Below you will find a selection of the most recent entries from bloggers in our Leisure section.
To view the entries from individual bloggers, click on the links below:
- Steve Long
Steve Long is CEO of InterSoccer, which offers football courses and holiday camps for two to 13-year-olds in Geneva, Vaud, Basel, Zug and Zurich. Steve first came to Switzerland in 2001 as an event and grassroots manager for UEFA, before co-founding InterSoccer in 2007. He loves all sports, especially football, snowboarding, tennis, golf and mountain biking. Originally from Nottingham, UK, he still supports The Mighty Reds - Nottingham Forest.
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Oguzhan (Osan) Altun
Oguzhan (Osan) Altun is a freelance photographer based in Geneva, and one of the founder members of the Geneva Photo Club. He specializes in landscapes, portraits and event photography. His teaching style combines 10 years of training experience in corporate life with contagious passion for photography and the best training materials available online on the net. He is crisp, to the point, and focused on getting the participant practice what she/he learned.
- Yvette Evers
As the founder of "fraiche air", a local club providing opportunities for outdoor recreation and tourism in English, Yvette has hundreds of ideas for exploring the region including activities such as hiking, showshoeing, powerwalks, ski-touring and family days.
By Micaela Crespo, Expat Lifehacks
Yes, I’ve come to terms with the fact that we cannot rely on our families to take care of simple logistic tasks. We can’t count on our expat friends and connections in our host country, since they’re probably in the same situation than us. I therefore use planning, automation and delegation to take care of these things.
And yet, I always make a small group of friends every time we move to a new place.
And that’s because there are two things that I’ll never be able to obtain from systems and planning: peace of mind and human connection.
When I became a working expat mum in the UK with dad travelling 2 weeks a month, the nights were terrifying. I would dwell in bed reeling over the things that could happen while I was alone. What would I do if anything happened during the night?
When I told a friend I made about my fears, she automatically offered to be my emergency contact and told me I could call her at any time.
This was priceless to me. I had recovered my peace of mind, and I could now sleep again. I felt less alone.
I never had to call her in the middle of the night – fortunately – but I am still extremely grateful for her availability and friendship. Other mums offered the same over time, when I told them what my life looked like.
This gave me a deep sense of human connection and community, even outside of my birth country and family.
Having booked our Christmas holiday to Saas-Fee in July 2016 with the knowledge that it was probably our last Christmas in Switzerland, we had no idea that it would prove to be such a poignant visit.
Looking back over 2016, we can’t help but find ourselves reflecting on the many celebrities who passed away. The death of George Michael on Christmas Day was one of these sad moments. It was only upon arriving in Saas-Fee on the morning of 26th December that I heard the news. It soon became apparent that Saas-Fee had a strong connection with the singer, and after a quick internet search I discovered that the music video for Wham’s ‘Last Christmas’ had been filmed there back in December 1984.
Originally planned to be shot in the Canton of Bern, a last-minute change of location occurred due to a lack of snow, and Saas-Fee became the new setting. In case you are curious, the group and crew stayed at the 5-star Hotel Walliserhof, now renamed the Hotel Ferienart. Another piece of trivia is that the well-known scene in front of the open fireplace was actually shot in the current culture centre, rather than the chalet shown in the video.
With this knowledge in mind, and having watched the video again, our stay in Saas-Fee took on a new meaning. Although I cannot claim to have been a huge Wham or George Michael fan, I cannot escape the fact that they were a constant part of my teenage years, and thus, were indeed a part of my life that had come to an end.
Exercise has always been promoted as an essential component for both our physical and mental wellbeing. However, exercise is a broad term and what works for one person may not work to the same degree for another.
Recently, I have taken up swimming again; not in a pool but in the lake. My target each day is to swim to a carefully selected ‘orange buoy’, and, of course, back again. This takes between 30 and 40 minutes depending on the conditions of the lake and the force of the current. As Lake Geneva lies on the River Rhône, the source of which is the Rhône Glacier in Valais, there is a current that varies in strength on a daily basis.
I have discovered a huge difference between lake swimming and pool swimming, and it’s not simply the absence of chlorine. The fact that I have no opportunity to rest at the end of each length has caused me to experience something quite exhilarating. I have a very active mind, and find it hard to ‘switch off’ and relax. Many of us experience periods of stress which prove a challenge to manage. Going to the gym helps me. However, at times I find myself lost in my thoughts between exercises, and although I indeed benefit physically, my mental state is still somewhat neglected.
When I swim in the lake, I am able to detach from my thoughts and simply focus on the activity: regular deep-breathing, coordinated stretching of the arms and legs, navigating my passage between boats and dinghies – in fact, I truly live in the moment. I am not worrying about the effects of what has happened in the past or what might happen in the future. Nothing stands between me and the environment in which I find myself; we become one.
By Dean Marriott
Lights, cameras and plenty of action – that’s what awaits all attendees at the Locarno Film Festival. This year the festival ran from 3rd until 13th August, attracting films and participants from all over the world. Although films are screened at 10 different venues, the most breath-taking and unforgettable experience is to be had on the majestic Piazza Grande. The piazza transforms into an open-air cinema and thanks to the wonderful summer temperatures this year, provided the perfect setting for some incredible films, originating from all continents.
As a British actor based in Switzerland, I was honoured to receive my accreditation pass this year, giving access to all of the screenings and events during the festival. Integrating into the Swiss acting scene is no mean feat, so seeing my name on the attendee list alongside other Swiss actors was quite something.
By Oguzhan (Osan) Altun, Geneva Photo Club
The most frequent question that we receive from our students is : “I’m new to photography, which camera / lens should I buy”?
Buying a camera and photography equipment as a beginner is a difficult task – with so many offers and information, it can be really confusing. So we have prepared the following buying guide for the beginners, with prices that you can find in Geneva and Switzerland.
In this guide, we will suggest a complete kit for three different budgets for beginners. The prices are based on toppreise.ch current prices for Switzerland and can change over time. The same equipment will probably be more expensive in big retail stores like FNAC or Mediamarkt or InterDiscount – however you might get even better deals if you follow their promotions.
Of course buying a better camera / lens does NOT make you a better photographer:) Make sure to check our photography courses to learn how to use you camera and take better photos.
