Have a taste of the last Christmas on Earth in Zurich 2012

Whatever Christmas is about, find your favorite flavour in Zurich. It’s not easy celebrating it this year 2012:

- Maya foresaw the end of the world by the 21.12.12
- World economy is depressed and money is never enough for compulsive shopping

… and worste of it all, Pope Benedictus removed Cow and Donkey ans singing shepherds from Jesus’ crib.

Nevertheless , Xmas lights are still worth a visit (click here to watch them on our flickr collection!) before this planet will come to a sad end

Best Russian tourist guide for a short visit to Milan, Italy

If you are in Milan for a week-end and you can read Russian, this guide is a must have. Based on first-hand information from people living in Milan, this guide from National Geographic Traveller will show you the best spots for food, drink, culture and shopping.

Follow the pre-organized tours or choose your locations one by one: the pictures of this post (click here to watch them) were shot following the “footsteps of Leonardo” and “heart of Milan” routes from this guide.

We wish you a sunny and windy week end in Milan!

So freezing in Zurich today we met penguins!

We had another ’round -10°C day today in Zurich. In Italy you say “it’s so cold penguins come through the windows”. In Switzerland, they just take a walk down to the zoo Click HERE for the full reportage.

Five plus five reasons why spending your winter holidays in Valtournenche and Cervinia, the Italian Matterhorn side

1. When in Zermatt, on the Swiss side, the weather is stormy and ski slopes are all closed, in Valtournenche you can still ski.

2. If you are a beginner in snowboarding, Cervinia slopes seem to be easier than Zermatt

3. Can you understand the origin of the name “Plateau Rosa” ?

4. The options for cross country skiing in Zermatt are more professional, but forget about “polenta con porcini” after it.

5. From Valtournenche or Cervinia you can cross the national border and ski on Zermatt slopes … and vice versa – but Cervinia nights are only in Cervinia…

After watching the pictures of our winter holidays 2011/2012, a few first-hand hints:

1. Rent a flat in advance in websites like this one. We had a very good experience in “Singlin di sopra”, a tiny village between Valtournenche and Cervinia.

2. If you bring your shiny new car to Italian Alps in winter, don’t be surprised tourists will by accident let their sky fall on your ex shiny new car.

3. Don’t buy ski pass lasting more than a day. Weather is very unstable at 3,500 m.s.l. – so it is better you choose your activities day-by-day

4. In case of bad weather, you can always practice cross-country skiing at the bottom of the valley, in Cervinia or much better on the pretty circuit of Champléve.

5. Between 25.12 and 6.1 very nice entertainment evenings are organized in Valtournenche and Cervinia. Go for them!

And finally, it is true Italians do not respect queues, do drive even worst on snow and let their skies falling down on your ex shiny new car – nevertheless we bet food and housing quality / price cannot be beaten by neighboring countries.

Gadjo Michto: beauty playing in the streets of Strasbourg

I easily get bewitched by women playing musical instruments. If the girl playing is also cute, good and French (!), then I am totally overwhelmed … ouch, Stasia! Stop beating me, I will pay you a course of violin

This was the case in the streets of Strasbourg last week-end. While lost (with Stasia) in the Christmas labyrinth of the city, we heard a gipsy-like music coming to us. To our surprise it was a 100% Alsace music band wonderfully playing cord instruments and accordion and singing in Slobanjo. The language, I was explained by a friend of the group, spoken in Slobanja, of course

Don’t miss the Gadjo Michto when you visit Strasbourg, and pay a visit to their website: www.myspace.com/gadjomichto

And don’t miss my wonderful night pictures of this concert HERE

Strasbourg, capitale de Noël: APPROVED by Loranablog

So much we read and heard this year about Strasbourg being THE capital of Christmas, that we chose to pay a visit to it!

Guided by the native M. – a friend of us knowing each corner of the city – we had two enchanting days in the streets of Strasbourg. Indeed, we found a whole city ready to celebrate Christmas, but also delicious Alsace food (you must try baeckeoffe!), pretty men (at lest this is what girls said), gipsy musics and kind people.

Look it by yourself, watching this Lorana report on Alsace Christmas in Strasbourg!

Malans to Jenins wine-road: romantic Heidiland walk in Autumn

“Chauffeur, drive me to Malans: I need to buy some good bottles of Blauburgunder!”

And this is how it happened that today my private driver brought me to the enchanting wine road between Malans and Jenins (Graubunden, CH), where we walk through the vineyards to taste some good local red wine together with house-made sausages.

“Now back home, Anastasia, please, I am drunk”

Pictures: Lorana on flickr.com
Music: Karen Kornienko

How to meet Charlie Chaplin and Freddie Mercury on Lac Léman

Just visit the wonderful locations of Montreaux and Vevey and their fully blooming lake sides. Some monuments will attract your attention. Although watching Mercury’s statue made me feel very old: I started listening to Queen just 20 years ago. It “looks like” it was last century. Fortunately, the amazing lake landscape made me quickly forget about my ageing problems.

In the dungeons of Château de Chillon

François de Bonivard lost his freedom, had to eat not tasty food and lived in fear and pain for six long years. A few married friends of mine had similar experiences… although they were not locked in Chillon

Give a look to our pictures of this word famous castle.

Lausanne et rien d’autre.

What I wanted to say with my probably-wrong-French-sentence is that Lausanne is *the* place to visit if you pass by the Swiss French region. If Geneve is to us Lake Léman’s gipsy (attractive and dangerous), Lausanne is its most beautiful pearl.

Stasia gifted me for my birthday with a wonderful 3-luxury-day package on the East side of Lake Léman. Spring time, French food&wine and massive sun radiation.

PS We can speak Italian, Russian, German and English. However, four languages were not enough to order food or ask for road directions in Lausanne. On the other side, Lausanne citizens showed us a lot of patience in speaking French with us very slowly

Give a look here to out first day in Lausanne.