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.
The Chamonix Valley offers a huge variety of hikes and walks. The Lac Blanc mountain hut (2,525m), situated on the south-eastern slopes beside a small lake, is a great destination for a September family hike. Take a cable car ride up, follow the contour-hugging trail along the Grand-Blacon Sud for stunning mountain scenery, and enjoy a delicious lunch at the hut. Here’s a tip on how to avoid the crowds of high season and take advantage of cable cars before they close on the 15th of September!
The steep, forested slopes of the Chamonix valley are challenging, but a good idea to help you on your way is gaining 1,500m with a cable car and chairlift. Once at the top, the hike to Lac Blanc is part of the famous Tour du Mont Blanc trail, along a beautiful ridge offering stunning views of the Mont Blanc, the Mer de Glace and the Argentiere and Le Tour glaciers.
Did you know monks planted the first vines in Lavaux in the 12th century? The area between Lausanne and Vevey is now a UNESCO World Heritage site with stunning views of the Alps and Lac Leman. We think one of the nicest ways to see the area is ‘slow tourism’ - get there by train or boat, then visit the charming villages on foot or bicycle along paths and quiet vineyard roads.
1. Hike
On our hike last week, we followed the tourisme pedestre trail (marked with yellow signs) from Lutry. We started on a pretty lakeside trail to Cully, then back on the scenic vineyard terraces through Grandvaux (about 3.5 hours, 350m elevation gain). Details can be found on the site: http://www.wanderland.ch/en/routes/route-0113.html. Stop off for lunch on the terrace of the many cafes and restaurants in Grandvaux, or at the picnic tables with unbeatable views just past the village of Aran.
We visited the Domaine du Daley (www.daley.ch). Founded in 1392, the estate produces 20 Grand Crus wines, including one that is very popular in Japan to accompany sushi! We sipped three different wines on Cyril Severin’s panoramic terrace, and visited the ancient and modern cellars before a short walk back down to the Lutry train station.
