10th anniversary of the Sherlock Holmes Museum in Lucens
Why not sign-up for a great time in Lucens, Vaud, in a mystery-themed event around Sherlock Holmes? Saturday 3 September from 13h in the museum dedicated to Britains most famous sleuth, you will be able to participate in a mystery (adults: who killed the museum guide; families: someone has disappeared). Price Fr. 20.-/team.
From 16h take a ride on the double-decker red bus as well as London cabs. There will be other activities including snacks, drinks including British beers, the rally results, and the official ceremony.
Stay on at 19h30 to partake in a delicious meal inspired by all things British and ending in death by chocolate! Music, a whiskey bar, and magicians will make the whole event even more memorable. Fr. 60.-/person for the meal, sign-up obligatory and payment upon entry.
If you’re looking for something a little different to do with your family or friends, why not sign yourself up for this year’s “Balade - Au Fil du Gout”, organized by the Morges Tourist Office.
Taking place on Saturday 3rd September, this fourth edition of the gastronomic stroll along the vineyards of Morges will enable you to savour local wines and dishes while enjoying unbeatable views of Lake Geneva and the mountains beyond.
A new route has been prepared this year, going through the wine cellars of Yens, Lavigny, Etoy and Saint-Prex. At each cellar, participants will receive information about wine growing and will have the opportunity to enjoy different courses of a gastronomic meal. This mouth-watering experience will start with an appetizing aperitif of crudités at the Domaine Jean-Daniel et Sylvie Coeytaux in Yens, and finish with a choice of delicious tarts for dessert at the Domaine de Bon-Boccard in Saint-Prex. In between there will be the opportunity to sample a fine meal of “saucisson en croute” prepared at the Domaine Les Remans in Lavigny, followed by a selection of cheeses to taste at the Domaine des Chentres in Etoy.
Tourist Office
01220 Divonne-les-Bains
France
0033/450 20 01 22
www.divonnelesbains.com
www.divonnelesbains.fr 
Fantastic park in center of town with lots of climbing frames and swings. Shady. Note: Pick-up some freshly baked crusty bread, a chunk of local cheese, some sun-ripened tomatoes, and some fresh or dried fruit at the Sunday morning farmer’s market and stroll over the the park for a picnic. Some of the shops that line the streets where the market is are open on Sunday morning until about 13h, so you might even be able to buy a picnic blanket and some sunblock too!
There is an active program of events throughout the Summer, many of which are free. Download this flyer to see the full list of exhibitions, concerts, performances and other events being organized this year.
— Casino de Divonne
Av. des Thermes
01220 Divonne-les-Bains
France
0033/450 40 34 00
Casino with roulette, blackjack, slot machines 10h-04h. Open year-round. Non-smoking Casino with a ventilated smoking room.
Note: Once a month there is a themed evening buffet. You must be age 18 with ID and dressed appropriately. Menu and à-la-carte too. Check the hotel (page 152) for the Sunday brunch en famille.
A new company in Switzerland is offering a range of fitness and sports activities for men, women and children of all ages and ability.
Whether you’re looking to improve your general well-being, lose weight, tone and tighten your body, increase your fitness levels, or simply introduce a fitness regime into your life, then Pure Gravity is sure to have a program to suit you.
To get you started this Summer, the company is organizing a series of 2 hour bootcamps, costing only Fr. 40.-! Taking place on Sundays at the Parc de la Grange in Geneva, these bootcamps are specifically structured and tailored to deliver an express fitness program. High cardio drills, body conditioning drills, and strength and resistance training, are combined with friendly team games to ensure the time will simply fly by. With regular breaks to recharge your energy this is wonderful opportunity to get your body invigorated for the Summer.
With India playing the role as Guest of Honor at the 2011 Fêtes de Genève, this year’s festivities promise to be even more spectacular than ever, and will combine music, nature, water and fire to create an explosion of senses for the public.
To kick off the festivities, there will be the customary pre-festival events taking place from 21 July at the Scène des Clubs in the Jardin Anglais. A series of concerts including disco, rock, salsa and reggae will be staged until 3 August, including big names such as Gérard Lenorman, The Seatsniffers, Palatimba, les Gibsons Brothers, Patchwork, Jean-Luc Lahaye, Titanic and Kamini.
To mark the beginning of the main festival, which runs from 4 to 14 August, there will be a special opening event on 4 August, put on by the host country, India, at the Scène Elle Fitzgerald, followed by a mini fireworks display. Throughout the following 2 weeks, visitors to Geneva can enjoy an overwhelming array of events, including free musical concerts, children’s animations, fair rides, and food stalls. The India Village in the Jardin Anglais will prove particularly enticing, tempting the public with gastronomic delights and attractive craft stalls, as well as music and dance shows, portraying local folklore.
From the 5 to 7 August, there will be an exciting beach-rugby animation at the Place du Rhône, featuring a number of tournaments, covering all kinds of categories. Children, parents, companies, elected officials, and journalists will all have the opportunity to try their hand at this increasingly popular event, similar to 7-a-side rugby.
On the 6 August there will be a series of nautical events to celebrate the Fête de la Rade. Top of the list for many at this event will be the Gladiators of the Rade, a challenging occasion where the world’s best “jump-skiers” come together to demonstrate their skills when being pulled at speeds of up to 120km/h before they jump off a springboard and fly in the air 7 or 8 meters above the water’s surface, before landing as far away as possible. For the first time this year there will also be a new ski show at the end of the day where skiers will produce a series of daring jumps, free-style demonstrations and a mini water show.
The following day, on 7 August, the public are invited to take part in the 7th slowUp, an annual event which takes place not only in the urban parts of city, but also in the surrounding countryside. Using any form of unmotorized transport at their disposal, 35,000 participants are expected to complete the 27km course, which will feature food stalls offering local farm produce, competitions, tastings, relief supplies and recovery areas. There is no obligation to complete the course and participants can join and leave wherever they want at a speed that suits them! The only requirement is that everyone goes in the same direction.
“Gala Night at the Opera” is the theme for this year’s grand finale on 13 August, a spectacular fireworks display that lasts more than 50 minutes. Over 500,000 people are expected to enjoy this unforgettable evening, which features not only an amazing pyrotechnics display but also an impressive sound track, expertly synchronized with literally thousands of exploding bombs and rockets.
On the final day of the festival there will be an amusing event for the public to watch: the Café Waiters and Waitresses Race. Starting at the Baby-Plage, around one hundred professionals will set off in the direction of the city carrying in one hand three glasses and two full bottles of water. The course lasts 1.8km and this year they will be trying to beat last year’s record of 10 minutes 23 seconds!
http://www.fetes-de-geneve.ch/en/
Download mini programme
Photos courtesy of Genève Tourisme & Congrès
