The free guided walks of Geneva

GENEVA, Switzerland – Get moving on Sundays thanks to GenèveRando, which with the financial support of the city of Geneva, organizes 2-3 hour walks to discover the city.

Fourteen  guided walks are offered every third Sunday of the month, free of charge from April to October 2012.

This Sunday 20 May there are two great walks:

Architecture and Urbanism in Geneva during Rousseau’s era. A time when the city was experiencing an architectural revival of great public buildings and patrician houses. It starts at 10:00. Head to the Molard Tower and meet the group there. The walk ends at around noon at the Promenade Saint-Antoine.

From Parks to Gardens. The tour departs at 14:30 from the parking lot of the magnificent Penthes Castle (Ch. de l’Impératrice 18) and ends at 17:00 in Petit-Saconnex.

For more information contact: dimancheapied@geneverando.ch, visit the Dimanche a pied website, or call +41 (0)76 224 8407. The next tour is in June.

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The Auffahrtsumritt, which celebrates Ascension Day in Switzerland - Photo ©Auffahrtsumritt Beromünster

Switzerland – Most residents of Switzerland are enjoying a Thursday off; for many this is the beginning of a four-day weekend courtesy of an ancient Christian tradition: Ascension Day.

In Christian faith, Ascension Day, or the Feast of the Ascension, celebrates the day when the resurrected Jesus went up to heaven, 40 days after Easter Sunday.

Ascension is a recognized Federal holiday in Switzerland and one of several with religious connotations.

What is particular about this holiday is that it is recognized by both Catholic Church and Protestant Reformed Church cantons.

The most colorful celebration takes place in the German-speaking part of Switzerland.

It is known as the Auffahrtsumritt in German and Cavalcade de l’Ascension in French, a procession on foot and horse through the streets of Beromünster in canton Lucerne.

The tradition dates to 1509 (or 1402 according to other accounts), when, according to its organizers, people used to pray for the good health of the crops, for happiness and the welfare of the family and home.

In 1780 the number of participants, mostly on horses, increased, and it became a popular celebration in the country.

Happy day off and Happy Father’s Day (today is not only Ascension Day in Germany but also Father’s Day.)

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Swimming in Lake Annecy in neighboring France

ANNECY, FRANCE – Kayaking, sailing, rowing, climbing, orienteering, mountain biking and exploring the beautiful outdoors are some of the summer sports activities offered for free by the city of Annecy in neighboring France.

450 spots are offered, primarily for Annecy kids, and to other children willing to engage in fitness activities this summer.

Outings are offered to children aged 5 to 14.

Find all the information for a fun, outdoor summer here.

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La ville est a vous or Geneva neighborhood flea markets and outdoor parties return for twelve weekends between May and September 2012

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – To the delight of many Geneva residents the  popular neighborhoods flea markets / public outdoor parties return.

The La Ville est à vous, also known as the city’s Fêtes de rues, is an event for citizens to “take back the streets,” using the public space for their enjoyment.

For its ninth edition, the city, through neighborhood associations, organizes 12 street fairs between May and September.

The fairs offer outdoor concerts, art performances, food stalls, a flea market in designated streets, and outdoor ludotheques or children’s play areas.

Anyone can set up shop on the streets and sell everything from bicycle parts to clothes you no longer fancy.

Those wanting to set up a stand can do so by showing up early and setting up within the established boundaries; street space is free and set-up is done on a first-come, first-served basis. In 2011 some vendors started showing up as early as 6:00am! Only non-professionals are authorized to sell.

If you are interested in selling food, you must attend one of the neighborhood meetings in order to register. Food sales permits are free, but you are required to use biodegradable plates and utensils and must attend a free orientation meeting provided by the Geneva Health Department.

The Paquis neighborhood flea market known as La rue est à vous – which was the godmother of these city-sponsored neighborhood fairs and ended abruptly in 2010 – joins the La ville est à vous in 2012, but on a much smaller scale.

Organizers no longer post access maps for each of the festivities; therefore, you’ll have to visit each of the neighborhood association websites for further information, or in some cases email organizers directly.

I have compiled the following list to ease your search for fun.

The 2012 list

• Petit-Saconnex: 5-6 May, Association des habitants des quartiers de Petit-Saconnex et Genets, apegenets@gapp.ch
• Sécheron: 12 May 2012, La Nouvelle Association des habitants de Prieure-Sécheron, fabienneuddegard@bluewin.ch
• Grottes: 19-20 May 2012, Pré-en-Bulle, info@preenbulle.ch
• Plainpalais: 2-3 June 2012, Maison de quartier de Plainpalais, mq.plainpalais@fase.ch
• Saint-Jean: 9-10 June 2012, Association Saint-Jean en fête, contact@saintjeanenfetes.org
• Eaux-Vives: 16-17 June 2012, Ô vive à vous, cr.lasource@fase.ch
• Concorde: 25 August 2012, Association des habitants du quartier de la concorde, info@ahqc.ch
• Jonction: 1-2 September 2012, Association KAPOUPAKAP
• Charmilles-Europe: 8-9 September 2012, Association Sportive des Charmilles, charmilles2009@hotmail.com
• Champel: 15 September 2012, Maison quartier de Champel, mq.champel@fase.ch
• Coulouvrenière: 22-23 September 2012, hrsalvador@yahoo.fr
• Pâquis: 29-30 September 2012, Les Pâquis sont à la rue

Here’s one more idea for what to do on those lonely Sundays in Geneva.

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Swinging in the outdoors

Just visit the Events page of GenevaLunch where I have posted an eclectic collection of what-to-do-on-Sundays, from antique fairs and flea markets to hiking and Nordic walking.

I hope you enjoy the list and happy Sunday everyone!

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Sonisphere in Switzerland will gather some of the heavy metal icons in one place

YVERDON-LES-BAINS, SWITZERLAND – Enter Sandman may be the best known heavy metal anthem in the world and now almost 21 years after its release it will be played live in Switzerland, courtesy of the itinerant one-day rock fest Sonisphere.

For the first time since the festival started touring Switzerland three years ago, it will stop in Suisse romande, at Yverdon-les-Bains.

The festival will be bringing along a litany of heavy metal / thrash revival from the 70s and 80s such as Slayer and Motörhead. The two groups along with Mastodon – a more recently formed heavy metal band from the US – will accompany the 2009 Rock’n'Roll Hall of Fame inductees.

This concert is an opportunity to see two of the so-called “big four” thrash metal bands of all time, Metallica and Slayer, in one place.

French metal veterans, Gojira, and Switzerland’s own heavies, Eluveitie will open up the show on 30 May in Yverdon.

Evanescence, Faith No More, The Offspring and Sound Garden will be playing with Metallica in other Sonisphere festivals in Europe.

This is just one of the many revivals planned for this Summer in Switzerland. Paléo and Montreux Jazz Festival have also announced performances by music icons Bob Dylan and Sting.

If you have forgotten how to growl, start practicing now with “Jude Law The Growler” tutorial on You tube.

Rock on!

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The pair, picked by the Swiss tourism department to be featured in diverse locales all over the country, let it all hangout at the Bains de Paquis, and visited some of the most famous Geneva landscapes (albeit they missed the Jet d’Eau and the Broken Chair).

I love Sebi and Paul, but don’t you think the producers got a little carried away trying to show the “fast ‘n furious” side of Geneva? Say, Chinese take-out and Tattoo parlors open after hours?

Still, it does the heart good to see a couple of – country mice going to “Sin City” – or better yet, Swiss woodchucks shopping for négligés at… Globus? Either way I’m a fan. And you?

Sebi and Paul do Geneva

Click here to view the embedded video.

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Brad Pitt, Geneva resident Kofin Annan, his wife and Angelina Jolie in the WEF in Davos, Switzerland in 2006 - UN Photo

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Being the Geneva scout I have become, I was delighted to find a connection to Angelina Jolie’s engagement ring: the jeweler Robert Procop, a Beverly Hills-Geneva designer who specializes in custom jewels made with conflict-free diamonds.

Procop’s Creative Studio may be in Beverly Hills but it is in the “gemstone laboratory and workshop” in the heart of Geneva where, according to the jeweler, “truly magnificent works of art” are fabricated. Procop sales team say the skills and expertise of master craftsmen in Geneva, “long celebrated for their impeccably made luxury goods and unwavering attention to detail,” are responsible for distributing gems to their offices, workshops and trade members across the globe.

The jeweler was not a random choice for the Pitt-Jolie combo as he not only “unequivocally” supports Jolie’s charitable efforts to help children by producing Jolie’s jewelry line (earnings go to charity), but also provides diamond buyers, in this case Pitt, with the assurance that the diamonds they purchase “are not conflict diamonds”.

The gem dealer asserts that he deals “exclusively with countries that are members of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme. [...] Which don’t fund political insurgents, government rebellions, war, or in any other way fund any activity that perpetuates human rights abuses.”

Getting yourself a conflict-free diamond, cutting it to your specifications and having input on designing your own jewel, might not be a movie-stars-only privilege.

Procop says clients can specify the desired cut according to quality and price.

“The creative process is fully recorded in a portfolio, which includes the original design artwork, fabrication details, and testimony of the master craftsman involved in the creation of each treasure, as well as all accompanying gemological certifications and photographs.”

Congratulations then, to the newly appointed Special Envoy for Geneva-based UNCHR and her fiancé on their engagement, and on their clean diamond choice.

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The Assiette Genevoise restaurant discount card is a good deal for those who like to dine out often and explore new restaurants

GENEVA, Switzerland – In addition to the many group deals in the area (GroupOn, BuyClub, etc.), there is a way to pay less when eating out: buying a restaurant discount card.

The Assiette Genevoise, for example, is a two-eat-for-the-price-of-one card that can be used at more than 100 participating restaurants in the canton and in neighboring France, for one year.

The formula is simple: call ahead to reserve, present the card and pay only 50% of your food bill. The discount is made based on a party of two diners having a “main dish”; drinks are not included in the discount.

If that is not incentive enough, consider that the card is not marked with a name, thus family and friends can use it as well.

Discount cards around Lake Geneva

• In Canton Geneva: the Assiette Genevoise (see above),  gives you access to restaurants throughout the canton and a few in neighbouring France
• In Canton Vaud: La Clé Lausannoise, gives you access to 81 restaurants in Lausanne, Nyon, neighboring France, Aigle and Montreux among others
• In Canton Bern: La Clé Bernoise, 55 restaurants; in addition to Bern, it gives you access to restaurants in Bienne, Lausanne, Romond, Seeland, etc.
• In Canton Fribourg: La Clé Fribourgeoise, offers discounts in 34 restaurants including some in the Lake Morat region

All restaurants require you to phone ahead to reserve; some restaurants allow up to two cards per table if there are four or more diners.

Bon appétit!

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Human Rights and Alliance of Civilizations Room at the UN features a ceiling decorated by Catalan Miquel Barceló - Photo UNIS Jean-Marc Ferré

The tour also includes seeing fine artwork on display at the Palais, including the large fresco by José Maria Sert in the Council Chamber and Miquel Barceló’s ceiling in the Human Rights and Alliance of Civilisations Room.

Additional details and info on the architectural tour can be found under the city’s guide to International Geneva.

The UN also offers seasonal guided tours of its pristine gardens. Click here to read more.

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