Guest Blogs
Knowitall.ch often invites local experts in their field to contribute to their own blogs on our site. This means not only you will benefit from the useful recommendations that we make on our News pages, but you can also profit from some of the great advice and tips that these experts have to make on their favorite subjects. Whilst each of these bloggers has been recommended to us at some point during the evolution of Know-it-all passport and knowitall.ch, obviously we are not able to test out all the suggestions they make on their blogs, nor do we necessarily agree with all their opinions. So if you do find one of their tips useful (or not!), do let us know!
To make these blogs more accessible to you, we have now decided to group them altogether in one section, entitled Guest Blogs, accessible from our main menu bar. We will also post the most recent blogs on the home page of our site in the right hand column.
We are still building up this area of the site, and are looking for bloggers in a number of sections, including Your Home, Travel, and Leisure, so if you feel you have a useful contribution to make in either of these areas, and have the time to submit blog entries approximately every month, then please get in touch!
By Dean Marriott
Being an expat in Switzerland has given me a wonderful opportunity to discover and experience this country. Fortunately, it is blessed with a relatively efficient and reliable transport network which makes this even easier.
Whether you are looking to escape for a week, a weekend or simply for the day, why not start your excursion by sitting back, relaxing and travelling by train to your final destination. If you holiday with pets, as I do, train travel in Switzerland is extremely straightforward and our smaller four-legged friends travel free of charge. The general criteria for free travel is that your pet must not be more than 30 cm high (up to their shoulder blades) and is transported in a carrier, basket or other suitable container, although I have never been asked to put my dogs in containers when they are travelling with us.
One of the first and best purchases that I made when arriving in Vaud was the Half-fare travelcard (Abonnement demi-tarif). This can be purchased for 1, 2 or 3 years with prices starting at CHF 175. If you travel regularly by public transport, you will recoup the cost in no time. In addition, this also enables you to purchase the 1-day travelpass (carte journalière), as well as the 9 o’clock travelpass. Both of these allow unlimited travel throughout the whole of Switzerland for one day, with the latter being after 9am and only from Monday to Friday. Price details can be found here: http://www.sbb.ch/en/travelcards-and-tickets/tickets-for-switzerland/1-day-travelpass/1-day-travelpass-for-the-half-fare-travelcard.html
By Nicola Ogilvie, Just Sew
Where do you buy supplies for quilting in the Geneva area? I have discovered a number of fabric shops, all who sell a limited supply of quilting fabrics and notions, but a specialist quilt shop?
If you are interested in making clothes or accessories, doing alterations or soft furnishing, I am your girl. Although I have given quilting a go and made 2 or 3, I have barely touched on the experience, skills and artistic flair of my friend, Elita Sharpe, so she was the obvious person to ask.
I met up with her recently and we were able to indulge in our mutual passion of sewing. Elita gave me a quick answer to the question, where could someone buy quilting supplies? From her! Elita can supply you with Quilter's Dream batting of different lofts and fibres at extremely good prices. She buys directly from the manufacturer and has a range you would find hard to match in Geneva. She also can supply quality cotton Aurifil thread in an enormous range of colours that she sources from Italy. The quality of thread is excellent and is less expensive than the Gutterman thread that is of the same quality and widely available in shops here. She also sells tools such as cutting boards, rotary cutters, glues, and markers amongst other things. Check out her website www.busyneedle.ch/.
By Hiba Giacoletto, Healthwise
Bircher müesli is the quintessential Swiss breakfast. It is traditionally made with oats soaked in milk, yoghurt, fruit, nuts and seeds. It was invented by a Swiss doctor called Maximilian Bircher-Benner as a way of helping the patients at his sanatorium in Zürich heal through the power of soaked cereal, fruits, and raw nuts and seeds. This might sound obvious to our modern ears, but was revolutionary at the end of the 19th century when meat, potatoes and white bread were the norm.
Here is a quick and easy recipe for an easier to digest version of Bircher muesli for those of us who don’t like milk or oats. An easy homemade cashew milk replaces cow's milk and chia seeds take the place of oats (trust me, you won't miss them). This is then mixed with fruit of your choice and lemon juice to add a tanginess almost like yoghurt. No added sugar needed.
By Lisa Gibson, http://misswissbliss.wordpress.com/
Calling all thrill seekers and adrenaline junkies: if you are up for the challenge, a visit to Europes’ highest suspension bridge is just for you! Situated on the Titlis glacier in the Engelberg region at an altitude of 3 000 meters above sea level, nothing beats the thrill of crossing the Titlis Cliff Walk!
Constructed 500 meters off the ground, this pedestrian bridge was constructed over a period of only 5 months. Much of the material used in the construction was transported in cable cars, with larger sections being delivered by helicopter. The bridge is designed to withstand winds reaching up to 190 km/h as well as significant snowfall (around 500 tons to be exact), so the bridge is claimed to be 100 percent safe. On a clear day, it’s possible to view the glacier below as well as the Uri Alps and even part of Italy.
Submitted by Sabine Hutcheson, Education Consultant at TutorsPlus
As some readers may know, TutorsPlus is part of ASC Education Group which, for more than 40 years, has been providing high quality language training to private individuals, corporate clients and young learners in Geneva and Vaud. Having grown up with three languages in both English- and French-speaking countries, language learning is a subject near and dear to my heart. I’ve invited guest blogger Sandra Bialystok, polyglot and traveler, to share her thoughts on a topic which will surely touch most of you.
The advantages of language learning; or, what learning Italian taught Sandra Bialystok other than how to order the perfect pasta
Many years ago – when I was young and had few obligations – I went to Rome to live with my boyfriend (now my husband) and to learn Italian. My French boyfriend had been sent to Rome for his work, and after a crash course in the language, he was immediately expected to converse with the local employees. I, on the other hand, could learn the language in a more leisurely manner, even though I was eager to also become fluent.
