The Switzerland Traveler

I like cars. Old cars, new cars, racing cars. Pretty much anything. But I can’t help wondering what sort of person wants to pay good money to sleep in one.
On the shores of Lake Lucerne, there is a very cute place called the Swiss Chalet. On the outside it looks like a normal restaurant hotel, but on the inside…
Actually, even on the inside it’s a good quality restaurant and hotel, it’s just when you discover some of the "speciality" rooms, that you begin to wonder what’s going on. Don’t panic, this isn’t going to get seedy!
First stop would be …read more

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Serendipity is a great thing. A couple of weeks ago I played golf with a great guy who turned out to be the manager for the Zürich Ballet, and then MaryJo posts about the Nutcracker on her Seattle Traveler blog.
So, it seems only fair to mention that the Zurich Ballet is also performing the Nutcracker at the Zurich Opera House this winter.
The Zurich Ballet was described by the Herald Tribune as “The most beautiful company of dancers in Europe” and has recently returned from a tour of Asia with an innovative production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

The Nutcracker was written by Tchaikovsky …read more

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It’s a known fact that most blokes aren’t overly keen on shopping. Well, unless we’re in the market for a new car, hi-fi, or HDTV, that is.
OK, I’m happy enough to go out and buy a new wardrobe in a single day (make that morning) but that is something that has to be done, rather than a leisure experience.

However, there are times when it can be fun. On a trip to the States a while back, my wife and I discovered the joys of factory outlets and a few years ago, the concept finally hit Switzerland.
Fox Town is located in Mendrisio right by …read more

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It might not be in the middle of town, but in a converted textile mill down by the lake is one of my favourite Zurich restaurants. The Blue Duck (I am famed for my literal translations) has been around for a few years now, and is still as good as ever.
The building still has a heavy focus on the industrial, lots of pipes, motors and drive belts to look at if the company gets boring. But chances are you’ll be people watching, as the place fills up with young sophisticates. I’ve been known to go there too.
There is also a …read more

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Just a quick throwaway post this one! I’m feeling guilty because I’ve been concentrating on cows, goats and sheeps (which incidentally is a newly accepted spelling for the plural of sheep. Lambs were apparently getting confused how they all became one sheep when they grew up).
Consequently, I forgot to mention the Chestnut Party down  in Valposchiavo, Graubunden. Unforgivable, I know. Hopefully I’ll remember next year.

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Before the winter sets in and the fog comes down over Zurich, why not take advantage of the October sun and nip over to Klosters and find out what global warming is doing to our glaciers?
There is a four kilometer circular walk high above Klosters, located at the Suvretta hut, 2341 meters above sea level. The walk leads from the hut to the Glacier, and features 15 posts along the way, designed to educate and inform about changes to the glacier; local fauna and flora and the influence of humans on the Alpine ecosystem.
That’ll be why there are all …read more

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I’m sorry! I can’t resist it. You all seem to love the concept of Swiss national costume and dressed up cows, so here’s the round-up of this weekends animal activities.
This weekend sees the judging of the cows by the Kloster in Engelberg on Friday 12th. Also there’ll be a small funfair for the little ones. Plus of course the obligatory beer and Bratwurst.
In Lenk, in the Berner Oberland,  the cows are due to be “moved” down the mountains, back to the village. Who could resist the sight of the most attractive cow being crowned “Miss Lenk”? Maybe the crowds eager to …read more

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It’s time for another theme day here on the travel and culture channel of b5media. And this time, the theme is time itself.
I think all of us writers on the channel thought "Ha, that’ll be easy" but it opens up soooo many possibilities.
My initial thoughts were of wristwatches and clocks.
Everybody knows there are two types of watch: those that are Swiss, and those that aren’t. And frankly, there’s no excuse for choosing one from the second group! Am I promoting my new home land too heavily here? Fear not, this is not going to turn into an …read more

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Did I ever tell you that I’m a bit of a closet trainspotter?
Not to the extent of wearing a jumper that my Mother has knitted me, and scribbling numbers in a notebook, but I do like trains. I even got to drive a steam train on the Bluebell line once.
So the annual Dampftreff at the village of Bauma near Winterthur is an ideal opportunity to get down to the trackside and smell the coal.
Not just steam trains, there are classic electric and diesel locomotives too. Expect to see famous trains like the “Red Arrow” and more importantly, be able to …read more

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About 15 years ago, the Swiss discovered Halloween. They’d always had pumpkin displays, but generally small and tasteful.
But then the idea of an extra celebration caught the corporate retail imagination and we all went Kürbis Krazy. Kürbis being the German for Pumpkin, if you hadn’t twigged.
Two brothers have caught onto this trend and turned their beautiful farm, overlooking the Pfäffikersee (that’s a little visited lake near Zürich btw) into a full-blown Pumpkin Experience.
Obviously, there’s the "how big is the biggest pumpkin?" question; and since you are asking, 363kg (800lbs) is this year’s biggest, around 100kg down on last …read more

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