A close-up and personal look at Switzerland
Switzerland likes to be on time. Trains, buses or fundamentally anything that has a schedule is dependent on being on time. Indisputably clocks and watches are an important part of daily life. Clocks Some people like the tic-tock sound clocks… Read moreClocks, Watches and Time
While going to work in Berne I often stopped at a local bakery. You always had to have something to eat at the 9 o’clock break. Those were the days when I could eat bakery goods including doughnuts without worrying… Read moreDoughnuts and their Names
Strange means ‘not previously encountered’, ‘unusual’ or ‘surprising’. With that in mind, many of the things that Americans eat are strange to the Swiss. Likewise, some of the things that Swiss put on their tables are strange to Americans. I… Read moreStrange Swiss and American Food Combinations
An American friend of mine called it that. She said “I have a ‘Go Anywhere’ and it’s great, I love it!” What in the world is a Go Anywhere? Oh, a GA or “Generalabonnement” in German. That’s where you pay… Read moreThe Go Anywhere
You can take the American out of America but you can’t take America out of the American. There are some things, like Thanksgiving, that have to be celebrated. So I do. The First Thanksgiving Just a quick review here. The… Read moreHappy Thanksgiving in Switzerland
When it comes to what I drink I can get finicky. When I first came to Switzerland a glass of ice cold Coca Cola was my favorite drink, unfortunately that wasn’t the way drinks were served here. Coke was served at room temperature with… Read moreDrinks are on the House
The Swiss have a long and solid tradition with clocks and watch making. The oldest clock in Switzerland is the Clock Tower (called Zytglogge, which translates into “time bells”) in the capitol of Berne. We lived maybe a walking distance… Read moreClocks, Time and Punctuality
One of the unique Swiss pastimes is playing cards. Their favorite game is Jass (pronounced yahss). The deck consists of 36 cards (6 to Aces) using either the French cards or the German cards. There is also a special mat you… Read moreJass and Hearts are Trump
After Ben and I were married, we moved into the same apartment building as his sister and her family and his parents. Or, to put it another way, I moved into Ben’s apartment because he was already living there. I… Read moreLunchtime
Okay, I give up. When is bread not bread? Why, when it’s Zupfe, of course. Everyone knows that. You never go into a bakery and ask for bread when you mean Zupfe. Zupfe is a special braided white bread. For… Read moreWhen Bread isn’t Bread
-
--