Working on a Mountain Farm

By |November 23rd, 2014|adventure, Europe, Journeys, Outdoor, Switzerland|

Fresh air, mountains, green meadows, and above all, honest physical work – this is how you imagine a summer job in the Alps. But when the joints ache, breaks no longer suffice to recover and the neglected brain screams for new tasks, this is when you wake up. […]

The Shoggi Job

By |June 20th, 2014|Europe, Journeys, Philosophy, Switzerland|

"YOU got the shoggi job," says my boss when we're talking at lunch about the general trend towards summer jobs in the mountains. With shoggi the Swiss mean chocolate, in this context my boss means that I got really lucky with my job. I pretend to not understand and ask if this has something to [...]

Is Switzerland the new Lake Garda?

By |June 20th, 2014|Europe, Journeys, Outdoor, Rock, Switzerland|

To start with, the name sounds unfamiliar: "What is it called again, Bierwaldstättersee?" Simone asks on the phone. - "No, not beer, but Vierwaldstättersee", I repeat, as I describe the destination, the Lake of Lucerne. Therefore, later, the Lake is always referred to as "Biersee", translated "Beer Lake". My VW bus friends from Munich had [...]

“Swing” Festival in the Canton of Uri

By |May 29th, 2014|Europe, Journeys, Outdoor, Switzerland|

The serious, concentrated faces tell the tension when the opponents grip each other on their tear-resistant "swing" pants, waiting for the referee's signal. When it comes, both try to push the opponent backwards into the sawdust by using certain wrestling moves, also called "swings". "Swinging" is a Swiss national sport, which is mainly practiced in [...]

Girl vs. Slurry Pump

By |May 11th, 2014|Europe, Off Road, Outdoor, Switzerland, Tough Luck!|

The opponent is a spiral slurry pump by the Swiss manufacturer Stöckli,  six years old and actually a lightweight. Nobody expected any problems and, as long as my boss is around, there are none. In the morning everything runs smoothly: We brought the hoses to the fields and picked up the pump from the neighbors. [...]

Couchsurfing in Switzerland

By |May 5th, 2014|Couchsurfing @en, Europe, Journeys, Switzerland|

"You must not park here!" says the man, waving the wrench in the air. I'm standing on a gravel yard next to the road and before I even can get out of the car, the resident appeared to rebuke me: "You have to park in the marked bays." After eight months Kyrgyzstan, the Swiss pedantry [...]