Part of my daily ritual is to check the headlines on the Daily Telegraph, surely one of the finest online newspapers there is.

On a more infrequent basis, I also read Private Eye, the satirical current affairs magazine.

Why do I tell you this? Because one of Private Eye’s most common digs at the Torygraph (as the Telegraph is also known)  is that it tends to use pictures of scantily clad females in newsworthy situations, presumably to boost circulation. I think I’m talking about number of copies sold, rather than circulation of blood, but you can never be too sure.

So, today, I find myself doing precisely that, because there is a beach volleyball event taking place in Gstaad this week, and I, er, thought you ought to know about it.

It runs from Monday until Sunday 27th July, features parties and concerts (William White would appear to be the highlight on Thursday evening).

Fun for all the family.

www.beachworldtour.ch

Photo: Flickr – bernat

Post from: The Switzerland Traveler

One of the great things about writing on the topic of Switzerland is that one gets to cover an entire range of Swiss traditional activities.

Whether it’s bringing cows down the mountains, pumpkin or chestnut festivals, or even the spectacle of two cows fighting each other, summer in Switzerland has the best entertainment there is.

Next weekend sees the annual wrestling, or Schwingen, championships on Mount Rigi, near Luzern. It’s basically a bunch of farmers with some extra trousers trying to throw each other on to their backs, but it’s taken very seriously by the competitors and the local public.

It warrants coverage on national TV, but then you’d miss out on the grilled sausages, and the smell of sweat mixed with mountain flowers. Not to mention the smell of the steam trains that I wouldn’t mind betting will be  pressed into service to take visitors to the event.

Schwingen has been around for over 100 years, coincidentally about the same amount of time as the railway that goes up Rigi. Personally, I prefer the railway, but each to their own.

You’ll also get the benefit of seeing the cows go up the mountain, so really it’s an event not to be missed…

www.rigi-schwingen.ch

Photo: Flickr – Jasper

Post from: The Switzerland Traveler

Old photo, new thrills.

This week sees 24 of the world’s top freeriders, both skiers and snowboarders, taking part in the 12th edition of Verbier Xtreme.

It’s the final of the Freeride World Tour (www.freerideworldtour.com) which visits Mammoth USA; Sochi, Russia; the O’Neill Big Mountain Pro, which is a mobile event in the Alps; and Tignes, France.

The Nissan O’Neill Xtreme Verbier is held on the North face of the Bec des Rosses, which features an over 50° gradient in places.

It’s allegedly a dramatic sight for the spectators on the Col des Gentianes, there also various demonstrations over the week.

The Freeride pros also assist in the campaign to prevent off-piste skiing accidents.

www.xtremeverbier.com

Photo: timmarec

Post from: The Switzerland Traveler

I’ve known this has been coming up for a while, but all of a sudden it’s here!

The great Tutankhamun (or Tutankhamen if you prefer – my spell checker seems to!) exhibition is in Zürich from this Saturday, 8th March until Sun 29th Jun.

Several hotels are offering special deals, click here for details.

Apparently it’s the first time there has been a full reproduction of the grave in 3D, but as I found a photo on Flickr, I’m not convinced I translated the press release correctly.

Either way, an exhibition not to be missed.

The exhibition is being held at the Toni-Areal (an old milk depot) in the Züri-West area of town. Tram 4 or 13 to Escher Wyss Platz and then walk, or train or bus to Hardbrücke.

Toni-Areal
Förrlibuckstrasse 109

www.tut-ausstellung.com

Photos: Ad Ferris, Steve Parker

Post from: The Switzerland Traveler

Well, this surprised me, but apparently Pop Art is a European invention. Forget Warhol and Lichtenstein, London, Paris and, you guessed it, Zurich was the place to be in the 1950s.

And to celebrate that, the art gallery in Zurich is running an exhibition until 12th May.

To quote the gallery’s website:

Art reflects the society in which it is created.
The works in the show are grouped according to chapters and express the concerns of the social milieus on both sides of the Atlantic during the late 1950s and 60s.

There are guided tours on Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings.

www.kunsthaus.ch
tel. +41 (0)44 253 84 84

Open
Sat/Sun/Tue 10 a.m.–6 p.m.
Wed–Fri 10 a.m.–8 p.m.

Holidays:
Easter 20–24 March
Ascension 30 April/1 May
Pentecost 10-12 May
10 a.m.–6 p.m.

Admission
CHF 18.- / 12.- (concessions) / CHF 14.- per head for groups of 20 or more.

Post from: The Switzerland Traveler

Finally a winter sport for the couch potato!

On Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays until March 30, 2008 you can ride on a sledge pulled by huskies.

It’s at the popular weekend resort of Flumserberg, about an hour out of Zürich.

Although most of us will just want to stroke the dogs, you can apparently gain an insight into the life of a musher, get familiarized with the sledge, the riding technique, as well as the orders given to the animals and the dogs’  behaviour.

For a half-day tour it costs CHF 154 or Euro 96 (per person) and full day tours including a hike with the huskies CHF 300/Euro 187 also per person.

More saleable in my view, are the romantic honeymoon rides, which include a fondue meal (CHF 136.—/Euro 85.— for 2 persons).

For further information www.flumserberg.ch

Post from: The Switzerland Traveler

Just back from a few days rest, first in Zermatt and then in München, or Munich as you probably know it.

We just missed the Kriskindlmarkt in Münich, but as we got off the train in Zürich, our very own one was opening there.

And do you know what? It’s Christmas Market time all over Switzerland. I’m not a lover of the home-woven yoghurt that tends to be sold at this type of thing, but that’s just me.

If you’ve never been to one, then it’s worth it just for the atmosphere, which is invariably helped by the smell of Glühwein and frying Bratwurst. The most famous markets are in Germany, Nuremburg springs to mind, but Switzerland does it well too.

So, the famous ones are in Zürich, Lausanne, Basel, Montreux and Einsiedeln. I’ll be adding the dates for all of these over the next few days, so stay tuned!

Post from: The Switzerland Traveler

Do you know what 50 tons of onions looks like?

If not, then Monday 26th November is the time to find out. On the fourth Monday in November of every year, local farmers bring tons (literally) of garlic and onion to the world famous Onion Market in Bern.

Zweibelmarkt would be the German translation, but in Switzerland they speak Swiss-German, which in fact turns out to be several quite distinct variants of the teutonic tongue. So Zibelemärit is the Bernese variation of that word, and in Zürich it would probably be quite different.

Anyway, onions and garlic there will be aplenty, all artistically plaited to look their best for you.

Being a traditional Swiss fair, there will be a funfair, and stalls offering local produce, including ceramic pots.

And where there are onions, there is cheese. It’s a great combination, and local restaurants make the most of it.

Take a trip to Bern, and if you find it too cold, there’ll be numerous opportunities to warm up with a glass of Glühwein.

The action starts early, around 5am so no worries about crashing the party too early!

www.berninfo.com

Post from: The Switzerland Traveler

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 civilised affair.

Plenty of sideshows for young and old alike: a table football championship (which translates marvelously as Töggeliturnier) plus remote controlled car races and who could possibly resist the exhibition of bakelite goods? Fun for all the faimly!

The exhibition runs from Sat 27th October to Sunday 4 November in Hall 3 (the big one) of the Messe. It opens daily at noon and closes at 20:00

Post from: The Switzerland Traveler

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 the Jaguar suite. Instead of a bed, there’s an old Jaguar, which you can sleep in. The hotel claims it’s a Mark II Jaguar, although it’s obviously a Mark 10, but let’s not criticize them for that.

From the photos it would appear that if you open the boot, there’s an attractive view of the lake, and what better way to start a morning than that?

There’s also a room with a rocking coach, and a Moulin Rouge suite, which sadly appears to have nothing more than a few Toulouse Lautrec style murals. You’d expect a trapeze at least!

But if you are after something more adventurous, the bridal suite offers private use of the hotel swimming pool during the night, complete with a gondola (naturally the seats have been replaced with a double bed) which lowers into the pool.

The pool is open to the other guests from 7am though, so clearly the proprietors don’t expect newlyweds to sleep in…

The hotel is run by a smart looking chap called Prince Joseph 1st, and he’s happy to send the hotel Rolls-Royce to the airport to pick you up should you feel the chalet merits a special visit.

Let me know how you get on!

Photos and Info : Schloss-Hotel **** Swiss-Chalet 
CH-6402 Merlischachen
Tel +41(0)41 854 54 54 www.schloss-hotel.ch

Post from: The Switzerland Traveler