Looking for a Swiss friend living in the region of Aigle/Vevey/Montreux and area?

Hi!

After nearly 20 years spent in Asia, I am back "home", meaning a Swiss girl has returned to her roots! I know it is not easy for foreign expats to make friends in Switzerland (we have the reputation of being a cold and hard to tame "tribe"), but it is not easy either for a Swiss national who spent half her life abroad to get re-acquainted with long lost friends, make new ones and "fit right back in"...

So why not try to meet new people, from a horizon common to mine, (the expat (the word being used in its extended meaning) world/community?

I wouldn't mind helping some of you getting to know the region better, meeting for a coffee from time to time and most of all, as I love to read, I was wondering if any of you would be interested in joining a book club, that would take place on the riviera (from, let's say, Aigle to Vevey)? There are already a few in Lausanne and Geneva, but none that I know of catering to this region. if you are not familiar with how it works, no worries. it usually takes place once a month, participants host the group in turn, each participant chooses a book that we will all read, presents the author, does a summary of the story, and it ends up with a group discussion and opinions being shared about the book and its content. it is opened to everybody, there is no age limit, no specific background required, just the desire to share with others and spend time together around an interesting subject. if anyone out there is interested, in the bookclub or simply to meet someone new, let me know! Bye!

Welcome to the forum and welcome back!

Thanks! glad to see someone cared to reply! :-)

Hello

I just read your post and wanted to say that I would be interested in joining a book club, if you are still considering setting one up. I moved to the Vevey area about a year ago, and now live in Blonay. I am British and we moved to the area as my husband is Swiss and from the area. I was in a book club in London for many years and it would be great to be in one again!

Hi there,

Thanks for your reply and your interest. Of course setting up a bookclub would be great but unfortunately you are the only one who replied positively! Either TV has more to offer or Nestle Vevey has drastically reduced it's pool of expats in the region.. ;-) but if you feel like meeting someone who spent part of her youth in blonay as well, let me know...

I'm in! Three is a start.

Oh great! So maybe we can try to set up something after all! And if you feel like selling the idea to friends, feel free. when in the day would be a good time for you to meet were we to start our club?

Hello

Singaporealla - I sent you a PM. I could meet in the evening, Friday evening would work best for me as I don't work fridays and have to often travel during the week. But i can be flexible.

Hello! I am fairly new to Montreux and am really struggling to meet people! I need some friends!!! Anyone fancy a coffee?

Hello. Yes its difficult to make friends I agree. Happy to have a coffee, I'll send you a PM.

Hello!!

I'm from Ireland and moved to Vevey at the beginning of August. I just joined this forum and would be interested in a book club or just generally meeting up with people!

Hi, thats great that you would be interested in joining the book club. I'll send you a PM.

Hi

I'd love to join too!

Hi...

Just a quickie to say 'hi'! Great to 'hear' from you! Yes, it would be great to meet up. We have a lovely little group now, that is growing in number!

Yay! Let me know the details! hurrah

Montreux says Hi! Actually I'm doing my internship in Geneve so maybe another time )

Just got a place in Aigle, although travelling a lot. Any advice for living in the area? I've moved from Baselland, and know Vaud pretty well as a tourist, but would appreciate any insider tips.

Hi,

well, after Basel, Aigle will seem extremely boring and unwelcome. But if you are here already, it means you've had a preview of what awaits you... depending on whether you enjoy a glass of wine or not, you will find that the Aiglons (the people living in Aigle) open up better after a bottle or two of good regional white wine and might even start to like you if you pay for the bottle they drank with you. From September, the wineyards open their 'carnotzet' (wine cellar) for wine tasting once the harvest has started. Yvorne is a good place to go and meet people. If you want to be part of the community and make friends, the best way to do so is by joining a club, may it be the gym, the swimming, badminton, soccer, whatever (and if you have kids, make them join, you'll meet other parents....) I do not know how long you are planning to stay around but unless you are willing to give a bit of yourself, your time and get invoved in something, meeting others in a town that doesn't have much to offer is tough work. Monthey, close by, has more in terms of activities, and of course the riviera with Montreux, Vevey have a few good things going on as well. Aigle has something for her though: she is close by to many mountain villages (ski resorts and plenty of great summer walks). If it is something you do enjoy, you can register with the alpine club, which will offer cross country, alpine and nordic skiing group outings with different levels of difficulties snowshoes treks and in summer you'll be offered the possibility to discover mountain cabanes through great walks (also ranged in levels of difficulty). Whatever works in other regions to know the people works here as well but in terms of night life, community life, it is not the richer, unfortunately if you stick to Aigle only. if you are willing to move around, then you'll find all you need from Monthey and its carnaval to Lausanne and its night life, concerts, plays, shows, stopping in Montreux for its jazz festival, clubs and bars, Vevey for its city-sized photo exhibit every two years, great museums and buzzing theatre activity, then you might be quite pleased with the life led here... If you plan to still be around by summer 2019, Another event that might interests you and that will definitely make you be part of something much bigger and know people all over the region is to register as a volunteer for the fete des vignerons. It happens only 4 times per century, it is a major, MAJOR event here involving hundreds of people and living that once in your life is something you'll never forget.

you said you travel a lot but the alpine club, for example, isn't the type of club that requires much involvement as you sign up for one outing at a time, whenever your schedule allows it. it might suits your busy life while helping you making some new acquaintances. I really do encourage you to take the time to develop a small network of friends from the region as living in Aigle is not the same as living in Geneva or even Lausanne and if you plan on returning to Basel every time you feel like having friends around, it will get tough on you...I hope this post will help you a bit and if you need more, do let me know!

Anyway, welcome to Aigle!!!

Please be a pal and divide your text up a bit.

It doesn't have to be cut into paragraphs when you start a new subject as we were taught at school, but reading on a screen with varilux glasses and old age creeping on, I prefer five lines of text together as a maximum.

Typography is a fascinating subject. Distances between words, distances between, and lengths of, lines - it is all so important in improving legibility.

Thank you very much for all that, Singaporella, that is very interesting.

I ski a lot, so that is one big benefit of the area. I run some ski web sites and blogs. The Alpine Club sounds like a good tip.

I also have a lot of friends and family round the world, so I expect a lot of visitors! A large part of the time will be keeping them entertained, but there seems to be a lot in the area - we holidayed in this part of the country several times when we lived in Basel.

My immediate family includes a 9yo girl and 11yo son, and one question I had was about activities for children, particularly in the summer. They both speak French. I imagine there are summer camps, and activities like ice hockey camp in the winter (perhaps in Monthey). Does anyone know who organises them?