Today we were going to Sigulda, a tourist must see town, about an hours mini-bus ride away from the city.  It was still raining when we woke up, which was a disappointment but after breakfast we all set off nicely refreshed after a good nights sleep.

The mini-bus driver worried us a little.  He was a big sinister looking man who barely spoke a word and looked for sure as though he was an unemployed ex KGB agent.  Right from the start this wasn’t the most straightforward journey that I have ever taken and it was punctuated by a number of disorganised stops along the way.  First at a supermarket to buy umbrellas that we didn’t really need and then later at a café for a drink, where we all disembarked and went inside only to be told that they were expecting another tour bus and that they couldn’t possibly accommodate us as well.  Turning away fee-paying customers didn’t seem to make good business sense to me but they were adamant that there was no room at the inn and we had to continue our journey without refreshments.  The next stop was to meet our tour guide for the day but there was a mix up over the meeting point that involved a further fifteen minutes delay waiting in a worn out little town that still had a communist hangover with depressing buildings and melancholy people and an overbearing drabness that was exaggerated even more by the dreary weather.

After the guide arrived we set off again but even the driver had had enough by now of all the messing about and his patience finally snapped when he was held up in a queue at a level crossing that had brought the traffic to a torpid standstill.  He reacted to our lack of progress by swerving violently out of the line of traffic and driving frenziedly in a bid to push his way to the front; in doing so completely disregarding the flow of oncoming cars, who one by one had to take dramatic evasive action to avoid head on collision.  I have observed that what I call taxi driver red mist can occur spontaneously anywhere and at any time and can result in one of two normal bodily reactions, either in a having a really good laugh about it or alternatively shitting in your pants; this particular demonstration of driving madness was somewhere in the middle!  Kim cried out “Holy Shit!” at the top of her voice but she retained control of her bowels and managed to force out a little nervous chuckle!  I concluded that in a previous existence, not too long ago, he had probably driven a tank for the Russian Red Army.

It has to be said that driving in Latvia is quite unlike what we are used to in the United Kingdom and it seems to me that Latvian drivers are beginning to challenge the Italians for the title of ‘Crazy drivers of Europe’.  Most of the cars on the road have seen much better days and seem to be curiously lacking in some components that we would consider essential safety features, such as indicators, safety belts and rear view mirrors for example.  Add this driver disregard to basic road safety to the appalling state of some of the roads and being on the streets in Latvia becomes a lesson in basic survival.

We arrived finally at Sigulda in the Gauja National Park, a heavily wooded area of outstanding natural beauty and not unsurprisingly because of its Alpine nature called ‘Little Switzerland’.  Everywhere it seems just has to have a ‘Little Switzerland’. In 1992, the Swiss Tourism Federation counted more than one hundred and ninety places around the world that had adopted this tag.  I have discovered at least five in England, in Devon, Derbyshire and Shropshire, all of which I might be able to agree with, but I am sceptical about the River Humber just outside of Hull and the Little Switzerland Caravan and Camping site at Folkestone, Kent.  If I was simply to put a cuckoo clock in my house that would probably entitle me to call it “Little Switzerland” too. 

We went first to the thirteenth century castle that lay in ruins next to a nineteenth century New Castle which was really more of a country house but which had a friendly restaurant where we sheltered from the rain and had a most enjoyable and inexpensive lunch.  Afterwards we walked around the castle under our umbrellas and then as the rain thankfully began to ease off we made our way to a cable car station to take a ride across the Gauja Valley and the river a long way below.  This was well worth the trip, the river was in full flow from the heavy rains and the wooded mountain sides where every imaginable shade of glorious green, we all enjoyed this, except for Nick who suffers from vertigo and who clung on grimly to a handrail all the way across.  The views were spectacular and once across the other side we were entertained by a pair of storks constructing a nest in an improbable location on the top of a water tower.

Snowboard in the Alps? Sounds fabulous, right? hmmm….

On an early Saturday, a few of us students gathered to snowboard 10 minutes away from the school. Someone like me, who has never touched a snowboard before, thought it was absolutely exciting to snowboard up in the Alps. So I got all my gears – bought a few things, rented a few things, borrowed a few things, somehow managed to put myself together.

So, we got up there. Then, I realized it is a red slope that I am going on to. hmm….I didn’t know different types of slopes. But the word red sounds…dangerous. Everyone knew how to snowboard but me. I got up there, thought it was still kind of exciting. Strapped my feet on the snowboard, got up the lift, here I come. A friend tried to teach me how to start, and it took me TWO hours to get downhill. I fell, I got up, gosh it was so exhausting.

So we went and grabbed some lunch and rested for a while. Everyone else went back up and I decided to sit at the restaurant so everyone could enjoy themselves and not watch me fall every two seconds. Last round, I figured I would try one more time before I ever snowboard again.

Here is when the story gets embarrassing. Since it took me SO freaking long to go five steps, I fell and got up and fell and got up. I had no idea about the time. I was up there for a while and when I was maybe an-eighth through, I was ready to be done. But an-eighth through, I couldn’t go back up and I couldn’t get down because of how skillful I was – here comes the guy who was making sure everyone was out of the slope and the place needed to close. I wondered how the heck I was going to get down that fat slope. It was getting dark. The guy had to watch me go all the way down and a couple of my friends was with me. Everyone waited here and there to watch me snowboard like a turtle. It took me SO LONG to finally go down the freaking hill. I sled a bit, I walked a bit, whatever it took for me to be out of that slope. Two of our friends were waiting at the train station for us to go back home. Of course, everyone laughed at my snowboarding skill that day. And man, I was sore that night. All I wanted was to pass out in my bed and not be cold.

Here is me acting like I know what I was doing

By the way, I almost lost my camera too…yeeaaa…didn’t know pocket zippers are supposed to be zipped up.

Here is me two seconds later next to that pole.

Another one of me falling. One out of the 1000 times I fell.

At the end of the day though, it was SO fun. One of the memorable stories about traveling and studying abroad. You can laugh all you want, it is no doubt one of the more embarrassing and funny stories I will remember forever. But hey, who can say they snowboard first time ever on the Swiss Alps?

Group photo: YES 2009 Culture Night. Photo by Dana Guzman.

It’s been two weeks, two days since I left Braunwald, the kitschy little hotel, and of course, my fellow YES mates. I think there were 38 students representing 25 countries, and it was such a treat to learn about other places and spaces directly from the people who live there. There are 24 countries at the top of my “to visit” list; I just have to find a way to get to every one!

Of all the students, I was one of four representing a developed nation (we had one other Canadian, and one participant each from Denmark and Japan), and boy, did I feel like a schmuck during the presentations. It’s not that anyone was pointing a figure at me or smacking my wrist, but it’s plain that Western lifestyles and industries have altered and continue to abuse our global environment, creating hardships for those who contribute the least to climate change. As Canadians, we enjoy a positive stereotype worldwide on most counts, if only for the fact that we are not American. It’s easy to brush the blame onto our neighbours to the south who are so obviously at the centre of the cause of the climate change crisis. But numbers don’t lie, and Canada is listed seventh in terms of carbon dioxide emissions by country (data from 2007; click here to view the spreadsheet). That makes us worse than the United Kingdom, and they have two times the number of people. Not only that, but our per capita emission rate is 18.81 metric tons, just behind the USA at 19.78 metric tons (2006 data; click here to view the spreadsheet). In comparison, Switzerland’s per capita figure is 6.06 metric tons. I find the difference embarrassing.

It’s not all bad, though (just mostly): in that same spreadsheet, you can see that Canada reduced its carbon emissions by 1.6% from 2006-2007. On a more local level, my hometown of Toronto received the Pollution Prevention Award this year, and has pledged to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050. Within the province, the Ontario government supports local farmers, and as a nation, Canada is the birthplace of David Suzuki. There is no reason for us not to be a world leader in the sustainability race, fostering change for not only ourselves, but for the global community. As for our international esteem, I think we can and should bank on action, rather than reputation alone.

Speaking of international, lets switch back to Braunwald while going global. On November 2, we had our YES Cultural Night, which consisted of photos, music, and of course, food! Here is my amalgamation of favourite shots from the night.

Team Canada: Maple cookies and maple syrup. Missing: Bacon, beer.

Mexico's "Day of the Dead" display. Photo by Dana Guzman.

Beautiful textiles. From L to R: Nepal, Egypt, Bangladesh. Photo by Dana Guzman.

More maple! Vivek (Nepal), Ashley (Canada), and myself. Photo by Anna Gawlikowska.

Enjoying some Amarula with the South Africans: Katherine, Anri, and Pieter. Photo by Anna Gawlikowska.

Nicola, Filipina and Roomie Extraordinaire; Sandrita my Hermanita; Anubha! Photo by Nicola Berbano.

Kenyan Twist: grooving with Joshua. Photo by Nicola Berbano.

Air guitar. Bryan Adams. Summer of '69. Sweet. From L to R: Vivek, Kath, Aditya (India), myself, and Anubhav (India). Photo by Ahu Alayna.

A note about the photographers: Dana Guzman is the co-founder of Dédalo, a company that represents and promotes high-end, handmade materials from Latin America. Anna Gawlikowska is the founder of Being World, a foundation that seeks to unite the global community in an effort to confront sustainability issues. Please visit their sites to learn more about their efforts!

The Irish Government has just released a report by a Commission of Inquiry into the response of the Church and State to abuse carried out in the Roman Catholic Church’s Archdiocese of Dublin between 1975 and 2004. 

The report makes clear, as Irish Justice Minister Dermot Ahern highlighted at a press conference to launch the report, that in many cases action wasn’t taken against the abusers out of deference to their role as priests. 

At the press conference, Dermot Ahern, said: “The persons who committed these dreadful crimes will be pursued and punished.”  He went on: “justice, even where it may be delayed, will not be denied”; and he added: “a collar will protect no criminal.”

Justice, it seems, is finally coming for the many innocent victims of this scandal.

In 1978, a 13-year-old girl was drugged, plied with alcohol and buggered by a respected much older man.  The abuser admitted his crime but fled the jurisdiction before he could be sentenced.  The abuser has never expressed regret or contrition for the abuse and has spent the past 31 years fighting extradiction and justice.

The abuser in this case is the film director Roman Polanski.  He too is subject to deference and respect which has led to a whole range of people from the actress Whoopi Goldberg to the French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner defending him. 

After he was arrested by Swiss authorities acting on a US arrest warrant, Hollywood greats circulated a petition calling on his immediate release.  Stars such as Woody Allen, Asia Argento, Martin Scorcese, and Tilda Swinton are amongst the signatories, according to Associated Content.

Now, what if Roman Polanski wasn’t a talented multi-award-winning film producer but a Roman Catholic Priest?

Would Father Polanski receive as much public support?

Polanski has spent the past 31 years, effectively on the run.  In two weeks time the Swiss justice system will decide whether or not he will be extradited to America. 

And yet he is now set to spend those two weeks on bail – staying in a house close to the French Border.  I’m no expert on the Swiss legal system; but in the UK you generally can’t expect to be released on bail if you’ve already fled justice and have spent 31 years on the run.  You are considered a flight risk.

To prevent him fleeing, the Swiss court which granted bail has seized his passport.  That might be useful in a place like Britain, which, unless you have access to your own boat, you can’t easily leave without passing through passport control.  The Swiss borders, however, allow you to drive through with only random vehicles being pulled over for further checks.

Should he be minded to do so, he would easily be able to drive to France where the French government will happily supply him with a fresh new passport and protect him from further extradition claims.

The protection of Catholic Priests who abused children and the cover-up of their crimes was wrong.

The protection of Roman Polanski who abused a child and the celebration of his crime is also wrong.

A Swiss court granted Roman Polanski bail on Wednesday, accepting $4.5 million to allow him to remain under house arrest at his chalet.

The director will stay in prison for up to 10 days while the Swiss government decides whether to appeal.

Source:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091125/ap_on_en_mo/eu_switzerland_polanski

…to go even further:

A ban on the construction of minarets would breach Switzerland’s obligations to uphold freedom of religion, Amnesty International said ahead of a referendum on Sunday 29 November on a constitutional amendment on the issue.

The proposal, which was initiated by members of two Swiss parties, will ask Swiss voters if they wish to add the sentence ‘The construction of minarets is forbidden’ to Article 72 of the Constitution.

The initiators of the referendum claim that the construction of minarets is not protected by the freedom of religion as they have ‘no religious significance’. They assert that minarets are ’symbols of a religious-political claim to power and dominance which threatens – in the name of alleged freedom of religion – the constitutional rights of others.‘ [Source]

Doesn’t it just make you want to howl over your midday coffee?

Minarets are not only gorgeous, but of utmost religious significance.

Personally, I adore the call to prayer – but even if the call is not issued from its dizzying heights (as I think the case is in certain mosques, such as Edinburgh, above), they are utterly arresting structures to linger one’s eyes upon.

Tsk, tsk, Switzerland.

I expected so much more from you, oh country of neutrality and tolerance.

My Swiss grandfather taught me the art of wine. For him the countryside, the vineyard side, the grapes and barrels, the talkativeness of the land, the dependency on the weather conditions, the picking and piling, the colors and aromas, the sitting around the table with crystal glasses and spittoons, the taking notes based on the year, the dust on old bottles…all of the above was life and…love. He was the equivalent of Shakespeare, only instead of prose, his master land was the wine.

He joined the eternal kingdom of the heavens not very long ago, but his wine spirit, is always -quite loudly- with us on the family table reminding us to ‘hold the wine glass properly’, to ‘let the wine breathe first’, to ‘always smell first’, to ‘ah, the strawberries in this one’ or ‘the vanilla scents on that’.

He and I have always had a special relationship, one that went beyond wine and feelings, but one that definitely revolved around them. On my 22nd birthday, his gift to me was a registration to an advanced Sommelier’s course in Bordeaux. I had to combine my regular Master’s courses with this intense series of mind-blowing, nose-experimenting, tongue-advancing courses on the wine-making, the wine-tasting and the wine-drinking.

It took all that I had not to hate him for all the excess hours on the train, the sleepless nights and weekends, the pressure, the sneezing, the hanging around snobbish wine masters, but all of that…would dissolve instantly, as soon as I’d find myself walking down the ‘aisles’ of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot.

Today is Thanksgiving – a very important celebration for every American around the world. Had I been back in New York, I would be probably joining my aunt and her family into tasting the turkey, the stuffing, the cranberry sauce etc. Here, in Greece, none of the above will occur today: today is just like any other Thursday. I somehow wish I was in New York -or Texas, that’s where Phillip, my aunt’s husband is from- and where I spent my first Thanksgiving a couple of years ago. I will never forget that day: not only because I, then, bought my first original cowboy hat (yeap, I was one of those kids that grew up watching the All-American movies, daydreaming of walking into a remote diner, sitting on the bar, and telling the fat lady who’ll be pouring me some black coffee by then ‘you know, scrambled eggs an’ all’) but mainly because of the mixture of antithetic tastes in my mouth: salty and sweet, sour and creamy, bitter and inexplicably desserty.

As my heart today will be with Phillip’s mum -who warned Phillip back then that I should have been her son, and that he should do everything within his powers to always feed me because I was too skinny for Texan standards- it will also be with my beloved grandparents and my memories of their home in Geneva.

My grandfather was the person who taught me how to properly sit on the table, how to cross the utensils as I continue my meal, how to hold the glass and set up the dinner table, how to greet a woman, how to get the door for her, how to pull the chair for her to sit, how to treat her like a delicate rose with occasional thorns that are “only there to remind you with occasional pains just how much you love her”, the ’savoir-vivre’ at its extreme.

I miss him terribly, but I sit bits and pieces of him in Natalie, my father, little Marie, even myself. Even with his passing, he’s brought me closer to my best friend. And the months that followed his death, there were a zillion times I wish I could spend just one more night in his study, with him, talking about my fears and concerns with him, while sipping a 1989 Merlot from his Eurocave cabinet.

So this being the second Thursday of our Lists conquest, and this being Thanksgiving, when all Americans will be sitting around the table, enjoying their huge meal and being thankful for all they’ve been given, and all that they love, I cannot help but to want to dedicate my second list, to the man who’s taught me so much and still does.

List II: Let’s Talk About Wine. Don’t run away just yet: this is not a list that just addresses the experts. My grandfather’s golden rule was that Wine is for everyone- super nose, normal nose or no nose- wine is to be enjoyed by every single person on the planet. As a graduate student in Paris, I used to work to two different wine bars, as their wine expert- and although no French person can ever claim ignorance when it came to wine, often times people (especially women) would be very concerned with appearing too illiterate in its tasting. I would always tell them that wine is yours, just like your heart is yours. It tastes what you want it to taste. If you’re happy, it’s happy, if you’re sad, it’s sad and so on and so forth.

There are numerous fine wines around the world (I need to admit that with the years, the Italian wine became my favorite one in contrast to the French varieties) but what makes a wine bottle a masterpiece, is the moment in which you drink it: the person you share it with, the decision you just made about your job or your relationship, the landscape in which you are, the country you are traveling to, the mood on the table, the moment while you are writing your book, while talking to your lover on the phone, while staring into his eyes, while you’re about to propose, while you’re writing the longest letter you’ll never send, while you’re sitting vis-a-vis your grandfather, dressed in a white t-shirt and a pair of navy pants and a bow-tie in your little neck pretending to be the waiter of your ‘La Maison De Junior” restaurant (that sadly only served potato chips, cheese, ice-cream and berries.)

If you had to make a list of the world’s finest beverages (wine or no wine, it’s up to you) of those moments you’ll never forget for reasons that are purely your own…what would it be? What year would your beverage have? What color? What would its origin be? What would be its quality? What glass would you drink it in? Would you decant it? Where would you be drinking it in an ideal scenario and with whom? And would it be accompanied by food or not? And most importantly…what would you three (you, him/her and the wine) be talking about?

Fabricate your own wine- just tell us why…

[This list shall run from today, Thursday November 26, 2009  for a week]

]]> http://gamingzion.wordpress.com/2009/11/26/online-gambling-laws-in-switzerland/ Thu, 26 Nov 2009 09:23:30 +0000 gamingzion http://gamingzion.wordpress.com/2009/11/26/online-gambling-laws-in-switzerland/

Online gambling in Switzerland is not as fortunate. It is currently prohibited by the Swiss government, but at the same time, there is no legislation in place to enforce the prohibition, so it happens anyway. Millions of euros are spent on internet gambling every year in Switzerland. The government does not seem concerned, and there is nothing in the books to change the ban in either direction.

Swiss players must use foreign online gambling sites to play. There are many large internet gambling websites offered in German, French, and Italian that Swiss players can use. The government of Switzerland does not block sites, and Swiss banks usually don’t have any problems moving funds to and from online casinos or other gambling accounts. Read more…

]]> http://noomloso.wordpress.com/2009/11/26/switzerlang-2/ Thu, 26 Nov 2009 03:58:07 +0000 noomloso http://noomloso.wordpress.com/2009/11/26/switzerlang-2/

ภาพยังมีอีกเยอะ เลยเสียดายถ้าไม่เก็บไว้ สวยๆเยอะดี อยากไปเที่ยวบ้าง ได้แค่ฝันอ่ะ เศร้า

]]> http://freemetalalbums.wordpress.com/2009/11/26/female-nose-breaker-promo-2009/ Thu, 26 Nov 2009 00:39:06 +0000 Free Metal Albums http://freemetalalbums.wordpress.com/2009/11/26/female-nose-breaker-promo-2009/

Format: Demo
Year: 2009
Label: Self-released
Country: Switzerland
Genre: Brutal Death Metal
Official Website

01. Omnipotent Sickfuck
02. Sledgehammered to Obedience
03. Female Nose Breaker

Download @ MediaFire
Download @ RapidShare

In case you are thinking of purchasing the new global version of Amazon’s Kindle for Christmas, be aware that there are still quite a few places that the global version will NOT work.  I was disappointed to find that the new version still will not work in my country.

Apparently the new global version will only work in SOME countries.   I thought it would be helpful to most expats to have a complete list of which countries it will, or will not work in (below).

It’s also interesting to note the PATTERN of groups of countries where the Kindle doesn’t work–some countries probably lack satellite coverage or delivery systems, while others probably don’t WANT readers to be able to download whatever they want by satellite.

STARRED (*) countries marked below indicate that Kindle needs to be ordered from a SPECIAL PAGE on the Amazon site.

The Global Kindle version DOES work in (as of Dec. 2009):

Aland Islands, Albania, American Samoa, Andorra, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Aruba, Australia*, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bolivia, Boznia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burundi, Cambodia, Canada, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Falkland Islands, Faroe Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Finland, France, French Guiana, French Polynesia, Gabon, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guatemala, Guernsey, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Holy See, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jersey, Kenya, Kiribati, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, Liberia, Leichtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malta, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mexico, Moldovia, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Montserrat, Mozembique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Niue, Norfolk Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Norway, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Puerto Rico, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Réunion, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Serbia, Seychelles, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka,  Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Virgin Islands – British, Virgin Islands – U.S.,  Wallis and Futuna, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

The Global Kindle version does NOT work in (as of Dec. 2009) the following countries:

Afghanistan, Algeria, Antarctica, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bouvet Island, British Indian Ocean Territory, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chile, Chad, China, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Cuba, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, French Southern Territories, Gambia, Guinea, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Isle of Man, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Korea – Democratic People’s Republic of, Korea – Republic of, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco (including the Western Sahara), New Zealand, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestinian Territories, Pitcairn, Qatar, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Helena, Saint Martin, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Somalia, South Georgia and the Sandwich Islands, Sudan, Svalbard and Jan Mayan, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tokelau, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, United States Minor Outlying Islands, Uzbekistan,  Yemen.

From the New York Times ArtsBeat blog:

A Swiss court on Wednesday granted bail to the filmmaker Roman Polanski, who was being detained as he fights extradition to the United States to face sentencing on child-sex charges.

The Swiss Federal Criminal Court granted Mr. Polanski’s appeal against detention in exchange for 4.5 million Swiss francs, or $4.5 million, together with other guarantees like the surrender of his identity papers to ensure he does not leave the country, the federal tribunal said.

This is a guy who fucked a 13-year-old after giving her a quaalude and then bailed on the sentencing after pleading guilty. And he directed Rosemary’s Baby (what is it with Mia Farrow and creepy short dudes?). We’re not saying the Swiss shouldn’t trust him. We’re just saying there’s a flight/smarmy guy precedent. That’s all.

Legends.

Though I’m sensing a real reason as to why they’re not in the EU…

Yeps, it has been a long time since I last blogged, but please bear with me! It’s been a very busy time!

So first up was a family visit to my brother and Michele (his girlfriend) in Switzerland. My sister and mum flew to London from Malta, and I met up with them at the airport where we took another flight to Friedrischafen in Germany. From the airport we went to Konstanz. With my brother living close by in St Gallen this was one of the places I really wanted to go back to after having done a six week internship there 4 summers ago. Luckily one of the guys from the lab was in town and we could meet up. Great to be back!

That was Saturday (two Saturdays ago). On Sunday we then went to Santis…SNOOOWWWWW! …we didn’t climb but took the gondola up to gorgeous views. After that we travelled on to Apenzell, followed by a visit to the Rheinfall in Schaffhausen. Last I was in the region I never got round to it, so this was high on my list of things I wanted to do. Monday then was a day in Zurich with my mum and sister as brother and his gf had to work/study. Unfortunately all the museums were closed, but we still got a bit of the atmosphere in. Tuesday then we travelled back, from Switzerland going to Austria and then on to Germany around lake Constance, followed by flying to London (yeps…there go your four countries ).

In London then it was my turn to host my sister and mum…AAA…hectic time! We got a number of shopping trips in (yippee!) and a good deal of sight seeing. Mostly I sent them on their own while I went to university to get some work done anyways (though I was on reduced time ). With them on Wednesday night we went to watch Blood Brothers, with Mel C – great show! Was not particularly impressed at first, but as time went I got more and more impressed! WOW!. On Thursday I had tickets for the Ceremony of the Keys at the Tower of London, which is the ceremony where they shut down the tower each night. It is apparently the shortest such ceremony in the world, but hey! I enjoyed it, and you get to get into the Tower for free (though you cannot wander round). Friday night was an evening of rest in preparation for the weekend.

Saturday was a day of markets! When Michael’s parents were here we went to Camden Market and I definitely wanted to take them there. So we got the bus to St John’s Wood and walked from there along the canal to the market. I really like the market, and it was good to be there now – seeing as Christmas is near I could start getting ideas for gifts – yipeee! (never a very easy thing for me ). From there we then went to Winter Wonderland in Hyde park to show them the closest they could get to a German market (more ideas for gifts ) and then on to TK Maxx in Kensington (shopping ).

Sunday was our ‘day out of London’ – Oxford! I had visited Oxford some months ago for a workshop but only got around an hour to look around. Now we had a day! Unfortunately it wasn’t the best weather (though better than when we went to Canterbury). Fortunately the museums were open so we could duck in there and enjoy them. We got to go to the University Museum of Natural History, the Pitt Rivers Museum, then to the Ashmolean Museum (it is newly reopened in November, so it is still not totally complete – but I really liked it, particularly the -1 level), and finally the Museum of the History of Science. In the evening we then went to Christ Church College Cathedral for Evensong (I didn’t find it as impressive as the ones we attended in Cambridge and Canterbury), and then on to home.

Monday was their last day here, so we went for a walk in Gladstone park, before making our way to Oxford street for some more shopping (hehe!) and then saw them off.

In the evening Michael and I had tickets for a Jack the Ripper Tour by Celebrity Planet. It was an OK tour. We got our tickets for free, but I am not sure I would have been happy if I had paid £10 for the tour! Also – the tour guide had such a smug look on his face! It just made me want to punch him! grrr!

Situated in Western Europe, Switzerland is a federal republic and a multilingual country with four national languages (Italian, German, Romansh and French) and 26 states (also called cantons). One of the wealthiest countries across the world, this nation has been host to organizations like WTO and Red Cross and more.

Following are some of the places to visit when holidaying in Switzerland:

Fraumünster Church

Established in 853 in Zurich, this tourist attraction is rich with architectural features and has huge elaborate organ, Romanesque choir and a striking as well as picturesque built. The major draw of the church that has been pulling tourist and visitors in massive form is the glass windows beautiful stained. The marvelous windows were designed and planned in 1970 by Marc Chagall.

Rhine Falls

One of the dynamic and largest waterfalls of Europe, Rhine Falls is situated in Zurich and due to its natural beauty. The fall has a hill top over it, which holds various shops, restaurant and a medieval castle. When on a holiday in Switzerland, visiting this tourist attraction offers a breathtaking view and spectacular enigma to power of natural beauty. If you re on a holiday in Switzerland during the august, you can also witness superb fireworks presentation hosted by the Rhine falls for celebration of independence of the Swiss land.

Château de Chillon

Château de Chillon is a wonderful medieval castle built in 13th century and is a famous tourist attraction of this Swiss land. The castle has a lakeside location to it and was aimed to manage the area between the lake and mountains for the protection of north-south route. Every year a large number of tourist and visitors come to this castle for its magnificent structure, history and picturesque beauty. Some of the attractions that pull tourist on holiday in Switzerland to this castle are the dungeons, secret passages, courtyard, towers, luxurious chambers, grand knight’s halls, furniture, paintings, huge rooms and frescoed chapel.

Lake Geneva (Lac Léman)

Lake Geneva is spread across both France and Switzerland is biggest lake of central Europe. The lake region of Swiss land is rich with attractions like ski resorts, cathedrals, castle, wine-growing villages, boat cruises and amazing lake view resorts.

Bern

Bern is an ancient city of Europe and is also a part of UNESCO’s world heritage site. This Swiss land has attractions like ornate fountains, astronomical clock, old building and cobbled medieval streets. Bern is also thronged with tourist and visitors as it is also capital to this Swiss land.

Best time to visit or holiday in Switzerland

When holidaying in Switzerland for outdoor activities like capturing major Swiss attractions and architectural tour, the best or the ideal time to visit is the summer months from June-September. While for those who wish to visit this Swiss land mainly for its ski activities, the best time is the November to march.

Window Views: window, and now doors, from all over the world can be found on Mary’s blog.

The verdict does not affect the Swiss Justice Ministry’s ongoing assessment of whether Polanski should be extradited to the United States for having sex in 1977 with a 13-year-old girl.

GENEVA – A Swiss court granted Roman Polanski bail on Wednesday, accepting $4.5 million to allow him to remain under house arrest at his chalet.

While France and Italy appear poised to prohibit distinctive dress by Muslim women, the burkha or chador, which has been defined by French President Nicholas Sarkozy as a “symbol of the subjugation of women,” Swiss voters will go to the polls on Sunday November 29 to decide whether to ban minarets – the from which Muslim faithful are call to prayer at mosques.

via MSNBC

Roman Polanski is one step closer to getting out on bail.  The Swiss Criminal Court has accepted $4.5 million to allow Polanski to be transferred to house arrest, which means he’ll be staying here:

instead of in a jail cell where he belongs.  The move can be appealed by the Swiss government within 10 days.  If the tranfer does go through, he’ll be monitored by an electronic bracelet.  Their reasoning for the move:

“The 76-year-old appellant is married and the father of two minors,” the court said as it considered Polanski’s offer of a cash bail secured by his apartment in Paris. “It can be assumed that as a responsible father he will, especially in view of his advanced age, attach greater importance to the financial security of his family than a younger person.”

Disgusting.

With a jump in my stride and Remicade in my veins, I filled my suitcases with books and other precious treasures unavailable in the barren land of Ukraine, and took the IC to Zurich.

Now, those suitcases with the little wheels that were designed to facilitate our travels since porters fell out of fashion a while back just don’t cut it on the sidewalks of Ukraine. So, to avoid my luggage from tipping from side to side like the local vodka patron, I went to Ikea, bought one of those handcarts with industrial sized wheels used by the elderly for various purposes, tore off the neon pink bag, and strapped on one of my beloved fleamarket finds. (Photos will follow.)

Equipped with my newly customized suitcase, I stepped out of the train into my favourite airport, and all asmile walked up to the check in desk, where all of the morning’s optimism was overclouded by a grotesque turn of events.

With eight kilos of overweight luggage at EUR24.00 each, I ended up having to charge CHF290 to the old CC, an amount my bank account would not be able to support after the blow of the KBP-ZRH-KBP flight. This dept left (and continues to leave) an empty, squirmy feeling in my stomach, a feeling that not even a toffee nut latte would be able to fill.

But despite this monstrosity of airline restrictions, I overcame myself and hopped onto Czech Airlines, read Joseph Roth’s Die Legende vom heiligen Trinker (Naomi gives it ****), hopped off in Prague, and onto the connecting flight OK 08-something-or-other, and slept from all the hopping.

In Kyiv, I had a lovely dinner with my friend and’ wife-of-boss Katie, and her friends Lisa and Karina, after which I took the evening train home. There followed  a few whirly mad days of unpacking, wallpapering, packing, and moving to Cornelia’s apartment. Cornelia is our administrator until January 9th, when she will return home to South Africa to work at HQ, and when her apartment will be mine, all mine!

And now I’m on the train once again (train, dear train), going to Kyiv once again, to go to the airport once again, this time flying to Yerevan, Armenia. I’m going with Tonya (it’s her birthday!), our interpreter and beyond, to visit some schools.

I would love to take me with you, I would. Just pack you in my pocket and let you peek out over the clouds and, back on the ground, at all the lovely thing God’s earth has to offer. But I can’t, so I will see you soon, right back here in Ukraine, hopefully to tell you some wonderful Armenian tales.

We have almost completed all the deciding, buying, planning and placing of the furniture for our new apartment. The most difficult thing to date has been deciding on what light fittings to buy, which we are still yet to complete. But, it is really starting to feel like home.

On the weekend A’s family came over for a quasi-housewarming-slash-dinner. We enjoyed a bottle of 1975 Grange which I had bought for A some years ago. She always said she would save it until we were living in Germany or Switzerland, and had her family over. And I guess that is now.

Normally when you have a great wine you think, brilliant, we can buy a few more of those next week. It’s a difference experience drinking a wine you know you will never have again. I think it makes you savour it even more. We also had some other great Australians including a 1999 Chapel Hill Shiraz.

Here are some photos of the new place, including one from the Western Balcony where you can see the Swiss Alps.

Here’s the thing people who want to get up close and personal with bears at zoos, don’t. Finn, the European brown bear is fighting for his life after a mentally handicapped man jumped into his Bern Park enclosure in Switzerland to have a friggin picnic with him. Police had no option but to open fire when the bear grabbed the intruder in his jaws. Despite being shaken like a rag doll and bitten on the head and legs the man is out of medical danger. The same can’t be said about Finn. Police and zoo officials say there has been an outpouring of public sympathy … for the bear.

Psst Warning the video is really graphic!!!!

I have now split off from our larger group, and I am traveling with two friends– an engaged couple who I adore.  The only thing that is proving difficult is that, after almost three weeks of travel, I am really missing my husband, and their love is making me lovesick.  But I suppose that it is actually a blessing, to love and be loved… and to miss it.

Fortunately, we have landed ourselves along the Swiss Riviera, which is, without doubt, the most breathtakingly spectacular place I have ever been.  Behold:

Yes, THIS is the view out the window of the home I am staying in for the next few days in the little village of Rivaz, a village rich with vineyards and water sports.  I’ve been to the French Riviera, and I’ve gotta say that, as of now, it is way overrated in the realm of Riviera-ness.

The Swiss Alps are graced by the gentle embrace of clouds, and the sparkling Lake Geneva reflects the purity of the sky with perfection.  It’s the kind of water that I imagine even I could walk on.

Knowing that a place like this exists makes me re-evaluate the reasons I choose to live in the places I do.  There are people who live and move and have their being in places like this.  And, once I’ve seen it, I can hardly imagine living in a place that doesn’t have this sort of beauty inspiring my daily life.

And yet, I can’t escape my knowledge that Switzerland has one of the highest rates of suicide in the world.  How can this be?  How can people be surrounded by this kind of glory and lose hope in life?

Perhaps I’m too quick to judge.  I still have a few days in this country before heading back to the States.  I have a feeling that a place like this has much to teach me, not only about the beauty of this earth, but also about the humans who indwell it.

I’ll keep you posted…