The famous “Rösti Graben” (the cultural divide between the French and German speaking part of Switzerland) made its way into politics this week, when a Swiss German member of the SVP called for a ban on the import of Foie Gras. This French delicacy is made from the forcibly enlarged liver of geese. Citing both animal cruelty and the unhealthiness of the product, he was advocating a total ban on it being sold in Switzerland. The Swiss Roman politicians countered that he should mind his own business, as Foie Gras is barely consumed in the German speaking part of the country, and that they wouldn’t call for the ban of Apfelmost which is mainly drunk in the German speaking part. His motion for the ban was voted down.
The Swiss bee population is in danger of disappearing within the next 2 years if nothing is done to curb the Varroa Mite which feeds on honey bees. So says the new “Bee Professor” Peter Neumann in several interviews. To date neither the government not the EU have taken this problem seriously and this is a real risk. He calls on the population to plant as many bee friendly plants as they can, so that the bee population can grown and hopefully become more resilient.
In England every day sees pubs closing due to economic hardship, however the Luzerner Kantonalbank is planning to open a pub in its main building on Pilatusstrasse. It should be a place where one can come from morning to evening to have a coffee or a drink, gastropub food and then step into the bank easily. The pub is planned to open when the whole space is refurbished, end of November.
Fasnacht, known as the fifth season in Lucerne, begins well before February. One of the pre-Fasnacht highlights has been the concert which takes place in the train station on the second Saturday after New Year. Several Guggenmusic bands will gather on the stairs leading from the ground floor to the underground shopping area and play. This tradition has been in place for 30 years. However it has become so popular that the train station has decided that it cannot guarantee people’s safety and has, therefore, decided to cancel the whole event. What will remain will be the hanging floats to celebrate the coming of Fasnacht.
Autumn is truly here. Temperatures are dropping and it will rain for the rest of the day. The weekend will be brighter if somewhat cooler.
