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Smoking In Switzerland
Can you guess from which age a child can legally purchase cigarettes in Geneva? 15 years? 18 years? Perhaps even older? I bet not many of you would have guessed that a child can buy tobacco here as soon as it is able to walk and talk. There is absolutely no restrictions. You could, if you wanted to, send your toddler into a shop to buy your cigarettes. This really threw me, when I heard it on the news yesterday. The legal age from which children are able to buy cigarettes is set by the Cantons, the Swiss states, not the central government. Which means that you may be able…
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Banana Cupcakes with Caramel Fleur de Sel
When I renamed the blog, I decided that I would make Salted Caramels and perhaps use the photos for the blog logo. Easier said than done, I discovered. When I searched for a recipe, I found that almost all of them called for what the Americans call “heavy cream”. This is a cream with a fat content of 36 to 38%, in between single cream and double cream. The closest I can find in Switzerland is Vollrahm, in French Crème Entière, with 35%. For making caramels, it is incredibly important to have a candy thermometer, which I did not have. I bought what I thought was a candy thermometer but…
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The Joys of Expat Life
Ok, forgive me my self-indulgent and whiny post yesterday. The sun is shining in Geneva once more, my friend is on her way to a new adventure, who knows what the next year will bring both her and my families. There is change coming, and it cannot be stopped. Today, I am going to concentrate on the good sides, the sweet side of life. What I enjoy about living in Switzerland. In Geneva. Chocolate – this is a given. Switzerland has a lot of chocolatiers. Here in Geneva we can chose from Martel, Rohr, Auer and many others. We went to the chocolate festival in Versoix this spring to see how…
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Saying goodbye, au revoir, auf wiedersehen…
No matter in which language you do this, it is a bitch. And if you are living the expat life, then it is something that you have to do occasionally. I have had acquaintances come and go but today was the first time I have said farewell to a true friend. And it hurts. So I did what I do when I hurt. I baked. I cried. I drank wine. And I sat down to write. While I pounded the dough for the pizza we shall eat later, I considered this side of expat life. The side that no one tells you about, when they extol the fantastic lifestyle, the mind-broadening…
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The Swiss Apartment Rules
Did you know that the Swiss have rules that restrict many activities that most of us would find totally normal? The Swiss apartment rules are particularly strict, so we’ve always been thankful that we live in the countryside with no direct neighbours. Today my husband was preparing for the big 4th July Party that we are hosting on Monday. Part of this involved a bit of garden work – we have a large linden tree in the garden, it’s yellow flowers are pretty for about 30 seconds before it sheds the flowers onto the grass. Raking the flowers and leaves takes a lot of time and effort so we bought an electric…
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Schools in Geneva
One of the most important issues when expats move to a new country is schooling. You can out up with a less than stunning kitchen (and you often have to here) or a slightly boring social life but if your children are unhappy in school then the assignment will be a short one. Or of course if you are unhappy with the school. When we moved to Geneva we faced the decision – local schools or international/bilingual schools. Cost was not a factor, as my husband’s company would pay for private schooling for the duration of our stay in Switzerland. Our children were still quite young, just 4 years and…
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Ingredients for Baking in Switzerland – Where to buy Baking Powder, Soda etc
When we moved to Geneva, one of the things that I found most difficult was finding ingredients for baking in Switzerland. I was used to the issues with baking powder and baking soda, not to mention finding self-raising flour, from my time in Germany, but in time found shops where I could buy these ingredients. Before I could start baking in Switzerland, I had to do a bit of research! Baking Powder – I buy in Manor in little tubs. Don’t be fooled by the sachets by Dr Oetker – they are German style Backpulver which is, I have been informed a one rise agent. You need a two rise agent…
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My Atomic Bunker
Not long ago I wrote a light-hearted post about our Nuclear Bunker. Who would have thought that not even 4 months later, I would be envied for my bunker. And not in a joking “ha, isn’t that a cool thing” kind of way. All over Europe concerned citizens are watching the developments in Japan and asking themselves if a similar incident could happen here. The risk of an earthquake on that scale, combined with a tsunami is incredibly low but there are other scenarios – from aircraft strike, terrorist attack or human/technology fail. As we wait for news from Japan, the German Chancellor has reacted – the announcement that the government…
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Favourite Photos of 2010
Today I was thinking about the passing of the year 2010 and thought I would gather some of my favourite photos in one post. These are the ones that I particularly like, or which bring back memories of a certain moment in time.
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The Swiss Vote
The Swiss have a unique voting system called direct (or half direct) democracy. This means that basically any Swiss citizen can propose a change to a law. Around four times a year votes are cast on local and national level – this can be anything from a major change in the constitution to a local “minor” issue. Today the Swiss voted on several issues. We were aware that a vote was imminent as there were placards up around the town. This poster caught my eye: The Genevoise were voting today on the issue of longer store opening hours. This poster exhorts citizens to vote NON otherwise the poor sales assistants…
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Rebirth of a Village – Gondo 10 years after the catastrophe
It has been ten years since the landslide in Gondo, that cost 13 villagers their lives, and destroyed a third of the Alpine village. Gondo is a small town, close to the Simplon Pass, right on the border to Italy. 10 years ago, few had even heard of the village, but the events that were to unfold on the 14th October 2000 meant that every Swiss person knew where it was by the end of that fateful day. Heavy rainfall for three days caused a massive landslide which crashed through the centre of the village, destroying everything in its path. Ten houses, the school, shops, the road and most of…
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You just can’t get orange cheese…
An American friend was chatting to one of his countrymen, who said that they liked living in Geneva, but ‘You just can’t get orange cheese!’ Cheese capital of the world Switzerland does not sell orange cheese in a spray can. For expats this is one of the biggest gripes – that some favourite food stuffs are just not available in the host country. Which is why the American/British food stores thrive in Switzerland and elsewhere in Europe. It is the taste of home, the comfort food that we crave, no matter how good the food here is. I have been an expat for 18 years – it was my expat…
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Swiss Sirens
Am currently sitting by the lake watching DS and his friend play while their sisters are at football practice. I was feeling smug as I felt the gentle rays of the sun on my face, listened to the waves lapping on the shore. Rather blissful and idylic. Then the atomic air raid siren sounded, shattering the tranquil moment. The Swiss test their sirens once a year to ensure they are still working. I can hear the sirens in the towns miles away reverbating across the lake. Do I have time to empty my atomic shelter? I emailed a recently arrived friend to let her know that the sirens are merely…
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The Swiss and their Dogs
This is a picture of Daphne and her sister, Holly. They are from two different litters, born a year apart and are quite different in temperament. Daphne is more outgoing and friendly while Holly tends to be more shy and timid. Owning a dog in Switzerland is not as straight forward as one might think. There are a list of regulations that vary from canton to canton. As Swiss residents have to obey laws made not just on a cantonal level, but also federal laws, and those made after a referendum, the list of dos and don’ts is long and confusing. They vary from canton to canton so if one…
