A Humorous Guide to Switzerland

Swiss Alps - berggeist007  / pixelio.de I've been living abroad for several years now. While I'm happy with my life here in the beautiful north of Peru (you can read more about it here:  Las Cabañitas de Gocta ), there are moments when I really miss life in Switzerland. I miss the great variety of cheese and bread, I miss the punctuality of people and busses and I miss hearing and speaking Swiss German and being able to converse without thinking about which word to use. A while ago I wrote about the  10 Things You'll Miss About Switzerland  and it still pretty much hits the spot. 10 Things to Do When You're Missing Switzerland Today, however, I won't write about what I miss about Switzerland. Instead I'll share 10 Ideas on how to deal with missing Switzerland in your life. Music: Put on your favorite Swiss music, preferably with Swiss German lyrics. Personally, I like Patent Ochsner but the song that I lately tend to put on when missing Switzerland ...

It finally arrived! When the Big Swiss Coloring Book came out last year I knew I wanted to have it! Drawing has always been a great way for me to relax and focus on something entirely different for a while but lately I haven't had the time to start a project of my own (except for drawing animals for my son). A coloring book seemed like a great alternative, especially a coloring book full of drawings from my home country Switzerland that after all I do miss sometimes here in Peru. When my mother booked flight tickets to come visit here, I just had to add this book to her shopping list and so it arrived here in Cocachimba , in the north of Peru, last week. The variety of drawings in it is even greater than what I've thought. Despite not having much free time these days I reserved some time to start coloring - just to see how it goes. I started with the very first picture, the hot air balloons . Other Swiss inspired drawings are also available on the web (e.g....

A few weeks ago, my husband bought a simple puzzle for our son here in Peru . It's a fairly easy 20 piece wooden puzzle that features the numbers 1 to 10, drawings of animals, fruit or other things to illustrate the amount the number represents, the actual word representing the number (e.g. NINE) and a pair of hands showing the number with fingers . the puzzle Looking at the hands and fingers, I was reminded of how I always thought it strange to observe how my American friends used their fingers to count. The way they counted simply didn't come natural to me.  After all, they didn't use their thumb to signal TWO and neither for THREE! How the Americans and Swiss Count with Their Hands Being once again confronted with finger counting, I took the opportunity to compare the English/American way of using the fingers to my own (Swiss) way. We start with the thumb and then simply add one finger after the other until we reach the pinkie with a full five fingers. The Engli...

Swiss German is a strange language. It is probably more than just another dialect of German although there is some dispute about this . How else could you explain the many sub-dialects of Swiss German? Every region has it's own version of Swiss German: Berndütsch (Bernese German), Züridütsch (Zurich German) or Bündnerdütsch (Grisons German) are just a few well known examples of Swiss German dialects . Of course, there are also similarities between the dialects and many times a dialect is perfectly understandable for someone from outside the region, as is the case for Aargauerdütsch (Aargau German) for example. How to say 'Apple Core' in different Swiss German dialects The diversity of dialects of Swiss German is best shown with a good example. I recently found this map with Swiss German words for " apple core " and was surprised to learn that many people in Switzerland don't use my own familiar "Bütschgi". In fact, there are 30 different way...

Dreirosenbrücke in Basel - Jari Villoria  / pixelio.de  Basel is not only one of Switzerland's largest cities but also one of it's most international ones. This is partly due to its location in the corner of three neighboring countries: Switzerland, France and Germany. There are quite a lot of people living in either France or Germany who are working in Basel and profiting from the high Swiss salaries. We call them "Grenzgänger" which means frontier-goers. However, Basel is not only very international but also known for being a cultural city . Museums, galleries and a very well maintained old city make this the perfect stop for any art lover. There are plenty of other things to do and see in Basel of course which is why I'm sharing this  list of 10 Fun Things to do in Basel with you! 10 Fun Things to do in Basel Park im Grünen : Although not technically located in Basel but in Münchenstein, this park is easily reached in 10 minutes by tram from Basel...

Lucerne - zugerli  / pixelio.de In recent years I haven't written very much about the cantons and places that form Central Switzerland. This happened mainly because I lived near Zurich and most of my free time and leisure time was spent somewhere in that area. Needless to say that it's totally worth it to escape Zurich and head to central Switzerland once in a while. Central Switzerland is a region in the center of Switzerland and consists of the cantons of Uri, Schwyz, Lucerne, Obwalden and Nidwalden. In it's center lies beautiful Lake Lucerne or Vierwaldstättersee (lake of the four cantons) as it is called in German. If there was a capital of this region of Central Switzerland I believe it would have to be the city of Lucerne. What to do and where to go in Lucerne Have you been to Lucerne? There are plenty of fun things to do in Lucerne and the close surroundings. Here is my own list of the best 10 Fun Things to do in Lucerne ! Kapellbrücke (Chapel Bridge): ...

A personal blog like mine is probably one of the best ways to express yourself, your opinions and your experiences online. Personally, I've always tried to keep out of controversies but sometimes a little personal comment slipped in anyway. I usually don't like and don't do self-promotion either. Today, I'd like to make an exception and introduce you to " Destino Amazonas "! The blog " Destino Amazonas " (lit. 'Destination Amazonas) was started on a whim when my husband and I moved from Lima (Peru) to Cocachimba (also in Peru) where we're currently trying to manage the construction of our future home. Life in the small village of Cocachimba couldn't be more different from life in Lima. Instead of gray and foggy days we get rainy and sunshine. Instead of traffic noise and loud neighbors we hear birds singing and the majestic waterfall of Gocta is always rumbling somewhere in the background. Life here also has it's hick-...