| For all our Readers who love to travel in the World's most user friendly
country, we bring you the most up to date, fresh information. Here's your
Summer scoop from:
Your friends at Switzerland Tourism!
http://www.MySwitzerland.com
Any questions or comments about this Newsletter please contact the
Web sites or phone numbers given, or e-mail
us .
**********************************************************************
FEATURES IN THIS NEWSLETTER:
1. 35 years of Jazz Festival in Montreux - July 6-21, 2001
2. Gstaad Easyaccess Card
3. Tibet: Buddhas - Gods - Saints, Museum der Kulturen, Basel
4. A dramatic departure from ordinary gifts.
5. E>travel: Flying made easy
6. The Grand Opening of Swissair's new home in JFK's new Terminal
4
7. New tilting trains reduce travel time
8. New Scenic Swiss Chocolate Train
9. New: Swiss Folklore Lunch and Sunset Dinner on top of Mt.
Pilatus
10. Fine food afloat
________________________________________________________________________
1. 35 years of Jazz Festival in Montreux - July 6-21, 2001
"A fantastic poem, beyond time and space" is how, in 1967, the local
press
greeted the fabulous concert of the Charles Lloyd Quartet. The standard
was set, the path was laid, the Montreux Jazz Festival with its mixture
of
music would resemble nothing else. 35 year later, it is evident that
the
Festival has maintained its original qualities-excellence, coziness,
conviviality- and that it has become the uncontested musical gathering
of
all types of music and for all the world's musicians. And yet, it is
jazz
that will be the guest of honor of this 35th year. It will be a
celebration that returns to the roots-to Montreux Jazz at the Casino-in
a
recreated club ambiance of four exceptional evenings of 100% pure jazz.
After 35 years of existence, the Festival has the pleasure of welcoming
that first generation of Festival goers, now accompanied by their
children, already impassioned.
More news on http://usa.myswitzerland.com/en/welcome.cfm
click on "Immersed in Music at the Montreux Jazz Festival" in the "What's
New" section in the middle of the page.
________________________________________________________________________
2. Gstaad Easyaccess Card
Gstaad in the Bernese Oberland offers an all-inclusive customer card
this
summer.
The "Gstaad easyaccess card" is available in a "relax"- or
"active"-version for a minimum of three days. It allows vacationers
to use
all mountain railways and cable cars, the postal bus, it offers free
entry
to the municipal swimming pool, the local museum and also includes
guided
tours of both Gstaad and neighboring Saanen. It is available from July
to
October and costs CHF49 (approx. $27) for adults, CHF25 (approx. $14)
for
children aged 6-16.
With the "easyaccess Active-card" sports enthusiasts can join in a daily
soft adventure, e.g. a river rafting expedition, a mountain climbing
excursion, a day on the Indiana Jones adventure path or an escorted
mountain bike tour. Cost per adult CHF99 (approx.$55) with a reduction
for
children.
For more information and bookings contact
http://www.gstaad.ch
________________________________________________________________________
3. Tibet: Buddhas - Gods - Saints, Museum der Kulturen, Basel
Comforting Buddhas, wrathful protective deities, entranced mystics,
peaceful beings of enlightenment - the gods and saints of the Himalayas
have recently taken up residence in the Museum der Kulturen Basel.
A
generous donation brought Europe's most significant collection of Tibetan
art into the museum's possession, where in the presence of His Holiness,
the 14th Dalai Lama the new permanent Tibet exhibit was opened to the
public.
Guided tours, lectures, workshops, films, excursions and culinary journeys
of discovery - Tibet will be the focal point of interest this summer.
Monks from Namgyal Monastery in Dharamsala (India) will lay one grain
of
sand after another to create a sand mandala which will be ritually
consigned to the River Rhine at the end of October. A special exhibition
prepared in collaboration with Tibetans will provide insights into
their
life in exile in Switzerland and illustrate Switzerland's special
historical relationship with the Land of Snow.
The Museum der Kulturen Basel will display about 750 objects: thangkas
(scroll paintings) and religious statues, ritual utensils, books, masks,
musical instruments, temple textiles and furniture. The Buddhism revealed
through these works of art still moulds people in Tibet today, and
it is,
therefore, their thoughts, feelings and views of the world that find
their
artistic expression.
For detailed information contact http://www.mkb.ch
________________________________________________________________________
4. A dramatic departure from ordinary gifts.
It's always in style. One size fits all. And there is no
assembly
required. Gift giving has never been this easy. You can
order Swissair
and Sabena gift certificates online or by phone. The lucky recipient
can
use them where ever they fly, all 300-plus destinations. They're
perfect
for birthdays, weddings, honeymoons, anniversaries and graduation or
any
holiday gift giving. So, give them more than a gift, give them
the world,
literally. Order today.
For information or to order gift certificates, visit
http://www.swissairsabenagifts.com or call 1-800-677-1825.
Now you can get brochures, timetables and merchandise to fly to you
direct.
The new website gives you fast and easy access to Swissair and Sabena
brochures, current promotions and merchandise. Shop at your convience
and
select what you want based on all of your travel needs. Choose
brochures
about all classes of service, fleets, seat map charts, hub airports
current timetables and our ever-expanding route networks. Plus,
www.swissairsabenathshop.com is a great way to order Swissair and Sabena
posters and merchandise, from aircraft models to travel mugs.
You'll also
find convenient links to www.swissair.com and www.sabena.com and their
gift certificate website, www.swissairsabenagifts.com. Log on
to
www.swissairsabenatheshop.com and you are ready to shop;there is no
need
to register. So, log on today and shop till you drop!
Log on to http://www.swissairsabenatheshop.com today!
________________________________________________________________________
5. Swiss Travel System Offers New Fly Rail Baggage Coupons
You often win time in the air. But lose time on the ground. Until
now.
Swissair does everything they can to make it easy for you to get your
ticket and your boarding pass - fast by doing away with many other
obstacles that slow you down at the airport. The solution is
Swissair
E>travel. Swissair offers passengers several e>innovations:
e>booking,
e>ticketing, e>check-in and e>track. We invite you to make use
of the
many options offered by today's e>travel and to find out what Swissair
e>travel has in store for you.
Just visit http://www.swissair.com for a glimpse into e>travel.
________________________________________________________________________
6. The Grand Opening of Swissair's new home in JFK's new Terminal
4
Swissair and Sabena just moved to a brand new state of the art terminal
at
New York's John F. Kenney International Airport. In the new terminal,
passengers can expect:
* Modern check-in counters.
* New Swissair/Sabena First and Business Class lounges offering relaxtion
and functionality.
* Immense retail concourse - more than 4 city blocks in size with designer
boutiques, duty-free shopping and food courts.
* Easily accessible departure gate concourse with 16 gates.
* Spacious new arrival hall including convenient customs/immigration
area.
* Improved additional baggage carousel.
* In-terminal AirTrain light rail station for convenient transfers
and
connections to mass transit. (operation late 2001)
* Bi-level roadways seperating arrival and departure traffic.
* Shorter walks throughout the terminal and to parking areas.
* Improved parking areas with covered walkways.
For information and reservations, call Swissair at 1-800-221-4750 or
Sabena at 1-800-955-2000.
________________________________________________________________________
7. New tilting trains reduce travel time
Faster, more frequent service and new equipment on Swiss trains starting
this summer.
Beginning June 2001, travelers will benefit from more frequent service
and
faster travel times throughout the Swiss rail system.
Among the Swiss improvements: half-hourly service will be available
on
most Intercity lines; new late-night and early-morning trains are being
added; travel times will shrink on many routes as a result of new ICN
tilting-train equipment, and more dining, family, business and quiet-zone
facilities will be available because of new tilting train and
double-decker train equipment.
Hourly service will change to half-hourly between Zurich and Biel, Zurich
and Lausanne and between Bern and Biel. With existing half-hourly
service
on other routes, this increase in frequency means that passengers will
be
able to catch a train on most Intercity lines every half hour.
The Swiss railroads are also moving towards 24-hour service, helping
travelers burn the candle at both ends. For those attending evening
cultural events, more than 20 new late-night trains operating on many
routes will
be a welcome addition. Previously, few trains ran after midnight.
And there
are new and earlier trains running in the morning to get passengers
to Zurich
and Geneva airports by 5:30 or 6 am for early morning flights.
Most Intercity lines will be equipped with either double-decker IC 2000
trains or tilting ICN trains, operating at speeds up to 125 mph.
The ICN tilting trains lean into curves, enabling them to travel faster
and cutting 17 minutes off the previous time between Zurich and Lausanne.
There will be one ICN train every hour between Geneva
airport-Lausanne-Biel/Bienne-Zurich-Zurich airport-St. Gallen.
These
trains feature: a new dining/restaurant cars where a full meal is served;
3 business compartments in first class (4 seats each in a glass-walled
compartment with a table to work on, laptop outlets, and built-in
amplifiers for better cell phone reception); and one "quiet car" in
both
first and second class where no cell phones nor laptop computers
permitted.
New features on many of the IC2000 trains include: a "Bistro Caf? car,
where passengers purchase snacks/light meals and beverages at a counter
and sit at small tables or stand at a bar; and a newly-designed children's
playground/family car.
Another Swiss innovation and a first in Europe is the Co-op Railshop,
an
onboard grocery store, which is on weekday peak-hour trains between
Bern
and Zurich. The Railshop offers 900 items, including beverages, cheese,
meat, prepared meals, sandwiches, salads, to
save passengers shopping time.
________________________________________________________________________
8. New Scenic Swiss Chocolate Train
Operating once a week June-October is a new Swiss excursion, the
first-class only Swiss Chocolate Train from Montreux, stopping in medieval
Gruyes for cheese, continuing on to beautiful Broc, home of a Nestle's
chocolate factory, and returning to Montreux. Passengers can ride in
a
"Belle Epoque" carriage (vintage 1915) or try the ultramodern panorama
car. Reservations are mandatory. A ticket includes coffee and
croissants
on the train, visits to Castle Gruyes and the Nestle factory, and a
sampling of chocolate. Holders of a Swiss Pass or Swiss Flexipass
pay
only a special low extra fee on this journey.
For more information on Swiss trains or the entire Swiss Travel System,
contact your travel agent or Rail Europe at 1-888-382-7245 (in the
U.S.),
1-800-361-7245 (in Canada) or consult the company's Web site by clicking
on this banner: 
________________________________________________________________________
9. New: Swiss Folklore Lunch and Sunset Dinner on top of Mt. Pilatus
Daily until September 30, 2001 from 12.00 am - 1.00 pm.
Arrive on top of Mount Pilatus at 7000 feet above Lucerne by panoramic
gondolas. There is hardly another mountain in Switzerland with such
a
wonderful and breathtaking view of the Alps. Enjoy a typical Swiss
fondue
while listening to Swiss Folklore and try to blow the longest playable
alphorn of the world. Go down to Alpnachstad by the steepest railway
of
the world and continue to Lucerne by paddle steamer.
As the dusk sets and the first lights of Lucerne gleam in the valley,
guests on Mount Pilatus enjoy the last rays of sunshine. Experience
the
delights of a sumptuous dinner buffet before coming down from the
mountain.
Evening tour: June 15th to September 22th 2001 / every Friday and Saturday
ride up from 4.30 p.m., last ride downhill 9.20 p.m. / Alpnachstad
-
Pilatus Kulm - Alpnachstad.
For more in formation on Mt. Pilatus contact http://www.pilatus.ch
________________________________________________________________________
10. Fine food afloat
During the summer of 2001, the fine food of the Beau-Rivage Palace Hotel
in Lausanne - one of the top luxury hotels in Switzerland - will be
served
on board of one the freshly renovated lake steamers, the "Montreux".
On
one of the grand vessels of the Lake Geneva General Navigation Company
(CGN) it will be possible to combine the delights of fine food with
the
pleasures of a boat trip. The chef of the Beau Rivage Palace,
Didier
Schneiter, will be whipping up buffets and kebaps for passengers
at noon
and in the evening ... and, of course, at affordable prices !
|
