From gigli.saw@dplanet.ch Fri Oct 10 00:48:31 2003 From: gigli.saw@dplanet.ch (Vance Roy) Date: Thu, 9 Oct 2003 16:48:31 -0700 Subject: [Culturechat] Chair lifts on glaciers Message-ID: <16C7AC4C-FAB3-11D7-9AD2-0003936A3F2E@dplanet.ch> There is a new chair lift being constructed near Zermatt. 12 of the 18 masts that hold the cables are on the glacier itself. Now for some engineers out there: How does the glacial movement allow the masts to be stable? Glacial movement isn't fast, but it is persistent. Vance Roy gigli.saw@dplanet.ch http://homepage.mac.com/fredch “Never under estimate the ingenuity of the stupid.” Anon. From gigli.saw@dplanet.ch Mon Oct 20 17:04:21 2003 From: gigli.saw@dplanet.ch (Vance Roy) Date: Mon, 20 Oct 2003 09:04:21 -0700 Subject: [Culturechat] The "magic" is gone from "The Magic Formula" Message-ID: <114C5258-0317-11D8-8E5F-0003936A3F2E@dplanet.ch> Sunday, the Swiss held national elections. These are comparable to the USA presidential elections held every four years in early November. This year, the far right Party (SVP or People's Party) scored large gains in parliament and took 5% more of the vote than in 1999. Most of the gains were from the two center right parties, who lost seats. The so called "Magic Formula" is a consensus government that has been at work since 1959. This consists of two seats each in the Federal Council (the executive branch of the CH government) for the two center right parties and two for the left party, with the SVP having one seat. With the new results in, even the leftist French Swiss see that the ratio of the council must change. The Christian Democrats, a center right party will likely have to give the boot to one of their councilors now sitting on the Federal Council. That person will be replaced by another SVP member of what we would call the senate in the USA. He/she will be elected by the whole parliament. Though not said (as yet), the person the SVP wants in their second seat is Christoph Blocher, a wealthy industrialist who reminds me of Pat Buchanen. He and his party are dead against CH entering the EU, liberalizing asylum laws, and a host of other projects that the more liberal parties had hoped to come to fruition. The final tally shows that the SVP made inroads into French CH and even took two seats in the liberal stronghold of Geneva. It seems that the grassroots are not happy with some of the liberal policies of recent years. Move over, California. What does this mean? We will have to wait and see. If the other five members of the council stick together, not much will happen. Time tells. Vance Roy gigli.saw@dplanet.ch http://homepage.mac.com/fredch “Never under estimate the ingenuity of the stupid.” Anon. From marilee.taussig@untours.com Mon Oct 27 20:47:39 2003 From: marilee.taussig@untours.com (Marilee Taussig) Date: Mon, 27 Oct 2003 15:47:39 -0500 Subject: [Culturechat] Wanted: Untour memories for Inside Idyll Message-ID: <20031027205139.9D8393140E8@smtp-relay.dca.net> We are preparing the content for Inside Idyll, our publication that comes out in January.....and we need your memories. We want to do justice to some of the "unheralded" glories of Untours. We would like to do it using customer's words.

I would like to ask those of you who have been with us so many times for some particular memories. If you remember any of the things listed below with fondness, write a paragraph or so about your experience. Send it to me, marilee.taussig@untours.com, and you could be appearing in Inside Idyll!

Do any of you have memories of these great landlords in Switzerland?

Frau Von Moos in Giswil
Suzy Bartlome in Gwatt

These excellent apartments?

Le Chiuse farm in Tuscany
The Abbesses apartment in the Montmarte section of Paris

Any memory that has stayed with you over the years from the destinations below?

Venice
Provence
Prague
Hasliberg (in the Swiss Heartland)

Or these activities:

Cheesemaking in Switzerland
Taking a tour down the Danube with Herr Prieler
Seeing the vintner's work on the Mosel (Rhine Untour)

Last but not least, if you have been lucky enough to loaf in these locales, and learn to love them the way we have, we would love to hear your thoughts:

The rocks in the river hiking in the Verzasca valley of Ticino
The courtyards of your apartment in Portugal and Spain
A cafe in Paris or Vienna
A boat ride (the Seine, the Rhine, or maybe one of the unforgettable lakes of the Swiss Alps)

Thanks a lot in advance, for helping us spread the word about the "unknown" glories of an Untour by sharing your good memories. If you have an "unknown glory" you would like to nominate for recognition, feel free send that along, as well to marilee.taussig@untours.com . Space is limited, so keeping the memories brief...a paragraph or two is great. Even a sentence is fine, if it captures that unforgettable moment.

Marilee Taussig,
Marketing Director
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