poll the city conducts every two years, Zurich residents generally agree with the quality of life studies that consistently rank it as one of the best places in the world to live.

77% said they were very happy and 22% said they were quite happy to live in the city. On a scale of one to six, the average grade given for overall quality of life was 5.2. Both of these results are the same as in 2009.

Aspects of life that are particularly well regarded are: public transport, with a grade of 5.4, opportunities for going out (5.3), cultural offerings (5.2), educational offerings (5.2) and sports and swimming facilities (5.0); the grades for childcare options (4.3), kindergartens and schools (4.8), and parks and green-space (4.9) have all increased since 2009. The most-cited problems were traffic (52%), housing (27%) and construction (17%).

The study also asked about Zurich residents’ activities, and found that 55% are active members of one or more clubs, interest groups or political parties.

One-third do formal or informal volunteer work outside of their families, with 31% being unpaid childcare. 72% go to the cinema at least once a year; 35% had been to the Kunsthaus in the first six months of 2011, and 16% to the Opernhaus. www.stadt-zuerich.ch

On the Move in Züri-West If any of those respondents dissatisfied with the traffic do their commuting around Hardbrücke, they’ll likely give the city a better rating next year. The construction on the bridge was finally completed in October – a few weeks earlier than expected – and the traffic has been flowing quite smoothly since.

Non-drivers in the area will have to wait until 11 December for their improved commuting; that’s when the long-

awaited Züri-West tramline goes into operation. Line 4, which until then goes along Hardturmstrasse from EscherWyss-Platz and ends at Werdholzi, will stop near Hardbrücke train station, continue along Pfingstweidstrasse, and end at Altstetten train station, thereby connecting five S-Bahn stations (the three others being Zurich HB, Stadelhofen, and Tiefenbrünnen, all on its current route). The new line 17 will cover the previous line 4 route between the main station and Werdholzi. www.vbz.ch

New in Zurich: NewInZurich Even if you’re not fresh off the airplane, you probably still sometimes feel like there’s something (or a lot of things) that you haven’t figured out just yet. If so, NewInZurich may be just the thing to fill in those gaps. NewInZurich offers “Welcome to Zurich”, “Snowtime – Winter In and Around Zurich” and “Insider’s Guide to Days Out in Switzerland” workshops for individuals and families as well as groups. They can also arrange shopping tours on request. www.newinzurich.com

Museums When it’s cold outside (or worse yet, cold and rainy), indoors is the place to be. Why not check out one of the Zurich area’s excellent museums? Some of the exhibitions around the canton are: Until 8 January, the Landesmuseum has a special exhibition focusing on the life and work of Abraham-Louis Breguet, the “greatest watch-maker of all time”.

Until 11 March, “Beautiful Pages” exhibits the Braginsky Collection of handwritten Hebrew books and documents, and from 11 January until 22 April, “C’est la vie” brings together Swiss press photos from 19:39 to 20:00. www.nationalmuseum.ch At the Kunsthaus until 15 January is “Miro, Monet, Matisse — The Nahmad

Live on Ice in the courtyard of the National Museum (© swiss-image)

Collection”, which also includes works

by Picasso, Kandinsky, Dali and more. www.kunsthaus.ch Further afield, the Fotostiftung Schweiz in Winterthur is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year with an exhibition about Swiss photobooks. The exhibition shows the interplay between photo and book and the changes in photographic expression over time. www.fotostiftung.ch

Salsa Festival Speaking of staying warm, there’s nothing hotter in a Zurich winter than the annual Salsa Festival in the Kongresshaus. This is one of the largest salsa festivals in the world, with an expected 3,400 visitors filling the six dance floors. There are salsa workshops for those who still have something (or even everything) to learn, and shows by some of the best performers in the world. www.salsafestival.ch

ZURICH

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45

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For all the information you need for your life in Zürich, Basel, Bern, Lucerne & Zug: in English!

From local legalities and practicalities to comprehensive local business listings, your What’s On Guide for all across Germanspeaking Switzerland, FREE private classifieds and much, much more…

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Contributed by Tsitaliya Mircheva

The Rewards of Successful Integration

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An interview with Julia Morais, Cantonal officer for Integration Affairs in the canton of Zurich. ith the recent series of riots and violence flaring up in some of the largest European capitals, the subject of integration has become a top priority for the governments of the Old Continent.

In such times, Switzerland seems an example of a well-conducted, peaceful and democratic society, despite the fact that 22% of its citizens are foreigners.

According to a recent study by the Zurich Cantonal Office for Integration Affairs, the most common reason for immigration in Canton Zurich is employment not limited by quotas and families joining later. Recent figures claim that out of approximately 147,000 foreigners in Zurich today, only 3.6% are unemployed and 10.5% are here for training and further education.

The most common nationalities in the canton are German (23%), Italian (16%) and Serbian (9%); followed

by Portuguese with 7%, Turkish and Macedonian with 4%, English, French, Croatian and Kosovan with only 2%.

The fastest growing foreign community over the past 10 years seems to be the British, whose increase is almost 75%.

Faced with such figures, the Swiss government is not wasting its time.

In 2009 at the very beginning of its mandate, it requested from each of the cantons in Switzerland a clear strategy for integration where the objectives are

to offer peaceful cohabitation and equal opportunities. Hello Switzerland spoke to Julia Morais to find out more about Zurich’s integration policy.

Q: Please describe how the Cantonal Office of Integration Affairs works.

A: Integration is related to different areas of life, such as education, health, social services and safety. We work in close relation with the institutions within these sectors and involve them in our efforts for successful integration of the foreigner community in the canton. Our partners are also the migrant organizations with whom we create projects in these sectors based on research, analyses and consulting.

Our goal is to achieve more tolerance and diversity, which means as well battling prejudice and old beliefs that local people have facing immigrants.

Q: In what way do you battle local prejudice? Can you give me an example?

A: We organize presentations and podium discussions. We publish information in the press, separating facts from beliefs. It is part of our communication strategy, which is the most important part of our integration plan for canton Zurich. We’ve called it “Fördern und Fordern”, meaning “Promote and Demand”. We want to create equal

An example of the useful information contained in the booklet: Every fifth person in Switzerland does not have a Swiss passport, so you are not a member of a small minority. Ask other immigrants for advice if needed. For individual Swiss people, being confronted with different cultures is a major challenge. Try to imagine the way they see things. The Swiss rarely take the initiative to make contact, but don’t think this means they don’t want any. Introduce yourself to the neighbours by inviting them for a cup of tea or coffee. In rented apartments when the landlord hands over the keys to an apartment a report is drawn up on the actual state of the apartment. Check this thoroughly before you sign it. Respect the washing timetable in common laundry rooms. Health insurance is compulsory in Switzerland but there are some significant differences in prices.

Julia Morais is a chief officer for integration

opportunities through proactive, systematic and innovative methods.

Q: What is successful integration according to your strategy?

A: Successful integration starts with information, meaning that newcomers or even long-time expats know where to go and seek for answers to their questions about everyday living. What we find really important next are the language skills. This is a key to any integration. Only then can professional, social and cultural integration occur.

Q: What methods do you use to reach newcomers?

A: We work together with the local municipality and every foreigner who arrives in town should receive by post a package with papers, containing this information.

Q: What if they don’t speak German?

A: We have prepared a pocket booklet, which contains 12 pages of information in 17 languages. There are also images with tips about “your home”, “your place of work”, “your local authority”

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48

and “your Switzerland”. The information in this booklet is very practical and straightforward. We have prepared it thanks to plenty of research and tips from expats who have lived for 20 years. We also have a list of useful addresses and phone numbers, including the Integration Office in Zurich.

This is our welcome book, but we are also running a public campaign with postcards and posters that promote our work and methods, so everyone can use them.

Q: What about those who move here for work where the big companies take care of the technical issues, but which still doesn’t mean integration for the family? How do you reach the wives or husbands left at home, while their partner is working? Where does integration start for them?

A: We are trying to involve employers, so they can play a more important

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role in the integration process and inform newcomers about their options.

International companies can be our partner in creating awareness about all the programs and projects we develop, so everyone can choose to participate.

Q: Can you give a practical example of these projects?

A: We develop our projects based on the needs and problems experienced by foreign communities. There are 171 foreign communities in canton Zurich, and we work with focus groups or with local organizations such as schools and churches. One of our projects is family literacy. When children start school they usually begin speaking German very fast and at home nobody can help them do their homework, which is why we want to encourage mothers to participate in the learning process by inviting them to the local library. Besides signing them up for a German course, we organize group readings or look at the difficulties kids have at school with a certain subject. We also offer a large variety of language courses designed for every pocket. Learning German is a great advantage for any expat and makes people feel at home very quickly.

It is also important for children to have an equal start at school.

Another project aims to involve youngsters in more sport. We can offer football and even disco evenings, where we invite young people from the community to get to know each other and participate in social life.

A very important pilot project we are aiming to start is “First Talk”, which concerns inviting the newcomers for a private talk or consultation about their expectations and needs and how we can help them.

Q: What challenges do you foresee in the coming years?

A: I must confess there are many. For example, twice as many foreign children attend schools with lower expectations than their Swiss counterparts. Of foreign youths, 15% remain without any professional qualifications; 25,000 youths of foreign origin are unemployed and only one-fifth of recognized

refugees are gainfully employed. But I am optimistic about our new strategy and by 2013 we expect visibly improved results.

Q: How do you reach the Englishspeaking community in the canton?

A: Besides seeking help from employers, we are also planning events focused on practical topics like taxation, health and education. We are working with zurich4u.ch to organize info events, where we have specialists from different sectors who can answer all kinds of questions from the foreign community.

Q: Thank you for your time and good luck!

Julia Morais is an expat herself.

Originally German, she spent many years in Portugal and South America before arriving and settling in Switzerland. She has experience as a school psychologist and later as integration officer in Basel-Land. In 2011 she was invited to work as a chief officer for integration in Canton Zurich.

For information about transport and social systems, customs and traditions, work, health, education, and neighborhoods in 11 languages including English, see: www.neu-in-zuerich.ch To find an overview of all the subsidised language courses and other offers in the canton go to: www.integration.zh.ch

Tsitaliya Mircheva has lived in Zug for almost 5 years. She has been a freelance journalist for over 10 years and has recently started working as an event coordinator. She is a passionate reader and writer and believes life is an exciting journey, and that we all have the free will to choose how to live.

Contributed by Selina Man Karlsson

Curiosity Keeps You Alive (the cat was just unlucky)

Curious Courses

Y

ou had an insatiable curiosity to find out more about the world around you. A couple of years ago, it dawned on me that I had been ploughing through life with blinkers on, just pedalling along without seeing the bigger and beautiful picture around me.

I wanted to experience life rather than just watch the years tick by.

I decided to learn something new and different, but I wasn’t sure what it was I wanted to do. I thought about attending some short courses on “fun subjects”, just to try things out and see if they tickled my fancy or not. I wasn’t able to find such short courses, but instead I realized I could set them up myself.

That’s when the idea for Curious Courses breathed its first breath of life.

The idea was to have short taster courses to spark your curiosity: an evening with a speaker who would give you an introduction into their topic of expertise. If you enjoyed finding out about the subject, then you could go into more depth yourself.

It started in a small way: an email out to friends with my first Curious Course back in January 2010. Since then, we have covered many different topics: some that focused on food such as Nutrition and Healthy Eating, Wine

(Sparkling and Red), Chocolate, British Cheese, Low Carbs, and Flavouring.

Other courses introduced lifestyle elements such as: Feng Shui, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Photography, Skincare, Colour & Style, Blogging, and Pilates. More unusual courses such as Hypnosis and Family Constellations have given participants the opportunity to try out something quite different as well.

We have also provided some Baby and Children orientated courses, helping parents encourage their babies to sleep and eat properly, or having kids out and about with professional cameras discovering photography.

As an example, the Chocolate Cravings course with Jack McNulty from Laughing Lemon provides a nice balance of education and interactivity. It starts with theory on the production of chocolate, and moves onto understanding how the important Swiss chocolate industry developed. Of course, a chocolate course would not be the same without the tasting of delicious chocolate throughout.

How a Curious Course works The courses are held in English in different locations in central Zurich.

The format can differ depending on

the course but in general, an evening course would typically start at 18:45 with registration and a welcome drink.

The courses tend to be as interactive as possible, where the participants can ask questions throughout. At around 20:00 we take a short break with some light snacks, and then we continue until 21:00. Course notes are provided when appropriate. The course sizes vary but we have had between 6 and 25 people, typically around 15, a good size for interactivity.

It’s always fun as you see the passion in the eyes of the speakers; it shines through. Participants have often commented that it was not only a nice evening, but also a great way to meet people in a relaxed and social environment.

The future?

People often ask me what’s next for Curious Courses. What started out as something just for fun may lead to something bigger, helping people to reawaken their sense of curiosity.

The upcoming courses will bring you into the worlds of Chocolate Cravings, Photography, Makeup, Safari, NLP, and Cheese – to name just a few.

What are you Curious about?

Start with a Curious Course today and see where it will lead you. Will it help you to satisfy a curiosity whim, unleash that creativity of yours or help you to discover your passion? Who knows? Be Curious. www.curiouscourses.ch Selina Man Karlsson is British-born Chinese, married to a wonderful Swedish guy, and has been living in Zurich for the past 9 years. She loves chocolate, is a keen Toastmaster and has a curious soul.

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Remember when you were a child and everything fascinated you?

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Contributed by Deja Rose & Angelica Cipullo

50

Great Hostess Gifts With all the parties and functions filling our social calendar this time of year, we are on the lookout for the perfect hostess gifts.

T

he perfect gift should be stressfree, convenient to purchase, inexpensive and a true match to your hostess’s personality. We also prefer small or “disposable” gifts, as space is a premium in most Zurich homes.

Girlfriend Guide to Zurich has scoured the city for some of our favorite hostess gift suggestions.

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The Foodie Conveniently located next to Stauffacher, Heuberger Wein & Gewürze offers a fabulous selection of hot sauces from around the world, and their very own house-made spices and marinades.

We recommend presenting your hostess with a Heuberger-made chili and spice paste. Enjoy mixing gift items, as you’ll be amazed at the wide variety of options, from kooky concoctions like Chili Hot Banana, to well-known mixes like Thai Green Curry. The schärf (spice) scale indicates the “hotness” so if you really want to light fire under your hostess, try the Halluzination chili paste, ranked 12. Morgartenstrasse 12, 8004 Zurich www.wgheuberger.ch

The Chocolate Lover Just a short walk from Paradeplatz in Zurich’s Old Town, Truffe offers chocolate more unique than any creation by Sprüngli or Lindt. Specialty farmer’s milk and dark chocolate squares from high in the Swiss Alps are beautifully packaged and presented. Girlfriend Guide recommends treating your hostess to a gift-wrapped assortment of Reichmuth Von Redding’s elegant dark chocolate. This Swiss delicacy is created using chocolate from the Swiss Felchlin and cocoa beans from a variety of the finest locations and “conched” for 72 hours. The lovely shop owner Frau Capei happily encourages tasting, so you can sample your gift and likely be tempted to buy some for yourself.

Schlüsselgasse 12, 8001 Zurich www.truffe-zurich.ch The Shabby Chic On the Seefeldstrase shopping strand, you will find the darling family-owned shop Herzlich. Designed for the girliest girl, Herzlich offers an array of adorable, primarily heart-themed odds and ends home décor. From delightful photo frames and candles to dainty serving wear, this treasure-filled shop will delight the lady of the house. We recommend presenting your hostess with “Tokyo Milk” soap. This fine French soap radiates a pretty perfume scent while moisturizing the skin with its pure vegetable base and Shea Butter ingredients. The packaging adds a classy accent to the washroom as it combines elegant colors with beautiful images – it would be tempting to keep it wrapped forever. Seefeldstrasse 12, 8008 Zurich www.herzlich.ch The Nature Girl Amidst the buzzing Neiderdorf cobblestone streets, you’ll find the shop H. Singenberger, an expression of the owner’s passion for dogs and gardens.

The shop’s exterior greets you with overflowing assortments of accessories for our four-legged friends, but for our Nature Girl, this is also the ideal spot.

Surprise your hostess with a plant or herb seeds, a mini bag of soil and a flowerpot to match her personality. The tricky part will be selecting just one as H. Singenberger has multitudes of options. Keep in mind the season, as you may need to opt for indoor seeds, and don’t be afraid to ask for suggestions. Marktgasse 8, 8001 Zurich www.singis-gartenshop.ch The Tchotchke Lover For the girl who simply can’t resist a cute, somewhat functional, tchotchke (or knick-knack) we found the adorable kitchen sponge holder with matching flower brush at Sibler Im Viadukt. This fun gift is under CHF 15 and conveniently close to the Markthalle filled with delicious foodie discoveries at each booth … making for a good trip into the city to cross a few items off your to-do list: 1) Gift – Check. 2) Tonight’s Dinner – Check. 3) Girl Time – Check!

Im Viadukt Bogen 24, Viaduktstrasse 39, 8005 Zurich www.sibler.com Enter to win a gift from one of our recommended hostess shops by registering for Girlfriend Guide’s eNewsletter and including Hello Switzerland as your referral source. www.myGirlfriendGuide.com Deja Rose & Angelica Cipullo are co-founders of Girlfriend Guide, Zurich, an online magazine and events platform dedicated to seeking and sharing information on Zurich activities, shopping, beauty and much more.

Collated by Allison Turner

Brief News from Zug/Lucerne

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Cross-country skiing

The Swiss Nordic Days, which take place in various resorts in December, January and February, are a great way to try out this sport! Skiers at any level, from beginners to advanced, can take part in a two-hour lesson for CHF 10 for adults, no charge for children. You can also rent all the necessary equipment (boots, skis and poles) before the lesson at CHF 20 for adults and CHF 10 for children. You must register online for the lessons.

In the central Switzerland area, there is a Swiss Nordic Day in Langis near Sarnen on 15 January, and one in Einsiedeln on 22 January.

More information (in German) at: www.langlauf.ch Fredy Glanzmann Sport in Langis also offers various courses. There are group courses in either Skating or Classic style cross-country skiing, private lessons and lessons for companies or associations. There is also something called “x-country kids”, which is an introduction to cross-country skiing for 6–11 year-olds on alternating Wednesdays and Saturdays (dates are not yet available, but will be posted on Fredy’s website). Registration for all courses can be done online at: www.glanzmannsport.ch

(Ice) Skating in Zug For another winter activity, try the recently reopened outdoor rink at the Bossard Arena. The Zug hockey team has been playing there since the begin-

Lucerne‘s Christmas Market on Franziskanerplatz

(© swiss-image)

ning of last season, and now with the construction finished the outdoor rink is back. The rink is covered, so rain isn’t a worry, and skates are available to rent. The rink is open from 9:00 to 22:00, Sundays until 18:00. www.bossard-arena.ch Roxanne Samide

and tots’ get-togethers, along with a Facebook page. Some of these are quite informal, and not necessarily listed on the website (for example if they take place at someone’s home), so if you’re interested, be sure to sign up for the emails that apply to your situation. www.livinginluzern.info

Zug Train-station Help at the Touch of a Screen

Christmas Markets

If you find yourself lost in the Zug train station, head to one of the new touchscreen information points. There you will find an interactive train schedule and maps of both the station itself and the town of Zug. Of these, the maps of Zug can be fairly useful.

Living in Luzern If you’re a new mother in Lucerne, or plan or hope to become one, Living in Luzern is the website to check out. It’s part blog, part resource list and part community centre. Resources include names of English-speaking midwives and pediatricians and lists of things to do if you’re new in town or new to parenthood, as well as some special offers from their sponsors. As a community centre, Living in Luzern organizes pregnancy and postnatal yoga courses, playgroups and craft courses for toddlers and preschoolers, and parents’

As Christmas approaches, markets pop up all around Lucerne, tempting passersby with their wares. A little out of town on the first weekend of December (2–4) is the Willisau Christkindli Märt, now in its 15th year, with its charming stalls of goodies. Beckenried combines its Christmas market during the day (with a focus on local dishes like ““Bratchäs” – hot cheese on bread) with a St. Nicholas parade at night, all on 3 December. That same weekend in Lucerne, the DesignSchenken market has less traditional gifts on offer. From 15–18 December at Venite, the focus is international food, music and gifts.

Rounding out the offerings and all of them running for most of December, there are more markets in the train station, at Franziskanerplatz and at Hirschenplatz.

If none of these do the trick, you may have to go to a regular shop – they’re open on Sundays from 11 December.

ZUG / LUCERNE

If you would like to try cross-country skiing in Switzerland this year, you might be interested in buying a crosscountry skiing pass or trying one of the Swiss Nordic Day lessons. For CHF 120, you can buy a pass that allows you to cross-country ski anywhere in Switzerland during this winter season.

Children under the age of 16 ski for free.

Contributed by Allison Turner

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Zuger Chriesi: The Cherries of Zug In recent years, Zug has been known more for its hedge funds than its cherry trees.

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ut the city decided in 2008 to devote more attention to the plant that had been growing here for centuries, and launched a project called “1,000 Cherry Trees for Zug.” Of the planned 1,000 new cherry trees, about 350 have been planted so far, thanks to the 325 “tree godparents” and other members and sponsors.

The oldest known cherry tradition in Zug is the Chriesimärt, or cherry market, at the Landesgemeindeplatz, which dates back to 1627. It now runs for three to five weeks, Monday to Friday, in June and July. It always starts on a Monday, but the exact date depends on the cherries themselves; they are picked in the morning and sold from 15:00 to 18:00 that afternoon, but only if they’re perfectly ripe. The middle of June is a good time to start sniffing the air and listening for the bells.

ZUG / LUCERNE

Chriesisturm By 1711, the ringing of the cherry bell in St. Michael’s church would establish the beginning of “cherry season”, when the citizens grabbed their ladders and baskets and “storm” the orchards to pick as many as they could. This tradition seems to have lasted only until about the end of that century, but was revived with a new twist in 2009. Now, the bell marks the start of a race, in which pairs of cherry-lovers carry their eight-metre-long ladder through the rather narrow cobblestone streets of the old town.

Chriesiwurst

(© zugerchriesi.ch)

Chriesisturm is a highlight for young and old.

Chriesiwurst Along with the revival of the Chriesisturm tradition came a new Zug specialty, the Chriesiwurst, or cherry sausage. Developed by Marcel Rinderli of Metzgerei Rinderli in Zug, it surpassed all expectations to become an instant hit. 25,000 of these sausages were sold in 2009 and 32,000 in 2010. The sausage is made of beef, pork, bacon, egg and spices, along with the dried black cherries – from Zug trees of course. It comes in two varieties: a larger, deep red one to grill and a thinner, orange one to boil.

Other dishes Of course, cherries are more typically a desert food, in Zug as everywhere. The traditional recipes seem in general to be as simple as possible, allowing the fruit to all but stand on its own. A recipe for Zug-style Chriesisturm, for example, says to simply brown flour without any fat and sprinkle it over washed and pitted, but otherwise unprepared, cherries, giving the cherries a little crunch, but no more. The Lucerne and Schwyz versions of this recipe are much more complicated, with ingredients like apple juice or yogurt – no doubt a Zuger would say that Lucerne’s and Schwyz’s cherries simply aren’t as good. You can find this and more recipes for traditional Zug cherry desserts (only in German, but at least it’s not Swiss-German…) at: www.zugerchriesi.ch

(© zugerchriesi.ch)

Kirschtorte Developed by Heiri Höhn around 1915, the Zug kirsch cake merits mention.

First note that its English name is not “cherry cake”, nor does it bear any resemblance to its namesake over the German border from the Schwarzwald.

This is a sponge cake soaked in kirsch, sandwiched between two macaroon biscuits and sealed with butter cream.

Höhn won first prize with the recipe at an exhibition in Lucerne in 1923, and now you are unlikely to find a pastryshop in Zug that doesn’t sell it. All seem to claim theirs is the best, so my recommendation is to try them all and decide for yourself. At any rate, this is one cherry speciality that’s not seasonal.

While you’re waiting for the Pavlovian bells signalling the beginning of cherry season, support the local Zug farmers by breaking out that bottle of kirsch.

It’s a key ingredient in one of the more seasonal Swiss specialties we’ve featured elsewhere in this issue, fondue, an after-dinner drink in its own right, or a nice addition to your après-ski or après-shopping coffee.

Allison Turner is the Zurich and Zug/Lucerne editor of Hello Switzerland, as well as a parttime teacher and mother of two girls.

Contributed by Judith Butler

Dijon

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It’s not just about mustard.

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t’s also the birthplace of Baroque composer Jean-Philippe Rameau, structural engineer Alexandre Eiffel, and the capital of Bourgogne and the Côte d’Or region.

I did not visit the elegant city of Dijon for its mustard. It was my choice for a getaway weekend because of its relative proximity to my home in Basel. But there is no denying that mustard is front and centre in Dijon.

The tourist industry Stroll past the window of the Maille mustard shop on rue de la Liberté, and the colourful display of jars will draw you seductively inside. There, you can choose from a surprisingly extensive variety of traditional and exotic flavours in hand-painted ceramic pots and fancy gift packages, or buy your favourite straight from the pump.

The mustard museum, Amora Musée de la Moutarde is dedicated to the golden condiment’s 700-year history, with mustard-making demonstrations and sampling rooms. Naturally, you’ll find mustard as an accompaniment or ingredient in many of the regional Burgundian dishes.

Mustard pots

Market by Eiffel

In the window of the tourist office, a large poster entreated me to: “Levez les yeux…tout à fait vers le haut.” (“Look up, way up”) When you look up in Dijon, you are rewarded with an intriguing skyline distinguished by les toits bourguignons, Burgundian glazed polychrome roofs in tessellations of terracotta, green, yellow and black tiles. Even framed by a grey February sky, they commanded my attention, and my camera and I happily looked up, way up.

The centre of Dijon is pentagonal in shape, with a square at each of the five points. To see the sights, you can rely on a little owl to be your guide. La chouette, carved on one of the buttresses of Notre-Dame de Dijon, is believed to grant wishes when it is rubbed with the left hand. You’ll see residents as well as visitors rub the owl as they pass by.

If your wish is to enjoy the ambiance of a stunning World Heritage Site of half-timbered houses and Renaissance architecture while enjoying haute cuisine and fine wines, then it will definitely come true here.

Little brass triangles of the owl are embedded in the sidewalks, and lead

you to Dijon’s historic highlights. This is an easy, family-friendly way to see the town. (For an added dimension, you can use a Segway, available for rent at the tourist office.) The route can be completed in an hour, but what’s the hurry? Take time to soak in the atmosphere at some of Dijon’s approximately 300 bakeries and cafés.

Despite a variety of armed conflicts and invasions throughout its history, Dijon has been miraculously spared from destruction, so many of the 12–15th century half-timbered buildings are originals. Good examples can be admired in the old town’s core, particularly on rue des Forges.

One of the architectural highlights is the elegant Palais des Ducs et des États. Built as the home to the Dukes of Burgundy, it’s a rare surviving example of the city’s Capetian period. It now houses one of France’s finest museums, Musée des Beaux Arts. Philip the Bold, who was given the Duchy of Burgundy in the 14th century as an endowment by his father, King John II, had a mother from Luxembourg and a wife from Flanders, so it is not surprising that there are some outstanding examples of Flemish masters. The elaborate marble tombs of the dukes can be seen in the richly panelled Guards Room.

In front of the palace, the massive Place de la Libération, a masterpiece by Jules Mansart, has as its centrepiece the statue of the Sun King. Closed to traffic, it is a favourite spot to soak up the

EUROPE

Because of its strategic location along the ancient Spice Road and the main routes between Lyon, Paris and Mainz, Dijon enjoyed great wealth and power over the centuries, as seen in its grand mansions, ducal palaces and cathedrals.

It has continued to prosper into the 21st century. Home to fine wines and cuisine, it is considered by many to be the gastronomic epicentre of France.

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sun on a fine day. From the top of the Philippe Le Bon tower, (well worth the climb of 316 steps), you can look down, way down, at the rooftops, winding streets and parks.

Not far from the palace is the market, Les Halles. Open four days a week, it’s a striking building designed by native son Alexandre Eiffel and is a gourmand’s paradise, reflecting the city’s reputation as the stomach of France. Within the hall is an exhaustive and tantalizing array of every type of food and drink associated with the region, including cassis and Kir, Kir pain d’épice, escargots, cheeses and, of course, mustard. Fruit and vegetable merchants tend their vast, overflowing stalls outside.

On rue Ste Anne, you will find a gem of a museum, Musée de la Vie Bourguignonne, housed on three floors

in the cloister of a Bernadine convent.

Here the daily life of Burgundy is painstakingly documented in displays of handwork, costumes, furniture and even the reconstruction of old shops and school rooms.

Dijon can be comfortably reached by train from all Switzerland’s major cities. From Basel, for example, the journey takes around 4 hours with two changes of station. www.sbb.ch

If time permits you to venture further, Lac Kir, located at the edge of the city on the local bus line, is a wonderful spot for a walk along the water.

A wine-tasting experience can be as close as the Château de Marsannay, just 9 km south. Or continue on to Beaune, about 30 km further, home of the original seat of the Burgundian parliament and well-known for its opulent Hôtel-Dieu and myriad wine cellars.

For more information on the city itself, go to: www.dijon.fr

Before departing the region, be sure to linger over a Kir royale or a dish of boeuf bourguignon as a fitting finale to the Dijon experience.

Judith Butler has recently retired as a music teacher at the International School Basel, completing a career that began in her native Canada.

Switzerland has been the perfect place to indulge her passions for cycling, painting, photography, writing and punctuality.

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Contributed by Anitra Green

A Picturesque Corner of the Pyrenees

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A trip to the east Pyrenees with the luxury hotel train, the “Pau Casals”, reveals some real treasures.

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t’s nine o’clock in the morning, we’re just finishing a leisurely breakfast in the luxury restaurant car of the “Pau Casals” and should be arriving in Barcelona quite soon. But there’s a delay, probably accumulated during the long night trip through France and maybe also that stop in Perpignan, where a number of people got off the train. No matter, the coffee cup is a bottomless one, and we’re very comfortable indeed.

Barcelona is a great city by any standards. A trip up to Tibidabo gives you an incredible view over the whole city and the hills round about; there’s not only a very beautiful church perched on the

A Pyrenean village, seen from Le Train Jaune

View over the city of Barcelona from Tibidabo

top but a large amusement park, a huge square and a very nice hotel restaurant.

The ride up there is an experience in itself: first you get on the old blue or red tram, which travels through one of the city’s finest residential areas and is a huge favourite with tourists and locals alike, then transfer to the funicular to the top. Back at sea level, what else but a stroll along La Rambla with its many shops, sideshows and beautiful trees.

Our next stop was Girona (the Catalan name; it used to be known by the Spanish name, Gerona). I was fascinated to see that everywhere, on menus too, Catalan comes first and Spanish second. The old part of Girona is well known for its fortifications, the cathedral with 66 steps up to the portal, narrow streets (with lots of small bars and cafés) and a very chequered history: it’s apparently been besieged 25 times. Down below, by the river, is the main street with shops and one restaurant after another, each more inviting than the last.

Just for fun, we took the coast road to cross the border into France. It’s a very winding road and the scenery is really spectacular, so it’s worth taking it slowly, maybe stopping at one of the picturesque little coves. Our destina-

tion was Vernet-les-Bains, a lovely resort high up in the French Pyrenees, where we stayed at a nice comfortable hotel called Le Mas Fleuri. Dinner was a bit of an adventure; we’d booked in at Bistrot Restaurant le Cortal, which involved a steep climb through cobbled alleyways right to the top of the village by the castle. When we got there, completely out of breath, we found a small restaurant with a wonderful terrace and a fabulous menu. The British couple running it, Dave and Tiffany, do a really good job; their “hot stone” menu, where you cook your main dish yourself, is superb, and Tiffany’s tomato/pepperoni mousse is one of the best things I’ve ever tasted.

Down in the valley at Villefranche, you can take a trip on Le Petit Train Jaune, which goes almost as far as Andorra through some of the most dramatic scenery the Pyrenees has to offer.

Open all the year round, it provides an essential service for locals as well as appealing one to tourists; in summer it also runs old carriages including open wagons.

Useful addresses: www.elipsos.com www.bistrot-lecortal.fr

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The “Pau Casals” is one of four hotel trains running to Spain: one to Madrid from Paris, and three to Barcelona – one from Paris, one from Milan, and the “Pau Casals” from Zurich to Barcelona, also stopping in Berne, Fribourg, Lausanne and Geneva. Gran Clase accommodation is super for that special occasion; you have your own bathroom and the deal includes a gourmet dinner menu as well as an excellent breakfast, plus all the things you’d expect to find in a good hotel that’s not on wheels – toilet articles, newspapers and so on.

There are also business and tourist class cabins, and reclining seats comparable to business class seats in aircraft.

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NYON

ville de

Visions du Réel 20 - 27 avril 201 2 Caribana 6 -10 juin 201 2 Paléo Festival 17-22 juillet 201 2 FA R 8 -18 août 201 2

www.nyon.ch /festivals

What’s Going On In Switzerland Montreux: “5 venues, 5 themes”: Christmas market, Père Noël and mediaeval market. Just some of the delights to be found at this annual winter event in Montreux. 24 November to 24 December. www.montreuxnoel.ch Basel: Christmas market on Barfüsserplatz, until 23 December. www.baslerweihnacht.ch Lausanne: Annual Christmas market, Place Saint-François. 24 November to 24 December. www.noel-lausanne.ch Geneva: Geneva Amateur Operatic Society (GAOS) presents Jack and the Beanstalk, a traditional Christmas Pantomime. Aula du Collège de Saussure.

25 November to 4 December. (see Romandie Brief News, p. 37) www.gaos.ch Basel: special exhibition on Surrealism in Paris with works by Dali, Ernst, Miro etc, at the Beyeler Foundation in Riehen, Until 29 January 2012. www.fondationbeyeler.ch 1 DECEMBER Zurich: Whiskyschiff. Over 700 different whiskies from Scotland and some other interesting places to be sampled, along with seminars, all on the ships docked on the lake. Bürkliplatz, until 4 December. www.whiskyschiff.ch Zurich: The Singing Christmas Tree is a series of concerts presented by children’s choirs standing on a Christmastree stage. Concerts are at 17:30 and 18:30, Saturdays and Sundays also at 14:30 and 15:30. This is also the site of one of the many Christmas markets around town. Werdmühleplatz, until 23 December. www.singingchristmastree.ch

2 DECEMBER Lucerne: Annual Exhibition of artists from Central Switzerland. Up and coming local professional artists exhibit at the Museum of Art Lucerne. Opening, 18:30, exhibition until February. www.kunstmuseumluzern.ch Basel: “The Bells: With Bells Singing and Bells Ringing”, concert by the English Seminar Choir at the Elisabethenkirche, 20:00. www.esc-basel.ch 2-4 DECEMBER Lausanne: 15th Edition of Les Urbains, a free festival to showcase emerging artists. With performances, installations, expos and concerts all over the city. www.urbaines.ch 3 DECEMBER Geneva: 34th Escalade. Each year on the first Saturday in December, the most popular sporting event in Geneva takes place in the old town – The Escalade Race. Last year nearly 25,000 runners were signed up. www.escalade.ch Fribourg: Festival of St Nicholas, patron saint of Fribourg’s cathedral.

Christmas market and procession through the Old Town. www.fribourgtourism.ch Basel: a procession of Santa Klauses on Harley-Davidsons with Christmas decorations through Basel, ending with presents on the Marktplatz at 15:00. www.basel.com Zurich: VBZ-Flohmarkt. Second-hand articles from the Zurich city public transport company’s workers, and tram and bus souvenirs along with more typical Christmas wares for sale. VBZZentralwerkstatt, Altstetten, 9:30-16:00.

3-11 DECEMBER Neuchâtel: Les Artisanales de Noël, the largest covered handicraft market in Switzerland. www.lesartisanalesdenoel.ch

d-looking Slim, fit, goo ntleman h ge black Englis 0s who lives 4 r) (financie London & and works in would like to Switzerland ve, elegant meet attracti r sun, fun, girlfriend fo . d adventure laughter an

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4 DECEMBER Zurich: Live on Ice. Already in its 10th year, Live on Ice offers free skating and shows, and not-free drinking and dining in the festively adorned courtyard of the Landesmuseum. Until 2 January. www.liveonice.ch 4-11 DECEMBER Berne: Candle dipping on the Waisenhausplatz is fun for all ages. www.kerzenziehen.ch 5 DECEMBER Küssnacht am Rigi: Klausjagen. This traditional Saint Nicholas Day Parade features whip-snappers, lantern-wearers, cowbells and of course the good saint himself. www.klausjagen.ch 7 DECEMBER Basel: Artwall at Centrepoint presents its Christmas exhibition, “Ying and Yang”, photographic work by Yue Yin. Until 29 February 2012. Vernissage at 18:30, all welcome. www.centrepoint.ch Basel: Champions League, Manchester United plays FCB, Basel’s successful football team, at St Jakob, 20:45. www.fcb.ch

SWITZERLAND

December

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8 DECEMBER Basel: Treasure Island Island, traditional pantomime by the Basel English Panto Group, at the Scala at 19:00. Also on 9, 10 & 11 December, with matinees on the last two days. www.baselpanto.org 11 DECEMBER Basel: Carol Service organised by the Anglican Church at the Pauluskirche.

18:00, followed by mulled wine and snacks. www.anglicanbasel.ch 12 DECEMBER Zurich: Silvesterlauf. 16,000 participants, from toddlers to elite runners, run between 1.4 and 8.6 km through the streets of the old town. www.silvesterlauf.ch 15 DECEMBER Berne: English Christmas Carol Service at the Heiliggeist Church. Begins at 19:30.

Berne: The Rake’s Progress, an opera in three acts by Igor Stravinsky, in English at the Stadttheater Bern. Further dates: 30 December, 7 and 18 January. www.stadttheaterbern.ch

SWITZERLAND

16 DECEMBER Basel: The Gilbert & Sullivan Society’s Christmas Singalong and Apero. All welcome, sign up by 9 December. www.savoyards.ch 17/18 DECEMBER Grimentz, Val d’Anniviers: Les Fééries, an enchantingly illuminated Christmas market in a traditional Alpine village at 1550m altitude, celebrating the start of the official ski season. Le Père Noël appears on a sledge drawn by a team of huskies. www.sierre-anniviers.ch 18 DECEMBER Lucerne: Sternsingen. A Christmas carol parade through the old town, with stops for manger scenes. Starting at Mariahilfschulhaus, 17:30.

Geneva: Geneva Opera presents Le Comte Ory by Rossini, at the Grand Théatre. 6 performances, ending 31 December. www.genevaopera.com

Berne: Donizetti’s La Fille du Régiment in Neuchâtel in aid of Cecily’s Fund charity. Tickets: billetterie@theatredupassage.ch www.cecilysfund.org/events Geneva: Coupe de Noël, for all those crazy, fit swimmers brave enough to swim 125m in Lac Léman, whatever the temperature. www.coupedenoel.ch 19 DECEMBER Zurich: The Blues Brothers. The Soulmen bring their musical revue from London’s West End to Zurich. Kongresshaus, 20:00. www.bluesbrothers-show.com 31 DECEMBER Laupen: Experience a bit of local culture this New Year’s Eve and go to Laupen for the Achetringele (ringing down). For centuries the boys of Laupen have been donning scary masks, wielding brooms and ringing cowbells to banish the old year and its demons. www.laupen.ch Basel: firework display over the Rhine to welcome in the Near Year, starting at half past midnight. www.basel.com

2012 January Gstaad: New Year Music Festival with 14 concerts in different musical styles.

30 December 2011 to 7 January 2012. www.gstaad.ch Zurich: Join us as we launch “New Year, New Lifestyle”.

Unlike many other New Year’s resolution programs, we challenge our girlfriends to introduce long-term lifestyle changes that will ultimately improve life quality, inner and outer beauty and genuine happiness.

The month of January 2012 will be filled with a series of affordable 60-minute “taster” workshops designed to introduce simple and effective mind-body lifestyle routines. Covering topics rang-

ing from nutrition, exercise techniques and meditation to makeup application, skin care and personal styling tips.

Angelica Cipullo, Co-Founder Tel: 078 811 43 03 www.myGirlfriendGuide.com “Your Girlfriend Guide to Zurich” Facebook . Twitter . eNewsletter 7 JANUARY Berne: Swan Lake on Ice, a fascinating performance of Tchaikovsky’s ballet on ice. www.ticketcorner.ch 12 JANUARY Basel: “Swan Lake” ((Schwanensee Schwanensee), Schwanensee), ballet, at the Musical Theatre. www.musicaltheaterbasel.ch 13 JANUARY Basel: Museum night, 18:00 to 02:00.

Open door at all Basel’s museums with plenty of entertainment. www.museumsnacht.ch 16 JANUARY Basel: information evening in English on the Swiss school system in two parts, with the second on 23 January. For more information and to register, contact: http://readysteadyrelocate.com/basel/ school.htm 17-22 JANUARY Grindelwald: International artists come to Grindelwald to carve blocks of ice for the World Snow Festival and Ice Sculpture competition. www.grindelwald.ch 19 JANUARY Basel: The Fairy Queen, ballet by Richard Wherlock, at Basel Theatre. www.theater-basel.ch 20 JANUARY Berne: The American Women’s Club of Berne host their annual charity bingo night at St Ursula’s Church. www.awcbern.org 20 JANUARY Basel: Vogel Gryff, an old tradition with masked figures parading the street of Klein-Basel, from 11:00 by the Mittlerebrücke. www.vogel-gryff.ch

24 JANUARY Zurich: Stomp finds the rhythm in everything from brooms and trashcans to packs of post-it notes. An often-imitated but still unique form of performance.

Theatre 11, until 29 January. www.stomp.ch 26 JANUARY Zurich: Fespo. Plan you next great getaway with the help of the tour operators, cruise lines and more exhibiting at this holiday and travel fair. Messe Zürich, until 29 January. www.fespo.ch Liestal (near Basel): Chienbäse, torchlight procession with a difference, starting 19:15. (see Basel Brief News, p. 17) www.chienbaese-verein.ch 27 JANUARY Gstaad: Sommet Musicaux de Gstaad, Gstaad a festival of classical music with more than 20 concerts. Until 2 February. www.gstaad.ch Zurich: Mercedes CSI. The equestrian event is more international than ever, with Chinese riders for the first time.

Hallenstadion, until 29 January. www.mercedes-csi.ch 28/29 JANUARY Saignelégier (Jura): Annual dog sled race. www.jura.ch 29 JANUARY-4 FEBRUARY Lausanne: 40th International Ballet Competition. Attracts up to 200 young dancers from around the globe aged 15-18, who are not yet professional.

Théatre de Beaulieu. www.prixdelausanne.ch 30 JANUARY Berne: A guest performance by Tour de Force Theatre of The Great Gatsby in English at the Stadttheater. www.stadttheaterbern.ch

31 JANUARY-5 FEBRUARY Geneva: Brass Festival taking place in various venues in the city. For full programme of events see: www.genevabrassfestival.ch

February Berne: The Mystery of the Body: Berlinde De Bruyckere in Dialogue with Lucas Cranach, an exhibition together with the Kunstmuseum. Until 12 February. www.kunstmuseumbern.ch Zurich: Salsafestival Switzerland.

Workshops, shows and the chance to dance. Kongresshaus, until 16 February. www.salsafestival.com 1 FEBRUARY Berne: The Dubliners celebrate their 50th year performing Irish folk music in 2012. They’ll be in Berne at the Theater National. www.nationalbern.ch 2 FEBRUARY Zurich: Art on Ice. The annual event has Swiss and international skating champions including Stéphane Lambiel and Sarah Meier along with music from Mick Hucknall of Simply Red and wunderkind pianist Emily Bear.

Hallenstadion, until 5 February. Also Lausanne Patinoire de Malley, 7 & 8 February. www.artonice.ch 3 FEBRUARY Basel: Basler Ferienmesse 2012, holiday fair at Muba, until 12 February 2012. www.baslerferienmesse.ch 3-5 FEBRUARY Geneva: 8th Geneva Writers’ Conference, Webster University. Taking place every 2 years, this conference attracts 200 participants from 40 countries worldwide. 3 days of workshops, meetings with agents, presentations. www.genevawriters.com 9 FEBRUARY Zurich: Batman Live. The Dark Knight and his nemeses fight it out

in a show combining acrobatics and special effects. Hallenstadion, until 12 February. www.batmanlive.ch

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12 FEBRUARY Grindelwald: Faulhorn Classic, the toboggan race for everybody. Bring your solid wooden sledges with metal runners (no plastic bobs, Snowlasers, touring sledges, etc) to the Bussalp and join the fun! CHF 15 for adults, CHF 5 for children. www.grindelwald.ch 14 FEBRUARY Yverdon-les-Bains: Gourmet evening with poetry in celebration of St Valentine’s Day, held in the magnificently romantic setting of the private apartments of the Château de Grandson.

Advance bookings only. www.chateau-grandson.ch Lucerne: Astronomical preview 2012.

Learn about the upcoming celestial events for the year, such as planetary motions and eclipses. Planetarium, 16:30. www.verkehrshaus.ch 15 FEBRUARY Zug: Chuckles presents English standup comedy. Acts to be confirmed. 19:45, Theatre Casino Zug. www.chuckles.ch 17-25 FEBRUARY Gstaad: Men’s Finals, Swiss Curling Championships. www.curling.ch 18 FEBRUARY Gstaad: High Fly Festival – an exciting event that features extreme winter sports, pyrotechnics and loud music. www.high-fly.ch 27 FEBRUARY Basel: Fasnacht, until 29 February, starting with Morgenstraich at 04:00.

Procession on Mon & Wed afternoon, Guggemusik concert on Tues evening. www.fasnachts-comite.ch

SWITZERLAND

22-30 JANUARY Château d’Oex: 33rd International Hot-Air Balloon Festival. (see Romandie Brief News, p. 37) www.chateau-doex.ch

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Voluntary Organisations & Groups Switzerland British Residents’ Association of Switzerland (BRA) Regional activities in Basel, Berne/ Neuchatel, Romandie, Ticino & Zurich. www.britishresidents.ch British-Swiss Chamber of Commerce Independent not-for-profit organisation based in Zurich, with chapters in Basel, Berne, 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, Berne, 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 Gymboree Play & Music programme for newborns and children of up to 5 years old in Basel, Berne, Geneva, Zug and Zurich. www.gymboree.ch.

SWITZERLAND

Hash House Harriers, Switzerland Popularly known as the drinking club with a running problem, with kennels in Basel, Berne, Geneva, Interlaken, Lucerne and Zurich. www.harrier.ch Toastmasters International Meetings in Basel, Berne, 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 expatriates of all nationalities and Swiss living in Basel. At the Lohnhof, with book & DVD library and full programme of events. Contact Angela Sewell: 061 261 2002 angela.sewell@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, 0033 389 07 30 34 s.style@hrnet.fr, or s.style@hrnet.fr Alwyn Hinds Merk, 061 481 4767

Morris Dancing Group Meets on Wednesdays in the Halle au blé in Ferrette. Squire: Pete Sandbach, peter.sandbach@roche.com Contact: 0033 389 07 86 01 lizzie.gleaves@wanadoo.fr www.chamerion.ch/ferrette-morris Open Door Zwingerstr 20 4053 Basel. For English speaking families with young children.

061 361 1710 www.opendoorbasel.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 Rugby Football Club Basel Founded in 1975, now has 150 members including juniors and women. www.rugbybasel.ch Savoyards: Gilbert & Sullivan Society For all G&S enthusiasts, with regular meetings, singalong evenings, visits. info@savoyards.ch www.savoyards.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

Berne American Women’s Club of Berne Founded in 1949, with a current membership of around 150 women. www.awcbern.org ASK: All Special Kids Berne 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

International Club of Berne For people from all corners of the world with English as the common language. wd@bluewin.ch

Berne Dancing Bears American Western Square Dance Club. www.squaredance.ch

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

Berne Cricket Club For everyone who enjoys playing and/or watching cricket. http://berne.play-cricket.com BERNnet A network of English-speaking professionals with a wide range of expertise in English-language services, media, and technical skills. www.bernnetwork.ch Canada Club of Berne For singles and families who are from or have lived in Canada. www.canadaclub.ch The Caretakers English-language amateur theatre group. http://thecaretakers.ch English Club Biel Meets usually on Wednesday. www.englishclubbiel.ch English Speaking Club of Berne A meeting point for English speakers in Berne. 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 old. 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 ISBerne An extension of ISBerne’s Parent Teacher Committee to develop a deeper connection with the community. www.isberne.ch

Swiss African Forum (SAF) An innovative voluntary association on African Integration working within charities, organisations and NGOs. www.saf03.ch SAMS Swiss American Society Berne For fostering close contacts between the United States and Switzerland.

Secretary: Silvya Handy Laubeggstrasse 14, 3013 Berne thehandys@bluewin.ch Swiss-British Society Berne 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 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 American Women’s Club of Lausanne With its own clubhouse at Avenue Eglantine 6, 1006 Lausanne 021 320 2688, www.aiwc-lausanne.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

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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 International Club Lausanne Social club offering 2-3 activities per month. Contact: icl@urbanet.ch http://home.worldcom.ch/icl International Women’s Club of Nyon Case Postale 2369, 1260 Nyon membership@iwcn.ch www.iwcn.ch Neuchatel 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 The Village Players, Lausanne Amateur theatre group.

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

SWITZERLAND

Australia-New Zealand Contact Club Holds informal social events four or five times a year. tritt.bizland.com/anzcc

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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 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 10 and 17. Meets on Wednesday evenings at 19:00. For more information call Chris Fuchs, 041 760 5822.

DigiFotoCH Activity and discussion group for anyone interested 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

SWITZERLAND

English Speaking Club Zurich Meets several times monthly, 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 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

Zug/Lucerne

Irish Club of Zurich Monthly meetings. Contact: irish_in_zurich@yahoo.ie

Anglo-Swiss Club Lucerne Meets fortnightly on Wednesday.

Contact Robin Lustenberger 041 310 2912 www.angloswissclubs.ch

Living in Zurich (LIZ) English language orientation course covering must-know topics for newcomers.

Contact: 044 240 4455 for details

English Theatre Group of Zug Produces musicals, pantomines and plays, also other entertainments for special events by arrangement. www.etgz.ch

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

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

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

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 / www.ziwc.ch

places of worship

Places of Worship Anglican Church Sunday services 10:30 Adventshaus and 18:00 St Nicholas’ Chapel (Münster cloisters). Holy Communion 08:00 (first Sunday of the month only).

Chaplain: Rev Geoff Read www.anglicanbasel.ch Catholic Church Mass in English every Sunday at 5.30 at the Bruder Klaus Kirche. Contact Father Armin Rüssi, 061 735 11 57 www.esrccb.org Experience The Love of God www.catchthefire.ch/basel Islamische König Faysal Stiftung Islamisches Center, Friedensgasse 18, 4056 Basel, Tel. 061 263 24 50 Israelitische Gemeinde Basel IGB (Orthodox), Leimenstrasse 24, Basel Tel. 061 279 98 55 & 061 279 98 41 igb@igb.ch Israelitische Religionsgemeinschaft IRG (Orthodox), Ahornstrasse 14, Basel, tel/fax 61 301 49 47.

Migwan Basel’s liberal/progressive Jewish congregation. For more information contact Erica Bersin at erica@migwan.ch or visit our web site at www.migwan.ch

Basel Christian Fellowship We are an English-speaking church of many nationalities who have joined together in our desire to worship Jesus Christ and to learn from His Word.

Sunday worship 10:30am Adullam Chapel Mittlere Str. 13, 4056 Basel with children’s ministry Office: Missionsstr. 32, 4055 Basel Tel.: 061 322 1211 Fax: 061 322 1228 info@baselfellowship.org www.baselfellowship.org Pastor: David Manduka

Quaker Meetings in Basel On 1st/3rd Sundays each month.

Clerk: Ursula Schuppli, 061 601 72 57 basel@swiss-quakers.ch

crossroads

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Roman Catholic English Speaking Community Bruder Klaus Church, Segantinistr. 26, 3006 Berne. Tel. 031 350 14 14

International Church of Basel For seekers and believers, just like you, looking for answers and support in a home away from home.

A dynamic, fast growing Englishspeaking international church, with a worship service in an informal, contemporary style.

Services are held every Sunday at 10 am, with Sunday School and a nursery/toddlers’ playroom.

Reinacherstrasse 129, 3rd floor (near the VW/Audi dealership, Dreispitz).

Street parking or the Bus 36/Tram 16 stop Leimgrubenweg is within just a few steps of our entrance. Tram 10 & 11 stop Dreispitz is also just a short walk away.

Come and See! For more information about us, please visit our website www.crossroadsbasel.ch or call 061 331 70 10.

Berne Berne Jewish Community Berne Community Synagogue Kapellenstrasse 2, 3011 Berne Worship: Friday at 18.00 and Saturday at 9.15. Tel. 031 381 49 92 Berne International Evangelical Church (BIEC) Meets every Sunday at 17.00 in the FEG Chapel, Zeughausgasse 35, Berne Berne Islamic Centre Lindenrain 2a, 3012 Berne Tel. 031 302 62 91 Berne Switzerland Temple The Church of Jesus Christ of LatterDay Saints, Tempelstrasse 4, 3052 Zollikofen. Tel. 031 915 52 52

St Ursula’s English Church Jubiläumsplatz 2, 3005 Berne Tel. 031 352 85 67

Romandie All Saints Anglican Church, Vevey 40, av. de la Prairie, Vevey Tel. 021 943 22 39 Baha’i Community, Neuchatel Ch. du Pontet 6, 2013 Colombier Tel. 032/ 724-1583 bahai@bluewin.ch / www.bahai.ch Christ Church, Lausanne Anglican Episcopal Church Avenue de l’Eglise Anglaise Case Postale 70, 1000 Lausanne Tel. 021 617 7670 info@christchurch-lausanne.ch Church of Scotland, Geneva Calvin’s Auditorium 1 place de la Taconnerie, Geneva Tel. 022 798 29 09 cofsg@pingnet.ch www.churchofscotlandgeneva.com Evangelical Baptist Church, Geneva 7 rue Tabazan, 1204 Geneva Tel. 022 311 43 01 / info@ebcg.ch Grande Synagogue, Geneva Place de la Synagogue, Geneva Ashkenazi rituals with regular services Holy Trinity Anglican Church, Geneva Rue du Mont Blanc, Geneva Tel. 022 731 51 55 geneva-htc@anglican.ch Islamic Center of Geneva Also known as “the Little Mosque” 104, rue des Eaux-Vives, Geneva Tel. 022 736 75 86 / www.cige.org/cige

SWITZERLAND

Basel

Quaker Meetings in Berne On 2nd/4th Sundays each month at the Reformiertes Forum Universität Bern.

Clerk: Art Funkhouser, 031 331 66 00 e-mail bern@swiss-quakers.ch

places of worship 64

La Cote Anglican Church www.lacotechurch.ch Lausanne Free Church English-speaking, evangelical, reform church, services Sunday at 10.30.

Chemin des Fleurettes 36, Lausanne Tel. 021 799 48 10 paula.hill@gmail.com www.lausanne-english-church.com Neuchatel Church International English-Speaking Church Chapelle des Charmettes rue Varnoz 1, Neuchatel Tel. 032 730 5183 info@neuchatel-church.ch

Modern Orthodox: Israelitische Cultursgemeinde Zurich Synagogue: Lowenstrasse 10, Zurich Tel. 044 201 16 59 Rabbi Marcel Ebel speaks English

Confessional Lutheran Christian Ministry Grundstrasse 12, 8134 Adliswil Tel. +49 6131-277-9980 welschaplain@t-online.de www.welseurope.org

Reform Or Chadash Synagogue: Fortunagasse 13, Zurich Tel. 044 221 11 53

English Church Zurich Höhenringstrasse 11, 8052 Seebach Tel. 079 458 5135; ecz@cfaith.com www.englishchurch.ch

Quaker Meeting House, Geneva Every Sunday at 10:30 at Quaker House, 13, av. du Mervelet, 1209 Geneva Clerk: David Hay-Edie, 0033 450 313 201 geneva@swiss-quakers.ch

English Speaking Catholic Mission of Canton Zurich Neptunstrasse 60,8032 Zurich Tel. 044 382 02 06 info@englishmission.ch

Quaker Meetings, Lausanne First Sunday each month at 10:30 Clerk: Molly McJohn, 021 601 40 16 lausanne@swiss-quakers.ch

Evangelist Methodist Church Grundstrasse 12, 8134 Adliswil Tel. 044 710 62 51 Pkieselhorst@compuserve.om Further info: Jodi East, 044 480 27 40

St John the Evangelist, Montreux Anglican Church, 92, av. de Chillon, Territet. Tel. 021 963 43 54 Westlake Church Rue Juste Olivier 6, 1260 Nyon Tel. 022 990-2450 susan@westlakechurch.com www.westlakechurch.com

Zurich AGAPE Christian Centre Holderbachweg 12, 8046 Zurich Tel. 079 631 91 30 pastor@accm.ch / www.accm.ch

SWITZERLAND

Christian Women’s Fellowship “Helferei’ Kirchgasse 13, 8001 Zurich Tel. 044 262 39 76 (Susan Pluess) Meetings: third Wednesday each month, 9.30-11.30. Babysitting available.

Anglican Church of St. Andrew Promenadengasse 9, 8001 Zurich Tel. 044 252 6024 zurich@anglican.ch Daughter communities also in Zug/ Steinhausen, Baden/Türgi & St Gallen. www.standrewszurich.ch Chabad Lubawitsch Schweiz Rudigerstrasse 10, Zurich Tel. 044 289 70 50 Rabbi Rosenfeld speaks English

Hindu: ISKON Temple Bergstrasse 54, Zurich. www.krishna.ch/start.html International Baptist Church Zurich Postfach, Gheistrasse 33 8803 Ruschlikon. Tel. 044 724 44 38 crosslife@ibcz.ch / www.ibcz.ch International Christian Fellowship (ICF) Zurich Hardstrasse 219, 8005 Zurich Tel. 043 366 76 76; www.icf.ch Sunday celebrations (genX) 10.30 am with English translation 7.00 pm International Protestant Church French Reformed Church, Schanzengasse 25, 8001 Zurich www.ipc-zurich.org E-mail: pastor@ipc-zurich.org Office: Zeltweg 20, 8032 Zurich 044 262 55 25 / admin@ipc-zurich.org Jewish Orthodox I.R.G., Synagogue: Freigutstrasse 37, Zurich. Rabbi Levy speaks English

Seventh-Day-Adventist Church Cramerstrasse 11, 8005 Zurich Tel. 044 880 7280 info@crami.ch The Church of Jesus Christ of LatterDay Saints Hohlstrasse 535, 8048 Altstetten ZH Tel. 044 430 10 15 The Mosque of Zurich Rotelstrasse 86, 8057 Zurich Tel. 044 363 52 10 www.moschee-zurich.ch

Zug/Lucerne All Saints’ Church, Lucerne Postfach 7653, 6000 Lucerne 7 Tel. 041 410 14 67 Anglican Congregation in Zug Reformed Church Steinhausen, served from Zurich www.standrewszurich.ch Good Shepherd’s, Zug Celebrates the Eucharist in English on last Saturday each month, 17.30.

Religious education offered for schoolaged children.

PO Box 2526, 6302 Zug; 041 728 80 24 good.shepherds@pfarrei-guthirt-zug.ch International Church of Lucerne Zähringerstrasse 7, 6003 Lucerne Tel. 041-240-2964 information@icl.ch / www.icl.ch Lift Ministeries – Zug Vorstadt 30 @ the Lake of Zug Post: Rigistrasse 174, 6340 Baar Tel. 041 760 97 77 ctbest@bluewin.ch www.liveitandgiveit.com

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