The Switzerland Traveler

Please feel free to skip this if you’re not a Rufus Wainwright fan!
But Munich isn’t too far from Switzerland, so it kind of fits in to the theme! And I can thoroughly recommend Märliplatz and the Haus der Kunst, which housed the most magnificent piece of art I’ve ever seen. Totally Bonkers!
It’s basically a 20 ton block of red wax, tailormade to fit the massive door openings, and it runs on rails at about 5cm/minute, along the room and back again. Fantastic!
But back to Mr W: I just had to post the pic of me with Rufus, …read more

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Just a short post today on the Montreux Comedy Festival.
Montreux is usually known for jazz in summer, but it has also been hosting a comedy festival for ages.
Now I’m not sure if this week’s festival is the same one that used to award the Golden Rose to programmes such as Monty Python, and in fact I suspect it’s not. But it might be.
Isn’t that helpful?
Even worse, I don’t even know if the comedy will be in English!
The website appears to be only in French, so if you do parler Francais, it might be worth popping along.
Oh, and don’t forget …read more

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How do you choose a work of art?
 
Do you look for something that matches the colour of your sofa? Something “safe” that everybody knows – a poster from IKEA for example? Something edgy that nobody else will have, or even like? Or something that excites and awakens your senses everytime you see it?
 
In the heart of the old town of Solothurn, 75 artists from eight different countries are exhibiting their wares; totalling about 5,000 works of art.
 
The Swiss Art Supermarket is entering its eighth year, and is unusual in trying to attract everyone, not just cognoscenti. It takes place in …read more

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This week sees the start of the Zurich Film festival. Running from 27 Sep to 7 Oct, there are opportunities for attending gala premieres of (mainly European) films, childrens events and opportunites to meet and talk to directors, scriptwriters and pretty much everyone involved in film.
Keynote guest is Oliver Stone, and films relating to post 1989 Russia are being featured to give an understanding of the uphaevals and conflicts in today’s Russian soceity.
Zürich has a whole series of Arthouse cinemas, and this is the third time the festival has been used to promote and link them.

I could give you a …read more

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As this blog doesn’t just cover upcoming events, let’s take a look at one of the most famous restaurants in Switzerland; the Kronenhalle – which translates literally to "Hall of Crowns".
Located close to the lake in Zürich, the restaurant was started back in the mid 1800s and achieved legendary status when famous artists used to congregate there, paying for their dinner or drinks with works of art. This was clearly a smart move on the part of the owner, as paintings by Miro, Klee and Picasso, amongst others, decorate the walls.
It’s not a cheap restaurant, so readers of Europe …read more

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Hot on the heels of the Badenfahrt (and I can’t tell you how gutted I am that this blog came into existence too late to tell you about that) comes Fantoche.
Re-using some of the infrastructure from the 10-day street party, Fantoche is a bi-annual celebration of animated film. And it’s not just about audio-visual experiences, the centre of the festival also features a restaurant based on a couple of old cargo containers. Sounds a bit weird, but trust me on this one.

Baden may not have the cachet of Cannes, or even the more local annual film festival in Locarno, but …read more

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