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Swiss Serendipity

Discoveries from an unexpected life in Switzerland

Fribourg

A Traveler’s Guide to Gruyères: An Alpine Tale of Cheese, Charm & Centuries Past

A Traveler’s Guide to Gruyères: An Alpine Tale of Cheese, Charm & Centuries Past

May 8, 2025

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A few favorite spots in Geneva that feel like the

A few favorite spots in Geneva that feel like the set of a movie:

✨ Kiosque des Bastions
☕ Café La Vouivre
🎭 Grand Théâtre de Genève

January in Switzerland is duck cold! 🦆 French phr

January in Switzerland is duck cold! 🦆

French phrase: Il fait un froid de canard
Literally translates to: It's duck cold
What's really being said is: It's freezing!

#frenchlanguage🇫🇷 #learnfrench

Number 1 hack for amplifying your walk in the snow

Number 1 hack for amplifying your walk in the snow

#winter #snowday #geneva

First snowfall in Geneva was magic ❄️ #geneve #hi

First snowfall in Geneva was magic ❄️

#geneve #hiver

We recently gave chocolate making a try at @labonb

We recently gave chocolate making a try at @labonbonniere.ch

If you have a major sweet tooth and are looking for unique activities in Geneva, why not try making chocolate yourself in a local Swiss atelier?

Surely your chocolate bar will look much better than mine...

#swissbucketlist #swisschocolate #geneva

In Switzerland, the holiday season doesn’t end on

In Switzerland, the holiday season doesn’t end on Christmas or New Years, but after the Galette des rois.

This puff pastry cake is enjoyed traditionally on January 6th, or alternatively on the first Sunday of the New Year.

Inside a porcelain trinket is hidden known in French as une fève.

Whoever wins gets to be King or Queen of the day, wearing a paper crown (in some families, the winner is also responsible for buying the Galette des rois next year).

Is this celebrated in your country?

This time of year always makes me a bit anxious. A

This time of year always makes me a bit anxious. According to podcasts and personal development books, we need to be ever evolving, as opposed to sitting with the snug feeling of our current selves, hanging off our backs like an oversized wool sweater, the one that is too delicate to wash, storing years of smell like a well preserved artefact.

So here's to accepting ourselves in 2026, and to loving all of our perfect imperfections.

#newyear #resolutions

Born a century too late. #circus #belleepoque

Born a century too late.

#circus #belleepoque

A few festive moments before the year turns ✨ 1.

A few festive moments before the year turns ✨

1. Looking up at the @grandtheatregeneve
2. Mirror selfie in the chicest bathroom
3. Program from Un Américain à Paris
4. Christmas décor framing the French Alps
5. My honey 🍯
6. A book nook in the Château de Menthon-Saint-Bernard
7. Christmas Eve fondue spread
8. Cozy couch snuggles
9. Christmas market praline bread
10. My first fancy makeup
11. Decorations in Geneva’s Old Town
12. Afternoon tea at the @hoteldangleterregva
13. Baloo’s favorite Christmas gift… an empty paper bag 🐾

Local legend says that the three-towered @chateaud

Local legend says that the three-towered @chateaudementhonsb was the inspiration for the castle in Sleeping Beauty after Walt Disney visited the region in the 1930s.

This year marks the 5th edition of the Château du Père Noël, held every day until 3 January 2026. 45-minute visits of the castle are also possible, with an additional fee (well worth it to view the library containing more than 12,000 works, many dating from before the French Revolution!)

Address:
Allée du Château
74290 Menthon-Saint-Bernard

Entrance fee: 8 Euros for adults / 5 euros for children

#france🇫🇷 #noël

When you can’t afford a room, but can justify the

When you can’t afford a room, but can justify the pastries 🍰

The afternoon tea at @hoteldangleterregva feels like royalty, complete with three tiers piled with scones, finger sandwiches, and chocolate desserts. Service was delayed – and staff offered complementary champagne 🥂

One to save for your next festive occasion in Geneva

#geneva #geneve #afternoontea #luxuryhotels

A few holiday traditions I've adopted since marryi

A few holiday traditions I've adopted since marrying into a Swiss family:

1.) We go to Geneva’s Old Town during l’Escalade celebrations in early December
2.) We light a candle in the weeks leading up to Christmas
3.) Festivities begin on the evening of the 24th, known in French as le réveillon de Noël
4.) We love eating Asian food, and reserve a table at @navillage
5.) Celebrations continue the following day…
6.) …by eating fondue 🫕
7.) There are no surprises under the tree — gifts are organized beforehand and everyone knows what to expect
8.) If possible, we see a local theater production (a theater kid supporting the successful theater kids)
9.) The 31st is spent at the @cirque_de_noel — which has been in Geneva for over 30 years

What are your odd holiday traditions?

#geneve #noël

I was lucky as a child, as my grandmother worked f

I was lucky as a child, as my grandmother worked for a theater. This meant that when I visited, we would go backstage and look at costumes, the mask used in Phantom of the Opera and piles of sequined gowns. Once Nala from the Lion King backed up into my grandmother’s car, and, as Nala didn’t have car insurance, she offered us great seats that evening to the Lion King.

A night at the theater always feels like a treat – an occasion to dress up and celebrate some of life’s most beautiful acts.

The 1951 film An American in Paris is one of the good ones, produced during the days when actors were not only expected to act, but to be world class dancers and singers as well.

The stage adaptation is currently playing at the Grand Théâtre de Genève until 31 December, featuring several cast members who have appeared in the Broadway edition.

#geneve #geneva #theatre #unamericainaparis

Colette is sugar, spice, and everything nice — as

Celebrated on 12 December, the Escalade weekend co

Celebrated on 12 December, the Escalade weekend commemorates the victory of Protestant Geneva in 1602 against the conquest of the Duke of Savoy and his Catholic cronies.

Perhaps the most unique legend from the battle is that of la Mère Royaume, who, in her sixties, became a national symbol of Geneva’s independence when she knocked out a Savoyard by spilling the hot contents of a cooking pot from her window.

In the weeks leading up to l'Escalade, you will see chocolate pots filled with marzipan vegetables for sale in shops throughout the city.

#geneve #geneva #escalade #suisse

Learning another language is a lifelong journey.

Learning another language is a lifelong journey.

I’ve now been learning French for half my life, and still find new words every day.

In an effort to broaden my vocabulary, I’m trying to read a local newspaper at least once a week (yes, a real paper, one that allows you to crinkle the pages and smell toxic ink).

New words this week include:

• Astreindre: to compel
• Froisser: to offend
• Aiguë: acute

#frenchlanguage #learnfrench

While Switzerland yawns at Halloween and has no re

While Switzerland yawns at Halloween and has no real connection to Thanksgiving, it pours all of its festive energy into Christmas. Below are a few favorite activities while visiting Geneva and its surroundings during the holiday season:

🎄 Montreux Christmas Market
Once a sleepy town, Montreux became world-renowned thanks to its international music festival. To bring life to winter, the Christmas market was launched—and it’s now one of the largest in Switzerland.
2025 dates: 20 November – 24 December

🦌 Domaine Le Coulairon (Megève, France)
A little slice of Lapland just an hour from Geneva. Visit reindeer and sip hot chocolate inside a traditional Finnish kota.
Address: 1850 Rte de la Côté 2000, 74120 Megève

🚂 GoldenPass Belle Époque
Once reserved for the elite, this historic train is now open to everyone. It runs twice a day between Montreux—Switzerland’s take on the French Riviera—and the German-speaking village of Zweisimmen.

🎪 Le Cirque de Noël (Geneva)
A family-run Christmas circus on the Esplanade de Plainpalais and a Geneva tradition for 30+ years. It has become a ritual for our family too, marking our last three New Year’s Eves. On December 24 and 31, performers double as wait staff, serving dinner between acrobatics and tightrope acts.
2025 dates: 22 November – 4 January

🍫 Chocolate Workshops (Geneva)
La Bonbonnière and Favarger offer hands-on workshops (still on my list!). The photos here are from last year’s Escalade workshop at Procope, where you can make your own chocolate pot filled with marzipan vegetables—or even create your own chocolate bar.

#geneve #suisseromande #noël

Is there anything cozier than a museum on a rainy

Is there anything cozier than a museum on a rainy afternoon?

Today was spent exploring Geneva’s Musée d’Art et d’Histoire — which is free on the first Sunday of each month.

Inside, you’ll find a compact but beautiful collection of works by Swiss legend Ferdinand Hodler (prepare yourself for many Alpine landscapes), alongside French impressionists and artifacts from ancient Rome.

And even if art bores you to tears, the museum has a charming café overlooking the courtyard — a true hidden gem during warmer months.

#mahgeneve #geneve #geneva #musee

Known locally as the Venice of the French Alps, An

Known locally as the Venice of the French Alps, Annecy's canals are surrounded by wooden chalets in December, selling French Christmas classics such as raclette and aligot.

Annecy's marché de Noël is popular and for good reason - arrive early to enjoy it before the crowds (or award yourself for finding a parking spot with a cup of vin chaud!)

#annecy #france #marchedenoel

So very grateful for my day job, but even more so

So very grateful for my day job, but even more so for the adventures it provides.

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