The Switzerland Traveler

Staying on this week’s theme of music, there’s a major Blues festival held annually in Luzern.
It runs from the 2nd to 11th November and is based around the Grand Casino
It features a number of international acts; the idea being to allow residents of Switzerland (and passing visitors) to experience what the organizers refer to as "the true blues"
Whether that means you’ll come away knowing exactly how the performers woke up this morning I don’t know, but if you like your music heavy on guitar, then this could be the place for you.
As I’m not a …read more

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Switzerland has some surprising benefits. One of the most enjoyable is the possibility of attending great music events.
For example, tonight I’ll be at the Abart club in Zurich (which will get its own review later in the week) to see the UK band The Rakes. And tomorrow, the Kaiser Cheifs are coming to Winterthur.
In Zurich there is a four-day Jazz festival based around the Theaterhaus Gessnerallee and the EWZ Unterwerk at Selnau. The festival runs from Wed 31 October until Sat 3rd November.
The title of the festival is intended to convey the development in modern jazz, namely that other more …read more

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Another in my helpful series of "why didn’t he tell us about that before?" posts…
Well, in this case, it’s because I’ve only just found out about it, but it seems like it might be worth making a trip next summer.
Switzerland has basically two types of cyclists, those that like going uphill, and those that don’t.
Near Davos is a run that caters exclusively for that second category, which of course includes me.
A 20 km (12.5 miles) run, all downhill? can it be possible? Well at St Antönien it apparently is. There’s a small mountain inn at the top and then …read more

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October and November is the time when Switzerland goes crazy for fairs, or shows as they used to be known when I was a young lad.
This week it’s Basel’s turn (you may have worked out I don’t like to use English spellings, like Basle).
It’s at the Messe, and entrance is (can you believe this) free!
The fair is marketed as representing seven different “worlds”: Wellness, Fashion, Sport,  Living, Leisure, Household and Food&Drink.
If this was in any other country, the homeless would be queueing up to sample all of the free foods and wines on offer, but in Switzerland it’ll be a …read more

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Photo: samcotton
Theme day again on the b5media travel and Culture channel. This time the topic is “Fall” but as I get enough stick from my European readers that there are two “L”s in traveller, I’m going with Autumn.
New England might be the place for leaf-peeping, with the climate there being perfect for turning the colour of the leaves.
But the Swiss climate is not dissimilar, leading to some fantastic colours in the mountains. Throw in the lakes, and the mountains, with the clear cool air, and Switzerland in Autumn is somewhere not to be mixed.
Today the focus is on Grindelwald in …read more

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High up above the town of Locarno, there is a sanctuary located on a forested cliff; Madonna del Sasso. Sasso means rock, so hopefully I won’t be struck down for translating it as Madonna on the Rocks.
The church was consecrated in the 19th century when a local monk, Brother Bartholomeo, claimed that the Madonna had appeared before him whilst walking in the woods.
You can reach the sanctuary either on foot, if you are feeling energetic, or there is a funicular railway that winds its way through the trees and delivers you at a very pleasant bar with terrace looking down …read more

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Switzerland has a variety of beautiful lakes, many surrounded by majestic mountains, ideal for reflective shots like this one.
Lake Brienz (locally known as the Brienzersee)  is located between the eastern side of Interlaken (literally, between the lakes) and the village of Brienz; also home to an open air museum.
The lake is renowned for the colour of its water; a deep turquoise, and is quite different from it’s sister lake the Thunersee, which is located west of Interlaken.
The Brienzersee has been described as gloomy, but that completely misses the beauty of the place. It’s a deep lake, over 250m or 850 feet …read more

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This might not be of much interest to those of you planning a trip to Switzerland, but it might be a lifesaver for those of you that already live here.
When we arrived nearly 20 years ago, it was impossible to find those important items that you need when you’re ill, or planning a cultural night. Heinz Baked Beans, Birds Custard etc.
But now, the internet is solving those problems, and you can get a lot of UK products with minimal hassle.
Try  britshop.ch who have a great selection, and even Migros are getting in on the act, selling Youngs and Wells beer, amongst other …read more

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Here’s a special offer for you; for a limited time only I’m giving you the opportunity to tell me me what you’d like me to write about.
Are you interested in finding the quietest lake or the highest mountain that you can ascend with a cable car?
Perhaps a restaurant in a particular town or a hotel in the middle of nowhere? A favourite route through the Alps?
Well, as this blog is for you, dear reader, I thought I’d open the flood gates and give you the chance not just to read about things that I find interesting, but be able to …read more

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Lynn over at The Paris Traveler may have given up on the world cup, but there’s still a healthy interest in rugby here in Switzerland. In fact there’s a very successful amateur rugby team based in Zurich.
If you’re in Zurich over the weekend and want to find somewhere to watch the rugby, try the Lady Hamilton off Bahnhofstrasse, The Lions near Rennweg or the Oliver Twist off the Niederdorf.
And if you like what you see, contact the boys at www.rczurich.ch and consider joining up!

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