www.werd.com

Swiss creativity: over 100 years ago, the invention of the Swiss Army Knife was transforming a basic knife into a multi-functional tool. Today, another Swiss company has created the swissRoomBox® that will transform your car into a multi-functional home on board. Thanks to an ingenious modular system installed in the boot of your car, you can cook, eat, take a shower and sleep during your outdoor adventures!

Here are the 1001 things you can do with a Swiss Room Room Box

Website of Swiss Room Box

www.romansigner.ch

Currently, avalanche blasting specialists (for lack of a proper English job title) are very much in demand in Switzerland, as the snow heaps are getting bigger everyday. But there are different types of blasting. Swiss performance artist Roman Signer blows stuff up with small, perfectly times explosions – in the name of art. Sounds strange? Check out this video about one of his performances! The Aargauer Kunsthaus is showing art of the Swiss “Blaster Master” in Street Views and Super 8 Films” until April 22, 2012.

Link to exhibition

www.fondationbeyeler.ch

Fondation Beyeler in Basel currently shows masterpieces of painter Pierre Bonnard. Bonnard whose early works bear a hauntingly similarity to Monet’s water lily gardens is one of the true great impressionist. Among his paintings is a series of over 100 images, all showing a beautiful woman in her bath room. The woman was Bonnards lover and later wife, Marthe, and though the years passed, Bonnard always painted her as young woman until they day he died…

This series as well as other selected paintings can be seen in Basel until May 13, 2012.

Link

There is a special day for almost anything in the calendar. Same goes for today: Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to National Cheese Lovers Day! This is why  January 20 is the perfect time to discover new Swiss cheese delights — and who better to share the latest trends in cheese than Emmi, one of Switzerland’s premium dairy companies…

Link

www.biancastory.com

New year, new talents, new music! Enter cool band THE BIANCA STORY from Basel. Try imagining Heaven 17, the B-52′s and Talking Heads at a Fleetwood Mac reunion gig and you’re probably nowhere near. Through this vibrant 5-piece, the 80s get a slacker, soulful feel, courtesy of a beardy bloke (Elia Rediger) with a lazy Phil Oakey drawl. In one twist, their music produces angular dance-beats that could punch a hole in the floor, or smooth over the cracks of heartache. Eclectic, intelligent pop music.

Video ‘Lazy Boy’ on Youtube

THE BIANCA STORY website

www.20minuten.ch

Switzerland lays under a thick blanket of snow. No, really, currently they have amounts of snow you would not believe. We cannot wait to get out and play and thankfully, there are some new ways to enjoy a Swiss winter. Take a stroll along the frozen lake with the Offroader-Segways or play a game of winter golf (for obvious reasons played with brightly red balls instead of white ones). Or take the “Böckl”, consisting of a seat, a ski and two hand rails and go! (Don’t forget to master your courage, before shooting down the slope, you might need it!)

gobigorgohomeblog.com

Welcome to the New Year!

Have some Swiss yearning inside? There is Swissness everywhere in the U.S. In this case, inside Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry where you’ll find the Swiss Jollyball, the world’s largest pinball machine. The countless bells, lights, and cleverly arranged movement triggered by the magic silver ball are enough to keep any mechanically-minded kid busy for a good while and also adults and babies seem to be mesmerized by the motion. Created as a travel advertisement for the Swiss Tourism Board, the Jollyball takes you on a tour of the Swiss countryside and tourism hot spots. It was created by Charles Morgan, a British jeweler living in Switzerland, using parts salvaged from the junkyard. Jolly Joy!

Museum of Science Chicago

www.swissimage.ch

Between Christmas and New Year, the Engadin is steeped in a festive ambience, not just because of its enchanting snowy-white landscape but also because of the magical concerts performed by the Engadin Symphony Orchestra. This classic concert is one of a kind and a wonderful way to have the year slowly but steadily come to an end… Happy New Year to you all and thank you so much for your continued interest in Howdy Heid!

From Dec 28 – 30, 2011

Link

www.spenglercup.ch

During the last six days of the year, Davos is the top address for European ice hockey. The traditional Spengler Cup tournament takes place in the Davos ‘Ice Hockey Cathedral’ between Boxing Day and New Year’s Eve. During the first five tournament days there are two games each day at 15:00 h and at 20:15 h. Rises at 12:00 h noon on the closing day of the final point between the two best teams. GO!

From Dec 26 – 31 2011

Link

www.swissimage.ch

Winter has just begun and already Switzerland is breaking the records… with some impressive figures (not to be taken too seriously though). Check them out!

9.3 miles: The length of the longest sledging slope. The slope “Big Pintenfritz” in the Bernese Oberland is th longest not only in Switzerland but in all of Europe.

10.5 miles: The longest ski run. Professional athletes make the run from Matterhorn glacier down to the village of Zermatt in 10 to 15 minutes (I had over 30.)

36 feet per second: The fastest ski Gondola. (Running from Disentis to Caischavedra, you really have to be fast to catch a glimpse of the surrounding winter world.)

308 feet: The tallest aerial cableway post (Don’t look down from the cabin when passing the post.)

180 people: The quantity that fits into a single aerial cableway. (On two floors, n.b.)

4000 people: The quantity that gets moved per hour from ground station to mountain station in the canton of St. Gallen.

10,761 feet above sea level: The highest aerial cableway station not only in Switzerland but in all of Europe.