SwissPats

After an unexpected week off because of Suzi's illness she's back to being (mostly) healthy and the SwissPats welcomed Carl Wahlers, creator of Blokes & Black Dogs. The idea behind Wahlers' group is to create a peer-to-peer support group for English speaking men in the Lake Geneva region of Switzerland, where the focus is on men having the opportunity to talk openly about issues they are facing in life. Suzi and Don also discuss the top Swiss words of 2018 and what the canton of Uri is doing to control bears and wolves.

Harry Darling is third member of the Darling family to appear on SwissPats. His mom, Jeanne, is an educator and author. His sister, Kate, works at MIT on robot ethics. Harry? Well, Harry is an accomplished punk rocker and musician for the Bitch Queens and X-Darlings. (Listen to find out how you can win a free CD of either band.) Suzi and Don also discuss how Switzerland's on-the-spot fines will work beginning in 2020, what an "igloo driver" is and how it's bad and which publication ranks the country among best in the world.

Wondering what to do this month in Switzerland? Fear not the SwissPats have you covered. Suzi and Don break down all the top events that are happening this month in Switzerland that include expos for men, golf fans and motorcycle lovers in Zurich (not all at the same time), Basel's Expat Expo, horse racing in St. Moritz, Luzern's version of Fasnacht and a Pablo Picasso exhibition in Basel.

This week the SwissPats feature professional magician Guy Portlock. After learning his passion and establishing himself in the UK, he now lives in Switzerland where he performs his craft in a place where English isn't necessarily the first language spoken. Suzi and Don also discuss why a Swiss cheese maker is exporting pink cheese and which Swiss cities travel magazine readers ranked among the 35 the best places in Europe. 

In the second of two parts, the SwissPats host a Q&A with Juan Lo Bello, the Wine Guru on Wheels. Last week's episode Juan described his journey from Argentina to Switzerland and how he fell in love with wine. This week, wine questions from our Facebook page were posed to Juan to gain his expertise. Also, Suzi describes ANOTHER run-in she had with a Swiss authority figure and the latest stats on what annoys Swiss people about their neighbors.

Happy New Year! The SwissPats begin 2019 welcoming on Juan Lo Bello, the Wine Guru on Wheels. The interview was broken down into two parts. This week, Juan describes his journey from Argentina to Switzerland and how he fell in love with wine. He also explains how his unique business could help you and your future wine purchasing and drinking decisions. Don and Suzi also discuss their holidays and - surprise - a few financial stories. This time it involves the Swiss birthrate and overall happiness.

Wondering what to do this month in Switzerland? Fear not the SwissPats have you covered. In this second episode Suzi and Don will break down all the top events that are happening this month in Switzerland that include a gourmet food festival, hot air balloon festival and a downhill ski race involving witches. Here are links to all the things covered in this episode.

St. Moritz Gourmet Food Festival | https://www.stmoritz-gourmetfestival.ch/en

Hot Air Ballon Festival | https://www.chateau-doex.ch/en/P1152/international-hot-air-balloon-festival

The Witch Decent | https://www.belalphexe.ch/

Curling Club Zermatt HORU tournament | http://www.cczermatt.ch/en/

Luzern Light Festival | https://www.lichtfestivalluzern.ch/

Vogel Gyrff | https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-ch/vogel-gryff-in-basel-bs.html

Suzi and Don welcomed on Dr. Kate Darling, who is American but falls under the "third-culture" kid status. She grew up in Switzerland, but now is a researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab, where she investigates social robotics and conducts experimental studies on human-robot interaction. In other words, stuff that is waaaaay over the simple-minded heads of Suzi and Don. They also talk how buying expats holiday gifts can cause confusion and Don gives his Christmas present to Suzi. (It involves chickens.)

Don and Suzi welcome on Rylla Ressler, one of the three authors of "Trailing Spouses: Reimagined," to discuss what it's like to be a trailing spouse, as well as Rylla's experience writing a book. Don and Suzi also discuss what was found in bagged salad in Basel and nine things you can do in the winter in Switzerland if you aren't into the national sport - skiing.

Greg Beardwell, an Aussie expat living near Zug, is the co-founder of Connie's Kitchen that makes organic, no-added sugar ketchup. Greg explains his path from down under to Switzerland, as well as what it was like starting his business in his new country. Don and Suzi also discuss the harrowing ordeal of a U.S. hang glider, where you can join the mile high fondue club and whether or not it's ok for the University of Zurich to have classes in English.