A Humorous Guide to Switzerland

I am always looking for resources for Swiss German on the internet. Out of curiosity and personal interest but also to expand my collection of resources for learners of Swiss German . Anyway, I guess I was bound to stumble upon the Alemannische Wikipedia  at some point. Though not a purely Swiss German encyclopedia it's probably the closest to one that anything will ever get. Alemannische Wikipedia (Alemanic Wikipedia) The Alemannische Wikipedia describes itself: " D'alemannischa Wikipedia isch e Enyklopedi en de Dialäkt vom alemannische Sprochraum, also von dr Deitscha Schweiz, vom Elsass, vo Liachtaschtei, vo Oberbade, etc. " which translates to 'The Alemannische Wikipedia is an encyclopedia of the dialects of the alemanic (e.g. germanic) language area which means of the German part of Switzerland, the Elsass, Liechtenstein, etc.' Indeed, there are several dialects contributing to this wikipedia and it is not always clear in which dialect an article is ...

Today, I would like to share with you my interest in and appreciation for another region of Switzerland: the Seeland (region of lakes). Switzerland's Lake Region Located (mostly) in the French part of Switzerland, the Seeland covers the region from Biel (or Bienne in French) to Yverdon and Morat (or Murten in German). It includes Lake Bienne, Lake Morat and Lake Neuchatel - which is in fact Switzerland's largest lake completely inside Swiss borders. Coming from the overcrowded, German speaking canton of Zurich to this comparatively loosely settled French speaking region feels like going on a trip abroad. That's the beauty of Switzerland - several totally different regions make one interesting country! 10 Fun Things to Do in Switzerland's Seeland Here are a few suggestions for fun things to do in the Seeland region: The obvious on a sunny and warm day: go swimming in one of the three lakes. Lake Neuchatel has beautiful beaches on its Western shore. Go water s...

Switzerland's national holiday the 1st of August is approaching soon and the weather forecast couldn't be better! This year I'll probably be celebrating on the beautiful shores of Lake Neuchatel and watching the fireworks from Estavayer-le-lac, enjoying the Estivale festival and some barbecued meat and cold beer. Where to go and what to do on 1st of August in Switzerland Almost every larger town or village in Switzerland organizes some event on 1st of August - usually a traditional 1st of August brunch , a concert (mostly with traditional Swiss music) and of course the obligatory firework . I investigated and found other (possibly more interesting and exciting ways) to spend 1st of August. Zurich region: spend 1st of August on a boat on Lake Zurich  either enjoying a good brunch or an evening meal enjoy a BBQ or a fine dinner at the Uto Kulm restaurant on Üetliberg swim in Lake Zurich and have a cool beer afterwards Basel region: visit the 1st of Augus...

Next weekend Zurich is once again gonna be the center of attention. The ZüriFäscht  (lit. 'Zurich Festival') will take place from 5-7 July 2019 . The ZüriFäscht takes place every third year in the center of Zurich and is the largest festival or event in Switzerland with over 2 million visitors . It's worth a visit and has something to offer to people of all ages! ZüriFäscht 2019 This year, the Züri Fäscht has the following attractions to offer: two musical fireworks (on Friday and Saturday night) 60 stages with concerts and performances 130 festival restaurants and cafes over 300 booths selling food and other things amusement park with over 70 rides spectacular shows in the air, water and on land Public transportation services will be extended during the Züri Fäscht so that everyone will get there without any troubles! All important information and schedules - and the official ZüriFäscht App - can be found on the ZüriFäscht website. © 2013 IRENE...

Ask any Swiss person about Mani Matter and they will start singing one of his many songs. Many of us who were not yet born when Matter was publishing his songs learned his songs in school or sang them at the local scouts meeting. The sound of his voice singing in the Bernese dialect and his guitar playing are almost iconic by now. And every now and then a Swiss artist will use the Matter's great lyrics and melodies and create a cover version (e.g. the project Matter Rock by several Swiss artists as a tribute to Matter's work). Who was Mani Matter? Who was this modern day troubadour? His biography in short: His real name was Hans Peter Matter and he was born in 1936 in Herzogenbuchsee and grew up in Berne (which explains his Bernese accent). Mani was his scout name and he adopted it as a stage name. After school he studied law and practiced for a few years until he became a popular dialect artist in Switzerland. From the late 1960ies he began giving concerts together with t...

Team Sports -  Stephanie Hofschlaeger  / pixelio.de Sports are a big part of life in Switzerland whether you actively take part in one of the many regional sports leagues or local sports clubs (e.g. soccer, volleyball, cycling, etc,) or simply enjoy watching it from the comfort of your home. The most popular sports in Switzerland, however, are not team sports; cycling, hiking and swimming. Other popular Swiss sports include soccer (or football for everyone British), hockey, tennis, handball, volleyball and rowing. One of the best ways to meet new people in Switzerland is to join a local sports club . To make things a bit easier for you on the way to a successful sports adventure in Switzerland, I collected the most important words in Swiss German for the more popular sports here in Switzerland. Swiss German Words for Sports Soccer/Football Egge (corner kick) Flangge (cross) Faul (foul) Fuessball (football, soccer, also lit. the soccer ball) Fu...

Tour de Suisse -Dieter Schütz  / pixelio.de Cycling is a very popular leisure activity in Switzerland. Almost every Swiss person owns a bicycle of some sort - some a very fancy racing bike and some an old squeaking city bike. There are hundreds of bicycle trails all over Switzerland including downhill slopes, nationwide tracks (e.g. from St. Gallen to Geneva) that you can cycle over several days, or regional tracks like the one around lake Zurich . The Tour de Suisse Once a year, cycling in Switzerland attracts even international attention. The annual Tour de Suisse  is one of professional cycling's most famous tours. After the all-famous Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and the Spanish Vuelta, the Tour de Suisse  is probably one of the more popular and prestigious tours in the cycling calendar and part of the official UCI World Tour. History of the Tour de Suisse The first Tour de Suisse took place in 1933 with an Austrian winner. The tour became an annual fixtur...