No, I’m not being paid by the St Moritz tourist board!

There just happens to be loads of stuff going on there that I think the world needs to know about.

And playing cricket on ice is about as eccentric as it gets.

As you may know, cricket is similar to baseball, but to we British it is simply superior. There’s much less excitement for one thing, and is characterised by the fact that a five day international test match, 30 hours of playing time, is quite likely to end in a tie. No winner after five days? Ah you see, it’s not winning that counts, it’s how you play!

Anyway, enough provocation.

This year sees the 20th anniversary of the Cricket on Ice tournament, which is being played on the lake from 31Jan to 2nd Feb-

The action takes place from 10am – 4pm each day, and you just need to turn up, there is no admission charge.

Four teams take part, playing in a round-robin competition.

It’s basically a match between teams from the UK and a local school, albeit one for children of incredibly rich parents.

I have played myself there, but only in summer (no, it wasn’t on the lake then) and I can vouch for the relaxed atmosphere.

For more information:

www.cricket-on-ice.com

Or if you feel like watching a delightfully amateurish video (8MB) that gives a great overview of St Moritz, featuring cricket, horse racing and champagne, click the TV…

Post from: The Switzerland Traveler

Switzerland has a variety of beautiful lakes, many surrounded by majestic mountains, ideal for reflective shots like this one.

Lake Brienz (locally known as the Brienzersee)  is located between the eastern side of Interlaken (literally, between the lakes) and the village of Brienz; also home to an open air museum.

The lake is renowned for the colour of its water; a deep turquoise, and is quite different from it’s sister lake the Thunersee, which is located west of Interlaken.

The Brienzersee has been described as gloomy, but that completely misses the beauty of the place. It’s a deep lake, over 250m or 850 feet deep, with shores that plunge quickly from the nearby mountains. The water is cold, and fishing is apparently not good.

On the south side of the lake, there is a waterfall at Giessbach, with an elegant hotel, and the best way to see this is in one of the five boats that offer a passenger service on the lake. Regular services run, and as with most public transport, timetables are available at www.sbb.ch.

You can also combine the boat trip with a ride in a train (steam powered on certain weekends) up the Rothorn, which has always proved a big hit with our visitors. The train takes you up to 2244 metres above sea level, which is over a mile higher than where you started.

 Photo Credit: Flickr

Post from: The Switzerland Traveler