Tag: switzerland
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Fête Désalpe at Saint-Cergue
We had a thorough appreciation of the saying “Until the cows come home” at the annual Fête Désalpe. Désalpe is a unique tradition of Switzerland (and parts of France) when the herds of cows that spent summer on the alpine pasture return to the valley for winter. The word Désalpe is a contraction of “Déscente…
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A short stay at Lucerne
Lucerne (or Luzern in German) is located in the middle of Switzerland and acted as a transport gateway between the Swiss plateau on the north and the Alps in the south. When I told people I was moving to Lausanne, many were confusing Lausanne with this city – as it is better known outside of Europe. Indeed, for…
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La Chaux-de-Fonds – a watchmaking town
La Chaux-de-Fonds is the heart of Switzerland’s famous watchmaking industry. The area referred to as the Watch Valley nestled within the Jura mountains above Neuchâtel. You will see the logos of the various famous brands on buildings around town especially along the road towards Le Locle – see my earlier post on watchmakers. In 2009,…
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Gorge du Trient, Valais
We went for a drive with friends towards the French/Italian border on a recent weekend. We discovered this place in the canton of Valais which is out of the pages of Nat Geo ! Located less than 2 hours drive from home, it is near Vernayaz at the foothills of the Swiss/French Alps just before…
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Joylessness in bronze
Outside the Museum für Gestaltung in Zürich (Museum of Design, Ausstellungsstr. 60) is a fountain and around the perimeter of it are several bronze statues. All are all looking at the fountain either with deep thoughts, heavy emotions, or a headache. One has apparently gone mad (or at least I think he has) and is…
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Geneva in Christmas
The lake/river front of Geneva is beautiful, lit with mini light sabers and Pacman (thaat’s right, Pacman). On one of my day off, we drove over in the afternoon for an afternoon of christmas shopping. The views shown here are taken from Promenade du lac (south bank) looking north across the Rhône. Thought he retired…