The Switzerland Traveler

A few years back, I worked in Basel, and each year around the beginning of April, it suddenly became a nightmare to get to the office.
The reason? Quite simple, the jewelry crowd were in town for the biggest exhibition of the lot.
Loads of elegantly dressed people flood from all over the world for this one, and hotels as far away as Zurich get booked out, and very pricey.
So, if you’re aiming to visit Basel, it’s best to check www.baselworld.ch just to check your dates don’t clash.
Of course, if it’s diamonds and watches you’re after, then this is the time …read more

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I don’t think this will fit into many people’s travel plans, but it’s here, so I’m telling you about it.
Each year there is an exhibition where inventors show off there wonderful (and/or) wacky inventions.

How about this plane with flapping wings? Not on my shopping list I’m afraid…
Anyway, if you’re interested it’s at:
Geneva Palexpo from 2nd to 6th April.
www.inventions-geneva.ch

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The annual garden show starts this week in Zurich.
Running from April 2 until Sunday 6th. It’s at the Messe in Oerlikon, and is easily reachable by tram or train.
It covers both indoor and outdoor horticulture, with bulbs and small plants on sale as well as tools and other vital (and some less vital) implements.

From Hot Tubs to garden chairs, Giardina has pretty much everything. And the ENEA display is always worth a look.

Many stands sell plants cheaply on the Sunday evening, so that’s always a popular time to visit.
Hours of opening
Wednesday, Thursday 9 am – 7 pmFriday 9 …read more

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Time for the weekly round-up of images that I think show Switzerland in an interesting light. First up from leumund a couple of photos of the refurbished Grand Hotel Dolder in Zürich. And yes, if you have to ask, you can’t afford it…

Next, the leaning tower of…
… no not Pisa, St Moritz, courtesy of sacred_destinations

Here’s one of the many outdoor bathing facilities in Switzerland. But not today thank you. kreumi

Urban graffiti, from gwalton

Spiritually uplifting, prayer flags at the Tibetan Institute jarsina

Finally, to finish an unusual vending machine, inner tubes for bicycles… nnova

All photos: …read more

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Yes, it’s true. Any time of the year you can experience tropical temperatures at the end of the number 6 tram line.
Zurich Zoo prides itself on being one of the most modern in the world, seeking to reproduce natural habitats for it’s animals.
The Masaola rainforest is typical of their dedication, featuring many types of flora and fauna.

As with most zoos, the purpose is educational, and the Masaola forest is there to inform about the causes of the disappearance of forests, but also projects that help conserve forests in the real world.
The forest opens at 10:00 and is open …read more

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It occurred to me after doing the Appenzell post that I hadn’t mentioned Rorschacherberg, which offers one of the best views of Lake Constance – or Bodensee as the locals call it.
With a cute little mountain railway to get up there, it’s reachable for everyone.
I once thought there was a prospect of seeing five countries at once, because the area is called “Fünfländerblick” (view of 5 countries) but it turns out that three of the countries are more like states of Germany.
But either way it’s an impressive view.
Take the train from Rohrschach to Heiden, or the other way round. …read more

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Well, it’s certainly an attention grabbing headline!
I’m not convinced that “fountain of youth” is strictly true, Appenzell tends to conjure up words like sleepy and unspoilt, but it’s what the people at the tourist office say, so it must be true.
That’s probably because it has a wealth of rich mineral springs, and visitors have been coming for over 100 years to bathe.
There are a range of hotels in Appenzell offering wellness breaks, often combining Swiss water and air with eastern philosophy and treatments: whey treatments and Kneipp cures alongside Ayurveda, Tai-Chi and Chi-Yung beauty weeks.
Wellness has been a topic …read more

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I keep stumbling across the fact that some Americans apparently think that “Swiss Cheese” is a particular type of cheese, close to what we in Switzerland know as Emmental.
So when I found a type of cheese that I hadn’t heard of before, and discovered you can can go and see it being made, I felt I had to tell someone.
L’Etivaz is a cheese made from raw milk, and is apparently produced over a woodfire in chalets in the Alps at altitudes of up to 2,000m (7000ft).
If you visit the Maison de L’Etivaz, you’ll be able to visit the …read more

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If you’re curious about food, and based on the motto “You are what you eat”, why wouldn’t you be, then the Alimentarium Food Museum may be for you.
It’s run by the Nestlé foundation which might antagonise some of the campaigners in the baby-milk debate but I like their chocolate so they’re ok with me.
Their idea is to cover everything to do with food: its history, its origins and uses, in a fun and interactive way.
The permanent exhibition covers the various aspects of food and nutrition as they affect all of us, apart from (presumably) African babies on Formula.
The museum …read more

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Sometimes I wonder if I bang on about art museums too much.
So today, I’m going to talk about another one. But not for the art, for the architecture.
The Paul Klee Museum in Bern was designed by Renzo Piano, who, I must confess, I’d never heard of until a visit to the Lingotto in Turin last year.

The museum is located next to the main Zurich -Geneva motorway, which certainly livens up the journey as one passes it.
The downside is that you can’t step back very far to take in the perspective…
Piano’s idea was to build “the leading centre of competence …read more

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