This second-hand charity shop, La Frip’, is a team effort of 7 volunteers who sort out items that are donated from people in the local area. All profits are donated to children’s charities including Compassion International, orphanages, and schools.
They have 3 objectives:
- To reuse items therefore reducing waste
- To be a nice place to have a coffee and meet up with friends
- To donate money towards charities serving underpriviledged children
Drop by for tea/coffee in a relaxing environment or conversation. You won't be disappointed.
Catherine Baum, founder of Baum Cosmetics, explained to knowitall.ch, "After 32 years of living in Burkina Faso, I settled in Switzerland in 2019 with the idea to brand a series of natural cosmetics. The two harsh environments that make plants particularly potent, the Swiss Alps and sub-Saharan Africa, seemed like the perfect match and I was very inspired."
Not only is there distinct contrasts between the two, but also similarities. Mixing real Swiss alpine plants with precious sub-saharian oils with shea butter allowed a greater benefit from the best of both worlds. It was a match made in heaven and the idea was born.
In 1993, I decided to take "my skin in hand", so to speak, and I learned from Burkina women how to process shea butter to benefit from its wonderful benefits. I then added other sub-Saharan oils in synergy with active ingredients to enrich my cosmetic preparations.
Ariel-Pierre Haemmerlé with the newly published book
Back in 2021 we wrote an article about Ariel-Pierre Haemmerlé at this link, the tour guide with a big personality. This lovely man has just published his fifth book! We met up with him to find out more and get our hands on a copy of Genève, les dates les plus importantes de son histoire.
If you love history, you will love this book. If you don't love history, you will still find this immensely interesting.
Do you know what these dates represent?
- 1536
- 1639
- 1815
- 1989
- 2017
If none of them ring a bell, read to bottom for the answers.
Organized very simply by dates, with a brief explanation of what each date means to Geneva, you will learn many, many fundamental milestones in this city's evolution.
The book will be available to purchase from all bookshops from Tuesday, 13 December 2022. Ariel Pierre will be at Payot Confédération on Saturday afternoon for book-signing. This might be the Christmas present you might have been looking for!
This tour guide knows how to catch your attention and keep it. If you are interested in inviting him to an event to talk about Geneva, please contact him. He will not disappoint your audience.
With the busy buying season quickly approaching, here are a few tips to help you navigate your budget safely.
Make a shopping list and compare prices
Stores compete with each other to offer the best deals, but they're not always real bargains. That's why it's worthwhile comparing prices beforehand. Make a shopping list in advance so you can keep track.
And don't get caught off guard when you see a sign with a reduced price. The savings might not be what you thought at first glance; see photo below from last year with only a 10 centime difference!
Note: All the stamps shown in this article (except the supplementary ones) will be released on 10 November 2022 but you can already pre-order at this link.
Christmas stamps
Every year, Swiss Post’s Christmas special stamps prove highly popular and Swiss Post's 2022 whimsical series with woodland animals will not disappoint.
An incredible number of rituals and traditions surround Christmas. The new stamps showcase the various preparations for this great celebration while surprising in a humorous way. In the snow-capped forest there is a lot of excitement: the hare has bought a beautiful Christmas tree and is racing out of the forest on his sled, the deer are tangled up in the Christmas lights and the little mouse hurrying to bring you your Christmas letter.
The subjects were the result of a design contest and Post Office staff members were given the opportunity to vote for their favorite designs worth 90, 110 and 180 centimes.
Stained glass stamps - Nativity and Angel
Two magnificent stamps pay tribute to the cultural and historical richness of sacred art in Switzerland. They represent fragments of stained glass windows from the collegiate church in Bern and the convent in Königsfelden. The subject of the 110 centime stamp is a nativity scene from the "Youth of Christ" stained glass window in the monastery church of Königsfelden. This church near Windisch was built for the Habsburg family as a place of remembrance following the assassination of King Albert I. The stained glass windows in the chevet, depicting the birth of Christ, were created just before the building was inaugurated in 1330 and are an expression of the skills of the time.
