A Humorous Guide to Switzerland

Alright. Fondue doesn't seem to be a warm weather dish. In winter it's nice and cozy to have the pot of cheese on your table heating up the room and filling everything with the smell of cheese. However, eating hot sticky cheese on bread may not seem very appealing if its hot outside. At least, that's what you probably think. Why Fondue also works in the Summer There is a small and friendly restaurant in Zurich that might be able to convince you otherwise. The Chäsalp is located on a hill outside of Zurich and its guests sit outside at large wooden tables with a great view of the surrounding hills (and the Mazoala hall of Zurich Zoo amongst other things). Pillows and woolen blankets assure comfort in this rustic Swiss atmosphere. With cowbells sounding in the background one generally has the impression of being near a cottage somewhere in the Alps rather than being 15 minutes outside of Zurich. Chäasalp outside tables 20 Types of Fondue in one Place In consi...

dictionary - Jakub Sproski  / pixelio.de After writing a post about the basics of Swiss German a few months ago, I started realizing more and more how hard it must be for someone moving to Switzerland to pick up the local language. The few words I provided are hardly enough to get an expat or a tourist through a day in Switzerland. When I stumbled upon the twitter account of  @swiss_german , who introduces a new Swiss German word every day, the idea of a Swiss German online dictionary started to develop. A first version of more than 400 Swiss German words and expressions is online now and can be used for learning, consulting and information. I would appreciate feedback, suggestions for new words or any comment on it. I will continue adding words and expressions in Swiss German to the dictionary as possible. Have a look now:  Swiss German Dictionary If you are looking for other free or partly free online resources for learning Swiss German I recommend you have...

We have a saying that goes 'April, April, macht was er will' which basically means 'April, April, does how he pleases'. This popular saying pretty much summarizes the sudden changes in weather conditions in Switzerland that can take place in April . Indeed, April has had its moods also this year. It's the Easter weekend and most everyone hoped for good weather. These hopes were not unjustified since this spring has been amazingly sunny with record hours of sunshine in March. However, the Easter weekend had its own mind. Instead of sun and warmth we got rain, fog, clouds and SNOW. Snow covered rose - Sabine Ullmann  / pixelio.de The Ice Saints As a rule of thumb snow and frost in most parts of Switzerland are possible till the end of April or beginning of May. The so-called Ice Saints or Frost Saints ('Eisheiligen' in German) are five saints days in the middle of May that - according to popular belief and tradition - have an increased likelihood of...

Every year on April Fools Day, people in Switzerland play pranks on each other. We did this as children and still do it as adults. Also, most Swiss newspapers, radio stations and TV stations allow themselves a little April Fools prank. Much like the famous broadcast about spaghetti growing on trees in Switzerland and Italy  by BBC in 1957, the Swiss insert little made up news stories every on April 1st into their regular programs. When Fake News is to be expected In the last years those fake news stories included e.g. a story about the canton of Appenzell distributing money to its citizens, one about communities in the canton of Thurgau suing the Circus Knie for not giving more performances in their canton, and a story about a chapel wagon for prayer that was added to each train of the Rhätische Bahn. Swiss Radio DRS let their listeners vote on the best pranks of the year. An April Fools Day Riddle Now, I know I am not a newspaper and I cannot as easily hide an untruth in...