Take a walk
This week, I’m making the most of the good weather and walking from place to place to remind myself of the special sites and scenes in Zurich. If you want to take a leaf out of my book, then download my very own guide to city walks here.
Give my love to the city,
Ron

Architecture God

This year the Swiss architect Peter Zumthor won the most esteemed award in international architecture, the Pritzker Prize, for his lifetime achievement. Known for being publicity shy, Zumthor, whose most famous building is the Spa at Therme Vals in Graubünden, talks to Jennifer Davies (the co-editor of Inside Magazine) in the new season of Swiss By Design on World Radio Switzerland. He reveals his project for the island of Ufnau in Lake Zurich and his philosophy on architecture. The show is repeated at the weekend and is then available on podcast.

Thursday 6.30 pm, WRS

Techno talent
They say that slow and steady wins the race, so after three years of producing elegant techno and house, Mathias Kaden is finally celebrating his premiere at Hive on Friday night. Kaden reinterprets 90’s house music turning it into sounds that have been described as characteristically “funky, freaky and dub-popping”. He’s sharing the spotlight with his label-mate Marek Hemmann.

Friday 11pm, Hive

Happy birthdays
If you’re anything like me you’ll have a fondness for fab furniture and Bogen 33, the second-hand design shop, (near Hardplatz train station in Kreis 5) is one of my favourite haunts. It’s celebrating its sixth birthday on Saturday with an open BBQ in the courtyard area outside. And many happy returns to one of Zurich’s great underground theatre institutions, the Gessnerallee, which is 20 years old. They’re hosting a party with djs Chiri Moya and Styro2000 at Stall 6 and Swiss rock legends The Young Gods, with Annakin in Saalschutz.

Saturday 6 pm, Bogen 33
Saturday 8 pm, Gessnerallee

Salute to summer...
...and welcome to autumn. Celebrate the last gasp of summer at Seebad Enge's End of Season Party. The musical stylings of Gleichschritt, Leo & Pamuk might just convince you to put those summer sandals to use on the dance floor one last time. Starting on Sunday until 10 October, enjoy the change of seasons à la française: this lakeside venue turns itself into a French bistro, complete with fresh moules frites and oysters, music, and (heated) patio.

Saturday 7pm, Seebad Enge
Sunday 6:30pm, Seebad Enge

Full English
So, you’ve been taking your German lessons oh so seriously and you can navigate your way through your health insurance forms, but you still find it hard to get a grip on the bureaucracy of everyday life here in the city? Take heart, even I need a little help sometimes! So, if you’re an English-speaker and need anything, from foodstuffs from home (like crisps or Oreos), to a quick and easy lesson on Swiss politics: Ask – and the Expat Expo will provide.

Sunday 11 am – 5 pm, Kongresshaus

Datsuns concert
Mascotte’s Karaoke From Hell opens a new season on Tuesday night after a restful, yet inspired, summer. Armed with 20 new songs, with (among others) classics from Cream, The Strokes and Garbage, they’re promising a relentlessly rocking night. Their very special guests are the New Zealand band, The Datsuns and their support group, who are on tour with their new album, Headstunts – which ranges from pop-punk to stadium rock. That means lots of frantic guitars and big, big drums. Rock on!

Karaoke From Hell, Tuesday 7.30 pm, Mascotte
The Datsuns, Tuesday 11 pm, Mascotte

Good to Know:
So hungry you could eat a horse, but cat got your tongue when it comes to telling your German-speaking friends? The online dictionary Phrasen.com offers English-German and German-English idioms and phrases. There are plenty of practical terms, but sometimes a figure of speech can get a little lost in translation... Here are a few of my favourites, in both English and German, along with their cultural meanings:
Auf zwei Hochzeiten tanzen - To have your cake and eat it, too.  (To try to dance at two weddings... or, to want to have it all.) Die Kirschen in Nachbars Garten schmecken immer ein bisschen süsser – The grass is always greener on the other side. (Whether talking about your neighbours' tastier cherries or greener grasses, the meaning is the same – other options always seem better than what you already have.) Sei kein Kindskopf! – Act your age! (Don't be a child's head...or, have the head of an adult!) Wähle deine Frauen oder deine Wäsche nie bei Kerzenlicht aus! – Never choose your women or your linen by candlelight! (I reckon this one’s pretty self-explanatory – if a little chauvinistic in these supposedly liberated times).                             

People of Wal-Mart
We may not have a Wal-Mart here in Zurich, yet we’ve all come across the oddly-outfitted in our local supermarket – the strangest I’ve ever seen was a teenager and his pet snake buying cornflakes at Migros HB! In the same vein, a new site, People of Wal-Mart showcases pictures of the more bizarre breed of people who shop in branches of the US megastore. There’s even a monthly photo contest where the public can send in their snaps of the weirdest, for a prize of $ 100.

Fashion
Named by Time Magazine as one of the top 100 design influencers, street style photographer, The Sartorialist (AKA New Yorker Scott Schuman) has just released his first book and is about to go on a world tour. The good news – it has small pages so it can fit in a handbag. The bad news – there are so many of them, it’s as heavy as a phone book. If you’d like to see a less weighty  preview of his masterwork, head to Playlust for sneaky peek.