Author: Padraig Rooney Publisher: Nicholas Brealey ISBN: 1473645026 Category : Biography & Autobiography Languages : en Pages : 458
Book Description
Part detective work, part treasure chest, full of history and scandal, The Gilded Chalet takes you on a grand tour of two centuries of great writing by both Swiss and foreign authors and shows how Switzerland has always been at the center of literary Europe. Two centuries after the Romantics went there to invent Gothic horror, the lure of Switzerland hasn't left us. Writers from the Fitzgeralds to Fleming, Highsmith to Hemingway, Conan Doyle to le Carré, came to escape world wars, political persecution, tuberculosis. They came for sanctuary (from oppression or the tax man), for fresh air and nude sunbathing, for scenery resembling, as Rooney puts it, 'Mother Nature on steroids.' Patricia Highsmith spent her last years in a granite home in Ticino with a fridge containing little but peanut butter and vodka. Hermann Hesse had himself buried to the neck as a cure for alcoholism. Nabokov chased butterflies and played tennis on the hotel courts. When it comes to literature, it seems all roads lead to Switzerland. Padraig Rooney peers through the chalet windows and discovers how Switzerland has influenced some of the greatest authors and characters of literature.
Author: Rough Guides Publisher: Apa Publications (UK) Limited ISBN: 1789196728 Category : Travel Languages : en Pages : 710
Book Description
Practical travel guide to Switzerland points-of-interest structured lists of all sights and off-the-beaten-track treasures, with detailed colour-coded maps, practical details about what to see and to do in Switzerland, how to get there and around, pre-departure information, as well as top time-saving tips, like a visual list of things not to miss in Switzerland, expert author picks and itineraries to help you plan your trip. The Rough Guide to Switzerland covers: Geneva, Lausanne and Lake Geneva, The Arc Jurassien, Basel and around, Bern and around, The Bernese Oberland, Valais, Lucerne and Central Switzerland, Zürich, Northeast Switzerland, Graubünden, Ticino Inside this travel guide you'll find: RECOMMENDATIONS FOR EVERY TYPE OF TRAVELLER Experiences selected for every kind of trip to Switzerland, from off-the-beaten-track adventures in Geneva to family activities in child-friendly places, like Zürich or chilled-out breaks in popular tourist areas, like Lausanne. PRACTICAL TRAVEL TIPS Essential pre-departure information including Switzerland entry requirements, getting around, health information, travelling with children, sports and outdoor activities, food and drink, festivals, culture and etiquette, shopping, tips for travellers with disabilities and more. TIME-SAVING ITINERARIES Carefully planned routes covering the best of Switzerland give a taste of the richness and diversity of the destination, and have been created for different time frames or types of trip. DETAILED REGIONAL COVERAGE Clear structure within each sightseeing chapter includes regional highlights, brief history, detailed sights and places ordered geographically, recommended restaurants, hotels, bars, clubs and major shops or entertainment options. INSIGHTS INTO GETTING AROUND LIKE A LOCAL Tips on how to beat the crowds, save time and money and find the best local spots for hiking, browsing markets and sampling wine. HIGHLIGHTS OF THINGS NOT TO MISS Rough Guides' rundown of Basel, Bern and Lucerne's sights and top experiences help to make the most of each trip to Switzerland, even in a short time. HONEST AND INDEPENDENT REVIEWS: Written by Rough Guides' expert authors with a trademark blend of humour, honesty and expertise, to help to find the best places in Switzerland, matching different needs. BACKGROUND INFORMATION Comprehensive 'Contexts' chapter features fascinating insights into Switzerland, with coverage of history, religion, ethnic groups, environment, wildlife and books, plus a handy language section and glossary. FABULOUS FULL COLOUR PHOTOGRAPHY Features inspirational colour photography, including the stunning Rathaus in Basel and the spectacular Bernese Oberland. COLOUR-CODED MAPPING Practical full-colour maps, with clearly numbered, colour-coded keys for quick orientation in Valais, Ticino and many more locations in Switzerland, reduce need to go online. USER-FRIENDLY LAYOUT With helpful icons, and organised by neighbourhood to help you pick the best spots to spend your time.
Author: Rough Guides Publisher: Penguin ISBN: 0241312671 Category : Travel Languages : en Pages : 668
Book Description
This in-depth coverage of Switzerland's local attractions and sights takes you to the most rewarding spots - from the Swiss Alps to quaint villages - and stunning color photography brings the land to life on the pages. With a beautiful new cover, amazing tips and information, and key facts, The Rough Guide to Switzerland is the perfect travel companion. Discover Switzerland's highlights, with expert advice on exploring the best sites, participating in festivals, and exploring local landmarks through extensive coverage of this fascinating area. Easy-to-use maps; reliable advice on how to get around; and insider reviews of the best hotels, restaurants, bars, clubs, and shops for all budgets ensure that you won't miss a thing. Make the most of your time with The Rough Guide to Switzerland.
Author: Anthony Lambert Publisher: Bradt Travel Guides ISBN: 1784770469 Category : Travel Languages : en Pages : 428
Book Description
This thoroughly updated edition of Bradt's guide to Switzerland offers a unique perspective on getting the most from this mountainous country travelling only by public transport - a timely release with the Gotthard Base Tunnel transforming north-south train services. Switzerland boasts the world's finest public transport network, and the Swiss Travel System is a revelation. The comfort, efficiency and frequency of train, bus, boat and cable car services explain why so many Swiss don't own cars. Visitors cannot reach many of the finest Swiss sights by road, and there are over a dozen car-free resorts for experiencing the peace and clean air of the mountains. For walkers and cyclists, there are superbly managed networks of paths - almost 64,000 kilometres of footpaths and many surprisingly unhilly cycle paths beside lakes and rivers. Bradt's Switzerland is unique. No other guide book is devoted to Swiss public transport, which is the easiest, most enjoyable and responsible way to travel. The guide offers depth and breadth of coverage, encompassing culture, architecture, landscapes, walking and cycling, and fascinating facts for railway enthusiasts! There's a host of tips for reducing costs in a country known for being expensive, while a new section on food and wine includes a list of top restaurants. Switzerland has some of the world's most beautiful landscapes; though mountains and lakes cover most of the country's regions, each offers something quite different - and the four official languages add colour and variety. Switzerland's cities are among the world's most beautiful - and safest. Its capital, Bern, is a World Heritage Site with 6 kilometres of covered arcades, where even jaded shoppers will be enthralled by hundreds of independent shops. Luzern's lakeside setting is unrivalled, with mountains in every direction and the floodlit city walls providing a breath-taking backdrop to the historic centre. Lausanne and Geneva overlook Lac Léman, and Basel is enhanced by a broad sweep of the Rhine. With Bradt's Switzerland: a guide to exploring the country by public transport, you can enjoy all the qualities that help ensure Switzerland and its cities are consistently ranked as the most liveable in the world.
Author: Diccon Bewes Publisher: Nicholas Brealey ISBN: 147369972X Category : Travel Languages : en Pages : 203
Book Description
New updated edition of the international bestseller, featuring new statistics and a new epilogue, as well as new sections on the Swiss elections, the Swiss citizenship test and how Brexit has affected Switzerland "A great subject for a cultural anthropologist and Bewes is a perfect guide." Financial Times, Book of the Year One country, four languages, 26 cantons, and 7.5 million people (but only 75% of them Swiss): there's nowhere else in Europe like it. Switzerland may be hundreds of miles away from the nearest drop of seawater, but it is an island at the center of Europe. Welcome to the landlocked island. Swiss Watching is a fascinating journey around Europe's most individual and misunderstood country. From seeking Heidi and finding the best chocolate to reliving a bloody past and exploring an uncertain future, Diccon Bewes proves that there's more to Switzerland than banks and skis, francs and cheese. This book dispels the myths and unravels the true meaning of Swissness.
Author: Ben Coates Publisher: Nicholas Brealey ISBN: 1473683033 Category : Travel Languages : en Pages : 300
Book Description
From rowing the canals of Amsterdam to riding a cow through the Alps, via Cold War nuclear bunkers, raucous Gay Pride parades, tranquil Lake Constance and snowy mountain climbs, The Rhine blends travelogue and offbeat history to tell the fascinating story of how a great river helped shape a continent. SHORTLISTED FOR THE STANFORD DOLMAN TRAVEL BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD The Rhine is one of the world's greatest rivers. Once forming the outer frontier of the Roman Empire, it flows 800 miles from the social democratic playground of the Netherlands, through the industrial and political powerhouses of Germany and France, to the wealthy mountain fortresses of Switzerland and Liechtenstein. For five years, Ben Coates lived alongside a major channel of the river in Rotterdam, crossing it daily, swimming and sailing in its tributaries. In The Rhine, he sets out by bicycle from the Netherlands where it enters the North Sea, following it through Germany, France and Liechtenstein, to where its source in the icy Alps. He explores the impact that the Rhine has had on European culture and history and finds out how influences have flowed along and across the river, shaping the people who live alongside it.
Author: Ludwig Bemelmans Publisher: Pushkin Press ISBN: 1782277919 Category : Biography & Autobiography Languages : en Pages : 192
Book Description
“Truly a great book—unique, invaluable and unapproachable as the gold standard of the genre… Bemelmans got there first, more frequently, and better.” —Anthony Bourdain Acerbic, colorful, and spirited stories from a bygone era: behind the scenes in a grand NY hotel, from the author of the Madeline books Picture David Sedaris writing Kitchen Confidential about the Ritz in New York in the 1920s, which had the style and charm of The Grand Budapest Hotel… In this charming and uproariously funny hotel memoir, Ludwig Bemelmans uncovers the fabulous world of the Hotel Splendide—the thinly disguised stand-in for the Ritz—a luxury New York hotel where he worked as a waiter in the 1920s. With equal parts affection and barbed wit, he uncovers the everyday chaos that reigns behind the smooth facades of the gilded dining room and banquet halls. In hilarious detail, Bemelmans sketches the hierarchy of hotel life and its strange and fascinating inhabitants: from the ruthlessly authoritarian maître d'hôtel Monsieur Victor to the kindly waiter Mespoulets to Frizl the homesick busboy. Illustrated with his own charming line drawings, Bemelmans' tales of a bygone era of extravagance are as charming as they are riotously entertaining. “[Bemelmans] was the original bad boy of the NY hotel/restaurant subculture, a waiter, busboy, and restaurateur who “told all” in a series of funny and true (or very near true) autobiographical accounts of backstairs folly, excess, borderline criminality, and madness in the grande Hotel Splendide… If you like stories about old New York as I do, this classic will have you laughing out loud.” –Anthony Bourdain
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Author: Padraig Rooney
Author: Padraig Rooney
Author: Padraig Rooney
Author: Rough Guides
Author: Rough Guides
Author: Anthony Lambert
Author: Diccon Bewes
Author: Rachel Carley
Author: Ben Coates
Author: Ludwig Bemelmans