Saas (Not SaaS) Fee, Another Cute Swiss Ski Town

Posted on February 23, 2012 by Schwingen In Switzerland

Sorry, this post about Saas, is not about Software as a Service (SaaS), but about the town of Saas Fee, Switzerland. While there are several reasons to go to Saas Fee, the real attraction is its location surrounded by some of Switzerland’s tallest mountains. Saas Fee sits at over 1800 meters ( 5,905 feet, 1.18 miles) and is surrounded by over 13 peaks of over 4000 meters (13,123 feet, 2.485 miles)!

Like nearby Zermatt, it is an adorable car-free ski town with gorgeous views. Because it doesn’t have a view of the Matterhorn (only other giant, stunningly beautiful mountains) and doesn’t have a rail stop, Saas Fee is smaller and slightly quieter. As a result, it is a bit more of a family destination. Don’t be fooled into thinking Saas Fee is quiet or sleepy. Whether it is an apres-ski bar or clubbing at night, you will be able to do it in Saas Fee.

Until a two-lane road linking Saas Grund to the village of Saas Fee was completed in 1951, Saas Fee was inaccessible by car. The buildings are a mix of modern hotels, shops and small traditional, weathered farm buildings.

We enjoyed strolling Saas Fee’s car-free streets. It was great fun to look at the at shop windows. Although shops keep typically Swiss hours (with the exception of ski shops), there are many and varied.

If skiing isn’t your thing, you can try curling, ice skating, indoor swimming, mountaineering, sleigh riding, indoor tennis/badminton, dog sledding/mushing tours, sledding, night sledding, snow tubing, snowshoe trekking, or ice climbing (which sounds both dangerous and beautiful).

Saas Fee is where Wham‘s “Last Christmas” was filmed. Just click on the link to enjoy (and search for a new hairstyle).

Snowed under in Switzerland: Saas-Fee is delightful despite a little too much of the white stuff (independent.co.uk)
Skiing Gawking At Glaciers And Avoiding Crevices In Saas Fee (schwingeninswitzerland.wordpress.com)

Find Everything From the Everyday To the Eclectic At Geneva’s Plainpalais Flea Market

Posted on February 23, 2012 by Schwingen In Switzerland

Historically, Plainpalais was an area outside the densely populated city of Geneva where they brought the sick to avoid contagion and an epidemic. Located close to the Old Town and a public transportation hub, Plainpalais is now used for special events like festivals, the circus and markets. On Wednesdays and Saturdays, there is a large flea market, marche des puces in French, there.

There are several reasons to love flea markets. They include:

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I love a bargain.
Individuality. Having the same stuff as everyone else is just plain boring.
It gives you a chance to buy quality things for a reasonable price.
Phenomenal people watching.
Sustainability. Keep something from going into the rubbish bin. Recycle it.
It’s free to go walk around. It’s a great and convenient place to meet up with some friends to walk around and chat.
In expensive Geneva, it is a great place to pick up some cool souvenirs for your friends and family. When the nicest girl in the world visited, she purchased a Tastevin and some beer steins to take back to her brothers.
Where else are you going to buy fossils, a mounted Boar’s head or old Swiss army gear?

Plainpalais flea market is a Geneva institution and has operated since 1848. It is not as large as those in some larger European cities. Geneva’s wealth and highly mobile population means that it makes up for it in quality. As Geneva is home to so many foreigners from all over the world, it has a larger number of unique items from all over the world.

Here are some of the great things you can regularly find at Plainpalais:

Old books,
CD’s

Kitchen gadgets;
Dishes and cutlery;
Decorative and practical household wares;

Furniture;
Antiques;
Paintings, posters, and other great wall art;

Clocks;
Fabric, trim, sewing machines and other craft items;
Records;

Old watches and watch parts,
Clothing,
Shoes,
Toys

Suitcases, briefcases and purses;
A lot of the things you could find at the dollar store;
1 CHF/2 CHF boxes and 5 CHF tables;

You can also find more unique higher end pieces. Invariably, there is a constant supply of eccentric, unusual and sometimes slightly freakish pieces (see the mounted Boar’s head above).

People begin setting up as early as 8:00 (perhaps earlier but I’ve never been there earlier than that) and continues through out the day. On days with poor weather and little turnout, vendors tend to close up shop early, as early as noon.

Most items are not marked with a price. You pick up an item you like, take it to the person that looks like they might have set up the stall and ask “how much”? Be ready to negotiate and have coins and small bills handy. When I go, I don’t walk around with a Starbucks cup (at 5-7 CHF/$8-10 a pop, I don’t do that here anyway). I carry a backpack instead of a nice purse. Why? I like to negotiate and an expensive handbag screams “quote me a higher price.” Haggle, negotiate, be prepared to walk away, drive a hard bargain. Oh yeah, and have fun.

Antiquing at Stefantiek (bestofbrusselsblog.com)
Big day out (architecturebabble.wordpress.com)
40 Photos From Flea Markets Around the World (ecosalon.com)
The Antiques Garage & 25th St. Flea Market (homedesign.marthastewart.com)
The Next Generation of Vintage Shoppers (rubylane.com)

It’s Election Time In Geneva, Switzerland

Posted on February 23, 2012 by Schwingen In Switzerland

Switzerland is one of the world’s oldest democracies and a direct democracy. In a direct democracy, people vote on policy initiatives directly, instead of for a representatives who then vote on policy initiatives (a representative democracy).

Switzerland’s Parliament Building

The practical effect of this is that they vote regularly and on almost everything you can imagine. It also means that these pop up billboards appear every few months. He doesn’t like them because late at night, people use them to hide when there is not a readily available bathroom. He thinks it makes the area smell like a urinal.

Elections will take place on March 11, 2012. Here are some of the referendums they are putting to a vote:

Wednesday morning primary school for students ages 8 to 12 would be required. For 4-8 year olds, a so-called “open school” would ensure a home school on a voluntary basis. There would be sporting, cultural or support for struggling students, but not the curriculum so as not creating a gap between students.

Last spring, parents and teachers revolted against the introduction of mandatory Wednesday morning school. This is a compromise. Should children have to go to school on Wednesday mornings? Oui or non?

There is an initiative on whether people should be allowed to build second homes. Arguments for the initiative include: urban sprawl, a rise in housing prices and scarcity for indigenous families, and construction of second homes will still be permitted in areas below the listed ceilings. Aruguments against the initiative include: federalism, the threat of the loss of jobs, and that it is excessive.

Another issue that will be up for a vote is tax benefits for home buyers/owners. Arguments for include: the promotion of home ownership in a country that lags behind others in this category, support to allow renters avoid liquidating their retirement savings to purchase a property, and a component that will encourage greener buildings. Arguments against the benefits include: the government’s need for the taxes, it is ineffective in promoting home ownership, home ownership is not a measure of economic success, and it will cut other social benefits.

Should workers receive six weeks of vacation a year? Currently, every worker in Switzerland receives a minimum of four weeks.

There are a lot of posters about a law regulating protests. The posters for it argue that it will help ensure that protests are peaceful. The posters against argue that it is an unreasonable limitation on speech/expression.