Circus Knie

2024-09-10T11:29:14+02:00

The national Swiss Circus Knie was founded over 200 years ago (in 1803) by Friedrich Knie and is one of the oldest circus in Europe. The Knie family is still running the the show!

The long history of the company reflects a lot about the ups and downs of each epoch. It survived two world wars!

Early last century the circus presented not only exotic animals but also exotic peoples (like peoples from Ceylon and other Indian provinces with dance shows etc). Locals couldn’t travel and were intrigued by such different cultures that could be seen close up.

Since the 60ies, during the winter months, when the circus is not on tour, the artists and their families and a number of animals have residence in Rapperswil, near Zurich.

At this stage in a given year the circus runs over 300 shows in 25 different cities with world famous artists.

Circus Knie2024-09-10T11:29:14+02:00

BEA Bern

2024-05-05T21:52:50+02:00

The BEA Bern is one of the most popular spring events and a great outing for the whole family. The exhibition usually takes place in May for about 10 days in the city of Bern.

Every year the BEA boasts about 1’000 exhibitors, 600 animals and 60 diverse food stalls and restaurants, a shopping paradise for home and garden, a program of niche and popular sports, animal demonstrations (mostly of horses), a petting zoo, wine tastings, show bakeries and a great adventure park.

This is a wonderful opportunity for visitors to get a taste of some real Swiss culture.

BEA Bern2024-05-05T21:52:50+02:00

Crash Landing on You

2024-04-09T12:02:19+02:00

This pretty spot on lake Brienz, called Iseltwald (near Interlaken) suddenly became quite famous.

Between 2019-2020 Netflix produced the South Korean heart-breaking series „Crash Landing on You“. The stars Son Ye-Jin and Hyun-Bin turned the series into a big hit.

Most of the story focuses on Yoon Se-ri, the beautiful heiress to a conglomerate in South Korea. By mistake she lands in North Korea and gets arrested by a handsome North Korean elite military officer, captain Ri Jeong-hyeok.

Part of the series looks back to encounters in Switzerland.

Here in Iseltwald and in the area nearby quite a number of important scenes took place.

Iseltwald has suddenly become a place of modern pilgrimage. For CHF 5.- you can stand on the landing where Ri played his piano, preparing to go back home to North Korea.

Crash Landing on You2024-04-09T12:02:19+02:00

The Swiss Rail

2024-02-29T11:34:39+01:00

The Swiss trains are known for their punctuality and their cleanliness. The Swiss love their public system network, with which probably every village in the country can be accessed.

For a few decades the double decker trains have helped in coping with the streams of commuters during the daily rush hour.

More than 10,000 trains run on the network every day, together with the Alpine railroads, which are attractive to tourists. All of this contributes to the image of Switzerland as a railroad country.

The Swiss rail network is considered the best in Europe in terms of passengers transported, punctuality, kilometers travelled per passenger and low number of accidents. At the same time it is one of the most expensive in the world.

The Swiss Rail2024-02-29T11:34:39+01:00

23°C

2023-08-24T13:03:53+02:00

Lake Thun is a cold lake. The glaciers up on the high mountains carry cold water into lake.

This summer the lake water temperature  has reached 23°C. This is about the maximum. Flocks of people are using the wonderful cooler water to find refuge from the oppressive heat.

The best experience of the lake is going out for a swim at night, when nobody is around and the stars are shining above your head.

This kind of high quality of life is free and easily available during the hot summer months.

23°C2023-08-24T13:03:53+02:00

Sailing

2023-06-25T17:48:32+02:00

Switzerland is a very small country with 208 mountains over 3000m and 24 mountains over 4000 meters. 70% of the country is hilly. Many rivers have their source in these mountain areas. That is why Switzerland also has over 1500 lakes (small and big).

In Switzerland sailing is a hobby that quite a few people are enjoying.

The biggest sailing school is on lake Thun, in Hilterfingen.  It offers a basic course over 4 days. From day one people are paired up and go out in a sailing school boat to try out sailing fully hands on. Instructors are nearby on motorboats and keep an eye on the newbies.

Sailing2023-06-25T17:48:32+02:00

The Technorama

2022-09-27T22:17:48+02:00

This is Switzerland’s exciting science center located in Winterthur (near Zurich). It is great for a family outing and allows a hands-on experience of hundreds of natural phenomena and technology. The Technorama is really geared towards kids who are into exploring the world through touch, play and experimentation. When visiting you hear a lot of laughter and see people being mesmerized by awesome discoveries.

It is a rather big place with exhibitions, labs, seminar rooms and a big outdoor area (with more exciting discoveries). The restaurant is simple and offers food that kids love.

For adults (16 and over) it costs CHF 32.- / person. Kids are charged CHF 20.- and kids under 5 are free. It is certainly worth to spend a morning or an afternoon there.

The Technorama2022-09-27T22:17:48+02:00

The Susten Pass

2022-08-19T14:43:57+02:00

Switzerland most famous pass is the Gotthard. It leads from German speaking Switzerland into the Italian speaking part of the country and on to Italy. Another pass that is not as well known but one of the most spectacular ones is called Susten.

The road up to Susten starts from the very end of the Aare valley connecting the canton Bern with the canton Uri, landing to the ascent of the Gotthard pass.

The road is famous for motorbike fans. There are 23 wonderful bends. The most famous one is a hairpin curve at km 24. There are several tunnels and the road is in excellent condition. Close to the top, on the Bernese side you are granted a view of a glacier on the other side of a beautiful valley.

The pass dates back to the Romans who already traveled across the alps. In the 18th century the Susten was famous for its steep ascent and descent and not recommend for people who were not free from giddiness.

The Susten Pass2022-08-19T14:43:57+02:00

The Rheinfall

2022-07-06T12:56:23+02:00

In the most Northern part of Switzerland (close to the city of Schaffhausen) the river Rhein pours 23m down, over a width of 150m. In summer there are about 600 m3 per second that crash down the waterfall, causing a continuous thundering noise.

The view of the Rheinfall is great from both sides of the river. However we recommend to approach the fall from the small castle of Laufen on the left side of the Rhein. The entrance fee is CHF 5.- an adult and CHF 3.- for kids.

A great concrete viewing platform offers a magnificent close up view of this spectacle. At the bottom a ferry takes people to the castle Wörth on the other shore. From that location a boat takes people around the fall area or another one even to the rock in the middle of the fall.

The Rheinfall2022-07-06T12:56:23+02:00

Euro Soccer Cup 2021

2021-07-05T17:17:12+02:00

This summer Europe was glued to the screen due to exciting euro soccer matches. This year the Swiss team, which has been rather unspectacular turned out to be a big surprise.

On June 28 in Bucharest the Swiss had to play against France, the winner of the previous euro cup! The game almost ended with 3 goals for France and only 2 for Switzerland. But then in the very last minute of the game the Swiss scored another goal. Suddenly there was a tie: 3:3. What a cliffhanger game! In the ensuing 11m shoot out the Swiss scored a 5:4 victory  over France. The Swiss rose to incredible quarter-finals.

On July 2 in Petersburg (Russia) the Swiss team then had to face famous Spanish team. After the virtually impossible victory against the French the Swiss had high hopes that we might even be able defeat Spain as well. With a 1:1 the Swiss indeed were able to achieve another tie with Spain! In the 11m shootout the Swiss team lost 3-1. But the Swiss team had achieved the almost impossible and has been proudly celebrated upon their return home.

Euro Soccer Cup 20212021-07-05T17:17:12+02:00

Top of Europe

2019-07-23T17:16:48+02:00

Top of Europe, or Jungfraujoch, is reached by a mountain train either from Grindelwald or from Lauterbrunnen. The journey takes a little more than one hour. A first stop is at the Kleine Scheidegg above 2000m. After changing the train the journey leads through a long tunnel and ends on an altitude of 3454m. At this altitude the mountains are covered by snow all year round. And the temperatures drop correspondingly!

The view from the Jungfraujoch is staggering. On the Spingx observation desk there is a 360° view around. There are three mountain peaks right next to it that are higher than 4000m. The Aletsch glacier below stretches over several km.

A suggested trail leads the stream of visitors from one attraction to another. The tour takes a good 2 1/2 hours. During peak season about 5000 visitors make it to the top. It is recommended to make reservations beforehand.

Top of Europe2019-07-23T17:16:48+02:00

It’s hot!

2019-06-27T20:07:53+02:00

Finally summer has arrived with full strength. These days the temperature is around 34°-35°C, which for Switzerland is really hot! Most homes have wonderful central heating systems for winter, but no Airconditioning for such hot days!

At the moment people throng into the rivers and lakes and public swimming pools.

This picture focuses on the Aare river. It was taken above the Marzili area in the heart of the city of Berne. On the left people are just sunbathing, in the middle folks are walking up to one of many places where they can enter or jump into the Aare. And finally on the right you can see the people floating down the river.

Aare river swimming is an exhilarating experience. It flows fast, is quite cold (only 20°C at the moment) and also somewhat dangerous. Every year there are a couple of people drowning. So good swimming skills and some instructions are needed before taking a first jump into the clean water.

It’s hot!2019-06-27T20:07:53+02:00
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