A Visit to Swissminiatur in Melide

William Tell Monument, Altdorf (UR) - at Swissminatur

Last weekend, I spent a few days in Milano. It's a city worth seeing and as it is only a 3 1/2 hour drive from Zurich almost a must do for every expat in Switzerland. You can take a train to Milano as well which might save you the hassle of being stuck in traffic jam near the Gotthard tunnel. However, driving with your own car give you the options to see some sights along the scenic highway A2 that goes through Switzerland's Italian speaking part, the canton of Ticino.

Swissminiatur - a Ticino Attraction

One of the most popular attractions in the Ticino area is the Swissminiatur. As it's name already says, it is a miniature Switzerland. Over 100 miniature versions of famous Swiss buildings, institutions and installations have been built for this park.

Titlis Rotair, Engelberg (OW)

A path leads through the park and the Swissminiatur guide book explains what each miniature is and where the building is located in reality. The miniatures are beautifully made and combined with moving elements such as boats, cable cars, trains and cars. Sound effects add to the experience. There are also typical farm houses of almost every canton of Switzerland on view in the park in addition to the famous buildings.

Some of the well known buildings include:

ICRC headquarters in Geneva
Federal Parliament in Berne
Zurich airport
Basle cathedral
Chateau de Chillon in Montreux
Grossmünster in Zurich
Grindelwald cable car
Mövenpick motorway services in Würenlos

Chateau de Chillon, Montreux (VD)

Information for your visit

Swiss Miniature opens daily from March to October, from 9.00 am to 6.00 pm. Admission fees are 19 CHF for adults and 12 for children under the age of 16. It is located right off highway A2 near the picturesque town of Melide. There are also family cards and grandparent cards available. For more information consult the Swissminiatur website.

Estavayer castle, Estavayer (VD)

Comments

Schätzli, Schnüggel and Müüsli - Terms of Endearment in Swiss German

Kiss - Oliver Haja / pixelio.de If you've ever been invited to the home of a Swiss couple, you are probably familiar with the most popular Swiss German term of endearment "Schätzli" ('little treasure') or one of it's many varieties like e.g. "Schatz" or "Schätzeli" . Obviously, this is not the only pet name used by Swiss couples (or parents for that matter). Like many other languages, Swiss German offers a wide variety of words and phrases that you can use to address your loved one. Swiss German Terms of Endearment What most of these pet names have in common is the ending "-li" which basically turns the thing or person a word refers to into something small or cute. For example "Haus" means house and "Hüüs li " means small house. Plus, this ending "-li" can also be added to first names as a means of endearment, e.g. Benjamin li , Esther li or Fabienne li . I tried to come up with a colle...

How to Say 'I Love You' in Swiss German

To be completely honest, I'm not very fond of hallmark holidays and Valentine's Day is probably the mothership of them all. In my home there will be no cheesy cards or flowers on that day and, personally, I'm happy about it. However, I know that there are many people who like to celebrate Valentine's Day and take it as an opportunity to show their love and appreciation to their loves. Even in Switzerland, there are plenty of people celebrating it nowadays. If you're short on ideas for this years Valentine's Day in Switzerland you might find some inspiration here: Valentine's Day in Switzerland . If you're already set and have the perfect date ready, how about surprising your loved one with a few romantic Swiss German phrases? You should know that the expression "I love you" has only recently made its way into Swiss German from the High German "Ich liebe dich". Swiss people used to simply say "I like you" or "I like ...

How to Spot a Swiss Person

"You're not from here, right?!" These were the words the saleslady of a small clothes store on a busy Tel Aviv street directed at me a few years ago. I was surprised she had spotted my foreignness so easily. After having lived in Israel for a few years and mastered the local Hebrew, I thought I was able to blend in quite well by then. So, I asked her how she knew. She replied with a smile and said: "You nicely folded the clothes you tried on before bringing them back out!" Oh that! Something I assumed was 'normal' but, apparently, the locals didn't do that. My Swiss background gave me away. A Stereotypical (Swiss) Person As an expat I can usually spot fellow expats right away even if at first they seem to fit right in. Be they Swiss people I encounter abroad or foreigners living in Switzerland. Mostly, I catch a word or a phrase in a foreign language or see clothes or other items that are clearly not local. Here in South America it's very easy t...

A Humorous Guide to Switzerland

Search This Blog