GstaadLife

February 7 1971 - 40 years ago - the day when women in Switzerland finally were allowed to vote. Our sister publication, the Anzeiger von Saanen, interviewed a few women about that time - check out the print edition if you read German. We have to say that we are quite puzzled that Switzerland was so late in letting their women vote. Only Liechtenstein springs to mind as even less progressive (1984!). Oh well, better late than never. Here are some more numbers: 1947 - Argentina, 1902 - Australia, 1919 - Austria, 1917 - Canada, 1947 - China, 1944 - France, 1906 - Finland, 1918 - Germany, 1947 - India, 1946 - Italy, 1984 - Liechtenstein, 1913 - Norway, 1931 - Portugal, 1930 - Turkey, 1920 - USA, 1928 - England.

We have received an open letter by Victor Dial (see below) and also included an open letter exchange between Niki Rommel and Ruedi Kunz (in German) which appeared in today's edition of our sister publication, the Anzeiger von Saanen. Feel free to comment yourself on the issue.

Open letter by Victor Dial

Dear Mr. Kunz,

This will confirm the points I raised with you in person during our very cordial meeting on January 5 during which I complained that the indoor tennis courts had been closed for 18 full days (January 4-21) for a joyful private event.

Tennis players are obviously unable to play outside during winter. Believe it or not, there are actually quite a few of us in Saanenland, and during winter we must have indoor courts to enjoy our sport: we are willing to pay high high-season court rental fees for the privilege. School children; retirees; local working people; people from all walks of life regularly use these courts. For me personally, tennis is my major sport: I play three or four times a week for my pleasure and for my training, so this is a real disruption to my life. I know I speak for a number of others who share my point of view, but (perhaps more polite than me) are reluctant to speak out.

In a recent reader's letter in the Anzeiger von Saanen, Daniel Loertscher let his voice be heard rather critically about the recent "Gstaad alive" events on the Promenade, talking about it disturbing the peace and style of the Promenade, its restaurants and its guests with its all its loudness and to-do. What did you think about it? More pics after the jump and on their webpage.

Not sure if you saw this: some pretty shocking statements from sometime-Gstaad resident Bernie Ecclestone in an interview with The Times. The 78-year-old billionaire chastised contemporary politicians for their weakness and pandering and extolled the virtues of strong leadership, complimenting Adolf Hitler (and perhaps not coincidentally Max Mosley) for their ability to “get things done”. But read for yourself. Maybe we'll see him hiding in Gstaad soon if he keeps making statements like these. Not sure about the apology that followed... really, if you think, let alone say things like this as a public figure, why bother apologize? Perhaps he's a politician after all.

by Taki Theodoracopulos

It’s past midway in March and the slopes still don’t have that used-up look which comes by the end of February. No gritty slush, just beautiful pure powder tracked only by furry things such as foxes and deer. While out cross-country skiing, I feel elated by animal tracks next to my own, a great silence enveloping the bowl where I’m skiing, without a human in sight. It could be Russia, with giant pines lining my path, the river slapping on the ice along the edges. Yet it’s only Lauenen, seven klicks from the glitz of Gstaad. The lake is above me, and it goads me uphill, climbing on my arms, as one’s supposed to do on cross-country skis. Once on top I rejoice and regret. Going up separates the men from the tourists. This is my last week in the mountains, and I’m taking advantage. From the back of my chalet I can see south-facing slopes starting to melt, but in Lauenen the bowl is still pristine and I like skiing it alone, just before sunset.

Against the backdrop of all the New York-centric hype surrounding the upcoming movie release of Sex and the City (debuts tomorrow here in Switzerland), Taki shares with GstaadLife.com an altogether more reflective impression of life in the Big Apple.

NEW YORK, US - From my kitchen window, I have watched a little boy grow up to be a man.

I live in what Americans with great economy of expression refer to as a brownstone, actually a townhouse. It is on 71st street off Park Avenue. My father bought it for us 30 years or so ago, and both my children refer to it as home.

Although both have left, my daughter for Los Angeles and my son for Brooklyn, their rooms still feel lived in, with shoes lying around, old books, bric-a-brac, and pictures of their parents looking less worn to say the least. The house, I am told by neighborhood historians, used to be a whorehouse, but a very upper class one. Never a scandal, just a few gentlemen going in and out throughout the days and nights. I tell everyone that I had visited it while down from school, but I’m not sure it was this one.

About 30 years ago, I moved the kitchen to where my office used to be, as the children were driving me nuts while I was busy writing the greatest Greek novel ever. Sitting in the kitchen and staring across the back garden into the lives of others is not my idea of fun, but it beats writing anytime. Which means I spent a lot of time in the kitchen looking into the appartment building across on 72nd street. That’s when I first saw a tiny baby being brought home by his parents, and the nanny that slept next to the crib. My wife and I would look as the baby would lie on its back and bicycle, his adoring parents standing over him—and a very good looking couple they were, too—while he made gurgling sounds and strange noises. The nanny had left after two weeks and the baby’s door was always open...

Foreigners in Saanenland. Chances are if you are reading this, you may well be one of them. And you are not alone, numbering one of several hundred foreigners who are domiciled in the Gemeinde Saanen and who make up 27% of the population. Our sister publication, the Anzeiger von Saanen, has been running a series about foreigners in Saanenland, interviewing people about the current hot topic of migration and integration. One particular interview in this series caught our eye, so we had translated for you.

Ninetta Fix has lived in Gstaad for 25 years, and has been registered locally for the past seven. When Ninetta Fix was 32 she and her husband Karolos Fix left their home in Greece. “We decided to move away because of the lack of law and order,” she says. “Citizens had occupied our breweries in Athens; they wanted to replace them with parks. The police ignored the court’s ruling, and refused to do anything about the occupation in fear of conflict with mayor of Athens. In the wake of these circumstances we decided to leave Greece in 1982 with our two children.”

Above: Ninetta Fix, who is often to be seen on the hiking trails with her six dogs, enjoying nature’s tranquility. Swiss air, she says, is as delicate as champagne.

From the Oliver Preston Gstaad Collection (click to enlarge).

Oliver Preston's drawings are published in the UK in The Guardian, The Times, and The Independent and he is the regular cartoonist for The Field magazine. As well as an exhibition at The Fine Art Society in Bond Street, London in 1999, Preston, 44, has published numerous books. He draws for corporate commissions, and his caricatures and drawings hang in many private collections, including the George Club in London, Annabel’s and Boodles. He is chairman of the Cartoon Art Trust, and founded Britain's first Museum of Cartoon Art in London in 2006 under the patronage of HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Preston, whose mother is Swiss has been coming to Gstaad since the age of four, worked on the Wasserngrat, and was married in Lauenen in 2002. He and his wife Vivien have an apartment in Saanen and live with their two young children, Amber, four, and Rex, two, in the Cotswolds, England.

To see more from the collection and to order online, visit OliverPreston.com.

By Taki Theodoracopulos

It has been the subject of every dinner party I went to last week, including the one Judy Taubman threw at the Olden for Gstaad's 92 richest and chicest.  “How can the Tatler get it so wrong?” or better yet, “Who has ever heard of these people?” The controversial piece about Gstaad reminded me of the good old days of the cold war in Athens, where hacks used to joke about the two countries where secrets were safe: China and Greece. In the former no-one talked; in the latter everyone did, hence no-one believed a word. When a particularly offended hostess asked me to comment on it, I admitted that I no longer read the Tatler - I used to be an editor there during the early 80's - and that I'd be almost embarrassed to be seen buying it. So it was delivered to my doorstep the next morning with a sweet note asking for my not so humble opinion. The article, by a woman I know, Vassi Chamberlain, is written in the breathless, eager-to-please, hyperbolic style that magazines which feature the rich and famous have made de riguer. At first glance the piece was not at all bad. The problem was with the people the writer featured as Gstaad stalwarts. I knew none of them and some I had never even heard of. I must be doing something right, I told myself, as these people sound pretty awful.

Check out the Tatler article for yourself:

• Tatler - 'Gstaad's hot hosts', pages 1&2.pdf

• Tatler - Gstaad's hot hosts', page 3.pdf

From the Oliver Preston Gstaad Collection (click to enlarge).

Oliver Preston's drawings are published in the UK in The Guardian, The Times, and The Independent and he is the regular cartoonist for The Field magazine. As well as an exhibition at The Fine Art Society in Bond Street, London in 1999, Preston, 44, has published numerous books. He draws for corporate commissions, and his caricatures and drawings hang in many private collections, including the George Club in London, Annabel’s and Boodles. He is chairman of the Cartoon Art Trust, and founded Britain's first Museum of Cartoon Art in London in 2006 under the patronage of HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Preston, whose mother is Swiss has been coming to Gstaad since the age of four, worked on the Wasserngrat, and was married in Lauenen in 2002. He and his wife Vivien have an apartment in Saanen and live with their two young children, Amber, four, and Rex, two, in the Cotswolds, England.

To see more from the collection and to order online, visit OliverPreston.com.