Chateau de Chillon, near Montreux, Switzerland (photo, ©2011 Chateau de Chillon)
Lausanne, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The Chateau de Chillon, one of Switzerland’s most popular tourist attractions and its most visited national historical monument, has trademarked its name and two graphic representations.
Approval for the trademarks should allow the chateau to protect its image, limiting use of the name and graphic illustrations to items that reflect its commitment to quality, tradition and prestige, the president of its foundation, Jean-Pierre Pastori told Swiss news agency ATS 9 March.
It is the first historical monument in Switzerland to benefit from a trademark, although some well-known places, such as the Matterhorn in Zermatt and the resort of St Moritz, have trademarked their names and some graphic representations.
The chateau, receives CHF250,000 a year from canton Vaud, according to ATS, but its annual budget is CHF4.8 million.
Nearly 331,000 visitors, 70 percent of them from outside Switzerland, visited the site in 2010.
Lausanne, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – An eight-year-old boy died New Year’s Eve, Vaud police announced Monday, from injuries he sustained when his sled crashed into a barn that afternoon in Gryon, near Villars. The child lost control of his plastic sled on a steep (15 percent gradient) snowy road that had been closed to traffic, and he went into the barn at full speed. He was in an area called La Poreyre, heading towards the Alpe des Chaux road.
It was the
View Larger Map“>second sledding fatality in Switzerland in three days. A 21-year-old woman died earlier in the week in Grindelwald, canton Bern.
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Autumn colours near Lussy, canton Vaud, farmers's fields
Classic cars in Morges, October 2010
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The latest additions to the GenevaLunch photos albums are autumn colours near Morges, canton Vaud, in the fields and forests around the village of Lussy, by editor Ellen Wallace, and, from Mr Kio on flickr, an additional 14 spectacular photos of the classic cars meet-up in Morges in October that pulled in thousands of fans of beautiful automobiles, bringing to 61 the number of images from the event (Jared Bloch is the photographer of the first batch).
GenevaLunch now has 91 photo albums with images by some 20 photographers that show many views of life in the Lake Geneva region.
Open days at wineries give consumers a chance to discover some of Switzerland's unusual wines, such as this rare Roussanne, a cousin of the Marsanne grape made famous by France's Hermitage wines (Christian Crittin, La Pleine Lune, St-Pierre-de-Clages, Valais)
Lausanne, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Switzerland’s new wines season kicked off seriously last weekend with the fourth annual Valais wine Open Days 12-15 May, which pulled in 22,000 people to 179 cellars, say the organizers, Vins du Valais.
The crowds came despite cold, wet weather that put a damper on villages’ plans for outdoor entertainment and wines served under sunny skies.
This weekend it is the turn of canton Vaud, which has more than 300 wineries participating in its Open Days 21-22 May.
Maps of the region with details and lists of cellars are a good starting point for anyone planning to visit. Vaud’s cellars, more spread out than those in Geneva, have offered limited transport options in the past, but several groups of wine villages are organizing shuttle buses (check out regional sub-menus on the “transport” tab) this year.
Swiss Germans are expected en masse, since the bulk of wines from Vaud end up in German-speaking areas. Geneva, the third largest wine producing canton, holds its Open Days the following Saturday 29 May.
Canadian company Bombardier CHF1.86 billion train deal creates Vaud jobs, will ease passenger crunch
New CFF InterCity trains, scheduled for 2013 Geneva-Zurich
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The good news is that train travel in Switzerland is about to get better, but the bad news is that it won’t happen fast enough to suit many impatient Swiss, who travel on average 2,422 km a year by train, making them the world leaders in train use.
The CFF Swiss rail company has just bought 59 new trains with the first rollout in 2013. The purchase of 36,000 new train seats is just a start: in the next 20 years the CFF will need to replace 120,000 seats and add an additional 60,000 because of growing passenger demand and new lines.
Bombardier, a Canadian company, fought off Siemens and Stadler Rail to get a CHF1.9 billion contract with the CFF to supply 59 new double-decker trains. The contract could lead to the purchase at a later date of an additional 100 trains, for a total package worth close to CHF6b.
Passengers to see tangible benefits
For travelers, the new cars will offer a number of advantages: electric plugs and Internet for all passengers, the cars at the front and back of the train will have extra doors, to speed up passsenger movement, first and second class will be completely separated, not the case with at least one of the other offers, according to Le Temps.
The trains will carry 1,300 instead of the 1,100 currently handled by InterCity trains. The extra 200 passengers will be accommodated even with more comfortable stairs which will have a different shape to those in today’s trains, but the seats will have the same space and distance as in the IC2000 trains currently running.
Morges, Vaud, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – A 20-year-old became the third person in four days to die on roads in canton Vaud when he lost control of his motorcycle Tuesday morning 20 April and crashed into a telephone pole. He died at the scene, shortly after the accident at 08:30, between Reverolle and Vaux-sur-Morges. Police investigating the accident say he was traveling too fast on a road with gravel.
by Peter Brodbeck and Ellen Wallace
Chateau d'Oex 2010 (photo: ©2010 Peter Brodbeck)
Richard Ashford, Emma Hurst, Chateau d'Oex 2010 (photo: ©2010 Peter Brodbeck)
Collection of photos from the Chateau d’Oex balloon festival, GenevaLunch album by Peter Brodbeck and Josh Fassbind
Chateau d’Oex, Vaud, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – A sky filled with colourful giant hot-air balloons against a backdrop of wintry Swiss Alpine peaks is “simply magical”, says balloonist Richard Ashford. It can be improved on only by being in one of the balloons, at the height, so to speak, of the party.
Ashford, when asked about his favourite ballooning moments, says, “If I had to narrow the choice, I’d say flying over mountain tops on a sunny day with a 360-degree view is hard to beat. The silence is amazing, aside from the occasional burn to keep the balloon at a certain height, and everything below looks like a toy town.”
The Chateau d’Oex Balloon Festival
Richard Ashford and Emma Hurst are British, the pilot/owner and co-pilot of one of the balloons that participated in the 2010 Chateau d’Oex balloon event, which ended Sunday 31 January. They say there is nothing quite like it. “Chateau-d’Oex is a special event. The whole town is behind ballooning. It has the balloon museum with the Breitling Orbiter, shops hang model balloons in their stores and everyone and everything is about ballooning.” And, for the scores of balloonists, enthusiasts and the public, “there is also a whole night scene happening with parties and events and street music. It is very well organized and attracts the best from around the world.”
Chateau d'Oex 2010 (photo: ©2010 Josh Fassbind)
Balloonists who travel the world attending events like this tend to find old friends. “Yes, ballooning is relatively small, but it is part of the fun of the sport. We generally know each other and it is through this network that we often get invited to different events.” It is a very social sport, he adds. “We are a close-knit circle of enthusiasts worldwide, which creates a level of camaraderie. We’re like a big family, and this in itself makes it all worthwhile.”
Ashford says he has been ballooning for about 20 years. “It all started by chance when I unexpectedly came across a balloon landing in a field. I went to the balloon, helped the owner, and was immediately hooked.
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Unemployment benefits in canton Vaud for jobless workers over age 30 will be extended from 400 to 520 days in canton Vaud, from 1 December 2009 to 31 May 2010, the federal goverenment announced Wednesday morning 11 November. The relatively high unemployment rate in the canton and the risk of long-term unemployment for older workers, coupled with a rate over 5 percent for six months has prompted Bern to step in. The canton will pay 20 percent of the cost.
The view from Vaud
Lausanne, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The Vaud cantonal government said 27 October that it projects annual budget deficits of between CHF70 million to CHF360 million over the four years from 2011-2014, the result of its periodic review of cantonal finances. In part, it says, the revision is a reflection of the economic crisis that affects everyone.
Switzerland’s GDP is expected to rise only 0.4 percent in 2010. In Vaud, tax receipts are projected to rise an average of 1.5 percent annually for the foreseeable future, less than expected earlier. Unemployment is sure to rise, further straining the canton’s finances. The deficit is expected to rise by CHF1.8 billion until 2014 with an attendant interest service cost of CHF95m.
Title: Guided tour through the Salt valley
Location: Bex, Vaud
Link out: Click here
Description: A 3.5-hour guided hike to discover the “salt of life” trail in Canton Vaud.
Date: 26 Sep 2009
Lausanne, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Police in canton Vaud late Saturday nabbed a biker whose souped-up Honda CBR600 was going 200 kph in an 80 zone on the cantonal road between Senarclens and Cossonay. His license was immediately confiscated and he is being charged with several offenses, including illegally modifying his bike and going 115 kph over the speed limit after the 5 kph margin of error was allowed.
No smoking in Vaud starts 15 September
Lausanne, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Canton Vaud’s smokers will have to find somewhere else to smoke starting 15 September, when smoking in closed public places becomes illegal. Olivier Français, Lausanne city council’s “Mr. Clean”, anticipates that a lot of smokers are going to smoke outside and throw their cigarette butts on the ground. Starting today 28 August, a dozen public information officers will patrol the city streets in a campaign against littering in public. The campaign runs until 13 September.
Français wants to distribute up to 5,000 pocket ashtrays donated by Lausanne-based British American Tobacco, (BAT) to the city’s smokers. One thousand of these ashtrays with the logo of canton Vaud will be distributed in city offices. The rest will be given away to passers-by on two days yet to be announced.
François’ office will place 200 new fixed public ashtrays around town as well.
Related: 24Heures
Title: Discover the castles in Canton Vaud
Location: Canton Vaud
Link out: Click here
Description: A two-day extravaganza. Buy one ticket and visit one or the eleven castles open to the public in Canton Vaud: Prangins, Aigle, Chillon, Oron, Coppet, Nyon, Morges Moudon, La Sarraz, Yverdon and Grandson.
Start Date: 29 Aug 2009
End Date: 30 Aug 2009
Title: MetroPop music festival
Location: Lausanne, Vaud
Link out: Click here
Description: Swiss-made music and Swiss alternative groups
Start Date: 06 Nov 2008
End Date: 09 Nov 2008
Title: Children’s used clothing sale
Location: Sous-gare, Lausanne
Link out: Click here
Description: Children clothing sale, exhibits and more.
Date: 01 Nov 2008
Lausanne, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Attention passengers: it is time to get on board. As of Monday 27 October, Lausanne will officially become the world’s smallest city with a metro system.
All about indoor and outdoor swimming pools in Lausanne, Vevey, Montreux and canton Vaud in general. Document is in French.
