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.
It’s not hard to understand why Grindelwald has been a tourist attraction since the early 1900s. Nestled in one of most stunning valleys of the Jungfrau region of Switzerland, impressive glaciers and waterfalls can be spotted in every direction.
We took the relaxing and eco-friendly option of the train to Grindelwald. Once there, the summer cable cars and regular yellow ‘postbus’ services offer transport to places you can’t access with your own car.
Our hideaway was the friendly Berghuas Bort www.berghaus-bort.ch, situated half-way up the mountain, away from the hustle and bustle of Grindelwald. It’s a 1.5 hr hike, or 10 min cable car ride up the Firstbahn. You can book a double or family rooms (four, five or six pers). There are also two very comfortable 10 person dormitories. The young chef serves up delicious dishes while you dine on the terrace with a breathtaking view of the north face of the Eiger.
Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Heard, a member of GAOS and PYP Coordinator at GEMS World Academy-Etoy
Last week, I was back in the UK for my sister’s wedding. It was a magical day, the weather was perfect and everyone dressed the part. As I reflected on this, I started to think about how the way we dress helps us to assume a role and find the confidence which often eludes us in our daily lives. Doesn’t every little girl crave the fairy-tale wedding where she finally gets to take centre stage and become a princess for the day?
Our fascination with dressing up starts at an early age. Our imaginations as children run free. A lack of inhibitions allows us to play dress-up games both at school and at home, assuming characters and roles which transport us to fantasy worlds and allow us, above all, to have fun. For some, this continues into adult life: my thoughts are now swiftly directed towards the world of amateur dramatics. I haven’t been in Switzerland for very long, but some eight years ago I came to Geneva as an actor to perform at the Casino Theatre. Here I met many local expats who spoke enthusiastically about their participation in the local amateur theatre scene.
How easy do you find it to switch off when you leave work and make the most of your leisure time?
This is something that has always been a personal challenge. Having spent my 20’s and early 30’s working in the world of finance and investment banking, my work became my life. Of course, I had time off and fantastic holidays, but did I fully appreciate them? To be honest, without the photographs I would barely remember them; my mind was usually elsewhere.
Today, thanks to my acting training, I have learnt to appreciate my leisure time a little more. I was reminded of this earlier this week.
Zermatt Unplugged is one of my favourite music festivals – don’t miss it! It runs from 8-12 April in the beautiful town of Zermatt under the Matterhorn in Valais. The 2014 line up includes Aloe Blacc, Katie Melua, and Jamie Cullum ,to mention just a few of the big names. There are also great up and coming Swiss artists featured. Book your tickets online www.zermatt-unplugged.ch.
I’d say make a weekend of it – book a hotel, get in some spring skiing or hiking lower down in the valley, enjoy a soak in the spa, and then hit the festival in the evening. Here are some tips for the savvy festival-goer.
We’re so excited that winter is here! While waiting for the ski season to start in earnest, we are getting out into the mountains for some hikes and snowshoeing. From the picturesque village of Servoz in Arve Valley on the way to Chamonix, there are many well-marked snowshoeing trails to explore for all levels, from family to more experienced hikers.
We recently tried one to the protected Lac Vert, named after the bright green colour of the lake. It is said to be the classic walk of "Chirves" (Servoz inhabitants). It climbs from the river valley up into towards the high mountain pasture chalets of Ayères, under the wall of Fiz.
