GstaadLife

In order to let you know what's going on with the construction in and around Saanen, the local authorities have erected two weatherproof info panels next to the bus station at the train station in Saanen. There you can find all manner of info about ongoing and planned construction projects and check up on their progress. So that means we'll be spending a good deal of time in front of these boards once the snow melts so we can bring you the latest on the contruction even when you're not here anymore. Stay tuned...

Have you been to the restaurant Azalée of the Hotel Alpenrose in Schönried recently? Do we hear groans? Yes, we had a bad meal there too (a few years ago), but make no mistake... things have changed. GaultMillau has nominated the restaurant upcomer of the year in the Bern region and bestowed it with 15 points. The culinary creations of Michel von Siebenthal (above) taste as good as they sound... Triology of duck liver - a terrine with jelly of quince, roasted on caramelized apples in a brick pastry crisp, with crème brulee in a reduction of port wine and brioche of rosemary. And that's just for starters. So throw out everything you thought you knew about the Azalée and give it a try. Let us know how you get on in the comments below...

This year as ever the Adler family invited friends and customers to their traditional New Year apéro. The celebration with about 100 people took place on January 3 in the Salle Baccarat at the Gstaad Palace. Here are a few photos from the event.

Above: Winner of the tombola, Elisabeth Vardinoyannis thanking Franklin Adler. She won the "Julia" ring. In the background Peter Wyss, head chef of the Gstaad Palace.

This past Monday morning an MOB train derailed as it entered the train station in Zweisimmen. Thankfully no-one was injured. Passengers were transported up to Saanenland via bus. The reason for the incident is not yet known and is being investigated.

by Taki Theodoracopulos

GSTAAD - If someone bet that The Spectator issue of 10 January outsold or was read by more people than any other weekly - and that includes best selling popular crap like Hello! and OK! - they’d be collecting their winnings as I write. This, of course, in the Bernese Oberland region of Switzerland, where Gstaad lies. I suppose it had to do with something concerning the Madoff gang, most of whom live around these parts, and as of this moment are pretty pissed off with a certain poor little Greek boy. As I had predicted, the gang does not fight but screams and whines a lot. Their women, rather. If a member of the weaker sex insults one, the normal thing to do is to take a swing against her man. But what happens if the man pretends to be constraining the woman? Who does one hit? The concierge?

Beginning this Friday the May beetle is flying in the Gstaad region again, enchanting its listeners with the strains of classical music from Rougemont to Saanen to Gstaad. The program of Les Sommets Musicaux de Gstaad features a growing number of big names, including the Camerata Bern this Saturday January 31, and the Warsaw Symphony Orchestra for the showpiece event on Saturday February 7. Both performances are taking place in the Saanen church, in similar style to the area's big summertime Menuhin Festival event. Winter or summer, there's little better than supreme classical surrounded by our Saanenland alps...

Gastro Saanenland announced in our sister publication, the Anzeiger von Saanen, that it is against free tap water. The cost to obtain the water, the glasses it is served in, the service itself, the facilities, the heating, etc. all of this has its price according to Jürg Neuenschwander-Matti, from the Saanerhof in Saanen and vice president of Gastro Saanenland. So be prepared to pay for our supreme Saanenland water - even if you had a three course meal to go with it...

Did you even know that there was an ice-skating rink in Schönried? It is just next to the Ermitage Golf Hotel - on their tennis courts. In addition to its normal daytime opening hours, the skating area is now also open on Tuesdays and Fridays until 21h and is free to use. So see you up in sunny Schönried for a little ice dancing, curling or hockey. 

This weekend sees the return of the international balloon festival in Château-d'Oex which takes place from January 24 through February 1. There will be a great program, exciting balloon flights and some mighty-curious, specially-shaped balloons. Kids' day is on Wednesday January 28, and if you have kids you should definitely not miss that. For last year's daytime video click here. Another highlight of the program is certainly the "night glow" event with the balloons navigated into position on the slopes behind the town and then lit up like oversized electric bulbs to the accompaniment of fireworks, paragliders in the night and other such pyrotechnics. For a taste, click on the video below....

Bergbahnen Destination Gstaad AG (BDG) has constructed a new a solar panel energy generation plant atop the Videmanette. Like all the region's progressive green projects, the price tag was not cheap -- some SFr 100,000 -- but the goal is worthy, namely make up for the energy used in creating all the new artificial snow produced on the Videmanette run down to Rougemont. The panels themselves are situated on top of the (probably the region's most under-rated) mountain restaurant and under its terrace. So check it out when you are next up there and feel better about skiing on that artificial snow until March because it is all environmentally friendly.