Lausanne Palace & Spa, Sunday 22 May 2016
The Léman International Fair will celebrate its 10th birthday by holding two fairs at two new locations in Lausanne this year. The first of these is scheduled to take place on 22 May at the 5-star Lausanne Palace & Spa, an ideal location for the international and Swiss communities living along Lake Geneva or in the Canton of Vaud.
With an accent on learning in all its senses, this special birthday edition will offer something for all ages, and will focus on organizations that provide services like summer camps, wine courses, and wellbeing. Visitors will also have the opportunity to find out more about local resorts including hotels and golf centers as well as thermal baths. Entry to the fair is free and open to all.
Created 10 years ago by Léman Events Sarl as an event for Expats, the fair has now evolved into an occasion not just for Expats, but Locals and Swiss Residents too. Whether you have only just arrived, or have lived here all your life, you can be sure of discovering something new at the Léman International Fair!
The public has been invited to celebrate HM Queen Elizabeth II’s 90th Birthday at a special Garden Party to be held in the magnificent grounds of the Geneva English School on Saturday, 28 May 2016.
With views over Lake Léman and the Haute Savoie, the school is a perfect location for the Garden Party, which is being organized by the Romandie West Region of the British Residents’ Association of Switzerland in collaboration with the Royal British Legion, the Royal Air Forces Association, the Commonwealth Association of Geneva, the Royal Over-Seas League, the British-Swiss Chamber of Commerce Geneva Chapter, the Victoria British Aid Fund and the Rolls Royce Enthusiasts’ Club.
The Guest of Honour will be the British Ambassador to Switzerland, HE David Moran, who will propose the Loyal Toast. The dress code for the occasion will be `smart casual ́ or national dress and decorations may be worn.
On its way from Olympia to Brazil, the Olympic flame will be stopping off in Lausanne. For all those with a burning desire to find out more about this flame, you can go to The Olympic Museum for a special event of free activities being held this weekend, Saturday 30 April and Sunday 1 May 2016.
From Olympia, where it is lit, to the stadium in the host city, the Olympic flame marks the approach of each edition of the Games through the ritual of the torch relay. On Thursday 21 April, the flame for the Rio 2016 Games was lit in Olympia. It has been traveling around Greece and then, before leaving for Brazil, it will make a brief stopover in Switzerland!
On Friday 29 April 2016, it will be presented at the UN headquarters in Geneva, before heading to The Olympic Museum in the afternoon, via the lake, carried in its safety lamp – on a rowing boat. A nod to the sport much loved by Pierre de Coubertin!
A ceremony will be held in its honour in the presence of IOC President Thomas Bach, Rio 2016 Organising Committee President Carlos NUZMAN and various personalities from the canton and commune invited for the occasion.
On Saturday 30 April and Sunday 1 May, the general public can discover the flame which will light up the Games in Rio this summer. It will burn in the Rio 2016 cauldron installed at the Museum entrance. As such, it will join the Olympic fire which burns constantly under the benevolent gaze of Pierre de Coubertin’s statue. The flame will then head off towards Brasilia at the end of the day on Monday 2 May.
The last time the Olympic flame was in Lausanne was during the relay for the Games in Athens in 2004; and before that it was for the 1948 Games in London. In both cases, it was part of the official relay, with torches and torchbearers. This year, it is a flame presentation.
To mark this great first, The Museum is organising an event weekend open to everyone. The programme includes a special exhibition, mini-visits of the flame and relay, creative workshops, film screenings and concerts. All this will be free of charge, with no need to reserve beforehand (except for the brunches).
Modern Times 1936, Photo ©Roy Export Company Establishment
A new museum, which pays tribute to the life and work of Charlie Chaplin, will open this Sunday, 17th April, in the heart of the Vaud Riviera.
Created by the leading wax museum specialists, Grézin International, Chaplin’s World invites visitors to discover both the man and the artist - Charlie and Charlot (The Tramp) – through a series of thematic tours and studio presentations. Set within a four-hectare park, located in Corsier-sur-Vevey, the museum enjoys spectacular views over Lake Geneva and the Alps.
There are three main elements to Chaplin’s World:
- His former home, the Manoir de Ban, which retraces the private and public life of this genius of the seventh art.
- The Studio, a 1,350m² building inspired by Hollywood, which presents the cinematographic work of one the greatest artists of the 20th century.
- A four-hectare park, which showcases hundred-year-old trees beloved by Charlie Chaplin and his family.
The next time you are looking for an interesting outing with sporty-minded kids or visitors, then give some thought to visiting the House of Basketball in Mies.
Know-it-all passport® editor, Lisa Cirieco-Ohlman visited the center and told us, “After driving past this wonderful building with architecture like the net of a basketball hoop for the last 4 years, I finally realized that there is actually a museum open to the public as well. I took advantage of their weekday open hours to take my son and a friend for a tour. But think about going on a Wednesday afternoon if you find out about this after the holidays are over.”
