The most French of all Swiss

Feeling Swiss at heart I have kept many links to my home country. Swiss institutions like Swiss Airways or the Swiss embassy feel like home turf in any country. The Swiss representation in France has a special history: it was in Paris that the first Swiss delegation was established.

The seat of the Swiss embassy in Paris featured in Swiss TV a few weeks ago and peaked my curiosity. I learnt that the Besenval Palace once belonged to a baron from Solothurn called Pierre Victor de Besenval  (1721-1791).

Pierre Victor de Besenval, who, having climbed all the hierarchy of the Swiss Guards under Louis XV, became a senior official of the army of Louis XVI and a very close confidant of Marie Antoinette.

Built for the Abbé Chanac de Pompadour by architect Alexis Delamair in 1705 the embassy's garden has remained the same despite the transformations of the place in 1767 when de Besenval had the architect Brongniart add a floor to the original hotel.

An "oeuvre d'art" the current ambassador Livia Leu is especially proud of is the 1665 Gobelins tapestry illustrateing the renewal of alliance between France and Switzerland which took place in the cathedral Notre-Dame of Paris on November 18th, 1663. The scene represents Louis XIV and the ambassadors of the Swiss cantons lending itself on the Bible a mutual oath.

When the French Revolution began de Besenval remained firmly attached to the royal court and he was given command of the troops which the king had concentrated in Paris in July 1789, a move which led to the storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789.

Sadly, de Besenval showed incompetence in the crisis, and attempted to flee. He was arrested, tried by the tribunal of the Châtelet, but acquitted. He then fell into obscurity and died in Paris in 1791.

However, an embassy that can refer to a national historical figure is exceptional - as is the case with this "hotel particulier", which in addition, has its own value. It is the most beautiful Swiss embassy abroad and occasionally even serves as a movie backdrop due to its interior design.

 

A little treat for my German speaking readers.

Attitude and Expressions!

In line with yesterday's blog post I thought I'd publish this famous quote by William James, father of American psychology: “The greatest discovery of my generation is that you can change your circumstances by changing your attitudes of mind”.

I know I have changed my attitude of mind... therefore, I am now wondering when will the circumstances start to follow me?

My expressions certainly are all pointing in the right direction. My top 10 most used words are:
1. Definately
2. Perfect
3. Absolutely
4. Brilliant
5. Fantastic
6. No problem!
7. Ok!
8. Really?
9. Oh, just get on with it!
10. Now!!!

I'll always have Paris

Can you be in one place for too long? Depends on what floats your boat I suppose.

Our family is used to moving from one country to the next every few years. It seems, however, that we are stuck in Paris. Of course, you are thinking to yourself, there are worse places to be stuck in the world and you are absolutely right! I have blogged about my itching to move on before and the reasoning.

As of late, however, I have come across a few posts by Expatriate Magazine and I was shocked to hear my spontaneous answers to their open ended questions.

One of the most overrated things in Paris has to be ______
One thing I admire about the French is ______
What's your favourite French word that you like to slip in when you can?
How has living in France bettered you?
What are the strangest things you've heard from a neighbour through those thin walls?

When I start speaking out loud to myself it is never a good sign but to hear my gut reaction is a clear signal that we have served our time in this location.

By now, my family and I see straight through all the romantic connotations and emotions that Paris evokes because - the heart of the matter is - living in Paris is a different ballgame than being here on holiday. Dealing with endless bureaucracy, general strikes and bad weather is just the tip of the iceberg.

Paris has been good to us and we have definately made the most of our stay but it still doesn’t feel like home and we could happily explore and conquer a new destination.

In the meantime, I will keep posting photos of the Eiffel Tower sharing moments of romantic French vibes with my friends and followers.

An autumn walk along the Seine

The iconic Eiffel Tower

Pont d'Alma

View from Champs de Mars

The flame of liberty

Le Grand Palais

Pont Alexandre III

View from Pont Neuf

Spot the Russian Orthodox Church?

Pont Bir Hakeim

Jardins du Trocadero

Newly weds favourite photo spot!

Happy Halloween

Back in Lugano for Toussaint break

 

Feeling like a bride walking down the aisle of Gentilino's church

Strolling along Riva Antonio Caccia looking onto Monte Bré

Jogging past Chiesa di Muzzano on a sunny Sunday morning

"Panoptico" by Oppy de Bernardo in Piazza Alessandro Manzoni

when I was expecting a pink flamingo display.

Campione d'Italia, an Italian exclave surrounded by the canton of Ticino.

Campione will formally become part of the EU customs territory in 2020; until then it de facto comes within Swiss customs control.

Where should we take the boat to?

How about Castagnola or Gandria?

Ticino's public transport service ensures many a connection across the hills.

Its distinctive features - the three-tone horn and the yellow post buses - are an integral part of Switzerland’s cultural identity.

Fondazione Hermann Hesse in Montagnola, where the German-born poet, novelist, and painter spent the second half of his life. Gotta love those palm trees!

 Breathtaking view onto Lugano from Montagnola

Following the chestnut trail in the woods of Collina d'Oro.

Expat with Kids: how it all started

It has been 9 years... nine years I have been online and blogging. It all started as a challenge... a goal I set myself feeling slightly bored living in Lugano: I was to create a blog by myself without spending a penny.

At first the ambition was to figure out how to set up a blog, however, as I dug deeper into the net and spent endless hours googling CSS coding, I realized there was a niche to be filled in the Lugano sphere.

A decade ago Switzerland's most Southern canton experienced an influx of Expats, the real estate market was at its peak and the Swiss banks were having a field day. My aim was to provide an English speaking online guide for all the city's newcomers ... et voilà... Expat with Kids was born.

I continued to self-educate myself about web design and social media marketing while promoting my funky guide to Lugano written by a American/Swiss globetrotting, chocolate-loving mum who likes sharing wacky information.

However, a few months later my hubby announced we were moving to Paris... never the one to let a hurdle stop me, I realized how passionate I had become about blogging and how much it motivated me. It was my way of being unique and part of something bigger than myself at the same time.

Therefore, Expat with Kids in Paris was born not long after.

Ever since I have kept up both blogs, the Lugano guide continues to attract readers in search of information and inspiration around town, the Paris one is a more personal account of an Expat's daily adventures in the city of lights.

How would I describe the author? A Swiss globetrotting mum, figlia di Americano, con corazòn Napoletano and a British accent based in Paris who left her heart in various parts of the world with an insatiable curiosity for beauty and knowledge. Passionate about languages and the culture that comes with it. A lover of the eclectic and the quirky - accompanied by a touch of glamour.

Happy 9th Blogaversary Expat with Kids!

A Dutch phenomena

Expat daughter and I had done our homework and googled Netherlands' population of 17 million people. We knew that they were the world's No.1 bikers but what we didn't know is that all together the Dutch own 22.5 million bicycles. This means that on average they own 1.3 bicycles per capita. More than any other country in the world.

One of the more spectacular products of the bike-train system is this sea of bicycles you see at any train station in the Netherlands

Almost a quarter of the Dutch population cycles every day.

Less than 0.5 percent of Dutch cyclists wear helmets...

... it’s just not present in their culture, because they’ve ultimately decided that it’s far more important to build this culture of everyday cycling, and to build safe streets, instead of requiring people to protect themselves.

For decades, the Dutch have had a country-wide network of bicycle trails. You can get from one city to another on a bike, no matter the distance. 

The bike is an integral part of everyday life rather than a specialist's accessory or a symbol of a minority lifestyle, so Dutch people don't concern themselves with having the very latest model of bike or hi-tech gadgets.

Cycling is so common that when you ask people whether they are cyclists or not, their response is: "We aren't cyclists, we're just Dutch."!

The Dutch regard their bikes as trusty companions in life's adventures. In that kind of relationship it is longevity that counts - so the older, the better.

The fact that everyone cycles, or knows someone who does, means that drivers are more sympathetic to cyclists when they have to share space on the roads.

Utrecht built the Netherlands’ first bike lane in 1885. 

The average speed of the Dutch on a pedal bicycle is 12.4 km/h...

... and the average speed on an e-bike is 13 km/h.

Come give it a try!

An enchanting town in a small country

Making the most of our Dutch university tour weekend we visited dear friends in Den Haag.

One of the many perks of an International school is that we end up with a global network of friends who consider it a treat to meet up. To them you bring back sweet memories of the city they left, to us it is fascinating to see their new home and daily routine in a foreign country.

Big hugs, lots of laughs, a few happy tears and we took up right where we left off when we last saw each other six months ago.

A delicious dinner in Den Haag followed by a stroll through a little enchanting Dutch city called Leiden the next day and it seems Expat daughter and I have been away far more than a mere 48 hours.

Although we had missed the Leiden University Open Day we still explored the various buildings scattered across town and could not stop ourselves from taking way too many photos for the village center is tremendously picturesque.

Expat girl’s conclusion: the cutest town but no real Uni campus and with that it was time for a late lunch... at the beach in Den Haag!

A picturesque community located in the tulip-growing district in the Netherlands

Population of 123,000 and home to Leiden University, the country’s oldest, dating from 1575

The canals of Leiden provide some stunning photography opportunities

Many important scientific discoveries have been made here, 

giving rise to Leiden's motto: "City of Discoveries"

Part of the university buildings 

Time for a cup of coffee

One of the locals

Love this detail

Guessing it is student housing

What better way to end the day than on the beach?