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 […]
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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 […]
The curious case of Zurich’s high-priced table wines
ZURICH, SWITZERLAND – The latest global cost of living index by the Economist Intelligence Unit has sparked the usual national pride and fear remarks, with Australian cities showing a sudden rise to the top 10, while Zurich and Geneva have slipped, ouf, thanks to pressure easing on the franc against some other currencies. But a […]
Winter surprise: fresh frozen broccoli surfaces
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Our family has just had a wonderful small surprise from the garden, broccoli that we assumed had died, reappeared and was perfect for a quick stir-fry. The broccoli, along with some celery, fell victim to a metre of snow that was suddenly dumped on our mountain garden in November. Since then we’ve […]
Beijing direct from Geneva – Air China to open 4 weekly routes
Ed. note: for anyone stranded by the three-hour closing of Geneva’s airport Saturday 19 January due to bad weather, the airport now has an official announcement for download, for insurance or other purposes. GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – One of the world’s largest airline, Air China, with 400 aircraft in its fleet, is adding a new direct […]