A close-up and personal look at Switzerland
Between 1429 and 1731 Switzerland put a total of around 10,000 men and women on trial for witchcraft. About 60% of them were executed, usually burnt at the stake. A sad set of numbers. In 1782 Anna Göldin was the… Read moreA Point in Time – 1782 – Anna Göldin
A handshake isn’t what it used to be. I wrote a post about the Swiss handshake and kiss greetings (touchy-touchy) way back in July of 2016. Coming from a country where women seldom shake hands, I had to jump over… Read moreProper Etiquette – the Handshake
Toilet paper was touted in 1857 as ‘The greatest necessity of the age!’ Looking at the empty grocery store shelves in times of the Coronavirus pandemic it’s probably true. History Without going into the dirty details, the first documented use… Read moreA Point in Time – 1857 – Toilet Paper
I apologize in advance. At the moment all you hear on the news is Corona, Corona, Corona. Still, there is no better time to take a look at a past influenza pandemic than now. What exactly happened about 100 years… Read moreA Point in Time – The Spanish Flu – 1918
So, now that the August 1st festivities are over for a year, let’s talk about the Swiss Flag. It’s the number one symbol of Switzerland, well, if you don’t include the mountains, chocolate, cowbells or Heidi. Around this time of… Read moreThings You Need to Know About the Swiss Flag
What makes a Swiss, Swiss? It can get pretty blurry if you’ve never been here. The non-knowing usually end up with the wrong perception. Typically it is a picture of someone wearing leather shorts, a green hat and drinking beer…. Read moreWhat Makes a Swiss Swiss (part 2)
When the genealogy bug bites, it usually bites hard. I guess it’s an age old thing to try and find out where you come from. If your last name is Weber, Smith, Jones, Miller or even Armstrong, well, good luck…. Read moreGenealogy, Looking for Your Roots
“If that happens then I can call myself ‘von’”. I’ve heard many people make such exclamations. That means that you’d be somebody, somebody important or as they say in Swiss German you’d be “more better”. To be sure, the Bernese… Read moreA Point in Time: 1980 – Madame de Meuron
Remember the Christmas song “12 days of Christmas”? Many stores want you to believe the 12 days refer to before Christmas. Time to go out, buy gifts and crank up that economy. Thing is, the 12 days start on Christmas… Read moreEpiphany or Three Kings‘ Day
Here is the “M” installment of my abc collection. I choose about three words and write something regarding them trying to relate them to Switzerland or the Swiss or my life in Switzerland. This week’s words start with “M”. “M”… Read moreCollection abc – M is for Money, Mantra and Münster
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