A Humorous Guide to Switzerland

It's been a beautiful fall this year so far with lots of sun and colours. Now however, most leaves have fallen from the trees and the days are getting even shorter and quite a bit colder. It's once more the season of cozy evenings by the fire or a cup of hot punch on the ice skating rink. It's not quite Christmas yet but we're starting to feel the need for pretty lights and warmth in those first wintery days. A Surprising Winter Tradition Traditionally, these first days of winter mark the beginning of the Christmas season in Switzerland . While it's too early still to start opening your Christmas Calendar  or light the candles on your Advent Wreath , you can definitely start getting them ready and you probably can also sign up for a place in your local Advent Windows  activity already. Starting with Christmas shopping might be a good idea as well. So, while this pre-Christmas season is mainly marked with preparations for the 'real thing', it is also the tim

                                    Skiing - T K  / pixelio.de                                          A few years ago, I had the privilege to spend a few months traveling through different parts of the USA. I spent some time in Chicago visiting friends but - not being the big city type - moved on to explore the stunning natural beauty of Colorado, Utah and California. It was in October and November - right at the end of autumn and beginning of winter. This meant I could still do some serious hiking, especially in Utah and California with warmer weather and drier climate. It also meant there was enough snow on the mountains already that I had the chance to try out snowboarding in North America. Apparently the snow was supposed to be different there... When I checked out websites for ski resorts in Colorado I was in for a big surprise. Many were already open (with limited slopes and lifts available) but the prices for one-day-tickets were incredibly high. At least, in comparison to the