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The Emmental

2017-02-27T15:47:12+01:00

The river Emme starts at a spring in a mountainous area and has numerous creeks flowing into it. 80km after it’s source it  joins the bigger Aare river. The valley where the river Emme flows through is called the Emmental. It is part of the Canton of Berne.

Soft hills cover the Emmental, often with smaller rivers flowing through the valleys down below later joining the river Emme. The farming houses are typical with huge roofs almost touching the ground. The cheese produced in this valley is world famous: the Emmental cheese. Is is quite mild and has big holes.

A great way to explore the Emmental is with rented e-bikes. There are many suggested trails. The added power makes it easy to climb those steep hills.

The country folks from the Emmental tend to speak a very slow Bernese Swiss German. They are friendly and easy going but rather introverted. People in the villages greet everybody they encounter with a heartfelt „grüssech“.

The bigger places in the Emmental are Burgdorf, Langnau and Sumiswald.

In Langnau is the oldest free church of Switzerland. It goes back to the very beginning of the Mennonites who felt that the reformation of the church didn’t go far enough. So the government of the Canton of Berne started persecuting those pious folks. Between 1534 and 1540 around 158 Bernese Mennonites were thrown into prison, of those 109 were sent into forced exile (many left for the US) and 26 were executed.

The Emmental2017-02-27T15:47:12+01:00

Summer’s Slow Arrival

2016-06-07T11:57:20+02:00

This season we have had lot’s of rain and rather cooler days. Nature however has unfolded in beautiful colors everywhere. Lush green forests and meadows, and many private and public gardens are filled with the colors of summer flowers such as peonies, roses, petunias and others.

The four seasons are clearly marked. Meanwhile the days are quite long. Beginning of June the sun rises at 5 30 am and sets by 9.20 pm.  The summer solstice will be on June 21 with almost 16 hours of daylight. The nights are shorter and as soon as the sun is out for a a few days temperatures will quickly rise to 30°C and above: then summer will finally have arrived.

Summer’s Slow Arrival2016-06-07T11:57:20+02:00

A Weapon in Many Swiss Homes

2017-08-03T12:14:27+02:00

The SIG SG550 is the standard Swiss Army’s assault rifle. It is the  weapon that many adult Swiss males keep at home. Officers and some specific troops are issued a pistol (SIG Saurer P220).

Every healthy 18 year old Swiss male living in Switzerland is conscripted and has to go through basic army training (RS, Rekrutenschule) that takes 18 or 21 weeks. After the basic training every year soldiers have to go on a three weeks repetitions course (WK, Wiederholungskurse).

Nowadays men who for some personal reason don’t want to join the Swiss armed forces have the option of serving with a longer civil service (serving in old people’s homes and hospitals etc). I remember the days when we were drafted, people refusing to join had to go to prison.

Women are free to join the ranks too. Their proportion is not big, but there are ladies serving in the same troops along with the guys.

The army weapons have to be practiced at least once a year at the official shooting ranges.

After having served a certain number of days and having reaching a certain age the soldiers are taken out of service. Many would opt to keep their weapons.

People keep their army weapons at home. The bolt has to be kept separately and should be locked away.

Switzerland has quite a liberal weapons law. It is relatively easy to buy a gun. There are around 2.3 to 4.5 million weapons privately owned. In that aspect Switzerland is probably not lagging far behind the US. However it is quite amazing that firearms are relatively rarely used to commit crimes. Unfortunately weapons are often used in suicides. Between 1996 and 2005 over 40% of suicides were committed with army weapons.

A Weapon in Many Swiss Homes2017-08-03T12:14:27+02:00

Burgdorf’s Famous Beer

2016-12-07T19:59:24+01:00

Burgdorf is a small enchanting historic town with a big medieval castle sitting on a rock. It is less than 25km away from Berne. The city is the gate to the beautiful Emmental.

1999 Burgdorf’s now well known beer brewery took up its business. Meanwhile they have been so successful that they moved to a bigger (actually historic) site. At their general assembly on Saturday May 21, over 1600 share holders took part. Everybody attending was treated to free beer and a pair of sausages. This kind of dividend is very tangible.

Their general assembly turned out to be the funniest I have ever attended. Everybody was in a splendid mood and enjoyed drinking all the different kinds of beer while doing GA business. The agenda of the 18th general assembly was whisked through without a glitch with crowds cheering for each item.

The brewery is still just a local company, but the beer of Burgdorf is by now known far beyond the borders of the canton of Berne. The brewery offers informative guided tours. At the end of the tour it’s hard to resist tasting their freshly brewed beer which is an a league of it’s own.

Burgdorf’s Famous Beer2016-12-07T19:59:24+01:00

The Grand Prix of Bern

2016-11-19T20:10:01+01:00

Jogging is quite popular in Switzerland. The Grand Prix of Bern (this year the 35th) is the biggest running event in the country with international competitors. It usually takes place mid May. This year 32’000 runners took part in it. It rained. But the atmosphere was still wonderful, with crowds cheering on the runners and bands playing in different spots throughout the city.

The organizers pride themselves that the longer distance run, the 16km Grand Prix, covers the 10 most beautiful miles of the world. That is a big claim – but indeed the track leads through the picturesque old city of Bern and along the Aare river. It is a uniquely beautiful race with quite some altitude (over 250m) to cover. From km14 to km15 is the worst part of the race with a steep ascent of 9% before reaching the finishing line.

There are three different categories:

The Grand Prix (16km) with about 16’000 participants, the Old City Prix (4.7km) for those building up their jogging skills and the Bear Grand Prix (1.6km) for smaller kids and whole families.

The sports event is very well organized and is great fun either as a participant or as part of the cheering crowd. There are usually around a 100’000 people watching the race and enjoying the atmosphere.

The winners in this years 10 miles GP of Bern were

  • men: Ghirmay Ghebresslassie from Eritrea: 47’00’’
  • ladies: Charity Kiprop from Kenya:  56’52’’
The Grand Prix of Bern2016-11-19T20:10:01+01:00

Kemmeriboden

2017-08-03T12:14:27+02:00

Deep inside the Emmental at the end of a valley surrounded by a steep mountain range you will find the hamlet Kemmeriboden. Behind the mountains  surrounding it are three very distinct areas: the Emmental, the (UNESCO biosphere) Entlebuch and the lakes of Thun and Brienz.

The traditional hotel / restaurant there has been quite famous for several generations. A hundred years ago this place was well known for it’s bath. Nowadays people would go there rather for limited winter sports or in summer for a wide range of wonderful hikes along clearly marked trails, leading into these other three areas mentioned above.

The popular hotel offers interesting possibilites for accomodation. During winter you can choose to spend the night in an igloo. In summer you can sleep on hay. But the hotel offers also quite comfortable rooms and actually very nice food too.

From Berne it takes about 1 1/2 hours by public transport (train and bus) to get there, by car about an hour. At the hotel there is also plenty of free parking available. Public transport is very convenient, if you want to hike across into another area.

Kemmeriboden2017-08-03T12:14:27+02:00

Summer Tires and Apprenticeships

2016-05-14T18:11:19+02:00

By now most people have replaced their set of winter tires with their set of summer tires. Summer tires lose their grip below temperatures of 7°C. By law the profile of tires in Europe may not be lower than 1.6mm. Below that they also loose their efficiency and driving becomes increasingly dangerous. The police in Switzerland deal out hefty fines for offenders. Additionally when caught drivers may even have to hand in their driving license for a limited time.

Most people store their set of tires at home. For a fee your car mechanic will store your set of spare tires for you.

The work place of any the car mechanic in this country is amazingly clean and well ordered. These guys are pros and have gone through the standard Swiss apprenticeship scheme of of four years hands on training. During those years the trainees also go to school for about two days a week. During their apprenticeship years they earn a modest salary. At the end of their apprenticeship they get a federal diploma recognizing them as trained professionals in their field.

These Swiss apprenticeship schemes (3 or sometimes 4 years) are the standard for any kind of non academic job be it a carpenter, cook, bank employee, shop assistant, hair dresser, insurance agent, office clerk etc. Most young Swiss rather opt for a non academic career. After graduation they will make between CHF 3’000 to 5’000 a month depending on their field.

When young people going through their apprenticeship training discover, that they would like to pursue academic studies they have several options after their graduation. The can do a specific gap year and then go to a technical school (later graduating as engineers) or after two gap years full time studies and completed exams they can start studying at a university. In  the private sector people who have done their apprenticeship training and then completed higher studies are in high demand. They offer hands on experience along with academic knowledge.

Youth unemployment is hardly a problem for trained pros. The unemployment rate in Switzerland with around 4.5% is the lowest in Europe.

Summer Tires and Apprenticeships2016-05-14T18:11:19+02:00

Spring’s Rapeseed Fields

2017-08-03T12:14:27+02:00

Rapeseed is a flowering member of the mustard or cabbage family. In spring it’s bright yellow flower is replicated manyfold in fields all over the country. Those beautiful bright rapeseed fields stand out against the lush green grassy hills and the mountains further off still covered with snow.

Today the farmers in Switzerland use rapeseed mainly for the production of animal feeds. From rapeseed a very healthy edible vegetable oil can be gained, that is often mixed into salads and used for cooking.

World production of rapeseed is growing rapidly. In Chinese it’s called oil vegetable or 油菜.

Spring’s Rapeseed Fields2017-08-03T12:14:27+02:00

The City of Zürich

2017-08-03T12:14:27+02:00

Zürich is the most dynamic city of Switzerland with quite an international feel. Which means besides the Swiss cuisine you get all sorts of great ethnic foods (Italian, French, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Lebanese etc).

Zürich is located in the north-central part of the country at the tip of the lake of Zürich. Including the metropolitan area the population  reaches almost 1.5 million people.

The city has a great public transport infrastructure and is well connected to the rest of the country. The airport is the busiest of Switzerland with countless international flights.

Zürich is a world leader in terms of finance. Many important financial institutions, banks and research institutions have their seat here. The university of Zürich and the ETH (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) are top for academic pursuits. In terms of art Zürich also has heaps to offer.

The famous Bahnhofstrasse (see picture above, leading away from the main train station) is rather expensive and prestigious. There are many distinguished shops offering luxury products to well off customers. However anyone is welcome to just leisurely stroll along.

From the train station (Bahnhof) it is worthwhile walking across the Bahnhof bridge over the river Limmat and then walk along the Limmat Quai. On the left you will come across the Grossmünster where in the 16th century Zwingli launched the reformation of Zürich. 300m on you will come to the shore of the lake of Zürich. When there is a clear view the mountains form a tremendous backdrop.

In terms of quality of life Zürich ranks on a list of the top 25 cities of the world.

See my blog on the Canton of Zürich.

The City of Zürich2017-08-03T12:14:27+02:00

Graffiti – Art or Vandalism?

2017-08-03T12:14:27+02:00

In Switzerland you will often find walls along the train tracks or the highways sprayed with graffitis. Daily heaps of people pass by and will catch a glimpse of these acts of vandalism or in same cases truly a piece of art.

The police are on the lookout for illegal sprayers and when caught bring them to justice. Often the sprayers are teenagers and will have to pay dearly for their acts of vandalism.

Sprayers from the city of Berne often use 031 as a signature. This is the phone area code of the city of Berne.

Each year enormous sums are spent on removing graffiti from places where they don’t belong. Every owner of a house is obliged to have a house insurance. Depending on the location of the house one is wise to include coverage for removing graffitis.

The graffiti in the picture is definitely a piece of art. It is part of the Reitschule in Berne. In another blog I will tell you more of this interesting and politically hotly debated place.

Graffiti – Art or Vandalism?2017-08-03T12:14:27+02:00

Efficient Public Transport

2017-08-03T12:14:27+02:00

The public transport system in Switzerland (SBB/CFF/FFS – Swiss Federal Rail) is amazing in many ways. It includes trains, busses and even boats. All connections can be checked here and the ticket can also be purchased right away. Using it you can reach almost any destination in the country. And the system runs with a clock work precision – mostly on time and quite frequently. The trains are clean and fast. The only down side is the price!

A single ticket 2nd class for an adult from Bern to Zurich costs CHF 50.-. That is just one hour train ride albeit a fast one. Check this site for reasonable alternatives, such as  3,4,8 or 15 day passes and some other options.

The train system is very efficient when moving between the bigger cities in our country. No hassle with expensive parking lots and rather stress free traveling. So daily lot’s of people commute between Bern and Zurich or Bern and Fribourg etc.

The train stations in the bigger cities also function like shopping malls: lot’s of shopping and food opportunities.

The picture here shows the TP (Treffpunkt – meeting point) area of the main train station of Bern. Most people in Bern know the TP. This area in the train station is a convenient place to meet up with people coming from different directions and then from there together move on to any other location in or around the city or country.

If you are traveling in Switzerland don’t miss the opportunity to enjoy a train ride through beautiful landscapes.

Efficient Public Transport2017-08-03T12:14:27+02:00

First Spring Colours

2016-03-28T21:29:01+02:00

Finally spring has arrived. The birds are tweeting. Spring flowers are blooming such a crocus, primulas, daffodils, tulips, snowbells…. Colors are back in the private little gardens and public squares. But the forests still look bare without green leaves.

Temperatures are rising and just now the time was set back by one hour (back to summer time). The switch takes place on the fourth Sunday of March at 3 am. For people living in the lower areas they can soon change the winter tires and get the summer tires back on.

Right through April there can be huge weather changes. During the night it is still cold. In one day there could even be some snow flakes and a few hours later warm and sunny weather (1°-25°C). So don’t put your warm clothing out of reach yet.

First Spring Colours2016-03-28T21:29:01+02:00
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