Excerpt from Know-it-all passport® 11th edition
Most ski resorts have developed free Apps to download on smartphones, with interactive ski maps, weather, prices, opening times and webcams, restaurants, shops, etc.
Skiing and snow activities
Listed here are some of the popular resorts in Switzerland and France for families living in this area. For more information contact the Tourist Office or the appropriate web site (there are last-minute special offers for families available at times).
Of particular interest to families with toddlers are the contact numbers for daycare, reservations are recommended. Only the ages are listed, as prices and hours may vary during the season. Starting from age 3-4, children can take skiing lessons either at the jardin de neige or on the slopes with qualified teachers. Each resort usually has a number of ski schools, but listed are only the phone numbers and websites for the official Ecole Suisse de Ski (ESS), the Ecole du Ski Français (ESF), the Ecole de Ski Internationale (esi), Evolution 2, or recommended private schools. The schools accept only children who are potty-trained.
All resorts include facilities for skiers and snowboarders, and most have reserved sledding areas for young children.
Equipment for winter activities is available for rent at resorts, but be sure to produce an ID to secure rental contract. Most resorts have artificial snow-making facilities. Resorts which have exciting sledding runs are listed separately. NOTE: See Sports chapter for a list of sports equipment stores where you can buy or rent skis and snowboards in the area.
BREAKING NEWS from Gaos, 1 March 2022:
The WW2 story in our musical show For the Boys, and the present situation in Ukraine are having a profound effect on us. GAOS will donate all profit from this show to aid Ukranian refugees.
Can you imagine the feelings of the cast members – in this powerful musical show about the human toll of war – when suddenly we are living in the same situation today? (And our cast includes two members from the Ukraine and the Russian Federation, both of whom are supporting one another during this very difficult and emotional time.)
In light of the illegal invasion of Ukraine, GAOS - Geneva Musical Theatre - will donate all profits from this show to support Ukrainian refugees. We hope that For the Boys can add to the resounding cry that peace must prevail and that this cruel and unnecessary war must end.
The idea is only a few hours old, but already the Commune of Nyon has offered to waive the rental cost of the Théâtre de Marens for this production, ensuring even more financial support for the Ukrainian refugees. For this we offer a big thanks!
Orignal article continues here:
For The Boys is a unique piece of musical theatre showcasing twenty 1940’s songs which provided nostalgia for peace, motivated the troops and promised a better future.
It was written and is directed by Mags Sheldon, presently living in Vevey, an experienced playright, accomplished actress and singer, and an advanced student of theatre.
In Scotland she grew up fascinated by the stories she heard about the impact of the war on her family’s lives. When her grandmother died, Mags inherited a box of letters and poetry sent home by her grandfather from the front lines. They were written by service men and service women to their loved ones during World War Two.
"These are incredibly moving and inspired me to tell the story of these amazing people who sacrificed so much for the sake of others," explains Mags. "Not just those who served, but those who were left behind and how they stepped up, often risking their own lives working in dangerous roles. Every character portrayed in the play is based on a real person."
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The inaugural event hosted by Lionel Gauthier, was held just outside the museum on 23 September 2021, facing the lake, with a sunset over the Mont Blanc as beautiful as can be. "It has taken the Musée du Léman nearly 2 and a half years to be able to host a vernissage. It is with much joy to see the museum full of life again."
He went on to say, "Tonight we are celebrating swans, these white birds, elegant and impressive, and we invite you to discover their history through our exhibit, but also through a book that we have published entitled, Le Lac du Cygne, Glénat Editions."
Alexandre Demetriadès, the cultural representative for the city of Nyon, talked about his early fear of these enormous white birds, beasts of some sort, that he always gave wide berth to during his younger years. Now he has a new respect for swans, and an admiration for their elegant and graceful nature.
Anne-Sophie Deville, scientific collaborator for the museum, spoke about how swans have adapted to living here, how they keep faithful mates, and how they use their long necks to reach to the bottom of the lakeshore to munch on algae.
Juliette Davenne, above, was thanked for all the work she has put into the three museums of Nyon. For this exhibit, she coordinated the content, including trips to Yvoire, Annecy, and even to Provence... she hung 580 origami swans, reconstructed a real swan's nest, made a mock wedding cake, abd even realized a short film.
When we found out that there was a new parkour sporting center opening in the Geneva area, we had to ask Jesse Peveril to tell us more about it. Parkours a training discipline where your aim is to get from one point to another in the fastest and most efficient way possible through of obstacle course of walls and ramps and ledges, without the use of extra equipment. Read on to find out about the terrific prize that Jesse is offering our readers.
Jesse admits that this has been a product of many many years of passion and commitment to a sport that he loves and practises for most of his life. Being able to build a dedicated gym to have people come in and experience and share the sport of parkour is a beautiful thing to him.
Parkour is for anyone who likes to jump, climb, move and have fun doing parkour, no minimum or maximum age! A version of parkours that can benefit the older generation through mobility workshops to help keep strength, balance and coordination is something you might never have thought existed!
Jesse, why did you start? What has been the inspiration?
I started parkour 16 years ago and spent a good amount of time as a professional athlete competing internationally; after stopping competitions it felt like the right next step in my career.
I also spent a lot of time visiting parkour gyms around the world, so a lot of the inspiration from our setup is based on those.
I am Swiss/Canadian, born in Halifax, Nova Scotia. My mom moved to Geneva with me and my little brother when I was 10, we both did public school for a couple months before my mom decided that she wasn't happy with the education given here so she home-schooled us for 3 years before we went back to public school, afterwards I tried a lot of different pathways such as ECG, apprentice chef, psychology but I would constantly skip school to go do parkour instead so none of those led to anything. In the end I've had quite a successful career in the sport so I guess it was the right thing to do! After about 10 years of competitions, appearances, events and workshops around the world I finally decided to settle down a bit more and that's when I got my Swiss citizenship and started the Parkour EXPO project.
How lucky we are to have such an abundance of English-language plays during the lead up to the end-of-year holidays! Here is another one with a competition to win a pair of tickets. The Village Players are putting on Arsenic and Old Lace and we are delighted to find out more.
Ilona Horvath explained the inspiration behind this particular play, "After dreaming of directing this play for six years, the time has finally come for me to share my love of this story with you. It holds a particular place in my heart because it is a scary play that makes you laugh and a funny play that should scare you! It is a play that's difficult to categorise or label. Plus it has two wonderful female roles, all too rare in theatre. Then it has a rainbow of secondary characters that are simply delightful. It has been my pleasure and joy to work with the actors and production team of the Village Players."
The history of The Village Players (VPs)
The Village Players was founded on 11 November 1981 in La Conversion, Switzerland, by a group of enthusiasts of English language theatre led by Zelda and John McKillop.
Since then the Village Players have produced a wide range of shows in various theatres and halls in and around Lausanne and elsewhere in Europe.
Currently the VPs have staged 107 Productions in front of paying audiences – including 17 Old Time Music Halls and 11 English language Theatre Festivals, not only in Switzerland but also in Belgium, The Netherlands and Germany. Participation in these festivals has resulted in the awards being gained for Best Presentation, Original Script and a Discretionary Award for an actress with a non-speaking role!
The Village Players are a friendly and informal group who have been entertaining themselves and others in the Lausanne area with amateur theatre, music, song and dance for the last 30 years. In addition to the wonderful public productions the group puts on each year, members have the opportunity to enjoy a variety of monthly events including play readings, poetry recitals, musical evenings and social events.
