To give you an idea of some of the spectacular places you can visit in this region, we will feature each month a photo of one of its many great locations. Since we rely on recommendations, please send us your special photo taken, for example, on a memorable day out at a water park or from a remarkable viewpoint in the area.
A day trip to the flower of Lake Geneva
Submitted by Maria Murphy, www.lulaloo.ch
Whenever we feel like going on day trip and can’t decide where to go or what to do, we always do the same thing: we look at the map of Lake Geneva and choose a town we’ve never visited before and just go. Last weekend we chose Morges – the flower of Lake Geneva!
I am a big fan of tulips and flowers in general (they are a great inspiration for my designs), and this is a place I had always wanted to visit. We arrived a bit late for the tulips (there is a festival in June lasting six weeks with over 100,000 tulips), but as you can see from the pictures I took, not for the dahlias. I did not know so many different varieties of dahlias existed. I counted over fifty! The flowers are arranged all along the lakeside, so you have the lake on one side and the dahlias on the other. Not a bad walk!
The kids really enjoyed the flowers as well; they were busy picking the petals on the ground and trading them as if they were paninis... It is a good idea to bring scooters or bikes: there are bike lanes all along the lakeside. There are also a good number of parks and playgrounds.
If flowers are not your thing, the town offers other attractions, both for adults and kids. The main street is very nice and jovial, with more of an “old Europe” flavour than you might find in Geneva or Nyon. You can also take a train ride from Morges to Bière (about 18 km, 11 miles from Morges) and visit the small country villages in the Jura. If you’re looking for something fun to do around Christmas, Morges’ is said to have the biggest (covered) Christmas market in French-speaking Switzerland (8th – 12th December). Be sure to check out the Morges Tourism website for more information about these and other activities: www.morges-tourisme.ch/en/
Take a look at some of the other photos which Maria took In Morges...
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
To give you an idea of some of the spectacular places you can visit in this region, we will feature each month a photo of one of its many great locations. Since we rely on recommendations, please send us your special photo taken, for example, on a memorable day out at a water park or from a remarkable viewpoint in the area.
Aix les Bains
www.aixlesbains.com
If you’re looking for an interesting day out with the family this month, you might like to venture a little further afield and try visiting Aix-les-Bains. It is situated just beyond Annecy in the direction of Chambéry.
This small French town has a little bit of everything to offer its visitors, including shopping, eating and relaxing. If you go on a Saturday morning, you must visit the farmer’s market – and remember to take your camera with you – it’s an impressive sight!
If the weather’s good and you have plenty of time, treat yourself to a cruise along the lake and the Canal de Savières – The Compagnie des Bateaux du Lac du Bourget et du Haut-Rhône offers a wide choice of outings ranging from one hour to all day. Take a look at their website (www.gwel.com) for more details.
A new youth orchestra has just been set up in Geneva, aimed at providing young musicians aged between the ages of 8 and 18 the opportunity to play together in a relaxed and friendly environment.
The Geneva Youth Ensemble will provide students playing a string, woodwind, brass or percussion instrument the opportunity to learn a variety of skills including teamwork, listening whilst they play, and how to follow a conductor. The choice of music will vary from classics and movie themes to popular tunes and marches, as well as seasonal selections.
According to Pianoforte Productions Director, Julie Tompkins-Wagner, who will lead the new Ensemble, and who also runs the popular Summer Music Program for children, the young musicians will take part in at least two public performances per year. She says the students will be working with and learning from professional and experienced musicians, who will sit with them and sometimes play during rehearsals.
Rehearsals will take place on Wednesday afternoons from 4:15 - 5:30 at the Geneva English School in Genthod. Prospective musicians should not worry if they have missed the auditions – they should just email Julie at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , or visit the website at www.Julie-music.com and fill in the online application form.
Instruments required in the ensemble include:
Strings: violin, viola, 'cello, double bass, harp
Woodwinds: flutes, recorders, clarinets, oboes, bassoons, saxophones
Brass: trumpet, trombone, french horn, baritone, tuba
Percussion: mallets, snare drum, bass drum, cymbals, assorted small percussion -- sorry, no drum kit.
The cost for participating in the Geneva Youth Ensemble is CHF 300 per year. Payment will be due once the student has been accepted into the ensemble after auditions.
There are just a couple of weeks left to enjoy the giant cornfield labyrinth which opens each year at the Ferme du Coucou in Vaud – so head on down there if you fancy a great day out with the family!Located halfway between Cugy and Bottens, this enormouse life-size labyrinth is guaranteed to provide hours of fun for you and your kids. As you work your way towards the center of the maze, the young ones will take pleasure in searching out the six hole punchers, which you need to punch your entrance ticket before it can be submitted in the competition box located at the beginning of the maze. With prizes ranging from jewelry to a free flight, it’s definitely worth finding them all before you leave!
In the center of the maze are some picnic tables, a few tents, a slide and see saw, and a barbecue for grilling your own meat. Coals are provided in the green bin but you must bring something to light them.
It is strongly recommended that you bring sunscreen, a bottle of water, and a hat as it took Know-it-all passport editor, Lisa Cirieco, and her family 1 hour and 45 minutes to find the 6 hole-punchers ( if you can do it faster let us know)! Since they were thirsty and hot and had no opportunity to buy food on site, they headed straight for lunch to the Café du Soleil (pictured below and situated a short drive away) for some delicious filets de perche and pommes allumettes (skinny fries - in size not in calories).
After lunch, you might like to head back to the labyrinth to cut some beautiful gladiolas (Fr. 1.50.-/each) and pick up some unusual and not so unusual pumpkins (Fr. 1.- to Fr. 17.-) at the self-service garden. All in all, a great day out!
