GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Torches light the lovely 15th-century cobblestone courtyard, once a two- or three-hour carriage ride from Geneva. A hum of voices carries from an open cellar door where soft candlelight offers a glimpse of amphoras and barrels. Upstairs, in a renovated area of the old Grand’Cour château, Jean-Pierre Pellegrin describes what makes his […]
Archives for February 2013
Montreux Funky Claude homage: shroud on the water
MONTREUX, SWITZERLAND – “We all came out to Montreux…” but this celebration was of a different kind, in homage to “Funky” Claude Nobs, the man who made the name Montreux Jazz Festival (MJF) synonymous with musical innovation, new talent, and unhinged jam sessions. This was the man Stephan Eicher and fellow artists took a bow […]
First in a series of three: regional travel & wine
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – I’ve just posted the first of three articles about travel and wine touring in the region as a GenevaLunch feature article; the other two will appear Friday 6 February and Monday February: Swiss wines, followed by the Friendship Triangle on the area where France, Switzerland and Italy come together. The three have […]
Regional travel & wine: French Jura
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – France’s Jura mountains are defined by deep, secret forests and rushing streams, so it is always a surprise to suddenly come upon snug villages edged by magnificent vineyards. Coming down into Arbois, there is such an abrupt change of scenery and state of mind that your arrival calls for a pause. A […]
Our shrinking rubbish
LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – We in canton Vaud, having now paid for taxed garbage bags for a month, are suddenly becoming aware of how much we throw away. The first thing we’ve noticed in our household is the packaging, silly amounts of it. Lo and behold, a side benefit of this new system is that our […]