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Below you will find a selection of the most recent entries from bloggers in our Leisure section.

To view the entries from individual bloggers, click on the links below:

  • Steve Long

    Steve Long is CEO of InterSoccer, which offers football courses and holiday camps for two to 13-year-olds in Geneva, Vaud, Basel, Zug and Zurich. Steve first came to Switzerland in 2001 as an event and grassroots manager for UEFA, before co-founding InterSoccer in 2007. He loves all sports, especially football, snowboarding, tennis, golf and mountain biking. Originally from Nottingham, UK, he still supports The Mighty Reds - Nottingham Forest.

  • Oguzhan (Osan) Altun
    Oguzhan (Osan) Altun is a freelance photographer based in Geneva, and one of the founder members of the Geneva Photo Club. He specializes in landscapes, portraits and event photography. His teaching style combines 10 years of training experience in corporate life with contagious passion for photography and the best training materials available online on the net. He is crisp, to the point, and focused on getting the participant practice what she/he learned.

  • Yvette Evers
    As the founder of "fraiche air", a local club providing opportunities for outdoor recreation and tourism in English, Yvette has hundreds of ideas for exploring the region including activities such as hiking, showshoeing, powerwalks, ski-touring and family days.

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By Dean Marriott

This year is the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death. To mark this, the British Council is supporting a series of global events, as well as offering a huge number of online resources.

For those of you who have a spare couple of hours per week and would like to brush up on your knowledge of Shakespeare, it would be worth considering a free 6-week online course with the British Council.  After looking into the life of Shakespeare during week 1, the course will then take you on a journey of his works, discovering a new play each week: Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Much Ado About Nothing, The Tempest and Macbeth.  The next course begins on 18th April and you can sign up for free on the following link: https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/explore-english-shakespeare

I often explore the works of Shakespeare during classes and workshops with children and am always excited by their discoveries as they bring the text to life and discover the origins of certain expressions.  Currently, I am working on Romeo and Juliet with my Wednesday afternoon Advanced English learners aged 8-13.  Some parents are often surprised to hear that their children are studying Shakespeare as part of a language acquisition course.  However, to me, as an actor teaching English through theatre, this has always seemed a natural part of the language acquisition process.  The themes are so relevant today and the language so rich, that it would be a shame to avoid it.

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By Dean Marriott

What would happen if you were to die tomorrow? Would the world end? Would your work colleagues be unable to recover from your absence? Or would people simply learn to cope without you?

I don’t usually start a blog with such a sombre thought, however, I think that sometimes we need a kick to wake us up: a short, sharp reality check. Life and work can continue without you – whether it’s for an hour, a day, a week or longer. So learn to accept, embrace and enjoy this freedom from time to time.  

Freedom from work and the chores of daily life has become a luxury today. Technology in our pockets mean that there is little escape. Just look around you. Whether it’s at the train station or on the train, walking in the street or by the lake, in fact where ever you go, people are looking down, obsessively checking emails, Facebook or other social media.  The modern day drug called the internet has created nations of addicts with a need to be connected. But what is this inability to switch off doing to us mentally?

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By Dean Marriott

One of the things I love about being based in Switzerland is the ability to drive anywhere and everywhere at a moment’s notice.  Whether it’s popping across the border into France for a bit of shopping or venturing into the other neighbouring countries of Germany, Italy, Austria and Liechtenstein as part of a more comprehensive trip, having a car here is truly liberating.

However, it’s also easy to forget that every time you cross the border, you are entering into a new jurisdiction, not only for your car insurance, but also your car breakdown/recovery insurance.  In addition, the rules regarding compulsory equipment that you need to have in your car can differ considerably from one country to another.  If in any doubt about what you should have in your car in order to avoid a potential fine, you may find this document from the British Automobile Association very useful: Compulsory equipment for motorists in Europe

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By Dean Marriott

When looking at the A-Z of places to visit in Switzerland, Zurich, through no fault of its own, may unavoidably be towards the end of the list alphabetically.  However, it tops the list in Switzerland as the largest and richest city, surpassing Geneva in terms of resident millionaires, with over 27% of its inhabitants falling into this category.  That said, Zurich is accessible to all, no matter what your budget may be.  It is a vibrant and diverse city in terms of population and culture, having 31% of the city's population made up of non-Swiss from a total of 166 different countries.

This year, the 24th Street Parade took place on 29th August 2015 and what a spectacular day this was.  With temperatures hitting 32 degrees, in excess of 1 million people descended on Zurich which literally transformed, not simply into the pulsating heart of Switzerland, but that of Europe.

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By Nicola Ogilvie, Just Sew Geneva

This is not a question I have had to answer for myself as I always make my own curtains. Depending on how many curtains you are making and the size of the window or windows it can be a relatively easy and satisfying project or a big, slightly daunting, but even more satisfying project!

If you would like to learn how to make curtains for yourself, sign up for my next workshop series “Sewing for the home”. We will be making curtains, cushions and Roman blinds.  For those with little experience we will start with simple cushions to update your sewing skills, then move on to piped cushions, curtains and Roman Blinds.  The series is being held in my sewing room in Commugny, every Wednesday morning for 5 weeks starting 28th October and I have 1 spot left. You may come for the whole series or just for the morning that you are interested in. Take a look at my website: www.justsewgeneva.weebly.com.

However, if you have neither the time nor the inclination to make your own, I have checked out a few places in the area to see what they offer. I started my research with a Google search “rideaux Genève”. I was surprised how many options I found and spent last week touring around having a look at the shops and chatting with the owners. Some keep restrictive hours and some require appointments but the following shops I was able to visit.