Easter in the city of Lugano

Join the festive atmosphere of Easter in the City and explore the numerous intriguing and entertaining activities for young and old.

Every year Easter draws a myriad of vacationers and travelers to Lugano. In order to add some zest to the picturesque city center, the City of Lugano and their tourist center organize an event called "Pasqua in Città" (Easter in the City), which will take place from Friday, April 14th through Monday April 17th, 2017.

THROUGHOUT THE EVENT, THREE CUTE RABBITS WILL HAND OUT CHOCOLATE CANDIES PROVIDED BY MIGROS TICINO.

Here is a peak at the programme:

ENTERTAINMENT
14.04-17.04 / 10:00-18:30 / Piazza Manzoni
Wooden handmade games for all the family, creative workshops with recycled materials and face-painting.

FOLK MUSIC
14.04-17.04 / 13:30-18:00 / Centro Cittadino
Musical animation with Tacalà, Duo Nostranello, Tirabüscion and the Bagiöö.

EASTER MARKET
14.04-17.04 / 11:00-18:00 / Centro Cittadino

Over 100 stands with handicrafts, food and wine.

EGGS CHASE
15.04-17.04 / 10:30 - 16:00 / Piazza Manzoni
Treasure hunt for the whole family in the city centre, leaving from Piazza Manzoni. Those that find all the clues along the way will be given delicious chocolate eggs as a prize.

CONCERTS
14.04 / 14:30 / Piazza San Rocco
JUGENDMUSIK SCHWANDEN

15.04 / 15:00 / Piazza Luini - Piazza Dante
CORO CHIESA DI GESÙ CRISTO DEI SANTI DEGLI ULTIMI GIORNI

15.04 / 17:00 / Patio del Municipio - Piazza Riforma
FILARMONICA DI CASTAGNOLA - CONCERTO DI PASQUA

15.04 / 17:00 / Sala Teatro LAC
CONCERTO SPIRITUALE DEL SABATO SANTO
Con Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana e Coro della Radiotelevisione Svizzera

EASTER CELEBRATIONS
14.04 / 20:00 / Centro Cittadino
Via Crucis (start from S. Nicolao)

15.04 / 21:00 / Basilica del Sacro Cuore
Easter Vigil

16.04 / 09:30 / Chiesa Sant’Antonio
Easter Mass

Feeling at home

Once again we are back in Lugano and although it has been six years since we left - what was suppose to be our home for ever and ever - we remain attached to this magical place.

A town embedded by green hills with snowy peaks cascading into a crystal clear lake dotted with villages clinging close to the steep slopes. The stone buildings tightly aligned - dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries - embellished with frescoes and stucco decorations.

An area where - when the sun sets - the bird twitter is still more present than the traffic and the air quality is measured in terms of pollen not pollution.

A community that still greets you with a "Bun Dì" even though they don't know you. Cars stop for pedestrians with a smile and a hand gesture, the odd old boy cheers you on when you jog past and the postman leaves packages on your doorstep not worrying about them being stolen.

A town where you can still spot cows when you look out of the window and hear the church bells chime every hour.

It is a peaceful world where the stress of Paris dissolves in an instant. Where aggressiveness is replaced by courtesy and arrogance by discipline.

It is easy to slither into this comfortable lifestyle but ... then again ... I would miss the vibes of a bustling metropole.

Mac & Four Cheese Gratini en cocotte recipe

It has been a while since I posted a recipe. Here is one I discovered at the Manor department store browsing through Le Creuset's cookbook. Le Creuset "Mini-Cocote" cookbook features 25 specially created recipes for the mini cocotte and its versatile cooking and serving features.

You do know what a cocotte is, right? Yes, it's a shallow baking dish, but Le Creuset turns it so much more! Even Expat girl's friend exclaimed: "Ma questo è tutto un'arte!" when I served it for lunch today. She can definitely come back for lunch anytime!

Macaroni and Four Cheese Gratin

Ingredients:
300gr wheat macaroni
20gr unsalted butter
15ml cup heavy cream
50gr Gorgonzola
50gr Fontina
50gr Marscarpone
50gr Parmigiano Reggiano
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Tip: Cheeses with higher fat content melt better than those that with a lower one! So combine your favorites: creamy Fontina, Gorgonzola, buffalo mozzarella, Parmigano Reggiano.

Preparation:
1.) Preheat the oven to 220ºC.
2.) Cook macaroni in boiling salted water for about 8 minutes; it should be al dente; not entirely cooked.  Pass the pasta under cold running water to stop them from cooking.
3.) Melt the butter in a small pan over a low flame. Add the cream, the gorgonzola, the Fontina, the marscarpone and the Parmigiano Reggiano (reserving 4 tablespoons for the top). Stir the cheese until all are well melted. Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.
4.) Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and divide into 4 mini-cocottes.
5.) Sprinkle the rest of the Parmigiano Reggiano over each cocotte.
6.) Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and crusty looking.

Magic tour around the lake of Lugano

Apart from Lugano itself, there are other places on the shores of Lake Lugano that are worth seeing. The best way is by ship, visiting one of the attractions of the region or dropping in for lunch in a typical grotto. There’s no better way to relax and enjoy your day.

From 8th April 2017, you can enjoy the new boat tours, for example the Magic Tour with four different stops: Leaving Lugano for the romantic village of Gandria and the Cantine di Gandria with the Museo delle Dogane then to Melide, where you can visit the Swissminiatur, the well-known park of Switzerland in a scale from 1:25 or walk along the lake to Bissone all the way to Morcote. This peaceful lakeshore village was once entirely devoted to fishing and is the winner of the contest for "the most beautiful village in Switzerland".

Check out the other lake tours Lugano has to offer: www.luganoturismo.ch

What do you know about Swiss expats and emigration?

The Swiss passport seems to open many doors, as an exceptionally high percentage of the Swiss expats (59%) mention that getting a visa for their host country was very easy, an opinion only 41% of their global peers share.

Swissemigration, a division of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs provides documentation and general advisory services on individual countries and specific topics. It produces illustrations on the annual figures for emigration among the usual resident population of Switzerland compiled by the Federal Statistical Office and for statistics on the number of Swiss nationals living abroad.

So, where do you fit in?

Expats from Switzerland are willing to sacrifice some of their income in order to enjoy an adventurous life abroad.

Swiss emigration to Europe for 2015

Total Swiss emigration world-wide in the year 2015

Charity Movie Night in favour of Progetto Avventuno

In 2017 IWCL Evening Group is fundraising in favour of Progetto Avventuno, a local charity. A growing local association based in Montagnola with the aim to enhance the possibilities for people with Trisomy 21 (Down Syndrome) in Ticino.

Avventuno works closely with other organisations, in Switzerland and abroad, to support families and professionals so they can provide the best social and educational setting for young people with Down Syndrome. To reach its objectives the association creates, adapts and translates specific learning tools, selects research, organises events, provides continuing training for professionals and promotes family-centred early intervention.

This is a quick reminder about tonight event. It is still possible to join IWCL last minute to support Progetto Avventuno and watch a lovely movie showing an unexpected journey and unexpected friendship.

Location: Lux Art House (www.luxarthouse.ch), Via Giuseppe Motta 67, 6900 Massagno

Date: Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Time: 19:00 (drink with finger food) and 20:00 "Where hope grows" (English)

Price: CHF 30 fee will be donated to www.avventuno.org

Feel free to invite your friends the more we are the better for the charity we are aiming to help. 

Is Money the Curse of Art?

Don't miss the next intriguing appointment of the Franklin University Switzerland Lecture Series. Join them for a lecture by Dr. Thomas Girst, Head of Cultural Engagement of the BMW Group. The event is in English and is open to all.

Thomas Girst was born in Trier (DE) in 1971. Following studies in art history, American Studies and German Literature at Hamburg University and New York University, in 2000 he became research manager of the Art Science Research Laboratory in New York. During the same period he was also cultural correspondent for German daily Die Tageszeitung.

As a curator, he organized numerous exhibitions, including “Alive and Kicking: the Collages of Charles Henri Ford” at the Scene Gallery in New York as well as “Marcel Duchamp in Munich 1912” at the Lenbachhaus in Munich.

Since 2003, Dr. Girst is global Head of Cultural Engagement at the BMW Group and is responsible for the strategy, implementation and supervision of hundreds of long-term partnerships in the fields of art, music, design and architecture with major institutions as well as artists worldwide. He teaches at the Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, at the Academy of Fine Arts, Munich, as well as at the Academy of Applied Sciences in Zurich.

In 2016, Dr. Girst received the international “European Cultural Manager of the Year” award.

Venue: Lecture by Dr. Thomas Girst: "Is Money the Curse of Art?"
Where: Franklin University Switzerland, Via Ponte Tresa 29, Sorengo
When: Tuesday, March 28th, 2017
Time: 19:00 to 21:00
Entry is free. A reception will follow the lecture.

Facts about waste water

World Water Day is held on March 22nd to raise awareness of the importance of freshwater. It helps bring attention to a crisis faced by millions around the globe – limited access to fresh, clean water.

This year's theme is 'why waste water' and focuses on getting people to stop wasting the valuable resource.

It is estimated that 663 million people live without access to safe water close to their homes. Instead, they must travel long distances or queue for hours to get it. Many also have to cope with contaminated water – and the associated health problems.

The United Nations General Assembly officially designated March 22nd as World Water Day in 1993. Since then, campaigns have focused on improving water quality and access to freshwater for people around the world. In 2015 – and as part of the Sustainable Development Goals – a UN Initiative set a target to make sure everyone on the planet has access to safe water by 2030.

It is estimated that by 2030, the demand for water will have increased by 50% – most of which will be from people living in cities. As a result, World Water Day organisers are calling for new approaches to wastewater management.

Facts about waste water:
- At present, more than 80% of wastewater produced is pumped back into the ecosystem without being treated or reused.
- Despite most of the world's population being expected to live in cities by 2050, most – especially in developing countries – do not have the infrastructure or resources needed to manage wastewater.
- 1.8 billion people (more than a quarter of the world's population) use a source of drinking water that is contaminated by faeces. This places them at risk of a host of deadly diseases including dysentery, cholera and polio.
- It is estimated that unsafe water and poor sanitation kills 842,000 people every year.
- An area of land roughly equivalent to the size of Sri Lanka is irrigated with wastewater or polluted water. This causes health problems in the farmers working on the land, and eventually the people who consume the products they produce.
- Water, sanitation and hygiene could prevent 9.1% of the global disease burden – and an estimated 6.3% of all deaths.
- Improved water sources reduces the number of deaths from diarrhoea by 21%, while improved sanitation can reduce it by 37.5%.
- According to the USGS, the average person uses up to 100 gallons of water per day. 95% of this goes down the drain – meaning each person wastes between 76-95 gallons every day.
- Despite most of the planet being covered by water, most of it is not available for human use. If the Earth's water fitted into a four litre jug, just one tablespoon would be available freshwater.

Swiss hospitality at its best

This weekend brought us back to Switzerland... yet again... for Expat boy needs to make his first grown-up life-changing decision. Where to go after the International Baccalaureate?

To be perfectly honest he is his father's son, total strategic focus albeit sometimes absent-mined when not interested. His two passions: football and hospitality.

For years he has known that his goal was to study Hotel Management in Switzerland, I figured it might be a good idea if he actually visited the campus and surveyed the groundbreaking training in action.

Arriving in Lausanne on a spectacular sunny day with blue skies and gorgeous views across the Lake Leman, we were blown away by the atmosphere, professionalism, efficiency, cleanliness, organization, beauty and of course hospitality of Swiss Higher Education.

The visits to two different institutes provided an opportunity to personally discover the professionalism and excellence the Swiss hospitality training is world-renowned for. Admissions officers, teaching staff and student ambassadors did an outstanding job in demonstrating what Swiss education stands for and how it successfully prepares students for a wide variety of hospitality management careers across the globe.

So much so, that my husband has now decided he wants to go back to study!

Expat with Kids Social Media

Stuck at home with a thigh muscle strain - needless to say the weather is gorgeous and a run would seem like a great idea - I have reverted to streamlining all my social media feeds... et voilà le résultat!

Enjoy Parisian (and sometimes Swiss) moments on Instagram

Follow my Vie en Rose on Pinterest

Sign up with Facebook  

Listen to my Twitter

Follow my blog with Bloglovin 

Networked blogs at your service