Places

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I learn some German in Berne. Take this tutorial.

We recently decided to take a road trip up to Berne, Switzerland’s capital city.  As I’ve mentioned before, Berne is only about 100 kilometers from our home in Geneva, and yet when you get about halfway there, all the French road signs and the French names of road side businesses disappear, and are replaced with signs in German.  This causes me some consternation, because while I have confidence in my ability to navigate most situations I encounter in French speaking Swiss Romande, my German proficiency is limited to only a very few words that I picked up watching Hogan’s Heroes as a kid.(e.g. “danke” means “thank you” and “sauerkraut” means “sauerkraut”. )

But then, to my utter astonishment, it turns out my concern was all for naught!  We arrived in Berne and I soon realized that I must be some sort of linguistic savant, because I discovered that I was able to understand quite a bit of the German we encountered.  And as a public service to my loyal Swiss Sojourner followers, I offer this lesson.  Continue reading →

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The most architecturally stunning building in every European City? It’s cathedral.

Condom, FranceTraveling around Europe over this last year, we often try to find the time to explore each city by foot, learning a little bit about its history, its culture, and its architectural style. I recently realized that whether I am in Paris, Budapest, or a small town in France named Condom, it is the town’s cathedral that I find most awe inspiring. Continue reading →

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Our friends’ daughter gets married in Basque Country, and we drink Cider

Last weekend, we took a road trip to the “Basque Country” along the Spain/France border to attend the wedding of our good friends’ daughter. The father of the bride, our friend José, grew up near San Sebastian in Spain, located on the north end of Basque Country and where Basque culture and traditions thrive. Continue reading →

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London Calling!

During our recent visit to London, I was struck by the town’s various dichotomies. In the realms of architecture, the arts, and cultural traditions, one immediately recognizes these divisions: old and new; classical and contemporary; solemn and whimsical. This post includes some photos and videos documenting some of the sites we saw and the activities we undertook in our 5-day visit that illustrate this dichotomy.

Once one completes the hour-long Tube trip from Heathrow International Airport into the heart of the city, the most apparent of these dichotomies is in the architecture. Continue reading →

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We spent 5 days in Ireland – Irish we could’ve stayed longer!

Our next door neighbors back in the U.S., the Lavins, are very proud of their Irish heritage. They would take regular trips to Dublin to introduce their four sons to the land of their ancestors. Each time, upon their return, I would ask them what Ireland was like, and they would describe the beautiful scenery, the friendly people, and yes – the “lively” Irish pubs. During our recent visit, we experienced all of these features firsthand. This post is intended as something of a “travelogue” including our impressions, photos and short videos of a few highlights of our visit. Continue reading →

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My opinion on the best tour-guided attraction in Geneva? The European headquarters of the United Nations.

One of the things that makes Geneva uniquely Geneva is that the city hosts the greatest number of international associations in the world. These include the World Trade Organization, the World Health Organization, the European Organizatin for Nuclear Research, the International Federation of the Red Cross, and many many others. Due to the historical significance of these organizations, many of these facilities include their own museum and/or guided tours. For my money — and it’s 12 Swiss Francs for an adult — the best of these tours is the hour long tour of the Palace of Nations, the European headquarters of the United Nations. Continue reading →

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Paris is incredible. (But there are a couple minor things that take some getting used to.)

I have recently written about how much I loved visiting Paris and all the really cool things there are to do and see in the City of Lights. (Quick aside: How did it come to be known as the “City of Lights?” In 1828, Paris began lighting the Champs-Elysées with gas lamps, becoming the first European city to do so, earning the nickname “La Ville-Lumière” or The City of Light.) Here’s a quick refresher of just some of what we found to be among the highlights of our visit to Paris. Continue reading →

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Another Awesome Alps Adventure!

I know that I’ve already dedicated a few posts to the splendor and majesty of the Alps, and maybe its because I’ve spent the last 33 years of my life in the northern plains of the midwest United States and so I just can’t get enough of these mountains, but if you’ll allow me just this one additional post on a recent trip we took to Ovronnaz in the Swiss Alps, and including a train ride up to the Matterhorn, then I promise not to even mention the Alps for at least another 3 or 4 posts. Continue reading →

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Next time you’re in Paris, don’t miss an evening concert in Sainte Chapelle

We recently visited Paris, and yes, we did many of the things you would expect American expats to do in Paris. We packed in plenty during our three days and nights there including a visit to the Louvre and some other great museums (stay tuned for a future post on that…); two walking tours — one in Montmartre (featuring Sacre Coeuer) and another in the Marais neighborhood (Victor Hugo’s old stomping grounds); a long walk down to the Eiffel Tower, a picnic lunch on the Île de la Cité, and a modern dance performance of Carmen that was out of this world.

We also did something that is my favorite thing to do in the city and something I recommend to everyone I know who is planning a trip to Paris.  Go see an evening concert at the Sainte Chapelle cathedral.  Continue reading →