Preview Of A Hiking Holiday In Switzerland

 

My hiking holiday friends are considering a holiday next year to German speaking Switzerland. A German speaking member of the group recommended the region.

One of the main areas to visit will be his favourite, Pontresina, which has cheap or free transport. At least it did last time he was there.

I have had a quick look at it. The area is on the Eastern side of Switzerland, nearer to Germany, hence the language. 

The Countryside in Pontresina, Switzerland

The countryside offers: 

summer hiking, 

winter skiing, 

a cable car. 

If you want to venture further, trips to: 

St Moritz, and 

trips on a red train. 

The Culture in Pontresina, Switzerland

For those interested in food and culture: 

the Museum Alpin, and 

the Alpine Dairy of Morteratsch which makes cheese.  

Useful Websites about Pontresina and Switzerland

Not be confused with the Alpine museum in Bern, Switzerland:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swiss_Alpine_Museum

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_museums_in_Switzerland

https://www.morteratsch.ch/en/activities/summer/alpschaukaeserei/

Also see my posts on Swiss-German language.

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Chocolate Choices, Cadbury's Chocolate, Hershey's, Memories, Hotel Chocolat

 

British favourite chocolate. Cadbury's. Totally different flavour to American Hershey's which to the British tastes stronger, more bitte and wax. 

Hershey's was designed not to melt in the heat when carried as an energy and mood boost by soldiers. 

Cadbury's was always the king of chocolate, supposedly containing calcium filled milk when markets sold cheaper chocolate used by confectioners, and like Hershey's, using a substitute for milk which would not melt in the heat. A flood of memories from childhood.

More memories of holidays in the USA when somebody stole the chocolate from the back window of the car. Then we realised it had melted in the heat.

Check out any city you are visiting for chocolate tours of chocolate factories, chocolate tastings and chocolate making in chocolate shops. In the UK. London and York, especially holidays such as the late May Bank Holiday. And before Xmas. I have been to chocolate museums, exhibitions and shops and events in New York, USA. London, England, York. England, Switzerland, and Umbria in Italy. See my previous posts for mouth-watering pictures.

Hotel Chocolat at Euston

If you are in London, go via a chocolate shop. In Euston we found wonderful chocolates at Hotel Chocolat. A box of chocolates all different. Sometimes you can make up your own.

A day later we bought chocolates from a Laderach of Switzerland chocolate shop in St Pancras station. My husband asked them for all identical chocolate dark chocolate balls  to share with a group when we ordered coffee after a lunch ending with a drink of port. They don't usually do that. Like Hotel Chocolat they provide variety. However, they are customer orientated and provided what he requested, a box of identical chocolates, so everybody had the same, and no delay choosing which one.

They discussed the chocolate content about which my husband was quite knowledgeable and insistent. Once on his birthday., I went to buy him a bar of dark chocolate in my local supermarket. I saw three different percentages of chocolate, hesitated over whether to buy the one with the highest percentage, or two, or all three in case I got it wrong. That proved interesting as we were both able to compare all three. To our surprise, both of us found the very highest chocolate content made a chocolate which we found too bitter. Incidentally Laderach features slabs. 

Currently, in May 2026, they have a newsletter offer. Sign up for their newsletter and you are entered into the following month's draw date for a free slab (bar) of chocolate. 

 Handy if you are in a hurry. I was not impressed by the plain chocolate balls, but my chocoholic friend had no trouble eating two chocolates. The slabs come in nut toppings, white with fruit flavoured swirls and many more surprises. Their locations include several in Switzerland and German as well as Dubai and Orlando in the USA. 

The business is run by a family, now in the third generation. The family name is Swiss-German meaning clearing, for people living near a clearing.

They have a museum in Switzerland. 

Hotel Chocolat

However, if you have time, go to Euston,  Hotel Chocolat. A feast for the eyes and tastebuds. Nothing to match the visual appeal or taste, and possibly higher price, but worth it, whether for yourself or a gift, at Hotel Chocolat.

You'll find them on Amazon and ebay but I recommend the Euston shop if you are passing through Euston. Or check online for your nearest physical shop or supplier.

Other locations offer their drinking chocolate in assorted flavours, hot or cold.

Useful Websites On Chocolate Shops

https://www.hotelchocolat.com/uk/chocolate-shops

https://laderach.com/uk-en/our-locationshttps://houseofladerach.com/product/besuch-schokoladenmuseum-mit-schokoladen-atelier/

https://www.names.org/n/laderach/about

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Where Are The Fire Exits And Fire Extinguishers?

The New Year's Eve fire in Switzerland has caused discussion on what fire precautions should be taken by the public and how laws should be tightened.

Fire Evacuation Announcements & Drills

 If you have been on an aircraft you will have heard the fire evacuation notices. On a ship you have fire drills and announcements.

I remember having fire drills at school.

Fire Exit Maps

Hotels have exit maps on the back of bedroom doors.

Smoke Alarms

Landlords are required to provide smoke alarms in residences, and check them annually.

Fire Extinguishers in Restaurants

When I was recently in a Chinese restaurant, JM, in London, a fire extinguisher was on the wall. 

Today I was in a cafe, Gail's, near Smithfield Market, which had a fire extinguisher on the wall.

It is reassuring to see that plans are in place.

 Useful Websites on Fire Escapes & Safety

https://www.hse.gov.uk/simple-health-safety/risk/risk-assessment-template-and-examples.htm

https://www.safelincs.co.uk/blog/2024/05/02/fire-exits-and-regulations-information-guide/

Fire Safety in buildings - what can you do? What should you know?

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Lessons have been learned' about fire safety. 

Over New Year, new Year's Eve 2025, Hong Kong cancelled fireworks because of the recent fire in November 2025 multistorey residence blocks, with more than 150 believed dead. 

A Fire at a night club in Switzerland, in Crans-Montana, a ski and golf resort village, with views of Mont Blanc, claimed lives in the early hours of January 1st 2026. The place is known for skiing races, bike races, and once being the former home of Katherine Mansfield, the author, and Roger Moore, Bond star. Currently it is the location of a school of hospitality management. Those who died or were missing were Swiss, from nearby Italy, and other countries, and were transferred to hospitals in France and Germany.

What lessons have I learned? Apart from the old adage that nothing good happens after midnight, partly, perhaps because people short of sleep, or taking alcohol and drugs to keep awake, take risky actions or are slow to react to danger, or are victims of others.

Every public restaurant or disco should have framed checklist, including, 

number of fire exits, 

numbers allowed in the venue

fire extinguisher type and expiry date, 

staff and customers (menu) briefed not to allow candles, incense or fireworks, cigarettes, 

flame retardant wall and floor coverings. 

No highly flammable decorations nor furnishing. 

Display Number to call for fire brigade. ... police .... ambulance ....

Fire brigade or others should turn off electricity, evacuate.

Close down dangerous places or those with two dangerous events in one year.

Ban moving flames - carrying cakes with candles, sparklers etc. 

No flames above table height. 

No flames within three feet of the ceiling - same as hobs under cooker hoods.

Sound/acoustic baffling should not be highly flammable.

A license for events and late night after midnight opening should require a fire safety check.

no time should be allowed to implement safety measures. They must be done by nightfall or the venue closed down temporarily until the safety measures are implements.

Fire drills should be held weekly, with instructions on fire safety read out.

All staff should read and sign that they understand fire safety rules.

You may be interested in the four Ps of fire precautions

Prepare

Plan

Practise

Prevent

I don't think it is appropriate for mourners to light candles.

After reading

Fire Extinguishers

About this, I checked the expiry date on my kitchen fire extinguisher. My home has a back door, plus windows for escape.  Next job, check any property you or I are renting, letting or managing.

to my mind, two obvious fire preventions, all events for. Ban fireworks nights and have public displays or laser shows. Have dinners where people are sitting down, so that the numbers are limited. Ensure every person seated can reach exits in under five minutes without being blocked by long tables, which are a hazard, blocking escape. Do not block windows and exits. 

No fireworks or candles indoors, only electric imitation candles. (My grandmother made this rule years ago, after a fire in her house when curtains blew across candles.)

No candles or sparklers in basements.

All flames, if any, to be kept on tables, nothing carried or lifted overhead. Give workers right to refuse to do any unsafe practice. Material which is flammable should be labelled as unsafe for ceilings, like the warning labels on night dresses.

I have noticed that many religious buildings have signs banning alcohol. Wooden and other religious buildings such as churches distribute alcohol, albeit in small amounts. 

Religious buildings also sell candles or light candles to pray to deities or honour the dead. Also eternal lights burn. 

Nowadays eternal lights and commemorative boards often have electric lights instead of messy candles which need replacing.

Fir Warning Signs And Banning Signs

Any building which has a flammable ceiling should have a sign saying, no naked flame, candle or fireworks allowed in this area, with a crossed out sign like a no smoking sign.

You can easily check websites for fire prevention and fire signs in your country or a country you are visiting.

In basement restaurants I ask to be seated near the door, staircase of exit. I ask if there is a back exit through the kitchen. Though the kitchen exit is good to escape terrorism, a fire is more likely to start in a kitchen.

Google fire safety signs and you will see signs saying

No smoking No vaping

No candles

No naked flames

Text and visuals for no fireworks.

The United Nations should make Dec 31 fire safety day.

I was surprised to read that they don't yet know the width of the staircase. An emergency services official with a tape measure could find this. An online researcher looking for the last sale of the building on Zoopla should be able to find a floor plan. The sales of any door would tell you the width of the exit.

Useful Websites

Fire Tragedies

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15427131/Swiss-inferno-nightclub-one-escape-route-wooden-furnishings-foam-ceilings-allowed-deadly-

https://apnews.com/article/hong-kong-new-year-eve-fireworks-a

https://cfpa-e.eu/app/uploads/2022/05/CFPA_E_Guideline_No_9_2012_F.pdf

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Crans-Montana_bar_fire

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Qaraqosh_wedding_fire

https://www.thetimes.com/world/europe/article/switzerland-swiss-ski-resort-fi

Fire Prevention Or Escape

https://sprinklerdesigns.co.uk/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pomya-Emergency-Switch-Release-Security-

Travel

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crans-Montana

https://www.crans-montana.ch/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fireworks_accidents_and_incidents

Visit One Lake in 3 Countries, Lake Constance, in Switzerland, Germany & Austria

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Meersberg lower town on the side of Lake Constance. Photo from Wikipedia.

The landmark bear fountain on the hilltop upper town of Meersberg in Germany. Photo from Angela Lansbury.

From Meersburg in Germany you can take a ferry to Konstanz which is on the border with Switzerland.

Meersburg, Obersee. Ober as in over or upper. See as in sea or water. 

You will find lots to admire and learn in this area.

Meersburg

The bear is holding the town coat of arms.

Meersburg. 

Meer means lake or pool. Alternatively, castle o the sea. Burg is castle or manor. 

Meersburg is a medieval town attracting many tourists. The statue of the bear holds the town's coat of arms, which appears on stationery and official documents.

Meersburg has an upper and lower town with a steep pedestrian street and two sets of stairs. From the top there is a view from the castle. You must pay to go into the castle, but it's free to go to the cafe and you glimpse a bit of the castle en route.

Actually there are two castles. 

The Old Castle, Meersburg

The old castle reaches to the sky, overlooking the lake. The old castle has a statue outside of Writer Annette von Droste-Hülshoff. She wrote poetry and composed music. She is best known for her novella, The Jew's Beech, based on the true story of how a Jewish man was murdered and years later the murderer returned and hanged himself in the woods. 

Statue of Annette outside the castle.

Annette's book, The Jew's Beech.

The New Castle Meersburg

The second one is a grand pink block, with a wide oblong frontage. New in its day, the 1700s. Contains a hall of mirrors.

Look for the area's multi-site ticket..

Mesmer

A small oddity is the grave of Mesmer, from who we get the verb to mesmerise, meaning to hypnotise, as well as the term animal magnetism. And his experiments and the tests on his veracity, led to the discovery of the placebo effect.

Statues of Mesmer. Photos from Wikipedia.Polkadot tablecloth 

Baden

Baden is bath. Baden-Wuerttemberg. 

The origin of the name Wuerttemberg is possibly a man's hill. 

Lake Constance

Constance is also spelled Konstanz. From the city of Konstanz.

Lake Constance is Europe's third largest lake. Big with borders. One lake divided between three countries. Switzerland (eastern). Germany. Austria. A short drive from France.

The name of the lake comes from the city of Konstanz, named after the meeting which took place here. The city was named after a Roman emperor. We are famiiar with the name Constantine, associated with the first Christian Roman emperor. But his father has a similar name, Constantius.

BODEN SEE

Boden see, lake with a lake bed. 

Bodensee is not a place on Lake Constance, It's the German name for Lake Constance. See, think of sea.  

Also in the region, the grave of Mesmer, who inspired the word to mesmerise.

Where next?

Ferry ride.

Waterside grand building with museum about poet Annette.

Useful Websites

https://www.bodensee.eu/en/where-to-travel/lake-constance-cities/konstanz

https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Meersburg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Constance

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantius_Chlorus

https://ashesfromburntroses.blogspot.com/2014/06/poetry-pentecost-by-annette-von-droste.html

Birthplace of Annette with museum about her

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annette_von_Droste-H%C3%BClshoff#/media/File:Burg_H%C3%BClshoff.jpg

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How to Identify Places In Old and New Travel Photos

 You may recall the title of the American comedy, If it's Tuesday, this must be Belgium.

Date Photos

That's your first clue to how to date photos. The magic word is date. 

A second important word is diary. You can write the names of places you visited in a small diary. It might be worthwhile to buy the smallest diary you can find just to keep your travel record. Then you don't need to write the date, just the name of the country, city, monument, or people met.

You can stick a Post it note on the page, or a paperclip. Or carry a small roll of sticky tape, and stick down place names cut or torn from brochures. 

Date Maps and Leaflets

Another system is to write the date on the top of brochures and maps you are given. Later you might wish to throw out last year's city map, and keep this year's. 

If you are a librarian or historian, you might file successive years of maps in date order, with the most recent on top in a box file. Then you can find the name of the hotel on the central square of a city you visited ten years ago, which has now changed its name or been replaced or converted.

Family Photos Of Travels

My first thought on trying to clear clutter is that I can throw out old, out of focus pictures. I can also discard pictures of my family silhouetted against windows.

In theory, you can take out of focus physical photos, copy them, bring them into focus, make them lighter, and colour them.

Add Colour To Photos

My husband has used a website, one of several similar sites, to colour old photos of groups of people around railways, stations, trains, for his historical account of wine and railways.

How accurate is the colour? Does this matter? 

The colours of trains and uniforms of soldiers are often known.  In modern times we have numbers specifying exact colours so you can order paint, or print company stationery and signs.  Big companies such as McDonalds specify the exact shade of yellow or red.

Take Self-captioning Photos

I take self-captioning photos deliberately at the start of a trip. Failing that, in the middle. I take photos saying welcome to, signposts, history boards, hotel and museum names over doorways.

Check Old Photos For Name Signs

Sometimes old photos show the placename by chance. The hotel name is on the doorway. The sign post or street name is small in the background.

The Bear Fountain - A Vital Clue

In one of my old family photos, lacking a caption, the photo shows my mother is standing beside a fountain. 

Angela Lansbury's mother on holiday. Where?

On second glance, I notice another vital detail. The fountain has a bear on top of a statue in the middle of the fountain.

Swiss Bear Fountain

I start by searching for statues with bears. I discover a city in Switzerland, Bern, known as the city of bears (and clocks). I find a photo of a bear statue on a fountain. Eureka.

German Fountain

On second thoughts, are we sure? No. The fountain below is a different shape. 

Eventually, after more searching, we find an exact match.  The fountain is on a plinth. The buildings on the other side of the street are timber-framed. The road slopes downwards.

The photo was of Bodensee, Lake Constance, Germany. 

The Psychological Value Of Old Holiday Photos

I now know my mother visited Germany. She had a happy holiday there. So long ago. Is this important? Yes, psychologically. Instead of my most recent memory of my mother being the day she died, or the funeral, I have a more recent memory of her standing happily beside a fountain on a sunny day on holiday.

 I also broadened my general knowledge of places to visit. I know about Switzerland and Germany. I have places to add to my bucket list, must visit places.

I also have a concversation opener for two countries. When I next meet somebody from Switcerland or German, whether they were born there, live there, work there, or are planning a holiday, I can ask, have you been to those places, or were you near them?

Family Photo Detective

You might know that your widowed grandmother always wore black. If you know the date her husband died, you could date a photo of her, at least to after a certain date.

Home Country Photos

I look at my family photos. Some are where we lived in the UK, others in the USA, Spain, and Singapore. 

I have photos of the family in the back garden of our house. I notice the conservatory on the back of the house. If I know the date the conservatory was built, I can date the decade of the photo.

 I can see how tall our son is. If he is taller than his parents or grandparents, he must be at least ten years old. If he was born in one decade, that photo must be from the next decade or later.

If he is wearing a school uniform, he will remember the name of the school. On the wall of his old bedroom or the display shelving in the lounge, I have one or two of his old school photos. They show the school uniforms.

Add Anecdotes

A one line comment brings your story to life. I have a photo of Switzerland. My mother wanted to live there. 

You may have photos showing a package holidays starting in the Sixties. Package holidays were new and popular and cheap. What is obvious to the elderly who lived in that era might not be obvious to the next generations.

Print A Book Of Your Travels

I could now compile a book of my own or my family's travels. 

For an 80th birthday, or wedding anniverary, I could compile a book. Print on demand. 

In addition to museums and libraries, some pubs and restaurants displa hsitoric photos of the area. You might frame your photos for sale, on loan, as a gift. For a centenary celebration, annual fair, new year's eve party.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_It%27s_Tuesday,

More about Bodensee in the next post.

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Mountain Dangers In Switzerland & Safety Precautions in the UK

An alpine tragedy. Three young men and their uncle died. Wearing Alpine clothing, light clothing, usually worn for a contest over the mountains later in the year. But that is supported by organizers officials along the route.

they ignored weather warnings, apparently. They day looked bright and sunny at the start. But weather can change quickly.

To travel faster, they did not carry equipment to dig themselves a good shelter.

What else could people on mountains do? Are such tragedies preventable. In the midst of a blizzard a flare is no good because nobody can see it and it's too dangerous for the rescuers to risk themselves and their colleagues.

Flares are for earlier or later.

Apparently, according to one comment from the UK, from somebody who used safety devices successfully, a protectiv bag is the answer.

Ccarry a pocket sized survival bag, which is basically a huge, orange plastic bag that you climb inside. It protects you from the wind and elements and helps to preserve your body heat. You can even get them large enough for group use,

Instead of using the word tent,I found using the search word survival bag, orange bags on Amazon and cheaper on TEMU, alhtough whether you have free delivery on Amazon prime could make a difference in price.

Useful Websites

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13188999/family-died-Swiss-ski-trip-pictured.html#comments

https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/warnings-and-advice/seasonal-advice/travel/out-and-about/camping-in-wind-and-rain#:~:text=Choose%20your%20equipment%20carefully.,30%20mph%20can%20cause%20damage.

https://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/chatter/display_topic_threads.asp?ForumID=3&TopicID=230335&SearchPagePosition=1

https://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/chatter/display_topic_threads.asp?ForumID=3&TopicID=248707&PagePosition=1

https://www.temu.com/ul/kuiper/un9.html?subj=goods-un&_

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lifesystems-Mountain-Survival-Bag-Orange/dp/B000P9CSGU

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survival_kit

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poncho_tent

Charlie Chaplin, where can you see statues and mementoes worldwide?

 

Charlie Chaplin's statue stands in Vevey, where he lived in Switzerland. In London UK you can see a statue and plaques. Other mementoes are in a film museum. 

Hollywood star, Los Angeles, USA

Charlie Chaplin Park in Calcutta, India, has a gigantic model of his hat.

Mural in East London.

Charlie Chaplin Grave

See articles in Wikipedia.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Monuments_and_memorials_to_Charlie_Chaplin

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Food and Drink to try when travelling S-Z South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK Scotland

 South Africa

Food - savoury

Ostrich meat, ostrich eggs

South America

the two big wine producing countries are Argentina and Chile.

Spain

Food - savoury

Paella

Sweet

Turron

Drink

Cava wine

Rioja wine

Sweden

Food - savoury

Gravad lax is the national dish of Norway and Sweden.

Switzerland

Food - savoury

Emmentaler cheese, cheese fondu 

Food - sweet

chocolate fondu

Toblerone

Alprose chocolate.

UK

England

Food - Savoury

Cheese, cheddar, stilton

Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding

Fish and chips (plaice, cod)

Snack - beans on toast

Food - Sweet

crumpets (hot with melted butter and jam)

scones with strawberry jam and clotted cream

Maids of honour egg tarts

Cadbury's chocolate

Fox's biscuits

Rowntrees chocolates

McVities biscuits

Walkers crisps

Smith's crisps

Christmas pudding with Custard

Mince tarts (Xmas)

Drinks

tea - Twinings

beer

cider

mead

wine

Scotland

Savoury food

breakfast porridge with salt

Seet food

Shortbread biscuits

Drink

whiskey

USA

Savoury

t-bone steak

Idaho potatoes

KFC chicken

McDonalds hamburgers

Sweet

Chicago Cheesecake, New York cheesecake

Key lime pie

Pecan pie (especially in the south)

Pepperidge Farm cookies

Hersheys chocolate.

Drinks

Coca Cola, Diet coke, Pepsi Cola

Useful Websites

https://www.thewinewiki.com/

Big, Bold, Beautiful Botero Exhibition at Opera Gallery in Ion Shopping Mall, Orchard Road, the centre of Singapore

 

Botero exhibition poster on a pillar in Ion shopping mall. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

An ad on a Pillar at level 2 in Ion attracted me. I had already seen three large, imposing, amusing statues by Botero in Singapore. 

An impressive, huge, horse stands near the entrance escalators to Buona Vista station in Singapore.

Botero's horse statue near Buona Vista MRT underground railway entrance, in Singapore. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright. 

The Botero statue of a plump bird is by the Singapore river waterfront. The bird is a peace dove. It stands on a plinth by the UOB Plaza by UOB building.

Picture by Dudva in Wikimedia.

Botero's big Bird statue in Singapore.

Adam and Eve, statues by Fernando Botero in Hotel Michael, near Crockfords Tower, Resorts Sentosa, in Singapore.

Is Botero, creator of oversize sculptures, an outsize man? Here he is.

n	Fernando Botero - portrait made during his stay in The Hague Botero
Date	7 December 2006, 13:25:32
Source	Flickr
Author	Roel Wijnants

If you are shopping for a museum, a hotel, a city planning department, or a collector with a large budget, you might want to visit and go on the Opera Gallery mailing list. They can also negotiate with artists for you.

Free Visits and Frequent Visits

Opera gallery have several galleries worldwide, where you can visit for free, and take your hosts or guests on holidays and business trips. The exhibitions change regularly, so you can go back. You might see one or two examples of your favourites from a previous exhibition plus a lot of new ones.

Singapore's Opera Gallery Exhibition on 20th and 21st century icons - until 30th October 2022

Opera Gallery entrance in Ion shopping mall, Singapore. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Circus Band by Fernando Botero. Opera Gallery in October, 2022.

The gallery in Singapore doesn't sell postcards or small gifts, unlike museum shops. If you are inspired by your visit to the gallery, love the statues, but have a smaller budget and want a small desktop statue by Botero, on ebay you can find a supplier of a small statue for yourself or a gift, at about three hundred or four hundred plus US dollars (add tax, shipping etc).

https://www.ebay.com/str/europeanbronzegoddess (For a small repro of, for example, a Botero cat.)

Opera Gallery is worldwide, in

USA

New York, Miami, Miami Bal Harbour, Aspen, 

UK

London, England 

MONACO

Monaco

SWITZERLAND

Geneva

THE MIDDLE EAST

UAE

Dubai 

LEBANON

Beirut 

ASIA

CHINA

Hong Kong  

KOREA  

Seoul

SINGAPORE

Art & Exhibitions in Singapore

On a sunny day, you can combine a visit to Opera Gallery with a tour of the Botero outdoor sculptures. If it's overcast, you can also visit a free art exhibition on level 4 of ION in Singapore at the ION Art Gallery. Or the exhibition of Barbie Dolls mentioned in my other post.

Botero Statues In South America

If you go to South America, many more sculptures by Botero are in Plaza Botero, Medellin, Colombia. Medellin is the second largest city in Colombia, after the capital, Bogota. Colombia is next door to Venezuela with a northern coast and can be reached by airlines or cruise ships. Add it to your wishlist. 

Botero statues are also in: 

Champs Elysee, Paris, France; 

Venice, Italy; 

Chicago, USA; 

Broadgate Circus behind Liverpool Street Station, London ECA, England;

I saw this Botero sculpture of the lady, near Liverpool Street Station in London, from the outdoor staircase above, where it was dwarfed by skyscrapers alongside, so it did not look as large and impressive as standing at the foot of the horse in Singapore.

Opera Gallery has an indoor gallery in Bond Street, London.

Also in Berlin, Germany; Israel Museum, Jerusalem, Israel.

Man on Horse, Israel Museum, Jerusalem, Israel.

Meanwhile, back in safe and sunny Singapore, even during a brief rainy afternoon shower, you have a free indoor art gallery to visit at Ion shopping mall, the Opera Gallery.

Opera Gallery, 2 Orchard Turn #02-16, ION Orchard, Singapore 238801

tel: +65 6735 2618

Email: spore@operagallery.com

Useful Websites

ARTIST & SCULPTOR BOTERO  WORLDWIDE

Video of Venus in London, England.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIBdV-0Xz44

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernando_Botero

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Fernando_Botero

BOTERO In COLOMBIA SOUTH AMERICA

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Botero_Square

OPERA GALLERY IN ION, SINGAPORE

https://www.operagallery.com/event/fernando-botero-singapore

https://www.operagallery.com/

ION IN SINGAPORE

https://www.ionorchard.com/deal/883-tourist-exclusive-unlock-your-retail-dreams-2022

https://www.ionorchard.com/ion-art

The Botero exhibition is in Opera Gallery, Singapore, until October 30th 2022, every day 11 am to 8 pm.

Opera Gallery exhibition in October 2022. Artist Anthony James. Repose.

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Chinese New Year & Lunar New Year, food and festivities worldwide

Mandarin oranges for Chinese New Year. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

The Lunar New Year is followed by traditional Chinese festivals as well as Muslim and Jewish festivals. this year Chinese New Year started on Feb 1st. Many people took off the rest of the week as a holiday. On Feb 6th all the good luck signs are up. What are the features celebrated? At my online Toastmasters club on Friday I was Topics Master, in charge of the questions for impromptu speeches of two minutes. I asked each person to tell us what they knew about Chinese New Year.

People were celebrating in China, especially in Beijing, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, cities in the USA, and in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Beijing celebrated with the traditional, noisy, lion dance. But in Singapore the lion dances were banned, as is singing. Even talking on the underground trains is discouraged.

1 Chinese New Year is designed to fall on the New Moon, the solstice, the start of spring. 

2 This is the year of the tiger, in the traditional Chinese zodiac. You don't have to be traditional, or Chinese, in a Chinese speaking country, or even in a Chinatown, to see Chinese seasonal celebrations.

The old traditions meet modern technology worldwide. In Switzerland they projected the image of a tiger onto a mountain top. The Tiger on the Eiger. A Swiss artist designed it.

Yes, tiger, not lion. Tigers have stripes.

3 Red packets

Containing money for children and the unmarried of any age. Gold lettering.

4 Lanterns

Made of red paper

5 Wall hangings with messages for the front door

6 In Singapore, Lo Hei, the Chinese new year dish, raw pink fish and all colours of vegetables. You toss the food in the air with chopsticks before you start eating.

5 Family Reunions

The biggest travel event in the world. Chinese people go home to their families for a reunion dinner. Like Christmas for Christians, and the Seder Night for Jews and Thanksgiving for Americans. Biggest exodus to China and parental homes.Until Covid.

6 Greetings

Not just health, but wealth!

 About the author of this blog post

Angela Lansbury

About the Author Angela Lansbury

BIOGRAPHY

Angela Lansbury B A Hons ACG ALB PM5 EH5 DL5 VC5 
The Author of several books including  Etiquette For Every Occasion. Wedding Speeches & Toasts. How to be the Best Man. Quick Quotations. Who Said What When.

Blogs travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

translateforfun.blogspot.com

Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters Speakers Club Vice President Public Relations (VPPR), Previous President

Join BHA 1st Wednesday 7pm and 3rd Saturday 2 pm Singapore time 

Vice President Public Relations (VP PR) of Tampines Changkat Advanced;

Secretary of weekly online Singapore International Dynamic Toastmasters Speakers’ Club;

Member and past president of Harrovians toastmasters club, UK; Past member of HOD Toastmasters, London. Past member in Singapore of: Toastmasters Club of Singapore (TCS); Tiarel; and Senja Cashew.

More details from Toastmasters International find a club.

Regular attendee at annual Swanwick Writers’ School, England.

Regular attendee at annual Writers’ Holiday, Wales.

Contributor to poetry readings, and after tea courses on: Speaking On Radio To Promote Books; and Plots And Character.

Winner of many club and area speaking contests in the UK and Singapore.

Language advisor to Empire Toastmasters club in Indonesia.

Language and speech workshops in Singapore.

Speaker on radio and TV in England, Scotland, the USA, and Australia.

Compiler of a school course on public speaking for teachers to prepare pupils for school open days with attending ceremonies before government ministers, Singapore.

Former member of Harrow Writers’ Circle, London, and two writing groups in Singapore.

Angela is on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter. She would be delighted to link up with new friends.

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Books by Angela Lansbury
How to be the best man. (Ward Lock / Cassell.)
Wedding Speeches and Toasts.(Ward Lock / Cassell.)
Unforgettable British Weekends.
Poetry Workshop Workbook.
The Tailor and the Spy. (Lulu.)
Larry The Talking Labrador. (Lulu.)
Writing Poetry for fun.

Quick Quotations

Who Said What When