Mystery Park schlieβt!

If you’ve ever been to Interlaken, you have probably noticed the bizarre-looking complex of buildings that you pass on the train on your way out of the city that houses Mystery Park. Founded by an eccentric Swiss millionaire, the park consists of seven pavilions which explore great mysteries of the world such as Stonehenge and … Read more

The running of the cows

This past weekend we enjoyed that quintessential Swiss experience, the cow festival. These are celebrated in small farming towns all over Switzerland at the end of summer, when the cows are brought down from their summer grazing spots in the mountains. This particular fête désalpe (which as far as I can tell is French for … Read more

Day trip: Schaffhausen and the Rhine Falls

Last weekend we took advantage of the beautiful weather and headed north to the Rhine Falls (Rheinfall in German). It’s one of those places that has been on our we-should-get-around-to-going-there-someday list for quite a while, so the trip gave us a nice sense of accomplishment, too. We took the train to Schaffhausen and wandered around … Read more

Autumn eats in Zurich

How do I know fall is here? The Wild [German for ‘game’ – the kind you eat, not the kind you play] menus posted outside almost every single restaurant in Zurich told me so. Despite the title, even vegetarians like me can rejoice in these seasonal culinary offerings. Good restaurants offer at least one fall … Read more

A day in Lyon

We spent a day in Lyon on our way back to Zurich from southern France. Our guidebook (The Rough Guide to Europe ) promised good things, so we decided to check it out. We started the day by taking a funicular up a hill to see some Roman ruins and an archeological museum (which, truth … Read more

Switzerland votes in stronger anti-immigrant laws

Last night we missed yet another riot in Zurich. This time it wasn’t anything as fun as a teenage boy band or an international soccer victory for Switzerland. Instead, it was a demonstration against the anti-immigrant laws that the Swiss voted into effect yesterday. This vote will severely tighten the political asylum laws of Switzerland, … Read more

Jul’s guide to successful living abroad

As a perennial expat, I often get asked for advice about how to survive and thrive while living in a foreign country. For your reading pleasure (and the edification of expats and future expats everywhere), I have composed the following list of my top tips. Don’t leave home without them. Although this advice is primarily … Read more

baskets of foraged mushrooms

Eating and drinking our way through southern France

Wednesday evening we hopped on an overnight train to go visit our friends who live on the southern coast of France. Being on a French train and all, we had a couple of unscheduled delays, but in the end we were content to arrive at our destination a mere two hours late (yay, no strikes). We spent these extra two hours talking about how much we love Swiss trains, and vowing to never leave our country again.

Things only improved from there. Our friends picked us up at the train station and whisked us back to their home by the sea in St. Pierre la Mer, a tiny village of 500 inhabitants which swells to 100,000 during the tourist invasion of the summer vacation months. We spent the morning wandering the outdoor market by the beach, marveling at treats such as fresh almonds (which had furry green coats) and baby artichokes.

The afternoon was spent hopping from winery to winery, sampling everything the region had to offer.

Read moreEating and drinking our way through southern France