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Anna S. E. Lundberg

Coach, Speaker, Writer

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Packing list for a week of skiing: what to bring and what not to bring

10 February, 2015 By Anna S E Lundberg 1 Comment

Continuing in the grand tradition of packing lists for different trips, here goes for a week of skiing! In this case, a week in Verbier, in the Swiss alps. I’ve only been on a ski trip once before as an adult and I have no idea what I brought last time, so I was a little unsure this time round.

By and large I had everything I needed, although I misjudged some things, in particular bringing far too many warm jumpers and too few tops. The reason for this is that although it’s freezing outside it gets incredibly hot in the bars and clubs! I had imagined going straight to après ski from the slopes but my friend and I ended up first going home to shower and change. This means more nice tops are required for evenings out and double clean underwear for day and night! I ended up wearing the same thing every day…

*Update February 2016: I learned from my lesson last year and brought a LOT of little vest tops this time round, and a lot of underwear. Plus we were able to do laundry as we were in an airbnb this time. Perfect!*

In terms of kit, of course there’s a huge amount of extra stuff you need for the skiing itself. You can rent at the resort, and even buy clothes there, although it’s likely to be more expensive than if you’ve sorted out your outfit and accessories before you go…

Bags:
1 x black ski bag (I originally thought mine was too big but it was great as I could stuff it with not only my skis but all my ski clothes!)
1 x suitcase/bag with wheels for clothes
1 x small rucksack for water, tissues, sun block etc. on the slopes
1 x small handbag for the evening (I forgot this, so I put money and lip gloss in my jeans pockets but it meant that I couldn’t bring my phone – I don’t know how men manage without a handbag!)

Ski gear:
1 x set of skis, poles and ski boots (it might be cheaper to rent than bringing them on the plane, as most airlines charge extra)
1 x pair of boots for walking to and from the ski lockers/slopes
2-3 x pairs of ski socks
1 x pair of thermal underwear bottoms
2-3 x thermal underwear tops (long-sleeved plus short-sleeved in case it’s a bit warmer)
1 x ski jacket plus 1-2 fleeces/down jackets to wear underneath (I bought a great set from North Face with a turquoise Gore-Tex shell jacket with a removable hood (big enough to cover the helmet) and a blue “Doudoune” Jacket, incredibly thin but incredibly warm)
1 x pair of ski trousers
1 x pair of ski gloves (my mittens with inner finger gloves worked really well – ideally the inner gloves would be tactile i.e. work with your touch screen so that you can take photos with your iPhone without your fingers falling off!)
1 x neck warmer (good extra protection for your neck under your jacket)
1 x headband (again, good extra protection for your ears under your helmet)
1 x helmet
1 x pair of goggles plus cloth for cleaning (apparently I ruined my old ones by cleaning them with my sleeve!)
14 x instant hand warmers to put inside your gloves (These are little sachets that you shake until they heat up. I bought some really cheap ones that didn’t heat up at all! But assuming they work they are great for when even your mittens can’t keep your fingers from getting cold…)
+ snacks (bars, nuts to keep you going on the slopes)

Evening/non-skiing days:
1 x jacket
1 x scarf
1 x pair of gloves
1 x hat/ear muffs
1 x pair of boots for the evenings (I wore my Uggs, and most people were in big chunky boots or trainers. I saw one woman in tight leather trousers and stiletto heels but I don’t recommend it!)
Lots of tops (as I said, it gets hot in the bars and clubs, so layering is the way to go)
Lots of cardigans/jumpers (LAYERING!)
2 x pairs of jeans (at least! Mine got really dirty from mud and beer in the après-ski bar)
1 x pair of sunglasses (in case you skip skiing one day, or else for sunning yourself on the lunch terrace!)

Underwear and swimwear:
14 x pairs of knickers (you need double what you’d usually bring, for daytime and nighttime i.e. for skiing and going out)
2-3 x bras
1 x sports bra for skiing? (I just wear a normal bra)
1 x bikini for spa/hammam

For sleeping:
1 x pyjama vest top and trousers
1 x eye mask and earplugs (crucial when you’re sharing a room with someone!)

Toiletries (the usual):
Shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, face wash, face cream, body lotion
Face wipes
Deodorant, perfume
Razor
Nail travel kit including scissors/clippers (important for keeping your toe nails short when skiing!), nail file and tweezers
Nail polish
Cotton buds
Toothbrush, toothpaste, floss
Lip salve with SPF, Vaseline
Sun cream for face (high factor for your nose! Mine tends to go red…)
Hand cream
Make-up – mascara, eyeliner, concealer, powder, blusher, lip gloss
Anti-bacterial hand gel
Wet wipes
Tampons
Small packs of tissues
Hairbrush, hair grips and elastics (I eventually found the ideal hair do to keep my hair back and still look nice when I took my helmet off, a kind of Heidi look with a bun at the back)
Wash bag*
*I like Cath Kidston’s Cosmetic Roll Cases – they come in a larger size (which I use for this sort of trip when I can bring full-sized bottles) and a smaller one (for backpacking/hand luggage). The detachable pockets and the hook for hanging it make it super practical.

Medication:
Migraine sprays (not used, hurrah!)
Consider Ibuprofen or gel for your sore muscles!

Electronics (because I’m “always-on”):
Macbook Air (11 inch) plus charger
iPhone 6 plus + charger
Earphones
Adapters for Switzerland/whatever country you’re going to
Nikon D5100 with 18-200mm Lens plus charger
GoPro HERO3+ plus charger and harness for chest or helmet
USB sticks, memory card, memory card reader

Admin:
Passport
Visa master card and debit card
Small wallet
Local currency
Ski pass

So what do you think? Anything missing that you couldn’t live without? Anything I’ve included that you think is completely unnecessary? Let me know how you get on with packing for your next ski trip!

Why not also check out my other packing lists: for South America, for Asia, and for travelling as a digital nomad!

Anna above the clouds

Filed Under: Planning your trip, Switzerland, Travel Tagged With: female packing list, packing for ski trip, packing for verbier, packing list, packing list skiing, ski trip, travel

Flying High in the Swiss Mountains: A week of skiing in Verbier

8 February, 2015 By Anna S E Lundberg 4 Comments

When my friend Serena suggested a ski holiday in the Swiss Alps, I jumped at the chance. I hadn’t been skiing in three years, and despite living in Geneva for nine years before that I actually didn’t make as much of it as I should have. I didn’t have a car so was dependent on someone else offering to take me (or taking the dreaded bus), and, if I’m honest, I was also just a little bit terrified.

Snowplough in the 1980s
It’s all about the snowplough…

I used to ski with my family in Sweden, in Åre and Lofsdalen, when I was little. We’d go for half term but one week every few years really wasn’t enough to make me comfortable on a set of skis. I’ve always been so jealous of the children I see zooming past me on the slopes… Kids are used to doing crazy things and falling over, plus they’re closer to the ground! They just don’t have that fear that takes hold of me when I stand at the top of a slope looking down over the ridge at the endlessly steep and narrow slope that I’m somehow supposed to go hurtling down…

Inside the Verbier cable car
Serena and I looking fresh-faced on our way up to the pistes at the start of the week…

So Serena and I signed up to the Warren Smith Ski Academy, which offered five days of group classes with a day off in the middle. We were divided into three groups based on a “ski off” and Serena and I ended up together in the bottom one. I say bottom, but this was no beginner’s class and the overall level was high across the groups. And so it was that we went tearing down first red then black pistes, and even off piste into the fresh powder that had fallen at the start of the week. My emotions during the week went from exhilaration and delight at how much I was improving – I learned far more than I’ve ever done before, thank you Will! – to trepidation and despair when I reached a particularly steep or bumpy patch. The problem with being at the lower end of your group is that you’re constantly behind, trying to catch up.

Anna above the clouds
The best thing about skiing is going up above the clouds, leaving everyone down below shrouded in fog. Mwahaha!

So here’s the science of skiing according to Anna… I think it’s made up of three things: the technical, the physical, and the mental. The first, the technique, is ‘easy’ to learn and during the week we got through flexing, thigh steering, pole plants, etc. You need to keep practising to engrain it in your muscle memory but it’s something that you can work on. The second, as it turns out, is just as important: you need the physical strength and the flexibility to ski all day every day, and although I’ve been training hard at the gym it turns out that this requires a whole different set of muscles and another type of stamina! By the end of the day I simply didn’t have the strength to turn with my legs and I would end up losing control. Finally, there’s the mental aspect: fear is a killer! Here I think I made the most progress this week, as I began to attack even the black pistes with gusto. There is nothing worse than traversing across the slope, “shopping” for a turn that looks easy, until you stop at the very edge of the slope and are out of options. The reminder to keep my body facing down the slope, my arms up and my legs doing the steering instead of the shoulders, was a huge help in keeping me focused on making steady progress down the piste.

Pumpkin soup at Chez Dany
The food was pretty good everywhere we went. This is the pumpkin soup at Chez Dany on the slopes, served in farmers’ bread; I had pumpkin soup again at Le Dahu, also on the slopes and with a spectacular panoramic view. Down in Verbier we had three delicious courses at Le Rouge (where we also had our first Pornstar Martini), and the famous Potence at Le Vieux Verbier (sizzling meat on spikes! with a selection of sauces).

Of course, the best part of skiing is après ski, right? Each day when we finished at 3pm I would heave a huge sigh of relief at having survived another day; I cannot describe the pleasure I got from taking off my ski boots and putting on my lovely normal walking boots. We were actually very civilised, going to a café for a cup of tea or a salad after finishing for the day, rather than heading straight to the bar. Every other day we would then have a massage (a genius idea on the part of Serena, and a huge help for my sore calf muscles), after which we’d shower and head out for the après-après ski. The great thing about nights out after skiing is that you start so early – so you can have a long night out and still be in bed by midnight! If you so desire.

Pornstar Martini at Le Farinet Lounge
My new favourite drink: the Pornstar Martini, made from passion fruit and vodka and served with a shot of champagne. Shaken, not stirred…

By the end of the week we’d settled into a routine: dinner at Le Farinet Lounge (I particularly recommend the Crispy Pork Belly and the Super Farinet Salad, or the Assiette Valaisanne to share), rounded off with a Pornstar Martini; then we’d head over to the other side of Le Farinet, where there’d be live music until about 9pm; then the T-bar and then the Loft Bar; and sometimes even continuing on to Farm Club or Twin Peaks. We were staying in the Hotel Phenix, right in the centre at the Place Centrale, which meant that everything was in a couple of minutes’ walking distance. The mood was incredibly different on different nights: when we arrived on the Saturday, Farinet Après Ski was full, with the bartenders pouring vodka straight down people’s throats or else down the back of a ski, beer being flung across the dance floor, and topless young men building human pyramids. Wild. On weeknights, though, it was much calmer, with people scattered about talking to their friends and maybe a lone crazy person dancing to their own beat. Wednesday night was back on track, though, as it’s the one day that all the seasonaires get off; and then of course we came full circle back to Friday and Saturday night when the “weekend warriors” returned to the bars.

Champagne at Le Farinet Lounge
Champagne all around during the Ministry of Sound night at Le Farinet Lounge, courtesy of Russian oligarch Aleksandr.

I’m not sure what I expected from this one week but I had such a good time, meeting great people, improving my skiing, getting to know Serena better – and even coming up with a new business idea together that we’re now pursuing, full speed ahead. I’m incredibly tempted to do a full season next year, to overcome my fears once and for all and get really comfortable on the slopes. That’s the benefit of being self-employed, right, that I can bring my laptop with me and work from anywhere? I just need to find an apartment with a strong Wi-Fi signal as the weak and unreliable Wi-Fi at our hotel was excruciatingly painful. Ah, the plight of modern-day life…

I leave Switzerland having lost my voice, my favourite purple pashmina, and a sock (a modern-day Cinderella?!), with bruised toes, a suitcase full of dirty laundry and a whole lot of new gear, and with great memories and even greater plans for the future. Merci Verbier, I’ll see you next year!

 

The soundtrack for the week:

  • Taylor Swift, Shake it Off (don’t ask)
  • Hozier, Take Me to Church (Serena made me watch the music video for the first time. Wow.)
  • A fabulous original song from the Swedish band in Farinet with a rather creepy chorus of “Stay awake, watch my back!”
  • 4 Non Blondes, What’s Going On (always a favourite of mine, since it was played as the last song at summer camp when I was 13)
  • Time of my Life from Dirty Dancing (cheeserama but oh so good)
  • Calvin Harris, Blame it on the night (a great sentiment: blame it on the night, don’t blame it on me!)

The practical bit:

Warren Smith Ski Academy: The Warren Smith Ski Academy runs courses in Verbier throughout the year for intermediate right up to “athlete/performer” level. It was in English, which meant that I actually understood all the body parts and movements that our instructor Will was talking about! We did the 5-day winter academy at £429 per person. They’ll video you at the start of the week and then again at the end so you see how much you’ve improved.

Hotel Phenix: The Hotel Phenix is nothing special, breakfast included cold scrambled eggs and sausages, but it’s clean and comfortable and the location is perfect if you want to go out to all the classic bars and clubs. There was a free navette (shuttle bus) that picked us up just across the road and went to Médran, where we rented lockers for the whole week so that we could leave our skis and boots overnight.

Massage: We booked a massage every other day at 5pm, each taking half an hour. The masseuses from The Verbier Touch would come to our hotel with a heated bed so it was incredibly convenient. The only problem was wanting to go to sleep right afterwards, but a quick shower and the hunger pains we were feeling by this point would ensure that we ventured out into the night…

Filed Under: Switzerland, Travel Tagged With: europe, le farinet, skiing, Switzerland, travel, verbier, warren smith ski academy

Basel revisited: Autumn season and the Basler Herbstmesse

28 October, 2014 By Anna S E Lundberg Leave a Comment

I ended my last Basel post back in January with a lament that I had missed one of the highlights of the city, the Basler Herbstmesse. Such a hole in my cultural experience could not be tolerated, so I’ve now rectified that with a fourth weekend in Basel. The autumn fair is the largest and oldest amusement fair in Switzerland, with a tradition of over 500 years and a reach across the city’s main sites including Barfüsserplatz, Petersplatz and Münsterplatz.

basel-herbstmesse-sausage
A sausage. A really big one.

As with all fairs, Herbstmesse is really about the food. At least it was for me. For lunch, I kept it simple with a sausage: a Klöpfer, served with a chunk of bread and of course ketchup and mustard. When we returned to Petersplatz in the evening, I had a starter of Kartoffelpuffer, potato pancakes that are deep-fried and smothered in apple sauce (or garlic sauce if you prefer), as well as a bite of a Käskiechli, a cheese tart. Fast-forwarding to dessert, I had some Rahmtäfeli which from what I gather had ingredients of sugar, sugar, sugar, oh, and cream, Rahm; as well as Magenbrot, another very healthy  snack that apparently aids digestion, made from wholemeal bread soaked in, erm, sugar, honey, cinnamon… Then back to the main course and another low-carb choice: fondue in a handy take-away format, that is, a big baguette (wholemeal, of course!) hollowed out and filled with the melted cheese and wine mixture. Eating this delicacy proved to require quite some skill, as you need to munch on the bread while simultaneously schlurping on the cheese; I coped remarkably well. With that finale I reached my food capacity, however, so I wasn’t able to sample the remaining choices of raclette, spaetzli, crepes, waffles, as well as some rather less Swiss offerings like Cornish pasties and Chinese food.

Of course, it’s not just the food, though that happened to be my particular focus. There are all sorts of stalls with handicrafts, jewellery, chocolate (oops that’s food again!)… I managed to buy some fun kitchenware with my school German, although something went quite drastically wrong with either my German or my maths. There are also many rides, including a beautiful carousel, swings and mini-rollercoasters for the kids.

On Sunday, we awoke with an extra hour as the clocks went back on what turned out to be a gloriously sunny day, perfect for a stroll along the Rhein and up to the Münsterplatz for some daytime exploration of the fair. From the top of the Ferris wheel we could look out across the city and into both France and Germany (the city of Basel sits at a meeting of the Swiss, French and German borders).

I’ve covered my tracks somewhat by failing to record any photographic evidence of my food exploits, but I invite you to enjoy the views of Basel from our sunny Sunday stroll…

View across the Rhein
A walk along the Rhein towards the Münsterplatz
The Basel Basilisk
The basilisk is the guardian creature and symbol of Basel
View across the Rhein, Basel
Nearing the Münsterplatz, with the Ferris Wheel ideally located at the top of the hill
Helium balloons in front of the Ferris Wheel
I want one of those octopus balloons, please, mister!
View from the Ferris Wheel
The Ferris Wheel is right in the middle of Basel Old Town, giving you a great view of the Münster and its mosaic roof
View from Ferris Wheel
Feeling a bit like Charlie in the glass elevator…
Autumn trees at Münsterplatz
The perfect autumn day

Filed Under: Europe, Switzerland, Travel Tagged With: barfusserplatz, basel, basler herbstmesse, kaskiechli, klopfer, magenbrot, munsterplatz, petersplatz, rahmtafeli, Switzerland

Tattoos, James Blunt, and nights like this…

29 July, 2014 By Anna S E Lundberg 2 Comments

There’s nothing like a bit of James Blunt to get you all moody and sentimental.

This world is getting colder.
Strangers passing by
No one offers you a shoulder.
No one looks you in the eye.

I’m not calling for a second chance,
I’m screaming at the top of my voice.

How was I so blind to miss you crumbling inside?
Is it too late now to fix you? Let me make it right.

And as you move on, remember me,
Remember us and all we used to be…

Sheesh!

Phones lighting up at the James Blunt concert
James asked us to “do like the Chinese” and hold up our phones. How very 21st century darling…

I was back in Geneva for the weekend, and at Paleo. After a crazy thunderstorm the evening was now clear and as magical as ever. I’ve been to Paleo many times, and even seen James Blunt before. Last time, we all ridiculed him until he came on stage and in fact we discovered that we knew and loved all his songs. Oops! It’s hard not to. And he sings them with such intensity, like it’s the first time, like he’s feeling every bit of pain and emotion.

So it’s hard not to get a bit emotional and nostalgic. For me, it’s all so familiar but also so distant, since I’ve been gone from Geneva for almost exactly a year now. So many memories, so many moments, playing in my mind as I listened to the angsty lyrics. And so many different scenarios playing out; what might have happened if I had acted differently, how would my life now be different?

What if… I hadn’t accepted that job?

What if… I had said yes to that trip?

What if… I had told him I was interested?

What if… I had left earlier?

What if… I had stayed longer?

What if… What if… What if…

But there’s no point in regretting the things I’ve done, or those I didn’t do. It’s gone. And so is the person that I was back then. At the time, I acted in whatever way I could. And I had fun doing it baby.

Everything I’ve done over the years, every flap of the butterfly’s wings, has led to who I am today, and to all the wonderful people I’ve met, places I’ve seen, experiences I’ve had.

Pensive frog tattoo
Maybe a big black pensive frog wasn’t the best choice… Oh, did I mention it was temporary body ink? So I only have to live with it a few days, *phew*. Although, I’ve been feeling pretty rock’n’roll since Saturday night…

Onwards and upwards!

Speaking of regret, my friend and I got a tattoo. It’s one of those things that seems like a fabulous idea in the moment, when you’ve had a couple of glasses of wine and you’re feeling like you could take on the world… but the next morning, as daylight shines onto the black ink, you think maybe it wasn’t such a great move after all. But it’s done now. You did what you did.

So: no regrets. YOLO man. (I’m so sorry.)

Here’s to the present, living in the here and now, and seeing where it takes us!

Days like these lead to…
Nights like this… lead to…
Love like ours.
You light the spark in my bonfire heart.

People like us – we don’t
Need that much, just some-
One that starts,
Starts the spark in our bonfire hearts.

Filed Under: Life, Switzerland Tagged With: Geneva, james blunt, nyon, paleo festival, regret, Switzerland

Geneva in the summertime (when the weather is hot)

29 April, 2014 By Anna S E Lundberg 2 Comments

So I finally got round to writing something about Geneva as part of my MatadorU travel writing course. They say you should write what you know so that you can go beyond the stereotypes and capture real life – and yet how hard it is to capture the details, the nuances, the essence of what it’s like to live in a place, to become part of a lifestyle, to make lifelong friends. It’s impossible, so I didn’t even try. In any case, here it is, my mid-term assignment for the course…

I spent nine years in Geneva. That’s almost a third of my life, and almost all of my adult life. It’s pretty much unheard of for a young expat to stay that long. Usually, they come for a couple of years, and then move on.

The temporary nature of people’s time in Geneva is reflected in the mindset. Most of my colleagues knew from the start that they would only stay for a two-year assignment. Many of them made no attempt to learn French (everyone speaks English anyway) or to meet people outside of work. Some spent every weekend going home to their boyfriend whom they’d left behind in the UK. They couldn’t join us on road trips, they weren’t free to go for a drink, and they didn’t really try to get to know the city or the people in it.

Geneva is also not usually high on the bucket list of places to visit. That’s not to say that there aren’t any tourist attractions – there are the UN headquarters, CERN and the Large Hadron Collider, the headquarters and museum of the International Committee of the Red Cross, and many potential excursions related to the things for which Switzerland is known: cheese, chocolate, and expensive watches. Not to mention the beautiful lake and the surrounding countryside. Most people I know who’ve flown to Geneva, though, have done so on their way to going skiing in the Alps. Only three of my UK friends ever visited me during my nine years in Switzerland. Sniff.

The ICRC
The International Committee of the Red Cross was established in 1863 on the initiative of Swiss businessman Henri Dunant

At first, I was part of the two-year gang. In fact, I remained in that temporary mindset for the whole time I was there. Originally, I had come for my master’s degree and planned to leave as soon as I finished my thesis. I stayed on in Geneva, though, accepting a role at Procter & Gamble. The European headquarters office is like a university campus, full of energetic young foreigners who work hard and play hard. Life in Geneva is expensive, and it becomes much more attractive once you can afford to say, “No problem, let’s split it!” when the bill arrives after a meal.

Looking back, I see now how my lifestyle changed over the years in stereotypical fashion. The nights out, the metres of shots, the dancing and laughing into the morning hours – all that gave way to wine and tapas and movie nights; until those too were replaced with pots of tea and countryside walks. Although I didn’t get married and have children myself, I adopted the habits of my friends who did. At one point, I was verging on an existential crisis as I watched not just my girlfriends but also my playboy colleagues settling down in marital bliss (those expats who do stay on in Geneva do so wholeheartedly!), while much of my network left Geneva in classic expat fashion. Alone and lost, I pondered the meaning of life… but I soon found a new rhythm, balancing comfortable nights in with my baby friends with sometimes venturing out into the night with my younger colleagues.

Every year, in winter, I would decide to leave Geneva. And every year, come summer, I would change my mind. It’s not that I didn’t enjoy the skiing – I really missed it this first winter away as I endured my friends’ gloating over their “no filter” pictures on Facebook.

For me, though, Geneva is all about the summers.

Summertime

In summer, happy people spill out onto the streets; tables and chairs appear outside cafés and restaurants and are populated with rosé-drinking people-watchers; teens jump off the bridges into the Rhône river; and we argue over where to get the best ice cream (I vote for Eaux-Vives, although conventional wisdom favours a little place in Pâquis).

Perhaps the first sign of summer is when La Terrasse opens. This is an outdoor bar down by the lake to which well-dressed professionals flock after leaving the office. “Who’s going to La Terrasse?” is a common, though largely unnecessary, status update on Facebook, and you’re pretty much guaranteed to run into someone you know. There you can share a bottle of rosé as you watch the sun set behind the hotels and office buildings, enjoying the view across the nearby yachts to the white peak of Mont Blanc on the other side of the lake.

La Terrasse is right by the Bains des Pâquis, public baths dating back to the late 19th century. There, bodies fill every available surface, including a special area for women where bare breasts are a common sight (and a solitary man is often seen to wander in “by mistake”). People will happily go for a dip despite the many ducks and boats leaving various things behind in the water. If you prefer to stay out of the dirty water, you can hop on one of those boats to your chosen destination around the lake, such as Nyon, Lausanne, and Montreux on the Swiss side or Evian and the medieval town of Yvoire over in France.

La Suisse boat
The “Belle Epoque” paddle streamer, La Suisse, was brought into service in 1910, with a Swiss flag on one end and a French on the other. I took many a trip over the years to Yvoire, a medieval town that lies on the French side of the lake and features pretty little houses whose balconies are decorated with perfectly kept flowers. The town’s chief appeal, to my mind, comes in the form of the crèpes sold through a little window up on the hill. Yum.

On the other side of the lake we have the more sophisticated Genève Plage and the Wakeboard Centre, where people go to do 360 spins and jumps in the early hours before heading into the office. At night, the hoards descend onto the rocks when the Glocals expat organisation has its annual beach party (which always ends abruptly and far earlier than desired when the neighbours call the police to complain about the noise).

Festival fun

Summer is also when the music festivals arrive in Geneva and the surrounding area.

“Did you get tickets for Paleo?” comes the eager question, followed by the answer tinged with a degree of self-satisfaction:

“Yep, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday.”

Tickets for this annual festival, held 15 minutes outside of Geneva in Nyon in July, are released at noon on a day in April on which the system inevitably crashes and all tickets are gone within minutes.

Paleo was originally created in 1976 as the Nyon Folk Festival but has since evolved with a broader repertoire. The big names make the headlines – Manu Chao, Lenny Kravitz, Franz Ferdinand, James Blunt – but it’s the smaller acts that I’ve always found make for the most memorable evenings.

Aside from the music, the food is a major feature: I favour the chocolate chip waffles, while friends with more savoury tastes rave about the magret de canard (duck breast), the Molokoffs (fried cheese balls), tartiflette (a cheesy potato dish) and the portable fondue (melted cheese poured into a hollowed-out baguette). It’s all about the cheese.

Another, maybe more internationally famous, festival is Montreux, the second-largest jazz festival in the world. It was founded in 1967 by the national treasure Claude Nobs, who sadly passed away last year. Having featured legends like Nina Simone and Ella Fitzgerald in its early days, and being immortalised in Deep Purple’s Smoke on the Water (which tells the story of the fire of 1971), Montreux has since continued to attract audiences with a line-up including BB King, Annie Lennox, Johnny Cash, Pink Floyd, and, this year, Pharrell Williams.

Montreux
Montreux is located at the other end of the lake from Geneva, five hours by boat or an hour by train. Its Château de Chillon, located on a little island, inspired Lord Byron to write a poem on The Prisoner of Chillon.

I’m not really a festival person (I’ve never been to Glastonbury – the horror!), but these festivals and concerts were a central feature of my life in Geneva. I remember one night in particular at Montreux when Lauryn Hill cancelled at the last minute and we instead had Wyclef Jean improvising a set, which ended with us all dancing on the stage with him until long past when the concert was meant to finish. And a couple of years ago at Paleo it finally rained, and I got to wear my proper festival chic, wellies and all.

The Fêtes

The peak of Geneva activity, and my all-time favourite time of the year, comes in early August during the two weeks of Fêtes de Genève. Evenings are spent drinking mojitos and caipirinhas, riding rollercoasters of questionable safety, and screaming deliriously in the not-so-scary haunted house (top tip: it helps to have a couple of those mojitos before you go on).

Fêtes de Genève
A drink, an open-air concert, and a cheeky ride on the ferris wheel at the Fêtes de Genève make the working week that much more bearable during the month of August.

The grand finale of the Fêtes is an absolutely spectacular, but ridiculously extravagant, firework display that lasts for 45 minutes.

When the final firework has fizzed, the international food stands, the cocktail bars, the rides, are all packed up and shipped off to some new location. The lakeshore becomes barren, the streets empty of people, and the outdoor terraces close down.

After a brief, torturous period when wakeboarding season has ended but before the ski season has begun, we all head off to enjoy après-ski in the mountains and gorge on fondue in our chalets.

Secretly, I would always be counting down the days until summer returned.

This year, though, I won’t be in Geneva to enjoy it.

Filed Under: Europe, Switzerland, Travel Tagged With: bains des paquis, fetes de geneve, Geneva, la terrasse, matadoru, montreux jazz festival, paleo festival, procter & gamble geneva, Switzerland, travel writing course, un headquarters

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