Montreux Christmas Market, Montreux Noël, Montreux, Switzerland I am the hugest fan of Christmas markets and for the past few years I’ve been lucky enough to visit at least one each season. Two years ago we visited the one in Basel, which was pleasant. Last year we went to Zurich, which I assumed would be more Germanic, but I found…
St Mauritius Church, Pfarrkirche St. Mauritius, Zermatt, Switzerland In the heart of the small town of Zermatt is the comparatively dominant Catholic church of St Mauritius. From the outside, it doesn’t look too grand, and inside it’s not that grand either – but it is charming and definitely worth a brief visit. The first mention of the church is from…
St Peter’s Church, the ‘English Church’, Zermatt, Switzerland Perched on the hills that steeply rise from the central street of Zermatt, is the little English Church. From the outside, it looks sort of Swiss. But inside – well, it feels awfully English. Which is the way it should be. The church is English. From 1862 the visiting English held services…
Museum of Ancient Art and Ludwig Collection, Antikenmuseum Basel und Sammlung Ludwig, Basel, Switzerland Recently, Sister-Chickpea asked me why I’d never ended up writing up a post about the Basel Museum. Honestly, it’s because I’ve had such a backlog of posts to write, I’d forgotten about it. Then I found out that they were closing many of the galleries to…
Lugdunum Museum, Lugdunum Musée, Lyon, France If you first approach the Lugdunum Museum from the base of the Roman Theatre, you may be struck by the bunker-like quality of the architecture. Depending on your aesthetic sense, your heart may drop. You may get a flashback to the days of the Cold War. You may think, ‘Why? O why?’ But don’t…
The Theatre and Odeon of Lugdunum, Lyon, France France is blessed with many fine Roman archaeological sites. So many cities in the south of the country have ancient origins and by just walking around the streets you can see evidence of the Roman period in dramatic remains like amphitheatres, or more mundane sights such as reused stones in houses. On…
Museum of Fine Arts, Musée des Beaux-Arts, Lyon, France Knowing that Lyon is one of France’s most culturally significant towns, I had high hopes for its Museum of Fine Art. The museum is housed in an important former abbey, which has its origins in the 6th century. In 1659, the abbess Anne de Chaulnes began construction of the Royal Abbey…
Matterhorn Museum – Zermatlantis, Zermatt, Switzerland It’s not really surprising that the prosperous, neat and tidy town of Zermatt has a neat and tidy little museum. Upon descending into the heart of the hyper-modern glass dome of the Zermatt Museum, you quickly find yourself in a little village square. Which is neat and tidy. In fact, the whole place is…
Lenk im Simmental, Switzerland Since moving to this part of the world, our annual highlight has been to go and see the traditional transhumance festivals. The process of bringing cows down from their summer pastures is almost as old as these hills, and there is great charm in seeing the farmers lead their flower-crowned cows through crowds of cheerful people.…
Bundeskapelle, Brunnen, Switzerland From its somewhat dull looking exterior, you’d never guess that the Bundeskapelle in the little lake-side town of Brunnen was the site of a significant moment in Swiss history. Legend says that back in 1307, the cantons of Uri, Schwyz, Obwalden and Nidwalden came together to take an oath on the Rütli meadow. The cantons vowed allegiance…
Victorinox Visitor Centre, Brunnen, Switzerland One of Switzerland’s greatest contributions to the world is probably the Swiss Army Knife. The useful, adaptable tool is hooked to many a keyring around the world. I’ve never had one. I’m not very outdoorsy, so it never really occurred to me to invest in it. But, I have now discovered that everyone needs a…
Museum of Art and History, Musée d’Art et d’Histoire, Neuchâtel, Switzerland The history of Neuchâtel isn’t the most action-packed you’ll find, even by Swiss standards – a fact that repeatedly hits you over the head as you walk around the city’s museum. However, if, like me, your main reason for coming to Neuchâtel in the first place was to see…