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r one e b num The owledge ource s Âkn tion d’s a r i p rlan ins and r Switze onal i fo rnat inte munity com
Kids & Teens Camps 2014 Fun with foreign languages!
Read more on the Hello Switzerland website!
Language Camps For children and young people fun is the biggest motivator – and this also applies when learning a language. Language instruction coupled with attractive leisure and sports options are the recipe for the success of our popular Berlitz Camps. All over Switzerland, 7 to 18-years-olds actively learn German, French or English all day. In the mornings, motivational lessons encourage course participants to speak. In the afternoons and evenings, the varied activities make them forget that they are actually continuing to learn. Junior Leadership Training A perfect alternative to the language camps is the two-week Camp which prepares teens aged 12–18 for the future in the fields of communication, intercultural competence, and leadership. To reserve a place for your child, for any advice or for a catalogue request, please contact Ellen Witzke, Berlitz Kids & Teens Camp Director at: tel. 043 388 83 12, e-mail kidscamps@berlitz.ch or www.berlitz.ch Berlitz, your partner in Language Instruction, Business Seminars and Kids & Teens Learning.
CONTENTS 3
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51
DISCOVER SWITZERL AND
27 GENEVA CAR SHOW
TRAVEL SMART IN ZURICH
42 35
Photos: Interlaken Tourismus, Verkehrsbetriebe Zürich VBZ, Gérard Chardonnens
HOME FROM HOME
Readers' wall 4 Letter from the Editor 5 The Hello Switzerland team 7 Contributors 8 Social media 9 Photo competition 10 What's on 12
FEATURED PARTNERS
ZURICH REGION
Our Featured Partners 31 Autociel.ch 32 Nationale Suisse 33 Packimpex 34 Credit Suisse 36 PwC 39
Travel smart A change for the better
BASEL REGION
Going global
Fasnacht fun 14 Welcome to Basel 16 Microvolunteering 17
BERN REGION BEDA Expat Breakfast Up close and personal Museums Night
21 22 24
Discover Switzerland from up high
27
51 52
ZUG/LUCERNE REGION Rob Spence Old and new in Zug By the water
54 56 57
41
SOLOTHURN REGION GENEVA REGION
The most surprising thing 62
Behind the curtains The beautiful game Battle of the burgers
42 44 45
Lifestyle: New Year's revolution
46
L AUSANNE REGION Cruise into spring
48
Contact us The dragon and the saint The Dubious Hausfrau
64 65 66
'
READERS WALL
Our awesome readers!
Be seen with your magazine Send your pictures to socialmedia@helloswitzerland.ch
LET TER FROM THE EDITOR 5
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KICK-START THE NEW YEAR Your Hello Switzerland Dear reader, We’re delighted to bring you the first of four exciting issues for 2014. In this issue we focus on ways to kick-start the New Year with motivating tips and tricks from people in the know. There’s a nifty A-Z guide in the Lifestyle section packed with fun and creative ideas to get you started! We take you on a Tour de Suisse: enjoy the famous Fasnacht in Basel, travel smart in Zurich, stay up all night exploring Bern’s museums, get out and about in Lausanne, and partake in the world-renowned car show in Geneva. Be inspired by Sandy Patton, a prodigiously talented American jazz singer and teacher who has made her home here, and discover Switzerland from up high from paragliding to hot air ballooning or simply enjoying a relaxed ride in a cablecar. Our Featured Partners section brings you expert advice and personalised service from our network of world-class partners who know Switzerland inside-out. Finally, be sure to check out the great competitions and exciting offers throughout the magazine, on Facebook and on our website. Happy reading! Caroline Thonger Editor-in-Chief caroline@helloswitzerland.ch
Seen our Features section on the Hello Switzerland website?
WOW!
Family Holidays www.helvetictours.ch
t p s o t bve alu e b eac h
f o r m o n ey
lo catio n s!
iwn w no
www.h elloswitz er lan ku on i
d.c h/
THE HELLO SWITZERL AND TEAM  7
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CAROLINE THONGER
MIKE TOMSET T
MARITA FUHRER
editor in chief
chief operating officer
production manager
QUERIDA LONG Bern editor and layout
CATHERINE NELSON POLL ARD
KATE ORSON
ALLISON TURNER
Basel editor
Zurich and Zug/Lucerne editor
Romandie editor
LUKAS HAYOZ
EMMA BAUMHOFER
STEFANIE TANNER
ADRIAN AELLIG
community and account manager
social media coordinator
project officer
sales manager
8 CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS ISSUE
KARIN WALDHAUSER
FAIZ KERMANI
SAM KLEIN
ROBERT BARTRAM
our youngest contributor
MELINA HIRAL AL
RASHIDA RAHIM
NICOL A HODGES
DEJA ROSE AND ANGELICA CIPULLO My Girlfriend Guide
ANDALEEB LILLEY
MAKI OSHIMA FEHR
ANITRA GREEN
LOVE TO WRITE? ROGER BONNER
EDI BARTH
Contribute an article online!
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SOCIAL MEDIA 9
MUCH MORE THAN A MAGAZINE Why you need a Hello Switzerland online profile The new Hello Switzerland website is the number one knowledge and inspiration source for the international community. Access even more features to help you “discover, experience and share” Switzerland by signing up for a free account!
PERSONALIZE Select your relocation phase and region on your profile to tailor Hello Switzerland’s content to your personal interests and needs.
CONTRIBUTE A free Hello Switzerland profile allows you to add new entries to our Directory, suggest interesting Events you know about, and sell your stuff in the Showroom. Love to write? Submit your own articles to our Hello Switzerland editors, or suggest topics you think Hello Switzerland should feature.
INTERACT With a profile you can share your opinions and experiences with the Hello Switzerland community by adding comments, ratings and photos. You can even contact other users (if they have enabled this privacy setting).
USE THE APP Download the Hello Switzerland App on iPhone or Android and sign-in to have Hello Switzerland’s top features at your fingertips. The Around Me feature is unique because it’s rated and commented by you - the international community.
SUBSCRIBE TO HELLO SWITZERL AND MAGAZINE New readers: Subscribe for free to receive Hello Switzerland magazine direct to your mailbox. Existing subscribers: Reconfirm your magazine subscription following our relaunch and update your mailing address.
AND THERE’S MORE! Gain access to special features, including earning points towards Ambassador Status as you use Hello Switzerland. Ambassadors can participate in special prize draws and competitions, attend unique Hello Switzerland events, and enjoy special deals from our partners.
OUR PROMISE Hello Switzerland is free. We guarantee you a spam-free experience. You can deregister at any time.
www.helloswitzerland.ch
10 PHOTO COMPETITION
Photo Competition Thanks for sharing your Magic Moments with us! The Magic Moments photo competition continues in 2014! Once again, the best photos will be featured in the magazine, on the new website, and on social media - all attributed to the photographers.
One lucky winner, selected by a Hello Switzerland judging panel, will also receive a CHF 100 voucher towards the restaurant or activity of their choice. Deadline: Please submit photos by 20 Februar y.
Swiss magic moments
Some inspiration - An early morning walk with your partner and dog - Enjoying Fasnacht in Basel with your family - Sitting around the fire with friends - Sampling the food at your local market - Midnight ice skating with your fiancé - Breezing your way through Bern on a rickshaw - A summertime picnic with loved ones
www.helloswitzerland.ch
H o w to su b m it
: ch oose o n e
en ce s de sc rib in In cl ud e 1-2 se nt M ag ic M om en t.
g yo ur
@ to so ci al m ed ia Em ai l pi ct ur es to ho “p th wi nd .ch he llo sw itz er la e lin t ec bj th e su co m pe tit io n” in we tr an sf er. w. w w via im ag es Se nd m ul tip le er la nd .ch ed ia @ he llo sw itz co m to so ci al m ll: w w w. ou r Fa ce bo ok wa Po st ph ot os to nd wi th /H el lo Sw itz er la fa ce bo ok .c om en ts #H SM ag ic M om or In st ag ra m m ag on Tw itt er itz sw llo he Ta g @ ag ic M om en ts an d us e #H SM
Terms and Conditions: Submitting your photos to this contest gives Hello Switzerland permission to use your images on the Hello Switzerland website, its social media pages, and in the Hello Switzerland magazine. Photos will be attributed to the photographer. Entries must be the original work of the entrant. Multiple entries per person are accepted. Winners will be notified via email or comment on their social media post. They must reply with the requested information (email, mailing address, short bio, photo caption) within 48 hours or another winner will be selected.
Photos: Genadij Januskevic, Livia Cheng, swiss-image / Christian Perret, swiss-image / Andy Mettler, swiss-image / Gian Marco Castelberg & Maurice Haas
Send us your original, people-focused photographs that encapsulate magic moments shared with loved ones in Switzerland. Images should excite, inspire, and exemplify life in Switzerland during any season. Please ensure photos are high resolution.
Issue 1 / 2014
PHOTO COMPETITION 11
ISSUE 1 WINNER Melinda Taylor Schoutens’ magic moment
From the photographer: Bright colors filled the sky on that magical day in the Alps. Our son watched in absolute delight as the balloons took flight at the Château-d'Oex Hot Air Balloon Festival.
WHAT WE LOVED ABOUT MELINDA’S IMAGE Congratulations to Melinda Taylor Schoutens for winning the first Hello Switzerland photo competition of 2014! Her son’s happy face looking back at his mother captures a true magic moment of an American family enjoying life in Switzerland.
12 WHAT’S ON
FEBRUARY
MARCH
Stay cool
Mad as a March hare
01
14
05
08
International Hot Air Balloon Festival (see our feature article in the winter 2013 issue)
Depeche Mode: Hallenstadion
The Biel/Bienne Carnival is a five-day festival with a night parade on Friday, Switzerland’s largest children’s parade on Saturday and a parade through the Old Town on Sunday. Until 9 March.
End of season Chill & Grill: at the Snowpark.
Château d’Oex
www.festivaldeballons.ch
01
Zurich www.ticketcorner.ch
15
Stockhorn (BE)
2014 European Men’s & Women’s Team Championships St. Jakobshalle, Basel. To 16 February.
Feuer und Flamme Dinner für Verliebte (Fire and Flame Dinner for Lovers) promises to be an unforgettably romantic evening for you and your Valentine.
www.badmintoneurope.com
www.stockhorn.ch
08
16
First Audi Snowboard Open Series FIS Snowboard Halfpipe und Slopestyle Contest.
Get Up-Stand Up: an exciting annual ski-jumping event.
Basel
Grindelwald
www.swiss-snowboard.ch
12
Lausanne Russell Brand in “Messiah Complex”. The British comedian with a unique sense of humour.
www.ticketcorner.ch
13
Lucerne Jam Session: old time jazz and blues in the Hotel Montana.
www.events.ch
14
Basel MUBA: 850 exhibitors present their products in the oldest public Swiss exhibition. Discover the latest household products, with freebies and a Robi play area for children. To 23 February.
www.muba.ch
Selital www.getup-standup.ch
20
Lausanne Béjart Ballet: performances by the famous Swiss dance company, until 23 February.
www.opera-lausanne.ch
Biel/Bienne
www.faschingszunft.ch
06
Lucerne Jam Session: old-time jazz & blues in the Hotel Montana.
www.events.ch
06
Lausanne Celtic Legends: touring show with live traditional Irish dance, music and song. In Bern 7 March and Geneva 8 March.
Selital www.bergfex.ch
09
Basel Basler Fasnacht “Morgenstreich”
www.fasnacht.ch
09
Zurich Zürifäscht: Carnival Parade 2014
www.zuerifascht.ch
11
Geneva
07
“Baby with the Bathwater”, an English play by Christopher Durang, performed by the Geneva English Drama Society at the Théâtre du Centre de l’Espérance in Geneva. Until 15 March.
Zurich
www.geds.ch
Swiss Music Awards: Hallenstadion
14
www.ticketcorner.ch
www.swissmusicawards.ch
Basel Badminton Swiss Open
www.swissopen.com
to 16
Beckenried Vollmondschlitteln (skating under the full moon)
www.lakeluzern.ch
WHAT’S ON 13
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APRIL Fool on
to Jump online ents see our full ev calendar
02
08
Arvinis: Swiss and International wine Festival. Guest of honour this year will be the wines of Bergerac. Until 7 April.
Basel Blues Festival: 6 days of music featuring international stars as well as members of the talented local music scene.
www.salondesvins.ch
www.bluesbasel.ch
02
08
Zermatt Unplugged. Until 12 April
Ballet Revolución: Theater 11, Zurich
www.zermatt-unplugged.ch
www.balletrevolucion.ch
03
12
Festival viel Jazz. Until 5 April
Titlis Fire Ride
www.baselworld.com
www.vieljazz.ch
www.engelberg.ch
29
04
16
Zurich
International Film Festival
James Blunt: Hallenstadion
www.fiff.ch
Forellen Quintet: a ballet at the Opera House.
Danza Contemporánea de Cuba
www.opernhaus.ch
www.ticketcorner.ch
05
25
SnowpenAir: music festival featuring Deep Purple and Gölä.
BEA: Fun day out for the kids. Swiss exhibition with over 600 animals and 950 exhibitors.
Morges
Photo: Zermatt unplugged/Anthony Salamin
Zermatt
to 16
27
Lightopia, the Vitra Design Museum celebrates the many possibilities introduced into art by the invention of the electric light.
BaselWorld: The world’s biggest and most important watch and jewellery fair. To 3 April.
Basel area
www.design-museum.de
17
www.ticketcorner.ch
21
Bern Museumsnacht: Night-time visits to any museum in Bern for one price.
www.museumsnacht-bern.ch
22
Chiasso
Basel
Fribourg
29
Grindelwald A special treasure hunt to mark the end of the winter ski season. 30 treasure chests with valuable prizes are hidden under the snow.
www.jungfrau.ch
29
Chiassodanza 2014
Basel
www.ticino.ch
Night of the Jumps: freestyle motocross.
27
Zurich Expovina Primavera
www.expovina.ch
www.nightofthejumps.com
Zug
Zurich
Kleine Scheidegg (Jungfrau)
www.jungfrau.ch
05
Versoix Chocolate festival: a 2-day must for chocolate lovers. Free admission and free sampling allowed! Chocolatiers from around the region display their wares and give chocolatemaking demonstrations.
www.versoix.ch
Basel
Zurich
Engelberg
Winterthur
Bern
www.beapferd.ch
14 BASEL
FASNACHT FUN Morgenstreich, the 4am start to Basel’s Fasnacht carnival, is an ideal baptism into local life. Whether 4am means staying up all night, or setting your alarm clock, the city has something to offer you. There are special pre-Fasnacht parties at some of the nightclubs, and you can catch one of the extra trams put on for the event. Follow the crowds into the city centre. Just before 4am all the city lights go off, and the procession gathers in the old town carrying beautiful coloured lanterns. Follow the cliques, as they play their piccolos, up winding streets towards the Munster, and down into Barfüsser platz. The strange music and elaborate masked-costumes will lull you into a dreamy reverie, taking you back into the Middle Ages when Fasnacht first began. When it’s all over you can relax in one of the restaurants serving Mehlsuppe (flour soup). It’s made from beef bouillon, wine and spice, so tastier than it sounds. Just be sure to make a reservation! For those who prefer sleeping in a bit longer there are daytime parades too, including one for children (see our Events calendar on p. 12).
www.fasnacht.ch
Photos:: Manfred Trefzer. Background photo: www.basel.ch
VIBRANT BASEL
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Maki Oshima Fehr is a Japanese artist married to a Basel local. She shares with us her favourite things to do in the spring.
ANDREASPL ATZ This is a charming oasis away from the bustle of the city. There are old restaurants and little stores, with a beautiful water fountain in the centre. On Morgenstreich the cliques gather here before the parade starts. The restaurants are open so you can sit outside, and it’s got a wonderful atmosphere.
VERONICA’S RESTAURANT If you take a plunge into the Rhine, then you can float downstream to Veronica’s restaurant. Set on a wooden platform on the Gross-Basel side, this is an idyllic spot to enjoy delicious Mediterranean style cuisine and, of course, the views. Opens for the season in April.
DANCE Now the days are getting longer, it’s time to put the spring back in your step. Shalini Trefzer’s popular Bollywood dance classes are a great way to get moving. If you love to dance but feel like you’ve got two left feet, the Bollywood dance teacher offers private lessons to build up your confidence before joining a class. She also offers special-priced classes via Gsünder Basel, dance and nutrition sessions and much more.
www.tanzbollywood.com
www. msveronica.ch
L ANDI This shop is one of my favourites. It sells anything and everything you could need for your household and garden. Locally produced vegetables from literally across the street and very cheap wines. It’s very much a ‘country’ shop, selling jars for making jams and pickles, that sort of thing. My Swiss friends laugh when I say I’m shopping there, but I love it.
www.landi.ch
TEXT: KATE ORSON, MAKI OSHIMA FEHR
16 BASEL
VARIED CIT Y OF THE ARTS
THRIVING BUSINESS LOCATION
HIGH LEVEL OF EDUCATION
Basel’s innumerable historical buildings form a picturesque setting for its vibrant cultural scene: around 40 museums, some of them world-renowned, the ‘Theater Basel’, as well as 25 smaller theatres, a musical stage, and countless galleries and cinemas. The city ranks with the European elite in the field of fine arts, and hosts the world’s leading contemporary art fair, ‘Art Basel’. Numerous high-profile events make Basel a veritable city of the arts.
Basel is Switzerland’s most dynamic business centre. The city built its success on the global achievements of its pharmaceutical and chemical companies. Novartis, Roche, Syngenta, Lonza Group, Clariant and others have raised Basel’s profile around the world. Thanks to the extensive logistics know-how that has been established over the centuries, a number of leading international logistics service providers are also based here. And the trinational EuroAirport BaselMulhouse-Freiburg is a key transport hub, linking the region with Europe and the world.
The public school system in Basel ensures that education is tailored to the needs of children of all abilities. The international schools provide the children of ‘ex-pats’ with international certificates and a baccalaureate. Eleven years of obligatory schooling, several institutions of higher education, and the oldest university in Switzerland provide the high level of education.
www.basel.ch
Background photo: www.basel.ch
WELCOME TO BASEL
BASEL 17
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MICROVOLUNTEERING Change the world for the better in only five minutes! BY FAIZ KERMANI
Do you still have that drive to help change the world for the better, but feel that daily commitments prevent you from volunteering? Many people want to change the world for the better, but are limited in their volunteering abilities. Job commitments and the demands of daily life all seem to get in the way of actively volunteering, and so people end up feeling guilty that they cannot do more. Sometimes people actually have time on their hands, such as recovering from a bout of illness, but do not have the means to physically volunteer for projects, especially those located away from home. Help is now at hand thanks to “micro volunteering”, which channels people’s efforts towards causes in a time-effective and flexible manner. The award-winning UK organisation Help from Home defines the term as “easy, quick, low-commitment actions that benefit a worthy cause”. The rapid development of technologies such as the Internet and the rise of social media mean that micro-actions can have a powerful, positive impact on worthy causes anywhere on the planet. “If you’ve got a spare few minutes, consider using them to do a good deed, without having to leave your home or even get out of bed,” says Mike Bright, the Founder of Help from Home. “By participating in a spot of microvolunteering, you really can change the world in your pyjamas – and it’s all just a mouse-click away.”
MICROVOLUNTEERING IS COMING TO SWITZERL AND Microvolunteering is growing in popularity and new ways of participating in initiatives are appearing all the time. The concept has slowly started to make inroads into Switzerland, with a number of organisations having registered on the US-based micro-volunteering platform SkillsForChange.org. These include Gemein nützige Institutionen Basel, Fondation d'Aide à la Pauvreté Très Importante, Festival Vertanzt, Association for Open and Sustainable Colla
borative Industrial Projects, CAUX-Initiatives of Change, LGT Venture Philanthropy, AFS Inter cultural Programs Switzerland, International Bridges to Justice, help2kids, National Heroes Initiative, InDialogue, Workcamp Switzerland, Biovision and WWF International. Details regarding their proposed microvolunteering projects are not yet available, but hopefully this will change when the first International Micro volunteering Day is held on 15 March. “International Microvolunteering Day is about spreading awareness of how much good you can do in those spare moments you have during the day – even if it’s only 5 minutes,” explains Mike Bright.“It’s about rallying people to come to gether and collectively benefit worthy causes around the world, via bite-sized actions. We’re intending to create macro impact, from people’s micro efforts!” For people based in Switzerland interested in microvolunteering, Mike Bright suggests that they check out the Help from Home website for information. At present there is no Swiss platform where comprehensive information on local microvolunteering opportunities from Swiss-based nonprofits can be found. However, if someone were interested in setting up such a project he would be delighted to hear from them and offer them guidance.
Learn more about International Microvolunteering Day 2014 at: www.helpfromhome.org
Hello Switzerland Communities Where people come together Hello Switzerland Communities are a meeting point where like-minded people can discuss online and meet up at community events all around Switzerland. Each community focuses on a topic, such as cooking and fine dining, sports, education, children's activities, cars & bikes, culture & arts, music, literature, games, movies & theaters, pets, wellbeing and more. Each Community has a Community Host who is responsible for guiding forum discussions, providing information, and organizing Community events. Create your own interest community by becoming a regional Community Host! Hello Switzerland will support your community by giving you the technology and by promoting your events.
GET INVOLVED! Learn more about this exciting opportunity by joining the Hello Switzerland Community Workshop!
OP WORKrySH in Bern a 22 Febru Zurich 1 March in
10.30 Introdu
ction to Hello Sw itzerland Lukas Hayoz, Co mmunity & Acco unt Manager, Hello Switzerland 11.00 An affin ity-group approa ch: the cross-lin e concept of Hello  Switzerland an d how you can get involved Marco Casanova , Marketing lect urer & new business ex pert and Lukas Ha 12.00 Inspira yoz tional talk Samy Liechti, Owner of www.bl acksocks.com and e-commerce pioneer 13.00 Lunch 14.00 Open di scussion: how ex actly you can build your ow n community with the suppor t of Hello Switz erland! Price CHF 65 (includes lunch and snacks) For more information & registration: lukas.hayoz@helloswitzerland.ch
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TRAVEL 19
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PRAGUE – THE GOLDEN CITY It’s no wonder Prague is one of the most visited cities in Europe. BY ANITRA GREEN
It’s difficult to know where to start as there’s so much to see – Wenceslas Square with its wide elegant avenue towards the Old Town Square, the fascinating little streets and squares, the old Jewish quarter and so on. The most famous landmark is of course the Charles Bridge with its huge gatehouses and impressive baroque statues. For centuries it was the only bridge across the Moldau (aka Vltava) but now there are many more. Now a footbridge with dozens of portrait artists and souvenir sellers, it’s always packed with people strolling across to enjoy the stupendous view. Then there’s the beautiful Astronomical Clock, built in 1410 and the oldest timepiece of its kind still working. Luckily there’s plenty of room in the square below for the many tourists waiting for the clock to strike the hour, when the clockwork procession of the Apostles can be seen.
PRAGUE CASTLE An enormous edifice reputed to be the world’s largest ancient castle, dominates the entire city. Now the seat of the Czech government, it’s undergone a lot of architectural modifications over the centuries, and offers
splendid views over the red roofs of the city and its many domes and spires. It’s open every day; I didn’t find time to visit on a 3-day trip but it’s definitely on my list for next time.
www.vrtbovska.cz
warren, t i b b a r a e k 'It’s li popular ly s u o i v b o t u b ven at with locals e me' hti Sunday lunc
THE INNER MAN/ WOMAN
ENTERTAINMENT
Czech beer is famous but it doesn’t have to be from Pilsen. We visited a micro-brewery, the Novomestsky Pivovar, located in a fleet of cellars with its own restaurant. It’s like a rabbit warren, but obviously popular with locals even at Sunday lunchtime. Their Pils is excellent, their dark beer even better, and the schnapps they distil from the beer is first-class. You can also take a guided tour round the brewery.
Theatre lovers will adore the Prague National Theatre in its imposing position by the river, and it’s worth taking a guided tour round the premises to hear about its history. Their programme includes not only Czech pieces but a top-class international repertoire.
www.npivovar.cz There are restaurants of every description, so if you’re vegetarian or kosher or simply prefer pizza or hamburger, it’s no problem. For Czech specialities the U Pinkasu had a lovely local atmosphere and offers excellent Bohemian fare based on old recipes. The Café Savoy is a must: the premises are gorgeous with fabulous painted ceilings, and the menu is superb. One of their specialities (as befits a café) is hot chocolate – surely the most delicious in the world.
www.ambi.cz
www.nationaltheatre.cz HOW TO GET THERE/ AROUND City Night Line sleeper service from Zürich/Basel. Economy and Deluxe accommodation is provided with breakfast included; couchettes and reclining seats are also available.
www.citynightline.ch For getting around, there’s an efficient tram, bus and metro network, and there are lots of boat trips. English is spoken or at least understood almost everywhere.
www.praguewelcome.cz
20 SPOUSE EMPLOYMENT
FIND YOUR JOB IN SWITZERLAND Becoming 'fit for the market ' Fit for the market offers expert coaching for specialists and managers – tailored advice and coaching to improve and secure the right opportunities in the Swiss labour market.
difficult. Our coaches act as trusted advisers and connect the executive to our local and global recruitment teams.
A FASTER PROCESS CONNECT TO NEW OPPORTUNITIES We match an executive’s skills and ambitions with the realities of the Swiss labour market. Our tailor-made program borrows our proven Business Coaching methodology. Our coaches are qualified in Activity Based Coaching and Development (ABCD®). We help our clients to understand and act on personal change, and to make the right decisions about their future in their new environment.
Mercuri Urval’s Fit for the market is a fast and well-targeted service. It is a unique combination of best-in-class coaching methodologies and hands-on job search and networking support. As one of Europe’s leading recruiters we provide the two things executives really need: • Practical advice and access to the recruitment market • Expert personal guidance and coaching to find the right move and cope with the change
Executives are best placed to recognise their own future challenges, but change can be
Take the bull by the horns. inlingua-basel.ch
The challenging language school. Dufourstrasse 50 | 4052 Basel | Telephone 061 278 99 33
Peter Anderegg, Director & Business Coach of Mercuri Urval Switzerland. He joined Mercuri Urval in 2004 and has since recruited, consulted and coached hundreds of experts and managers of many different nationalities. Mercuri Urval Switzerland +41 (0)41 228 80 90 peter.anderegg@ mercuriurval.com www.mercuriurval.com
NETWORKING 21
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BERN EXPAT BREAKFAST 2014 Network over croissants at Packimpex The Berne Economic Development Agency (BEDA) supports companies relocating to or starting up in the Canton of Bern. BEDA helps companies find both the ideal premises and highly qualified, multilingual staff. It provides information on legal and financial matters, and assistance with applications for foreign employees. BEDA works to positively influence the wellbeing of expats and foreign residents over the long term. One example of BEDA’s proactive approach is the Bern Expat Breakfast, which aims to foster closer social and business ties among expats and businesses in the Canton of Bern. These breakfasts celebrate the Canton’s foreign business community and offer an excellent opportunity to meet with representatives of international companies,
embassies, international schools and inter national institutions. The next Bern Expat Breakfast will take place on Friday 25 April 2014 at Packimpex in Thörishaus, 10 minutes from Bern. Packimpex is Switzerland’s leading relocation company and is at the heart of Switzerland’s international community. This breakfast is an excellent opportunity to meet and find out more about one of Bern’s leading companies.
To register please contact Ms. Annette Hediger at BEDA on 031 633 40 15 or annette.hediger@berneinvest.com
Guarantee a quality education for your children, anywhere. If your local school is not the right fit, you have options. Our online school for ages 12 to 19, supported by staff in Berne, Switzerland and backed by the proven K12 Inc. curriculum and teachers, gives you choice, flexibility, and upon graduation, an accredited diploma accepted around the world.
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22 INTERVIEW
Up close and personal with
SANDY PATTON Feeling at home in real time Sandy Patton is a world famous jazz singer with Switzerland as her base and Europe as her stage.
BY QUERIDA LONG
What brought you to Switzerland? I first came to Switzerland in 1976 when I was touring with jazz great Lionel Hampton. We came to perform at the Bern Jazz Festival, held at the Kursaal.
Could you tell me how you became a jazz singer? I come from a musical family, all my uncles on my mother’s side of the family were musicians. There was always music in our house. I remember my uncles used to play a record and tell me they’d give me a dollar if I could keep quiet and sit still during the whole song. But I couldn’t help myself; I always had to sing along or dance to the music. I never did win that dollar! After high school in Michigan, I went to Howard University in Washington, DC to study sociology. However becoming a singer was always in my heart. As I auditioned to transfer to the Fine Arts Department at Howard, I was informed by Dean Fax that I should not become a singer but a music librarian. So I hired a classical singing student to become my first teacher. As I began performing in clubs in DC someone heard me and arranged an audition with Lionel Hampton. So I moved to New York and began touring with the “Lionel Hampton Inner Circle.” Since the dean of the Howard University Fine Arts department denied me admission, I’ve performed with some of the greatest jazz artists
the world has ever known: Lionel Hampton, Dizzy Gillespie, Paquito D'Rivera, Jimmy Woode, Al Grey, Junior Mance and Benny Bailey. I’ve toured America, Europe, Russia, Siberia, the Middle and Far East. I have an extensive discography, from duo to symphony orchestra, many of my own productions and compositions, given workshops in four countries and was the Jazz Vocal Professor for the Jazz Department of the Hochschule der Künste in Bern for 18 years. I wish he could see me now! That said, I did learn something very valuable from Dean Fax. As a teacher I always choose my words carefully. I know that words have power and I wouldn’t want my words to destroy someone’s dreams.
What do you enjoy most about your work? As a singer, I most enjoy exemplifying the story of the song. Each song has a story to tell and it’s up to me to bring it to the audience and get them involved in it. As a teacher, I enjoy helping my students develop their talents and reach their goals.
What inspires you? Many different things! I worked on a project with Jazz bassist Thomas Dürst that I called “Painting Jazz.” My inspiration for that project was the swirled colors on a vase that belonged to my mother. The vase now sits atop my piano and it still inspires me.
My travels also inspire me. I first went to Russia in 1993 on the Gershwin & Ellington Tour. There I met and kept in touch with a Russian pianist named Lev Kushnir and we worked together on my CD “AmeRus”, which brings together the music of American and Russian musicians. Sammy Davis, Jr. has also been a great inspiration to me. He was an all-round entertainer. He could sing, dance and act – he could do it all! My concept show, “Sandy Loves Sammy” is a tribute to him.
Do you have any tips for a musician trying out their career in Bern? Get out there and get to know the scene. Go to concerts, find jam sessions and start practicing with other musicians. Networking is important. Additionally, I’d advise singers to always have a list of tunes with tonality charts in your wallet, so that if someone asks what you can do you don’t have to spend any time thinking of a fitting song. And today, singers must also be musicians!
Any tips for building and maintaining a network? In order to build a network, whether for your business or your private life, you should socialize as much as possible in order to get to know people. But that’s only the start; it’s crucial to keep in touch. There’s a piano player I know from the years I spent in Marseille and an Italian saxophone player who I still work with whenever possible. Then there’s the “Don’t Change Your Hair for Me” and our Bern-based group “Friends 4 Friends” We’ve done projects together in the past and currently we’re working on a reunion. I also keep in touch with former students.
Based on your own experience, what would you tell newcomers about feeling at home in Switzerland? There are so many things I love about this country. Little things like the sound of church bells and the stores’ early closing times. More significantly, living here can give you a change of perspective. Unlike in the US, there is a real commitment to culture here. There is a jazz school “Socialize to build in almost every canton, for a network!” example. I also appreciate the fact that people still believe in the honor system, that the public transportation system allows people to stay mobile and that the cities are safe. Plus, Switzerland is in the center of Europe, so you can easily travel to different countries and also experience different cultures in everyday life. The Swiss have embraced me, and so I decided to really let myself be at home here. Over the past twenty years, I’ve built a great circle of friends. These are the people who know me in real time – where and who I am now – and not how they remember me to be. Now, when I go to the States for a visit, I’m eager to get back home – back to Bern. I look forward to growing old here.
www.sandypatton.net
p with We caught u how rn Sandy to lea nger n si the America ome rh is making he in Bern.
24 BERN
MUSEUMS NIGHT Friday 21 March is Museums Night in Bern. From 19:00 to 02:00 you can visit any museum you want for one price. Not only that, but there are also classic cars to take you from place to place in style. (Tip: if you don’t want to wait in line for a long time to ride in a classic car, shuttles are included in the price of the ticket.) For this special event the museums have entertainers, special exhibits and lots of delicious food, making it a perfect time to visit your favorite museums or discover new ones. Sam Klein, our youngest contributor, tells us more.
www.museumsnacht-bern.ch TEXT BY SAM KLEIN
The Bundeshaus is the central meeting place for the night’s events. It’s especially eye-catching with the Museums Night’s logo moths projected onto the exterior. If you’ve never been inside, now’s your chance. You will be fascinated by how beautiful the inside of the building is. Be sure to take note of the dome with its mosaic of the cantonal coats of arms. You will also see the rooms where the Swiss Government meets and learn more about how they do their jobs.
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A different museum worth visiting is the Alpine Museum. There you can find out all kinds of facts about the Alps and see the big relief maps giving overviews of the terrain. On Museums Night they also have fun mountain activities like rock climbing and Alpine-themed games. If you‘re in the mood for raclette for dinner, this is the place to be.
www.alpinesmuseum.ch
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Photos: Querida Long, www.museumsnacht-bern.ch, Background photo: swiss-image.ch / Terence du Fresne
WIN TICK
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My favorite museum is the Natural History Museum, where you can see all kinds of stuffed animals including the famous Swiss rescue dog Barry. There are some interesting hands-on exhibits that let you find out what different animals feel like and a fun mirror room. Another great thing about the museum is that it’s next to the churros stand, my favorite Museums Night treat.
www.nmbe-unibe.ch
Another one not to be missed is the Historical Museum. They hold an entertaining story-telling event for children about life in the medieval times. You can also visit the permanent collection presenting an impression of what life was like Bern in the Middle Ages. The exhibition about the weaponry they used is especially interesting. There’s also the Einstein museum (not to be confused with the Einstein House) where you can learn about the famous physicist’s time in Bern and try to understand his theory of relativity.
www.bhm.ch
Winter Paragliding in Interlaken Enjoy the breathtaking bird’s eye view as you take in from above the mountain and lake scenery that surrounds Interlaken. Let yourself be swept aloft by the wind as you gently glide over and above Interlaken. Enjoy a tandem flight with your guide so you can admire from above the breathtaking views of the mountains and lakes that surround Interlaken. So whether it’s a warm summer’s afternoon or a frosty winter’s day, a paragliding flight is always a fantastic experience!
providers AlpinAir Tandemflights info@alpinair.net www.alpinair.net
Skywings Adventures mail@skywings.ch www.skywings.ch
Paragliding Interlaken mail@paragliding-interlaken.ch www.paragliding-interlaken.ch
Star Paragliding info@flystar.ch www.flystar.ch
Twin Paragliding mail@twinparagliding.com www.flytwin.ch
Jungfrau Ski Package m book now fro chf 260.00
Interlaken, the ideal departure point from which to discover the delights of the Jungfrau Winter Sports Region. Guests are offered attractive opportunities to explore the three main skiing areas of Mürren-Schilthorn, Kleine Scheidegg-Männlichen and the First. A skibus service takes guests from Interlaken to the valley stations of the Jungfrau Region. offer includes: • 2 nights accommodation incl. breakfast • 2 day ski pass „Jungfrau Ski Region“ • All services charges, taxes and VAT interlaken.ch
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DISCOVER SWITZERLAND FROM UP HIGH Flying in a hot air balloon or paragliding; Europe’s steepest cablecar or spectacular Alpine trains; experiencing the force of the Swiss winds or savouring a drink up in the Altitude bar – all these give a bird’s-eye view of Switzerland. We hope you enjoy the ride! BY THE HELLO SWITZERL AND TEAM
CABLECARS AND FUNICUL ARS Head to the mountains anywhere in Switzerland and there are plenty of opportunities to hop on a cable car or funicular to look down at the stunning scenery below. Here are some of the most impressive. Gelmer cablecar is Europe’s steepest cable car, with a 106% gradient. A single open carriage travels up backwards to Lake Gelmer, giving you an amazing panoramic view of the valley below. Within 12 minutes you climb 1412m to the lake, a perfect place to take a hike. The railway was originally built in the 1920s to help the construction of the Lake Gelmer dam. It’s been open to the public since 2001.
www.grimselwelt.ch
Grindelwald-Männlichen boasts one of the longest cablecar journeys in the world. It starts at 943m in the picturesque village of Grindelwald, and steadily climbs to Männlichen at 2230m. With the Jungfrau and the Eiger towering above, you will feel very small indeed. This journey was rated one of the top 10 cablecars and funiculars by National Geographic magazine.
www.maennlichen.ch If you prefer something less adrenalin-inducing, then why not explore Switzerland’s heights by rail? The Glacier Express is one of the most spectacular train rides in the world. The journey from St Moritz to Zermatt takes in a UNESCO world heritage landscape of valleys and gorges. It travels through 91 tunnels and over 291 bridges at a leisurely pace, perfect to relax and enjoy the sights. Other popular trips include the Bernina Express through the Alps, an unforgettable journey that starts in the glaciers of the mountains, and ends in the swaying palms of Italy. The section between Thusis and Tirano is also a UNESCO world heritage site.
KATE ORSON
Background photo: Wengen Tourismus
www.rhb.ch
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HOT AIR BALLOONING While not for the faint-hearted, hot air ballooning is described by those who do it as bringing an incredible feeling of freedom. Since you’re being pushed along by the wind, you don’t feel like you’re moving at all, only noticing the scenery changing beneath you. In an open-air basket, you really are touching the sky. Hot air ballooning is very much dependent on the weather. The wind must be very gentle and because all the navigation is visual, and the sky must be clear, which is not the case every day in Switzerland. If you’ve ever noticed that balloons tend to come out around sunset or sunrise, that’s when the wind is best for flying. Another logistical issue is not knowing where you’ll land, so every balloon needs a retrieval vehicle to bring it and the occupants back to their starting point. All of this means that unless you have your own balloon and a balloon pilot’s license, you may well have to book several months in advance with one of the companies offering hot air balloon rides for individuals. Balloon baskets come in a range of sizes, some big enough for only the pilot and others able to carry a dozen people, but in general it’s an outing for two to four people. It’s not usually recommended for children under twelve, who may also not be tall enough to see over the side of the basket. Switzerland has some famous names in hot air ballooning, especially Auguste Piccard, who broke a number of altitude records in the 1930s, and his grandson Bertrand Piccard who with Brian Jones was the first to circumnavigate the globe non-stop by balloon. ALLISON TURNER
www.ballonchateaudoex.ch
www.ballonreisen. ch
SWISS WINDS “It’s an ill wind that blows no good,” as the cliché goes. Some people in Switzerland seem preoccupied with two such winds, the Foehn and the Bise. The Foehn is a warm, dry wind that starts as moist air over the Mediterranean, but loses its moisture when it reaches the south slopes of the Alps. It then heats up quickly as it blows down the north slopes. The Foehn can raise temperatures by as much as 20C and gets blamed for lots of problems. Snow can suddenly melt and increase the danger of avalanches. Pilots have to take special care when flying over the Alps during the Foehn and mountain climbers also have to be prepared for extra difficulties. Then there are a whole host of maladies falling under the heading of Föhnkrankheit (Foehn illness). People frequently complain of headaches or migraines, circulatory problems, difficulty sleeping, agitation, fatigue, depression and even psychosis. Studies show that accidents and suicides also increase when the Foehn blows. Of course it isn’t all bad: the warm wind causes some people to get the euphoric feeling of Föhnrausch. And an unseasonably warm spell brought on by the Foehn can be a welcome respite from an otherwise wet and chilly autumn.
The Bise is a cold, dry wind from the northeast that blows through the middle of Switzerland. The Geneva area gets the brunt as the wind is channeled through the passage between the Jura Mountains and the Alps. In summer the Bise is responsible for dry and sunny weather, but in winter it can bring bone-chilling temperatures and ice storms like the one in February 2012 that turned the banks of Lake Geneva into an ice sculpture.
A BAR WITH ALTITUDE Situated on the top floor of Geneva airport, the Altitude bar and restaurant is not only a good place to relax while waiting for a flight, but its situation means it’s per fectly placed for a business meeting. It’s possible to fly in from dozens of European desti nations, hold a day meeting in
QUERIDA LONG
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SPECIAL OFFER FROM W ENGEN TOURISM! 'FIRST STEPS IN THE SNOW'
PARAGLIDING
CAROLINE THONGER
www.interlaken.ch/paragliding
Experience Wengen’s beautiful mountain panorama and take your first steps on skis. Your first lesson with Wengen’s Swiss Ski School includes the cost of ski equipment. Lessons take place 14:00–16:00, and ski equipment can be hired from any of Wengen’s sports shops. This special offer includes a one- or two-night stay in a Wengen hotel, your ski lesson and your ski equipment. Offer valid: 5–16 January / 19–31 January / 15 March to end of the season. Cost: from CHF 205 per person
Photos: Interlaken Tourismus, Wengen Tourismus
Switzerland’s Alpine terrain, combined with its wealth of lakes, offers the perfect launch-pad for the popular sport of paragliding. Much less intense than skydiving – never mind the expensive flights by aeroplane to get you aloft – or as extreme as base-jumping, tandem para gliding offers you a safe way to experience flying. There are many paragliding centres scattered all over the more mountainous areas of the country: Verbier, the Lake of Geneva region, the Valais and the Grisons for example. But one of the most popular areas, combining mountain massifs with a multitude of lakes, is around Interlaken. A first flight usually lasts up to 20 minutes, is undertaken in tandem with a qualified paragliding instructor, and requires no training or previous experience on the part of the client. Many of the paragliding schools will offer flights in the form of gift vouchers. A typical such flight launches from Beatenberg, just a 20-minute drive from Interlaken, taking the client on a thrilling ride through the air 800m above the lakes of Thun and Brienz. As an added bonus, they offer photos and/or videos of the flight, taken with special telephoto lenses, as a permanent souvenir of the flight.
one of the Altitude’s seven function rooms, then fly home the same day – all without the cost of an overnight stay. The flight screens in the Altitude keep passengers informed of the status of their flight, and the floor-to-ceiling windows across the entire bar and meeting rooms enable travellers to keep an eye out for their own plane on the tarmac outside. The Altitude has also become a popular place for locals to meet for a drink or a meal. When this editor visited the bar early one Friday evening, a meeting was winding down in one of the conference rooms and the lounge bar was humming with customers. Meanwhile, families with children were chatting over drinks while looking onto the view of the Jura mountains beyond the airport. The restaurant itself boasts Michelin-starred chefs at the helm. Business lunch menus start at 49 francs for a main course and dessert. In the evening, parking is offered free (based on a minimum consumption of 50 francs).
CATHERINE NELSON POLL ARD
www.altitude-geneva.ch
Price includes: • 1 or 2 nights’ accommodation in Wengen with breakfast • Lesson with Swiss Ski School Wengen • Rental of ski equipment (skis, poles, boots, helmet) in all sports shops in Wengen • Return train ticket Lauterbrunnen – Wengen • Services, taxes and 8% VAT
Contact us at the tourist office to discover how much more Wengen has to offer! www.wengen.ch
‘WIN PRIZES FROM UP HIGH!’ An exclusive competition sponsored by Interlaken & Wengen Tourism. To enter the prize draw, comment on this article on the Hello Switzerland website and tell us about your favourite Bernese Oberland adventure or why you'd love to go there. Competition closes 28 February 2014! 1 ST PRIZE: One night’s accommodation for two including a five course dinner and free entry into the SPA Jungfrau all offered by Beausite Park Hotel Wengen, worth CHF 400 2 ND TO 4 TH PRIZE: Three paragliding flights sponsored by Paragliding Interlaken, Skywings Adventure and Twin Paragliding, each worth CHF 180 5 TH PRIZE: Dinner/accommodation voucher at the Romantik Hotel Schönegg Wengen, worth CHF 150 6 TH PRIZE: Sledding fun for two including a cable car ride to the top of the Männlichen, sled rental, and a drink at the bar all offered by the Luftseilbahn Wengen-Männlichen, worth CHF 100
Atelier KE
Wengen
Your leisure destination! Wengen is the place to go! This village in the Bernese Oberland has retained its charm and is an authentic Swiss mountain village with breathtaking scenery! It’s an island in the mountains … there is no connection to the roads in the valley. If you are traveling by car, you can conveniently park near by in Lauterbrunnen and board the romantic cogway-train, which brings you up to Wengen in just 15 minutes.
The Lauberhorn Ski World Cup Each year in the middle of January the Int. Lauberhorn-Ski Races take place in Wengen. The first official race was in 1930. The downhill is the longest in the world-cup series and pro-skiers have a lot of respect for the course. They can reach speeds of about 162 km/h. If you aren’t an experienced skier, then sorry, you can’t join the race. But at least you can ski down the original piste from the starting hut to the finish line and experience all the famous sections.
Ski IN & OUT The cable car Wengen-Männlichen is in the middle of the village and brings you 1000 metres higher up in just 5 minutes. From there you can ski all pistes to Kleine Scheidegg and back to Wengen … and by the way, don’t forget to enjoy the breathtaking scenery! If you can’t ski well, then you can try the nursery slope in the village, hiking or snow-shoeing around the village or just relaxing in the spa. After that, you can enjoy a nice restaurant or bar or simply fall into your cosy bed.
Info and booking See our package offer on the previous page. For more information: www.wengen.ch www.facebook.com/WengenLauberhorn www.twitter.com/WengenSwiss
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OUR FEATURED PARTNERS A network of experts We’re delighted to introduce Hello Switzerland’s new Featured Partners concept– a network of experts to reduce complexity and make life easier when relocating. Are you currently relocating? Did you move to Switzerland recently? If so, you’ll already be familiar with the complexity of relocating to Switzerland. At Hello Switzerland we’ve being doing our utmost to simplify relocation and settling in for our readers since our launch in 2008. It can be hard to know where to start when moving to a new country. We’re faced with masses of information, hundreds of tasks to complete, loads of important decisions to take in a short space of time and all of this often without any real knowledge of Switzerland or the local market. Hello Switzerland decided to tackle the problem. We’ve worked closely with our relocation partner Packimpex and with focus groups of Hello Switzerland readers to identify which topics are of critical importance for a successful relocation. We identified a range of issues - opening a Swiss bank account, taking out the right insurance policies, dealing with Swiss and home country taxes, immigration, moving, finding a place to live, buying or importing a car, and furnishing and decorating your new home - as being the critical success factors when moving to Switzerland.
EXPERT ADVICE To address these issues, Hello Switzerland has chosen to partner with leading Swiss companies in their fields. Our Featured Partners provide Hello Switzerland magazine readers and online community members with relevant, accurate, and up-to-date expert advice. Featured Partners advise our teams, write feature articles, provide practical information to our readers, and organise events of interest and benefit to the Hello Switzerland community.
PARTNER INTRODUCTION
Stronger together Our Featured Partners offer their services in English. They are committed to providing Hello Switzerland and our community with tailored and personalised service. We have chosen to work with these partners because we are convinced that their expertise and commitment adds true value to the Hello Switzerland community. Together, their dedicated, long-term commitment to Hello Switzerland covers all mission-critical aspects of relocation to Switzerland. Their know-how is your key to a smooth and efficient relocation and settlingin process in Switzerland. We stand by and fully recommend the services of our Featured Partners. We are proud and excited to bring the Featured Partners concept to our readers, and thank all partners warmly for their dedication, involvement and commitment to the Hello Switzerland community. Mike Tomsett Chief Operating Officer, Hello Switzerland michael.tomsett@helloswitzerland.ch
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HOW TO RE-SELL YOUR CAR BY MARKUS HÄFELI, FOUNDER AND OWNER , AUTOCIEL .CH
As the number one car service provider for expats in Switzerland, we often hear from expats who are leaving Switzerland and enquire whether we can sell their cars. Because we sell with re-sale in mind, cars originally sold by us sell quickly. But most regular dealers sell “unsellable” cars. Allow us to explain. Unlike Autociel.ch, the majority of car dealers in Switzerland don’t have the specific objective of selling cars that re-sell quickly and for a decent price. Their business model is to sell their brands and the cars they have in stock, which is understandable. Yet most cars that are in stock are hard to re-sell. It is important to mention that Autociel. ch is often the only dealer willing to offer people leaving Switzerland help with re-selling their car. In most cases, the dealership that sold the car does not want to trade in the car or offer assistance in selling it.
CARS WE'VE BEEN ASKED TO RE-SELL: • Porsche Cayenne S without Xenon headlights or in a non-mainstream colour like red. Premium cars such as the Porsche Cayenne MUST have some basic options and are mostly sold in black, silver or grey. • Large German SUVs with V8 or V6 gasoline engines. In Switzerland these cars are sold almost exclusively with diesel engines (which are excellent and more fuel-efficient). • BMW 750i: this car loses around 70% or more of its value in just a few years because there is almost no demand for such a high end limousine. It is important to know which cars are good resellers. Simply contact Autociel.ch. Try us out!
Be it a new or a second-hand car, available in Switzerland or imported, autociel.ch adapts to your criteria to find your dream car and at the best price. Experience real turnkey service! Rte de la Conversion 261- 1093 La Conversion +41 21 796 37 37 - info@autociel.ch
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INSURING YOUR DREAM CAR "My dream car is a 1966 Porsche 911" Owner and insurer of classic cars Denis Quenon is an expert in collector's vehicles. In this interview he discusses why Nationale Suisse is passionate about classic cars and what you should watch for when insuring these beautiful gems. Why is National Suisse involved in classic cars? Nationale Suisse has various target groups, including drivers of classic cars. We want to be their number 1 insurer in Switzerland. We offer them tailored solutions and services for all aspects of classic cars.
You just mentioned services. What kind of services can a classic car owner expect? By taking out insurance you will benefit from our expertise. This guarantees that the car is insured at the correct market value. In the event of a claim, we support our customers and help them to find the right garage for repairs. To this end we have a large network of specialists.
Are classic cars suitable as investments? Classic cars can be seen as investments just like paintings or watches. The right insurance is therefore very important. Our cover is based on the market value. If this increases, we will pay out up to 130 percent of the original insured price in case of an accident.
Owners of classic cars often invest a lot of time and money in their pride and joy. Can such investments ever be adequately insured? Yes. We have special solutions for that. We insure the market value. If a lot of money was invested to restore the car, the so called restoration value can also be insured. It's really important to insure restoration work. The car should also be insured correctly during the work. In the event of a claim, any work carried out on a classic car should be well documented in a dossier with photos and invoices.
We rarely hear about classic cars being involved in accidents. What is the most common kind of damage? Generally, collision damage to classic cars is relatively rare, which could be because classic car owners tend to drive more defensively. The most common damage is fire damage, followed by water damage. For example, in a heavy storm, rainwater might get in and damage a garaged car. At Nationale Suisse we offer all-risk insurance which includes parking damage and theft in addition to the above-mentioned events.
Is there a large classic car scene in Switzerland? How can I get involved as an expat? There's lots of information online. There are also a large number of fairs and classic car events such as the Montreux Grand Prix taking place this September, which Nationale Suisse supports as a partner. You can also find information in specialized classic car magazines. In addition, there are numerous associations where classic car enthusiasts arrange to meet.
What's the best way and place to buy a classic car in Switzerland? There are specialized classic car garages and also websites. It's really important not to buy a classic car on impulse, but to take it for a test drive and examine it thoroughly. It would be advisable to take a specialist with you. This way you can guarantee that the condition of the car and any work that's been carried out on it is good. Make sure you have enough time to make a purchase.
What is your dream car? My dream car was and still is a 1966 Porsche 911, but they're pretty hard to come by! So in the end I decided to buy a different classic car – a 1967 BMW 2000 CS. One week later I received an offer for a Porsche from Belgium, but unfortunately it came just a little too late. The 1966 911 is still my dream car though.
Denis Quenon is head of sales for private clients at Nationale Suisse. He lives with his family near Lausanne. He's already handed down his passion for classic cars to the next generation: his two daughters are fascinated by collector's cars. Read the full interview with Denis Quenon at
www.helloswitzerland.ch/features
www.nationalesuisse.ch
www.packimpex.ch
« We benefited from all
Packimpex services. The icing on the cake was the temp-furniture as hotels don t really work for large families with pets. ‘
«
Luigi Gonzalez & family Panalpina AG Corporate Head of Finance
Packimpex tailors innovative and sustainable relocation solutions to the needs of international companies and their employees.
Packimpex Ltd. Switzerland: Bern (HQ), Basel, Geneva, Neuchâtel, Lausanne, Lugano, Vevey, Zug and Zurich Germany: Freiburg i.Br. - Phone +41 (0)58 356 14 14, info@packimpex.ch
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HOME FROM HOME Packimpex rental furniture BY MARITA FUHRER
Interview with Sandra Wicki, Interior Designer, Pfister Interior Service AG In line with their drive for innovation, Packimpex recently upgraded their rental furniture portfolio. Sandra Wicki shares her experience of working with Packimpex on this exciting project.
When did you first discuss the new furniture line with Packimpex? When I had my first meeting with Ernst & Silvia Jörg, their vision was to build up a fresh, new and exciting furniture collection. Their primary concern was for their clients to feel comfortable in their new surroundings. They both have very good taste and came with lots of great ideas. It was then our job at Pfister Interior Service to make this a reality. When I look at the furnished apartments today, I can happily say they’re a true reflection of our first conversation.
international flair and would suit anywhere from Abu Dhabi to the Bernese Oberland.
How would you describe the Packimpex collection? Modern, elegant and classy: it’s a timeless collection. The colours, materials, functionality, shape and style make it a sophisticated showcase. It’s also extremely versatile. There’s room for clients to add their own personality, creativity and special touch.
Pfister Interior Service AG
It’s the small details that really count: the shape of handles; placement of lights; well-balanced textures; and colourful undertones. When I can say, "wow it all works together so beautifully", that’s the moment I know there’s harmony in the home. It’s as if the apartment were surrounding you and giving you a big hug!
Do you have any tips for making a home from home?
Packimpex asked me to design a package which was ‘green’ and incorporated elements including quality, design and timelessness. It needed to be suitable for a variety of people with a hint of Swissness.
With Packimpex’s furniture line, you have a solid foundation to work with. Make it your space with a few personal touches. Bring your new surroundings into your home – go to the local market, buy some flowers and put them in your favourite place. Keep your refrigerator full of fresh local produce and try out new recipes. It’s these little things that make all the difference.
My first thought was: should I hang a cowbell at the front door, have drawers full of chocolate, or a Swiss flag in the living room? I then decided to integrate Swiss paintings into the collection. These feature iconic landmarks and well-known landscapes in a modern, exciting way. In addition, not only is the furniture made in Switzerland but we work closely with local businesses, perfectly complementing the ‘Swiss style’.
How does this furniture collection suit such a variety of people? We chose high quality, durable surfaces and materials that can handle the daily life of families, pets, visitors etc. Tailoring to the client’s needs is also top priority. We visit the warehouse and handpick every item. The collections have
Interior Designer,
What makes the difference?
What criteria were you given?
How do you integrate Swissness?
Sandra Wicki,
For further information please contact: Ahmad Touhami Packimpex Temporary Living Services +41 (0) 58 356 14 28 ahmad.touhami@packimpex.ch www.packimpex.ch Packimpex Furniture Partner:
36 FEATURED PARTNERS
LOCATIONAL QUALITY: ZUG AT THE TOP A quantitative indicator for enterprises BY THOMAS RÜHL , REGIONAL RESEARCH, CREDIT SUISSE
Companies tend to invest in attractive locations, thereby creating jobs, adding value, and bringing prosperity. According to our recently updated locational quality indicator, the canton of Zug offers the highest locational quality, followed by Zurich. While the cantons of Central Switzerland tend to stand out because of their low tax rates,
cantons, Vaud and Bern, also have belowaverage scores. However, a closer look at the individual parts of these cantons shows that the city of Bern and the Nyon region show aboveaverage attractiveness.
the two Basels plus Zurich and Aargau shine in terms of their accessibility indicators. The analysis here focuses on the accessibility of the population, the workforce, and the airports via the transport infrastructure. The rural and mountain cantons, including Jura, Valais, Neuchâtel and Graubünden, come in below the national average. This is largely due to their challenging topography which makes them less accessible. On the other hand, the central
In recent years Switzerland's cantons have demonstrated high levels of activism in relation to corporate income tax rates. The most notable winners are the cantons of Lucerne and Neuchâtel, which have cut their tax rates sharply. In contrast, St. Gallen has lost ground in terms of its tax attractiveness, the main reasons here being its deteriorating income situation and the cantonal debt cap. As far as the tax burden is concerned, the French-speaking cantons tend
FEATURED PARTNERS 37
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to be less attractive because the calculation of locational quality is based on publicly available tax rates and cannot take account of the discretionary tax agreements that are common in French-speaking Switzerland. However, the international controversy about corporate tax rates and the seemingly inevitable abolition of tax privileges for special companies should bring statutory tax rates back into sharper focus. Our analysis shows a town/country divide in the availability of highly qualified staff. This is particularly pronounced in the Lake Geneva region and the major German-speaking cities. Around 17 percent of all highly qualified individuals resident in Switzerland have moved to the country since 2000, and in both the Lake Geneva region and Zurich the figure is substantially above 20 percent. Knowledge and innovation – the most important factors in the success of the Swiss economy – are therefore dependent to a large extent on the movement of individuals internationally.
Analysis of the traffic infrastructure down to square kilometer level clearly shows that in Switzerland small distances can produce major disparities. Where private motorized transport is concerned, we found that the major highways and their feeder roads have a more generalized effect on accessibility. While people commuting to Lausanne from the west had to put up with delays of 15-20 percent, the equivalent figure for commuters from eastern and northern areas was around half of that. In Zurich, the northern bypass is having a delaying effect on traffic, with commuters from Winterthur and Frauenfeld to central Zurich having to factor in delays of 20-30 percent on journey times. Similar congestionrelated delays are also experienced by commuters from the Knonaueramt and Zimmerberg regions.
www.credit-suisse.com/research
THE CREDIT SUISSE L OCATIONAL QUALIT Y I NDICATOR Since 1997, Credit Suisse Research has produced quantitative analysis of the locational quality of the Swiss cantons and regions and published the results annually. This year, we have completely overhauled the methodology on which the calculation of locational quality is based.
Want to know more? Further details and other interesting research articles can be found on www.credit-suisse.com/research
Legal notice: The reader acknowledges that the information provided in this publication is only intended for distribution and use by persons who are residents of Switzerland. In particular, it is not directed at, or intended for distribution to or use by or for the offer or solicitation of any products or services directed to, any person or entity who is a citizen or resident of or located in any jurisdiction where such distribution, publication, availability, use, offer or solicitation would be contrary to applicable law or regulation or which would subject Credit Suisse to any registration or licensing requirement within such jurisdiction. Credit Suisse will not treat readers of this publication as its clients by virtue of them accessing it. Readers of this publication should seek the advice of their independent financial adviser prior to taking any investment decision on the basis of any information contained herein and no information herein constitutes general or specific investment, legal, tax or accounting advice of any kind.
You know Switzerland for its milk chocolate. But we have much more to offer: Credit Suisse is the bank that brings you excellent financial advice. credit-suisse.com/welcome
FEATURED PARTNERS 39
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GIFT AND INHERITANCE TAXES Have you recently moved to Switzerland? Once a Swiss tax resident, an individual is subject not only to income and wealth taxes but also to inheritance and gift taxes. BY NICOLE BREGY
INHERITANCE L AW IN SWITZERL AND Swiss inheritance law is regulated by the Swiss Civil Code. The law protects the children, the spouse and, if there are no children, the parents of the deceased in particular by defining the way the estate has to be split between the heirs. For example, if a married person with two children dies without having set up a will or an inheritance agreement, according to the law, the spouse will receive one half and the children the other half, i.e. a quarter each of the estate calculated in accordance with the matrimonial regime applicable. However, it is possible to shift the portions within the legal provisions of matrimonial property and inheritance law. With respect to the latter, so called Forced Heirship Rules apply. For the above family it is, for example, possible to reduce the inheritance share of the children to 3/8 and to raise the portion for the spouse to 5/8 instead or vice versa. There are various other inheritance planning options within Swiss law. Where international assets are involved, it might even be more beneficial to conclude an inheritance contract under foreign law.
INHERITANCE AND GIFT TAXES Inheritance and gift tax is only levied at cantonal and communal level. Inheritance tax is due on a person’s worldwide assets with few exemptions. Except for Schwyz, all cantons levy inheritance tax if the deceased has been a resident of the respective canton, or if real estate located in the canton is transferred. Neither Schwyz nor Lucerne levies gift tax. In all cantons, spouses are exempt from inheritance and gift taxes, and most cantons
INHERITANCE TAX ON AN AMOUNT OF CHF 1M COMMUNE
CANTON
SPOUSE
CHILDREN
UNREL ATED
Saanen / Gstaad
BE
–
–
302,296
St. Moritz
GR
–
–
199,279
Lucerne
LU
–
20,000
400,000
Zug
ZG
–
–
168,400
Zürich
ZH
–
–
330,000
Freienbach
SZ
–
–
–
also exempt direct descendants from such taxes. Tax burden varies from canton to canton and depends on the amount as well as the degree of blood relationship between the deceased and the heir. The above table provides an overview of the inheritance tax due on an amount of CHF 1m for a few handpicked communes / cantons. Inheritance and gift taxes have to be paid by the heir or recipient of the gift. Currently, a people's initiative is pending that requests a federal estate tax to replace cantonal inheritance tax regimes. This tax would be charged on the estate itself, irrespective of the relationship between the deceased and the heirs. There would be a threshold of CHF 2m and an exemption for spouses. Children, however, would no longer be exempt. The voting on this initiative will take place in 2015 at the earliest, and, provided the public vote in favor of the initiative, there will be a two year time frame to implement the initiative into law. However, the taxable estate would include gifts as of 1 January 2012.
INTERNATIONAL ESTATE TAX PLANNING If international assets form part of the estate or the decedent is a foreign national, the estate may become subject to inheritance tax in more than one country and double taxation might occur. Switzerland only has a few tax treaties for avoidance of double inheritance taxation. Where double taxation is a potential risk, timely estate tax planning is the key to maximizing the wealth that will finally find its way to the heirs.
Nicole Bregy PricewaterhouseCoopers AG Tax & Legal Services Private Clients 058 792 40 24 nicole.bregy@ch.pwc.com Nicole is Swiss and was an expatriate in the UK. She is now an expert on individual wealth and taxation solutions at PwC.
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SWISS LEGENDS 41
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GOING GLOBAL New frontiers in architecture Chocolate and watches may still the best-known Swiss exports, but Switzerland’s long tradition in technical excellence has led the latest export trend, architecture.
Photos: swiss-image.ch/Christof Sonderegger, www.botta.ch, Richard Barnes, Still from “Bird’s Nest/Herzog & de Meuron in China”, swiss-image.ch/Andreas Zimmermann, Thomas Wolf
BY MIKE TOMSETT
Perhaps influenced by the beauty of their home country, Swiss architects are building some of the world’s most impressive buildings. Frenchspeaking Switzerland’s leading light Bernard Tschumi recently completed the New Acropolis Museum in Athens. He attributes Switzerland’s success to the schools at ETHZ and EPFL, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology’s Zurich and Lausanne campuses, noting that students work with both design and construction from the start, when many other cultures separate the two. The name Herzog & de Meuron will quickly become familiar to anyone residing in the Basel region. The office by the Rhine has masterminded a portfolio of buildings that define our modern age. The breakthrough was the conversion of the gigantic Battersea Power Station on London’s River Thames into the Tate Modern Art Gallery. Designing FC Basel’s St-Jakob Park soccer stadium was just the warm-up for creating Bayern Munich’s glow-in-the-dark Allianz Stadium and the superlative “Bird’s Nest” National Stadium for the Beijing Olympic Games. The Basler’s Elbphilharmonie concert hall in Hamburg crowns the harbour city atop an old warehouse. Prada’s glass cube store in Tokyo is avant garde elegance. Closer to home, the Vitra House is a break from the quaintness of Basel’s city centre, and Baslers can hardly overlook the science fiction-esque redesign of the Messe Basel congress centre. While Herzog and de Meuron dazzle with scale, new materials and dizzying heights, fellow Swiss star architect Mario Botta prefers an earthy, spiritual approach. Botta believes that globalisation is insulating architecture from its environment, and that good architecture is measured by the intensity of its relationship with the site on which it stands.
The simple elegance of Botta’s church in his native Ticino is as much testament to this belief as his landmark San Francisco Museum Of Modern Art, an enormous, heavyweight monument seemingly dropped into a concrete field of Financial District skyscrapers. The twin towers of his synagogue at the University of Tel Aviv are reminiscent of Mediterranean terracotta jugs, and Botta even seems to have drawn on spirituality with the Tschuggen Grand Hotel’s Mountain Oasis in Swiss ski resort Arosa, saying that "a spa is very much like a sacred space“. The Oasis is carved into a mountain and is topped by eye-catching 'light trees' which look like sails and at night shine like beacons.
Look out for Swiss architecture on your travels around the world!
42 GENEVA
BEHIND THE CURTAINS TEXT: CATHERINE NELSON POLL ARD, ROBERT BARTRAM, MELINA HIRAL AL
GENEVA CAR SHOW From Fords to Ferraris 6-16 March Last year the Salon d’Auto attracted over 690,000 car fanatics, all of them there to look at the new models of cars revealed by the motor industry that year. Hundreds of cars, from hybrid and green cars to the superfast gas-guzzlers, can all be found under roof. It’s a major annual event for the industry and for Geneva. Such is the show’s popularity that it can get very busy, particularly at the weekend, so aim to go during weekdays. Last year there was a 50% discount offered on all entry tickets sold on site after 16:00 for same-day entry. Driving and parking there can be tricky, so it’s best to visit (ironically!) by public transport. The show is at Palexpo, right next to Geneva airport – easily accessible by train or bus.
www.salon-auto.ch
MOVIES AND DOCUMENTARIES IN ENGLISH Both Geneva and Lausanne cinemas offer many screenings in English. And now Nyon’s Monday Movies are great for Anglophones and Anglophiles in the region who would like to catch a screening of newly released films in English. The Cinéma Rex in Aubonne has recently been renovated to embrace new technology but remains steadfastly vintage in its décor. This cinema offers blockbusters to quirky movies, and Monday night is reserved for a recently released English movie. Romandie is also home to two important film festivals taking place in the Spring: • Festival International du Film de Fribourg (FIFF), which has grown in popularity and reputation, welcomed 36,000 spectators last year. • Nyon’s “Visions du Réel” (25 April-3 May), the International Documentary Film Festival, shows more than 140 documentaries from 45 countries and attracts over 25,000 spectators. • And lastly, summer brings its own cinematic highlights as most cities and towns in Romandie host Open Air film showings. Geneva, Fribourg, Lausanne, Neuchatel, Nyon and Vevey are some of the locations where you can grab a film under a starlit sky.
www.rexaubonne.ch www.capitole-nyon.ch www.fiff.ch www.visionsdureel.ch
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PRANGINS Swiss National Museum Paper cuts 11 April – 28 September A world cut from paper: the exhibition “Papiers découpés / Paper cuts” at the Château de Prangins presents a fascinating paper world created with the help of scissors and sharp little knives. The show brings together contemporary as well as historical works from 18th to 20th century, and explains the development of this remarkable art form.
www.nationalmuseum.ch
TAVEL HOUSE MUSEUM Guillotines and Geneva Nobility
NYON AT EASTER
Photos: Gérard Chardonnens, Visions du Reel, Nicolas Brodard, Catherine Nelson Pollard
Check out the decorated fountains Most Swiss towns and villages have a fountain or two providing fresh drinking water for the general public. During the Easter week in Nyon, the town goes one step further as local schools and community groups decorate all the fountains in the vielle ville. Visitors to Nyon can obtain a map from the tourist office to follow the route of the fountains through old alleyways and past some interesting sights along the way. These fountains usually provide fantastic photo opportunities too!
www.nyon-tourisme.ch
Geneva has never been known for its wild abandon. Nothing illustrates this better than the Old Town’s Tavel House, which tells the story of a Genevan family through the ages. Each floor has a different theme. On the first, bizarrely, there is a collection of front doors; on the second, furniture – chairs, tables, sideboards and fireplaces – in varying styles and from different epochs. All are intricate and well-crafted, but also functional and unfussy, elegant but never gorgeous. Three things make the visit: a guillotine brought by occupying French forces in 1799; a fascinating relief map of the town in the 19th century, which itself took 20 years to construct; and a 3D cinematic history of Geneva projected onto a relief ‘canvas’.
http: //institutions.ville-geneve.ch
44 NETWORKING
THE BUSINESS OF THE BEAUTIFUL GAME British Swiss Chamber of Commerce luncheon with Gianni Infantino, General Secretary of UEFA BY CATHERINE NELSON POLL ARD
MATCH FIXING TO FOOTBALL SCHEDULES
For Gianni Infantino, the best football match he ever saw on an emotional level was the semifinal of the World Cup between Italy and Germany in 2006. For pure skills, it was the Champions League 2011 final in Wembley between Manchester United (“a great team”) and Barcelona (“a team from another planet”). And the best football player ever? Michel Platini. This answer raised a laugh at the BSCC luncheon held in Geneva last November. Michel Platini, former French footballer player and manager and now President of UEFA is, after all, guest speaker Mr Infantino’s boss.
After a short break for the main course, Mr Infantino returned to the podium and addressed a question on match fixing. He referred to the recent action taken by UEFA after irregular betting was spotted in Armenia during a match between the Faero Islands and Finland, with an Armenian referee. Asked about the characteristics of UEFA and how it has more or less kept out of the controversies embroiling other sports organisations, his reply was “good governance”. During further discussion around the need to change the calendar of the European schedules due to the World Cup finals in Qatar in 2022, he said, “It’s an issue, but if we have to do this once every 150 years it’s not the end of the world.”
He was at the luncheon to speak about the current state and business of the Beautiful Game. The timing couldn’t have been better. Coming one day after BT Sport announced they had won the rights to broadcast live Champions League and Europa League football matches from 2015, not surprisingly the issue of money and football quickly entered into the conversation. Mr Infantino began by presenting the audience with a variety of facts and figures about the business side of European football. He cited Arsenal as a good example of a club that had made wise investment choices in their new stadium, "…not surprisingly, enabling them to attract supporters and generate high the issue of money and revenues for the club. He also football quickly entered remarked that because Barcelona had invested in its into the conversation." youth academy, they had built a good team, had made very few transfers and thus created a stable home grown squad who could play“with their eyes closed”. He also discussed the new “financial fair play” rules recently implemented on clubs, a consequence of UEFA focusing on the financial health of the clubs and the game in general.
Further questions on capping footballers’ salaries, the power of football agents, the role of corporate and social responsibility played in UEFA’s remit, and investment in women’s football ended this interesting session. The table conversation was lively, as most people have an opinion on football and their own team. When Mr Infantino asked the audience which team had played the best football in the last five years, there was understandably some debate! The hotel had replaced their white table linen with a green tablecloth replete with a circle of AstroTurf. With a mini football as decoration (although just ten people were around each table, not enough for a team) this was a nice touch that made the event a winner.
www.bscc.co.uk
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THE BATTLE OF THE BURGERS There’s a food fight in Lausanne vying for your taste buds! BY RASHIDA RAHIM
ZOO BURGER
ETOILE BL ANCHE
Rue Marterey 29, 1005 Lausanne
Avenue du Tribunal Fédéral 1, 1005 Lausanne
A stone’s throw away from Etoile Blanche, this popular cosy retro bar-restaurant caters for the more conscientious diners with an intimate relaxing atmosphere contradicting the notion of fast food. On the menu you can have your burger with fish, chicken or beef, as well as a very tasty veggie tofu burger that can all be served up on a gluten-free bread roll (if ordered in advance) accompanied with a choice of salad and home-made potato-skin type fries. They also offer take-away.
Just a short walk from St Francois you’ll find a cafébar-restaurant: serving brasserie-type dishes to suits and students alike during the day; catering for after-work drinkers in the early evening; and a respectable sports-bar and hangout after dark. There are three burgers to choose from – using quality Swiss ingredients that really hit the spot. Beautifully presented in fresh buns and accompanied by bacon, cheese, caramelised onions, or salad and cherry tomato chutney, this is a grown-up place to eat your meat.
www.zooburger.ch
www.etoileblanche.ch
HOLY COW! GOURMET BURGER COMPANY Rue Cheneau-de-Bourg 17, 1003 Lausanne Rue des Terreaux 10, 1003 Lausanne This home-grown burger joint is the talk of the town – the overall concept is to offer fresh and succulent tasting beef, chicken and veggie burgers with that homemade taste using locally sourced products, while keeping in line with the fast, efficient and friendly service expected from a fast-food joint. They are continually innovating their recipes, having grown from 12 to 34 different types of burgers. And they take their social responsibility to heart: setting up a foundation from the funds of their “love burger”, and giving CHF 2000 every month from the proceeds to help local children in Switzerland. Sit in or take out – their concept has proved so popular that in the past year they have expanded to Geneva and Zurich and even have a branch across the border in Rouen, France.
www.holycow.ch
THE GREAT ESCAPE Rue Madeleine 18, 1003 Lausanne Situated between the old city and place de la Riponne, the only free house in Lausanne is a hotspot for students, sports lovers and expats alike. With a great pub feel, this bar restaurant serves their burgers and fries in a basket and offers five different choices on their weekly menu, ranging from the classic American to a spicy or Italian-influenced burger. For those looking for the ultimate challenge you can wait until the weekend to order the Elvis burger, which will have you crooning like the King himself. You can also yodel away with the Venoge burger – aptly named as it’s made with the local Venoge tomme cheese.
www.the-great.ch
46 LIFEST YLE
NEW YEAR'S REVOLUTION The Girlfriend Guide’s essential A to Z to kickstart the New Year www.mygirlfriendguide.com BY DE JA ROSE AND ANGELICA CIPULLO MY GIRLFRIEND GUIDE
It's winter. One of the best times of year – with snowmen, hot cocoa and mountain retreats, Switzerland is the ultimate winter wonderland. Despite all this, we know it's cold … we know it's gray. Girlfriend Guide has created an A to Z guide to inspire those good intentions. Go ahead – give them a try. You won’t be able to resist smiling.
A
B
E
Entertain yourself and reserve a seat at the next International Comedy Club performance in your city. They host hilarious comedy shows in Geneva, Lausanne, Basel and Zurich.
F
Forget it’s winter. Head to the indoor water park, Alpamare in Pfäffikon.
G
Gather friends for a Swiss wine & cheese themed party at your home Mövenpick Wein is a leading Swiss wine supplier offering a diverse selection of high quality wines from Switzerland and around the world delivered to your door.
Activate your gym membership. Haven't been going since the first of the year – now is the time to get started. deepWORK™ is the latest group class craze we are addicted to. Bargain shop for vintage goodies. Vintage is a fairly universal term, but also look for shops marked "Brocki" which isn't always vintage, but always second-hand. The Museum für Gestaltung in Zurich also has a fab vintage exhibit until 4 April.
C
Capture your life on Cameo, one of our new favorite Apps for making mini movies of friends, family and daily life.
D
Dive into a good book. Join your local library – it's franc-savvy free.
www.moevenpick.com
H
Help a stranger. We love helping Room to Read and the Red Cross. Find a local charity near you and lend a hand.
I
Invest in your wardrobe. Color Analysts, Wardrobe Consultants and Personal Shoppers are a valuable treat or simply buy a brightly colored scarf to wear on gray days. We love Rowena the Personal Shopper at Jelmoli in Zurich.
J
Jump rope for 5 minutes. It's harder than you think! Don't have a jump rope? Pretend and giggle while you work out.
Photos:swiss-image /Christian Perret, Room to Read Zurich, Dolores Rupa, Hammam@Schweizerhof Lenzerheide
issue 1 / 2014
K
Kick-start a new hobby or business venture. No better time to get started than right now.
L
Laughing yoga. Try it. It works wonders. Can't find a class near you? Just have a look on the Internet for sample videos and you will be sure to laugh in no time.
M
Make someone's day. Surprise a friend with a special gift. Leave a flower in their mailbox, drop chocolates on their doorstep or watch their kids so they can enjoy a little "me time".
N
Nourish your body. Visit a nearby hammam. We love the Stadtbad Zurich, Spa Oktogon Bern, Aquabasilina Hammam near Basel and the Hammam at Schweizerhof Lenzerheide. Check out the online feature articles on www.helloswitzerland.ch to find out more about the top Swiss spas.
O
Open your mind. Hop on a tram you don't ride regularly and explore a new neighborhood from the comfort of a warm ride.
P
Plan your spring break getaway. Check out Kuoni’s exciting travel competition on pages 58–59.
Q
Quit that bad habit you've always wanted to push aside. Enough's enough – just stop already.
R
Run with a friend or make new friends by joining a running group. Step it up a notch and find a language-learning partner to run with. Marathon Sprachen in Zurich offers "Language on the Run" – they run with you AND practice German or your language of choice with you!
S
T
U
Update your goals. Set milestones for each month and an action plan.
V
Venture to a part of Switzerland you have never been to. Book a cheese, farm or wine tour. We love the Sweet Zurich Tour by MyKugelhopf.
W
Workout to 80s music. Gather friends, dress up like Jane Fonda and sweat to the beat.
Start the morning with a healthy breakfast. Try a new recipe every day this week. We're inspired by Basel-based Health Coach, Vanessa Gatelein, from "Food Changes Everything", and her Breakfast Challenge.
X
Organize a coffee-date-laugh with girlfriends while trying to come up with words that begin with the letter ‘X'.
Y
Because we said so. It will help you beat the winter blues.
Treat yourself to a decadent hot chocolate at home. Forget the powder – melt some real dark Swiss chocolate with almond milk and cinnamon. Delish!
Z
Zero in on five things from this list you promise to do this month. Enjoy winter. It only comes once a year – and it’s the harbinger of spring.
tter There's no be e time than th present!
48 L AUSANNE
LAUSANNE Cruise into spring TEXT: RASHIDA RAHIM / CATHERINE NELSON POLL ARD
TULIP FESTIVAL TEDX L AUSANNE perpetual (r)evolution 10 February With speakers taking you “on a journey from which you’ll emerge inspired, stimulated and ready to catch your next opportunity for (r) evolution”— at UNIL, Université de Lausanne.
www.tedxlausanne.org
Parc de l'independance, Morges Considered as a time-honoured introduction to Spring by locals, this free flower festival started by the Lake Geneva Horticultural Society runs from 29 March to 11 May and is famous for bringing over 120,000 tulips of 300 varieties to the park. Food and drinks are available and events are organized during the weekends.
www.morges-tourisme.ch
COOL JAZZ AT CULLY Cully Jazz Festival 4-12 April “The most intimate of Switzerland big jazz festivals”. Distinguished musicians from around the world perform in this beautiful lakeside village of Cully in the wine-growing region of Lavaux, (a UNESCO World Heritage location), not far from Lausanne. The festival began over 30 years ago and has now become one of the biggest jazz festivals in Switzerland. Venues at this festival range from a main stage to tents, churches and small underground wine cellars. Stroll through the village to taste the wines while savouring the music, ranging from New Orleans jazz and blues to piano bar, modern jazz, rock and more.
www.cullyjazz.ch
L AUSANNE 49
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HABITAT JARDIN
RUN THROUGH L AUSANNE
Home and Garden show 8 -16 March Whether you’ve just arrived in Switzerland and are looking for ideas your house and garden, or you’re simply spring-cleaning and want to refresh your living space, Habitat Jardin is the place to go in the Beaulieu Exhibition centre in Lausanne. Over 500 exhibitors are here at this major home and garden show.
Lausanne 20 km run. Saturday, 26 April. Get your running shoes on for the Lausanne 20km race. The race begins in Vidy (down by the lake side), heads up high through the old streets of Lausanne and then descends again back towards the water. The race is open both to amateurs and professionals. There are four race categories: 20 km, 10 km, 4 km and 2 km. Register before 13 April.
www.habitat-jardin.ch
www.20km.ch
Photos: Morges Region Tourisme, 20 km de Lausanne, swiss-image.ch/Regis Colombo
CGN SPRING SCHEDULE Cruise in style in spring The CGN Spring timetable comes into force on 18 April, when two of the Belle Epoque steam-driven boats, “la Suisse” and the “Savoie”, are brought out of dry dock and onto the Lake of Geneva (the full fleet is operational during the summer service). The spectacle of these beautiful boats on the water is a sign of warmer, leisurely cruising days to come. In 2011, the entire fleet was classified as a “historical monument of national importance”. Check their site out for details of cruises including gourmet and sunset cruises and all the regular crossings around the lake on both the Swiss and French sides. Reminder - if you have a half-price / demi-tarif railcard, this is also valid for a discount on most CGN regular crossings.
www.cgn.ch
IS_Hello_Switzerl_195_5x134_5_2013_11 18.11.13 12:45 Seite 1
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ZURICH 51
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TRAVEL SMART From travel zones to smart ticketing on iPhones BY NICOL A HODGES
Switzerland has one of the finest public transport systems in the world, with a huge integrated network and harmonised timetable that can get you to almost anywhere in the country with just one ticket. A common problem, however, is to know which ticket to get. The Canton of Zurich is divided into 50 fare zones. The cost of your travel is calculated according to the number of zones you need to travel through and the time limit, both of which are printed on your ticket. To travel outside the areas covered by your ticket you need to buy a zone upgrade, and to use the night transport you must buy a night tariff ticket (CHF 5) on top of your valid ticket. You can obtain advice about all your transport options from the ZVV (Zurich Transport Network) on: 0848 988 988, open daily 6:00-22:00 (8 cents/min), or at the Contact Centres at Paradeplatz and Bellevue, and starting next June at the Hauptbahnhof. The online timetable and route planning website gives you detailed options of how to get to your destination. You can also purchase, download and print out a ticket from this website.
Photo: Verkehrsbetriebe
country. For commuters the Monthly or Yearly Travelcard is the best option. It's worth asking at your company’s Human Resources department if they offer special rates on travel for employees.
Smart Ticketing is a convenient way to purchase a single or return ticket on your mobile phone, by downloading the ZVV mobile website as above. You can also buy the night tariff ticket by mobile phone: simply text NZ to the number 988.
For occasional use, check out the Single Fare Ticket; the Multi-Use Card; or the Day Pass for unlimited travel within the Zurich area. The Zurich Card (24/72 hr) is ideal for tourists or visitors to travel around Zurich and combine their stay with a visit to a museum and other places of interest.
New multi-language touch screen ticket machines are installed at many bus and tram stops and train stations. If you need help you can call the ZVV contact number, tell them which ticket machine you are at and your destination. They will operate the machine for you and all you do is pay for your ticket.
The Family Card allows children under 16 to travel with a parent for free, or those aged 16-25 to travel at half fare. The 9 o' Clock Pass is good value for those who regularly travel after peak morning hours, such as parents with young children. The Junior Travel Card also provides savings for young people under 25 years.
If you are staying in Switzerland for a year or longer it's worth obtaining the Half-Fare Travel Card, which gives you reduced rates on all ZVV tickets and public transport throughout the
Make sure you have the correct ticket. All public transport in Switzerland has regular spot-checks – and those not in possession of a valid ticket will be fined!
Zürich VBZ
witzerland 's Read Hello S transport blic article on pu at nationwide / er z it land.ch www.hellosw ssistance _a guides_and
www.zvv.ch
52 ZURICH
A CHANGE FOR THE BETTER With New Year’s just a month behind us, it’s not too soon to start thinking about the changes you might want to make. Here are a few ways to get started on some of the more popular resolutions. TEXT BY ALLISON TURNER
GET IN SHAPE Of course you can join a gym, and Zurich has a couple dozen to choose from. Check out www.helloswitzerland.ch/directories for our readers’ suggestions and feel free to leave your own. A newer option on the Zurich scene is Swedish Fit, a complete work-out including warm-up, stretching, muscle-building, cardio, running and finally relaxation, all done to music in 55 minutes. No devices are involved and the sessions at Holmes Place Jelmoli, on Monday and Wednesdays at 20:00 and Fridays at 11:00 are appropriate for all ages and physical conditions. Hello Switzerland readers get their first session for free. If you need to find people to exercise with, try various fitness-related Meetup Groups or again, the Hello Switzerland website.
www.konzertliebe.ch
ZURICH 53
issue 1 / 2014
www.pukkacreative.com
BE MORE CREATIVE Lihi Ben Haim’s enterprise, Pukka Creative, offers you a number of ways to get in touch with your creative side, which Lihi says helps relieve stress and gain clarity. Her drawing, painting and writing courses focus on the process more than the product – but some of the projects in the students’ gallery on her website are quite extraordinary.
FIND THE ONE Cultured singles in Zurich should check out Konzertliebe. Founded in 2010, Konzertliebe organises events whereby 40 to 60 singles spend the evening together, enjoying a concert and then afterwards an apéro riche. The organisers are efficient but discreet, and arrange the groups to have roughly equal numbers of men and women.
SAVE THE WORLD
www.kabiko.com
Photos: Konzertliebe, Olga Bushkova
Kabiko Depot is a new website founded on the idea of “collaborative consumerism”. Parents sell gently used children’s clothing and other products online and donate at least 5% of the proceeds to one of the children’s charities the site supports.
54 LET ME ENTERTAIN YOU
ROB SPENCE Switzerland's most famous non-Swiss comedian working in the park and it became clear I was talented at improvisation and making crowds laugh – the show become very popular and they raised my fee tenfold. I put together a street show and then travelled the world for a year. I learnt juggling, mime, magic and then that progressed into theatre, variety and TV shows.” His act is still very visual, and very silly. His best gig ever was at a comedy festival in Quebec, where he got standing ovations from the 1500-strong audience at every show. He says he’s lucky to get that every 10 years in Switzerland – and his worst gig ever, in Bern for an assembly of ultra-conservative bank share-holders, was somewhat less pleasant than going to the dentist. So why is he in Switzerland? “I’m here because of love – the love of money. No seriously, I met a Swiss woman on my world travels who introduced me to the high-end life of Switzerland – something I will never forgive her for.” He also loves the nature in Switzerland. “No matter where you live, you're only a few minutes away from a place you would find on a postcard.”
BY ANDALEEB LILLEY
He's a mime artist, a magician, a wordsmith and a facial contortionist who makes Mr Bean look inexpressive. As one of the very few Aussies to have learned any foreign languages, Rob usually performs his one-man show KängaMuh in German, or French, or Italian. In fact, the first time he ever performed it in English was for CH-uckles at the Theater Casino at home in Zug, just this past September. When asked how he became a comedian, Rob says it was never his intention: “I was a dancer and I auditioned for a fun park in Sydney when I'd just turned 18. They thought my dancing was so funny that I should be a comedian. I started
And he has lived in a number of places in Switzerland. “Bern is a great place to live as a foreigner because if you don't understand a word, you have time to look it up in the dictionary before the next one comes. In Zug it's very tight – thousands of people live here in post-boxes. I lived in Geneva for five years and it’s the epicentre of the humourless. The only way to make people laugh in Geneva is to tell them how much you earn.” Asked the worst thing about Switzerland, he says: “The way people adhere adamantly to the laws. In Australia we also have laws but here they stick to them.” He thinks Switzerland could benefit from the “relaxed, easy-going partyoriented mentality” of Australia, although Australia could use the Swiss’s “ability to drink in moderation”.
www.robspence.ch
Who will manage my career?
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56 ZUG
OLD AND NEW IN ZUG If you need a break from your exploratory shopping, Bob’s Food Store at Ober Altstadt 7 has recently expanded from being a great place for a coffee to a great place for a coffee, a chat, whatever interesting thing Bob (Roberto López) has in the way of baked goods today, and to take away with you, coffee beans, chocolate and a growing selection of other delicacies from around the world.
www.bobsfoodstore.ch
Zug’s lovely Altstadt has buildings dating back to the 13th century. But within those old walls you can find a charming assortment of restaurants, art galleries and shops, including some very up-to-date finds. Artepunto.ch, Unter Altstadt 17, has a beautiful selection of handcrafted jewelry, accessories, housewares and decoration, all designed and made in Switzerland. Whether you want a unique pair of earrings for yourself or a funky present for a friend, this is the place to find it. The shop is only open Thursdays and Fridays 11:00–18:00 and Saturdays 10:00–16:00, but there’s an internet shop as well.
www.artepunto.ch
Enchante, on Ober Altstadt, lives up to its name with an enchanting array of home accessories and clothing with an early 20th century feel. You can order their products online or visit the showroom in Baar by appointment, but really, the shop itself, open Wednesdays to Saturdays, is too cute to miss!
www.enchante.ch
LUCERNE 57
issue 1 / 2014
BY THE WATER If you’ve been looking for an excuse to treat yourself to a wonderful evening out or weekend of luxury, Hotel des Balances at the Weinmarkt is just the thing. A lovely view of the Reuss, a restaurant with 15 Gault Millau points AND the opportunity to support Wasser für Wasser. Don’t have time for more than a quick lunch? Go for the express luncheon three-course menu, with all the dishes served at once.
Photos: Lior Etter, Hotel des Balances
www.balances.ch
For a more casual dining experience, try Restaurant Caravelle at Denkmalstrasse 2. They have pizzas and other Italian dishes, along with a few Swiss specialties. In addition to supporting Wasser für Wasser, they support local artists by displaying a changing selection of artworks on the walls.
www.restaurantcaravelle.ch
Wasser für Wasser (WfW) is an initiative launched by the brothers Morris and Lior Etter of Kriens to support water projects in Zambia. Guests at their partner restaurants pay 2 francs for a half-litre or 3 for a full litre of tap water in a Wasser für Wasser carafe. Of course, www.wasserfuerwasser.ch additional donations are always welcome. Businesses can also support WfW by having employees donate money for the water they drink at work. The proceeds are used to support two projects currently: water kiosks that sell clean water at a minimal price to residents of Kanyama, a slum of Lusaka, and a school to train plumbers in Kanyama.
TEXT BY ALLISON TURNER
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SPORT 61
issue 1 / 2014
GOLF4FUN The platform for golf enthusiasts in Switzerland BY ANDREA NEITZEL , MEMBER OF GOLF4FUN
“Worst words in golf: It's your turn again," the American PGA Pro Dave Marr once said. It seems the members of Golf4Fun, the golf community for expats based in Switzerland, don’t agree. They played a LOT of golf last year and with all the golf and social events that Golf4Fun has to offer, will continue to do so in 2014. Now in its second year, the non-profit group has 900 members from all over the world living in Switzerland. Beside various other events, founder Nora O´Sullivan organized seven HCP relevant tournaments. Nicole GruenfelderFuchs (Switzerland) has joined almost every tournament as a passionate competitor in the sport and is the COO of Stamford Consultants, one of the main sponsors of Golf4Fun. Why does Nicole support this rather small group? “My commitment as a company and in terms of personal time is to promote the social aspect of the sport," she says. “Moreover I am always interested in finding ways of bringing foreigners together with Swiss people." Gruenfelder-Fuchs knows that a lot of expats tend to stick together with their own nationality. That’s not always voluntarily – often enough people just don’t have an opportunity to integrate. “Unfortunately there are not too many platforms for integration in Switzerland," she says, “but Golf4Fun is one of them." She believes that the sport offers a good chance for integration. For a pleasant round of golf – even with complete strangers – it’s not essential to have strong language skills, which can be a barrier with other activities. Basic English is enough to play together and share a drink afterwards.
Golf4Fun offers help with the subtleties of Swiss golf rules to make it as easy as possible for the international community to start playing golf courses in and around Zürich. “We have the same philosophy in our company. We want to make settling into Switzerland easier," the Stamford COO underlines. Nicole Gruenfelder-Fuchs thinks that the development of the Golf4Fun platform is a 'stroke of luck'. By now there are regulars, international and Swiss, who meet up often, either on the golf course or in the pub. The group is still growing, always willing to give newbies a warm and hearty welcome. “It’s wonderful to watch how Golf4Fun helps people to feel more and more comfortable in their new surroundings,” she says. For 2014 Golf4Fun will continue offering many activities: a Stableford Tournament series, kicking off on 13 April in Steisslingen GC; tuition and games for beginners; “Afterwork-Golf” with Pro Brian Murphy; friendly rounds all over the country; Indoor Golf during the winter, as well as organized trips to Italy, Ireland and Turkey.
For more information about the community and upcoming events see http://about.me/golf_4fun or go straight to the official tournament site www.golf4fun.ch
62 SOLOTHURN
SOLOTHURN What’s the most surprising thing about beautiful Solothurn?
BY KARIN WALDHAUSER
Is it the clock with only eleven hours on it? The art supermarket? Or maybe that you can see dinosaur footprints? Visitors to Solothurn are spoilt for choice with things to do, stories to hear and places to see. Solothurn is, unsurprisingly, the capital of Canton Solothurn. The picturesque Baroque city is situated beside the Aare river, so along with the usual modes of transport you can also get there by boat. Its location on the river makes it perfect for a variety of outdoor activities, including my personal favourite – sitting in the sunshine on the terrace of a riverside café enjoying a slice of Solothurner Torte. For those
of you feeling a little more active, there are plenty of walking and cycle paths along the river. Solothurn boasts a good number of quirky little shops and funky boutiques. The old town, once the site of a Roman settlement, has an attractive layout that encourages wandering and exploring. In between shops you might like to try and count all 11 historic fountains in the city, or find the 11 towers. The big challenge is to find the clock with only 11 hours on it. For an unsurpassable view of the city, visit the Cathedral of St Ursus and climb the 249 steps to the top. While you’re there, count the 11 altars and 11 bells. After that, you’ll be ready to enjoy the meringue-y goodness of Solothurner Torte
SOLOTHURN 63
Photos: Region Solothurn Tourismus, swiss-image.ch/Christof Sonderegger, swiss-image.ch/Robert Boesch. Background photo: swiss-image.ch/Roland Gerth
issue 1 / 2014
at one of Solothurn's lovely riverside cafes. Actually, you might as well buy a whole one and take it home – if you can make it last that long. A thirst-quenching accompaniment is a glass of Oufi (local dialect for 11) beer. For a taste of culture, time your visit to coincide with one of Solothurn’s festivals. There are so many that everyone is bound to find something of interest. Solothurn hosts a film festival, Carnival, Bike Days – Switzerland’s national cycling festival – a beer festival, a literature festival, and a series of open-air concerts. Out of the city there are just as many activities. Solothurn is a hub for mountain biking and hiking, catering to all ability levels. One easy
excursion is to the quaint St Verena’s hermitage, just out of the city. Or you could hop on the train to Lommiswil/Oberdorf quarry and search for the dinosaur footprints. For somewhere a bit unusual to stay in the warmer months, take a look at the TCS camping ground. As well as a picturesque setting, it also has cute little bungalows for hire. You'll need to get in early though, as in summer they get booked out quickly. Just to dangle a couple more carrots – does Casanova do it for you? Are you a follower of Napoleon? These are just two of Solothurn’s more famous visitors. So go on and find out what brought them there.
Solothurn Tourismus offers guided tours in English. For more information visit:
www.solothurn-city.ch
64 CONTACT US
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BONNER & BARTH 65
issue 1 / 2014
THE DRAGON AND THE SAINT Spring is in the air! So what could be more beautiful than visiting a dragon and a saint in their lair? BY ROGER BONNER , WITH ILLUSTRATION BY EDI BARTH
Although both are long dead, the legend lives on in the Beatus Caves inside the Niederhorn Massif high above Lake Thun. According to legend, St Beatus came to the land of the Helvetians in the first century AD, over the Brünig Pass to the village of Sundlauenen. These ancient Swiss were averse to change and didn’t want foreigners meddling in their affairs. Now it so happened that they were being terrorised by a nasty, fire-spewing dragon, which dwelled in some nearby caves, and they desperately needed some holy intervention. So St Beatus climbed up to the caves and confronted the beast with his pilgrim’s staff. He exorcised the dragon, whereupon it flew out of the cave and crashed seething into the lake, causing the water to boil. After St. Beatus had accomplished this miraculous feat, converting the awestruck locals was a mere formality. One October I decided to hop on a tour boat in Spiez and make my way to the fabled caves. In less than an hour, the boat docked at Beatushöhlen-Sundlauenen. I was the only one to get off. I stood alone and perplexed in front of a steep limestone cliff with no caves in sight – until I saw the sign. The trek took only twenty minutes with fantastic views of Lake Thun and surrounding mountains. I soon came to a footpath zigzagging its way up the mountain to the actual caves. I passed a Museum of Caving and then crossed a couple of small bridges across a brook rushing down to the lake. Carved gnomes and pictures of little dragons dotted the way, and then came a picnic area with a dragon slide for children, followed by
a Fable House with exhibitions about – you guessed it – dragons! Finally I reached the Beatus Chapel perched on the side of the cliff. Several pretty waterfalls gushed out of its rocky foundations. I got to the caves just in time for the next scheduled tour. After paying 18 francs, I was gently herded along with some other tourists to the entrance where a life-size replica of a bearded and cowled St Beatus sat meditating in a small, sparsely furnished cave. On the left was a larger cave where a Stone Age family squatted around an imitation hearth, showing that the caves had been inhabited long before Beatus arrived on the scene. Our bilingual guide then led us into a bizarre subterranean world with stalagmites and stalactites, whose fantastic dripstone forms inspired such names as Crocodile, Tortoise, Witch’s Cauldron, Three Sisters and Valhalla. As we meandered up and down well-designated paths, surrounded by wondrous calcareous sculptures, tumbling waterfalls and crystal-clear pools, we were provided with interesting details about the geology of the caves. We were even confronted by the site dragon, Ponzo – but in painted fibreglass rather than in the flesh. As the overhead lights dimmed and the narration unfolded, Ponzo roared and flashed his ferocious red eyes at us. It’s not an experience for the faint-hearted. Visitors can calm down with a drink at the on-site restaurant or seek spiritual succour at what’s claimed to be the grave of St Beatus. I headed for the restaurant.
66 INTERVIEW
MEET
TATIANA The Dubious Hausfrau
BY QUERIDA LONG
How did you come to live in Switzerland?
Expat blogger, roller derby coach, dubious housewife
www.dubioushausfrau.com
I’m a trailing spouse. About three years ago we were living back home in Canada, two careeroriented twenty-somethings working stressful jobs. After a bad day at work, John started browsing unjobs.org and applied for a position in Switzerland. We found out he got the job on 30 June and we landed in Switzerland 30 July. With such short notice it was a nightmare of a move — and we did it all ourselves! There wasn’t enough time to organize garage sales or get rid of our things on Craig’s List, so we invited our friends and family over to take whatever they wanted from our apartment. We put a few boxes of sentimental keepsakes in storage, sent our cat to live with relatives and set off to Bern with two suitcases and a backpack each.
Were there any transition difficulties?
TELL US RY! YOUR STO'd like to be
if you Get in touch this page. featured on itzerland.ch info@hellosw
The biggest transition for me was going from working full-time to not working at all. I’d never been good at striking an even work/life balance. I quit my job only two weeks before we left Canada. When we arrived in Bern we had a week to get an apartment, set up a bank account and do all the other things that go along with moving in to a new place before John started his job. Now I suddenly found myself alone in an empty apartment with nothing to do.
Is that how your blog started? The blog actually started before I moved here. I’d been working for non-profits to help terminally ill
children and bereaved parents, leading to me eventually having a burnout. I quit my job, but quickly realized I didn’t actually know how to be a housewife. It was my family who declared my endeavor “dubious” and I thought that would be a great name for a blog chronicling my foray into homemaking.
What do you miss from home? What I really miss is the sense of belonging to the community and knowing what to do in most situations. There are days when I feel very Canadian, other days I feel international and some days I just feel foreign and out of place. John travels a lot for work and I miss having friends to help me cope when he’s away. That said, we’re building a community for ourselves here. John’s co-workers come from all over the world, so they’re in the same boat and we’ve made some lasting friendships. We’re also involved in organizing dinners through online platforms where people can get to know other expats living in their area,
How do you stay yourself amidst all the change? Roller Derby! I’ve been playing since 2009 and finding a team to train with here was important for me in order to feel at home. In August I found out there was a new team closer to home, the Bonebreakers Roller Derby Bern. I went for training and they made me the coach. Now I’m the coach of the Swiss National Women’s Roller Derby Team! We’re looking forward to the 2014 Roller Derby World Cup in Dallas.
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