Events in Switzerland to look out for in 2014

After seeing its fair share of unique events last year, including the Zürifäscht and Eidgenössisches Schwing-und Älplerfest (I don’t even want to try to translate this), it’s time to have a brief look at which events will be having an impact in Switzerland this year.

Film Festivals

Switzerland will see its fair share of film festivals in 2014, starting this month with the Solothurner Filmtage (23.01-30.01) which focuses on Swiss movies and starts off the festival calendar. In summer, fantasy film fans will be able to attend the Neuchatel International Fantastic Film Festival (04.07 – 12.07) before the stage is set for the two biggest festivals in the country. The Festival del Film Locarno takes place in the beautiful town from August 6 to August 16. One month later, the Zurich Film Festival celebrates its 10th anniversary starting September 25 and running through October 5.

Movie fans should definitely mark these dates in their calendars as they often represent a chance to see movies that struggle to find distributors and of course, to soak in a little of Hollywood glamour.

Music Festivals

As every year, the festival summer in Switzerland offers choices for everyone. The most renown festival internationally, the Montreux Jazz Festival, takes place from July 4 to 19. Indie fans will get to see their favorite acts in St. Gallen (26.06 – 29.06), Zurich (28.08 – 31.08) and on the Gurten (17.07 – 20.07), while hiphop an rap fans can enjoy their idols in Frauenfeld (10.07 – 12.07) and Biel (22.08 and 23.08).

Of course, the festivals are not only the only chances to see popular musical acts these years. Pop sensation Justin Timberlake is stopping by Zurich on April 15 for his world tour. Rock Legends Metallica will play in Basel on July 7th. The Backstreet Boys will be in Zurich in March. Of course, more stars are bound to announce their concerts throughout the year.

World Cup Public Viewing

With the Football World Cup taking place in Brazil this year, Europe benefit from very advantageous kick-off times. With Switzerland being drawn into a group with Ecuador, France and Honduras, I hope our national team will be able to progress into the knockout stage of the tournament. But even without a successful Swiss team, bars and pubs throughout the country should be showing the games on their TVs, creating spots for public viewing. It remains to be seen if large-scale screens will be set up in cities, but it has been done before and might be repeated this summer. This would give sports fans the opportunity to watch the games with likeminded people, especially if it coincides with terrific summer weather.

These are just some of the more interesting events taking place in Switzerland this year. Of course, should I come across anything else interesting, I’ll make sure to let you know.
As you might have read, I’m changing posting days to Tuesday and Thursday, so I’m back the day after tomorrow with the 31st chapter of my story. Until then, I remain

sincerely yours,
Albert

Cinemas in Zurich

Winter time is movie time. I mentioned my favorite movies of the year in last Wednesday’s post, so today it is time to give a bit of love to the cinemas in Zurich.

The city has a large and diverse population of cinemas. Moviegoers can find everything from the old-school arthouse theatre to the sprawling multiplex with the newest technology. So, let’s have a look at some of my preferred cinemas and movie theaters.

My preferred cinema because of its location is the Corso between the Bahnhof Stadelhofen and Bellevue. It is operated by Kitag, the leading cinema chain in Switzerland. The Corso mostly shows the newest blockbusters and studio movies in original language with subtitles. It has four screens. One criticism of the cinema has been the distance of the balcony to the screen. Sitting in the last row of the balcony can make it difficult to see the happenings in the front.

Another cinema I frequent often is the Metropol near Stauffacher. Also operated by Kitag, the Metropol has one cinema hall with a screen capable for screening movies in 4K and HFR. The Metropol also has comfort seats (which I’ve never used) in the front and back rows. It’s a large cinema made for the biggest blockbusters. The second theatre is much smaller and doesn’t offer the same technological benefits, but the seats are comfortable with a lot of legroom.

Independent and non-US films are mostly shown at the Arthouse cinemas scattered throughout the city. The biggest one is the Arthouse Le Paris close to Bahnhof Stadelhofen. With its red seats, this cinema brings up memories of the Golden Age of movies. Like the Corso 1, this theatre also has a balcony. It mostly shows the bigger independent movies such as the French sleeper hit “Les Intouchables” or the latest Woody Allen movie “Blue Jasmine”.

A gem with a small screen, but a very cozy and old fashioned feel is the Arthouse Alba next to Central. It is perfect for these small, understated films that don’t need a huge room to work.

Another big cinema chain is Pathe, which operates the multiplexes at Sihl City and outside the city in Dietlikon. They have just received the clearance to extend their cinema at the Sihl City. However, they dub most of their movies in German, so I’ve only been to a Pathé cinema once.

Kitag has one large multiplex cinema, the Abaton, which also has access to the newest technology. The Abaton has very comfortable seats and large screens. I don’t frequent it as much as others becasue it also shows a large number of movies in German. Located between Bahnhof Hardbrücke and Escher-Wyss Platz, it does have a great location in one of the premier party districts of the town.

So, if you’re going to catch one of the many great movies coming out in Zurich, be sure to check one of these cinemas out. Prices range between 13 Francs (Mondays) and 21, depending on cinema and movie.

Have a great week and please like, share and subscribe!

Sincerely yours,
Albert

What’s going on in Zurich

During the last weeks, university work has been catching up with me, which leaves with little time to write. But luckily, that should change after Wednesday, when an important deadline passes. You can expect more content in the next weeks, including my favorite books and movies of the year as well as at least three more chapters of “An Elusive Hero”.

As for the part of my blog where I talk about Switzerland, my work has prevented me from travelling around as much as I’d like to. But I’d like to tell you about a few interesting happenings going on in the next weeks.

The Ice-Rink on the Polyterrasse

In the next two weeks, the Polyterrasse near the ETH main campus will feature an ice-rink for young and old. The rink is 15 x 30 meters big and offers guests the possibility to skate at one of the best spots of the city.  It is open mostly in the late afternoon, except on weekends, where it opens between 2pm and 10pm on Saturday as well as 2pm and 8pm on Sunday. Skates can be rented on location. The Ice Rink is supposedly staying on the Polyterrasse until November 30, the night of the Polyball, so you have two weeks to check it out!

The Polyball

The Polyball is the traditional ball at the ETH Zurich, which has been held for the last 130 years. This year, the festivities take place on Saturday, November 30, with the motto “New York Nights”. The detailed program of the party, which starts at 7 pm and runs through 5 am the next morning, can be found on their official website. However, the cost of attending is pretty high, as tickets cost 89.- for non-students if ordered before the event and 94.- on the evening itself. But since it is an event full of glamour and tradition, it might be worth the money.

The Christmas Market at Bellevue

And as the month comes to a close, the Christmas feeling will be in the air all around the city. As many German and Swiss cities, Zurich also has its own Christmas market, serving winter specialties like “Glühwein” and candy canes. It’s location on the newly built Sechseläutenplatz puts the market in an accessible downtown area. Anyone wanting to get into the Christmas spirit early will have ample opportunity start November 28 running through December 24.

That’s whats going on in Zurich in the next few weeks. If you have any more tips, please let me know!

Sincerely yours,

Albert

 

Cheese Fondue in Zurich

It’s November and temperatures have dropped all around in Switzerland. Winter truly is coming to Europe. And with winter comes the best time to indulge in one of the favorite Swiss dishes: Cheese Fondue.

For a comprehensive list of places to get fondue, you can either consult yelp.ch or the various Zurich tourism websites, but today I’ll take a look at my three favorite Fondue restaurants.

Le Dezaley

The “Le Dezaley” is a restaurant best known for its Cheese Fondue. In close location to the famous Grossmünster, the place is cozy and very inviting for you and your group of friends. It is a a “restaurant vaudois”, which means it does not only serve Fondue, but also specialties from the canton of Vaud. The fondue is based on a old family recipe and is my favorite of the ones I’ve tried in Zurich.

Walliserkanne

From one French-speaking canton to the next: The “Walliserstube”, which lies in close proximity to the main station, serves fondue based on an recipe from the canton of Valais.
This restaurant seemed smaller to me than the Le Dezaley and due to its location, it’s difficult to find seating without a prior reservation. For non-cheese lovers, you’ll again find your fair share of local specialties on the menu.

Swiss Chuchi Hotel Adler

The tourist option on my list is the Swiss Chuchi restaurant of the Hotel Adler, which serves all kinds of Swiss specialties not based on a certain canton. The restaurant, situated in heart of the Old Town in the Niederdörfli, is a very safe option. The fondue is not spectacular, but very solid and a perfect introduction into Swiss cuisine. Their menu is filled with other Swiss classics in case the fondue is not to your liking.

All options cost about 30.- per person and fondue. Sometime bread costs extra, but normally it is included. Fondue is best accompanied by a glass of Swiss white wine and all restaurants offer a fairly diverse wine list for you to choose from.

If you have any other recommendations or had different experiences in the places mentioned, please let me know!

Have a great week!

Sincerely yours,
Albert

Cultural Events in Switzerland

A busy week is behind me with another one coming up, so today’s post will be short and sweet. Since I’ve not been able to travel around, I’d like to highlight some of the most interesting cultural events going on.

Zurich Kunsthaus: Edvard Munch

The Kunsthaus, the premier museum for art in Zurich, opened its exhibition on Edvard Munch, the famed Norwegian artist best known for his iconic painting “The Scream”. The exhibition runs through January 12, but with the weather in Switzerland turning grey and rainy, it might be the best time to check him out. With 150 piece by the expressionist, the Kunsthaus offers a great overview of his work. It is the first time the entire collection is shown to the public. Anyone interested in great art should check out the official website of the Kunsthaus and stop by the museum.

Theater im Pfauen Zurich: Alice in Wonderland

The play “Alice in Wonderland” (German: Alice im Wunderland) premieres this Friday at the Pfauen. Based on the novel Lewis Carroll, this play promises to be an intriguing rendition of the classic children’s book. After the premiere, the shows will be staged on various dates until January. The play is held in German. More information can be found on the website of the Schauspielhaus.

Historical Museum Bern: Terracotta Warriors

The Historical Museum in Bern has been showing the Terracotta warriors from the Chinese Qin dynasty since the middle of March. With November upon us, there are only 14 days left to see the exhibition with the life-sized figures from ancient China. The exhibition focuses on the foundation of the Chinese empire and offers a glimpse of times long past. With only a few days left to visit them, anyone with an interest in Ancient History should make their way to Berne. Information on Qin can be found here.

That’s it for this week. If you’d like to highlight any other events, please let me know!

See you on Wednesday.

Sincerely yours,
Albert

 

A Great Time for Booklovers in Zurich

It’s a great time to love books in Zurich. In today’s post I’ll look back at the reading I attended last Friday and introduce two events in the next two weeks that might prove interesting for readers in the region.

Zürich Liest: A Reading with Stefan Bachmann

Last Friday, Stefan Bachmann, the young Swiss-American writer, was at the Orell Füssli Bookshop to read from his new book, “The Whatnot”. Around fifty guests gathered in the store to listen to him and they had no reason to be disappointed. Mr. Bachmann was very engaging, funny and surprisingly critical of his own works. How he would change certain things about his debut novel “The Peculiar” and how he strived to improve on his work in his newest book stood out to me. He read out the prologue of both books and answered some very interesting questions. I definitely became a fan of his after attending the reading, having not read his books before.

The Uncanny Bookclub: More Than This

I’ve written about my great experience at the UBC here and am delighted to see them host their second event this Sunday (November 3) at the Cabaret Voltaire. The official link to the event can be found on their Facebook page.

The book we’ll be discussing is the brilliant “More Than This” by Patrick Ness, easily one of my favorite books of the year. The story of young Seth, who wakes up in a deserted world not knowing exactly where he is and what has struck him, is breathtaking, fast-paced and wonderfully innovative. If you want to meet some young and passionate book lovers in Zurich, you should come by this Sunday at 5pm. I’ll definitely be there!

The Bookshop’s Bookclub: The Ocean at the End of the Lane

And just a week later, the Bookshop’s own book club will talk about another fantastic book, Neil Gaiman’s The Ocean at the End of the Lane. This event takes place November 14 at 8.30pm at the Bookshop. Details can be found on their official website.

Mr. Gaiman’s book is highly imaginative and a wonderful storytelling experience. I felt drawn into the world immediately, as it is a fantastical and extremely charming story of a middle-aged man thinking back to his childhood and his adventures with the weird family living in a farm at the end of the lane.

So, book lovers have their fair share of events to choose from during the wonderful month of November, coincidentally also known as “National Novel Writing Month” among internet aficionados. I’ll be writing and reading a lot the next weeks and hopefully, you will too!

Have a great week.

Sincerely yours,
Albert

Tennis, Books and more!

This week is quite a busy week for me, so my post today will be a bit shorter than usual. A few interesting events are going on in Switzerland in the next few days, so I wanted to give you a quick overview of all the interesting experiences you can gain.

Let’s start off with some sports, as the ATP Swiss Indoors Tournament will be played in Basel this week. The tournament is one of the most important indoor tennis tournaments and will host some of the greatest players around this year. Roger Federer, one of the greatest players to ever hold a racket, will be appearing in his hometown as well, hoping to keep the title in the country. Stanislas Wawrinka, who has played an amazing season thus far, will try to do the same. Other fantastic players fighting for glory are Richard Gasquet (FRA), Juan Martin del Potro (ARG) or Nikolai Davydenko (RUS). For anyone interested in sports and tennis specifically, the tournament is the best chance to see it in Switzerland!

As everyone reading this blog regularly knows, I read a lot. And this weekend a fantastic event for book lovers takes place in Zurich as the city hosts “Zürich liest” (Zurich reads).
Over 100 events can be visited in Zurich, Winterthur and the adjacent regions. It starts this Thursday and runs through Sunday. I’ll be visiting a reading from Swiss-American author Stefan Bachmann on Friday at 8pm at “The Bookshop by Orell Füssli”, so maybe I’ll catch you there. Other notable events include the opening of the festival on Thursday at the Kaufleuten and a reading by the nominees for the Swiss Book Award on Friday at the Literaturhaus Museumgesellschaft. However, it is a predominantly German-speaking literature festival, so it might be difficult for non-German speakers to follow all of the action. A lot of the events are aimed at children, so families will find their fair share of opportunities to learn more about the magical world of books. For a full schedule, check out their website.

And last, but not least, the Basler Herbstmesse starts on October 26. The traditional fair has been around for over 500 years and offers it’s 1 million visitors various events. There will be Basler specialties, fun rides and the whole city will be full of interesting booths. The fair runs until November 10. I’ve never visited it before, but plan on checking it out this year, if I find the time. For more information, check out this website.

So that’s it from me for today. If you have any other events to recommend, please let me know on Twitter or in the comments!

Have a great week.

Sincerely yours,

Albert

Sweet Spots at the University of Zurich

With the new university semester taking shape and almost a month old, I’m spending more time at its wonderful halls of learning. After talking to my friends and asking them for ideas on what to write about, they kindly gave me the idea to write about my favorite spots at the University. Should you ever visit the city of Zurich, the university (and the neighboring Technical institute) is one of the most impressive structures to admire. The main building was built in 1914 and therefore is almost 100 years old.

The centerpiece and one of the hubs of student life is the Lichthof (which can be translated into “light court”), a large, spacious and bright atrium. Thanks to an impressive glass roof, this atrium is extremely bright at all times, keeping students from noticing the incoming darkness and light. According to one of my friends, it has also been the place of unspeakable tragedy, as one worker once fell through the roof and met his end on the marble floor of the university. However, it remains unclear if this story is real or just one of the many urban legends surrounding the school. The Lichthof is the most frequented meeting and hangout spot for students from all subjects thanks to its perfect location.
Adorned with carvings from Greek mythology and a headless statue of a Greek Goddess, it also offers impressive art to admire. The eye-catcher however is the famous “Blue Bed”, which was placed in honor of the first female law student at the university.
The Lichthof is the best place to take in the atmosphere of the university while enjoying a beverage of your choice, before heading up to my favorite study spot at the campus: The tower.

The tower of the university is home to a various number of rooms:  a den to sleep and relax, the language learning center, a computer room and the university staff restaurant. I prefer to study from the elevated heights of the university because of the view it offers.

My terrible photography skills and the grey autumn weather don’t do the view any justice. On a sunny and clear day, visitors can see the Uetliberg and the lake from the rooms in the tower. It offers a welcome break during the long study days right before exam time. Originally, a model of the university depicts the building to own two towers, but those plans never materialized. So the tower stands tall on its own.

In summer, I often leave the central campus to travel to the Irchel campus, about 10 minutes away from the main building. The campus, which is the home of the medical students and other laboratory-based subjects, lies in the heart of one of the biggest parks of Zurich, the Irchelpark. At it’s center is the pond, which invites visitors to take a break and enjoy the scenery. A trail around the park makes the location very popular among runners, while a football field and tennis courts offer other recreational possibilities. From April to September, I spend many of my breaks relaxing at the campus, even though I don’t have any classes there.

Should you plan on checking out the university campus in Zurich, these are definitely my favorite places to be. Let me know if you have any other suggestions!

Hope you have a great week!

Sincerely yours,
Albert

 

Zurich Film Festival Recap

The ninth Zurich Film Festival ended yesterday and so it’s time to write up a short recap of the happenings around it. According to their official press release, a total of 71’000 visitors attended the screenings around the city. That marks an impressive growth of 22%. Like I’ve mentioned before, I got the chance to see two movies. Also, I’ll take a short look at the prize winners, although I wasn’t able to catch them.

An Evening with the Uncanny Book-Club in Zurich

If you’ve followed my blog for a while (thank you!), you’ll have noticed that my goals are to promote interesting events and opportunities in Switzerland as well as to write about things I love (Harry Potter, Arsenal FC, Travel, generally speaking Video Games/Movies/Books). I was able to combine these two goals earlier this year when talking about the Bookshop and last week in my Zurich Film Festival preview. So naturally I’m delighted to be able to continue this trend by introducing you to the Uncanny Book-Club.

I found one of their flyers at the comic book shop Analph and was intrigued immediately. After all, to quote from the website of the UBC: “First and foremost, we are about books. So we read a lot. Then we sit down and talk about the books. ”

So I decided to join their first event about the terrific (both meanings of the word) novel “We Have Always Lived in the Castle” by Shirley Jackson.

The group gathered in the heart of Zurich’s Old Town at the Cabaret Voltaire, a bar and nightclub famous for being the birthplace of the art movement Dada. The atmosphere was fitting for the book, with candlelight illuminating the closed-off section reserved for us. After a short round of introductions revealing the twelve of us to be a group with diverse backgrounds, the discussion on the book began.

“We Have Always Lived in the Castle” is the story of Mary Catherine and Constance Blackwood, two sisters living together after the tragic demise of their family. They live near a village with their old uncle Julian, but largely keep to themselves remaining in their large mansion. From the get-go, the reader senses that there must be more to their story. I don’t want to give anything away, but the way their story unfolds over the next 146 pages, is thrilling entertainment.

The discussion at the book club greatly enhanced my reading experience. I gained a deeper understanding of the main characters and noticed details of the book that had eluded me while reading.  As the novel is the only book I’ve read by Ms Jackson, I learned a lot about the author while being inspired to read more of her writings. But what most enlightening about the discussion was the opportunity to see how people react differently to characters and books. This was the first time in a long time I’ve listened to and shared an interpretation of an author.

However, the highlight of the evening came afterwards during the more social part of the event with the group moving to Café Henrici, one of the best cafés in Zurich. There the discussions quickly delved into the various forms of entertainment this world has to over. Movies, TV shows, books; everyone seemed to have an impressive knowledge about the subjects they deeply cared about. One particularly heated debate was centered on House Hufflepuff, often overlooked despite being the home of fantastic students such as Cedric Diggory and Newt Scamander.

I left the event with a deeper understanding of a fascinating book, the knowledge I’m not the only one around willing to discuss fictional characters at great length and with a ton of recommendations I intend to follow up on (i.e. Girls, the new Star Wars comic).

So if you enjoy books, movies and recent pop culture, you’ll find a wonderful and open-minded group to share your thoughts and feelings. Check out their website (linked above) for more detailed information. As far as I’m informed, the next meeting will be in around two months to discuss the latest page-turner by Patrick Ness: “More Than This”.  I finished the book about two or three weeks ago and can wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone.

Thank you very much for reading.

Sincerely yours,
Albert