Expats at Home

I have been living in Switzerland for over fifteen months now. The culture shock is long past and I am very comfortable here. (This does not mean I do not miss Canada, by the way).

The tour begins. Here I give a lesson about watching for trams. Otherwise they can kill you.

On Parents' Weekend, I volunteered to lead a guided tour of Bern for any visiting family members as well as students who wished to come along. I ended up in charge of a group of thirty! Such is my comfort level in Switzerland's capital that I knew exactly which route to follow through the city, and, without any notes, I was able to explain a little local history. Bob was a valued assistant that day–he knows Bern even better than I do–and he acted as our photographer.

Charlotte's sister and Lauren's dad try to capture the view from the Bundeshaus.

I won't bore you with too many details of my tour. Instead, I will let the photos tell the story.I have described Bern in several earlier blog posts; suffice it to say–it is a beautiful place.

Grace and her mom happily together.

We had a couple of moments of serendipity: I had forgotten that the Saturday market was so charming, and that delayed us just long enough that we were in place in front of the Zytglogge (clock tower) at noon, when its performance is at its best.

Watching the clock with Nicole's mom and grandmother

I enjoyed chatting with the parents as we explored Bern together. The students this year are very good company and I could see where their lovely manners come from.

The group on the main street.

I also enjoyed seeing the families reunited over this weekend. How joyful it must have been for them to be together again after two months apart!

The garden below Munsterplatz in Bern

A view over Bern

Bern put on a lovely face on this fall Saturday. There were still sufficient leaves on the trees to add golds and oranges to the landscape but enough of them had fallen to the ground to give us clear views over the city.

Lorenzo and Dan pose for Bob

Family time.

I was pleased to see that the Bear Garden had been reopened since my last visit, although there was only one bear in residence. Better than none.

On the way to see the bears

The last stop of the tour was the Rosengarten overlooking the city. Only about half of the group followed us there, but  most who did so also stayed for lunch, where again we got to know each other better.

Fred and his dad on their way to the Rosengarten

From that point, individual families were on their own for the rest of the day, as were Bob and I. We made time to shop at the English bookstore before we headed home.

What a great view over lunch!

A week later, Bob and I were off to Basel, a city much less familiar to us, although I had visited it twice last winter. It was now November, but we were blessed with absolutely beautiful weather for our 27 hours in the city.

Basel is beautiful too.

Coincidentally, this was the weekend of Herbstmesse, an autumn carnival which brought out families looking for food, games, and rides. This added to the atmosphere of the place.

Ferris Wheel at night

Another ride

As we usually do, Bob and I tackled Basel on foot. It is well-known for its museums and galleries. Our first stop was a church which had been turned into one of these. With attendance at services dropping drastically in Europe, this might become more common in the future.

Church turned art gallery and Tinguely sculptures

Just around the corner, we came upon the Gallery of Modern Art with whimsical Tinguely sculptures in motion in a fountain in front of it.

The Herbstmesse at Barfüsserplatz

Not far away was the first site of the Herbstmesse, in front of another transformed church, now a Museum of History. It was here almost a year ago that I had visited the Basel Christmas market.

The Munster

A short walk away, we arrived at Munsterplatz, and more rides. The contrast between the colourful and noisy carnival and the stately church was striking. Still, it provided Bob with some intriguing photo opportunities.

Great contrast of the old and the new.

The view from the cloister.

The Munster looks over the Rhine river, which was our next destination. An old-fashioned cable boat ride is the best way to make a crossing. It takes only a few minutes and costs very little. From the other side of the river, we had an even better view of the Basel.

The view from across the Rhine

On the cable boat.

As we made our way back toward our hotel, we stopped at the Basel Rathaus (city hall). It is a remarkable building, in large part because it is a shocking red. Its walls are very colourful as well, festooned with art in the Swiss German style also popular in Lucerne.

The Rathaus at dusk

Inside the Rathaus

The next morning, on another glorious day, we headed to the outskirts of the city to visit another expat at home in Switzerland (hence the title of this post). Theresa is a former student of mine who, with her husband and family, has been living in the country as long as I have. She had invited us for a delicious brunch.

Theresa, husband Tom and baby Kieran. Fiona was camera shy.

The weather was so inviting that we headed out for a walk shortly afterwards to the Wasserturm near her home, a water tower that offers fine views over the surrounding area. From the top, we could see to France and Germany in the distance.

The Wasserturm and a dinosaur too.

Nearby, we stopped to gather some flowers at a community garden which runs on an honour system. The flowers stood proudly in the sunshine on this day and the bees were busy at work. This was a very charming spot. It seemed uniquely Swiss.

In the garden

A perfect Dahlia

Back at the house, we enjoyed some play tme in Fiona's room–I was given the honour of hiding with her in the secret hideaway–before we headed back to the centre of the city, and shortly thereafter, back to Neuchâtel.

Fiona and her lego castle

It has been twenty-five years since I taught Theresa but our common experience of moving to Switzerland has brought us together after all this time. We Canadian expats from Woburn C.I. can always find common ground.

The Rio of the Old World

October was generally cool and dull in Neuchâtel, much more so than last year, so when Bob suggested we head south for a weekend, I jumped at the opportunity. "South" in Switzerland means the Italian canton, Ticino. We had visited Locarno during Orientation in 2014, so the other major city in the region, Lugano, was our destination that Friday afternoon.

Above Lugano

The train ride there is quite lengthy, over four hours, but I was glad to use that time to get on top of my marking. That allowed me to fully enjoy the beautiful setting that we discovered when we arrived in Lugano..

On the promenade

Lugano is situated on an eponymous lake, surrounded by low mountains. It is absolutely beautiful there. By chance, we chose to stay in the Paradiso district south of the old town. By doing so, we were able to enjoy a walk along the lakeside to get to and from our hotel every day.

At dusk, I stand beside an interesting sculpture along the promenade.  

This was a very pleasant stroll. In the evening, the lake was very still, with only a "jet d'eau" near our hotel breaking its surface. At night, this water spout is lit up, in magenta, a stark contrast to the lights behind it.

The "jet d'eau" at night.

The "jet d'eau" in the morning

In the daytime, local fisherman stand in their boats in search of the daily catch, while tour boats travel from town to town along the shore. We were very fortunate to experience ample sunshine during our visit, which only made the scene more lovely.

Fishermen

Bob and I could have spent the entire day taking photos by the water, and, in fact, we left the shores of the lake for only short periods of time – to shop and to eat. Eventually, we followed the lakeside path to its end, the parco civico, a public garden and a beach.

Swans and ducks near the beach.

As we made our way back to the town centre, we passed a sculpture by Igor Mitoraj, Eros Bendato. This would not have been remarkable if not for the fact that we had seen the exact same art piece in Krakow a few weeks beforehand. I have since learned that there are others scattered across the world – in Yorkshire, Rome, St. Louis and Vancouver.

Eros Bendato in Lugano

On this Saturday, a flea market filled the streets of the old town, and the mild weather brought crowds to the cafés. The city was very alive with locals and tourists. There was even another Neuchâtel staff member there – Adam – who had accompanied three cross-country runners to a meet that morning. We met him for lunch.

Lunch time in Lugano

Piazza Riforma, the main square

Not far from the water, the Chiesa Santa Maria degli Angeli, rather plain from the outside, is lovely in the interior. There is a fine fresco from the 16th Century, the most famous such artwork in Switzerland. The artist, Bernadino Luini, studied under Leonardo da Vinci.

Santa Maria degli Angeli

Fresco inside

Lugano is a resort town, a shopping mecca. Unfortunately, it combines Italian style with Swiss prices - so no purchases for me, except at the flea market.

Window shopping, all I can afford.

What we could afford was the food! It was delicious - and Italian. Lots of fish and seafood top the menus, along with fresh pasts and polenta. We found good restaurants both evenings, the Tratorria and Pizza Galleria on the first evening, where we had huge servings of pasta,  and la Tinera, a cozy basement taverna serving local fare on the second.

On the boat.

At the end of the afternoon, we took the boat tour from port to port until we arrived in Gandria, a picturesque village perched on the rocky shore. We only spent about an hour there, but that was enough. It is very small.

Gandria

The boat picks us up.

On our final morning, we took a funicular to the top of San Salvatore, one of the mountains overlooking Lugano, where the views took our breath away. This was the highlight of our weekend.

The view from the top

A causeway crosses the lake 

From the roof of a small chapel, we had a 360 degree view of southern Switzerland. SwissCom, the company I use for Internet access, has a massive tower perched on the summit of the mountain, as well.

The SwissCom tower

We stayed at the summit for a couple of hours, enjoying a snack at the café there. Then, reluctantly, we descended to the shores of the lake, and headed for the train home.

Lugano inspired us to take creative photos.

Our weekend in Lugano was like a tonic for us. We basked in the stunning scenery, the good food, and the warm sunshine. I am so glad we went.

The Canton Next Door

When Bob and I do not travel a great distance on a weekend, we take day trips to locations nearby. Train travel here is so good that all we need to do is choose a place and there is an efficient and convenient way to get there.

The view over Montreux from above the town

On three separate occasions over the past month, we have opted to head to Vaud, the canton directly south of Neuchâtel. Although we saw three lovely spots, we have much more to experience in the region.

Fountain in the old town of Montreux

The first of these excursions took us to Montreux, a resort town on Lake Geneva, part of the riviera of Switzerland. Most visitors to the area focus on the lakefront, and while we spent a significant amount of time there, we also decided to ascend to the quiet streets of the old town. Above this are vineyards very like those on the outskirts of Neuchâtel. The views from these heights are quite spectacular!

We had the old town to ourselves on this Saturday.

On the waterfront, a walkway follows the lakeshore, while luxury hotels and shops line the main street a few meters away, To add greater interest to the area, there are many whimsical sculptures along the way. The most famous of these is a bronze of Freddie Mercury, the iconic Queen soloist.

Freddie and me

These sculpted figures look like aliens,

Our boat.

In the early afternoon, we boarded an old-fashioned steamer boat for a short trip east on the lake to the Château Chillon, the most visited castle in Switzerland. Its location on a rocky outcrop of land, its romantic appearance, and its association with British poet Lord Byron have made this place a must-see for many.

Approaching the castle

In the cellar

Inside the castle

Château Chillon is well worth the visit. With dungeons, great rooms, towers and an extensive wall-walk, it has everything a castle lover would enjoy. We spent a happy two hours exploring its many wonders.

In one of the many courtyards

The view from the top.

Eventually, we made our way back to Neuchâtel, wondering why we had waited so long to see this beautiful place.

Ouchy is known for this unusual sculpture.

A day later, we took a shorter journey to Lausanne, the capital city of Vaud. We had toured this city in September of 2014, but our wanderings were limited to the upper part of the city at that time. On this day, we descended to the water's edge, to the port area, Ouchy.

I got a Scrabble game at the flea market.

We had discovered that there was a large flea market that day, so that was a draw for us, but even more intriguing was the Olympic Museum. Lausanne is the headquarters of the IOCC and this organization owns extensive grounds close to the lake. Outside the museum itself are many statues depicting athletes in performance.

Cyclists outside the Olympic Museum

These guys are too heavy for  football.

I have always enjoyed the Olympic Games, summer and winter, so for me this museum was great fun. There was a large area where the relationship of the media with the Games was shown. From early newsreels to radio broadcasts to modern wide-ranging television coverage, the growth and scope of the Olympics boggles the mind.

Learning about the ancient Olympics

In another area, we learned about the ancient Olympics in Greece and the events that took place there. The founder of the modern movement, Pierre de Coubertin, was highlighted in yet another room.

Some of the torches

My daughters both wore these mitts.

On display as well, were torches from every modern Olympic Games, and memorabilia from the host cities. We learned about the athletes' villages and the memories of some of the greatest stars of the Games. In an interactive space, we could (virtually) test our skill at some events and stand on a podium as winners of gold, silver or bronze.

Bob and I recall our Olympic medal in pairs figure skating.

All in all, the Olympic Museum in Lausanne does a great job in capturing the history and spirit of the Olympic Games. And, of course, it grows every other year.

Inside the museum.

Our most recent destination in Vaud was the Château de Grandson, near Yverdon-les-Bains, a mere seventeen minutes away from Neuchâtel. A short bus ride from there and we were at the entrance gate. A delightful bonus here in Switzerland is that we can buy bus tickets at the train station, so we had everything we needed before we left.

The walls of the castle

Othon I, a famous member of the Grandson family

This château, like many of the others in the region, has a long history. The sires of Grandson built this fortress in the 14th century. There have been wars and alliances aplenty since then, with famous European families connected in one way or another with the place.  It has belonged to France, Burgundy and Switzerland since its construction.

No reason for this photo, except that I like it.

In some ways, the structure is reminiscent of the Château Chillon, with its rounded towers and wall walk. It is less known, however, and so has had to reinvent itself to attract tourists. There are rooms for rent for private events, a car museum in the crypt area, and displays of medieval armour and weaponry, as well as a large diorama of a battle.

Car Museum

The diorama

The sunshine and blue sky that day provided stunning light and backdrop to our photos. This was a pretty place indeed.

A courtyard of the castle

The exterior of Château de Grandson

Before we returned to Neuchâtel, we explored the small village nearby with its charming old church. It, too, looked particularly beautiful in the afternoon light.

The church