Swiss and Chips - Your British guide to Switzerland
An English Podcast about Switzerland for Expats living in Switzerland. A podcast about Swiss culture, Swiss hidden places, work and living in Switzerland. Your British guide to Switzerland: an audio podcast for English-speaking expats living in Switzerland and Swiss interested in Britain. Everything expats need to know about finding a job in Switzerland, how to find an apartment in Bern, Geneva or Zurich, how to find friends and get to know Swiss culture, traditions and of course, how to learn the language. We will answer your questions and give you a personal insight into what moving from London to Bern is like. This is not just a view from the outside looking in however, we will also bring you the Swiss perspective, from a "real" Swiss, born and bred in the Bernese Oberland. Become part of the community.
Episodes
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Swiss National Day is coming up! Let’s talk about what happens on the big day and what it means to the Swiss. We’ll help you figure out how to mark the occasion even if you haven’t been in Switzerland for long. We also have some new features in our podcast for you: “Swiss bytes”, listener feedback and our survey.
00:00 - Intro
01:58 - Listener Feedback
03:14 - Swiss Bytes
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How do you cope with the chaos, confusion, and frequent frustration of queuing in Switzerland? In this episode, we explore Swiss queuing culture and share our experiences and advice on how to survive and possibly thrive in the chaotic queuing land of the Alps. We have some horror stories to share that you might be able to identify with. Whether you’re a newcomer, a visitor, or a long-time resident, we ...
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Switzerland, a country known for its linguistic diversity, is home to the unique dialect of Swiss German. It has many variations around the country, with words, sounds and phrases changing by city or valley. Here, we dive into a very specific topic of Swiss German - the use of nicknames.
In this episode of ‘Decoding Swiss German Nicknames’, we aim to unravel the meanings, origins, and usage of nicknames...
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Discovering animal sounds in Swiss German: A fun exploration at the Dählhölzli Petting Zoo
Come with us on a stroll through the famous Dählhölzli petting zoo in Bern where we talk about the different animal noises in English and Swiss German.
A special welcome and thanks to all our super early subscribers: Samir, Julian, Nuclei, Alicia, Nicholas, Joee and many more - we really appreciate the early suppor...
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The experience of going to see a film in Switzerland has some quirks. The first question you’re probably going to ask yourself when trying to catch a new release is what language it’s going to be shown in and secondly, how much the pleasure is going to set you back.
In this episode, we talk about which kind of cinema typically shows films in which languages, how dubbing or subtitles come into pl...
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After 13 years of living in Switzerland, Jo is finally allowed to have her say in her new home country and participate in the democratic process. The Swiss elections are coming up and after becoming Swiss, this might be the second most exciting day for a new citizen. The papers have arrived (a long time ago) and are ready to be explored. Let's do the unboxing together and talk about the specialiti...
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The Swiss can't get enough of it: Rivella is the Alpine nation's traditional soft drink of choice. But there's an unusual ingredient hiding beneath the bubbles of this thirst-quenching liquid. Any idea what it is?
In this episode, we'll introduce you to the delights of Switzerland's weird and wonderful fizzy refreshment, and Simon takes a blind Rivella taste test to find out how...
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If you're looking for Christmas magic, put Colmar, France on your list of must-see places. A beautiful city at any time of year, it is decorated and lit up to perfection every Christmas.
The city's cobbled streets are flanked by Medieval or Renaissance-period buildings and small canals run alongside the main thoroughfares. There are six different markets to see, each with a different focus suc...
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It can take time to figure out what the useful websites are when you move to a new country. What are the most-popular car-sharing, price comparison, weather and buy-and-sell sites in Switzerland? We crowdsourced a list of the must-know websites in Switzerland from our Facebook group, Switzerland for English Speakers. In this episode we explain why they're useful and what we personally think of the...
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Warning: this episode is a rollercoaster! We try to navigate our way through a traditional Swiss kitchen, and explain the classic items you'll find in any Swiss kitchen cupboard. From flavourings to implements, we lift the table cloth on the secrets of Switzerland's home dining habits - and we reveal a few foody preferences of our own along the way. Plus: what's missing in a standard Swi...
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After Jo got her Swiss passport it was time to step up and get her first real taste of Swiss democracy… and what better way to do it than going to vote in the regular Swiss polls in person.
In this episode, we talk about how to vote in person or by post, and how to navigate political discussions with the Swiss.
The Swiss and Chips vote
Come and vote, we want to hear from you!
Notes on this episode of Swiss...
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The traditional ways to travel between the UK and Switzerland are plane, train and car. 2022 turned out to be the year we used the channel tunnel to make the trip for the first time. We drove from Bern to England and then back a few weeks later. It was an experience to remember! And one that’s worth talking about and sharing with you.
Notes on this episode of Swiss and Chips: Your British Guide to Switz...
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It took around two years, but the moment has finally come. Ten months after the final interview a confirmation letter arrived in the post: Jo is Swiss! Now that's worth talking about.
Notes on this episode of Swiss and Chips: Your British Guide to Switzerland
What happened so far: Check out our other episodes on 'How to become Swiss'. What happened since the interview What changes after be...
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The BEA is open! This annual traditional Swiss fair is a must-see for anyone living in or around Bern and it's open until May 8 this year. From donkey displays to fairground rides and the chance to sample local beers and a staggering range of cheese, there is so much to see for children and adults.
We recorded while out on a day trip in Switzerland, so there's not one, but two recommendations...
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Snow, a frozen lake and beautiful mountains: there aren't many more things you need to complete the perfect Swiss winter destination. When we headed to St. Moritz in January 2022 we had high expectations for this famous ski resort with a glitzy reputation. And it absolutely lived up to them! With breathtaking winter scenery and vintage Winter Olympics sights, there is lots to do here even if you&a...
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Jo moved to Switzerland just over a decade ago, so it seemed to be about time to talk about her experience, the highlights, a...
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If you have a British-Swiss child and live in Switzerland, like we do, how do you go about getting their first passports? In this episode we'll explain everything from organising all of the documents to taking a suitable picture of your little one.
Notes on this episode of Swiss and Chips: Your British Guide to Switzerland
- Organising the Swiss passport: where to get it, what you need ...
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It's the big moment in the Swiss citizenship process: finally you will meet someone face-to-face who will decide whether all the paperwork you have collected, all the forms you have filled out and all the studying you have done is enough to make you a viable candidate for becoming Swiss.
My moment finally came when I was invited to the office that handles citizenship applications in Ber...
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