June 16th, 2008
Having mentioned Switzerland’s tragic record in the EM, I feel it only fair that I should mention that yesterday they beat the country that most pundits consider favourite for the title.
Not only that, they scored two goals - one from the penalty spot, which is more than they have scored in an EM finals game […]
By Geoff -- 7 comments
June 13th, 2008
Lest we forget what it’s all about, here’s a photo of some actual football. One of the best exponents of the game with the ball at his feet.
Looks like rain?
Oh yes! My God it tipped down. Fortunately I was under cover, but still got soaked.
Two countries that have impressed so far - Holland and Portugal. […]
By Geoff -- 0 comments
June 7th, 2008
Switzerland play the Czech Republic in the first match…
All of Switzerland seems to expect the Nati to win. The national team. Everyone except the foreigners that is, who have seen the the team lose their last four games and don’t believe that the home advantage will make any difference.
But wearing red is obligatory for the […]
By Geoff -- 0 comments
May 22nd, 2008
I went into town last week to watch the final of the Champion’s League in a bar, and I have to admit, it’s now time to start mentioning the football.
The European Championships (which is essentially all the world class teams apart from the South American nations) is being held in Switzerland and Austria from 7-29 […]
By Geoff -- 6 comments
May 20th, 2008
Each year the good people of Grindelwald celebrate the fact that they live right by one of the greatest mountains in the world.
The north face of the Eiger is still one of the most diffcult climbs, and the anniversary of the first ascent is worth remembering. Imagine spending a night sleeping in that concave bit!
The […]
By Geoff -- 2 comments
April 3rd, 2008
You can pretty much guarantee in Switzerland that it’ s not very often that there is no exhibition of Ferdinand Hodler’s work going on.
This summer, it’s Bern’s turn, with an exhibition at the kunstmuseum.
It runs until Sunday 10th August.
There will be over 130 of his paintings - some of which are by no means […]
By Geoff -- 0 comments
March 25th, 2008
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 […]
By Geoff -- 0 comments
March 9th, 2008
We all know that Freud, Jung and Adler are the founders of modern psychiatry.
But if you want to find out more about treatment of mental illness over the years, how about a trip to the museum of psychiatry in Bern?
Learn how patients were put in straightjackets, and spun round in contraptions like this…
OK, maybe […]
By Geoff -- 0 comments
February 28th, 2008
I’ve been doing quite a bit of skiing recently, and I like the challenge of attacking longer runs than usual.
At Mürren, near Interlaken, you’ll find the Schilthorn, and from there you have the opportunity to ski the route of the Inferno race.
The height difference is 1970 meters, that’s nearly one and a quarter miles.
Run […]
By Geoff -- 0 comments
February 12th, 2008
I don’t know why, but I was surprised to find out that many Americans in Switzerland struggle to find Swiss cheese in the shops here.
Apparently it’s because Swiss cheeses sold in the states are less likely to be known as Gruyère or Emmental, or any one of hundreds of other types of cheese that we […]
By Geoff -- 2 comments
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