Tonight starting at 4:30pm the doors of House of Switzerland Canada will be opened to the public over at Bridges on Granville Island. The restaurant remains open throughout the games, serving up delicious Swiss creations but tonight, it’s all about the party.

I’m sitting in the back corner doing some blogging alongside over $200 in Swiss merchandise. I have a grand prize Lindt gift basket, some Zimtstern belts, Zimtstern hats, aprons, and a Lindt cookbook up for grabs. Come on by, spot me, tweet about this event, and I’ll do a draw around 6:00pm for the prizes.

As a bit of disclosure, I am here independently as accredited media for House of Switzerland. I asked if I could come live blog from their event and they enthusiastically said, “YES!” and offered up the prizing to boot.

Update: Chef Béda Zengg (whom I met in Switzerland) just dropped off this food. It’s probably better than you join me as soon as possible since I won’t be able to finish all of this myself. I have a table reserved for visitors if you’re able to come by right now.

Update: For the next month, the coffee supplier at Bridges is the Swiss company, Nespresso.

Update: French reporter and Twitter personality @GastonReport stopped by to say hello then I stepped outside to watch the opening ceremonies.

Update: Thank you to everyone that came by, which I believe was about 20-30 people just for the Tweetup at various times. Congratulations to Bev Davies who won the $150 chocolate gift basket and thanks to KLParrot, ArianeC, Photodreamz, VancouverLens, Raul, and more who stopped by. Bridges will be open daily and you can find a list of special House of Switzerland events on their website.

There’s lots more in store and if you do make it by, let me know how you enjoyed the experience (once you come down off the Lindt chocolate high). I’ll be back on Valentine’s Day for another one of their signature events.

Earlier this week I profiled all of the national pavilions and hospitality houses (that I knew of) that will be setup during the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games. Some were easy to look up while more research was required for others. One pavilion that has supplied me with more than enough material is the House of Switzerland Canada who will be setting up shop at Bridges on Granville Island and the Mountain Club in Whistler.

From the HOS 2010 Facebook Page

Here is a rundown of what they have planned over the next few weeks:

February 5th and 6th, 2010
From 4:30pm until 6:30pm there is public open house in both Vancouver & Whistler locations to learn about the House of Switzerland will be doing during the Games.

Daily Events from February 5th until February 28th, 2010

When you visit you can also enter for a chance to win a trip for two to St. Moritz Switzerland valued at $10,000 including 5-star accommodation at luxurious Hotel Kempinski or Hotel Badrutt’s Palace.

You can get to Bridges by taking the new (free) Olympic Line Streetcar to Granville Island which will be home to many pavilions as the all-encompassing French Quarter. You can catch the streetcar from the Canada Line’s Olympic Village station.

During November’s trip to Switzerland our group stopped in at the headquarters of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Lausanne.

Perched at the top of a small grassy hill, the IOC looks out over Lake Geneva and the public park, Parc Bourget. The IOC is made up of a few buildings pasted together over the years including a mansion that was centuries old. The entire area was once occupied by the Roman Empire and recent archeological evidence shows bones and ruins dating back to 6,000 BC.

I must explain that I missed pieces of the tour. Unfortunately this was our first stop after arriving from London the night before and with the 9-hour time difference and the jet lag migraine bubbling up in my head, I had to excuse myself from the tour a few times. After my intermittent absence I rejoined the tour group but as a result I didn’t take nearly as many notes on this tour as I could have.

Inside the IOC much of it seemed like your standard office building, with more than a few high-tech and upscale elements. The one thing that stood out most was the art work. Culture being one of the Three Pillars of the Olympic movement, the building featured statues, installations, paintings, and sculptures on every floor and down every corridor.

Olympic-branded candies sat in a dish outside one of many meeting rooms with dominating wooden doors, behind which I could only imagine the importance of the business being discussed.

There was a modern cafeteria for employees where chefs prepare culinary creations for staff daily. The eating area had dark wood floors, modular furniture and a full view of the lake from the floor-to-ceiling windows. On a pillar near the employee lounge/cafeteria were bulletins, including one promoting the Vancouver 2010 exhibit over at the Olympic Museum.

Our guide explained that just out the window and to the West was the local waste treatment plant and that energy produced from the waste when it is treated actually supplies power and heat for the IOC buildings. With Environment being yet another one of the Three Pillars of the Olympic Movement it seemed quite fitting.

From there we walked through a few more boardrooms, each more impressive than the next with flat screen televisions, branded pens, and bottles of water on standby as though half a dozen meetings were about to convene at the same time.

We crossed over to the old IOC building, which is the mansion and home of the smallest meeting room we had seen yet, although it was the most distinguished. This was where top-ranking IOC officials get together with IOC President, Count Jacques Rogge.

I’m unsure if they do tours normally but it was a nice familiarization of a beautiful complex that simply emanates excellence, right down to the Olympic-branded Mercedes parked out front.

On our way out some protesters started to gather on the front lawn. They had t-shirts, signs, and appeared to have invited local media – either that or they brought their own troop of photographers. We were inside the building as the group began chanting outside and two of them walked over to the entrance. Pausing outside for a photo op, we watched as the protesters chatted politely with the women at the front reception desk. After a few minutes they came back outside, picked up their signs, and continued their display. No security, no men in suits with earpieces coming to take them away. They pretty much just walked to the other side of the street on their own and continued peacefully. For some reason I suspect that this isn’t a rare occurrence at all outside the IOC.

We hopped in our tour van and headed for the the Olympic Museum but not before our guide pointed out that there’s a campground next to Parc Bourget and the IOC. To camp on Lake Geneva, in a place as historic as this, surrounded by dozens of international sporting federations and museums just seemed like something we’d have to do when John and I go back to Switzerland. We’ll even see if our pal Dave wants to come as it seems like something he’d really get a kick out of.

You can view the rest of my photos from my media trip to Switzerland in this photo set, and read all posts here.

Late last year I was invited, along with other media, to experience the Olympic Capital of the World — Lausanne, Switzerland. Home of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Olympic Museum, we received tours of both locations and I must say, it was pretty neat to see “Vancouver 2010″ plastered on banners, within artwork, and on signs around both venues.

The ancient Olympic Games were held every four years in the Greek city of Olympia, in the Kingdom of Elis, from 776 BCE through either 261 or 393 AD (source: wiki). After a 1500-year hiatus the Olympics as we know them were re-introduced and re-envisioned by Baron Pierre de Coubertin of France (this explains why French is spoken during Olympic ceremonies as well). In 1894 Pierre de Coubertin, after creating a national association for athletics in France, founded the International Olympic Committee.

The IOC is the governing body of the Olympic Movement as defined by the Olympic Charter. He wasn’t the first person to have the idea of the modern Olympic Games, but he was the first to found the Three Pillars (sport, culture, environment) and make it an international event.

Demetrius Vikelas of Greece was the first President of the IOC in 1894, and the first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens in 1896. The second Games in 1900 were held in Paris, France. The Winter Olympics were not introduced until 1924 in Chamonix and until that point figure skating and ice hockey had been events at the Summer Games (source: wiki). The Winter and Summer Games were then held within the same year until 1992.

If you get the chance to visit Switzerland, you should try to make it to Lausanne and definitely check out the Olympic Museum. I’m a sucker for museums in general but the archival collection of athleticism over thousands of years, and throughout nations, in this single place is just impressive.

The exhibits begin with the Ancient Olympics and walk you through hundreds of years of sport and tradition. The modern Games may have been developed in France and have their headquarters in Switzerland however there is no shortage of tribute and respect for the Ancient Games of Greece in the museum.

The translation of the mantra Citius Altus Fortius is Faster, Higher, Stronger. Our guide told us that it doesn’t necessarily mean over your rivals, more so yourself — being the best that you can possibly be comes first. We saw ancient relics such as tools, golden wreaths, and pottery depictions of the games in which all participants were naked. As such, married women in ancient times were forbidden from being spectators of the Games.

Winners of events in ancient competition were considered demi-gods, crowned by Zeus himself. They wore wreaths made of Gold and were praised for possessing the ultimate balance of inner and outer beauty. Medals were an invention of the modern Olympics.

The Ancient Olympics were abolished in the year 393 AD because the Christian Emperor banned pagan festivals. Rumour has it that the Games continued unofficially in underground circles.

Moving on to the modern Games, the museum has a display with every single Olympic torch ever used. The torches start with the 1936 Games, which has the first torch relay from Olympia to the venue in Berlin.

Unfortunately one thing Baron de Coubertin did not believe in was that women belonged in sports. In the second modern Games in Paris however, they were allowed to compete only in tennis and golf.

Smith and Carlos at the 1986 Games in Mexico were featured in a photo (but not the legendary photo of them of them on the podium saluting the civil rights movement). Additional exhibits included an explanation of Olympic funding, highlights from each host City over the years, and symbols explained.

According to our guide, the individual event icons (like the ones in the photo below) get more abstract each year. He made a comment about how Vancouver’s are a little too focused on artistic value and that it’s a bit hard to figure out what the depicted sports are supposed to be.

On our way up to visit the hall where Olympic-worn uniforms and equipment are displayed we spotted the lower room in the building, which is the AV archive for every Olympics ever recorded.

The two upstairs halls include one side for Summer Games and the other for Winter. Each features signed uniforms, shoes, shot puts, javelins, skates, hockey sticks and skis that have been donated by Olympians.

This is also where you’ll find the “wall of shame” where they note every single banned or prohibited substance. I forget now what was in the “Black Box” but I know it wasn’t good.

Once we were done touring through historic and modern archives, we went back down to the main level of the building which was mostly dedicated to Vancouver 2010. There was an entire room with a gallery of First Nations art called “Challenging Traditions: Contemporary First Nations Art of the Northwest Coast” as well as a “Green Games” exhibit.

Outside the museum is an immense garden that weaves down to the street alongside Lake Geneva. Up on the hill there are hundreds of public art pieces that celebrate sport and athleticism.

Towering above all, on the highest point of the steps of the museum was a totem pole by Jim Hart.

The familiar scent of cedar filled my lungs and there among stone pillars and rushing fountains peering down at the lake, I felt so proud to be standing next to such a majestic piece that symbolized my home.

After the 2010 Games we’ll be looking towards London in 2012, Sochi in 2014, and Rio in 2016. The museum will swap out its exhibits on the main level to tribute each city yet the amazing achievements while the archives will maintain their collection of artifacts, both ancient and modern, that have left an indelible mark on sporting history.

You can view the rest of my photos from my media trip to Switzerland in this photo set, and read all posts here.

This fall I received the best bobsleigh history lesson in the world from locals in St Moritz while on a media trip as a guest of the Swiss National Tourist Office.

After a walking tour of the town we stopped by the Cresta Run, then over to the Bob Run, after which the sport is named.

Birth of the Winter Sport
2010 marks the 125th anniversary of the Cresta Run in St Moritz, Switerzland. Back in 1885 tobogganing made its way there from Britain and people began to flock to the friendly winter destination to participate in the sport.

The Cresta Run itself is a 3,978 foot long natural ice run down the side of a mountain for tobogganing (or skeleton as many know it from the Olympics). Whether it was the head-first skeleton or the luge race, both evolved from “steerable sledding” that was invented by snowbird British guests at the St Moritz hotel, Kulm in 1870. Over on the Cresta run you can reach speeds of up to 140km/h on the track that has been carved over the last century. Originally designed to entertain and carry adventurously wealthy tourists, it soon became quite the competitive sport.

The Cresta Run is owned and operated by the St. Moritz Tobogganing Club (SMTC), also referred to as the Cresta Club which has been all-male since founded by the British Military in 1885. Women have never been allowed to sled down the Cresta Run and from what our guide told us, the excuses were many. Anything from it was too dangerous to telling them that laying on their front to head down the runs would give them breast cancer.

Rumour has it though that some ladies have managed to make it down over the years by cross-dressing, but that’s simply local folklore at this point.

The Bob Run
You take two toboggans, tie them together, add a steering mechanism and grab a couple of your friends and you have a bobsleigh. Since toboganning became such a hit, another run was built in St Moritz — the Bob Run.

Now according to most definitions, the sport is called bobsledding because you watch the riders’ heads bob as they go down the run. Alternatively, our St Moritz guide told us that a man named Robert (Bob) started up the Bob Run (his own run) across from the Cresta Run as a haven for those who wanted to tie their sleds together. Hence that new sled was called the bobsleigh, named after the run and thus named after a man called Bob.

I haven’t found anything online to back this up so I’m not sure if our guide was just having a bit of fun with us or if I might be documenting this for the first time. Regardless of its etymology, the world’s first bobsleigh club was formed in 1897 at the Bob Run in St Moritz.

With longer sleds emerging with spots for two or four men the Bob Run became the longest, fastest and only natural bobsleigh run in the world. Natural means that each and every winter the build up that non-refrigerated, u-shaped run down the side of the hill using tools, manpower, and only the snow and ice that surrounds them.

From where we stood after our walk over from the village, the Bob Run is basically “across the street” and up a hill from the Cresta Run. It’s not only the home of bobsleigh but also the site of the St Moritz Winter Olympics ceremonies in 1928 and 1948. Bobsleigh appeared in the first Winter Games in Chamonix in 1924.

The men who build the Bob Run each year aren’t even bobsledders themselves, however we were told they are very proud to be a part of such a momentous annual event, which is so important to the world of winter sports. When we visited in November 2009 they were merely weeks away from starting the year’s build, which would take about 3 weeks in total to complete.

The photo above shows the official starting place of the Bob Run so as you can see, they really do build it all from scratch with fresh snow and ice each winter. The photo below is the opposite view of that starting point.

Little-known bobsleigh fact, the brake man only does his job at the very end of the course — at no other time are the brakes used on the bobsleigh except to actually stop it. At the end of the season (usually around March) the run is so cutup from sleigh after sleigh that before they tear down the track some folks are actually allowed to ice skate down it. Sort of like the Red Bull Crashed Ice event each year in Quebec City.

Traditions and Oddities
The St. Moritz Bobsleigh Club owns and maintains the prestigious track and the President, Gunter Sachs, runs the lodge and the highly exclusive Dracula Club within. We took a tour but since it was so prestigious (and had a bit of a strange theme) I will respect the secrecy and privacy of the club and its member list. Let’s just say that strings of garlic hung from the bar, there was a bat skeleton on the wall, and apparently a coffin in the basement that – rumour has it – comes out on occasion for a few inebriated members to take a spin down the rushing Bob Run.

Unsure of the validity of said rumour, Sachs does operate a nighttime competition called Dracula’s Ghost Riders for which the grand prize at the end is shaped like a coffin.

The Dracula Club, known as quite the party destination has a restaurant and pub along with the members-only area. It’s open to new membership if you care to join, but even according to a Dracula Club’s Facebook page, you would have to abide by and swear to follow Dracula rules.

Bobsleigh Today
All history and folklore aside, at over 5,500 ft long the Bob Run finishes up in the town of Celerina and is also home to the Bobsleigh World Cup. The Bob Run is open for all nations and women who may also train on this amazing course.

The Swiss have built up a dynasty of champion bobsleigh traditions (literally, from the ground up) so it’s truly no wonder the Swiss Olympic Bobsleigh Teams excels so greatly in international competition.

The 125th anniversary of the original Cresta Run, which started it all, will take place in St Moritz February 5th until the 14th, 2010.

I’m looking forward to seeing how the run in Whistler treats teams this winter and how our Canadian team will compete during the Games which kick off February 12, 2010 in Vancouver. Just a few weeks ago our women’s team made bobsleigh history by placing first and second in a world cup event in Germany so it should be a great event on all fronts.

You can view the rest of my photos from my media trip to Switzerland in this photo set, and read all posts here.

After our late night out at a hockey game in Zurich our group packed up and headed East toward Kilchberg, the home of Lindt & Sprüngli Chocolates – sponsor of the House of Switzerland Canada that will be in Vancouver for the 2010 Winter Games.

The Lindt & Sprüngli headquarters do not conduct tours (for health reasons) but they do have a store and seasonal chocolate markets, making it the ultimate destination for chocolate lovers. Rolling up to the small town you could tell the chocolate factory was its heart and soul. Outside on the front lawn was an enormous Christmas display complete with lights and giant golden reindeer while Smart cars decked out like Lindor truffles lined the entrance way.

Once inside we were educated on the history of chocolate as we know it and how Mr Rodolphe Lindt and Mr Rudolf Sprüngli created this worldwide empire of fine Swiss chocolates.

History
Once it arrived in Europe, chocolate was consumed as a drink since no one had perfected the art of creating a solid form of the confection. This was until a trend started to grow in Italy that saw chocolate in solid, bar form. In 1845 confectioner David Sprüngli-Schwarz and his son Rudolf Sprüngli-Ammann decided to hop on board and provide this sweet solid treat as well. The craze took off across the continent and saw the Sprüngli family build up from a small pastry shop to an entire factory on the shores of Lake Zurich in 1899. This is the site of the factory as we know it as its original structure still stands today.

Somewhere between their cross-continental expansion the move to their new facilities, Rodolphe Lindt over in Bern was developing his patented “conching” process for chocolate in 1879. Lindt developed a way to turn chocolate from a hard, chunk-like state into a smooth, rich and creamy form that could be molded into bars. He used cocoa butter to soften the chocolate and his 72-hour conching machine gave it a rich glossy finish along with a sweet supple aroma. He called this “chocolat fondant” or “melting chocolate” and in 1899 sold all rights to the conching process (and his name) to Chocolat Sprüngli AG, thus forming the company Chocoladefabriken Lindt & Sprüngli AG.

The Company Today
Lindt products are available in 100 countries around the globe with offices in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Their American operations also include Ghirardelli, based in San Francisco. The cocoa beans come from exclusive growers in Ghana where the company makes a solid contribution to the promotion of fair economic conditions for the cocoa farmers in the region. They support the Sustainable Tree Crop Program (STCP) in West Africa as well as research projects and are members of the World Cocoa Foundation.

Chocolate Tasting
Once we learned how the company came to be we headed over to do a chocolate tasting with Master Chocolatier Daniel Tännler (the same Master Chocolatier you’ll see in many of their commercials). He asked us, “do you eat chocolate or do you taste chocolate?”. We then learned the 5 steps to enjoying and savouring chocolate, which match up with each of our senses.

Here are some of the tasting notes they provided:

1. Seeing – Study the chocolate’s colour and texture. High quality chocolate has an even texture and a matte, silky sheen.
2. Feeling – Consider the feel of the chocolate. Is is soft, brittle, smooth, rough, sandy or granular? High quality chocolate should not melt in your hand, just in your mouth.
3. Hearing – Yes, you can hear chocolate. Hold a bar up to your ear the next time you break off a piece. The broken edge should then be smooth, not crumbly, and fine chocolates should break with an audible ‘snap’. Tännler also said the sound of the Lindt foil unwrapping is something that every Swiss child grows up with. It is ingrained into their memory and the metallic crinkle lights up the senses in anticipation of the treat.
4. Smelling – You can simply hold a piece of chocolate up to your nose to smell it or break off a small piece and place it on your tongue. Once in place, breathe in with your mouth and then out with your nose to really inhale the aromas. You may even find hints of milk, caramel, vanilla, honey, or apricot, depending on the type of chocolate you are sampling.
5. Tasting – The best part, just put a piece of chocolate in your mouth and let it melt — coating as many taste buds as possible — so that you can sense all of its nuances, aromas, flavours and essences.

Ms Nina Keller, PR & Communications officer for the company told us that the chocolate business is similar to the fashion industry as people anticipate the new styles and trends that are developed each year. We sampled their latest Lindt Excellence series that features flavours such as Chili and Fleur-de-Sel. Perfecting these recipes is a true art form as Tännler told us they went through about 300 different types of chilies just to find the right mix for their bars.

After our education and tasting we stopped off at the Christmas Market behind the building which in itself it a holiday chocolate wonderland. From pralines and Lindor truffles to the gold reindeer all decked out with their festive bows.

It was such a treat to learn more about the history of modern chocolate, the company’s practices and technologies, and of course, taste some cocoa creations.

Lindt & Sprüngli Chocolates is an official sponsor of the House of Switzerland Canada that will be at Bridges on Granville Island during the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. The House of Switzerland will be open to the public and I can assure you they will have many goodies for you to sample along with daily giveaways (of the chocolate variety). Stop by Bridges this February to see the folks from Lindt or if you’re in Whistler, House of Switzerland Canada will be at the Mountain Club.

You can view the rest of my photos from my media trip to Switzerland in this photo set, and read all posts here.

After a night of good food in a wood-paneled room above the world’s largest whiskey bar we set out from our Hotel Waldhaus Am See to explore St Moritz on foot.

Our guide for the morning was John Webster, an Australian who traveled the globe and decided that there was no place better for him to live than St Moritz. He set up his life in this historic town (sitting at 1,800 above sea level) and is an extremely charming ambassador for the City.

St Moritz is divided into two communities, St Moritz – Bad (on the West side of the lake) and St Moritz – Dorf, on the North side. The city is known for hosting the Winter Olympics in 1928 and 1948 however it was also the birthplace of the bobsleigh, competitive winter sports as a whole, the skeleton (tobogganing), and winter tourism. The alpine ski starting point atop Piz Nair has a 100 per cent vertical drop, which is the longest, steepest start in the world and various other venues are either the longest, fastest, or oldest of their kind in the world.

Aside from Winter sports, St Moritz is also a summertime destination with a trail network that spans over 180km. Athletes such as Lance Armstrong come here for altitude training, while windsurfing and sailing on the lake are also big attractions. John also noted that they have three seasons in St Moritz; Summer, winter, and building as we noticed cranes and construction work dotting the landscape.

Due to its mineral springs, the area was originally a place people traveled to for cures, spas and even pilgrimages as in 1519, Pope Leo X gave total absolution to all who made the journey to St. Mauritius Church. For centuries it was a destination but there was no real infrastructure until 1815 when the first formal spa facilities were constructed.

Soon after hotels followed, including the five-star Carlton (that was originally built as a holiday home for Tsar Nicholas II of Russia), Palace Badrutt’s, and the Cresta Palace.

Heading up to the city from the lake-side promenade, we crossed through the central parking garage. To reduce the amount of cars on the narrow roads, this massive multi-level lot is carved inside the face of the mountain and uses a series of escalators (including the country’s longest) to get pedestrians up to the village level. Along the way, the Design Gallery of St Moritz outfits the passage walls with a photography exhibit.

The city was deserted when we started out and John explained that during the winter, locals go about 4 straight months of working 7 days a week so in the off season they take plenty of much-deserved time for themselves. However bare the streets were in terms of actual people, there was no shortage of high-end names; from D & G to Cartier, Versace, Prada, and Bulgari. At 10am on a Saturday morning the locals you do pass by are completely dressed to the nines in suits and sleek leather apparel, even when out walking their dogs.

Winding up the stone passageways I couldn’t stop taking photos of the buildings, which all had such beautiful architecture and detailing. John said that the etching we saw on the sides of the structures was called “scrafitti.” This is the process of etching coloured patterns into the plaster while it sets over a period of several weeks.

We passed by the oldest farmhouse in town, where we were told that livestock would be lead through the bottom door and kept on the lowest level of the house during winter months. The heat from the animals’ bodies would then rise up through the floorboards and keep the families nice and toasty. Now, the building is home to a restaurant and a pizzeria on the very top level. The ornately-carved wooden doors were a sign of status and wealth.

Continuing our inclined stroll through the twisting streets I noticed the abundance of colour — bright blue, yellow, and red alpine flowers were spotted throughout courtyards while the scraffiti-surfaced buildings boasted deep brown, and orange hues.

Making our way all the way up to the original site of St. Mauritius Church, which has its own leaning tower, which is still structurally sound. From there we learned about the history of the bobsleigh and the Cresta Run before heading down to the Olympia Bob Run (which will be covered in another post).

Walking back through town we passed the outdoor curling rink used during the St Moritz Olympics, and stopped off at Hanselmann for some coffee and treats.

Sitting in the confectionery where Audrey Hepburn would have her afternoon tea, the legend that is St Moritz had yet to soak in. The profound history of ancient ruins and sporting innovation mixed with modern glitz and glam all melts together in this wondrous place. Snuggled in by mountains on all sides with a lake that reflects its naturally glassy scenery, I think my breath was simply taken away for the entire duration of our guided walk.

Although this side of St Moritz may not be the most affordable for most (compared to our quaint hotel across the lake) it is still a destination to be explored for countless reasons.

Hopefully my hike-loving husband will want to return with me someday in the summertime so we can get a bird’s eye view of one of the most amazing places on earth.

You can get your own taste of St Moritz at the House of Switzerland Canada during the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games. Located at Bridges on Granville Island (and the Mountain Club in Whistler), the House will have a St Moritz theme and will be entirely open to the public throughout the Games.

You can view the rest of my photos from my media trip to Switzerland in this photo set, and read all posts here.

We set out from Zurich to Chur by bus then hopped on the Rhätische Bahn to ride the rails over to St Moritz.

To gain altitude heading toward the Easter Swiss Alps, the train twists and turns its way through tunnels and over bridges, gradually making a climb. This series of spirals and arched bridges earned the line UNESCO World Heritage status.

We rode in the very last car which was decked out in carved pine, which is a trait of the region, and dined on meats, cheeses, and wine.

I fell in love with train travel when I took the Rocky Mountaineer a few months ago and I have to say rolling through the Swiss countryside cranked my adoration for this mode of travel up to 11.

At one point we simply had to head into the 1st class car, drop the windows, and snap every photo and video that we could to capture even the slightest essence of the area’s beauty.

Hopping off the train just shy of St Moritz we were whisked away to the base of the Alps to ride a gondola up to the top of Diavolezza. I live in a city surrounded by mountains (and I’ve even hiked my fair share) but there is simply no comparison anywhere else in the world to these majestic towers of ice and snow.

At the top, we had the chance to have a drink with Christian Meili, a Swiss bobsleigh champion (competed in Lillehammer and Albertville), who is active in the St Moritz bobsleigh club. We’ll be visiting the Olympia Bob Run tomorrow so I’ll fill in some of Meili’s insights on that post.

I started to feel light-headed and a bit woozy at the peak when we were walking around in the snow and the group came to realize just how high up we were. In comparison, at the bottom of the gondola we were already at three times the height of Whistler’s peak. 15 minutes later atop Diavolezza and it was a whole other world.

I’m going to let many of these photos speak for themselves although my camera could not even capture the millions of shades of blue that were glistening off every peak, rock face, and snow cap looking down on our group.

Tonight we’re staying in St Moritz before heading back to Zurich for our final night in Switzerland. I have at least 5 other posts up my sleeve but those will have to wait until morning. As Vancouver gets through their Friday workday, the sun has already tucked itself behind the mountains as I write this by moonlight. All I can say is, what a day.

You can view the rest of my photos from my media trip to Switzerland in this photo set, and read all posts here.

It’s official; my clothing will smell like cheese for the next few days and I don’t mind a bit. Last night we had fondue with Béda Zengg, the man who will be in charge of catering at the House of Switzerland in Vancouver and Whistler during the 2010 Olympic Games.

Originally from Ontario, Béda’s family is Swiss and he has spent most of his adult life over here (even completing his tour in the Swiss Army). He joined us at Adler’s Swiss Chuchi in Zurich and told us all the proper way to prepare and feast upon the cheesy dish, which is as much a social event as it is a dinning experience.

During 2010 he will be preparing not only Swiss traditions such as fondue but also modern delicacies that the country can bring to the table and offer its athletes and guests.

After the fondue, we headed over to the Hollenstadion (the country’s only multi-purpose arena) to watch EV-Zug take on the ZCS Lions in tournament play. We were swept up to a private box and greeted by Florian Zimmerman from EV-Zug to get a rundown of the differences between the NHL and Swiss hockey league play.

Assembled by Florian Zimmerman – Number8 Ltd.

The crowd of bout 6,000 was chanting as though it were a football match, calling out players’ names in unison and taunting the opposing fans that sat across the arena. The pace was quick, the clock ran up (instead of down), the rink was wide, and if there was any inkling of a fight at all, play was stopped. The Lions came out on top with a strong 4-1 finish and we even got to see some play from former Vancouver Canuck, Josh Holden.

I also came to realize that no matter what country you are in, hockey arena music is pretty much all the same as our ears were treated to AC/DC, Def Leppard, Bryan Adams and even a special Nickelback roundup.

Following the game Doug Shedden coach of EVZug (also former Maple Leaf & Nordiques player) came up to the box to chat with our group. Shedden coached team Finland to a bronze medal in the 2008 World Championships and has a real passion for not only the game of hockey, but also being a part of the Swiss league. He jested that road games don’t mean over-nighters across the continent, moreso a short bus ride home (or the equivalent of about two beers). With a maximum of about 400km to travel to play a visiting team, it’s nothing compared to thousands of miles NHL teams must travel to meet opposing conference rivals.

In the past year I’ve experienced hockey games from Burnaby, to Vancouver, and even Moline, Illinois. However, being able to witness European hockey at this level (and in Switzerland to boot) is the ultimate hockey pilgrimage for a fan like me.

You can view the rest of my photos from my media trip to Switzerland in this photo set, and read all posts here.

Waking up this morning in Lausanne, Switzerland my group headed over to the International Olympic Committee headquarters for a tour. We saw the top secret meeting rooms, the VIP meeting rooms, the grounds, the buildings, and even some protesters outside. However, I’ll be covering the IOC and the Museum in another post, which will be much more Olympic in size.

We left Lausanne, which is definitely worth revisiting; if not for the history or the fact that it’s home to dozens of worldwide sports federation headquarters, but for the breathtaking scenery at the foot of the Alps along Lake Geneva.

Bowling through the countryside on the highway I looked out on what seemed to be something straight out of a Grant Wood painting. With the Alps behind us the rolling hills, clustered towns, and green pastures reminded me of another place I know well.

There were no cows with bells around their necks, and no girls up on the hills in pigtails, just small towns, fast speed limits, and plenty of tunnels that take you from point A to point B in no time at all.

Arriving in the Swiss capital of Bern we had lunch with Chef de Mission for Swiss Olympics, Erich Hanselmann. I’ll cover more of our discussion in another post, when I include the IOC and Olympic Museum visit. We have been lucky to be accompanied by Dr. Sibylle Ambühl throughout our trip and after lunch at Cafe Federal, she showed us the parliament (since it is the Swiss capital) and gave us a quick walking tour of the city.

Founded in the 1100s it was rebuilt after a fire in the 1500s. Since that time, no buildings have been replaced or torn down leaving only their historic facades. What you see are the original buildings dating back to the 16th century rebuild and the entire town is a UNESCO world heritage site.

I completely fell in love with the city within minutes but we had little time to spare before hitting the road once again. It’s mix of old and new was dazzling. We walked by Einstein’s house, which was just above a Lush soap shop, and watched with fingers poised above our shutter buttons as a 1600s clock chimed in the hour (as though it was high noon in Gastown).

We have just arrived in Zurich after what seemed to be a rush hour trek between the two major cities. I’m not going to lie, waiting for traffic to move in tunnels is not something that makes me feel at ease however after watching a recent Discovery Channel special with John about the mad tunnel-building skills of this country, I felt slightly better.

I’d love to share more and describe the sights and sounds in detail but we’re off to a hockey game at Hallenstadion. I can’t wait until I have more time to document (and digest) some of the magnificent views and scenes I have experienced so far.

You can view the rest of my photos from my media trip to Switzerland in this photo set, and read all posts here.