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.
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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.
Guillaume Hersperger – Artistic Director of the festival
By Dean Marriott
The clocks have sprung forward, the daylight hours are rapidly increasing and the good weather will hopefully join us soon. As the trees reawaken and the blossom begins to appear, so too does the Swiss music festival circuit. Throughout Switzerland, numerous festivals are in the throes of preparation and shortly websites will go live for this season's ticket sales.
If you are looking for a gentle and inexpensive way to re-emerge from your winter cocoon, then I would suggest looking no further than the Pully Week-End Musical. This classical music event offers free entry and a programme to appeal to all ages.
This week, I spoke with one of the organisers, Benjamin Décosterd, President of Association Applause, to find out a little more about this locally-funded event.
By Lisa Gibson, http://misswissbliss.wordpress.com/
Located in the quaint village of Rossinière, in the canton of Vaud, is the impressive but relatively unknown Swiss heritage site that is Le Grand Chalet (The Grand Chalet).
It is the biggest chalet in Switzerland and one of the largest wooden dwellings in Europe. It is also one of the oldest chalets in Switzerland and as such, is a protected monument.
Built between 1752 and 1756 by Jean David Henchoz, this fine example of traditional Swiss architecture was originally designed as a warehouse and storage cellar for cheese. It later became a hotel, when in 1852, it was converted into a guesthouse, and boasted visitors such as Victor Hugo and Alfred Dreyfuss.
By Dean Marriott
Being an expat in Switzerland has given me a wonderful opportunity to discover and experience this country. Fortunately, it is blessed with a relatively efficient and reliable transport network which makes this even easier.
Whether you are looking to escape for a week, a weekend or simply for the day, why not start your excursion by sitting back, relaxing and travelling by train to your final destination. If you holiday with pets, as I do, train travel in Switzerland is extremely straightforward and our smaller four-legged friends travel free of charge. The general criteria for free travel is that your pet must not be more than 30 cm high (up to their shoulder blades) and is transported in a carrier, basket or other suitable container, although I have never been asked to put my dogs in containers when they are travelling with us.
One of the first and best purchases that I made when arriving in Vaud was the Half-fare travelcard (Abonnement demi-tarif). This can be purchased for 1, 2 or 3 years with prices starting at CHF 175. If you travel regularly by public transport, you will recoup the cost in no time. In addition, this also enables you to purchase the 1-day travelpass (carte journalière), as well as the 9 o’clock travelpass. Both of these allow unlimited travel throughout the whole of Switzerland for one day, with the latter being after 9am and only from Monday to Friday. Price details can be found here: http://www.sbb.ch/en/travelcards-and-tickets/tickets-for-switzerland/1-day-travelpass/1-day-travelpass-for-the-half-fare-travelcard.html
By Nicola Ogilvie, Just Sew
Where do you buy supplies for quilting in the Geneva area? I have discovered a number of fabric shops, all who sell a limited supply of quilting fabrics and notions, but a specialist quilt shop?
If you are interested in making clothes or accessories, doing alterations or soft furnishing, I am your girl. Although I have given quilting a go and made 2 or 3, I have barely touched on the experience, skills and artistic flair of my friend, Elita Sharpe, so she was the obvious person to ask.
I met up with her recently and we were able to indulge in our mutual passion of sewing. Elita gave me a quick answer to the question, where could someone buy quilting supplies? From her! Elita can supply you with Quilter's Dream batting of different lofts and fibres at extremely good prices. She buys directly from the manufacturer and has a range you would find hard to match in Geneva. She also can supply quality cotton Aurifil thread in an enormous range of colours that she sources from Italy. The quality of thread is excellent and is less expensive than the Gutterman thread that is of the same quality and widely available in shops here. She also sells tools such as cutting boards, rotary cutters, glues, and markers amongst other things. Check out her website www.busyneedle.ch/.
By Lisa Gibson, http://misswissbliss.wordpress.com/
Calling all thrill seekers and adrenaline junkies: if you are up for the challenge, a visit to Europes’ highest suspension bridge is just for you! Situated on the Titlis glacier in the Engelberg region at an altitude of 3 000 meters above sea level, nothing beats the thrill of crossing the Titlis Cliff Walk!
Constructed 500 meters off the ground, this pedestrian bridge was constructed over a period of only 5 months. Much of the material used in the construction was transported in cable cars, with larger sections being delivered by helicopter. The bridge is designed to withstand winds reaching up to 190 km/h as well as significant snowfall (around 500 tons to be exact), so the bridge is claimed to be 100 percent safe. On a clear day, it’s possible to view the glacier below as well as the Uri Alps and even part of Italy.
