SwissPats

Author Margaret Oertig-Davidson joined SwissPats to discuss her new book, The New Beyond Chocolate, as well as her journey from Scotland to Switzerland. The book, according to publisher Bergli Books, "examines the Swiss through the eyes of hundreds of people who have lived and worked here, and [Oertig-Davidson's] insight will help any reader gain respect and understanding for the diverse people that make up Swiss society." The SwissPats also discusses why Suzi no longer believes in ghosts, Don laments over his awesome pen that is now in the possession of his co-host and they discuss percentage of Swiss residents who drive compared to those who use public transportation.

Janene Liston, also known as The Pricing Lady, sat down to discuss how her career as an engineer in the U.S. led her to Switzerland where she found her passion in pricing. The SwissPats also discuss what the results mean following the Zurich tradition of lighting a snowman on fire and how much the Lausanne police fined a man after parking for five minutes when he just paid for four. 

Suzi and Don sit down with the chairperson of Basel Connect, Kathy Hartmann-Campbell, who moved to Switzerland in 1982. Today, her efforts at Basel Connect help promote collaboration between expats and locals in the Basel region. Don and Suzi also discuss daylight savings time, how Suzi changed the way she says "pasta" and how a horse's bodily function brought so much joy to Don's children last weekend.

Wondering what to do this month in Switzerland? Fear not the SwissPats have you covered. Suzi and Don talk music festivals on mountains, flammable snowmen in Zurich and an event that features all things chocolate.

• Children's Author Tea Party | April 4 | Basel
• Cully Concert | April 5-13 | Lavaux
• Snowpen Air | April 6 | Kleine Scheidegg
• Festichoc | April 6-7 | Versoix
• Sechseläuten | April 8 | Zurich
• 20th Blues Festival | April 9-10 | Basel
• Zermatt Unplugged | April 9-13
• Medevil Market | April 13-14 | Lucerne
• Easter Egg Hunt | April 21 | Mount Rigi
• Early Oktoberfest | April 19-22 | Reusch
• Fly Me To The Moon | April 5-June 30 | Zurich Kunsthalle
• Tulip Festival | April | In Morges, Lake Geneva

Daniel Salerno, an Australian expat and owner of a PhD in physics, is part of a four-person team that makes up Diffair, which is a sustainable, eco-friendly fashion manufacture based in Zurich that is committed to improving the social and environmental aspects of the industry. He joined us a week before their Kickstarter campaign ended. Good news! Four days after the recording with Daniel, Diffair reached their goal. For more information and their fashion selection go to Diffair.ch. Don and Suzi also discuss Basel World, the latest trends in Switzerland's cheese-eating habits and why Suzi's allergies are so bad.

This is a special interview-only release of the SwissPats podcast. Don and Suzi sat down with Daniel Salerno of Diffair, a sustainable, eco-friendly fashion manufacture based in Zurich that is committed to improving the social and environmental aspects of the industry.  

Currently, Diffair is undergoing a crowd funding campaign that ends March 28.

For more information go to Diffair.ch or Kickstarter.com.

Back from a two-week holiday break, the SwissPats welcome on Sophie Adang, of Stylemixers. Sophie is a fashion consultant based in Basel who shows people how to choose clothing that suits them. Suzi and Don also discuss how Don deeply scarred his animal-loving son while visiting Iceland, how many Swiss cities are ranked in Mercer’s Quality of Living Reports, which offers city-to-city comparisons for nearly 500 global assignment destinations, how A Tribe Called Quest assisted an Emmental cheese maker and what are the chances a third class is added to rail travel in Switzerland.

Don and Suzi head down to Biel/Bienne to the offices of Creaholic, where professional inventors have been creating interesting and helpful things for more than three decades. They talked with a few of their employees on a new app that is helping expats find one another through activities. In news, the SwissPats discuss Fasnacht plans, how long a Swiss man drove without a license and how much money someone won on a slot machine in the Basel casino.

Wondering what to do this month in Switzerland? Fear not the SwissPats have you covered. Suzi and Don talk Fasnacht as well as all the other top events that are happening this month in Switzerland including...

• Geneva International Auto Show | March 7-17
• Schlaraffia | Frauenfield | March 7-10
• Engadin Skimarathon | March 10
• Festival of Culture and Jazz Music | Chiasso | March 14-16
• Freiburg Film Festvial | March 15-23
• Glacier Bike Downhill | Sass-Fee | March 16
• Wohga Winterthur | Winterthur | March 21-24
• Baselworld | March 21-26
• Old Timer & Teilemarkt | Freiburg | March 23-24
• Lauberhorn Run | Wengen | March 24
• Women's Expo | Zurich | March 24
• Expat Expo | Zug | March 24
• WhiskeySchiff | Lucerne | March 28-30

World Radio Switzerland’s midday host Katt Cullen joins SwissPats to discuss her journey from a trapeze artist to radio show host in Switzerland. Meanwhile, Don admits he’s starting to like skiing, the Swiss ski chief said dumb things and is no longer the ski chief and Suzi found three different stories highlighting the Swiss’ fanatical desire to control speeding cars.