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.
The Ecolint Winter Market will take place on Saturday, 19th of November 2022 from 10h-16h. The Organizing Team are searching for more vendors (people who make their own crafts/ jewelry/other products). Read down for link to apply by the 10th October 2022.
The Ecolint Winter Market is the perfect place to spend the day with your family and browse through beautiful and original items for sale from over 40 vendors. For the kids, there is Arts & Crafts, games, face painting and a visit with Santa. For the parents, it is a wonderful opportunity for catching up with or meeting new friends. Delicious lunch is served by food trucks while winter waffles and mulled wine will be available while you shop.
The Ecolint Winter Market is a popular event with many local artisans and small businesses showcasing their accessories, clothing, home decor, art, homemade food items. etc. The organizing committee would love to see more eco-friendly brands. Sustainability is important to the school so brands that represent this missionwould be welcome. However, they are not closed to any artisan who would like the opportunity to get their craft out into the community.
Balexert takes its old advertising materials (banners, parking barriers, tarpaulins ...) and recycles into quality, original and unique bags and key rings. The project started during the height of Covid and is still going on now. All proceeds from sales are sent to the Non-Violence Project Foundation, a Geneva-based organization whose mission is to fight against various forms of violence by developing training and prevention programs.
Each of the proposed models is handmade by professional seamstresses from Pro, a Geneva-based foundation whose goal is to offer a responsible work environment to disabled people and young people in reintegration.
The bags were made from old banners and posters and to apply the true sense of recycling... this project was not a commercial nor profitable one.
The models are on sale at the Info Stand of Balexert, located on the first floor of the center.
Shopping bag: CHF 7.00
Shopping bag: CHF 25.00
Shoulder bag: CHF 34.00
Key ring: CHF 3.50
Next time you visit Balexert, please go to the client service stand to see which ones they have left!
